AROUND THE LEAGUE: WEEK 10

by Joseph Reina

**The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or positions of the Major Arena Soccer League.**

@josephreina21

Outlaws Draw First Blood in Texas Throwdown

This tense and uniquely regional rivalry rarely leaves viewers wanting. Texas and Dallas share a substantial amount of history and that familiarity is clear to see when the two sides take to the turf. We’ve had to wait over two months to see the first iteration of the season after a winter storm postponed an earlier meeting in January, but it definitely lived up to the hype.


The Outlaws claimed their first win of the season and take an early lead against their cross-town rivals. Both teams enjoyed good spells during the match but ultimately, the Sidekicks came up short on their home turf. Texas embraced the transition game and packed the box defensively, allowing David Ortiz and VcMor Eligwe to spring forward into attack, which they did to perfection. 


For Dallas, the possession game just wasn’t working. They struggled to pass balls around their opponents’ tight defensive unit and couldn’t create, or crucially, exploit space in attack. The Sidekicks enjoy running at defenders with speed to create chaos, but when their opponents drop in, completely content to surrender the ball, it’s clear they’re slightly out of their element.


The good news for Dallas is there are still five games left to fix the system, build another game plan and ensure that what happened this night, does not happen again. Texas, having lost all of their previous nine games are last in the league and unlikely to be challenging for a playoff spot come March. Dallas, on the other hand, is absolutely in that conversation. 


To keep pace with the likes of St. Louis and Tacoma, who we’ll talk about later, they cannot afford to drop too many more of these games, especially as they lost to both Kansas City and Utica this weekend as well. Next up for both sides is a rematch across town on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8:05 PM EST.

The Blast are Officially Championship Contenders

Many fans online have pointed out the lack of credit given to Baltimore this season, so what better time to give them their flowers than following what could be their most impressive result thus far. On the road, against a Wave side that desperately needed to get back in the win column, the Blast hammered their longtime rivals 9-3 with a thoroughly dominant showing that left little doubt as to who was the better side. 


The Blast started strong, but built their game plan on a solid defensive structure. They allowed nothing through the middle of the field in attack and forced the Wave to take chances, which often resulted in turnovers. Baltimore, by comparison, adopted a surgical approach in attack. Intricate give-and-goes, pin-point wallascoras and perfect set pieces gave the Blast a 3-0 lead that they happily took into the half-time break. Form then on, head coach David Bascome’s side welcomed pressure, and forced Milwaukee to take the game to them.


It resulted in a relatively stagnant and repetitive system going forward for the Wave; swing the ball around Baltimore’s defensive area, find the space they’re given along the boards and take shots from difficult angles. That system isn’t completely unfounded, but it does require a runner or multiple runners at the back-post, which wasn’t happening on Saturday. Milwaukee’s skillful players like Alex Sanchez and Mario Alvarez were also kept at arms length and prevented from shaking up the game by a brilliantly drawn up Blast game plan. 


The Blast now sit second in the league’s standings with three games in hand. The five-point gulf between them and Chihuahua atop the table is completely surmountable, especially if they keep this form going. They’ll face a tough run of games in February including a trip to Empire and a two-game series against the Stars in Tacoma, but they’ll need not overlook their next opponent.


In their previous three meetings with Utica, their opponents have been Kelvin-less. To get three points this weekend, they’ll need to prove they can contain the league’s most dangerous attacker. Do that, and there is no reason they can’t contend for a Ron Newman Cup Championship this spring. Kickoff from the Adirondack Bank Center will be Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:05 PM EST.

Stars Must Align in February for Tacoma

The opportunities are slipping away for the Stars, as their unrelenting gauntlet of a schedule continues to chip away at their playoff hopes. From bad to worse, it’s become clear that the Stars are out of wiggle room. They need wins, and they need them now. 


Despite a pair of extremely commendable performances on the road against Chihuahua and San Diego, the Stars lost both contests and picked up just one point this weekend. Tacoma has only secured four points from a possible 24 since Jan. 1, and midway through their season, their eight-point haul puts them 10th in the table and three points off the playoff positions. However, as bleak as it may seem, February presents an opportunity to bounce back.


This weekend, the Stars return home to the accesso ShoWare Center where they will play seven straight games between now and March 7. During that stretch, they’ll welcome Milwaukee, Harrisburg, Baltimore, San Diego, and Empire to the Pacific Northwest. And while it’s nice to finally be back home after a few games on the road, Tacoma will need to turn their home-field advantage into some wins, and crucially, momentum. 


According to MasseyRatings.com, the Stars are expected to win 5.93 of their remaining 13 games as of Saturday night. They earned a point against San Diego, but if their expected outcomes hold true, they will finish the season with roughly 25 points. St. Louis and Texas, when using the same metrics, are expected to end with roughly 21 points each. If the Stars slip up any more or crucially, if their rivals don’t, this playoff battle could go down to the wire.


Next up is a rematch against Milwaukee on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 9:05 PM EST, and the Stars will likely need at least two points. The Wave is struggling having won just one of their last four, so Tacoma will see this as an opportunity to get three crucial points.