MLS Cup Playoff Takeaways: Wild Card Round

The brand new wild card round of the MLS Cup Playoffs has come and gone, and while some (including myself) may see these games as a little bit pointless, there was something to keep an eye on here going forward.

New York Red Bulls defeat Charlotte FC 5-2

The Red Bulls were 5th in MLS in xG differential.

They were, by all accounts, a very good team. They just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.

But last night, they put 5 away against Charlotte.

Now, Charlotte had some very questionable defense last night, but if the Red Bulls get hot and start finding the net, they might find themselves pulling a few upsets.

Sporting Kansas City defeats San Jose 0-0 (4-2 on penalty kicks)

I figured SKC would breeze walk through San Jose.

They didn’t, but hey in single elimination games it’s all about “survive and advance.”

But the fact is, San Jose might have just found a way to stifle Kansas City.

If you sit back and defend, SKC couldn’t seem to find any way to break down that low block and get a goal.

It sounds crazy to say because St. Louis is top seed in the West, but with their poor defense and capability of being passed through a bit, it might not be a bad idea to let SKC control the ball and hit them on the counter.

SKC needs to figure out a way to break that down if they want to continue going forward.