There was an interesting moment during Saturday's MLS 360 show when analyst Shep Messing said he had "inside info" on a Lionel Messi move to MLS and that "it is going to happen and it's going to happen soon."
Like any great amateur sleuth, I then carefully watched PSG's home match against Lyon on Sunday looking for clues. I think I found them: Messi wants to get out of Paris like a bat out of hell.
A week on from international matches and MLS has returned to full strength. The superstars have reappeared, replacing the excuses that swam in their wake and results are once again indicative of each team’s true ability.
Life under new manager Wilfried Nancy left a bit to be desired for the Crew. The former CF Montréal boss saw his new side secure just four points from its first four matches, but back-to-back dominant displays have given this marriage a new outlook.
Jordan Morris continued his historic goal scoring run as his tally in the 21st minute helped the Seattle Sounders to a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy on Saturday in Carson, Calif.
Seattle (4-1-1, 13 points) ran its unbeaten streak against the Galaxy to 10 games, and became the first MLS team in history with a streak that long against the Galaxy (0-2-3, 3 points).
Before the 2022 World Cup, the idea of Lionel Messi extending his contract with French multi-champion PSG seemed a safe bet. Back from Qatar, however, that certainty has started to crumble and the leading narrative around the player's future is pointing to a sensational return to Barcelona.
Of course, there are a lot of rumors going around, but the blaugranas fans are feeling optimistic after the club's vice-president Rafa Yuste and coach Xavi spoke on Friday about how much they wish for Messi's return to the team.
Javier Hernández se muere por volver a la Selección Mexicana. Pese a toda el agua que ha pasado bajo el puente desde su última convocatoria a fines de 2019 y el veto que sufrió en la era Martino, el delantero nunca renunció a su deseo de volver a vestir la playera verde del Tri. Y ahora, con el inicio de un nuevo proceso, ese deseo está más vivo que nunca.
Pepis rule.
Last Friday, Ricardo Pepi (age 20) made his triumphant return to the USMNT by scoring a brace against Grenada — his first international goals dating back to October 2021, a drought that ultimately cost him a place on the World Cup roster.
A grain of salt. Perhaps the perfect idiom for MLS Matchweek 5. As teams traversed the FIFA-recognized international break, it became abundantly clear that some squads were better at handling life without their superstars than others. This imbalance made for some surprising results, but overall, a thoroughly entertaining week of games.
Jordan Morris tallied four times to put him atop Major League Soccer's goal-scoring race as the visiting Seattle Sounders overcame an early deficit and defeated 10-man Sporting Kansas City 4-1 on Saturday night.
Léo Chú had three assists and goalkeeper Stefan Frei made two saves for the Sounders (3-1-1, 10 points), who snapped a 10-match road winless streak (0-9-1), the longest in franchise history. William Agada scored and John Pulskamp made three saves for Sporting K.C. (0-3-2, 2 points).
Arsenal are just 10 games away from their first Premier League title in 19 years, but any true Gooner will tell you that the piece of silverware they want more than any other is the one they last lifted seven years ago in San Jose, California: the MLS All-Star trophy.
Week four of the MLS season was one of the best yet. The matchweek featured great games like LAFC traveling to Seattle and New England hosting Nashville. Philadelphia’s last-minute loss to Montreál sent shockwaves across the league, reminding fans that nobody is safe from the drama that is MLS. With over three goals per game on Saturday, you’d be forgiven for finding it difficult to follow every match, so let's take a look at what we learned from MLS Matchweek 4.