Team coach Caleb Porter said after each of the first two games of the first phase of major League Soccer’s 18-game schedule that the offense was not bad, but that it didn’t work well without Lucas Zelarayan leading the attack.
After running out of goals through FC Cincinnati in their last game with Zelarayan in the lineup, it is doubtful that the team can score without the designated player on Sunday night after suffering a minor training injury.
However, the team responded to Zelarayan’s absence by betting his most productive offensive game of the year and with doubts about the regression of his attack.
Pedro Santos, Luis Díaz and Darlington Nagbe probably had their games this season in the direction of a 3-0 win at Mapfre Stadium. The team is at the top of the East Conference with 10 games with a 7-1-2 record (23 issues), five Tracks ahead of the Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC, second.
“I think it’s a real confidence honor that I think everyone around this club has on our team and our players who weren’t satisfied that we didn’t score,” Porter said after the game. “I think it shows that everyone is popular is that we don’t score in two games and it gets huge, I didn’t care.
The team recorded its highest expected-purpose price of the year at 3. 45, according to Opta’s research, and led 18-6 shots without allowing a shot on purpose.
Diaz left the bench for Youness Mokhtar at halftime and accelerated the crew attack, and gave Santos a hand for the first goal in the 52nd minute, resulting in Diaz beating Cincinnati midfielder Greg Garza on the right flank and crossing a ball nearby. to the bottom line in the middle of the box.
Diaz is also dynamic in individual situations. His most productive possibility came in the 86th minute when he hit Cincinnati defender Andrew Gutman and forced goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton to make a stop.
The first purpose of Santos’ season seemed to ignite his confidence: in the 64th minute, two minutes after Gyasi Zardes replaced Fanendo Adi, Santos introduced a center from the most sensitive left corner of the domain to Zardes on the first stick he redirected to the bow. Network.
Diaz and Santos had yet to figure out how they were last season in crew’s 5-2-6 race to end the season. It’s just that they both play well when Zelarayan isn’t available.
“Whenever we score, we feel more comfortable and more confident too,” Santos said. “And I felt confident and I think I proved it in the game.
Nagbe, replacing Zelarayan, whom Porter said would be fine but did not specify the injury, worked as expected, was quick and effective in his death and incredibly difficult to deposeer. He finished his 41 passes.
“He can paint in tight spaces, and they had no answer for him,” Porter said, “and that’s what we expected him to show. “
Zardes also had his best effective adjustment of his time with the crew, scoring twice in less than 10 minutes.
The team will be tested through larger groups than Cincinnati, but it is a testament to Porter and the team for having memorable offensive functionality without their most productive midfielder, and only a week after being eliminated by the same team.
“I think the players, if you ask them, can still be better,” Porter said. “We are just scratching the surface of the equipment that we can be, we need to be and we will have to be if we want to achieve our goals.
jmyers@dispatch. com
@_jcmyers