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1. How can CF Montréal develop young talent while remaining competitive?
1. How can CF Montréal develop young talent while remaining competitive?
Developing young talent is at the core of CF Montréal's identity. Montréal isn't going to outspend the rest of the league to find success. They want to construct their roster around prospects and undervalued players from around the league, giving these players a platform to realize their potential. While Montréal has aggressively recruited promising pieces from other clubs, they have largely failed to build competetive teams. Montréal has finished in the top half of the Eastern Conference just once in the last decade, and don't look ready to break this trend, as they sit bottom of the conference. Being competitive in MLS isn't solely contingent on how much a club spends. The Philadelphia Union, another club known for their low-budget approach, are proof of this. It wasn't too long ago that CF Montréal themselves were one of the best teams in the league: they finished second in the East under Wilfried Nancy in a season that typified how Montréal want to operate. So how can they get back to these heights?
First and foremost, Montréal needs to focus on developing their young players. This starts with the academy. After producing midfielders Ismaël Koné and Nathan Saliba, who are now big parts of the Canadian National Team, CF Montréal has seemingly ignored their academy. Instead, they invest their resources on unproven players from other teams. There are 6 defenders on the current roster age 22-25 who came up through other youth programs, failed to break through at their club, and were brought to Montréal. This blocks the pathway for Montréal's top prospects, who have not consistently received looks with the first team since Nancy's tenure. Another personnel issue is the lack of continuity these players experience. With so many young players competing for minutes in the same position, they aren't able to get a run in the starting 11. This makes it very difficult to develop. With all these inexperienced players, it's important to have senior members in the squad. They set the example and provide leadership for the youth. The ability to learn from experienced teammates is invaluable for youngsters looking to improve. For the team, they raise the floor by allowing for inconsistency inconsistency among players who will naturally be inconsistent. While CF Montréal has some strong veterans in their group, they lack in-prime players to elevate the team. Prince Owusu and Brayan Vera are the only high level, proven MLS players in the starting 11. It's a big reason why it feels like Owusu is on his own in attack, and why Montréal are so low in the table.
On a holistic level, Montréal need to establish and commit to a style of play. Since 2023, they've had 4 different managers. This is a lot of change for any group, but especially one as young as Montréal. If Montréal can stick with a manager, the roster won't have to constantly learn new systems, allowing the young players to focus on their own growth. Current manager Philippe Eullafroy has a chance to make a good case to remain with the club heading into next season. Results have been decent under the Frenchman, and they are in the finals of the Canadian Championship. Lifting the Voyageur's Cup would be proof of concept for Eullafroy going forward. Furthermore, it would surely give young players confidence and help bring in high end talents. But before Montréal can focus on that competition, they have a Canadian Classique game this Saturday afternoon. A win against their biggest rivals would be a launchpad for the remainder of the season. So, it's paramount that a healthy mix of youth and experience are featured to get the best out of the roster against Toronto. Regardless of who is on the touch line next season, it's important for CF Montréal to implement stability in the club, reinvest in their youth set up, and add more in-prime players if they wish to get back to competing at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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In a dramatic Candian Classique, Montréal showed that they are not at the level to compete for the playoffs. Up 1-0 heading into stoppage time, they allowed two goals in a collapse indicative of their inexperience. They were far too open trying to see out the game, particularly on the game winner from Mihailovic. A team that is accustomed to winning closes this one out. While a winning culture is clearly lacking, a great way to instill this mentality is through collecting silverware, which Montréal has a chance to do later this month. Aside from intangibles, Montréal doesn't have the talent to be a threat in the East. Prince Owusu has been outstanding this year, and he has needed to be. Everything Montréal does goes through him, whether he is making runs in behind, holding up play, or creating chances for teammates. He is one of their few in-prime players who starts, and it shows on the field. He needs help. The more support Owusu gets, the better it is for Montréal to develop their young prospects. Jalen Neal was pretty good in this one, but none of Montréal's pickups have progressed enough to move the needle. Part of this is because they don't have the senior players to elevate their level of play. The veterans, aside from Daniel Ríos, are underperforming. Meanwhile, Dani Pereira, Frankie Amaya, and Wiki Carmona were all on the bench against Toronto. They are some of the best pieces of Montréal's roster, yet aren't getting minutes. This is hurting the growth of the young players, who have more freedom to make mistakes when surrounded by quality teammates. As of right now, Montréal isn't doing enough to improve their young players, or to be competitive in the league. They need to play their best players in order to achieve these two things.
2. Can the Haak and Glesnes partnership lead the LA Galaxy to the playoffs?
2. Can the Haak and Glesnes partnership lead the LA Galaxy to the playoffs?
The LA Galaxy have transformed a lot since their 2024 MLS Cup season. There have been significant changes to almost every position in their starting lineup, but perhaps the most impactful change has been their center back partnership. In 2024, Maya Yoshida and Emiro Garcés anchored their backline. Between Yoshida's leadership and Garcés' 1v1 defense in transition, the Galaxy had a formidable partnership. 2 years later and Yoshida is older while Garcés has been too inconsistent to nail down a starting position for the Galaxy. In fact, the only time Yoshida and Garcés have started together this season is when Vanney switched systems to a back 3.
This offseason, the Galaxy set out to address this problem by bringing in Jakob Glesnes, one of the best center backs over the past half decade, and Justin Haak, who had a breakout season last year with NYCFC after partnering with Thiago Martins. Due to injuries and the Galaxy's need to play Haak in the midfield at times this season, as well as a lack of consistent results, this partnership that was supposed to shore up the Galaxy's defensive issues never fully blossomed the way that LA fans might've hoped. This has led to a low of experimentation in the back. Through the course of this season, the Galaxy have played with 5 different center back partnerships. The pair with the most amount of starts is Haak and Glesnes, with just 8 across their 28 MLS games. However, over the last 5 matches, the Galaxy have started Haak and Glesnes together and have accrued 10 points from a possible 15. This has been enough to put them in a playoff position in the west. While their defense has still been leaky, it is an encouraging run for the Galaxy. Glesnes and Haak are both very high level players, and if they get consistently start together, their partnership can grow into one of the top tandems in the league. The LA Galaxy are going to need these 2 to be at their very best this Sunday as they take on a red hot St. Louis City SC side who cannot stop scoring. Now that we're in the stretch run, every game is very important, so a Galaxy win is not only crucial to their playoff chances but also sends a message to the rest of the league.
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After Sunday's performance against St. Louis City, this question looms even larger. Even if the Galaxy are able to hold on to a playoff spot, it looks unlikely that they would be able to make a serious run in the postseason. They conceded 6 goals in this game, including 5 in the first half. Even though the Galaxy rotated across several positions and played the hottest team in MLS, their backline was still solid and there is no excuse for how open they were. St. Louis City was able to knife through their defense multiple times, and far too often it was just too easy. Glesnes, who is usually so consistent, was not at his best and didn't close down Navarro on his second goal. Haak struggled even more than the Norwegian. He has failed to rediscover his form from last year that made him such a weapon for NYCFC, where he played as a holding midfielder before impressing at center back. This season, he isn't nearly as aggressive coming out of the backline, indicating a lack of confidence. He was known for his marauding runs from the back last season with New York, but this year he just looks timid. Not all of this falls on their backline, as the Galaxy's midfield was also much too easy to play through. Without the presence of a true destroyer, the Galaxy got dominated by the tenacity of Durkin and Edelman. St. Louis City's midfielders had too much time to pick out a pass or play other players into a transition moment, so the Galaxy backline was constantly under pressure. For manager Greg Vanney, changes need to be made to their entire defensive structure in order to shore up their defensive struggles heading into the playoffs.
3. How can San Diego regain last year's road form?
3. How can San Diego regain last year's road form?
Last year, San Diego FC were the best road team in the league. They went 12-1-4, putting up 2.18 points per game away from Snapdragon Stadium. This season, they're 2-5-6 on their travels, averaging 0.85 points per game. That's an unfathomable drop off: from points record pace to wooden spoon pace. San Diego are scoring much less this season, about a goal fewer per game. This is because their transition play has regressed. Despite being known for their possession, San Diego were lethal in transition last season. Many of these moments were manufactured by drawing in opponents with patient possession deep in their own half. The effectiveness of these moments has declined this season. Part of this is scouting. Opponents know what San Diego want to do, so there is no longer any element of surprise. But more so, it's the absence of Hirving Lozano. The Mexican international is a huge threat in open space with his pace and directness. Now it's just Dreyer, and it's much easier to defend. Another area where the Chrome and Azul miss Lozano is when they're playing against the ball. Lozano is a relentless worker, pressing high or tracking back on his own half. Of particular importance is SDFC's counter press, which is much less effective without Lozano in the lineup. The other San Diego forwards don't bring the same level of intensity, and it's an element of their system which is hugely important. With San Diego's high line, if they can't get pressure to the ball, they are extremely vulnerable in behind. San Diego have been easier to play through this year, and it's really shown on the road, when San Diego is able to control the game less.
Mikey Varas' recent switch to a 3-4-3 system could help them on the road. It guarantees more numbers behind the ball, which should improve San Diego's ability to defend in open space. Manu Duah in particularly could thrive in his role at RCB. His transition defending is among the best in MLS. His athleticism and reading of the game allow him to detonate opposing counter attacks, something he will have more freedom to do in a back 3. The 3-4-3 also allows the wingers to pick up more central positions. This has the power to enhance San Diego's repress, as they will have more numbers around the ball in central areas. When they have the ball, SDFC need to be more direct, especially in transition. With home teams inherently having more of the ball, they are more vulnerable on the counter. Facing a Red Bulls team that has been porous defending in open space this season, it would benefit San Diego to go forward quicker when they recover possession. New winger Elias Achouri loves taking on his defender, so giving him more space to operate in would make him more dangerous. And in Jeppe Tverskov, they have a player who can release his teammates into space with his unparalleled vision and ability. If San Diego can pick up a couple more results away from Snapdragon Stadium, they will be right back in the playoff picture.
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San Diego looked nowhere near their 2025 version in a 1-4 loss at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The Chrome and Azul failed to establish control in the first half of the match. They were shaky in possession and their high line was exposed repeatedly. As a result, they conceded three times in the opening half hour. Perhaps the most telling sign of San Diego's struggles in this one was Jeppe Tverskov being taken out of the match at halftime for non-fitness reasons. Tverskov is the crux of how San Diego play. With his poise on the ball and impressive passing range, San Diego play through the Dane, who leads the league in touches per 90. Against Red Bulls, San Diego's troubles getting a foothold in the game were reflected in Tverskov's play. He completed just 73% of his passes. He hadn't completed less than 80% in any other MLS match this season, and his average across 22 matches is a tidy 88.25%. It's a significant drop off that shows just how much New York put Tverskov, and indeed San Diego, off their game. Saturday's loss marks the end of a 3 match road trip in which San Diego allowed 9 goals. A huge part of this is leaving themselves far too vulnerable against the ball.
Now, it must be noted that they did score 6 times in this stretch. So, they can still create plenty of danger on the road. In this match, it usually came from being more direct. San Diego's lone goal occurred following a ball over the top to Bakambu. Going long was effective in beating the Red Bull press that gave them so much trouble in the first half. This directness advanced them up the field with strong hold up play from the Congolese forward, and less than 30 seconds later the ball was in the back of the net. These are the types of adjustments San Diego has to make if they want to find any success on their travels this season. With it being inherently more difficult to dictate the game on the road, San Diego need to drop their line of confrontation and play more direct. Mikey Varas is a manager who is bullish in sticking to his principles. This is by no means a bad thing; you could easily argue that the extent to San Diego's success last season can be attributed to Varas' commitment to his system. However, tactics must change in San Diego if they want to be better on the road this year.
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