This article is part of our MLS Barometer series.
Three Up:
Javier Morales
Morales has returned from injury (concussion, groin) to regain his rightful spot as Major League Soccer's most fun midfielder. Real Salt Lake's maestro brings everything a coach could want in the center of the pitch starting with defensive grit that so many talented attacking players have long lost. Morales' free kicks show zero signs of rust, as he has looked downright deadly on set piece chances and continues to find plenty of them with a rejuvenated RSL attack. His creation is back in full swing too, with seven (SEVEN!) key passes last match. Morales and Alvaro Saborio came away with zero goals, but looked like they are perfectly synchronized in this offense and will undoubtedly torment upcoming opponents. Morales pinged multiple long balls and crosses to the perfect spots for Saborio and on another night, could have found himself with multiple assists. Joao Plata's long awaited return brings just the speedy dimension that this offense needed and Morales is benefiting both with extra room in the midfield and with another quality forward to target. Manager Jeff Cassar presses on with his efforts to play a 4-3-3 formation, and signs are promising that it could all come together eventually. In the interim, though, RSL will miss some quality field players to international action (Saborio, Kyle Beckerman, Demar Phillips) and how well Morales carries the squad in July could go a long way to determining their postseason fate.
Ignacio Piatti
Few players in the league are more valuable to their team than Nacho Piatti. The Serie A veteran can take an unremarkable Impact side and turn them into an instant threat. Four of Montreal's previous five matches have seen them tally at least two goals, and they have grabbed a victory in each. Piatti has two goals and two assists in the past three full matches (with an ugly team performance and Piatti's 60-minute shift against Chicago sandwiched in between) and few other MLS players provide as many "edge of your seat" moments near the opposing box. While the current incarnation of the Impact are overachieving, a flood of injured players will return over the next few weeks including the electric Dominic Oduro, slick Dilly Duka, and an overlooked Hassoun Camara who, when healthy, is one of Major League Soccer's better right backs. If Piatti is elevating this current group, it should be a thrill to watch him feature in a full strength Impact side. Opponents are quickly realizing that they can't give Piatti an inch of space, and the true test will be whether he can simultaneously deal with the added attention and also improve his consistency within a 90 minute match. If he can begin to tap into his moments of brilliance with a bit more frequency, Piatti will deserve mentioning in the same breath as Diego Valeri and Javier Morales.
Shea Salinas
MLS veteran Salinas tends to float just above the "solid starter" line of league talent, but in the past month or so he is far closer to impact player than average. In his career, he has proven to be a steady attacking winger with both excellent service and deceptive quickness. Both of those traits have shone recently as San Jose's attack looks to be on the precipice of a breakout performance. Adam Jahn is integrating into the offense capably, giving Salinas a second big target to set up in addition to Chris Wondolowski. Meanwhile, Matias Perez Garcia and a pair of adventurous yet responsible fullbacks are opening up defenses more than any recent San Jose group can boast. Salinas fits really well with all of these players, letting them make overlapping runs while he finds the space left just in front of the back line. He has also tapped back into his earlier playing days when he would dribble at defenders without second thought, but is doing so responsibly rather than impulsively. Salinas now seems to know exactly when he can pick on a struggling fullback, and the next step is turning a few of these dribbles into goals. Unfortunately, Salinas has never been much of a scorer, but he does have the potential to be an assist machine. Last season, he began the year with six helpers in eight games and a stretch similar to that is definitely in play once the Earthquakes begin to click. Move him from the fantasy soccer wilderness, to the outskirts of your radar and see if this stretch of good form continues.
Three Down:
London Woodberry
Woodberry's time as a fantasy force has come and gone faster than the time between hitting the snooze button and your next alarm. The Revolution have allowed nine goals in four matches and look unexpectedly vulnerable relative to their defensive talent. While Woodberry has still shown the same traits that earned him the starting fullback job, sound physical defending and energy to join the attack, the more refined aspects of his game have been lacking. The crosses are turning sloppy, and the offensive rushes are leaving too much vulnerability in defense. He is also accumulating yellow cards at a rapid pace, which isn't in itself terribly concerning, but could be effects of larger underlying issues like the aforementioned problem of getting caught out of position too frequently. These habits have appeared in a few games now, and manager Jay Heaps will likely look to shore up the defensive side of Woodberry's game at the expense of his attacking trips. As Woodberry gains more experience, he should continue to grow into a fine MLS player, but the highs are not high enough to warrant us currently staying aboard for the lows.
Luis Robles
The Red Bulls have allowed eight goals in their last three matches, and have lost four of their previous six. While the keeper is often more victim than villain, Robles' part in the plummet can't be ignored. He has saved just eight of 19 shots in that six-game stretch and at times looks slower than usual to react. The New York defense is not helping him one bit, often looking lost without youth star Matt Miazga and always looking vulnerable from multiple angles. Robles is generally one of the more underrated keepers in U.S. soccer, and deserves credit for single-handedly winning the team as many matches in past years as stars like Thierry Henry and Bradley Wright-Phillips. However, it's difficult to have faith in anyone even tangentially involved with these Red Bull defenders at the moment. The schedule does not ease up until August, and even then, the team hasn't shown an ability to shut down weak opponents either. By season's end, New York should have things figured out and be a contender in the Eastern Conference, but this is a situation where Robles will have to earn our trust back despite his heroic moments throughout Red Bulls history.
Stefen Ishizaki
Since the calendar turned to April, Ishizaki and the Los Angeles attack have only managed to score multiple goals in two of 12 fixtures. While the Galaxy winger managed nearly three key passes over the first 10 matches, he barely has one per match in the last handful. Robbie Keane's absence has hurt the entire offense, but isn't much of an excuse when scorers like Alan Gordon and Gyasi Zardes are able to slot in alongside talented young players like Jose Villareal, Bradford Jamieson IV and Ignacio Maganto. Ishizaki began the year not only looking like a guarantee to challenge for the league lead in assists, but also with a more active nose for goal. The Swede was constantly cutting inside and taking dangerous looks at the goal from anywhere near the top of the box. That all feels like a distant memory, as Ishizaki has not only given up the driver's seat in the offense, but also the passenger seat, back seat, and ultimately has stowed himself away in the trunk. A more direct attacking approach in Los Angeles is partially to blame, but a player who has shown the quality that Ishizaki has before should be taking it upon himself to get more involved. Currently, he appears content sitting out wide and lobbing a few crosses Gordon's way before collecting his paycheck on the way out of the stadium, and that's just not good enough with Sebastian Lletget waiting in the wings, and Steven Gerrard on the way next month.
