Conference finals tomorrow
LAFC host Austin FC . Then Philadelphia welcome NYCFC to Subaru Park at 8 pm ET on FS1 and FOX Deportes. You can learn more here.
Bedoya will "play a role" in Eastern Conference Final
Alejandro Bedoya is on track to play in Sunday’s Eastern Conference Final against New York City FC. Head coach Jim Curtin, addressing the media Thursday, didn’t divulge exactly how many minutes await their captain. But a return seems imminent for the 35-year-old midfielder, who’s been dealing with a hip flexor strain. “​​I think it's pretty safe to say, whether as a starter or off the bench, he'll play a role and a big one in this game because he's our captain, he's our leader and we need him,” Curtin said.
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There are only so many things left to say about the Conference Finals. All four teams are outstanding. And we can only take so many educated guesses on what might happen. So let’s take a look at which players will have the most impact at their respective positions and put together a quick Conference Finals Best XI. We’ll go 4-3-3.
I mean, duh, right? As good as Brad Stuver (Austin FC), Maxime Crepeau (LAFC) and Sean Johnson (NYCFC) have been, Blake is just on another level. If there’s any player whose performance will have a singular impact on who wins MLS Cup, it will probably be him.
Wagner delivered 15 assists this season while helping to guide the Union to the best defensive performance in MLS history. He’s not only the best left back of the bunch, there’s a good argument he should have won Defender of the Year.
The good news is on this team we can have both the player who had a good argument to win Defender of the Year and the player who actually won it. Glesnes was typically outstanding all season long and the Union fans yelling “SHOOOOOT” at him any time he receives the ball within 80 yards of goal will never stop being funny.
I almost put Jack Elliott here and turned it into a bit about how the Union have the best player at every position, but that’s not quite true I guess. Even if it’s close to true. Either way, this was a legitimately difficult decision. Callens, Elliott, and LAFC's Jesus Murillo and Eddie Segura all had a reasonable claim to this spot. The fact Giorgio Chiellini (LAFC) probably doesn’t make the top five of the available center back group should say a lot. I went with Callens in the end, but could have gone any direction and felt fine.
I think we’re at the position you can pretty easily describe as the weakest of the bunch. Hollingshead has been an excellent MLS player for years though and has been solid since moving to LAFC. He may be out of contract at the end of this year, by the way. Some MLS team will be very, very smart to pick him up if he leaves LA.
My brain broke trying to figure out who to pick among every single midfield spot. These midfielders are all outstanding. In this case, it came down to Martinez and Ilie Sanchez (LAFC) — and, well, I clearly went with El Brujo. I had to think really hard about it though.
Again. Impossible. But I had Cifu as a Best XI midfielder in the league this season and I have to stick to my guns here.
As good as Daniel Gazdag (Philadelphia) was in 2022, Driussi had an MVP claim for a reason. He carried Austin to somewhere beyond their ceiling this year and has been the best player of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs so far. Austin don’t have as many folks on this list as Philly or LAFC, but having Driussi alone might be enough. He’s been that good.
If we were going on pure ability, we’re close to having enough data points to go ahead and appoint Denis Bouanga (LAFC) as the next great winger in MLS. For now though, we have a lot of data points that tell us Diego Fagundez absolutely ruled this year and didn’t get enough credit for it. He scored six times and delivered 15 (!) assists for Austin. So, yeah, it’s my list and I can vote how I want, and Fagundez deserved it. It’s the principle of the thing. Please… please don’t bring this up when Bouanga scores a hat trick tomorrow.
It came down to Chicho Arango (LAFC) and Carranza. Arango had 16 goals and five assists on the year while Carranza had 14 goals and nine assists. You technically got a little more production out of Carranza in attack. But what really made the difference is Carranza’s defensive ability. He’s one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Maybe the best since Taty Castellanos departed from NYCFC.
I love Gabriel Pereira and what he’s doing as a young player at NYCFC, and there were other folks in this group who could play on the right and play effectively. But it’s Carlos Vela. Even in a “down year” he put up 12 goals and 11 assists.
Piette signs long-term extension with CF Montréal: CF Montréal have signed midfielder and co-captain Samuel Piette to a long-term contract extension. Piette’s new three-year deal runs through the 2025 MLS season with an option year in 2026. The 27-year-old joined CFMTL in 2017 after playing in Spain and Germany. He has since notched two goals and 10 assists in 143 matches (127 starts), often deployed in a deep-lying role and helping bring home two Canadian Championships (2019, 2021).
- NYCFC's Sean Johnson is chasing an MLS Cup repeat.
- Hero or “villain”? Austin FC addressed Felipe’s prediction narrative.
- Daniel Gazdag’s signing has gone “above and beyond” the Philadelphia Union’s expectations.
- The latest MLS Cup 2022 odds are out.
- The New York Red Bulls say an Aaron Long update will come after the World Cup.
Good luck out there. Get the scoop.
