Summertime schedule blues
Nothing, when it comes to scheduling Major League Soccer matches in the summer months, is straightforward.
Nothing, when it comes to scheduling Major League Soccer matches in the summer months, is straightforward.
What might have been a double-debut in the league for Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard is complicated slightly by the former Liverpool midfielder making his debut in a friendly match.
The Galaxy are off MLS duty this weekend so that they can play against Mexico’s Club America in the International Champions Cup – a game where Gerrard will line-up with Robbie Keane and company for the first time.
Summer fixture congestion also impacts Lampard’s debut.
New York City FC are at home to Toronto FC, a game which might have had the added attraction of pitting the ex-Chelsea midfielder against two of the best known domestic American players – but TFC’s Michael Bradley, the USA captain, and striker Jozy Altidore, are both away playing in the Gold Cup as part of Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad.
It is tough for MLS to grab the attention of fans during a time when national teams are playing, top European clubs are touring the country and the women’s team are still celebrating their World Cup triumph, but if Frankie and Stevie can’t do it, who can
Can Lampard lift NYC FC into the playoffs?
At first glance, Lampard’s arrival at Yankee Stadium, mirrors that of David Beckham’s first season in LA in 2007. Beckham joined mid-way through a miserable campaign for the Galaxy, he wasn’t fully fit but he was played anyway and was expected to turn the season around.
Beckham couldn’t do it. The Galaxy were a chaotic mess on and off the field and the former England captain, carrying an ankle injury, wasn’t in a position to single-handedly transform the campaign - and LA didn’t even make the playoffs.
New York City FC are currently outside the playoff positions, sitting in seventh place in the East, three points behind local rivals New York Red Bulls and Lampard only finished his Premier League season seven weeks ago.
But the situation is somewhat different.
While early July is the kind of time he would normally be easing into pre-season, Lampard didn’t have a particularly strenuous end to the Premier League campaign, spending much of the run-in on the bench for Manchester City. He is well-known for keeping himself in shape and should be in decent condition.
And NYCFC aren’t doing that badly, having won four of their last five games.
Add into the mix, the fact that Andrea Pirlo will be joining Lampard and Mix Diskerud in midfield, to provide service to David Villa, and the prospects of City making the post-season look pretty decent.
Still, it will be interesting to see how Lampard looks on his debut - how sharp he is already and how he copes with the strange dimensions of the field at Yankee Stadium and everything else that comes with a move to MLS.
Where will Arena play Gerrard?
Although the Liverpudlian’s debut isn’t an MLS game it will be fascinating viewing for those keen to know what kind of impact Gerrard is going to have on the league this season.
Certainly Club America, Concacaf Champions League winners, are a strong opponent and one that is a cut above most of the teams that Gerrard will face in regular season action, but it will be particularly interesting to see where Bruce Arena chooses to play the former England skipper.
Will it be in the deeper ‘quarterback’ role he became more comfortable in during his latter years at Anfield, sitting in front of the defence spraying passes out across the field? Or will Arena want to get the most out of Gerrard’s ability near goal and play him in an advanced role behind the strikers, running at defences and opening up opportunities for Robbie Keane?
Perhaps Arena’s behaviour with Beckham gives us a clue. Many expected Beckham to be given that deeper role, with less running and more reading the game and using his passing skills to start moves. Instead, Becks spent most of his time at the Galaxy charging up and down the right-flank, covering plenty of ground.
Arena, if he follows that approach, may simply want Gerrard to be his main central midfielder, playing box-to-box, regardless of his age and tiring legs.
One thing we can be sure to see, regardless of the exact role given to Gerrard, is his trademark cross-field sweeping pass. It could be extremely effective given that there is nothing that Keane has enjoyed more throughout his career than peeling off his marker into a wide position and latching on to a diagonal long-ball, before racing goalwards.
How will Orlando cope without Kaka?
Orlando City have coped with pretty much everything that their debut season in MLS has thrown at them. The pressure of playing in front of big crowds, injuries, an early season problem scoring goals, losing large numbers of players to international duty and being linked with almost every big-name player that every expresses the slightest interest in moving to MLS.
One thing they haven’t had to deal with is being without Kaka.
The Brazilian is suspended for Saturday’s game at the Citrus Bowl against FC Dallas, after picking up the first straight red of his career against Real Salt Lake last week.
Orlando have no natural replacement for the former Milan midfielder and so they are likely to shuffle their formation, with a possible start for coach Adrian Heath’s talented 19-year-old son Harrison, who has impressed in friendlies and fleeting appearance.
The Rocky Mountain Cup
There may be 500 miles between Sandy, Utah and Commerce City, Colorado but the games between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids have certainly become a kind-of derby clash.
Arguably the best-named of all MLS’s mini-series of rivalry games, RSL have been the top dogs of late - they are unbeaten in the last five encounters and won all three meetings last season. The Rapids ended their six-game unbeaten run with a win over the Vancouver Whitecaps last week but they still remain rooted to the bottom of the West. RSL haven’t faired that much better – they are eighth in the conference with just five wins from 19 games. On the face of it then, this shouldn’t be a great game. But on a weekend where so many teams are without key players due to Gold Cup commitments, the added spice of a rivalry should make this a game to keep an eye on.
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