An Atlanta United supporter sign asked the team to “Play It Pretty” during the home opener Saturday night. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta United returned home to a crowd of 67,727 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night. The home opener is always a popular affair, but this one felt different. Coming off of a 1-0 season-opening loss in Columbus on Feb. 24, this match felt like the true beginning of the season.
And what a beginning it was. Atlanta not only won the match 4-1 but demonstrated that its back line will be a source of frustration for opponents this season. In two matches this season, Atlanta has allowed just two goals.
The victory was also the Mercedes-Benz Stadium debut for a number of Five Stripes players, including defenders Derrick Williams and Stian Gregersen.
“I would say it is improving big time, but I’m so upset about that goal. I want clean sheets,” Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda said of the late goal New England scored. “We need clean sheets, it could have been a great reward for our back line and midfielders that did a great job.”
Thiago Almada of Atlanta United steps up to take a penalty kick during the first half of a Major League Soccer match against New England Revolution on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
Early fireworks
Goals from Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis set the offensive tone for the match. However early in the match, both teams earned shots on goal that brought the crowd to its feet. Atlanta nearly went ahead in the second minute of play on a shot by forward Saba Lobjanidze. Both shots on goal for New England were quality, including a header that hit the crossbar in the 13th minute and another in the 26th minute.
Atlanta United managed to take five solid shots on goal within the first 20 minutes of the match. One of which was a laser beam from Thiago Almada that was stopped. Almada would score his first goal of the season on a penalty kick just before halftime to put Atlanta ahead 1-0.
Atlanta dominated possession during the first half while also doubling up New England in shots on goal during, 9-4.
Giorgios Giakoumakis (center) celebrates with Caleb Wiley after scoring his third goal during a Major League Soccer Match between Atlanta United and New England Revolution on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
During the second half, Atlanta expanded its lead to three goals following another penalty kick and a header, both from Giakoumakis, in the 55th and 60th minutes of the match. The later goal was assisted by defender Brooks Lennon. Giakoumakis would net his first career hat trick as a Major League Soccer player and put Atlanta ahead 4-0 following a goal in the 74th minute. Giakoumakis scored a team-high 19 goals in 30 matches last season.
What’s Next:
Atlanta United will host Orlando City on Sunday, Mar. 17, at 7:30 p.m. before traveling north of the border to face Toronto FC on Saturday, Mar. 23. The Five Stripes will close out the month of March with a home match against the Chicago Fire on Sunday, Mar. 31 at 3:30 p.m.
Soccer star Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to its third World Cup victory last year has brought his talents — and a lot of fanfare — to Inter Miami FC and Major League Soccer (MLS).
Parties behind the landmark deal to recruit the Ballon d’Or winner to the U.S. are betting that he will help further popularize professional soccer and attract younger generations to the sport. The move already appears to be paying off, with young fans showing up to his first practice to try to catch a glimpse of the international superstar.
“The Messi Effect is real!” Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said of the increase in paid subscribers on social media platform X. “How exciting for a truly global fan base!” he added.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) crosses the ball ahead of Nashville SC defender Lukas MacNaughton (3) during the Leagues Cup Final match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 at GEODIS Park in Nashville.
MLS Season Pass subscriptions have more than doubled on Apple TV, since Messi made the move from his home country of Argentina, according to a tweet from Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas, that Apple CEO Tim Cook retweeted.
“For MLS, we could not be happier with how the partnership is going,” Cook said on a recent Apple earnings call. “It’s clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit. And so we’re very excited about it.”
The excitement, dubbed “Messi Mania” has also driven up interest in live games at MLS stadiums.
Searches for phrases such as “where is Messi playing next” on Google Trends have soared in recent weeks, as have ticket prices, according to a study from Sixt, a car rental booking platform.
The good news is, you can still see Messi play in the flesh for under $200, depending on where you live or how far you’re willing to travel to see the soccer star.
Sixt looked at game ticket prices for Inter Miami FC’s 2023 matchups on StubHub.com to find the lowest ticket price available for each game.
The lowest-priced ticket to an Inter Miami game this season is $153, on Sept. 16 against Atlanta United in Atlanta, according to Sixt’s analysis. Of course, there’s no guarantee the 36-year-old team captain will be on the field. By contrast, the lowest cost ticket to Inter Miami’s matchup against Los Angeles Football Club in LA on Sept. 3 is $637.
Here is the list of the most affordable places to see Lionel Messi play based on his team’s schedule.
Atlanta, Georgia — September 16 — $153
Fort Lauderdale, Florida — August 30, September 9 — $162
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi’s move to Major League Soccer has made an impact on ticket sales, as prices for late-season games in the U.S. have surged by over 1,700% on the secondary market, compared with last year.
Messi signed a blockbuster contract with the club Inter Miami CF in July for $50 million to $60 million per year, which includes an equity stake in the team, CNN reports. Messi also signed undisclosed revenue-sharing agreements with Apple TV and Adidas.
Messi coming to the U.S. has created a surge of interest in the team and MLS, which isn’t commonly considered among the world’s top-tier leagues in terms of overall talent.
With Messi’s signing, subscriptions to “MLS Season Pass” on Apple TV have doubled, according to Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas. Inter Miami’s Instagram account has grown from 1 million to 14 million followers, according to the Miami Herald. And demand for Messi-branded jerseys has been so strong that the MLS’ official online store has pushed off delivery on orders until as late as October.
Perhaps most strikingly, Inter Miami ticket prices have increased for both home and away games.
For home games, the average list price on the secondary market is up from $152 to $864 since Messi’s signing, an increase of 468% as of Aug. 18, according to data provided by TicketIQ.
The effect is more pronounced for the away games, which include larger markets such as New York and Los Angeles. For all remaining away games combined, average ticket prices are up by 1,002% compared with last year, as of Aug. 15.
Here’s a look at the average ticket prices for Inter Miami’s remaining games this season.
For an upcoming game against the New York Red Bulls, the average ticket price is $1,674. Last year, the average ticket price against the same team was only $90 — a 1,760% difference.
Similarly, the average ticket price for a game against rival Orlando City SC was only $97 in 2022, but has skyrocketed to $1,755 with Messi’s arrival — a 1,709% difference.
Even the cheap seats have bumped up in price. The lowest-cost ticket for a game against the New York Red Bulls has shot up from around $36 to $578 with Messi’s arrival, according to TicketIQ data. Likewise, the cheapest ticket for a match against Chicago Fire FC was $23 last year but has since climbed to $192.
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A general exterior view of Climate Pledge Arena before the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 17, 2022.
Steph Chambers | Getty Images
Professional sports are inherently a copycat industry. From Major League Baseball’s Moneyball revolution to the NBA’s renewed focus on 3-point shooting driven by the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry, in-season and championship success quickly becomes a blueprint for other teams to follow.
Another recent trend spreading across sports has many hoping it will also follow suit: arenas and stadiums not only adopting sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, but putting those efforts front and center for fans, players, musicians, and anyone else who enters the building.
Much like the broader world of commercial real estate, arenas, and stadiums have been slowly adopting sustainable practices over the last few decades, from recycling programs to energy efficiency efforts. But several major sports facilities across the U.S. have taken this to another level in recent years, and their operators and owners hope that the success they’ve seen across multiple fronts creates real momentum around the idea of environmentally friendly stadiums.
Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of both the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United, became the first pro sports venue in the U.S. to achieve LEED Platinum Certification in 2017. Footprint Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, works directly with the materials science company that holds its naming rights to eliminate single-use plastic from the arena and on other sustainable practices.
The bar across sports was set even higher in 2021 when Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle opened and not only became the first net zero certified arena in the world but served as a call-to-action for Amazon’s push for companies globally to be net zero carbon by 2040.
“Venue operators are relatively quickly understanding their opportunities and their responsibilities as it related to operating more sustainability,” said Chris Granger, CEO of OVG360, a management company that works with more than 300 venues across the world ranging from arenas and stadiums to amphitheaters and performing arts centers.
“Sports teams and venues have a platform on the topic of social change, and we have the ability to shine a light on issues that matter in a way that many businesses don’t,” he said. “I think our venue operators are saying ‘Okay, we get it. Now what do we do about it?’”
The trend in sports is not dissimilar to what is being seen across other industries: a desire from businesses to be better stewards in their community and connect with the growing number of people putting an increased emphasis on environmentally friendly actions, coupled with the fact that many of these measures also have a solid business case attached to them.
When work to renovate KeyArena in Seattle began, there were many discussions on how to introduce sustainability measures not only for construction goals but also operational goals, said Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena senior vice president of sustainability and transportation Rob Johnson.
That quickly evolved into making an arena that could be a “beacon of a sustainability district,” Johnson said, which helped attract the attention of Amazon, who in 2019 co-founded the Climate Pledge initiative to have companies, organizations, and partners work together to address the climate crisis and solve the challenges around decarbonizing.
That led to what has become the Climate Pledge Arena. Its efforts include being zero-waste by using compostable containers and reducing single-use plastic use, conserving water by retaining rainwater for reuse, and not using fossil fuels in the arena for daily use – including electric-powered Zambonis for Kraken games.
Setting a zero-waste goal at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been on its own sustainability path since it opened in 2017, with operator Arthur Blank pushing his AMB Sports and Entertainment Group (AMBSE) executives to set a higher standard for an environmentally friendly stadium.
The stadium opened as the first LEED Platinum stadium in the U.S., but “that was just the start,” said Steve Cannon, vice chairman of AMBSE.
“Anyone can make that incremental investment into your building, but if operationally you don’t perform in a manner that’s consistent with that, you’re leaving something on the table,” Cannon said.
That has led to a focus on getting to zero-waste status, which the stadium first achieved in 2020 for an Atlanta United match, Cannon said. After an investment of about $1 million to retrofit the building and put in other measures to achieve that zero-waste consistently, the stadium has now reached that goal.
In its 2022 fiscal year, there were more than four million pounds of waste at the stadium, and more than 91% of that was diverted away from landfills, according to Andrew Bohenko, Mercedes-Benz Stadium sustainability coordinator.
That required a significant amount of education for employees and fans, and also working with vendors and other departments within the company to ensure that “there was buy-in across all our of two-million-square-foot footprint,” Bohenko said.
Ultimately, the stadium saw more than 95% compliance from fans putting trash in the right receptacles, and it projects a $400,000 yearly return on its initial investment while spending about 13 cents per guest for its overall zero-waste efforts right now. AMBSE has even created a “playbook” for other stadium operators to follow if they also want to get to zero waste.
“Everyone understands that the environment is our number one global challenge. It’s reached a level of critical mass where people have moved past greenwashing, and they’re making substantive changes to their business practices,” Cannon said. “The platform that sports represents has a disproportionate impact on our society at large, so if you think about the aggregated impact of all ballparks and stadiums across America diverting waste from landfills that’s huge, but where it becomes even more important is the power of the platform to influence other businesses – then you start to really make meaningful change.”
Johnson said Seattle’s zero-waste push has led to savings as well, as composting costs less than sending garbage to a landfill.
Reaching fans, sponsors and performers through sustainability
Fenway Farms, a roof top garden in Boston’s Fenway Park, on July 6, 2020.
Boston Globe | Getty Images
Another impactful revenue opportunity related to the arena’s sustainability push, according to Johnson, is reaching new fans.
“Folks under 40, who we are all cultivating as critically important fans to our success in the future, identify the environment as one of their top three global concerns,” he said. “So, we believe it’s not just the right thing for us to do for the planet, but we also think that we’re speaking to a demographic that is key to the future of the success of our industry.”
Kristen Fulmer, senior director of sustainability at OVG360 parent company Oak View Group, said while it’s clear that “sustainability can be a good business,” there still can be confusion about what that really means.
“Sustainability is kind of noisy; ESG is a catchphrase that everyone knows but doesn’t quite know the meaning of, so there are some things that we can demystify about it,” Fulmer said. “We want to help them figure out what are things that are relevant to me, my specific building, my specific market, my community, my employees, so that they can hone in on something that’s really unique.”
Granger pointed to efforts like Sacramento’s Golden One Center where the arena is powered by 100% renewable and solar energy, and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, where a deep-lake water cooling system utilizing nearby Lake Ontario helps keep the building cool and eliminates the need for air conditioning compressors.
Making sustainability a key part of any construction or building project is also becoming table stakes for bonds, loans, and other financial measurements, both Granger and Fulmer noted, a critical factor for many of the aging arenas and stadiums across the U.S. likely due for upgrades or full replacements in the coming decade.
It also matters more for artists and athletes. Granger said there are musicians asking for vegan or plant-based food options or asking buildings to let fans bring reusable water bottles to reduce the impact of single-use plastics.
Johnson said that when singer Billie Eilish came to Seattle to perform in 2022, her tour rider required the arena to not use single-use plastics for at least the night that she was to preform.
“That was a big inspiration for us; if Billie Eilish can come through your building and you’ll move to no single-use plastics for one night, why couldn’t you do it for the other 364 nights,” he said. Ahead of the tour date, Eilish’s mother and sustainability advocate Maggie Baird asked to tour the arena, telling Johnson and Seattle’s team that they “operationalized” the rider,” Johnson said. Seattle has given tours to numerous artists, teams, athletes and other organizations wanting to see more of the building’s practices in action.
All of these factors are pointing towards a future where sports and sustainability are more intertwined, Fulmer said.
“In the sustainability world we often say that imperfection gets in the way and creates inaction, and I think people are always really scared to not quite be perfect. In the sports world of course we all want to be perfect or always win,” she said. “Here, small wins are really important, and they’re leading to bigger wins.”
A detail view of the MLS logo on the Adidas White 2023 MLS Speedshell Pro Ball during the MLS Pre-Season 2023 Coachella Valley Invitational match between D.C. United v LAFC at Empire Polo Club on February 6, 2023 in Indio, California.
Matthew Ashton – AMA | Getty Images
Major League Soccer and sportwear giant Adidas agreed to a multiyear extension of their partnership.
The deal, announced days before MLS kicks off its 28th season, goes through 2030 and is valued at $830 million, according to a person involved in the deal. It represents Adidas’ largest-ever investment in North American soccer.
Their current contract, set to expire next year, was signed in 2017. At the time, it marked a record-breaking deal for North American soccer for Adidas. That deal was valued at $700 million.
Under the terms of the new agreement, Adidas will continue to supply the league with branded apparel, footwear, training gear and the official match ball.
Adidas renews its longtime partnership with Major League Soccer until 2030.
Source: Major League Soccer
The German sportswear giant will also work with MLS on various initiatives and financial investments to grow the sport and business on and off the field ahead of the 2026 World Cup that’s being held in North America.
“Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, we see many possibilities to build upon the strong foundation and positive momentum we have already created together. The league’s future is bright and we are proud to be part of it,” Rupert Campbell, president of Adidas North America, told CNBC.
The relationship between Adidas and MLS dates back to the league’s inception in 1996. Eight years later, Adidas became league-wide partners, an arrangement that has continued until the present.
These issues didn’t affect the negotiations, which took a year, according to a person familiar with the situation. MLS was also confident that Adidas would properly resolve the issues with Ye, said the person, who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
Major League Soccer has seen rapid fan and financial growth since the last contract negotiations. The league has grown from 16 clubs in 2010 to 29 teams today. Since 2019, the average team value has jumped 85% to $579 million, according to Forbes. Earlier this month, Los Angeles Football Club became the first team in the league’s billion-dollar club, with a franchise valued at $1 billion. In 2008, the average club valuation was $37 million.
Attendance is also at all-time highs. The league saw a record 10 million fans in 2022, breaking the previous record of 8.6 million in 2019.
Investors have taken notice. The league has attracted a diverse group of celebrity owners that includes basketball star James Harden; actors Matthew McConaughey, Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon; musicians Ciara and Macklemore; and football stars Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes.
In June, the league entered into a 10-year deal with Apple TV to stream all MLS Leagues Cup matches through the MLS Season Pass exclusively. Commissioner Don Garber has said he hopes that the new partnership will help the league to continue to connect with a younger demographic. That deal is widely reported to be worth $2.5 billion, with Apple paying MLS $250 million annually.
The league and Adidas are trying to expand their cultural reach, as well. Adidas introduced a special Nashville SC Johnny Cash jersey last week. The team will wear it during its season opener, with Johnny Cash music blaring from the stadium. Nashville minority owner Witherspoon won an Oscar for playing June Carter Cash in 2005’s “Walk the Line,” which can be streamed through Apple.
Gareth Bale of LAFC lifts the championship trophy as he celebrates with teammates during the 2022 … [+] MLS Cup Final at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday.
Getty Images
Not every MLS club has the kind of quality-of-life perks that can convince a star of Gareth Bale’s caliber to play for less than $2.4 million in guaranteed annual compensation. And not every player of Bale’s stature would be content as a late-game weapon off the bench, even if — as we’re told here — that owed mostly to injury.
But when Bale hammered an astounding 128th-minute leveler past Andre Blake to send Satuday’s MLS Cup final to penalties — where LAFC triumphed following a 3-3 draw — he may have also ushered in a new era: The age of MLS role players.
Bale’s role as a sort of late-game, not-so-secret weapon made him just one of several LAFC players who had highly focused parts to play at times during their domestic double-winning season.
Heck, he wasn’t even the only key roleplayer Saturday. Back-up goalkeeper John McCarthy had to be called into action because of an injury to Maxime Crepeau, but his acumen at saving penalties is so exceptional he might have come on as a late-game sub anyway. He was used this way in previous U.S. Open Cup matches at his previous team — the Union.
Elsewhere on the pitch, former LAFC center back Mamadou Fall was a set piece aerial menace before leaving on a loan move to Villareal B. Ryan Hollingshead was originally intended to be LAFC’s offensive-minded right fullback, though injuries conspired to see him start 22 games at right back.
This approach isn’t exactly novel in team sports or even in soccer — although it is far easier in soccer recently in the wake of pandemic-era rules changes allowing up to five subs per team, per match. It is however, very rarely taken to the extent in MLS that LAFC were able to by bringing in stars like Bale and Giorgio Chielini on team-friendly deals. (LAFC’s 15 goals scored by substitute’s were the third-most in MLS history.)
The roster rules in MLS have for most of the league’s life made it difficult for teams to invest money with a focus on depth rather than top-end talent. But those restrictions have loosened slowly over the last decade, with the introduction of general and targeted allocation money to be used on roster spending, and more recently the creation of the league’s U22 initiative. And with the influx of some new money from the league’s new $2.5-billion, 10-year streaming deal with Apple, there’s reason to believe they may loosen even more in the near future.
While not every club can lure a Bale-like player on a below-market-value contract, those developments should lead to salaries being spread more evenly across 30-man rosters. And that in turn will lead to more sporting directors and managers to think not only about spending purposefully on 90-minute players, but only those who can fill a crucial role in shorter shifts.
There are already some signs of this occurring beyond LAFC. The crosstown rival LA Galaxy are a great example. Veteran midfielders Victor Vazquez and Sacha Kljestan inhabited the role of calming influences in the center of the park, though their 90-minute days are mostly behind them. Dejan Joveljic was arguably the best bench scorer in the league, and all the while Greg Vanney mostly resisted the temptation to start him alongside Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
Elsewhere, Felipe was chief agitator in reserve at Austin FC. Dom Dwyer had a bit of a career resurrection as a super sub striker for Atlanta United. Philadelphia’s Jack McGlynn and Cory Burke were starting-level attacking options off the bench.
Furthermore, at the most-recent IFAB meeting in June, the governing body of the laws of the game made using five substitutes during a match a permanent option for competitions around the world. Should MLS opt to keep five subs in its league games, it only stands to reason that teams will have more incentive to assemble a wider range of skillsets for managers to be able to deploy at the most opportune times.
Sure, the Black & Gold may be a special case. Everything in Los Angeles generally is when it comes to MLS. But they may also be a test case, one that passed its examination in stunning fashion when Bale scored in the dying moments on Saturday afternoon.
The U.S. Soccer Federation announced that it is holding a training camp in Frisco, Texas, for MLS players who are still in contention for a spot on the United States World Cup roster, but whose teams are no longer in the MLS Cup playoffs.
The camp will run from Oct. 25 until Nov. 5, and is intended to help players maintain fitness. The U.S. is announcing its final, 26-player roster on Nov. 9 in New York City. The U.S. opens World Cup group play against Wales on Nov. 21, will face England on Friday, Nov. 25 and finish the first round against Iran on Nov. 29.
A USSF spokesperson stressed that participation in the camp doesn’t indicate that a player will be on the World Cup roster. In its statement, the USSF said it’s “important to bridge the gap between players completing their seasons and potential participation in the World Cup.”
The USSF added that players who aren’t participating in the workouts are also still eligible for inclusion on the World Cup roster and additional MLS players would be added as their seasons end.
The MLS Cup playoffs are in the conference final stage, with reigning MLS Cup champions NYCFC taking on the Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference final, and Austin FC traveling to LAFC in the Western Conference. The MLS Cup final is on Nov. 5.
The opening round of the 2022 MLS Cup playoffs lacked some of the drama we’ve come to expect from the postseason; after all, there was only one upset. Nevertheless, we were still treated to two penalty shootouts, some raucous crowds in Austin and Montreal and a table set for an appetizing final four.
So, with the conference semifinals kicking off on Thursday, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, Kyle Bonagura, Dan Hajducky and Austin Lindberg preview the matchups, predicting which clubs will be moving on to the final four and which players will join the league’s other 20 clubs already watching the playoff drama unfold from the comfort of their living rooms.
FC Cincinnati weren’t just bad during their first three years of existence in Major League Soccer. They almost redefined how spectacular a team can get everything wrong, from an on-field perspective, as it entered the league. It came at a time when first-year success had become common and several, replicable blueprints for success had been established around the league. So when things spiraled out of control, the club took a step back, looked around and finally decided to ask itself: What has worked?
And there it was, one state over: the Philadelphia Union. Cincinnati appointed longtime Union executive Chris Albright as their general manager, he hired Union assistant coach Pat Noonan as head coach and … voila, here are Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference semifinals (after beating the New York Red Bulls in the first round), ready to play spoiler to the Union after their historically dominant 2022 season.
That’s an oversimplification, of course, but the speed in which Cincinnati turned things around speaks to the importance of a front office and coaching staff that has experience in the league. Only the wins tiebreaker prevented Philadelphia from winning the Supporters’ Shield during a season in which they were the best team by almost every way to measure it. With the league’s best defense, the Union should be considered heavy favorites Thursday night at home, where they didn’t lose during the regular season. However, there is something to be said about familiarity as an equalizer, so it will be interesting to see what tactical wrinkles Noonan rolls out. — Bonagura
Predictions:
FCC have done well to change the trajectory of the organization, but the Union seem to be a bridge too far, and should prevail over their former apprentices in Cincinnati GM Chris Albright and manager Pat Noonan. — Carlisle
The Union were the best team in the league during the regular season (certainly during the second half), have a historically dominant defense and were undefeated at home. There is no logic in picking against them. — Bonagura
Sure, I’ve said I was a sucker for an underdog, but that Pollyanna notion has an expiration date when Philadelphia is on the opposing half. The Union allowed only 26 goals all season. Twenty-six! Their plus-46 goal differential was the second-best tally in a decade. Andre Blake, who’ll win his record third MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, is an MVP finalist. The Union and Blake’s storybook season doesn’t end with the Orange and Blue. — Hajducky
The most prolific attack in MLS, the stingiest defense in the league, an MLS-best goal differential nearly twice as good as their nearest rivals, Philadelphia just have too many ways in which they can beat opponents. — Lindberg
NYCFC are the defending champions, they’ve won five in a row, and they looked back to their best in their Round One win over Inter Miami CF at Citi Field on Monday night. And yet, they still look like a long shot to beat Montreal at Stade Saputo on Sunday.
CFM have lost just once in their past 16 games, dating to the middle of July. In that stretch, they’ve earned 36 points (plus a playoff win) from 45 available. For context, Supporters’ Shield winners LAFC and level-on-points Philadelphia took 27 and 34 points, respectively, over the same stretch.
In the two meetings between the Bronx Blues and Montreal this season, it’s the former who took four points but the latter who outplayed their opponents in each game. The Quebecois won the xG battle, 3.2 to 1.99 — despite the aggregate scoreline reading 4-1 in favor of NYCFC — they outshot their rivals 26-15 and outchanced them 16-13.
This is a Montreal team that, if not for the glitz and glamor of LAFC or the model-franchise designation of Philadelphia, would be the talk of MLS in these playoffs. — Lindberg
Predictions:
The Blues seemed to regain some of their championship swagger in eliminating Inter Miami, but Montreal’s consistency means they rarely get flustered, and with Ismael Kone, Djordje Mihailovic and the ageless Kei Kamara clicking, CFM should get the win. — Carlisle
Neither team has lost in more than a month and both looked the part in decisive first-round wins, but Montreal get the edge playing at home. — Bonagura
It’s a testament to how good NYCFC are, top to bottom, that they lost 2021 Golden Boot winner Valentin Castellanos to Girona and still made the conference semis. But New York stumbled to the playoffs, winning only four MLS matches from Aug. 6 to season’s end. The offensive trio of Montreal’s Romell Quioto, Kamara and Mihailovic — each with at least nine goals and six assists — will be too much for the Bronx Blues. — Hajducky
Since the middle of July, Montreal have lost just once, demonstrating consistently impressive play, contrasted against NYCFC’s stretch of one win in ten that preceded their current five-game winning streak. CFM may lack the pedigree and glamor signings, but it’s been one of the best teams — in the truest sense of the word — in MLS all season. — Lindberg
Plenty has changed since LAFC defeated the LA Galaxy 3-2 on July 8. The Galaxy’s midfield has been completely revamped with the additions of Ricard Puig and Gaston Brugman, and Martin Caceres has been brought in to stabilize the back. LAFC haven’t been idle either, bringing in six new players, including Gareth Bale, Giorgio Chiellini and Denis Bouanga.
The new arrivals didn’t quite have the desired effect for LAFC, who endured a 1-4-1 stretch before righting themselves late in the campaign. But while the Black and Gold are largely playing the same, the Galaxy look a different outfit, with the additions of Puig and Brugman having a ripple effect on the rest of the lineup. Douglas Costa can stick to the wing instead of shouldering the creative burden that now belongs to Puig. As a result, the Galaxy’s possession and passing have improved, as has their finishing.
So what does this all mean for Thursday’s Western Conference semifinal? It means a battle royale in the center of the park, with LAFC’s Ilie Sanchez, along with Jose Cifuentes and Kellyn Acosta, tasked with stopping Puig, Brugman and Marky Delgado. Whichever team prevails in that area will then be able to feed their potent frontline, that being Bouanga, Carlos Vela and Cristian Arango for LAFC with Costa, Samuel Grandsir and Javier Hernandez for the Galaxy. — Carlisle
Predictions:
The Galaxy seem to be jelling at the right time, especially with Puig and Brugman operating in midfield. That makes for another Supporters’ Shield winner to fall short of an MLS Cup double. — Carlisle
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Sebastian Salazar and Herculez Gomez predict the winner of LAFC vs. LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup playoffs.
The Black and Gold fixed something that wasn’t broken by adding Bale, Chiellini and DPs Bouanga and Cristian Tello during the regular season. The moves all made sense on paper, but it hasn’t worked out according to plan. Meanwhile, the Galaxy turned things around in the second half and appear to be peaking at the right time. LAFC are on notice, but talent should still win the day. — Bonagura
Another conference semifinals El Trafico, the first since 2019. Does the Supporters’ Shield curse — only seven winners have also won an MLS Cup — rear its ugly head? Or do LAFC finally hoist the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy? It’s LAFC’s — and Carlos Vela’s — year. — Hajducky
In the 11 games since Puig’s arrival, the Galaxy have been playing at a 1.81 points-per-game pace, a level of play that extrapolated across a full season would’ve made them a No. 2 seed in the West. Meanwhile, LAFC have lost five of their past nine. — Lindberg
Only two teams in MLS scored more goals than Austin in 2022. Only one conceded fewer than Dallas. This is a classic power-vs.-power matchup, and it’s going to be interesting to see how Nico Estevez organizes his FCD side to try to contain the Texas capital club.
In the Round One shootout win over RSL, Austin got little in the way of chance creation from attackers Maximiliano Urruti, Ethan Finlay, Diego Fagundez, Moussa Djitte and Emiliano Rigoni, which suggests that Dallas could match up favorably. However, that would ignore MVP candidate Sebastian Driussi, who scored both the Verde‘s goals in that win, on top of the 22 he netted in the regular season, and has a knack for running into pockets of space and conjuring opportunities from deeper starting positions.
No one in MLS has figured out Driussi. Whoever lines up at the base of midfield for Dallas, be it Facundo Quignon or Edwin Cerrillo, they’re going to have their hands full shadowing the 26-year-old River Plate academy graduate.
To sweeten an already appetizing pot is the atmosphere in Q2 Stadium. It was loud and rowdy in the city’s first-ever professional playoff game, now add the tension that will arise from Dallas supporters driving 200 miles to the south for a postseason Texan derby. And with Formula One in town for the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday (1:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ABC), fan excitement won’t be higher anywhere in the world than it will be in Austin. — Lindberg
Predictions:
There isn’t much separating the two teams in this all-Texas matchup, but in Driussi, the Verde have just a smidgen more quality, and that should prove to be enough to get Austin the victory. — Carlisle
This should be an incredible atmosphere at Q2. In fact, maybe one of the best MLS has ever had in the state for this Texas derby. Austin is the pick based on their explosive offense, despite FC Dallas owning the best defensive goal-scoring record in Western Conference this season. — Bonagura
Last time, I said the MLS Cup playoffs might be a fitting farewell to Jesus Ferreira before he gets poached by a European club. Well, Ferreira won the Young Player of the Year award on Tuesday, and everything seems to be bouncing right just weeks from Qatar. Austin beat LAFC 4-1 in late August and then won only once the rest of the season, allowing twice as many as they scored in that span. The ingredients are there for something spectacular for Dallas. — Hajducky
As hypnotic as Driussi’s play is, Dallas’ organization and their deep and variable attack will present Austin with problems that Josh Wolff will struggle to solve. — Lindberg
The curtain has come down on the 2022 MLS regular season, with 14 teams now preparing to contest the MLS Cup playoffs and another 14 waiting to watch them from home. There will be sides in both of those camps that likely are surprised to find themselves in the positions they occupy, for better or worse; such has been the unpredictable-as-ever nature of this campaign.
Few could’ve predicted Austin FC would be near the top of the Western Conference after a ho-hum inaugural season, while the New England Revolution following up a record-setting 2021 by missing the playoffs would’ve been met with similarly long odds eight months ago. That LAFC and the Philadelphia Union fought over the Supporters’ Shield all season, that was perhaps less surprising.
To definitively explain how these teams performed in 2022, ESPN asked Jeff Carlisle, Kyle Bonagura, Bill Connelly, Cesar Hernandez and Austin Lindberg to think back to the start of the year, consider each team’s expectations and deliver a final letter grade for all 28 sides.
Record: 10W-10D-14L Standing: 40 points, 11th in the East Grade: F
Based on points, Atlanta wasn’t the worst team in MLS, but considering the fact that its payroll of $21 million was the highest in MLS, combined with the fact that it finished 23rd out of 28 teams in the full league table, a failing grade is appropriate.
Sure, the numbers provided by the MLSPA don’t paint a complete picture. Season-ending injuries to the likes of defender Miles Robinson, midfielder Ozzie Alonso and goalkeeper Brad Guzan didn’t help. Neither did the continued drama surrounding striker Josef Martinez, but there was still enough talent on this team to at least get into the playoffs, and the Five Stripes didn’t get it done. The 2023 campaign is shaping up to be a put up or shut up year for manager Gonzalo Pineda. — Carlisle
Record: 16W-8D-10L Standing: 56 points, 2nd in West Grade: A-
FiveThirtyEight gave them a 31% chance of making the playoffs before the season and listed them as one of six teams with a less than 1% chance of winning the MLS Cup. But their early play was so strong that they had all but locked up a playoff spot by July, and now only LAFC, Philadelphia and Montreal have demonstrably better title odds.
They wobbled over the final month, losing five of their last 10, and we’ll see what legs they have left for the playoffs, especially in defense. But they’re here. Sebastian Driussi finished with 22 goals and seven assists in a possible MVP season, Diego Fagundez had six goals and 15 assists, and all in all, Austin FC enjoyed a miraculous second season. — Connelly
Record: 13W-3D-18L Standing: 42 points, 9th in East Grade: B+
They were top-3 in attendance, and thanks to a late hot streak they weren’t eliminated from the playoff race until the final week of their debut season. (And they pulled that off with an interim coach, Christian Lattanzio leading the way for more than half the season.) That is a success story in and of itself.
In the end, they just didn’t have enough firepower. They were 21st in goals scored — only Karol Swiderski hit double digits for the season — and opponents attempted far more shots than they did. But you can see the makings of a proper possession club here, and it will be interesting to see how they attempt to build on that this coming offseason. — Connelly
Record: 10W-9D-15L Standing: 39 points, 12th in East Grade: C-
There was a significant amount to feel positive about in the Windy City in 2022. Xherdan Shaqiri accumulated 18 direct goal contributions in his first season in the league, 18-year-old Gabriel Slonina emerged as one of the brightest goalkeeping prospects in recent memory (and subsequently sealed a transfer to Chelsea in the process), and 18-year-old forward Jhon Duran‘s debut campaign was so impressive (eight goals and three assists in just 1,274 minutes) that he earned a senior call-up with Colombia.
And yet, despite all that momentum, the Fire still finished 12th in the Eastern Conference and were eliminated from playoff contention with two matchdays left in the regular season. If Chicago’s reward for their promise in 2022 is the transfer fee generated by Slonina’s exit (and potentially Duran’s, too, with Chelsea and Liverpool credited with interest), then it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the club is facing another season of rebuilding in 2023. — Lindberg
Record: 12W-13D-9L Standing: 49 points, 5th in East Grade: A+
Qualifying for the playoffs for the very first time after spending the previous three seasons with the worst record in MLS? Not bad from FCC. It took until Decision Day and a result over bottom-of-the-table D.C. United, but Cincinnati made a statement with a 5-2 victory in the final weekend of the regular season.
The rebuild project under general manager Chris Albright and head coach Pat Noonan has undoubtedly been a success in 2022. They may not last long in the playoffs with their fragile defense, but they’ll be fun to watch if attack-minded players such as Brandon Vazquez, Luciano Acosta and Brenner continue to step up. — Hernandez
Record: 11W-10D-13L Standing: 43 points, 10th in West Grade: C-
A year after topping the Western Conference with 61 points, the Rapids swiftly fell back into obscurity. Only one team in the conference (San Jose) allowed more than the 57 goals conceded by Colorado, which gave up just 35 a year ago.
At the most basic level, the regression is easy to understand. Over the last year-plus, the Rapids have lost midfielders Kellyn Acosta and Cole Bassett and defenders Sam Vines and Auston Trusty without coming close to replacing them with players at the same level. The most high-profile acquisition was striker Gyasi Zardes, who in 26 matches scored nine goals. However, the Rapids won just twice in his first 11 appearances, which derailed the season by the middle of the summer. — Bonagura
Record: 10W-16D-8L Standing: 46 points, 8th in East Grade: C-
Is this a good time to bring up the fact that head coach Caleb Porter said, “I’d bet my house” on Columbus making the playoffs?
Needing at least a tie on Decision Day to earn a playoff spot after failing to qualify last year, the Crew tripped over themselves once again through a 2-1 loss to Orlando. The defeat, which featured a second half game winner for Orlando from Facundo Torres, felt indicative of a Columbus squad that has become accustomed to closing out games all season.
Questions will need to be answered by Porter, who often found himself stuck in draws and narrow results. Over the past year, it’s difficult to say that much progress has been made by the players or the coach. — Hernandez
Record: 7W-6D-21L Standing: 27 points, 14th in East Grade: F
The District was a case study in Murphy’s Law in 2022. Paul Arriola was transferred to Dallas, where he enjoyed a career year; Julian Gressel was shipped to Vancouver, where his rate of a direct goal contribution every 346 minutes was slashed to one every 220; manager Hernan Losada was fired; new coach Wayne Rooney finished the year with a 2W-3D-8L record; and star forward Taxi Fountas is being investigated for using a racial slur in a loss to Miami last month.
This was a season when D.C. were meant to establish themselves as postseason contenders. Little more than seven months after the campaign began, it’s hard to name a club further away from contention. — Lindberg
Record: 14W-11D-9L Standing: 53 points, 3rd in West Grade: B+
In his first season with the club, manager Nico Estevez has been decisive in the efforts that have helped Dallas return to the playoffs after missing out in 2021. With only 37 goals allowed all season and important saves from Maarten Paes, Dallas’ defensive prowess was influential in their top-third finish in the Western Conference table.
Which isn’t to say that their frontline should be ignored. Twenty-one-year-old USMNT striker Jesus Ferreira was one of the best in the league with his 18 goals and six assists. In support, others such as Paul Arriola, Alan Velasco and Sebastian Lletget also stepped up in crucial moments. — Hernandez
Record: 10W-6D-18L Standing: 36 points, 13th in West Grade: D
The growing pains of a new era? Even with majority owner Ted Segal taking charge since 2021 through front-office hirings (including a first-ever role for a technical director) and the marquee signing of Mexican international Hector Herrera, nobody was able to halt a dismal run of form that led to a failure to qualify for the playoffs and the firing of head coach Paulo Nagamura.
Nagamura’s replacement will be tasked with not only finding the right combination to work with Herrera, but also reviving a team that hasn’t earned a playoff invitation since 2017.
Record: 14W-6D-14L Standing: 48 points, 6th in East Grade: B
Inter woke up! After finishing 10th and 11th in the East, respectively, in their first two seasons of existence, Phil Neville’s squad looked well on the way to making it three straight playoff-free years before turning on the jets. After August 1, they generated more points than any MLS team besides Montreal, nearly succumbing to a late-August funk but rallying — thanks in part to one last hot streak from retiring striker Gonzalo Higuain — to snare the No. 6 seed in the Eastern playoffs.
This is neither a young nor particularly creative team, but making the postseason was the goal and they did so. — Connelly
Record: 21W-4D-9L Standing: 67 points, 1st in West Grade: A
After compiling an 18-4-3 record, LAFC’s procession to the Supporters’ Shield took a minor detour at one point. But a 1-4-1 stretch run raised all kinds of questions, such as if adding the likes of Gareth Bale, Denis Bouanga and Giorgio Chiellini might have unsettled the squad with the playoffs approaching. Philadelphia, all of a sudden, was in with a shout of catching the Black-and-Gold, but timely wins against Houston and Portland allowed LAFC to finish with a kick and claim the Shield.
Considering that this side missed the playoffs last year and underwent a considerable overhaul in terms of personnel, it’s an impressive accomplishment for the club and first-year manager Steve Cherundolo. Now the MLS Cup beckons. — Carlisle
Record: 14W-8D-12L Standing: 50 points, 4th in West Grade: B
What a second half of the year for the Galaxy. At the All-Star break point, they were floundering in ninth place in the Western Conference, with the postseason not worth discussing. Since then, the conversation has changed. Los Angeles rose all the way to fourth in the conference to earn a home playoff game (Nashville, Oct. 15) and are very much among the contenders to win the whole thing.
A lot of that turnaround has be credited to the acquisition of Riqui Puig. In his 10 appearances (9 starts), the Galaxy is 4-5-1 and he contributed eight goal contributions (3 goals, 5 assists). In the 22 games prior to Puig’s arrival this season, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez had 11 goal contributions (10 goals, 1 assist) and averaged 0.5 goals per 90 minutes. In the 10 games after Puig arrived, Chicharito’s production took off. He averaged 0.91 goals per 90 minutes and had nearly as many goal contributions (8 goals, 1 assist) in fewer than half as many games. — Bonagura
Record: 14W-6D-14L Standing: 48 points, 6th in West Grade: B-
There was no more up-and-down team in MLS in 2022 than the Loons. From May to the end of June, Minnesota lost seven of 10 games — including a U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 defeat to third-tier Union Omaha — before following that up with a stretch of nine wins in their next 12, only to finish the campaign by losing five of their last seven. In the end, this was a team that did just enough to sneak into the playoffs.
Injuries undoubtedly played a role: Hassani Dotson played 630 minutes before he was lost for the season to a torn ACL, Romain Metanire featured for just 22 minutes as he rehabbed a series of hamstring injuries, and Bakaye Dibassy missed the final seven matches of the season (and won’t be available for the playoffs) after suffering a ruptured quadriceps tendon. However, the Loons had the fourth-oldest squad in MLS in 2022, and their young players have done little to suggest they’re ready to take this team to the next level. — Lindberg
Record: 20W-5D-9L Standing: 65 points, 2nd in East Grade: A
Behold, the power of continuity. Montreal came into 2022 having missed the (full-season) playoffs every year since 2016 and only made a couple of real offseason moves (and kept manager Wilfried Nancy), but they enter the playoffs with the East’s No. 2 seed and the third-best title odds thanks to a couple of prolific veterans (Romell Quioto and Kei Kamara combined for 24 goals and 13 assists) and a breakout season for 2021 addition Djordje Mihailovic (nine goals and six assists from 57 chances created).
In short, their front office was patient, and the patience paid off. — Connelly
Record: 13W-11D-10L Standing: 50 points, 5th in West Grade: C+
After finishing third in the West in 2021, Nashville flirted seriously with the idea of missing the playoffs, but what they lacked in general watchability – it’s not much of an exaggeration to say that every Nashville match this year was a 1-1 draw — they made up for in resilience. A six-match unbeaten streak in August and September assured them of a fifth playoff bid in five tries. Still, the defense grew leakier and the team got older, and they will head into the offseason with more questions than they had a year ago.
Unless there’s a deep playoff run coming, this season was a step backward. — Connelly
Record: 10W-12D-12L Standing: 42 points, 10th in East Grade: F
We’ll let head coach Bruce Arena summarize the 2022 season for the Revs: “I’m not going to miss it.”
One year after setting MLS’ single-season points record and lifting their first-ever Supporters’ Shield, New England faltered in 2022 with a spot outside of the playoffs and a dramatic collapse in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Although the expectation wasn’t to hit the same heights of 2021 (especially with the exits of Tajon Buchanan, Matt Turner and Adam Buksa to Europe), qualifying for the playoffs was the minimum goal.
Things didn’t go as planned either through injuries and the additions of veterans such as Sebastian Lletget, Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez. Over the summer, Lletget was transferred to FC Dallas, while Altidore went on loan to Liga MX’s Puebla. As for Gonzalez, he was never able to establish a starting role. — Hernandez
Record: 16W-7D-11L Standing: 55 points, 3rd in East Grade: C+
As June beckoned, the reigning MLS Cup champions seemed to be making a solid push toward a repeat. On June 1, NYCFC was actually a point ahead of Philly, but then manager Ronny Deila left for Standard Liege, reigning Golden Boot winner Taty Castellanos was loaned to Girona, and things began to go wobbly They’ve gone just 7-7-5 since. Not awful, but not great either, and NYCCFC seemed to lose the high-pressing ethos that Deila instituted.
A three-game winning streak to end the season hints that things are improving under Nick Cushing, but the playoffs will be the ultimate judge of NYCFC’s season. — Carlisle
Record: 15W-8D-11L Standing: 53 points, 4th in East Grade: B+
The Red Bulls needed goals in 2022 if they were to have any chance of returning to their status as consistent Eastern Conference contenders. Striker Patryk Klimala registered just five this year, falling short of the impact expected of the Young DP signing from Celtic, but Lewis Morgan has been a revelation in New York, scoring 14 times in league play from the wing since his big-money arrival from Inter Miami in the offseason. As such, the Red Bulls saw their goals-for record improve from just 39 in 2021 (only three teams in the conference were worse) to 48 this season (sixth best).
This is a much improved team over last year, as evidenced by earning a Round One playoff contest at home, and Morgan’s emergence has a lot to do with that. Just imagine how dangerous Gerhard Struber’s side would be with some genuine productivity from the No. 9 position. — Lindberg
Record: 14W-6D-14L Standing: 48 points, 7th in East Grade: C+
The Lions remain one of the league’s enigmas. They broke through to win the U.S. Open Cup and also snuck into the playoffs on the last day of the season. Given that success and failure is largely playoff qualification-based, the tendency will be to look at the season as a positive. But looked at another way, Orlando finished seventh in a 14-team conference, basically midtable.
Given the money spent on the likes of Facundo Torres and Ivan Angulo, more was expected of an attack that ranked tied for 21st in the league with 44 goals scored. The minus-9 goal differential speaks to a lack of consistency on the defensive side of the ball as well. With a playoff spot secure, Oscar Pareja looks set to continue as manager, but plenty of questions need to be asked in terms of addressing the team’s weaknesses during the offseason. — Carlisle
Record: 19W-10D-5L Standing: 67 points, 1st in East Grade: A
The Union finished the year level on points with LAFC and only lost out on winning the Supporters’ Shield by virtue of having two fewer wins. From another vantage point, it’s easy to make the case the Union were the most dominant team in the league this year and had one of the best regular seasons in league history.
Their plus-46 goal differential was 18 better than LAFC this year and stands as the second-best mark in MLS history, behind only LAFC in 2019 (48). They led the league in goals scored (72), had the fewest goals conceded (26) and were the only team in the league to go unbeaten at home. Daniel Gazdag (22 goals) finished one shy of the Golden Boot and combined with Julian Carranza (14 goals) to finish as the top goal-scoring duo (tied with FC Cincinnati’s Brandon Vazquez and Brenner).
For all the Union accomplished, though, the only way to ensure a lasting place in history is to add an MLS Cup-size exclamation point. — Bonagura
Record: 11W-13D-10L Standing: 46 points, 8th in West Grade: D+
The Portland Timbers’ prominent role in Sally Yates’ report into systemic abuse in women’s soccer has deservedly overshadowed anything the team has done on the field in recent weeks. Not that there was much on the field to write home about: All Portland needed on Decision Day was a point against Real Salt Lake to ensure a place in the postseason. Instead, they came out disinterested and were outplayed in a 3-1 loss that saw the host jump out to a 3-0 lead before a late consolation goal.
It sets up an offseason in which the most important questions will be asked about Merritt Paulson’s future as owner, rather than how the Timbers will rebuild following a rare playoff miss. — Bonagura
Record: 12W-11D-11L Standing: 47 points, 7th in West Grade: C+
Let’s make sense of this: RSL lost longtime designated player Albert Rusnak in the offseason to Seattle and star midfielder Damir Kreilach appeared in just five games due to injury. Yet, the club still finished in seventh place, the same spot it did the prior season when it made a run to the Western Conference finals.
RSL beat Portland 3-1 on Decision Day to earn the final playoff spot and while that’s not exactly a conventional formula for postseason success, last year’s run should inspire some confidence that lightning can be captured in a bottle once again. No other playoff team scored fewer goals than Salt Lake, which outscored only four teams during the regular season. RSL also managed only 16 goals on the road, which doesn’t bode well for its trip to Austin, an offensive juggernaut. — Bonagura
Record: 8W-11D-15L Standing: 35 points, 14th in West Grade: D
The decision to keep Matias Almeyda as manager to start the season still looms large, though the 1.32 points per game the team has earned under Alex Covelo since then reveals that this side was always a borderline playoff team at best. A defense that conceded a whopping 67 goals, worst in the league, made it was even more of an uphill climb. Now this is new manager Luchi Gonzalez’s problem.
A trio of defenders — Carlos Akapo, Rodrigues and Miguel Trauco — have been brought in to start the defensive rebuild, but there’s frankly not enough data yet to determine if it will work. A space-covering holding midfielder is still needed. The attack looks in good shape with Jeremy Ebobisse, Cristian Espinoza and Jamiro Monteiro. Cade Cowell has promise, as does 17-year-old Niko Tsakiris, but 2023 has the makings of another “trying to sneak into playoffs vibe.” — Carlisle
play
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Herculez Gomez debates which team has had the worst MLS season out of Atlanta and Seattle.
Record: 12W-5D-17L Standing: 41 points, 11th in West Grade: C-
This grade very much takes into consideration that the Sounders claimed the CONCACAF Champions League. It was the first time in two decades that an MLS side reached the continental promised land, and the first since a home-and-away was used in the knockout rounds, but Seattle paid for it in the long run.
Joao Paulo went down in the CCL final with a torn ACL. His replacement, Obed Vargas, later suffered a long-term back injury as well. Emotional leader Cristian Roldan underwent surgery, and influential forward Raul Ruidiaz logged just 1,306 league minutes. And so it went. The Sounders could never quite get going and failed to make the postseason for the first time in 14 seasons.
Now the question looms large: Can Seattle rebound? The roster seems locked up for next year too, with its complement of DPs already in place. It will amount to a tricky job for president of soccer Garth Lagerwey and manager Brian Schmetzer. That said, if everyone can just heal up, the talent is definitely there. — Carlisle
Record: 11W-7D-16L Standing: 40 points, 12th in West Grade: D+
Despite having a promising end to the season with just two losses in their last 10 games, very few will be content with how 2022 went for SKC. Hit by major setbacks through two lengthy injuries for DPs Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda, head coach Peter Vermes and his roster never found much-needed rhythm until August and were subsequently left out of this season’s playoffs.
They have the potential to bounce back in 2023 — keep an eye on goal scorer William Agada next year — but some serious roster questions will need to be asked during the winter offseason. — Hernandez
Record: 9W-7D-18L Standing: 34 points, 13th in East Grade: D
Giving your rivals a five-month head start is rarely a recipe for success, yet that’s essentially what Toronto did in 2022. From the starting XI that opened the season in Dallas, just four names remained in the XI that hosted Miami little more than a week ago. The Reds averaged a point a game before the secondary transfer window opened, when the likes of Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi, Mark-Anthony Kaye and four others arrived, leaving the team in a position to need a points-per-game pace of 2.27 after the window closed if they were to make it into the playoffs. For context, Supporters’ Shield-winning LAFC averaged 2.03 PPG all season.
Maybe the 2022 season was an acclimation period for new coach Bob Bradley and his stable of star signings, and Toronto will put it all together for an almighty run in 2023. If not, this year’s D grade will look a lot worse. — Lindberg
Record: 12W-7D-15L Standing: 43 points, 9th in West Grade: D+
The Caps were six points worse off in 2022 than they were in 2021, when they made a surprise run to the MLS Cup playoffs. They also scored five fewer goals — the third-worst goals-for metric in the league — despite having another season to work together while adding coveted wide creator Julian Gressel.
There is an argument to be made that Vancouver even being in the playoff conversation on Decision Day was a mirage. Only Wooden Spoon winners D.C. United boasted a worse goal differential than the Whitecaps’ minus-17. It’s another offseason of “back to the drawing board” in British Columbia. — Lindberg
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson has removed himself from a decision-making role with the National Women’s Soccer League club until the findings are released from an ongoing investigation into numerous scandals around the league.
Paulson, who is also the owner of Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, announced his decision in a statement Tuesday, one day after the release of the findings of a disturbing independent investigation into the NWSL’s abuse scandals commissioned by U.S. Soccer. A concurrent investigation is still being conducted jointly by the league and the players’ union, and Paulson plans to step away until its completion.
Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub, who have both served in executive roles with Paulson’s teams, are also stepping away from the Thorns, who are headed into the NWSL playoffs. Paulson’s statement didn’t indicate whether the trio will also step away from the Timbers, and Paulson gave no indication he plans to sell his teams.
“Yesterday’s Yates report unveiling was the darkest day I have experienced, and I know the same is true for everyone else who loves our team and our league,” Paulson said. “I know it was even harder and darker for those whose stories were shared publicly. I cannot apologize enough for our role in a gross systemic failure to protect player safety and the missteps we made in 2015. I am truly sorry.”
In the investigation report commissioned by U.S. Soccer, Paulson is accused of enabling and supporting former Thorns coach Paul Riley after Riley was accused of harassment and sexual coercion by players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim. The investigation also found that Paulson and Wilkinson made inappropriate workplace comments to women.
Golub is accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks in 2013 to former Thorns coach Cindy Parlow Cone, now the president of U.S. Soccer. Golub has previously faced criticism for his workplace behavior and his tolerance for others’ misbehavior.
In her investigative report, former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates also accused Thorns management of not being forthcoming with information around Riley’s departure from the team in 2015, writing that the club “interfered with our access to relevant witnesses and raised specious legal arguments in an attempt to impede our use of relevant documents.”
The Thorns didn’t announce why they weren’t renewing Riley’s contract that year, and Paulson subsequently vouched for Riley as he landed a job with the Western New York Flash, which subsequently became the North Carolina Courage. Riley was with the Courage until being fired in September 2021 after allegations of his misconduct were made public.
Heather Davis, the general counsel for the Thorns, will oversee the team’s decisions in Paulson’s absence.
“I very much appreciate your patience and believe it’s critical that the process play out with the Joint Investigation,” Paulson wrote in his announcement of his decision. “I love the Portland Thorns and women’s soccer, and am taking these steps with those interests in mind.”
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FCC have done well to change the trajectory of the organization, but the Union seem to be a bridge too far, and should prevail over their former apprentices in Cincinnati GM Chris Albright and manager Pat Noonan. — Carlisle
The Black and Gold fixed something that wasn’t broken by adding Bale, Chiellini and DPs Bouanga and 
