Curtin signs contract extension with Philadelphia Union
The Union announced Tuesday that two-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Jim Curtin has signed a contract extension through 2026. Curtin, whose previous deal was set to expire after the 2023 MLS season, has led Philadelphia to the 2020 MLS Supporters' Shield and an MLS Cup 2022 appearance. They've also made two Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals in the past three years (2021 and '23), as well as three US Open Cup finals (2014, '15, '18).
NYCFC sign Algerian forward Bakrar
New York City FC have bolstered their attack, announcing Tuesday theyāve signed Algerian youth international forward Mounsef Bakrar from Croatian top-flight side NK Istra 1961. Bakrar, 22, joins via the leagueās U22 Initiative and is under contract through 2026 with an option for 2027. He arrives with 18 goals and three assists in 84 club appearances, breaking through at Algerian side ES SĆ©tif before moving to Istra.
Vancouver Whitecaps sign Cubas to contract extension
Vancouver Whitecaps FC have signed defensive midfielder AndrƩs Cubas to a contract extension through the 2026 MLS season with an option for 2027. The 27-year-old Paraguay international, who will remain a Designated Player in Vancouver, originally joined the club last season from French second-division club NƮmes Olympique.
A big Wednesday
Tonight features a few of the biggest regular-season games of the year and Gold Cup semifinals between the US and Panama, plus Jamaica and Mexico. Weāre genuinely talking about one of the best soccer nights of the year. Take a look at the full schedule here and prepare yourself as needed.
Sign up for The Daily Kickoff in your inbox! The Daily Kickoff is more than an article ā it can be delivered to your email account as well.
Seriously, I just want to iterate here, an amazing night of soccer is in store. The Universe graciously chose quality and quantity without spreading the night too thin. After saying all that, it likely wonāt live up to expectations, but the odds of seeing a handful of well-played games between the leagueās best teams are very high. Itās like a mini-Audi MLS Cup Playoffs night. Our chances of seeing something special are higher than normal. And if that doesnāt actually work out, you can just check in on the Gold Cup and pretend that I never called this one of the nights of the year in MLS.
Hereās what to keep an eye on in particular:
Weāve said this before, but the Supportersā Shield might be wrapped up by the end of the night. The last time we mentioned it, the gap between Cincy and the field actually closed. Even still, theyāre tremendous favorites and that gap remains pretty big, all considered. No matter what happens tonight, it will take a bit of a nosedive from Cincinnati and a heckuva performance the rest of the way from one of the few teams that can actually catch them.
That list is essentially down to four teams at this point. St. Louis are seven points behind, New England are eight points behind, Nashville are seven points behind with a game out of hand and Philadelphia are 11 points behind but are also liable to go supernova hot at any moment. But Iām being generous to those three teams if Iām being honest and kind of harsh on teams like Columbus, LAFC and Seattle. All are very good, but Iām just not sure they have the juice this year to close the gaps weāre talking about.
Just to put it in perspective again, Cincy could get one point per game from here on out and finish with 57 points. If weāre realistic about it, a ānosediveā in this case probably looks more like Cincy being a totally decent 1.5ish points per game the rest of the way. That would put them at about 65 points. St. Louis, the closest team, would need to match Cincyās current 2.14 points per game pace the rest of the way just to tie.
Itās MLS though! Nothing is out of the realm of possibility. And Cincy have a tough test tonight against the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. The Garys have actually looked mortal on the road this year, and, as weāve mentioned over and over here, New Yorkās underlying numbers are among the best in the league.
Fortunately, Cincyās style matches up well with New Yorkās, and the Red Bulls have struggled to put together consistent performances this year, especially in attack. A loss could mean some pressure is coming their way, though. If a few teams start to get closer and closer, itās fair to wonder how theyāll handle a situation totally foreign to the club.
While we may understand the Shield race a little more after tonight, weāll probably get a little more confused about the East. I know thatās not helpful, but I donāt see any clarity coming our way here. I do think, however, tonight might be one of those nights that we look back on down the road and see where it made a difference.
Weāre probably at the point of the year where we can go ahead and call the New England-Atlanta and Nashville-Philadelphia games āsix-pointers.ā
Third-place New England and fifth-place Atlanta are separated by two points. Atlanta outplayed the Revs in Atlanta earlier this year but literally gave away goals in a 3-3 draw. That said, the Five Stripes have shifted their setup and philosophy a bit since then. The Revs will have to become the first team to break down Atlantaās back five. Theyāve given up just two shots on goal in the games since the shift. New England have Carles Gil though, soā¦ Iād expect that number to change.
Second-place Nashille and sixth-place Philadelphia are separated by four points and even smaller margins than New England and Atlanta on points per game. The Union have had a bit of a tough time figuring out life without Kai Wagner and Andre Blake as of late and have dropped their last two games. A third-straight road game couldnāt have come at a worse time. But theyāre still the Union and can roll over an opposing side up at any point. That definitely includes a Nashville team that inexplicably laid an egg on the road against Chicago last week.
Out West, every game feels important right now. Thereās probably only one team you can comfortably count out of the playoff race. Thereās incredibly little separation in the middle of the pack. So, yes, Houston-Minnesota and Vancouver-Austin also carry importance.
That said, there really only seem to be four teams that have the quality to win the conference right now. A higher seed and home playoff games could be a massive difference by the time those teams meet up in the postseason.
RSL take on Sporting KC on the road tonight and will look to continue their league-best road form. Theyāre just five points behind first-place St. Louis. Then thereās Seattle and San Jose. It kind of feels like Seattle are finding their groove lately and like the Quakes need a shot in the arm. Another road win for Seattle could potentially put them even on points with St. Louis at the end of the night.
In fact, we could have four teams within two points of the top spot in the West after tonight because St. Louis have the unenviable task of facing LAFC in LA. RSL, Seattle and LAFC wins would bring us to that scenario. Fortunately for CITY, theyāre catching LAFC at the best possible time. The Black & Gold couldnāt be more exhausted than they are at this exact moment. Theyāre reaching the very end of a grueling stretch where theyāve played a game about every 3.5 days for the last few weeks, and their results have suffered as a consequence.
That makes tonight huge for St. Louisā hopes of topping the conference. LAFC are about to get a long break and a chance to add talent in the summer transfer window. They have a ton of points in them down the stretch. St. Louis need as much distance as possible. A six-point swing tonight could be critical.
LA Galaxy acquire defender Tony Alfaro from NYCFC
The LA Galaxy have acquired veteran MLS defender Tony Alfaro in an intra-league trade with New York City FC. In exchange for the 30-year-old center back, the Galaxy sent a guaranteed $125,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM) to NYC. The Cityzens will receive an additional $375,000 in GAM should certain performance-based incentives be met.
Columbus Crew head coach Nancy suspended additional game
The Disciplinary Committee has suspended Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy for one additional match (two matches total) and fined Nancy an undisclosed amount for irresponsible behavior in the 87th minute of Columbusās match against New York City FC on July 8.
Orlando City sign homegrown goalkeeper Otero
Orlando City SC have signed homegrown goalkeeper Javier Otero through the 2024 MLS season with club options for 2025-26. Otero, 20, joined Orlandoās academy in 2017 before progressing to Orlando City B in 2020.
- Hereās what you need to know for Matchday 25.
- Joe Lowery took a look at how Chicho Arango will improve RSL.
- Schuyler Redpath has your MLS Fantasy Week 21 positional rankings and gaming advice.
- Take a look at the 2023 MLS All-Star Week Fan Events.
- Hereās how to watch and stream the USMNT vs. Panama.
- Power Rankings.
Good luck out there. Find a place to stick around a while.