New records, a switch at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, a four-goal comeback in Hell is Real and so much more – this past weekend’s MLS slate had it all.
Let's explore some of the most interesting things we learned during Matchday 24. And if you want to read up on other key moments in detail, check out Matt Doyle’s latest column.
Onwards.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more dominant 45 minutes in MLS this season than the Philadelphia Union’s first-half display in their 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
En route to reclaiming the lead in the Eastern Conference and the Supporters’ Shield race, the Union dominated their in-conference rivals. To borrow a line from Doyle’s column on Sunday night, “the Union saw their US Open Cup meeting with the Red Bulls postponed by some biblical rain, and it looks like they took that pent-up frustration and expressed it pretty emphatically this weekend in their 2-0 win in Chester.”
Now, to tweak that line slightly, Philly didn’t just express themselves pretty emphatically. They expressed themselves just about as emphatically as one can.
The hosts allowed zero shots in the first half and scored a pair of their own, taking Sandro Schwarz’s gambit of playing Noah Eile as a defensive right back and shoving it right back in the Red Bulls’ faces.
What stands out to me most when I watch the Philadelphia Union – besides their team-wide sense of aggressive commitment – is the connection of their two strikers at the top of Bradley Carnell’s 4-2-2-2 setup. On Saturday, Tai Baribo and Bruno Damiani were constantly spinning off each other and interacting with the dual No. 10s to give RBNY fits with their movement.
See for yourself on Philly’s second goal, with Damiani’s third-man run setting himself up to finish the sequence started by Baribo and Quinn Sullivan:
The Union are organized, bought-in and more talented than anybody outside of the club itself thought coming into the year. Their comprehensive display in the first 45 on Saturday sent a very clear message: they’re ready to run over anyone and everyone on their push for a trophy.
Not everything is sunshine and roses for Charlotte FC right now, given they’re just hanging onto the last Wild Card spot in the East.
Still, there’s a ton to like about what’s happening up top for Charlotte lately. Let’s run through it, shall we?
- Charlotte are reportedly nearing a deal that will see them receive an $8 million transfer fee (that could rise to a full-on eight figures) for Patrick Agyemang from Derby County in the English Championship. That’s a lot of dough, folks, especially for a still quite raw and inexperienced No. 9! Agyemang wasn’t in Dean Smith’s matchday squad for the 2-0 win over New York City FC on Saturday, which turned out just fine because…
- U22 Initiative striker Idan Toklomati looks like a legit force up top. The 20-year-old scored against NYCFC, marking his third goal in his last four starts. With quick off-ball runs and a clear sense of how to position himself in the gaps between opposing defenders, I’m increasingly high on Toklomati.
- With Pep Biel still not occupying a DP spot for Charlotte this year following his move to a permanent contract, the front office can still go out and sign the DP striker Smith has wanted since he first arrived in North Carolina. And thanks to the Agyemang transfer kitty, they’ll have plenty of cash to do so.
There’s a ton to like about what’s happening up top for Charlotte. Will we say the same for the rest of the team come Decision Day?
The greatest of all time is out here extending his own record!
After being the first player in MLS history to record multiple goals in four straight games, Lionel Messi pushed his streak to five-straight matches with two tallies in a 2-1 win over a very good Nashville SC team on Saturday. Scoring one goal in a game is hard. Scoring two goals in a game is really, really hard. But scoring two goals in five straight? Well, let’s just say there’s a reason no one has ever done that before in the league’s entire history.
Digging even deeper into Messi’s scoring streak, he managed six goals in a single week coming out of Inter Miami’s impressive FIFA Club World Cup run. He snagged a brace against CF Montréal last Saturday, another brace against the New England Revolution on Wednesday, and then got right back to it with another brace in the Nashville game.
I realize this isn’t a nuanced, in-depth piece of analysis, but just let me say this: getting to watch Messi in MLS is an absolute treat. I still have to pinch myself that he’s playing on these shores. Long may it continue.
…and you could see the relief on his face after scoring the Seattle Sounders’ opening goal in a 3-2 victory at Sporting Kansas City.
That, dear reader, is the look of a player who’s been missing the field a great deal. Now back from an extended injury absence that limited him to four minutes at the Club World Cup, Jordan Morris made just his third start of the regular season over the weekend. That the Sounders are sitting fourth in the Western Conference despite getting so few minutes from their most dangerous forward is a testament to how absurdly deep the squad that Craig Waibel & Co. have built up is.
Still, you won’t find someone willing to make a convincing argument that they’re anything but better off with Morris leading the line. Between his silky drop and dish to find Paul Rothrock and his aggressive goalscoring run on the play up above, it didn’t take long for everyone in Seattle to be reminded just how nice it is to have Morris back. With that goal, the 30-year-old became just the third player in Seattle Sounders history to reach 100 regular-season goal contributions.
Only fit to play 45 minutes, there’s more work for Morris to do to get back to his best. But as Saturday evening showed, he’s not far away.
Was I tempted after a five-losses-in-seven stretch? You bet. But a couple of crucial things look to have changed for the Rapids in their 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
First, Cole Bassett is back and looking like himself again. Bassett has been in and out of the lineup since the start of May with a nagging lower-body injury. After a midweek start in a defeat to LAFC, the 23-year-old made his presence felt from the opening whistle against the Whitecaps.
Starting as the No. 8 next to the deeper-lying Connor Ronan in Chris Armas’ double pivot, Bassett was back to his old, rangy tricks. His ground coverage was a real asset, as was his distribution, which is one of the things the Rapids have been missing for stretches this season without a proper linking force between the midfield and the attack.
Last year, Colorado finished fourth in MLS in touches per 90 in the final third, as per FBref, with 167.4. This year? They’re way down in 15th at 143.5. Bassett can help inch them upwards in that category.
Second, Ted Ku-DiPietro was a menace on the left wing in Colorado’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Between drawing a penalty in the first half and playing this inch-perfect secondary assist on his team’s opener, the dynamic winger had one of his best games for the Rapids:
Colorado have lacked productive wing play for the last 18 months. If Ku-DiPietro can replicate his effective dynamism – and if Bassett can stay healthy – they could be a tough out come the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
