In-Depth Feature

Just six games were contested on Matchday 19 as many teams enjoyed a week off before having to do it all again this coming Wednesday. With 29 teams, the league schedule can easily become discombobulated, especially with rescheduled matches and bye weeks. To accommodate this, MLS Matchday 19 gave these teams a chance to catch up and re-level the playing field. While there may have been fewer games, the quality on display was as high as ever.

The Italian Serie B season has finished and we now know the three teams returning to the top flight. From midseason managerial changes to last-second winners, this year had it all, so let's meet the three newest members of Serie A and learn how they got here.

Frosinone Calcio

They say defense wins championships, but Frosinone took it a step further. The club boasted the league’s best offense and defense to claim the Serie B title for the first time by six points. After a challenging but rewarding campaign, difficult days may be in store for I Canarini.

Imagine Lionel Messi, getting ready to play with his national team after another grueling yet fruitful season. He’s just come off a legacy-defining World Cup and a Ligue 1 title before shocking the world as he announced his intentions to leave Paris Saint-Germain to join Major League Soccer. 

England’s Championship division is one of the most intense seasons in Europe. The 46 games played, just in the league itself, give players more opportunities to perform well but also for a team’s season to come crashing down. While there are additional games, every match means just as much in the Championship, if not more, as the teams compete for the right to move up to the ludicrously lucrative Premier League.

As we approach the halfway point in the season, destinies become clear. Moments become more important as every point carries increased weight in the race for the postseason. Hosting in the playoffs is great, but winning is better, and many teams have set themselves up for both outcomes after Matchday 17. 

The 24-man squad for the United States men’s national team’s upcoming Concacaf Nations League Finals was revealed on Thursday and pleased most American fans. The list comprises four players from MLS, two from Liga MX, 16 from Europe and one from South America.

Here’s new interim manager B.J. Callaghan’s first USMNT roster.

USMNT Concacaf Nations League roster

LET'S GO TO CAMP ⛺️

While most European leagues are reaching their gripping conclusions, MLS is still very much up for grabs with 16 matchdays completed. The table has taken shape, but anything is possible in America’s top flight. From last-minute equalizers to incredible displays of impotence in front of goal, there was something for everyone on Matchday 16. 

The ability to choose is often taken for granted in soccer. With the increased prominence of dual nationals in recent years, fans are becoming used to seeing players pick which nationality they want to represent, like Yunus Musah and Folarin Balogun. What’s less common, however, is a player who, before turning 19, not only qualifies for four national teams but has already represented three of them.

What is form but a spell to be broken? What are records but standards to be rewritten? Comfort and predictability have no home in MLS, especially not during Matchday 15. Across the league, teams and players alike found ways to buck their trends of frustration while others gave frustration a chance.