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Morning everyone,
USMNT got crushed on Saturday but it got us so excited for the summer ahead. So much damn soccer. Let’s goooo!
⏯️ Match Day 19 Recap
🇺🇸 USMNT Shell Shacking
🏆️ Mid-Season Awards
📺️ US TV Viewership
⚽️ Goal of the Week
😂 Tweet of the Week
Match Day 19 Recap
Only four games this week. We’ve got you covered on all of them.
Two in a Row for the Revs
After two straight wins the Revs are only 6 points back of the playoff line and have a game in hand. Wild considering two weeks ago they still had single digit points. Ema Boateng’s 81st minute goal was all that was needed to beat the Red Bulls at home.
The Red Bulls were without Emil Forsberg, Lewis Morgan, and John Tolkin who were all on international duty.
Sporting KC with a Win!
Sporting KC beat Seattle 2-1 to win their first game since March 30th. Their two goals had a combined xG value of .04. They won’t care though. They desperately needed a win and are somehow 7 points off the playoff line with a game in hand. Big week for the bottom of the table!
As for Seattle, nothing is clicking. They played with their deepest line of the year, albeit after getting a red card in the 73 minute.
Road Point for Dallas
Dallas will happily take a road point in Minnesota but it’s not enough to save Head Coach Nico Estevez. The club announced they’re moving on from him and assistant Peter Luccin will take over as interim. Estevez led Dallas to two straight playoff appearances but started this season 3-8-5.
Minnesota didn’t have Robin Lod or Tani Oluwaseyi so they’ll settle for the point.
Another St. Louis SC Draw
It’s St. Louis’s 9th draw of the season. Boring!! Roman Burki made some incredible saves for his 5th clean sheet this year. But man… this team just struggles to create and finish chances. They’ll have to start converting these draws into 3 points to make the playoffs.
Portland have given up the 3rd most goals in MLS but go home happy with a clean sheet and road point.
USMNT Gets Blown Out
The USMNT lost to Colombia 5-1. It was an embarrassing performance. A total shell shacking from a team that was clearly more talented and prepared than we were. Entering the weekend the US was ranked #11 in the world and Colombia was #12. But post game you would’ve thought the US should be ranked 32nd. The only silver lining is that it was a friendly that didn’t count for anything, except a barometer for how we compare to the world’s best teams. Which says a lot going into the most important two-year stretch in USMNT history.
It was the first time in USMNT history that the starting IX was all playing at clubs in Europe’s top 5 leagues. But that doesn’t matter. The US lacked an identity once again. They were brutally inept in the backline—committing costly mistakes that led to quick, easy counterattacks for Colombia.
Unsurprisingly, USMNT fans have gone to social media to call for change. Some fans have even created “Fire Gregg” merch. Berhalter is now 1W-7D-6L against the top 20 teams excluding Mexico.
Will it happen a 5th time? The pressure is mounting on Gregg. Our performance at Copa America might be the deciding factor.
We play Brazil tonight at 7pm EST in our final tune-up before Copa America.
Midseason Player Awards
MVP - Christian “Chicho” Arango
Chicho is potentially having the best MLS season of all time, or close to it. 16 goals and 9 assists put him at the top of the goal scoring chart and 4th in assists this year.
Young Player of the Year- Tani Oluwaseyi
He can’t stop scoring and sits 2nd in goals per 90 minutes in his first season, only trailing Messi.
Goal Keeper of the Year - Matt Freese
Freese leads the league in post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed, with a league-high +5.2. His command of the penalty area and remarkable save percentage puts him among the league's best.
Defensive Player of the Year - Miles Robinson
Robinson plays next to last years DPOY Matt Miazga, on the top defense in the league statistically. Robinson’s 75% tackle win rate is among the league's best and he leads the team in blocks, interceptions, and tackles won.
Coach of the Year - Pablo Mastroeni
More hardware for the Claret-and-Cobalt. Most had pegged this squad to finish middle of the table in the Western Conference. Mastoeni’s put together the best season of his coaching career.
MLS Newcomer of the Year - Joseph Paintsil
Paintsil has notched four goals and five assists in 13 games, consistently showcasing his ability to change the game with his speed and goal-scoring prowess.
US TV Viewership
More Americans watched the League’s Cup last year than the Premier League?? Alright alright a few caveats… this does NOT include streaming options like AppleTV (MLS), Paramount (UCL), and Peacock (Premier League). It’s only linear television broadcasts, so this would change if you added streaming services. It’s also showing data from last year in the MLS and both last year and this year in the European and Mexican leagues due to different season schedules.
But, it’s still interesting. Obviously, the arrival of Messi last year inflated the Leagues Cup viewership massively so we’ll see if the same happens after that new car smell has worn off.
It’s also underrated just how big Liga MX is in the States. It was the 4th most watched competition last year and is also the 4th most watched football league on earth 😱
Goal of the Week
A beautiful curler 😍
Just like they planned it. 😮💨
What a response from @FCDallas!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS)
12:58 AM • Jun 9, 2024
Tweet of the Week
Too good 🤣
escobar in hell rn
— Trig (@Kharlerh)
8:52 AM • Jun 9, 2024
Quick Hits
Okay, that’s it. On to next week.