Chicho Arango looks to continue his hot start when Real Salt Lake hosts the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
Arango has a goal contribution in six consecutive matches after he scored in a 1-1 tie against Minnesota United last Saturday. He has scored the past four goals for RSL (3-2-2, 11 points).
His six goals tie him with Lewis Morgan of the New York Red Bulls for the MLS lead and Arango also has four assists to lead the league in goal contributions.
“He’s MVP of the league up to this point,” Apple TV analyst Taylor Twellman said on the MLS YouTube page. “He has 10 goal contributions. They’ve scored 11. If RSL is going to score a goal, it has to come through their guy up front. He’s been fantastic.
“He does a lot of everything (coach) Pablo Mastroeni needs. Honestly, if RSL doesn’t have him, I don’t think they’re the same team.”
Mastroeni was also quick to credit everyone involved in Arango’s most recent goal, including centerback Justen Glad, who launched the counterattack.
“Glad is very much a front-footed defender. If we want to press hard up the field, we have to have centerbacks who are willing to step high and make plays,” Mastroeni said. “Unless he makes that play there, we don’t spring an attack, and we don’t go forward.”
This could have been a matchup of two of the best goal contributors in the league, but Cucho Hernandez will not be in the Crew (3-1-3, 12 points) lineup due to a red card in the 1-1 tie vs. D.C. United last Saturday.
It has been an eventful few weeks for the defending MLS Cup champions. Hernandez was suspended for two matches by coach Wilfried Nancy for violating “team policy.”
He missed a league match vs. Nashville SC and the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals against Tigres UANL (1-1 tie).
Hernandez returned for the D.C. match before being tossed but was eligible for the second leg at Tigres on Tuesday in which the Crew won in a penalty shootout to become the first MLS team to win a series in Mexico after not winning the first match at home.
Crew and U.S. midfielder Aidan Morris was suspended Tuesday (red card in the first leg) but will play against Real Salt Lake.
Midfielder Yaw Yeboah said the Crew know how to deal with adversity.
“We’re confident. We are also a good team,” he said. “We believe in ourselves. For us, there’s nothing new that’s going to get in the way of us. We are used to winning, we do our best and we believe in ourselves.”
–Field Level Media