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Jul 6, 2017; Kansas City, KS, USA; Sporting Kansas City midfielder Latif Blessing dribbles the ball as Philadelphia Union defenseman Giliano Wijnaldum defends in the second half at Children's Mercy Park. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Kicking It: Sporting and Fire hot as league heads into CONCACAF Gold Cup break

By Megan Armstrong, Demetrius Bell | Last updated 7/7/17

Hello and welcome to 'Kicking It' with Demetrius Bell and Megan Armstrong, two of Yardbarker's most discerning soccer specialists. We’re at the the CONCACAF Gold Cup break, so it’s a good time to see where Major League Soccer is at midway through the season, who can make an impact on the USMNT, and a few words about the second-tier team from Cincinnati that is making noise in the U.S. Open Cup. Lots to cover, so let’s get right to it.

We’re about midway through the MLS season, which team has impressed you the most so far? Who is clearly outperforming their schedule in 2017?

Megan: Call me biased, but I’m going with Sporting Kansas City. Sure, Sporting is consistently in the running in MLS, so what’s so surprising about them being at the top of the Western Conference table? On the surface, nothing. But when you watch them play, the club’s new additions (Latif Blessing, Gerso and Ilie Sanchez) have worked out better than they could have anticipated.

Not to mention notoriously injured Ike Opara, who is having an incredible season this far.

Demetrius: They may have overhauled their roster compared to last year’s disaster to the point where it’s nearly unrecognizable, but you have to give Chicago plenty of credit for making the overhaul work. They’ve gone from being the doormat of the East to being a definite playoff contender barring a major collapse. That’s great because those fans have been starving for even just a sniff of the playoffs and now they’ve got a team that could take the league title this season.

Megan: Chicago is probably more deserving than Sporting, given how totally terrible the Fire were last season – A.K.A., last place in the East.

Jun 29, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York City FC forward David Villa (7) celebrates his goal with midfielder Jack Harrison (11) during the second half against the Minnesota United at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Sports

And on that note, who would be your player MVP for the first half of the year?

Megan: As a side note: I’m really surprised by the current Golden Boot standings, with Chicago’s Nemanja Nikolic in the lead at 16 goals (on pace to break the MLS record for goals in one season). Outside of NYCFC’s David Villa in second place with 12 goals, there aren’t any “big names” toward the top of the list.

Nikolic is a respectable candidate for first-half MVP, but I have to go with Villa. At 35 years old with an incredible international career behind him, nobody quite expected this from him as a “second” or “final” act in MLS.

Demetrius: Yeah, it’s gotta be David VIlla. He’s picked up right where he left off last season and could very well be on his way to winning a second consecutive MVP award. If he keeps up his scoring pace and NYCFC continues to stay in the playoff race, he’ll probably get it again and it’ll be well-deserved, too.

Any teams you have already written off for the season that surprise you?

Megan: Purely based off of how hapless Chicago was last season, I don’t think anybody expected the Eastern Conference table to be headlined by the Fire. Not to mention adding Bastian Schweinsteiger. Talk about a surprising splash.

Demetrius: I don’t think anybody had their eyes on the Houston Dynamo doing big things this year, but they’ve been at or near the top of the West for most of the season. Like Chicago, they completely overhauled their roster but you figured that the rebuild would take longer than just one offseason. Instead, they’re right in the thick of things in the West and could get even better if they manage to complete the signing of Tomas Martinez.

United States midfielder Kelly Acosta dribbles past Venezuela midfielder Arist teles Romero in the second half of a friendly on June 3, 2017. Acosta could be the next face of the USMNT proving there is life after Michael Bradley. Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

This year marks the first time MLS has closed up shop for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The USMNT has some new names on their roster this time around, which MLSers should have the biggest impact on the team as they head into competition this time around?

Demetrius: In my eyes, this is going to be a huge opportunity for Kellyn Acosta to show that he’s more-than-ready to be part of the A-team when it comes to the USMNT. He’s performed well in WCQ matches and if the USMNT is going to win this thing again, they’ll need Acosta to take command in the midfield and show the poise and potential that he’s shown in previous games.

Megan: This is Kellyn Acosta’s shot to settle into the midfield and show the USMNT that there is life after Michael Bradley. In general, I’m excited to see how this unit with so many fresh faces works together.

And while the MLS is on a break for the Gold Cup, U.S. Open Cup action should help at least a few teams avoid the rust – except two of the teams remaining in the tourney are Miami FC and FC Cincinnati from the NASL. It’s been almost twenty years since a team not in the MLS to take home time title, but right now, Cincinnati burns bright on the soccer scene. What are they doing right and do they have a real shot of making it out of the round of 16 to the title?

Demetrius: It was huge for the profile of the U.S. Open Cup and lower-league soccer in the U.S. for a nationwide audience to see that atmosphere at Nippert Stadium. It shows that if you’re doing the right things and cultivating your fan base correctly, soccer can work in basically any city at any level. You have to be doing something amazingly right if you are getting 30,000+ people to show up to watch a USL team on a weeknight.

Of course, they’ll have an “easier” time dealing with fellow USL team Miami FC, but if they get past them then they’ll run into another MLS team and this is around the time of the tournament where teams are starting to take it “seriously” instead of playing their reserves and/or youngsters since a CONCACAF Champions League berth is at stake. I don’t think they can make it to the Final, but it would be an amazing story if they did.

Megan: OK, so how am I supposed to say anything that is more coherent than what Demetrius just put down? That Cincinnati-Chicago match was so incredibly entertaining (also drew the second-largest crowd ever for U.S. Open Cup competition), and if that’s the highlight of the U.S. Open Cup for Cincinnati, I think they’ll take it.

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