Breakfast Links - September 18, 2023
(image via Houston Dash)
Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Let’s recap what happened with our Breakfast Links.
Houston
Some mixed results for the Houston teams this weekend. Let’s start off positive with the Dash who got their first league win since June 3rd as they beat Racing Louisville away from home 1-0 Friday night. The team looked much more fluid under interim coach Sarah Lowdon. Andressa Alves was given her first start and she looked great adding some much-needed flair and playmaking ability to what has been a very static midfield. Maria Sanchez looked her best all season in the second half where she found Diana Ordonez’s head with an accurate cross. This was Diana’s first goal since May 26th, great to see her end her scoring drought. The Dash are now only three points behind the playoff line but still sit four places outside the playoffs in the standings. The team might need maximum points from these last three games to have a chance of qualifying.
The Dynamo then continued their playoff push Saturday night with a 1-1 draw against St Louis CITY SC. It was an alright overall performance and the draw was the fair result. The Dynamo were once again let down by some poor finishing when trying to put the game out of reach in the second half. While the defense mostly played great, St Louis is not a team that are easy to keep off the score sheet for 90 minutes. The lone Houston goal came from Corey Baird off a beautiful bit of play between Amine Bassi and Hector Herrera. Six games are left and the Dynamo see themselves above the playoff line by five points. The priority is making the playoffs no matter what.
While the Dynamo first team looks like they’ll make the playoffs, the same can’t be said for Dynamo 2. Kenny Bundy’s team went out and lost 3-1 to a bad North Texas SC team in what was a must win game Sunday night. Papa Ndoye opened the scoring early, but the defense could not hold on in the second half, conceding three goals. To make the playoffs, Dynamo 2 must beat LA Galaxy II and one of Minnesota or San Jose have to lose their game. Unfortunately, it does not look very likely.
MLS/NWSL
Atlanta United had themselves a statement win at home to an Inter Miami team who were without Leo Messi. Atlanta beat them 5-2 with goals coming from five different players. This win all but confirms Atlanta’s spot in the playoffs and makes Miami’s chances of making the playoffs very slim. Orlando was another team in the East to have a statement win, beating Columbus 4-3 at home. Columbus’s three headed monster of Cucho Hernandez, Diego Rossi, and Julian Gressel all got on the scoresheet, but it was not enough as Orlando’s attacking wingers and Ramiro Enrique had some of their best performances this season. Orlando look great and may even be able to catch up to Cincinnati in the Supporters Shield race.
Out west, we saw what consistently is the most entertaining fixture in MLS, El Trafico. This installment of El Trafico saw LAFC dominate the Galaxy at home 4-2. Denis Bouanga continues his impressive form scoring another two goals. The Galaxy got goals from their two new signings Maya Yoshida and Billy Sharp, but it was not enough as their defense collapsed in the second half. The Portland Timbers got their second win in a row, beating Austin FC on the road 2-1. Interim coach Miles Joseph has been doing a great job getting this team back on track with 10 points from an available 15 in his five games in charge. They now sit in a playoff spot and will be a tough team to play if they keep up this form into the playoffs.
In NWSL we saw the Portland Thorns continue to keep their top spot in the league after beating OL Reign 2-0 at home. With no Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver stepped up and put on an incredible showing, scoring a goal to win the game and stay at the top of the table. The Washington Spirit lost on the road to Gotham FC, keeping the gap between the playoff teams and playoff chasers very small. World Cup champion Esther Gonzalez scored both goals in the win for Gotham.
Around the World
The start to the Eredivisie season in Holland has been very interesting with PSV, AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord, and Twente looking like the clear top teams in the division. For the first time since the late 90s, Ajax is not one of those dominant looking teams as they failed to win once again. This time they lost on the road to FC Twente who are now 4-0 on the season. Usually, Ajax is always able to overcome lots of sales every summer but they do not look good as of right now. PSV look like the team to beat with another dominant performance with Luke De Jong scoring a brace and American striker Ricardo Pepi getting his first goal for the club.
La Liga in Spain is starting to heat up with Barcelona and Real Madrid getting wins over tricky teams. Barcelona went and dominated Real Betis 5-0 with five different goal scorers. Joao Felix looked great and scored his first goal for the club as his partnership with Robert Lewandowski continues to develop. Real Madrid came from behind against Real Sociedad after conceding to Ander Barrenetxea just five minutes in. Federico Valverde and new striker Joselu got the crucial goals to win Madrid’s fifth game this season. New left back Francisco Garcia chipped in with two assists as well as he continues to look like a great signing.
