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So much MLS. So much. And by that I mean: A whole bunch of great goals, wild results and, most importantly, FIGHTS. SO MANY FIGHTS. PEOPLE. WERE. UP. FOR. IT.Ā
Great night. Hereās how it went down.
What happened?: Karol Swiderskiās brace gave Charlotte an early lead, but FC Cincinnati clawed their way back to earn a point.
So, did we learn anything?: Charlotte have beenā¦kind of sort of a nightmare defensively. Theyāve allowed a ton of chances and the goalkeeping simply hasnāt been good enough. If they miss out on the playoffs this year, it wonāt be because of their attack.
While weāre here, we probably havenāt mentioned enough that Enzo Copetti has been a totally underwhelming DP signing for The Crown this year. Heās scored four times in 16 starts. He missed this one to injury and Swiderski, playing centrally, pulled out a brace. From my national writer view from 10,000 feet, that doesnāt seem ideal.
What happened?: NYCFC created a ton of chances, kept Columbus quiet all night and it didnāt matter one bit because Sean Zawadzki found the net four minutes into stoppage time despite Columbus being down to 10 men. Oh, and down a coach or two. Wilfried Nancy and an assistant coach also got red cards after some harsh words and some water thrown from the bench. It was awesome.
So, did we learn anything?: Man, it may just not be NYCFCās year. They outcreated Columbus by a final tally of 1.7 xG to 0.5 in Columbus and still couldnāt pull out a win. Theyāre technically tied on points for ninth place with four other teams, but theyāve played more games than all of them. They need a new signing, a new outlook, or just a break to reset and find their footing again.
What happened?: D.C. and Miami traded goals in a wild ending that resulted in a point for both teams.
So, did we learn anything?: Donāt think so! Good on Inter Miamiās kids Benjamin Cremaschi and Noah Allen for showing up and grabbing big goals though. An average age of 18.5 on those two goals.Ā
Anyway, weāre getting closer to seeing a very different Inter Miami. They can get to 21 points with 12 games to go with a win in their next match. That means weāre looking at, at best, a 2-points-per-game pace over the final 12 to get to the likely playoff line of 45 points. Thatās doable. But a heckuva ask. Even for a demigod.
What happened?: Thiago Almada banked a free kick off the post and Brooks Lennon picked up the rebound for a tap-in. At the end Gonzalo Pineda and Hernan Losada yelled at each other. It was awesome.Ā
So, did we learn anything?: Thatās two games in a back three for Atlanta and two straight wins. Thatās despite missing a handful of starters. It seems like Atlanta has found a new setup. And itās a much-needed win after a tumultuous week.Ā
For MontrĆ©al, thatās two straight home losses after having just one all year. Seems like their magic at Stade Saputo has run out.
What happened?: Wikelman Carmona found a late winner for Red Bulls. We also had a little bit of controversy. A 90+3-minute equalizer for New England was waived off for an offside call on a player ruled to be affecting the goalkeeper. The folks in New England disagreed. To be honest, I probably do too. It was close.
So, did we learn anything?: Thatās a great result for New York. So, so needed. They jumped to 10th place with the win and are even on points with ninth-place MontrĆ©al. Iāve been betting heavily on the Red Bulls continuing their playoff streak and this was a big step toward that.
What happened?: Your āWait, who?ā St. Louis CITY SC goalscorer of the week is Aziel Jackson, a 21-year-old midfielder with just three MLS starts and, now, one MLS goal.
So, did we learn anything?: Toronto are not good. We knew that already. But it might be worth repeating. Theyāre going to finish last in the East.
St. Louis are good! We knew that already! Itās worth repeating! Kind of feels like theyāre going to finish first in the West? Itās getting more plausible by the week.
What happened?: Waitā¦what? I mean Hany spent half the game on the bench, but still. The lesson, as always, is soccer is hard, and road games in MLS are harder.
So, did we learn anything?: Nope. Chicago are always going to do whatever it takes to make it hurt as much as possible when they eventually come up short. Iām not falling for this one. Iām an oak. The Fire canāt hurt me anymoreā¦
Oh, hey look, theyāre equal on points and games with ninth place, maybe they can do this!
What happened?: Ivan Franco, who has great hair, sent home a late, late equalizer after the ball seemed to just creep its way into the SKC box on a slow rolling pass. Then Sebas Ferreira made a wild decision to push Gadi Kinda to the floor after Kinda faked SKCās kickoff. This was somehow only a yellow. It was awesome.
So, did we learn anything?: I donāt think so? It was kind of just a mess. Kinda and Alan Pulido continue to be very effective at least.
What happened?: Sheesh. Just a thumping. Teemu Pukiās debut in Minnesota got completely spoiled and then some. It was not close.
So, did we learn anything?: Alright, itās time to jump back on the Austin bandwagon. Iāll see yāall there. Theyāre playing gorgeous soccer again and have taken 10 points from their last four games with a +9 goal differential. They could easily find themselves challenging for a home playoff spot by the end of the year if they can build off this momentum.
What happened?: Colorado scored their first goal in a long, long time then remembered how fun that was and did it again to pull out a big upset over FC Dallas.
So, did we learn anything?: Donāt think so. Itās been a rough stretch for Dallas and they need a new DP to come in and spark some life into this team. Good for the Rapids though. Itās their first home win all year and they earned it in some style. They were the much much better team.
What happened?: A got dang statement game. RSL mollywhopped Orlando from the jump and it all started when Chicho Arango scored just 23 minutes into his debut.
So, did we learn anything?: WHAT HAVE I BEEN TELLING YāALL?
If you donāt have your RSL stock yet, itās far far too late. Not only did they beat up on a good Orlando side, they got Chicho up and running immediately. Theyāre going to make a serious challenge for a top-four spot in the West. They may even challenge for the top spot. Theyāre five points and a game out of hand behind St. Louis, but itās not totally off the table.
What happened?: The Galaxy rolled over the Union to cap a six-point week where they beat the two highest point-earning MLS teams of the last five years.
So, did we learn anything?: The Galaxy are back? Like not how Texas is back? Like maybe actually back? Theyāre at least back from the dead. They have a long way to go before they make the playoffs, but an incredible week has given their season life. If they can keep getting these kinds of performances from Tyler Boyd and Riqui Puig, they have the talent to compete with anyone in the league. Now they have to keep stringing points together.
What happened?: San Jose lost their keeper to a red card in the 56th minute, but were able to hold on the rest of the way and earn a point.
So, did we learn anything?: Nah. LAFC arenāt going to get better until they get a chance to rest. Good point for the Quakes though. They could have folded after Danielās red card.
What happened?: Yeimarās stoppage-time winner completed a comeback win on the road for Seattle. LĆ©o ChĆŗās brace led the way though.
So, did we learn anything?: Phew, sure seemed for a moment like we might be spending another week wondering whatās going wrong for Seattle. But the Sounders rallied and picked up a win that may just give them the kind of momentum swing for the better theyāve been needing. It could be enough to pull them out of their rut.Ā
Vancouver remains frustrating.
MLS NEXT 2022-23 awards announced: MLS NEXT has announced the winners of the MVP presented by adidas, Goal of the Year presented by Allstate and Sportsmanship Award presented by DoorDash for the 2022-23 MLS NEXT regular season.
- Aziel Jackson became the latest hero in St. Louis CITY's fairytale season.
- Inter Miamiās Benjamin Cremaschi showed again why he has a bright future.
- The Revs were less than happy about a late disallowed goal.
- HĆ©ctor Herrera orchestrated a must-see team goal for Houston.
Good luck out there. Hit it as hard as you can and see what happens.