Armchair Analyst: A long look back on 2017 in MLS

Here is the 2016 version of this column. In that one, I wrote extensively about how MLS had begun its evolution from a tactically monochromatic league in the first part of the decade, one that relied primarily upon counterattacks before skewing strongly in the direction of "compact, robust 4-2-3-1 or death." It had evolved, I wrote at that point, to a generally and genuinely diverse collection of teams and talent.

In 2016 that meant a few teams applying more high pressure, a few others stashing their playmaker in unusual spots, and one very notable team swapping to three at the back on something close to a full-time basis.

In 2017, the league jumped out of the "innovators" part of the curve and rushed headlong into the "early adopters" segment. Almost everybody tinkered with a three- or five-man backline at least once or twice, and since coaches are copycats, let's all just tip our hats to Greg Vanney and Toronto FC for that. Vanney's team dominated down the stretch in 2016 once he switched up to a 3-5-2, and then dominated the bulk of this season while playing about 85 percent of their minutes out of that formation en route to their first Supporters' Shield win. 

So around the league there was a good chunk of emulation. But there was also a good chunk of teams going well outside the box. Jesse Marsch imagineered a formation and approach in Harrison that I'd literally never seen before, and his Red Bulls became the league's most tactically interesting team before nearly beating TFC in the playoffs. Was it a 3-6-1? A 5-4-1? I was most comfortable calling it a 3-3-3-1 since there were pretty obviously four lines of attack out there, but just putting numbers on it does it a real disservice.

Gregg Berhalter, meanwhile, flipped his group into more of a true 3-6-1 for a stretch in the middle of the season before reverting back to the 4-2-3-1 for the stretch run. Tata Martino tinkered a little bit before settling on a 4-2-3-1 that was fast and intricate and direct and an utter joy to watch. Veljko Paunovic occasionally tried Bastian Schweinsteiger at sweeper, which was fun. Patrick Vieira resisted his tinkering impulses and kept his team in a 4-3-3 for the vast majority of the season, which resulted in a tighter defense, a more engaged high press, and the league's second-best record.

The Western Conference tended to be a little more cookie-cutter. The Sounders stayed in their 4-2-3-1, which was sometimes dynamic and sometimes lethargic, and Sporting stayed in their 4-3-3 with their high press. Portland were actually the most direct team sweeping from back-to-front, always aiming to attack space, while Houston and Vancouver bunkered and countered their way into the playoffs. Ten of the top 12 possession teams in the league made the postseason, and you can see what tremendous outliers those last two were:

Still, this year was about the Reds. Both their top-end stars and their 1-through-30 depth led them to the best season in league history, and if it's fair to say that coaches are copycats (it is), it's probably also fair to say that general managers are as well. Will teams follow the TFC ethos of not just spending big on the Sebastian Giovincos of the world, but also of valuing the SuperDraft, of promoting players out of their USL affiliate, of investing in their academy?

Some already have. Others are lagging.

But it's that flexibility that led the Reds to their first MLS Cup, one in which utterly, entirely, ruthlessly dominated a very good Seattle team; took them apart; played them off the field; put together as comprehensive a Cup win as any team's had since the 2008 Crew, or maybe ever. That they did so by going away from the 3-5-2 and into a 4-4-2 diamond (one they'd played out of a bit here and there during the previous 24 months) just reinforces the point that roster flexibility leads to formational flexibility leads to tactical flexibility leads to wins. That all leads to championships.

Thus, if the lesson of 2016 was, "Hey, we don't all have to do everything mostly the same way on the field," then the takeaway from 2017 was, "You know, maybe we should do more stuff the same way off the field."

One other note: Atlanta were devastatingly fast in their transitions this year, and that straight murdered unprepared teams. TFC and NYCFC, meanwhile, were both better – cleaner distributing and receiving the ball – when they played fast rather than when they played slow. Same with RSL out West.

I will guarantee you the 2018 season is gonna be about that. "Attack the defense before it can set" is going to replace "attack the pack" and "attack space" as the dominant approach for most of the top teams in the league.

If you're not ready for it, then you're gonna have a bad time.

You've all seen the official awards for the 2018 season, so I'm not gonna double up. Instead it's time for my own personal awards show.

• Player Of The Year:Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers

Want five minutes of magic? Here you go:

I factor the whole year (regular season, playoffs, US Open Cup/Canadian Championship) into the equation, and I feel a touch awkward about giving this to a guy whose team won none of the above. But the Timbers, ravaged as they were by injury throughout the season, had no business being at the top of the Western Conference, and had no business putting together a late-season run that got them there.

That they did so is a testament to Valeri. They basically would not have had a season if not for him. He was phenomenal, and LeBronned this team all the way to home field advantage while posting just the second 20/10 regular season in league history.

There will be a statue of him outside Providence Park someday.

Other arguments I'll listen to:Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, David Villa

• Bradley was the best, most consistent player on the best team
• Altidore had 15g/6a in the regular season, a road goal in the Canadian Championship, then game-winners in the Eastern Conference Championship & MLS Cup
• Villa's 22g/9a regular season was followed up by two goals in two games in the playoffs

• Young Player Of The Year:Justen Glad, RSL

RSL with Glad: 9-5-3, +13 goal differential.

RSL without Glad: 4-10-3, -19 goal differential.

He wasn't flawless – his momentary nap against LA cost his team a Bradford Jamieson goal, and that was part of what eventually cost them a playoff spot. But when Glad was on the field RSL were, by the numbers, the very best team in the Western Conference this season, and I'm happy to buy in 100 percent on correlation/causality there. He passed the eye test, and if he stays healthy he'll be in the running for Defender of the Year in 2018. Enjoy him while you've got him, Utahns (and hey, at least you know he won't be signing with the Celtics).

For clarity: This award is for players born on/after January 1, 1995.

Other arguments I'll listen to:Cristian Roldan, Yangel Herrera, Tyler Adams, Marky Delgado, Alberth Elis

• Roldan was always essential and often decisive for Seattle
• Herrera was my gut pick for this at first, but he just didn't play enough minutes due to injury and interational absence
• By July Adams was the league's best right back/wingback, then outplayed Bradley head-to-head at CM in RBNY's 1-0 playoff win at BMO Field
• Everything Roldan brought to Seattle over the past two years, Delgado brought to TFC in a treble-winning season
• On a per-minute basis Elis was one of the most productive wide attackers in the league

• D-Mid of the Year: Bradley, TFC

In MLS Cup he was the best player on the field.

In the Canadian Championship he had the primary assist on the equalizer, then forced the turnover out of high pressure on the game-winner (and once again, folks, the Canadian Championship second leg was the most dramatic MLS-related game of the year). How many other d-mids hit this ball?

In the regular season he led TFC in minutes and in the four games he didn't play, they were 1-1-2 with a -1 goal differential. In the 30 he did, they were 19-4-7, +38.

It's utterly scandalous that he didn't make the Best XI this season. The voters should be ashamed of themselves.

Other arguments I'll listen to: literally none (though Alex Ring was great through the end of July)

• Fullback of the Year:Justin Morrow, TFC

Ok and now I'm cheating. In the past it's been easy to give out this award (which is necessary, since fullbacks never get love for either Defender of the Year voting or Best XI) since just about everybody played with a back four. But now, with back threes becoming more prominent, we're seeing many guys who are wingbacks rather than fullbacks, and Morrow is at the head of that list.

Nonetheless, the positions and responsibilities are similar enough for me to feel comfortable lumping them together. And Morrow, whether he was playing fullback or wingback, was superb for the Reds.

Other arguments I'll listen to: Adams, Matt Polster, Kelvin Leerdam, Brandon Vincent, Greg Garza, Graham Zusi

• Polster's on/off splits were nearly as gaudy as Glad's
• Seattle's second-half defensive clampdown dovetailed nicely with Leerdam's arrival
• Vincent took a huge step forward in his second year, and his crossing is excellent
• Garza is probably the smartest attacking fullback in the league
• I understand that some folks are tired of Zusi, but he was a major part of the league's best defense while constantly pushing forward

• Breakout Player of the Year:C.J. Sapong, Philadelphia Union

This award is given to a player in his third year or beyond who evolves from "hey he's a pretty good player with potential and his hometown fans love him" to "wow, maybe everybody in the league should pay at least some attention here, because he's doing work."

Given the year Sapong had – 16g/5a despite starting the year as a backup, and despite playing for a team devoid of creative midfielders – across 2800 minutes, this is a no-brainer. Sapong was their go-to scorer, their release valve in possession, their most creative passer of the ball in the final third, and a constant threat to draw fouls around the area.

He'll never be a Villa-esque finisher, but his 2017 was a "Brian McBride in his prime"-style performance, and it was nice to see that translate to the friendly vs. Portugal as well.

Sapong just turned 29, but remember that US attackers have a history of developing late. We could probably just name this award after Chris Wondolowski, after all, and he didn't have his breakout season (2010) until he was 27.

Other arguments I'll listen to:Ike Opara, Joevin Jones

• Opara finally stayed (mostly) healthy for a full season, and won Defender of the Year. Maybe I should make Sapong 1A and Ike 1B
• Seattle ended up looking better with Jones as a winger, but regardless he lived up to his potential at two spots

• Acquisition of the Year: Tata Martino, Atlanta United

I could also just write "the entire Atlanta United attack" or any number of things bigging up the Five Stripes, and they'd all have validity. Miguel Almiron was exceptional, as were the other attackers, as were the veterans in central midfield, as was Garza at left back, as was Julian Gressel out of the SuperDraft, Josef Martinez broke MLS, etc etc etc. And now teams are tripping all over themselves to try to copy this team's blueprint, and I think it's going to make the league better and more exciting.

But none of the above happens if they don't go out and hire a renowned manager with a global profile, then provide him with the resources he needs to put together a high-scoring juggernaut. Getting a guy whose two most recent jobs were Argentina and Barcelona changed the paradigm for this league.

Note that doesn't mean he was the best manager in MLS this year – that was Vanney. But getting Tata was a coup.

Other arguments I'll listen to:Victor Vazquez, Nemanja Nikolic, Dax McCarty, Schweinsteiger

• Vazquez the difference between TFC being MLS Cup favorites and the greatest team in MLS history
• The Fire trio elevated the team on the field of play, but also elevated the entire franchise. Just as it's hard to pick one Atlanta United player from the bunch, it's impossible for me to separate these three

• Best Coaching Adjustment of the Year: The forward destroyer

As I mentioned above, Adams outplayed Bradley head-to-head in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals at BMO Field. He did so while playing at the point of a 4-4-2 diamond – the No. 10 spot, usually reserved for playmakers. Adams, however, played it as a frenetic, all-energy and all-action destroyer, and he gave both Bradley and TFC fits. RBNY never let them get into their rhythm and were able to take completely deserved 1-0 win out of that game (though TFC advanced 2-2 on away goals).

Adams is a special talent. I still think his ceiling is higher as a wide player because he's not great at receiving the ball in traffic, but I have a suspicion he'll be slotted into the middle next season. Given what he did on that November afternoon in Toronto, that may not be a bad decision.

Other arguments I'll listen to: Portland's use of Valeri, Vanney in MLS Cup, RBNY's 3-3-3-1, RSL's adoption of the False 9

• The Timbers played something much closer to a 4-4-2 this season, with Valeri in a free poacher's role
• TFC's diamond caught Seattle unprepared as the Reds were able to assert total control of the game for the full 90 minutes
• I love the high-risk/high-reward nature of the 3-3-3-1, and hope we get to see it again
• RSL's attack came alive by having a mobile, playmaking center forward who'd pull off the line and open up space for their wingers to shoot the gaps 

Best XI and Beyond

As usual I have a different take on the Best XI than the official one, largely because I take "could this be an actual team?" into consideration. I also factor in performance in domestic cups and the playoffs.

FIRST XI

GK:Tim Melia
CB: Opara
CB:Alex Callens
CB: Morrow
DM: Bradley
CM: Schweinsteiger
LM:Justin Meram
AM: Valeri
RM: Almiron
FW: Villa
FW: Nikolic

SECOND XI

GK:Stefan Frei
RB: Adams
CB:Chad Marshall
CB:Leandro Gonzalez Pirez
LB: Garza
DM: Ring
CM:Sacha Kljestan
AM: Vazquez
LW:Ignacio Piatti
FW: Giovinco
FW: Altidore

THIRD XI

GK:Bill Hamid
RB: Polster
CB:Kendall Waston
CB:Chris Mavinga
LB: Jones
DM:Diego Chara
CM: Roldan
AM:Lee Nguyen
RW:Hector Villalba
FW: Martinez
LW:Nicolas Lodeiro

A few quick notes on the above:

• As I said, I take the whole year – not just the regular season – into consideration.
• The First XI is kind of a cheat because nobody really plays in a 3-2-3-2. But it's plausible, right? I'm going to happily throw that lineup out there and nobody can stop me.
• I'll die on Schweinsteiger hill. 2000 minutes is just enough for me to feel OK with putting him on this team.
• A couple of other cheats in the second XI. The big one is that Piatti is a pure attacker at this point of his career, Kljestan was a pure 10 rather than a CM, and there's no right winger to pick out. But I'd comfortably put this group out onto the field and tell them to have at it.
• The third XI is a lot more balanced, though I might want to flip Villalba & Lodeiro.
• I would normally never give someone who played as little as Martinez a spot on these teams, but he was so spectacular in his 1642 minutes that he's got to get a spot.
• Drew Moor, Delgado, Florian Jungwirth, Glad, Matt Besler, Ilie Sanchez, Roger Espinoza, Zusi, Dax McCarty, Sapong, Vincent, Federico Higuain, Felipe, Aaron Long, Wil Trapp, David Accam, Yamil Asad, Carlos Carmona, Alex Bono, Blerim Dzemaili, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Romain Alessandrini, Leerdam, Wondolowski, Brad Guzan, Harrison Afful, Ola Kamara, Albert Rusnak and Haris Medunjanin all got serious consideration.
• Houston rotated their squad too much to put anybody into real consideration. But if you combined Mauro Manotas + Cubo Torres, you'd have a Best XI No. 9, same with Elis + Vicente Sanchez, etc. They won with that rotation of superb attackers and mostly above-average players in midfield, defense and goal.
• In the end, winning matters. Only three guys of my 33 – Piatti, Hamid and Nguyen – didn't make the playoffs.

And now I've had my say. Head to the comments section below to have yours, and I'll pop in from time to time over the next few days for some back-and-forth. Happy holidays, everybody!