Free kick bangers, a three-goal comeback, late winners, a club legend returning home and so much more – this past weekend’s slate of MLS games had it all.
Let's explore some of the most interesting things we learned during Matchday 21. And if you want to read up on other key moments in detail, check out Matt Doyle’s latest column.
Onwards.
I’ve got stock in the Sounders that I don’t plan on selling even if Jesús Ferreira doesn’t regain his 2022 form. They’re plenty talented to compete with the best this league has to offer, they’re deep, and they’re positionally versatile. Seattle just won a game with Alex Roldan starting at center back, for crying out loud!
But maybe – just maybe – we’re starting to see Ferreira wake up. With goals in two of his last three regular-season games, the 24-year-old is beginning to find his footing in Brian Schmetzer’s attack. Now, I’m not expecting a full-on return to the player who forced his way into the USMNT picture under Gregg Berhalter until he has more of a set role in the Sounders’ attack. Ferreira’s goal in a 2-0 win over Austin FC on Saturday came with him playing on the right wing, while his goal against San Diego FC came when he started as the No. 9.
Still, Ferreira showing signs of life as the team around him slowly becomes healthy is a great sign for Seattle. Don’t count them out in the Western Conference.
Every year, the coach of the club hosting the MLS All-Star Game makes a batch of selections to round out the roster.
As such, Nico Estévez added two of his Austin FC players into the mix – Brad Stuver and Brandon Vazquez – along with a smattering of others from around the league. Thanks to him, we’ll get to watch deserving players next month like Anders Dreyer, Jeppe Tverskov and… Philip Zinckernagel?
That’s right, folks. Zinckernagel had a strong case.
Sure, he’s not the biggest name on the Chicago Fire's roster. That’s Jonathan Bamba. But he's been their most productive attacker, leading the team with 16 goal contributions (8g/8a). Far more relevant to the All-Star conversation, the Danish midfielder is one of only four players in MLS in the top seven for goal contributions and expected assisted goals, as per FBref. Dreyer, Pep Biel (Charlotte FC) and Martín Ojeda (Orlando City) are the other three.
With a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over Charlotte FC on Saturday, Zinckernagel continues to put his fingerprints on games. Don’t expect that to stop anytime soon.
In case you haven’t been following along closely, San Diego FC are on pace to have the best regular season in MLS expansion team history.
Because the number of games on the MLS schedule has shifted over the years, there are two marks to beat: LAFC’s 57-point total from their expansion year in 2018 and the Chicago Fire’s 1.75 points-per-game rate from their expansion year in 1998.
Playing at a 1.95 points-per-game pace right now, San Diego FC are on track to shatter both of those records. If they keep picking up points at this clip, SDFC will end the 2025 regular season with 66 points.
This season isn’t just about setting expansion records, which I think SDFC will do. Rather, it’s about winning legitimate hardware. They’re in the Supporters’ Shield hunt, with only Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Philadelphia Union beating them on points per game (they're both sitting on 2.0 ppg).
After a 3-2 comeback win at FC Dallas on Saturday featured a short-handed lineup, the new kids on the block are enjoying a four-match winning streak. San Diego FC are a must-watch team with a trophy in their sights.
Exactly zero people outside of San Jose (and even then, very few people in San Jose, from what I’ve heard) had “Beau Leroux breakout campaign” on their bingo card for the 2025 season. And yet? Here we are.
Though the 2024 SuperDraft pick didn’t make this year’s All-Star squad, he had an extremely compelling argument for inclusion. I wrote about that argument last month, and it’s held up: Leroux is in the 85th percentile or higher among his positional peers in non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG, successful take-ons, carries into the box, interceptions, and ball recoveries on a per-90-minute basis, as per FBref. But I was callously ignored by the voting powers that be.
And yet Leroux has kept dominating even without the accolades. Only two players have earned more minutes for San Jose this year than Leroux. Only three Quakes have registered more goal contributions than his eight. Again, the guy is a No. 8 and putting up box-score stats like he’s a No. 10.
Leroux is a force to be reckoned with. Ignore him at your own peril.
Real Salt Lake have played their last two games without Diego Luna while he’s repping the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Johnny Russell has started both of those matches to help cover the hole in Pablo Mastroeni’s frontline – and he scored each time, a 2-0 win over D.C. United and Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City. That’s right, the same Sporting Kansas City where Russell started (and hoped to end) his MLS career.
Classy as can be, the 35-year-old didn’t celebrate against his old club after putting his new side ahead at Children’s Mercy Park:
Sure, Russell doesn’t move as quickly as he did at his peak in Kansas City. But the veteran is bringing more than just intangibles to the table in Salt Lake (though you’d have to imagine his experience and leadership can do nothing but good things for Luna and 18-year-old Zavier Gozo, who’s blossoming this year, too). Rather, he’s bringing legitimate value to RSL’s attack. He’s second in the squad in progressive passes per 90 and fifth in passes into the box per 90, according to FBref.
Russell won’t be an every-game starter for the rest of the season, but he’s certainly got something left in his legs.
