From watching preseason and week one and listening to Patrick's press conference i have some ideas i'd like to hear opinions on.
MLS is a counterattacking league. The best teams sit back with 7 or 8 behind the ball, wait for a turnover then shoot out with speed to 2 or three attackers and try to score on a scrambling defense. LA does it, seattle does it, Portland does it, New Jersey does it, Toronto does it. The weirdest MLS stat is that the team that possesses the ball the most does not usually win.
Why doesn't this tactic work in better leagues? In PL the better team usually holds the ball, carries it into the opponents half, who have 9 or 10 guys behind the ball to defend. Counterattacking opportunities are not plentiful since you only have one attacker to play long balls to.
What would happen if mid table PL teams tried to play MLS counterattack ball? i think they would get shredded by the better attack, who now can operate with the ball against 7 or 8 defenders. They may also score more, but the cream should rise to the top. and outscore the weaker teams.
My impression is that playing possession with a strong team in MLS is going to inevitably lead to shootouts until the rest of the league decides it needs to do more to defend that team and bunkers, giving up the long ball to 2 or 3 attackers philosophy, and forcing the possessing team to try to beat a well organized defense.
Ergo, I think we are headed for a lot of shootouts this year.
Thoughts?