Before we get to the actual impact of the 4th place New England Revolution playing at 7th place New York City FC at 4:30 PM from Gillette Stadium... I feel like I need to repeat some earlier sentiments about the direction of Major League Soccer.

I said two weeks ago during the announcement of LAFC minority owner Larry Berg as the new league commissioner that simplifying the league calendar should be one of the most important and first tasks accomplished going into the winter schedule.

Adding playoff teams and a double elimination format and getting accurately dragged by the 1998 classic from Trey Parker and Matt Stone should not have been among those options seriously considered.

I do not know how to convey the concept that chasing the money from a large quantity of playoff games against middling teams rather than focusing a limited number of quality games will always be nothing more than a money grab. The hardcore fan is always going to watch their team, trying to capture the attention of the casual fan – during the early summer months with NBA/NHL playoffs and the MLB regular season – is not going to happen with double elimination games between the 18th and 20th teams in the standings.

Just like the best of three series idea needed to remain in the 90s, MLS should not be following the trend of expanding the playoffs to an absurd level. You do not need two thirds of your league in a postseason bracket... I would argue that even the Top 5 in each conference might be too many.

Matt Polster’s Understanding Of The Game Gives The Revs Flexibility
“No matter where he is, he understands what’s happening on the field.”
The Blazing MusketSeth Macomber

I think a single elimination game between the #2 and #3 seeds with the winner playing a two leg aggregate conference against #1, followed by an two leg MLS Cup Final is the best way to generate eyeballs. The best of the best, all the time for a month... not a slog of midtable slop for two months like everyone else does.

Now if there are serious considerations by the league to prioritize the Open Cup and ditch the Leagues Cup, I would absolutely settle for 5-7 teams in each Conference Bracket. So long as it's a single elimination until the Conference Finals/MLS Cup which I think should be two legs.

But if you're brand new great ideas and policies are getting dragged online with movie clips from such classics like BASEketball and Idiocracy...perhaps your ideas are in fact, not just bad, but terrible.

Anyway, Matthew Mangam is here from New York Soccer Journal despite the fact that I gave his Rutgers Scarlet Knights an unprovoked stray last week...I did not apologize for that incredibly accurate Mexico/CONEMBOL/Big Ten comparison and since Matt is still providing me answers I was happy to oblige to his questions as well.

Make sure to follow Matt and NYSJ for all of their game coverage.

Why The New England Revolution Are Playing Some of Their Best Soccer of the Season
Quotes, clips, and analysis.
The Blazing MusketSeth Macomber

1) NYCFC bowed out of the Leagues Cup with one win over Santos Laguna followed by losses to Cruz Azul and Necaxa...how would you rate the Pigeons performance in those three games?

It wasn’t a great showing at all, but that was expected: Outside of a 2024 quarterfinal run, NYCFC has always struggled in Leagues Cup. Plus, given the tournament's format, losing once basically means elimination. So after the loss to Cruz Azul, the Necaxa match became pointless. 

The positive from the club’s quick showing in the competition is that Brazilian Luighi made his debut and looked great. Now, the striker on loan from Palmeiras has scored in back-to-back league matches, already contributing more than DP Bénie Traoré has in three fewer games. 

It was also nice to see MLS SuperDraft pick Max Murray start all three Leagues Cup games, but his performance against the Philadelphia Union in his MLS debut wasn’t pretty, and he was dropped for the next game. 

2) It's been a fairly active transfer window for NYC, including getting James Sands back from a loan spell abroad. How big of a boost should these additions be?

As I already mentioned above, the addition of Luighi has helped the team add another goal scorer besides Nico Fernández Mercau. Attacker Bénie Traoré signed a big deal to join the club from Basel, but his first few months in New York haven’t been great, with only one goal in eight matches. 

The return of James Sands was also massive, given that NYCFC had injuries to centerbacks Thiago Martins and Raul Gustavo, as well as midfielder Kai Trewin, who can also play at the back. Although Raul Gustavo is healthy and Thiago Martins is nearly back, the team needs Sands more defensively than in midfield, his natural position.

Another addition that isn’t a transfer is Alonso Martínez, who just returned to training this past Monday after tearing his ACL last November. I don’t expect him to be back just yet, but his return will be big for NYCFC, even though he’ll be on a minutes restriction. 

3) Two losses since the end of Leagues Cup play, including a late concession to Evander and Cincy midweek, what does NYC need to do to get back in the win column and how much higher than 7th can they get in the standings?

The last two losses proved that NYCFC has trouble seeing out games: The club has conceded 12 goals after the 75th minute, seven of which were in stoppage time. 

NYCFC squandered its 2-0 lead against Philadelphia and, despite having several chances to take the lead against Cincinnati, couldn’t beat Roman Celentano and were punished by Evander from a defensive switchoff in stoppage time. 

New York City has blown leads before this season, but the last two games in particular highlight just how much trouble the club has in seeing out results, whether a win or a draw. The absence of Thiago Martins hasn’t helped with this, given he is NYCFC’s best defender. 

We’ve also seen the offense struggle, with Bénie Traoré and Talles Magno not contributing much at all. Opposing teams have figured out a way to stop Nico Fernández Mercau: foul the heck out of him. Luighi is the most promising piece of the offense currently, looking to make it three goals in three games against New England on Sunday. 

Lineups/Injuries

4-2-3-1: Freese; O’Toole,Sands, Thiago Martins, Gray; Perea, Parks; Traoré, Fernández, Ojeda; Luighi

Thiago Martins trained with the team on Friday and is expected to be back on Sunday, which is good news for NYCFC. I also think Pascal Jansen could bring in Jonny Shore in the midfield for the not-quite-fully-healthy Keaton Parks, and maybe start Malachi Jones or Talles Magno in the offense. 

The remaining injuries are the big ones: Alonso Martínez and Maxi Moralez with ACL tears, and Kai Trewin and Aiden O’Neill are still recovering from their post-World Cup surgeries. Hannes Wolf was described as having a “weird moment in training” before the Necaxa game, so he hasn’t played since the 2-1 loss to Cruz Azul on August 9. 

I think this game ends in a 1-1 draw.