Sometimes geography isn’t fair.<\/p>\n
How else to explain why large swathes of North America \u2013 mainly the eastern parts \u2013 risk missing out on peak MLS chaos like Saturday’s nightcap matches out on the West Coast?<\/p>\n
Unless you’re an insomniac or the type of clever night owl who’s learned to set your clock for fixtures like these, you might not have been awake for some of the league\u2019s wildest spectacles of the year so far.<\/p>\n
No worries. That’s why we’re here.<\/p>\n
Slammin’ Sammy stuns San Jose<\/p>\n
We simply must start in San Jose, where the Cinderella Earthquakes<\/a> are suddenly riding a two-game losing streak and winless in May thanks to FC Dallas<\/a>‘ breathless 3-2 comeback win<\/a> at PayPal Park.<\/p>\n Twice the Texans surged ahead, and twice did the Quakes respond to equalize. Then Sam Sarver<\/a> did his thing.<\/p>\n Kind of speaks for itself, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Lore. Legend. History. Heritage. Whichever term you prefer, FCD’s supersub entered himself in it with his unforgettably unhinged celebration(s) in front of San Jose’s supporters’ section.<\/p>\n From suburban Cleveland to the Columbus Crew<\/a> academy to Indiana University before finally breaking through in Dallas via their MLS NEXT Pro<\/a> side, North Texas SC, it’s been some road for Sarver. And here he is, a legit threat for a rising FCD with his blazing speed and clutch, chaotic charisma.<\/p>\n A common social-media shorthand for a game like Quakes-Dallas is #MLSAfterDark, a hashtag already well in effect at that point due to the pulsating proceedings at Snapdragon Stadium.<\/p>\n When the clock hit 90:00, San Diego FC<\/a> and FC Cincinnati<\/a> had already treated us to a fun one. Swapping goals like haymakers and drawing a couple of top-shelf saves from goalkeepers Roman Celentano<\/a> and Duran Ferree<\/a>, the two sides were deadlocked at 2-2 and both had ample reason to accept a point apiece after a track meet of a match. It would have been sufficient!<\/p>\n Nah \u2013 they still had enough juice left for some injury-time insanity.<\/p>\n Marcus Ingvartsen<\/a> appeared to have won it for the hosts with a terrific top-corner strike in the 96th minute, his second of the night, only for Cincy to race right down to the other end immediately.<\/p>\n There, Tom Barlow<\/a> bagged HIS brace via a superb layoff from Ayoub Jabbari<\/a> in the 98th, brokering a 3-3 draw<\/a> in which we, the spectators, were the real winners.<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s loss to Inter Miami<\/a>, by the way, is FCC\u2019s only loss in eight matches over the past month-plus.<\/p>\n Speaking of which\u2026 five games into their residency at their gorgeous new home, Lionel Messi<\/a> and Inter Miami finally have their first victory at Nu Stadium, a comfortable 2-0 win<\/a> over a tired-looking Portland Timbers<\/a> side on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.<\/p>\n As is often the case, the Herons hopped on Messi\u2019s back in this one. The GOAT scored the opener himself, then crafted the second, swiveling through a forest of defenders with the ball glued to his foot before serving up a close-range tap-in for Germ\u00e1n Berterame<\/a>.<\/p>\n With an absurd 11 goal contributions (5g\/6a) in his last four matches, Messi sure looks ready for 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> duty with Argentina, doesn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n Meanwhile, IMCF have climbed into second in the Eastern Conference, breathing down the necks of leaders Nashville SC<\/a> despite all those dropped points at home.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a\u00a0measure of drama<\/a> around the Herons, however. During Sunday\u2019s match, La Familia, their collective of supporters groups, reportedly expressed frustration with a perceived lack of recognition by the team\u2019s stars, staying subdued for most of the game before dialing up the volume late, including a song in Spanish in which they intoned, \u201cPlayers, respect your fans and acknowledge your people.\u201d<\/p>\n Rydstr\u00f6m out in Columbus<\/p>\n The Columbus Crew\u2019s unremarkable 1-1 draw<\/a> at bottom-dwelling Philadelphia<\/a> turns out to have been the last straw for general manager Issa Tall and the rest of the Crew brain trust. On Sunday, they relieved head coach Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m<\/a> of his duties after just 16 games in charge (all competitions), and only three victories out of 14 league matches.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the fourth coaching change of the year in MLS, the Ohioans joining Orlando City<\/a>, Inter Miami and CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> in turning the page. A thoughtful, charismatic manager with a solid track record in his native Sweden, Rydstr\u00f6m struggled to find the formula at a club with a proud history of both success and slick attacking soccer.<\/p>\n \u201cCulturally, it did not click,\u201d Tall told The Athletic<\/a> on Sunday, adding that he would not abide \u201clower expectations\u201d at the three-time MLS Cup presented by Audi champions.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Henrik, we ran a great process, in my opinion. Talking and meeting with him multiple times, going through the data, background checks and references. Then he came here, and there was just a disconnect.\u201d<\/p>\n Assistant Laurent Courtois, who had a spell in charge of Montr\u00e9al, is taking the reins on an interim basis; he\u2019s widely respected, and Tall sounds inclined to give him some run. But might the Crew \u2013 and other MLS clubs, for that matter \u2013 watch and see which managers might pop up on the international market after this summer\u2019s World Cup?<\/p>\n Yes. Read that sentence again; it\u2019s correct. The team on track to break several MLS records for ineptitude this season, who were described as hitting \u201crock bottom\u201d in a New York Times<\/a> headline a few weeks ago as they stumbled through a 0W-7L-1D stretch across all competitions in which they conceded 28 goals and scored just four, took six points from six with wins over the\u00a0LA Galaxy<\/a> and Austin FC<\/a>, and are no longer adrift at the bottom of the overall table.<\/p>\n And these were no fluke results: SKC<\/a> were worthy winners in both cases, superior in most statistical areas, including the expected-goals tallies. What\u2019s more, Saturday\u2019s 2-1 win<\/a> at ATX was the first positive result of any kind for the Midwesterners at Q2 Stadium, where they were 0W-5L-0D all-time coming into the weekend, but left jubilant after absolute bangers from Manu Garc\u00eda<\/a> and Stephen Afrifa<\/a> paced a furious late comeback.<\/p>\n \u201cA week ago, obviously we were in a bad place,\u201d said head coach Rapha Wicky afterwards, \u201cand the boys show up twice like that with two really, really brave and good performances.\u201d<\/p>\n Afrifa was even more bullish.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the guys know that we’re a lot better than our performances have shown,\u201d said the Canadian international. \u201cThese two results are very massive in us turning the season around.\u201d<\/p>\n SKC\u2019s grim underlying numbers suggest that kind of talk may be premature. Still, their supporters will undoubtedly enjoy a different vibe this week after so much doom and gloom lately.<\/p>\n With a relatively new sporting director driving a profound overhaul of both the roster and the club\u2019s technical infrastructure after literal decades under Peter Vermes, everyone and their grandmother knew the side formerly known as the Wiz was in for a transitional year; maybe that won\u2019t be quite as painful as we thought.<\/p>\n \n Around the grounds<\/p>\n Hany Mukhtar<\/a>, take a bow.<\/p>\n The beating heart of Nashville SC from the moment they entered MLS, Mukhtar reached (and quickly passed) the 100-goal mark for his club in style, thumping home a hat trick in the Coyotes\u2019\u00a03-2 home win<\/a> over flatlining LAFC<\/a> in the back half of an Sunday Night Soccer doubleheader.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two were textbook free-kick strikes hit around the wall with vicious swerve and dip, and the other was a clinical cap to a lovely sequence of fluid pass-and-move footy. Those three points nudge NSH ahead of Vancouver<\/a> and San Jose into first place in the Supporters\u2019 Shield race.<\/p>\n Surely a Hany statue will be unveiled in front of GEODIS Park someday, right? It\u2019s just a question of when and how tall.<\/p>\n While Nashville dealt them a reality check with a 3-0 midweek drubbing<\/a>, the New England Revolution<\/a> responded with yet another win at the weekend, beating Minnesota United<\/a>, 2-1<\/a>, on the back of a Luca Langoni<\/a> daisy-cutter to stay just a step back of Miami in the table.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the Revs\u2019 seventh win in their last nine league matches, a sturdy platform from which they can attack the back half of the season post-World Cup. We\u2019re intrigued to see how they look come July.<\/p>\n Look, we had our tongue at least partially in cheek when we coined THE ZAVIER GOZO<\/a> AGENDA\u2122 in a previous edition of this column, but a few weeks later, the concept of Real Salt Lake<\/a>\u2019s teenage phenom making an incredible late run onto the USMNT<\/a>\u2019s World Cup roster has got legitimate legs. It\u2019s even on the mind<\/a> of The Athletic\u2019s journalistic heavyweight Paul Tenorio!<\/p>\n Gozo just keeps cooking. On Saturday he scooped home the equalizer in RSL\u2019s 2-1 comeback win<\/a> over Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Colorado<\/a>, his 10th goal contribution of the year.<\/p>\n Could Mauricio Pochettino actually make a shock call like that for the host nation? We\u2019ll find out in a matter of days: The Yanks\u2019 roster drops on May 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sometimes geography isn’t fair. 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