Matchday 23 is in the books.<\/p>\n
What did we learn? Did the games confirm our priors or change the complexion of the league?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dive into some key takeaways from another weekend of MLS action.<\/p>\n
One of MLS\u2019s most in-form teams, Charlotte FC<\/a> have gone 4W-1L-2D in league play since the FIFA World Cup<\/a> break. Over the weekend, Dean Smith\u2019s squad picked up yet another victory, besting Atlanta United<\/a> by a 2-0 scoreline<\/a> in a game that featured new Designated Player\u00a0Allan Saint-Maximin<\/a> securing his first MLS goal contributions.\u00a0<\/p>\n With his side up 1-0 a few minutes into the second half, courtesy of his secondary assist on The Crown’s opener, the winger drove into the heart of the Five Stripes\u2019 recovering defense and nabbed a primary assist on what turned out to be the game-sealing goal.<\/p>\n While the pass itself is unremarkable, note the burst with which Saint-Maximin drives the ball forward in transition. The former Newcastle attacker\u2019s quickness and incision is a notable shift to Charlotte\u2019s left side.<\/p>\n Wilfried Zaha, Saint-Maximin\u2019s predecessor on the left wing prior to his May exit, was often ponderous on the ball. In an admittedly small sample size, the newcomer is wreaking more havoc on opposing defenses. According to FotMob, Saint-Maximin is in the 100th percentile among his positional peers in successful dribbles per 90 minutes at a staggering 4.78. Zaha, in contrast, posted 1.70 such dribbles per 90.<\/p>\n If Saint-Maximin can continue to break down defenses with such force the rest of this season and beyond, Charlotte FC will find themselves closer to trophy contention than ever before.<\/p>\n As far as Saturday nights go,\u00a0Inter Miami<\/a>\u2019s most recent one was pretty darn good.\u00a0<\/p>\n En route to besting CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> by a club-record 7-1 scoreline<\/a>, MLS\u2019s most star-studded club saw a new record attached to its most important player. In his four-goal outing, Lionel Messi<\/a> became the fastest player in MLS history to notch 20 multi-goal games. It took the Argentine just 72 appearances to reach that mark. Put another way, more than once every four games of his MLS career, Messi has scored at least a brace. That, folks, is mind-melting.<\/p>\n While new manager Cristian \u2018Kily\u2019 Gonz\u00e1lez<\/a> is yet to arrive to put his spin on this year\u2019s version of Inter Miami, not much time seems to go by without the club reminding the rest of the league of its sky-high ceiling. Not unlike last year\u2019s postseason, in which Miami played some of the most impressive soccer this league has ever seen on their way to claiming MLS Cup presented by Audi, this year\u2019s team has the talent to blow away opponents.<\/p>\n Leading MLS in goals and expected goals, per American Soccer Analysis, and with defensive reinforcements added this summer (see: Casemiro<\/a>), it looks as if Inter Miami are rounding into shape as fall nears.<\/p>\n It was always going to happen, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Fresh off being traded<\/a> from Sporting Kansas City<\/a> to the Seattle Sounders<\/a> in a $6 million cash-for-player deal, Dejan Jovelji\u0107<\/a> immediately found himself in Brian Schmetzer\u2019s starting lineup. And just 12 minutes into the Sounders\u2019 clash with the Chicago Fire<\/a> on Saturday afternoon, Jovelji\u0107 had the ball in the back of Chris Brady<\/a>\u2019s net. Then, in the 48th minute, Jovelji\u0107 scored another to ensure he notched both goals for his new team in a 2-2 draw<\/a>.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one simple truth about the Serbian striker, it\u2019s this: he scores whenever he goes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Back in his first full MLS season with the LA Galaxy<\/a>, he managed double-digit goals despite coming off the bench for all but seven regular-season matches. In 2024, he bagged 15 prior to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and helped the Galaxy lift MLS Cup with six more in the postseason, including the game-winning goal in the final. Last year, he managed 18 goals for a poor Sporting Kansas City team. This year, he\u2019d already scored eight for Wooden Spoon favorites Kansas City before his change of scenery.<\/p>\n Jovelji\u0107 has two elite skills. His off-ball movement helps him create space that other strikers struggle to find, and his finishing helps him convert chances others don\u2019t. For a Sounders team that\u2019s been in genuine need of production, it sure looks like adding Jovelji\u0107 was a savvy move.<\/p>\n There was, perhaps, no more drama-filled contest this past weekend than San Diego FC<\/a>\u2019s 3-1 win<\/a> over the LA Galaxy<\/a>. What was at the heart of that drama? Chucky Lozano<\/a>\u2019s first game back at Snapdragon Stadium since he moved to the Galaxy\u00a0on loan<\/a> for the rest of this season with a permanent option.<\/p>\n After an apparent falling out with San Diego FC last fall, Lozano hadn\u2019t featured at all in league play this season prior to his move to Carson. Now a crucial starter on the left wing for a team hoping to push into the playoff hunt, he returned to San Diego \u2014 and scored<\/a> \u2014 on Saturday. Yet it was a different Designated Player left winger who struck first: San Diego FC newcomer Elias Achouri<\/a>.<\/p>\n Signed<\/a> from FC Copenhagen in the Danish top-flight earlier this summer, Achouri has hit the ground running in MLS. With a goal in each of his two starts, the 27-year-old already cuts the figure of a game-changer. His connection with fellow DP winger Anders Dreyer<\/a> seems to be developing, too, with the Dane finding his new teammate early on against the Galaxy to help San Diego take the lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Achouri can produce like Lozano did during his early San Diego FC tenure, don\u2019t be surprised to see the sophomore outfit shoot up the Western Conference standings.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a mighty fine summer for the Revolution<\/a>. Let\u2019s recap that summer, shall we?<\/p>\n First, New England secured star goalkeeper Matt Turner<\/a> on loan through the end of next year with a purchase option, moving him out of a Designated Player spot and keeping one of MLS\u2019s premier shot-stoppers in town for the foreseeable future. According to FotMob, Turner leads all goalkeepers this season in goals prevented with 8.2. His continued presence in net is essential for a team that finds themselves in contention for a home playoff spot.<\/p>\n Next, they added Jack Harrison<\/a> as a DP from Leeds United. With six assists in five matches for New England thus far, Harrison has brought valuable vision and one-v-one ability to the wing in Marko Mitrovi\u0107\u2019s 4-2-3-1 setup.<\/p>\n And now? Following the Revs\u2019 3-1 win<\/a> over the Columbus Crew<\/a> on Sunday, they\u2019ve lost just two games since the World Cup break. The attack looks sharper than at any other point this season and the Turner-anchored defense continues to hold. All the while, Carles Gil<\/a> continues to cement his status as one of the greatest players in MLS history.\u00a0<\/p>\n At this pace, few teams in the East look like a tougher playoff out than New England.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matchday 23 is in the books. What did we learn? 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