Aloha everyone,

Max here… my friends are getting married in Hawaii on Friday so I’m writing this from the middle of the Pacific. Life’s good and the footy is better.

• ⏯️ Match Day 16 recap

• ❓️WTF are discovery rights?

• ⏩️ Potential Transfers

• ⭐️ New MLS Star

• ⚽️ Goal of the Week

• 😂 Tweet of the Week

Match Day 16 Recap

Thriller in the Six

Another heartbreak for Toronto. First their rap god, now a 4-3 thrilling loss to Cincinnati (highlights here). It’s Cincy’s 7th straight win and 9th win by one goal. New signing Kevin Kelsy already has 3 goals and looks to be the perfect replacement for Brandon Vazquez. We’re in for an all-time great Shield race and Cincy is in a position to repeat.

FC Dallas 3 - 3 Real Salt Lake

Dallas blew a 3-0 lead at home. Yuck. They needed a signature win and thought they had it in hand. But give credit to Salt Lake. This team fights. Anderson Julio scored a banger to get this club to 11 straight unbeaten. They’re now 4 points clear a top the Western Conference and 3rd in the Shield race.

Colorado Rapids 3 - 3 Minnesota United

Two serious Western Conference contenders throwing blows. This one was fun. Kevin Cabral had his first career brace and Sang-Bin Jeong couldn’t help but do the same (one, two). Colorado came back from down 3-1 and dominated the second half to grab the point.

NYCFC are Hot

NYCFC have taken 21 of their last 24 points with their 1-0 win over the Revolution. Goalkeeper Matt Freese had another shutout and leads the MLS in goals against vs xGA. He’s conceded 5.23 goals less than expected.

What is there to say about the Revs? Man, it’s bad. Per Matt Doyle, “Their -0.92 xG differential per 90 is the worst in FBRef’s MLS database, which goes back to 2017.”

Discovery Rights

MLS discovery rights rule has been a hot topic with the news that Marco Reus is interested in joining the league. But what the hell is discovery rights? And why does the league have this rule? Let’s take you to school…

Discovery rights players are those whom a team may be interested in and are not under contract in MLS and are not subject to any other MLS assignment mechanisms (e.g. MLS SuperDraft, Allocation Process). Each team can have 5 players on their discovery list at any time and can add or remove players whenever. If a club would like to acquire a player that is on another teams discovery list they can pay a minimum $50k for the rights to sign that player. Discovery rights lists are rarely made public.

So why? Parity, that’s why. The league wants smaller market clubs to have better chances of obtaining top talents that traditionally seek big market teams in LA, NY, and Miami.

What’s going on with Marco Reus? Rumors have swirled over the past two weeks that the Dortmund legend is interested in a move to MLS after his contract ends this year. St. Louis City and LA Galaxy are reportedly interested but Charlotte own his discovery rights and is in talks with him. However, another report says he is not interested in joining Charlotte.

Class is adjourned.

Rumored MLS Transfers

The summer transfer window is around the corner. As always we’ve got you covered with the latest rumors.

• Dutch side Feyenoord are in advanced talks to sign Philadelphia Union forward Julian Carranza.

• Austin FC finalizing a deal to sign Ghanaian winger Osman Bukari from Red Star.

• Cruz Azul is closing in on signing Giakoumakis from Atlanta. Their first bid was rejected, but they have the cash to snag Giakoumakis. We expect a new bid soon in the $8-10 million range.

• Adilson Malanda is having the type of season that will get every eye on you across Europe. The 22-year-old French center-back has helped Charlotte to four straight clean sheets. Charlotte has been firm about not wanting to sell him but a big offer could change that.

• I don’t think there’s a world where Jack Mcglynn stays stateside for long. Expect a move abroad in the next year or so with a deal structured similarly to Paxton Aaronson.

A New MLS Star

Tani Oluwaseyi is one of the best stories in MLS. Minnesota United’s 2022 Superdraft pick has 6 goals and 3 assists in only 513 minutes. Sure it’s a small sample size but he’s averaging 1.05 goals per 90 minutes, 7th best in MLS.

Where did this stud come from? He’s a Nigerian born Canadian who grew up in Ontario. He played at St. Johns University for four years where he scored 20 goals in 49 appearances. After getting drafted 17th overall he spent the 2022 season with Minnesota’s MLS NextPro squad before being loaned to USL side San Antonio FC in 2023. There he scored 13 goals breaking San Antonio’s single season record. The kid just scores wherever he goes.

Look at all that green. He needs more minutes and shots. Don’t worry Loons fans, that’s coming. You might have a star on your hands.

Goal of the Week

Rarely does the GOTW come from a USL 2 club, but this one was nasty.

Tweet of the Week

When none of Miami’s stars travel to Canada😂

Quick Hits

• Christian Pulisic was nominated for best Serie A midfielder of the season (Link)

• EPL side Brentford finalizing deal to sign USYNT/FC Dallas goalie Julian Eyestone (Link)

• US Open Cup will be streamed free on MLS Season Pass (Link)

• Philadelphia Union re-signed three-time MLS GK of the Year Andre Blake (Link)

• Emma Hayes names her first USWNT roster after becoming head coach (Link)

• MLS expansion team in Sacramento update (Link)

We’re out. See ya next week ✌️