The first week of the Major League Soccer season provided us with plenty of talking points as 36 goals were scored across the United States and Canada on Sunday. A good amount of the strikes came from the usual suspects like Sebastian Giovinco and Ignacio Piatti, but a few of the standout performances from Week 1 were produced by unexpected heroes. The man who stood out the most was LA Galaxy substitute Mike Magee, who was one of two players to record two goals and an assist on Sunday. In total, 11 players contributed to two or more tallies during Sunday's 10-game slate. Since we're only one week into the new campaign, our MLS Player Rankings could only take into account Week 1 performances. As the weeks go on, this will become a cumulative ranking of the top 20 players in MLS. Continue reading to see where Magee and the other stars from Week 1 landed in the first MLS Player Rankings of 2016. A few players who turned in solid performances on Sunday just missed out on the top 20 after Week 1, but they could enter next week if they shine in Week 2. Honorable Mentions Gideon Baah, CB, New York Red Bulls Drew Moor, CB, Toronto FC Chris Wondolowski, FW, San Jose Earthquakes Nick DeLeon, CM, D.C. United Nuno Coelho, CB, Sporting Kansas City Ashley Cole's MLS debut did not start off well, but his play improved drastically in the second half of LA's 4-1 win over D.C. United at the StubHub Center. Cole, who failed to find his footing in the first 45 minutes, made a series of crucial defensive plays in his own half to prevent the D.C. attack from challenging substitute goalkeeper Brian Rowe. The 35-year-old ended the contest with a league high[1] of eight interceptions. He also contributed two tackles[2] and a blocked shot. Few players needed a strong start to the 2016 season more than New York City FC midfielder Mix Diskerud. The United States international, who struggled to make a mark for most of NYCFC's expansion campaign, recorded a goal and an assist in the wild 4-3 victory over Chicago at Toyota Park. Diskerud was one of 10[3] players across the league on Sunday who picked up a goal and an assist. FC Dallas started off the season in strong fashion with a 2-0 win over Philadelphia at Toyota Stadium thanks to a solid defensive showing from their back four led by Walker Zimmerman. The 22-year-old center back helped FC Dallas limit the Union to two shots[4] on target while making six interceptions and three clearances. Zimmerman was also a dominant force in the air as he won seven aerial duels in Week 1. The United States under-23 international and San Jose's Victor Bernardez lead the league[5] in that category after one match. Thankfully for the Montreal Impact, the Dominic Oduro we've come to know over the last few years disappeared on Sunday. The 30-year-old forward, who is known for creating chances in the final third but wasting them in the end, contributed a goal and an assist in the Impact's 3-2 win over Vancouver. Oduro took advantage of a poor read by David Ousted in the 42nd minute and scored his first of the season. In the 88th minute, the Ghanaian perfectly executed a counter as he fed Ignacio Piatti for his second strike of the contest. With Didier Drogba out of the lineup, Oduro will be relied on more to take the pressure off Piatti in the Montreal attack. Matt Besler and the Sporting Kansas City back four limited the dangerous Seattle attack to two shots[6] on target in the club's 1-0 win on the road at CenturyLink Field. The United States international was part of a Sporting KC defense that fended off the potential challenge from Clint Dempsey[7] and Jordan Morris despite playing with a one-man advantage for 49 minutes. The strong defensive performance helped Peter Vermes' side earn three key points on the road in the treacherous Western Conference. The man they call "Burrito" was a livewire in the Real Salt Lake attack for 90 minutes against Orlando City at the Citrus Bowl. Juan Manuel Martinez may not have earned a goal or an assist, but he was everywhere on the pitch during his first match of the new season. Martinez's top involvement came in the 66th minute, when he started the buildup to Joao Plata's second strike of the contest. The 30-year-old fed Tony Beltran with a pass on the right wing and that was followed by a tap in by Plata on Beltran's cross. If the four-headed monster in the RSL attack that includes Martinez, Plata, Javier Morales and Yura Movsisyan shines throughout the campaign, the Claret and Cobalt should be headed back to the postseason. Toronto FC might finally have a sturdy back four that could make us all believe the Reds are a contender for MLS Cup. Newly-acquired right back Steven Beitashour was one of the Toronto defenders who stood firm against pressure from the New York Red Bulls and helped earn a clean sheet at Red Bull Arena in the first match of the MLS season. Although the Red Bulls held 63 percent of the possession, Beitashour and the Toronto back four limited the hosts to one shot[8] on goal. Picking up three points wasn't easy for the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday, but they weathered the storm and earned a 1-0 win at home over the Colorado Rapids. Right back Marvell Wynne was a force on both sides of the pitch as he contributed four tackles[9], four clearances and two key passes in the victory. San Jose's back four needed a strong performance in Week 1 to build confidence with Portland coming into Avaya Stadium in Week 2 for a nationally televised game. David Bingham was one of a few goalkeepers who made some terrific saves in Week 1. The 26-year-old was active early in San Jose's win over Colorado as he denied an early effort from Sam Cronin at the near post in the 12th minute. In the 55th minute, Bingham kept a Shkelzen Gashi header from crossing the line as he extended his hand back to retrieve the ball. His most important save was his last in the 85th minute as he knocked away an effort from Eric Miller. The win and clean sheet earned by the Earthquakes moved them into fourth place in the Western Conference. The wonderful little magician in the FC Dallas attack was up to his old tricks in the club's home win over Philadelphia. Mauro Diaz notched an assist on both of the goals scored by Oscar Pareja's side at Toyota Stadium. In the 22nd minute, the Argentine played a superb ball through the defense to Fabian Castillo. On FC Dallas' second goal, Diaz recovered from his own turnover and provided Maxi Urruti with a nice cross from the right side of the box. The 24-year-old will face more pressure to succeed in the coming weeks after Fabian Castillo was stretchered off with a groin injury late in the match. The one-man wrecking crew known as Diego Chara was one of the main reasons why Portland came out on top in its MLS Cup rematch with Columbus at Providence Park. The 29-year-old midfield destroyer made five tackles[10] and four interceptions at vital times during the match to help Caleb Porter's side secure its first three points of the season. What is even more impressive about the performance of the Colombian is that he did not commit a foul in Sunday's opener. Sunday's wildest finish came at the Citrus Bowl as Orlando City somehow found a way to score twice in the waning moments of second-half stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Real Salt Lake. Reigning Rookie of the Year Cyle Larin handed the Lions a lifeline in the 94th minute as he redirected a cross into the back of the net. With time winding down in the 95th minute, the 20-year-old touched the ball over to Adrian Winter, who leveled the contest with the last kick of the game. Tim Melia only made two saves[11] in Sporting KC's win over Seattle, but both of them came at vital junctures of the match. In the 14th minute, the 29-year-old tipped Clint Dempsey's free-kick over the bar to avoid going down early in a raucous road environment. Melia came up big again in the 53rd minute as he got a paw on a shot sent in by Andreas Ivanschitz. The pair of denials kept Sporting KC in the match and allowed Peter Vermes' side to strike for a late winner by way of Nuno Coelho in the 73rd minute. Given the awful seasons Chicago and NYCFC had in defense in 2015, we should've expected a wild affair with plenty of lapses in the back four on Sunday. Chicago's David Accam was one of a few players who benefited from the poor attempt at defending at Toyota Park as he earned a goal and an assist in the Fire's 4-3 defeat. The Ghanaian, who recorded a Week 1 high[12] of five shots on target, assisted on Kennedy Igboananike's 49th-minute strike before he scored from the spot in the 72nd minute. It appears Accam is set for another strong season in the Chicago attack, but that will only take the Fire so far if they keep committing defensive errors. The man who presided over the top spot on this list for most of 2015 kicked off the new season by playing a key role in Toronto's 2-0 win over the Red Bulls. Sebastian Giovinco, who was isolated up top for most of the match, came alive in the 82nd minute as his cross into the box helped Tsubasa Endoh earn a penalty. Eight minutes after he scored his first tally of the season from the spot, the former Juventus man handed out an assist on Marky Delgado's stoppage-time strike. Based off what we saw on Sunday, Giovinco should be near the top of the Golden Boot race once again in 2016. The second member of the midfield with the best hair in MLS to make the top 20 this week is Thomas McNamara. The 25-year-old midfielder netted the first strike of the season in the 10th minute at Toyota Park as he hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. McNamara, who had five goals[13] and three assists in 19 matches last season, also contributed an assist on Diskerud's 63rd-minute strike that turned out to be the game-winner. If McNamara plays like he did on Sunday, NYCFC boss Patrick Vieira will have a hard time keeping him out of the starting 11. In any normal week, Diego Fagundez may have topped this list, but his one goal and two assists on Sunday took a backseat to the strong performances that followed him on Sunday. Fagundez started the six-goal shootout at BBVA Compass Stadium early with a strike from distance in the third minute. The young talent went on to provide his teammates with a pair of assists in the 3-3 draw, including a cross that found the head of Daigo Kobayashi in the 93rd minute. Real Salt Lake didn't take too many positives out of Sunday after conceding a pair of late goals to Orlando City, but one of the bright spots was the play of Joao Plata. The diminutive Ecuadorian bagged a brace in the season opener with goals in the 26th and 66th minutes for the Claret and Cobalt. The two-goal performance was the first for Plata[14] since May 3, 2014, against the Chicago Fire. Ignacio Piatti appeared to have the top spot locked up after his showing at BC Place on Sunday, but Mike Magee stole that away from the Argentine with his brilliant second half for the Galaxy. Montreal's top playmaking midfielder had a day to remember against the Whitecaps as he scored twice and dished out an assist to Oduro on the Impact's second goal of the match. Piatti's best goal was his 19th-minute opener that saw him cut around a defender on the left side of the box before he powered a shot past David Ousted. We knew at some point this season Mike Magee was going to make an impact off the bench for the LA Galaxy. We just didn't expect it to come this early. The 2013 MLS Most Valuable Player played a role in each of the Galaxy's four second-half goals in their win over D.C. United to close out Week 1. Magee helped LA level the score with an assist off a corner that found the head of Daniel Steres in the 54th minute. He then scored on a lovely chip in the 64th minute before he earned a penalty and tacked on LA's fourth in the 87th minute. Magee doesn't have a starting spot locked down yet, but he could end up filling a void on the team if one of the superstars in attack hits a rough patch of form. Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90[15]. All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com[16] and WhoScored.com[17].
References
- ^ league high (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ two tackles (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ one of 10 (www.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ two shots (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ lead the league (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ two shots (matchcenter.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ Clint Dempsey (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ one shot (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ four tackles (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ made five tackles (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ two saves (matchcenter.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ Week 1 high (www.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ five goals (www.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ first for Plata (www.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ @JTansey90 (twitter.com)
- ^ MLSSoccer.com (www.mlssoccer.com)
- ^ WhoScored.com (www.whoscored.com)
