Top Things to Watch in MLS This Week
MLS Stars Back in Action Following International Break
Following the FIFA international window that saw 78 MLS players called-up to global stage, MLS returns with a full slate of 16 matches this week featuring all 28 teams in action. As league play approaches the midway point, the following clubs and players are headlining the standings and statistical categories.
With nine MLS goals apiece, FC Dallas forward Jesús Ferreira and San Jose Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse are tied atop the Golden Boot presented by Audi leaderboard, powering two of the league’s most potent offensive attacks. Last Friday in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s victory over Grenada, Ferreira became just the fifth player in USMNT history to score four goals in a single match – and the first to do so since Landon Donovan in 2003. If his strong form continues, he could not only find himself at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but he could also follow in his father David’s footsteps as Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player.
Four players – San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza, Austin FC’s Diego Fagúndez, New England’s Carles Gil, and New York City FC’s Santiago Rodríguez – are tied among the league’s assist leaders with seven helpers each. Rodríguez has played a key role in leading the defending MLS Cup champions NYCFC on an eight-game unbeaten run and back into the driver’s seat atop the Eastern Conference standings (26 points, 8-3-2). The defending champs lead MLS with a plus-15 goal differential and are tied with Philadelphia Union for the fewest goals allowed this season (10), a figure aided by six consecutive shutouts. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson paces the league with eight clean sheets, two more than the next closest contender.
In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Football Club (29 points, 9-3-2) sits atop the Supporters’ Shield standings on the strength of the league’s top offense. LAFC leads MLS with 29 goals scored by a league-high 13 different players, including Carlos Vela’s team-high six scores.
With 24 clubs in or within three points of a spot in the postseason and the stars firing on all cylinders, Week 15 promises to continue delivering exciting performances around the league.
Anticipated Arrivals of Héctor Herrera, Lorenzo Insigne, and Others Mark Opening of Secondary Transfer Window on July 7
Amid an action-packed schedule this summer, the Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 7 for MLS teams looking to reinforce their squads with world class talent from around the global soccer market.
Italy National Team captain Lorenzo Insigne’s tenure with Toronto FC will begin on July 7, when the Euro 2020 winner begins his MLS career after leading Napoli to a third-place finish in Serie A this past season. Insigne comes to MLS after finishing the 2021-22 campaign with 11 goals and nine assists in league play.
Mexico National Team captain Héctor Herrera will join Houston Dynamo FC, with his debut scheduled for July 9 in a rivalry matchup against FC Dallas. Herrera arrives from Atletico Madrid as a 2020-21 La Liga winner who led the club to a top-three finish last season.
Among the world-class stars set to enter MLS this summer will be former Juventus and Italian international defender Giorgio Chiellini, who joins LAFC, the frontrunners for Supporters’ Shield. Chiellini adds an experienced presence to one of the best defenses in the league.
During the Secondary Transfer Window, which spans from July 7 to August 4, MLS clubs can negotiate transfers and request an International Transfer Certificate of a player under contract in a league outside of the U.S. and Canada. The MLS Transfer Tracker provides the latest news and signings throughout the window.
Top-Ranked LAFC to Face Champions League Champions Seattle
Week 15 kicks off Saturday, when the newly minted Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League victors, the Seattle Sounders, host current Supporters’ Shield leaders Los Angeles Football Club (3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes) in a blockbuster best-of-the-Western-Conference matchup.
After their historic run to the Concacaf Champions League title, Sounders FC will welcome home from international duty Jordan Morris (USA), Cristian Roldan (USA), Albert Rusnák (Slovakia), Xavier Arreaga (Ecuador), and Nouhou (Cameroon) with sights set on climbing the league standings. Under head coach Brian Schmetzer, Seattle has finished second in the West for five straight seasons, and their three wins in their last four games have moved them within nine points of second-placed FC Dallas.
LAFC has found immediate success under first-year head coach Steve Cherundolo, with the club sitting at the top of the league standings after the best 10-game start to a season in team history. An MLS-leading 13 players have scored a league-high 29 goals for LAFC this season and the club has been propelled by Carlos Vela, who currently leads LAFC with six goals, alongside a supporting cast of young stars in Kwadwo Opoku, José Cifuentes, and Brian Rodríguez. Boasting a strong attack, LAFC will only get stronger defensively after the Secondary Transfer Window opens and they add nine-time Italian Serie A winner and former Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini to an already ironclad defense.
When MLS’ top team meets the best in the region, will it be Vela and LAFC’s young offense contributors that emerge on top or the Schmetzer’s savvy Sounders gaining their near-midseason form?
Galaxy’s Joveljić Poised for Encore Performance Against Portland
LA Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljić made MLS history in Week 14, when he became the first player to contribute to four goals (two goals, two assists) as a substitute after entering the Galaxy’s match against Austin FC in the 57th minute of play. Now, the reigning MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire is on the brink of an encore performance coming out of the international window.
After teaming up forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández on this game-tying goal against Austin (WATCH), the Serbian international has undeniable chemistry with the Galaxy’s scoring superstar, and he could be primed for his first MLS start after earning major kudos during the international break. The Galaxy have been a more dangerous team with Joveljić on the pitch, scoring 1.8 goals per 90 minutes as compared to 0.9 goals without him.
Meanwhile, the opposing Portland Timbers have struggled for goals and will hope that Yimmi Chara can provide scoring support against the Galaxy. Chara leads the team in assists (four) and key passes (27) this season but has also had terrific success against LA in his career. Of Chara’s 19 career assists, eight of them have come against the Galaxy in the same number of games.
Can Chara’s dominance in Los Angeles catalyze Portland’s attack or will LA’s new tag-teaming duo be enough to keep their pace at full speed ahead?
Family Ties Run Deep in Father’s Day Game Between Atlanta & Miami
This Father’s Day weekend will feature a number of sons whose fathers have also made waves in MLS, with two such duos set to star on Sunday as Inter Miami CF travels to face Atlanta United FC (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes). Miami’s Ariel Lassiter has provided attacking creativity in the club’s consecutive wins, which has mirrored his dad, Roy Lassiter, who scored 88 goals in MLS from 1996-2002. Coincidentally, Atlanta’s goal-scoring machine Josef Martínez has a unique connection to the Lassiter family, as he broke Roy’s MLS single-season goal record (27 in 1996) when he scored 31 goals in 2018. To slow Martínez down, Miami will turn to consistent defender Damion Lowe – whose father, Onandi Lowe, played in 13 MLS games for the Kansas City Wizards in 2001 – to continue their winning ways.
Although Atlanta will not have Tyler Wolff available, as he is with the U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team, his brother, Owen, and father, Josh will showcase another MLS father-son connection in Austin. Under the direction of Josh, Owen Wolff has started the last three games and looks to produce assists in consecutive matches as the club battles CF Montréal on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
The Wolffs’ performances could catch the eye of former LA Galaxy defender and U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, whose son, Sebastian has played in 12 games for Vancouver this season. The Whitecaps travel to Dallas on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+) where Sebastian will go toe-to-toe with Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Jesús Ferreira, who is attempting to take home the award that his father David also won with Dallas in 2010.
Experience Crucial for Nashville and Sporting KC This Weekend
Off the back of their 22nd consecutive regular season home game without a loss, Nashville SC welcomes Sporting Kansas City to GEODIS Park (6 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes) with an opportunity to tie for the fifth-longest home unbeaten streak in league history.
For Kansas City, Johnny Russell continues to lead the team offensively after scoring his fifth goal of the season last time out against the New England Revolution. With young players and new faces rotating through the starting lineup, Russell’s leadership will be crucial to guiding his team toward a positive result in Music City.
Experience and defensive prowess have been the key to maintaining Nashville’s long unbeaten run, with goalkeeper Joe Willis (76) and defender Dave Romney (73) playing more games than any other MLS players since Nashville’s inaugural MLS season in 2020. Willis also leads all goalkeepers in clean sheets over that time with 28 while Romney has been a quietly confident leader at the back. Two-time MLS Defender of the Year Walker Zimmerman will also return from international duty with the USMNT ahead of this weekend, bringing Nashville’s defense back to full strength heading into the first set of summer games.
MLS Players Continue to Contribute on the International Stage
World Cup Intercontinental Playoffs
Peru and Australia played out the first of two Intercontinental Playoffs featuring MLS players, with Australia punching their ticket to Qatar after beating Peru 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout on Monday. Columbus Crew defender Milos Degenik was part of their camp for this June international window and is on course to be part of the team that faces France, Denmark, and Tunisia in Group D when the World Cup kicks off in November
Francisco Calvo and Costa Rica will face off against a New Zealand side backed by Bill Tuiloma and Michael Boxall for a place in Group E at the FIFA World Cup (2 p.m. ET, FS2 / Univision). Tuiloma leads the Portland Timbers in goals scored with five this season, and his threat from set pieces could help push the needle in The Kiwis’ favor in this matchup.
Concacaf Nations League Contributions
Fifteen nations feature MLS players on their rosters in the final games of the Concacaf Nations League during this June international window.
The USMNT started six MLS-based players in a 5-0 win over Grenada, with Jesús Ferreira scoring four goals with FC Dallas teammate Paul Arriola adding another in their Nations League opener. Lucas Cavallini also found himself on the scoresheet for Canada when he scored the fourth goal of their 4-0 win over Curaçao. Julián Araujo was the sole MLS representative in the starting lineup for Mexico as they kept a clean sheet in their 3-0 win over Suriname earlier this month.
Mexico and the USMNT will next play on Tuesday, June 14 with El Tri taking on Jamaica (8 p.m. ET, Univision / ESPN3 / TUDN) and the United States traveling to El Salvador (10 p.m. ET, FS1 / Univision / TUDN) for their second game of this year’s Concacaf Nations League.
MLS NEXT Pro Reaches 100 Match Milestone
Announced by Major League Soccer in June 2021 and officially launched in March 2022, MLS NEXT Pro recently played its 100th match. St Louis CITY2’s 2-0 win over Houston Dynamo 2 on June 4 was the 100th match in MLS NEXT Pro history.
Close to 600 players from more than 70 countries make up the rosters in MLS NEXT Pro, with each individual athlete contributing to his club’s success and each with his own personal story. Coming from all walks of life: a newly sworn-in U.S. citizen; a son playing for his mom’s memory; a 17-year-old honored to play for his country; among many others. One common trait among them all: the goal of playing at the highest level of soccer in the U.S. – Major League Soccer. Thirty-six players from MLS NEXT Pro received the call-up to MLS over the course of the first 100 matches.
Of the 21 clubs in MLS NEXT Pro, 40% are led by head coaches who previously played in MLS. The coaching ranks are diverse, with 25% of the clubs led by head coaches of color and 50% of assistant coaches of diverse backgrounds. The personal interests of these men are as diverse as they are, having shared elements of their lives ranging from their Ramadan rituals to their love of martial arts.
Clubs have averaged 3.2 goals per game and 97 of the first 100 matches saw at least one goal scored. There have been zero ties in MLS NEXT Pro, thanks to shootouts deciding matches. Games that remain tied at the end of regulation are decided using a traditional shootout of kicks from the penalty mark. While both clubs receive a point for the draw, the winner of the shootout receives an additional point.
Week 13 this weekend marks the halfway point of the inaugural season of MLS NEXT Pro. Each club plays 24 matches over the course of the 26-week regular season, with eight clubs – four from each conference – making the playoffs.
