Where MDS Got Toluca Wrong
Warning: this post contains opinions that may be unpopular. Viewer discretion is advised.
I finally got round to rewatching Toluca vs LAFC, so you don't have to. To me, it highlighted MDS's weaknesses as a coach, and I wanted to share four key takeaways I took from the match.
Firstly: not starting with Martinez was a major error. He's young, fit and he's LAFC's second best attacking option alongside Boungua. He's also a proven provider, and has been prolific against the best Mexican clubs. Why wouldn't you want to start him? The more attacking strength you possess, the more dangerous it is for a team to push too hard. Playing Tillman -who poses limited attacking threat- up front was a declaration that LAFC intended to park the bus, allowing Toluca the room to push forward without risk.
Second: subbing off the most phyically fit player on the team at 60 minutes. Tillman is not a striker. What he is, however, is LAFC's most physically fit player. The man was still making runs 125 minutes in at last year's Western Conference final. When you're playing at altitude, that really matters. Candidly, physical fitness matter more at 9,000 feet than raw talent, and Tillman is pretty much the only LAFC player I can count on to still be running at full pelt after an hour at altitude.
Third: leaving 33 year old Son on until the end. Son is a very gifted player. But he's also a man who's relied a lot on his speed, and he's not as quick as he used to be. And by the end of the 90 he was looking completely gassed. Yeah, I get it, we paid a lot of money for Son. But at altitude, the man is going to be at match pace for 50 or 60 minutes tops. And his exhausation led directly to us conceding, making advance impossible. Unpopular opinion... maybe he should have been the guy subbed on for the last 30 minutes?
Fourth: Jebo is a hell of a nice guy, but the LAFC system is not built around him. Putting a slow, older guy on over Ordaz was an astonishing misstep. Jebo struggled with the altitude from the moment he stepped onto the pitch, and offered zero additional attacking threat, while also lacking the pace to be able to track back if necessary.
Early in the season, I had high hopes for MDS. He seemed to be much more willing to experiment than Cherundelo. In the Cruz Azul match, he changed the formation when it wasn't working.
But in the Toluca game, it was like he had one plan: park the bus and hope they don't score.
It was a terrible call.
I never jumped on the Cherundelo Out bandwagon. But I think I'm now on the MDS Out one. We have an incredibly talented line up, alongside Nashville and Miami, it is perhaps the most talented in MLS. And yet we're underperforming massively. Now, sure, fixture congestion is part of it. But so is an unwillingness to change things when they're not working.
MDS, your time is up.
