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.
Poco a poco, Alan Pulido comienza a sepultar los malos recuerdos de la lesión que no lo dejó jugar en todo 2022 y cambiarlos por sonrisas. Ante Vancouver Whitecaps, el delantero mexicano del Sporting Kansas City marcó su segundo gol en la MLS y su tercero en la temporada 2023.
Pulido abrió la cuenta para SKC y lo hizo con un bello cabezazo.
Julian Gressel recorded the first two-goal game of his MLS career and the host Vancouver Whitecaps became the first team in MLS history to score within the first 30 seconds of each half while recording a 6-2 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.
Brian White, Ryan Gauld and Sebastian Berhalter each had a goal and assist and Pedro Vite also scored a goal as Vancouver (5-5-5, 20 points) improved to 5-1-2 at home this season.
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 rumor mill is bursting with the idea that Inter Miami and Barcelona are concocting a special formula to get and share Lionel Messi for the years to come.
But is this true?
There is no news not saying Lionel Messi's future is the 2023 summer transfer window's biggest telenovela. Despite being in the promotional photos of the PSG 2023-24 home jersey, everybody knows the chances of seeing the Argentine star actually wearing that shirt next season are close to none.
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.
As the tail end of the nation’s oldest and most storied soccer tournament approaches, two second-division teams continue to linger. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Birmingham Legion both welcomed MLS opposition into their humble abodes for the US Open Cup Round of 16 and won more than just the hearts of those watching.
Thank you, Pittsburgh
Thank you, Birmingham
San Diego is officially the newest team in MLS and as they prepare to make their professional debut in 2025, the franchise is rumored to have contacted the best Concacaf player of all time to manage their squad.
All El Tráficos count the same, right? Well, maybe that wasn't the case Tuesday night with LAFC and the LA Galaxy meeting in the U.S. Open Cup at only the Round of 16 stage and with LAFC entirely focused on next week's Concacaf Champions League final against León.
This meeting was basically the El Clásico equivalent of Barcelona playing Real Madrid in a preseason friendly at Hard Rock Stadium.
But don't tell Riqui Puig that.
Rivalry Week in MLS is a special time. Chaos wrapped in pandemonium served with a side of unpredictability. The best sides find a way to rise above the volatility, to keep their heads when all about them are losing theirs. Rivalry week separates the wheat from the chaff, and MLS Matchday 14 embodied that.