After a condensed MLS week, Little Things is back. Included today is young FC Dallas and whether they will ever play Pablo Aranguiz, David Accam’s return to relevance for Philadelphia and Colorado’s need for a No. 10, plus a bonus thing sprinkled at the end. Let’s go.

Will Pablo Aranguiz play from now on?

FC Dallas subbed Aranguiz for Santiago Mosquera in the 67th minute of their game against the Colorado Rapids, up 1-0. It was the first opportunity for Aranguiz to play significant minutes since early October. 

They conceded an equalizer two minutes after Aranguiz left, but eventually won on a Ryan Hollingshead goal. The victory gave them seven points from four games, a solid enough start for a team tinted with youthful homegrown players and in the early stages of playing pretty soccer. One has to wonder, though, whether giving Aranguiz a more significant role wouldn’t put them over the edge.

The eye test indicates that the Chilean No. 10 is one of the smartest and most creative players in the league. He sees passes other players don’t see, with perfect timing.

His creative instincts remind of Mauro Diaz, once the preeminent No. 10 in MLS. It’s the Messi gene: Keep the ball on your foot, manufacture space and then find an open player with an assertive, well-weighted pass. Move into space the second you release the ball, keeping the pace of play fast and probing the defense until there’s a lane to goal. Aranguiz is not the Magic Unicorn, but he has similar ideas.

There aren’t many players in MLS who even realize this pass is possible:

Aranguiz pops up all over the attacking third, looking for combination play and subtle opportunities to slip balls through. He has a way of being everywhere.

Despite all of this, however, he does not have a single goal or assist in 358 MLS minutes. He is an inefficient passer—just a 71 percent completion percentage last season, compared to a 74 percent expected completion percentage, per American Soccer Analysis—and doesn’t put up exorbitantly high Expected Buildup or Expected Goal Chain numbers, underlying stats that help indicate whether a player is producing beyond his box score numbers. 

His pass map from the Colorado game is filled with passes that didn’t quite come off.

An objective, ground-look at his production could have influenced Dallas’ decision to prioritize players like Santiago Mosquera and, last year, Roland Lamah over Aranguiz, in spite of his obvious abilities. It’s a surprise every time they leave him out of the lineup, but justifying his inclusion requires looking past poor scoring numbers.

His performances should merit consistent minutes in spite of those numbers. Scoring should perk up as he puts the pieces together in important areas of the field and teammates start taking advantage of the chances he creates. Having a player like him—always looking up the field, bouncing everywhere in hopes of generating the perfect opportunity—is valuable for a team that wants the ball. He has good chemistry with everyone, adding a certain comfort to younger players like Paxton Pomykal.

To fully convince Luchi Gonzalez, he has to stop doing things like this:

That shot is trying to do too much, a desperate stab at making something happen when he just as easily could have waited a second longer and found a pass. 

He can be raw, as though he stepped on the field right after watching Messi highlights and simply tried to replicate. Refinement will only come with minutes and managerial trust. Dallas can’t miss the opportunity to maximize another Magic Unicorn.

Welcome back, David Accam

David Accam hadn’t scored since July 11, but he broke out of his shell on Saturday.

David Accam is having a very good day (via @MLS) pic.twitter.com/C9MTSG8SoH

— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) March 24, 2019

Two goals and an assist for the Ghanaian, as Philadelphia Union won 3-0 against the shorthanded Crew. He dedicated the performance to his father, who passed away last week.

An in-form Accam would elevate the Union in the Eastern Conference. When he’s on, he’s an unstoppable force, with unmatched on-ball speed and an ability in tight spaces that allows him to take advantage of that speed. He’s a goal-scoring winger, a valuable commodity. Against teams that push their fullbacks high (like Harrison Afful and the Crew), he can dominate. 

The Union reverted to a 4-2-3-1 with Accam in the lineup, departing from the 4-4-2 diamond they developed to start the season. If Jim Curtain keeps trusting him, that 4-2-3-1 could stick around.

The Rapids need more from Nicolas Mezquida

Colorado signed Mezquida, the longtime Vancouver Whitecap, to be their No. 10 this season. He was a cheaper option than looking overseas for a transfer, and Colorado have shown to be pretty terrible at scouting anyway. At 27, he should theoretically be entering his prime. He would lead Anthony Hudson’s 4-4-2 diamond behind strikers Kei Kamara and Diego Rubio.

In four starts and 346 minutes this season, however, he has zero goals and zero assists. He isn’t shooting much, nor creating many chances. The Rapids have yet pick up a win. 

Judging from Mezquida’s career history, his production does not promise to increase. His best MLS season was 2016, when he had four goals and an assist in 28 appearances and 1,395 minutes for Vancouver. He has just four career assists and never more than one in a season. 

Colorado need a difference-maker in the position. Mezquida has thus far not been a difference-maker.

Without a legitimate MLS attacking midfielder, Colorado will continue to muddle along as a well-enough organized team with just enough talent to lose on the road and draw at home.

Bonus: Try on set pieces!

Not to keep pounding on Colorado, but this is one of the more disjointed and lethargic set pieces I’ve seen an MLS team take.

Colorado are going to need more than this from Nicolas Mezquida pic.twitter.com/OKkVOO4Y4S

— Harrison Hamm (@harrisonhamm21) March 24, 2019

No one even made much of a run. Jack Price’s delivery went to a random area where a bunch of FC Dallas players were stationed, facing no opposition to a clearance. It was somewhat of an awkward angle, but there’s no reason to send everyone up to simply loaf around. Have a plan!

To be fair to the Rapids, they eventually scored on a set piece, so it’s hard to drag them too much. But teams do versions of the above all the time. Missed opportunities.

Harrison Hamm is a sportswriter who covers American soccer and MLS for FloFC. He also covers sports for FanSided and The Comeback, and has freelanced for the Washington Post.