MLS

It’s a situation we’ve all seen countless times: The visiting team, playing the role of underdog, takes an early lead in front of a charged crowd and spends the remainder of the match attempting to disrupt the rhythm of the game to secure the three points; the end justifies the means, no matter how it’s achieved.

But you’ve never seen it play out quite like last night’s MLS meeting between Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake at Allianz Field in Saint Paul. 

Friday night’s Sporting KC-Orlando City match had a little bit of everything for VAR haters, with three goals disallowed, two by the VAR. But VAR giveth and VAR taketh: An incredible Nani goal was initially ruled offside, but the VAR reversed the decision as the Portuguese star gave the visitors a 1-1 draw on Friday in Kansas City, Kansas. 

While the soccer world was turned upside down early this week with the announcement of the European Super League — and its impending demise — the non-soccer world has been glued to the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was filmed murdering George Floyd, a Black man, in broad daylight last year.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you're aware of the biggest disgrace in the history of this sport. 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced plans to create their own European Super League.

Fans, former players and others vehemently denounced the situation with some seeing the move as the beginning of the end for the sport.

LAFC coach Bob Bradley took his best player, Carlos Vela, off 22 minutes into the season opener against Austin FC on Saturday. Moments later he admitted to the national FOX broadcast he may have “jumped the gun.”

Last year, Darlington Nagbe flicked the ball up to himself and smashed a gorgeous volleyed goal that easily won 2020 MLS Goal of the Year honors. On the first day of the 2021 MLS season, João Paulo one-upped Nagbe with an even better version of the move, a stunning strike that will take some doing to prevent from being the 2021 MLS Goal of the Year.

The Seattle Sounders thrashed Minnesota United 4-0 on opening night in Seattle. The result was surprising given the intensity of the Sounders’ 3-2 stoppage-time win over United in the Western Conference Finals just a few months ago. 

Chris Wondolowski is the greatest goal scorer in MLS history, and he likely will be for some time. But while his finishing ability in the box in unparalleled, so too is his country’s desire to scapegoat him for that one miss against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup. So it’s impossible to ignore another incredible Wondo miss, made in the first game of his 17th MLS campaign on Friday night.