LAFC, one of MLS’s expected contenders, haven’t won since late August while NYCFC were embarrassed at Yankee Stadium.
Midweek madness
Matchday 33 didn’t disappoint as several MLS postseason hopefuls delivered massive upsets on Wednesday night.
There is only one MLS side out of the playoff mix, the San Jose Earthquakes, and that was evident in this midweek matchday. Several teams rotated their squads and some lower seeded teams were able to take advantage as a result.
Sporting Kansas City likely had the most shocking result of the night as the 12th-placed side had a four-goal outburst against the then-third seed Colorado Rapids. But the Rapids weren’t the only team who didn’t live up to their standards Wednesday.
Top seed LA Galaxy opened up the door for the homefield advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs after surprisingly losing to No. 8 seed Portland Timbers.
Finally, Supporter Shield leaders Inter Miami dropped points to a 11th-placed Atlanta United side thanks to first goal from star DP Alexey Miranchuk.
Here’s a look at the most impactful results of the night…
Both L.A. sides struggle
First things first: let’s give props to both the Portland Timbers and Austin FC for playing fearlessly and delivering two massive results that could impact their playoff positioning. Moving on from that fact, there are real concerns for both Los Angeles clubs following Wednesday.
The alarm bells have to be ringing for LAFC. The club has not won since knocking out the Rapids in Leagues Cup action on Aug. 21. More worryingly, this is a team that doesn’t seem to have found a role for their marquee signing of the season, Olivier Giroud. Yes, the France legend had a neat flick on to help LAFC equalize against Austin, but overall, the team appears to be lacking identity at the moment. As of Sept. 18, Giroud has no goal contributions in four MLS appearances and only one goal in eight overall.
There is less concern for the Galaxy; however, given the talent disparity between them and the Timbers, losing all three points will sting, especially in light of other results that night.
Opening the door for RSL?
What a difference just a few days makes.
Real Salt Lake appeared rudderless, while the LA Galaxy’s hold on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference seemed insurmountable. Wednesday night might have given RSL some hope, and they can thank Anderson Julio for inspiration.
The 28-year-old forward might have scored one of the season’s best goals with a half-pitch rocket that soared just past Maarten Paes to double RSL’s early lead to 2-0 in the 24th minute.
RSL would hold on for a 3-2 win against a desperate FC Dallas side with slim playoff hopes. After several Western Conference contenders dropped points, RSL is now second, just five points behind the Galaxy with a game in hand.
The final five matchdays could be a dramatic race to the finish between both sides.
Philly special at Yankee Stadium…
The Philadelphia Union have traditionally fared well playing away against NYCFC, and that trend continued mercilessly in Matchday 33.
The Union put five past NYCFC, with their front three of Tai Baribo, Dániel Gazdag, and Mikael Uhre all scoring on the night. More importantly, the three points moved the Union right back into the playoff mix, rising to ninth place.
NYCFC, meanwhile, remains a topsy-turvy team in MLS this season. Nick Cushing’s side is winless in its last four MLS matches, with two defeats in that stretch. Things won’t get easier, as Inter Miami visits NYC this weekend for Messi’s first match in the Big Apple.
Other results of note
B.J. Callaghan’s magic continues, as Nashville has now secured back-to-back wins for the first time since mid-June—before the former Interim U.S. boss joined the club. Sam Surridge scored the game-winner against Chicago, but NSC will be encouraged by Hany Mukhtar’s assist. This season has been challenging for the former MLS MVP.
The Columbus Crew are back on track, but it came at the expense of another team fighting for its playoff life: Toronto FC. TFC, which has one of MLS’s top three payrolls, hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020. Toronto is currently eighth in the Eastern Conference, but its remaining four MLS games are against Colorado, Chicago, the New York Red Bulls, and Inter Miami.
Leave a Reply