Top Things to Watch in MLS This Week
Charlotte’s Interim Head Coach Cut from World-Class Coaching Cloth
MLS action returns this weekend, with a trio of nationally broadcast games, including ABC telecasts on both Saturday and Sunday and an action-packed UniMás thriller that has all the makings of a high-scoring showdown.
First up, Charlotte FC puts the prestigious pedigree of interim head coach Christian Lattanzio to the test, as the former assistant – bred from global coaching icons – prepares to lead the expansion side against the New York Red Bulls and Brazilian scoring sensation Luquinhas on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium (3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes)
Lattanzio brings a coaching acumen that was developed under top-tier experts, including former English National Team manager Fabio Capello, current Italy National Team head coach and Euro 2020 winner Roberto Mancini, and from three years of experience as an assistant under Patrick Vieira at New York City FC from 2016-18. Prior to his role at NYCFC, Lattanzio held similar assistant coaching positions at Manchester City Football Club from 2013-2015, and he later served as an assistant for OGC Nice in France‘s top-flight (Ligue 1) from 2018-2020.
With Charlotte’s stalwart internationals Karol Świderski and Kamil Jóźwiak away representing Poland in the UEFA Nations League, all eyes will be on Lattanzio to reignite the season starting hot streak of Ben Bender, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas, while also producing a game plan to stop the hot pursuit of Red Bulls’ Designated Player Luquinhas.
Luquinhas has five goals and five assists across all competitions since joining the Red Bulls this season, with an offensive impact that most recently featured two scores in the club's 4-1 win over D.C. United on May 28 (Watch Here). The Brazilian star has led the Red Bulls to a 6-1-3 record across all competitions when he starts a match, and the club has gone 6-1-1 in the eight games in which he has recorded either a goal or an assist.
As the Red Bulls look to improve their league-best 5-1-1 away record, will Charlotte FC’s new leader have the recipe for his first win at home?
Mukhtar Magic In Store as Nashville Hosts Potential Goalfest Against Quakes
The stage is set for a goal-filled affair, as an in-form Hany Mukhtar continues to build his Landon Donovan MLS MVP case when Nashville SC host the free-scoring San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at GEODIS Park (6 p.m. ET, UniMas / TUDN).
Nashville’s brand-new home stadium has continued a long-standing tradition, as the Music City club keeps hitting all the high notes with the longest current home unbeaten streak in all of MLS, which currently resides at 21 regular season games. With a result this weekend, Nashville, which snapped Colorado’s club-record 23 game home unbeaten streak on May 28, could tie for sixth longest home unbeaten streak in league history – currently held by the Columbus Crew (6/28/2008 to 9/26/2009) and the Portland Timbers (4/6/2013 to 5/17/2014).
Leading the attack, Mukhtar is in peak form, producing goals at an even higher rate than his MVP-runner-up campaign last year. His renewed push includes a scoring rate of 0.71 goals per game in 2022, as compared to the 0.5 from 2021. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Mukhtar leads all MLS players with 37 combined goal contributions (20 goals, 17 assists) and is the only player in the league with at least 15 goals and 15 assists over that span.
On the opposing side, the San Jose Earthquakes have a pair of game-changers of their own, with Jeremy Ebobisse and Cristian Espinoza tied as leaders in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race and the MLS assist rankings, respectively. Their offensive production has helped the Earthquakes collect eight points in the month of May, accounting for the highest single-month points total since a nine-point haul in 2021.
With Ebobisse and Espinoza on the verge or career-best seasons, will this Quakes duo be enough to disrupt the masterful scoring of Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar?
Revs’ Gil Maintains MVP Status with Debut of 22-Year-Old Goalkeeper
The more things change, the more they stay the same for the New England Revolution, who are on an unbeaten uptick since April 30, thanks to a steady stream of six assists in six games from the reigning MLS Landon Donovan MVP Carles Gil. While Gil’s seven total helpers this season tie the league lead and keep moving the Revs up the standings, the news on display for New England this weekend will be the MLS debut of 22-year-old Djordje Petrovic stepping in to fill the shoes of U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner on Sunday against Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park (3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes).
Petrovic signed with New England in April and the Serbian has since impressed in his two starts for the Revs in U.S. Open Cup action. After making his senior international debut for the Serbia National Team with a clean sheet against the Dominican Republic in Jan. 2021, Petrovic has sights set on strong performances in MLS that could help play him onto Serbia’s roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Sporting Kansas City hope Johnny Russell’s climb up the club record books will propel them to a victory. Russell (44 goals) recently passed Davy Arnaud and Josh Wolff (43) for the third-most regular season goals in franchise history. Russel, with 75 combined goals and assists, needs three goal contributions to tie Arnaud (78) for fourth place in Sporting history, and what better way than in front of the home supporters on Sunday.
With New England scoring 16 goals in their last eight games – sparking a return to their 2021 cadence – will their young new goalkeeper keep the momentum by keeping Kansas City’s Johnny Russell at bay?
MLS Players Suit Up for Make-or-Break World Cup Qualifying Matches
There’s a heightened sense of urgency for MLS players competing in FIFA World Cup intercontinental play-off matches, with everything at stake as they look to punch their tickets to the biggest global sporting event on the planet – the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this November.
Milos Degenek of the Columbus Crew joined Australia’s camp ahead of today’s AFC Fourth Round game against the United Arab Emirates (2 p.m. ET, Paramount+). The winner of the match will advance to play Peru, who are captained by Orlando City SC goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and supported in defense by New York City FC center back Alexander Callens. Gallese is tied for second-most clean sheets in MLS with six, while Callens has two goals in his last four NYCFC games and has provided a defensive prowess that has helped power NYCFC to eight consecutive shutouts across all competitions in May.
MLS fans should also keep their ears open during the broadcast of Peru and the victor of Australia vs. UAE as Los Angeles FC Head Coach Steve Cherundolo makes his broadcasting debut as analyst for the match on June 13 (2 p.m. ET, FS1).
Costa Rica and New Zealand will also battle for a final spot at the World Cup in November as they go head-to-head in the other intercontinental play-off match featuring MLS stars on June 14 (2 p.m. ET, FS2). San Jose’s Francisco Calvo is the lone MLS player representing Costa Rica this month, while Portland Timbers defender Bill Tuiloma and Minnesota United’s Michael Boxall don the black and white jerseys of New Zealand on the opposite side of the field. Tuiloma has been in impressive form for both club and country, scoring twice in his last game for the Kiwis and leading the Timbers with a career-high five goals, including a well-placed free kick against the LA Galaxy (Watch Here).
The winner of UAE/Australia-Peru will be placed into Group D with Denmark, France, and Tunisia while the winner of Costa Rica vs. New Zealand will fall into Group E alongside Germany, Spain, and Japan at the 2022 World Cup.
Concacaf Nations League Continues This Week
MLS standouts are earning top billing in the Group Stage of Concacaf Nations League, which continues its second edition this week as the U.S. Men’s National Team begins its title defense as victors of the 2021 inaugural competition. The Concacaf Nations League is a confederation competition featuring all 41 nations in the Concacaf region, competing across three divisions (League A, League B, and League C), with the four League A group winners and runners up (eight teams) and the League B group winners (four teams) directly qualifying to the 2023 Gold Cup.
More information, including the complete schedule of matches, is available on Concacaf.com.
Nashville SC’s Anibal Godoy and Houston Dynamo FC’s Adalberto Carrasquilla will lead Panama on Thursday against Martinique at Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez in Panama City, Panama (8 p.m. ET, Paramount+). Notching a goal and an assist in MLS play this season, Godoy is starring for the one of only three MLS teams that remain unbeaten at home. Meanwhile, on the international scene, he most recently found the back of the net during a World Cup qualifying match against the USMNT on March 27. This tournament provides the perfect opportunity for Godoy to refine and ramp up his attack, while it gives Dynamo FC midfielder Carrasquilla more mainstay minutes with his national team.
After the USMNT’s captivating inaugural Concacaf Nations League win over Mexico in 2021, the second dose is already building up that same level of excitement. The USMNT will first face Grenada on Friday at Q2 Stadium in Austin (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ / UniMás / TUDN) before playing their last match of the international break on Tuesday, June 14 against El Salvador (10 p.m. ET, FS1 / Univision / TUDN).
Concacaf Nations League Group Stage matches take place during the June 2022 and March 2023 FIFA international windows before the Concacaf Nations League Finals presented by Qatar Airways (CNLF) will be played in June 2023 and will feature the four League A group winners.
MLS Players Contributing across International Competitions
Goals on the Global Scene
Charlotte FC’s Karol Swiderski needed just 12 minutes to come off the bench and find Poland’s game-winning goal against Wales. The forward has now scored in four of his last five appearances for the national team. San Jose Earthquakes defender Francisco Calvo scored and wrapped up the result for Costa Rica in their 2-0 win over Martinique on Sunday in CONCACAF Nations League action.
Shot-Stoppers Star on International Duty
Three MLS goalkeepers recorded clean sheets for their country over the past week, including MLS Cup MVP Sean Johnson of NYCFC (vs. Uruguay) and the New England Revolution’s Matt Turner (vs. Morocco) for the United States. Turner’s eight saves in the friendly were the most in his career for the national team. Additionally, Orlando City SC’s Pedro Gallese recorded two saves for Peru in a 1-0 shutout win over New Zealand on Sunday.
USMNT’s Dynamic Defensive Duo
Nashville’s Walker Zimmerman may have found his partner at central defense after New York Red Bulls captain Aaron Long made his case in a 3-0 win over Morocco and 0-0 draw against Uruguay. Long played a dominant 90 minutes against Morocco, holding the team scoreless for the first time in 21 games. The Red Bulls defender continued his strong play against Uruguay, with a start and 45 minutes played next to Zimmerman.
Ecuador’s MLS Effect
In two games against top-30 ranked teams, Ecuador walked away with a 1-0 win versus Nigeria (No. 30) and a scoreless draw with Mexico (No. 9). The MLS contingency of Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders FC), Jhegson Méndez (Orlando City SC), Alan Franco (Charlotte FC), José Cifuentes (LAFC), Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF), and Michael Estrada (D.C. United) made 10 collective appearances, started six of those and played in 519 minutes of game action for the World Cup-bound side.
MNUFC2 Continues Longest Unbeaten Streak in MLS NEXT Pro
MNUFC2’s 2-1 win on the road against Sporting KC II on Saturday extended the club’s league-leading unbeaten streak to eight matches. After a scoreless first half, forward Tommy Williamson (74’) and midfielder Diogo Pacheco (78’) both scored within a four-minute stretch to secure the victory. Watch Highlights
MNUFC2 (21 points, 5-2-3) has gone unbeaten since Week 2 of the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season, recording all 21 of its points and going 5-0-3 over that span. MNUFC2 has won the most shootouts with kicks from the penalty mark in the league so far, winning all three shootouts contested. The club currently sits in fourth place in the Western Conference, only three points behind first-place North Texas SC.
Forward Aziel Jackson leads MNUFC2 in scoring with five goals on the year and shares the lead in assists (3) with Pacheco. Goalkeeper Fred Emmings has started all eight of his appearances, playing the full 90 minutes in each and allowing 12 total goals.
MNUFC2 has posted 22 goals through 10 games, good for third in the league. The club is tied with NYCFC II in assists (16), only two behind league-leading Columbus Crew 2 (18).
Will MNUFC2’s undefeated streak remain intact this week? The club faces a quick turnaround, traveling to San Jose to take on Earthquakes II (12 points, 3-5-2) on Wednesday night. The match can be viewed live on mlsnextpro.com (10 p.m. ET).
