New York Red Bulls roll to Round One
Elias Manoelās hat trick led the way for New York as the Red Bulls romped over Charlotte in a 5-2 win. Theyāll face first-seeded FC Cincinnati in a Round One Best-of-3 series.
Sporting KC survive San Jose
Tim Melia came up big in yet another penalty shootout as Sporting KC took down San Jose 4-2 in penalties. SKC will head to St. Louis for Round One.
Concacaf Champions Cup dates announced
The 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup will begin in early February, the confederation announced Tuesday. The rebranded tournament has expanded to 27 teams and five rounds for 2024. The winner qualifies for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, joining the winners from the 2021-23 competitions (including Seattle Sounders FC). The 2024 Champions Cup has a home-and-away series from Round One through the Semifinals, ending with a single-leg Final on June 2. Nine MLS clubs have qualified.
Inter Miami confirm MartĆnez exit
Inter Miami have formally declined Josef MartĆnez's contract option. The former MVP spent just one year with the Herons. The move potentially makes way for Miamiās long-rumored signing of Luis SuĆ”rez.
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What happened?: The Red Bulls played their typical wide open style and put together a masterclass in attack in a postseason game just like we all expectedā¦
Ok, fine, yesterday we wrote that the Red Bulls just needed somebody, anybody to score. It didnāt matter who. They just needed one goal.
Well, Elias Manoel obliged early and then decided it would be fun to do a couple more times, John Tolkin smoked a free kick into the top right corner, and Tom Barlow finished a clear-cut chance directly in front of goal in a 5-2 romp over Charlotte. Sure, yeah, why not.
So, did we learn anything?: Weāve been saying for a bit here to watch out for the Red Bulls if they made it into the playoffs. We meant that in a āWell, if they catch a break or two in attackā kind of way. We did not mean it in a āWell, if they score in bunches like we all expect them toā kind of way.
We basically watched New York catch up to their underlying numbers in real time last night. Weāve mentioned those numbers a ton lately, but itās important to remember they were only two expected goals created behind Atlanta United this year. They were creating decent chances. They just needed someone to step up and a lot more luck. I would call a hat trick from Elias Manoel stepping up, and I would call five goals on 1.1 xG some serious luck.
If anyone deserved a break from the analytics gods this year, though, it's the Red Bulls. We shouldnāt expect them to score with every shot on target from here on out, but we can probably expect them to carry some momentum into Round One and be up for a fight.
Oh, and we also got a reminder that John Tolkin rules. All hail surefire 2023 Peopleās Best XI member John Tolkin.
Whatās next?: The Red Bulls deserved some breaks and got them against a Charlotte team thatās struggled to defend this year. Charlotte looked totally disjointed at times last night. New Yorkās Round One opponent, FC Cincinnati, are far less likely to look totally disjointed defensively. The Red Bulls are going to need to be at their very best to take down the Supportersā Shield winners.
All it takes is a couple of draws though. Two penalty shootout wins and youāre onto the next round with a huge upset in hand. Itās plausible. Itās hard to envision anyone running away from this Red Bulls team.
What happened?: For a long time, not much. It started to become clear relatively early that one team would accidentally score and open this up or we were going to penalties. Both teams came kind of sort of close to creating a high-probability chance or two off a deflection. But with the Quakes nestled in their own half and lacking an edge when they left it, scoring opportunities were hard to come by.
Still, there were moments where Sporting fans had to hold their breath. Cade Cowellās looping run into SKCās box late in the game nearly flipped this one on its head. But a Sporting defender blocked Cowellās potentially dangerous attempt to keep the Quakes from challenging goalkeeper Tim Melia. In fact, San Jose didnāt put a shot on frame against Melia until the penalty shootout. Even then, Melia didnāt look too bothered.
Melia, possibly the best penalty shootout goalkeeper in the history of soccer, Iām not kidding, saved Cristian Espinozaās opening attempt, watched Jackson Yueill sky the second and Sporting KC earned as comfortable a shootout win as they come. Melia is now 7-0 in his career in penalty shootouts.
So, did we learn anything?: Itās fair to worry a bit about Sporting KC being unable to find the net here, but they did put up 18 shots on the night. Not shots from great spots or anything, but still, shots. Considering the fact that the Quakes are probably the last team theyāll face this postseason ready and willing to sit as deep as they did, it's probably fair to call this a passed test rather than a disappointing performance.
Anyway, I need to apologize. We talked a few times about a potential SKC run in this thing and totally glossed over the fact that Tim Melia has dedicated his mind, body and soul from birth to being the greatest penalty shootout goalkeeper the world has ever and will ever know like one of those weirdly specific anime villains. That could be huge as we enter a best-of-three series where each tie is decided immediately by penalties.
Whatās next?: Ooohhh boy. We had this matchup ranked first in our potential excitement rankings and weāre still feeling good about it. Sporting KC will face their in-state(ish) counterparts St. Louis CITY SC in Round One. The atmosphere for each game is going to be wild. The differing styles of each team are fascinating. And, donāt forget, weāre talking about the Westās highest point earner over the course of the season in St. Louis and the Westās highest point earner over the second half in Sporting KC. Buckle up.
MLS NEXT experience highlights USA roster for Indonesia 2023: Sixteen players with MLS NEXT experience made the US Under-17 national teamās 21-man roster for the 2023 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The competition is set for Nov. 10-Dec. 2 in Indonesia.
LAFC forward Bouanga named MLS Player of the Month: DĆ©nis Bouangaās sizzling stretch-drive form has earned the LAFC forward MLS Player of the Month presented by CELSIUS honors for October 2023. In the regular season's final month, Bouanga had six goals and one assist in four games to help him secure the Golden Boot presented by Audi, finishing the season with 20 goals.
- The New York Red Bulls made a statement in their Wild Card rout.
- Sporting KC booked a rivalry date with St. Louis CITY SC.
- Jonathan Sigal looked at one big question for the teams out of Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Orlando City's Duncan McGuire won the AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday.
Good luck out there. Beware. You can only hold off Sir Minty. You cannot stop him.