Hey friends,

Hope everyone’s week is going well. Here’s what we’ve got kicking around today…

• 1️⃣ Playoff Round 1 Update

• 🇺🇸 Yanks Abroad

• 🎟️ Another Way to Get World Cup Tickets

• 🤔 More MLS Tidbits

• ⚽️ Goal of the Week

• 😂 Meme of the Week

Playoff Round 1 Update

Including the play in games, road teams are 1-8 to start the playoffs, with NYCFC getting the lone win. Here’s what went down…

The Vancouver Whitecaps easily handled FC Dallas 3-0 at home. The Caps outshot Dallas 18-1. It doesn’t look like this series will be a fair fight.

San Diego FC beat Portland for the second time in a week. This time, a 2-1 win at home led by yet another Anders Dreyer goal. San Diego is the better team and should win this series, but SDFC fans can’t be happy about what’s happening with Chucky Lozano. Lozano was not a part of their squad on the Decision Day match against Portland and didn’t play on Sunday in the first playoff game. He reportedly had a verbal altercation earlier this month after getting subbed off at halftime against Houston. Head Coach Mikey Varas said he expects him to play in the second game.

Inter Miami beat Nashville 3-1 on Friday. Messi had two goals, including an awesome diving header. Rinse and repeat. Poor Nashville, they have no answer for him. But it’s not like anyone ever has 🤷 

Hell is Real was a defensive stalemate for most of the game. Each team had exactly 50% of possession, and neither wanted to give an inch. Until Kevin Denkey finished off a good sequence from Cincy in the 78th minute to win the game 1-0. I imagine this series will open up a bit next game.

Minnesota United beat the Seattle Sounders in PKs after the game ended in a 0-0 draw (full PK shootout here). Unsurprisingly, Minnesota willingly ceded 69% of possession and absorbed 13 shots and 2.4 xG’s from the Sounders. Dayne St. Clair continued his stellar play to take it to PKs.

NYCFC beat Charlotte FC 1-0 on the road behind Alonso Martinez’s solo golazo. Oftentimes in soccer, a game will come down to the brilliance of one player in one moment. This was that.

The Philadelphia Union beat the Chicago Fire on PKs after the game ended 2-2 (full PK shootout here). Former Union man, Jack Elliot, scored a banger from outside the box to level the game in the 93rd minute.

Yanks Abroad

Tim Weah grabbed an assist in Marseille’s 1-2 loss. Unfortunately, he got injured and was taken off in the second half. It doesn’t appear to be serious, per Coach Roberto de Zerbi.

Everything is going right for Tyler Adams and Bournemouth (2nd in the table) this season as he adds an assist this week in their 2-0 win. He sits 6th in the EPL with 26 tackles made and is 2nd in tackles at the midfield position, only behind Moises Caicedo.

Yunus Musah has played 8 minutes in his last 4 games. The loan move to Atalanta doesn’t appear to be working out at exactly the worst time. He now seems to be on the outside looking in for a World Cup roster spot.

Antonee Robinson continues to miss time with knee issues. He’s only logged one full 90’ this season for Fulham and hasn’t played for the USMNT since late 2024 now.

Cameron Carter-Vickers suffered a bad achilles injury and is likely out for 3-5 months.

Brenden Aaronson scored his first goal of the season and went 3/3 in dribbles and 8/10 in ground duels. He nearly had a second on this 60-yard run past 5 defenders, only to clank the crossbar. He leads all English Premier League wingers in the chance creation ratio this season.

More World Cup Tickets

The second phase of World Cup ticket sales, the Early Ticket Draw, has begun. FIFA has released another 1M tickets with the deadline to enter this draw on Friday, October 31st at 11 am EST. There is no advantage to entering the draw early; just make sure you enter before the deadline. Go here to enter. Even if you entered the Visa Presale, you must still re-enter for this draw.

This phase includes a domestic exclusivity window for residents of the US, Mexico, and Canada. Residents of the host countries who entered the draw will be eligible via a randomized selection process for a priority slot starting on November 12th. This time slot is open for 72 hours and is subject to inventory. If you’re successful, you’ll receive notification of your time slot 48 hours in advance.

During the first phase, residents from the US, Canada, and Mexico snatched up more tickets than any other country. Then it was England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, and France who rounded out the top 10 in that order.

We’re 225 days out. Go snag your tickets!

More MLS Tidbits

The Colorado Rapids and head coach Chris Armas have mutually agreed to part ways. Armas went 33W-36L-13D in all competitions across two seasons at the helm, finishing 7th and 11th in the Western Conference. After a so-so season, his post-game scuff with the reporter really seemed to seal the deal that his contract would not be renewed.

With 5 head coaching jobs now available and Cherundolo’s position opening up soon, the MLS will have quite the coaching carousel this summer. Per Tom Bogert, Tata Martino is already rumored to be the favorite to take over in Atlanta. Tata may return to the club where he started his MLS journey.

Big changes are coming to the NY Red Bulls after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Head Coach Sandro Schwarz and CSO Jochen Schneider will not be returning. They have named Julian de Guzman as Head of Sport. His first two priorities are finding a head coach and a star player to fill their open DP spot.

Inter Miami and Lionel Messi have agreed to a 3-year contract extension that will keep him in Miami through the 2028 season. Messi will lead Miami into their new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, which is set to open next year. The GOAT has clearly loved his time in MLS, and it’s tremendous news that he’s here to stay.

MLS reported that viewership is up 29% year-over-year for weekend matches, reaching an average of 3.7M live match viewers per week. This season also was the second highest total in league history with 11.2M fans and a new record for ticket sales.

Goal of the Week

I’ve never seen a goal like this before 👏 

Tweet of the Week

This is why we exist. To bring you the MLS content you need because legacy media companies don’t give this league the respect it deserves.

Quick Hits

• Saudi Arabia set to construct a stadium in the sky before the 2034 World Cup (Link)

• Son Heung-Min wins MLS Goal of the Season (Link)

• Tristan Blackmon wins MLS Defender of the Year (Link)

As always, we appreciate everyone reading this! We put a lot of work into it each week and love all the feedback you provide. Thanks again ❤️ 

Max & Mason