As Chris Wondolowski is proving, it's called the MLS is Back Tournament for a reason.
A showcase for the league would hardly be complete without goals from its all-time leading scorer, and the San Jose Earthquakes marksman has found the net as a sub in each of their final two group matches to help the side wrap up Group B.
Now the question is whether he can help Matias Almeyda's captivating crew win a first trophy since 2012, and first in a knockout competition since the 2003 MLS Cup.
"We haven’t seen enough of them in the playoffs, and we haven’t seen enough of those big moments, or opportunities for Wondo to get to a final, or to lift a trophy," Calen Carr told Susannah Collins on Monday's episode of MLS Today. "And I think this would be a great start for them."
As for why Wondolowski has made quick work of scoring his 160th and 161st career MLS goals in this competition? Carr says it's pretty simple, given the unusual and challenging conditions of a summer tournament played without fans in Central Florida. At an event where some players might manufacture enthusiasm, Wondolowski has it organically in spades.
"Wondo does not have that problem," Carr said. "He if anything is capitalizing on the lack of cohesiveness or the alertness or the fatigue of defenders."
So what's it like to be a defender seeing him come onto the pitch in the 80th minute of a muggy Orlando evening?
"It’s a nightmare, it’s an absolute nightmare, because you’re looking at a guy who is as hungry as ever to continue scoring goals," Carr said.
