What We Learned: Müller & Son adapt, Shield race reaches new level | MLSSoccer.com

Between a new Supporters’ Shield leader, superstars acclimating to their new clubs and Lionel Messi’s return from injury, this past weekend’s slate had it all.

Let’s explore some of the most interesting things we learned during Matchday 29. And if you want to read up on other key moments in detail, check out Matt Doyle’s latest column.

Onwards.

I had two main questions about how Thomas Müller would fit in Vancouver. First, where would head coach Jesper Sørensen use him? Second, would his legs allow him to do the requisite defensive work for the Whitecaps? It’s early days, but Müller’s debut in the final half-hour of Vancouver’s 1-1 draw with Houston began answering those questions.

Positionally, Sørensen used the 35-year-old as a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Though the Whitecaps have occasionally used that structure in 2025, they’ve largely been a 4-3-3 team. But even before Müller stepped on the field at BC Place on Sunday night, the home side was using a 4-2-3-1, with Canadian youngster Jeevan Badwal in that attacking midfield role ahead of Andrés Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter. Müller, upon his entrance in the 61st minute, was a like-for-like swap with the 19-year-old homegrown in a rough positional sense.

I’m intrigued to see if that shape change has a knock-on effect for Vancouver, but we’ll have to bookmark that for a time when the sample size is larger.

Defensively, to address my other question, Müller was eager. He was quick to transition from attack to defense, even tracking back into his own half at times to recover the ball. Between his counter-pressing and his clever off-ball movement, Müller’s legs held up and then some against Houston.

If that trend continues, the Whitecaps will be one of the last teams anybody wants to face come Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs time.

Flying across the country to play a full match on turf after just a few training sessions in Southern California? No problem. Son Heung-Min is ready to go for his new LAFC squad.

Son’s performance in a 2-0 win at the New England Revolution gave us another data point for how he fits into this LAFC attack. Playing as a No. 9 (just like he did off the bench against the Fire in his MLS debut), Son thrived when the game was stretched (just like he did at Chicago). He nearly scored the game-icing goal in second-half stoppage time, but was thwarted by New England goalkeeper Matt Turner – only to pick up the game-icing assist to fellow newcomer Mathieu Choinière moments later.

When play got more congested, Son showed he’s not a traditional striker. He won’t always make the first run to the near post; Son’s teammates need to pick up on that. But with his playmaking vision and touch, the South Korean superstar’s ability to orchestrate play from the edge of the box has already made LAFC harder to stop.

There’s still work for Denis Bouanga, Son and the coaching staff to do to maximize both the Gabon international and their new record signing. But the early signs are full of promise.

Lionel Messi returned in the second half of Inter Miami’s 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy for his first minutes since suffering a hamstring injury in Leagues Cup earlier this month, reminding Landon Donovan MLS MVP voters of his breathtaking presence.

In his 45 minutes plus stoppage time, Messi scored a lovely goal. He then one-upped himself with one of the assists of the season. I mean, come on…

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2025

With his efforts over the weekend, Messi has now notched at least two goal contributions in seven of his last eight league games. That’s mind-bending stuff.

Messi leads the league in goals (19), non-penalty goals plus assists (27), and non-penalty xG plus expected assisted goals per 90 minutes (a staggering 1.1, somehow up from his 0.91 per 90 last season), according to FBref’s data.

While San Diego winger Anders Dreyer is giving Messi a run for his money, I can’t imagine not voting for the Argentine to win the league’s most prestigious individual award this season – yet again. South Beach could be home to the league’s first-ever MVP repeat winner.

That’s right, folks. The new kids on the block are now in pole position to win the Supporters’ Shield.

The performance in San Jose was far from the best we’ve seen from San Diego in 2025 – a sloppy turnover inside their own box handed the hosts the lead in the second half, and their attack wasn’t firing for most of the match without Chucky Lozano. However, San Diego still had enough attacking talent to carve out a victory, as has often been the case this year.

Thanks to an impressive return from veteran striker Marcus Ingvartsen, who bagged the equalizing goal and a lovely assist on Dreyer’s game-winner, San Diego’s road winning streak is now up to six games. That’s uncharted territory for an expansion team, and the same goes for their Shield hopes.

Should SDFC take care of business during these final two months, they would become the first expansion team in MLS history to win the Supporters’ Shield. We might just be watching history in the making.

With seven or eight games remaining for most teams around the league, it’s an ideal time to take stock of where the Wild Card races stand ahead of the playoffs. In case you need a refresher: The eight and nine seeds in each conference qualify for the postseason via that pathway, with the winner of each eight/nine matchup meeting the top seed in a Round One Best-of-3 Series.

Out West, Austin FC (35 points; 25 games played) are in eighth while San Jose (32 points; 27 games played) sit in ninth. As things stand, that ninth spot looks fully up for grabs. Real Salt Lake (31 points; 26 games played), FC Dallas (29 points; 26 games played), and Houston Dynamo FC (29 points; 26 games played) are breathing down the Quakes’ neck, with both Houston and Dallas earning 1-1 road draws this past weekend.

Out East, the race looks a little different. The bar is higher: it doesn’t look like any team below the 10th-place Red Bulls (39 points; 27 games played) will push above the playoff line. But the Red Bulls have a chance to pass the ninth-place Chicago Fire (39 points; 26 games played) and could even catch arch-rival New York City FC (41 points; 25 games played). Or NYCFC, fresh off a win over Nashville SC on Sunday, could push their way into the guaranteed Round One spots by swapping places with Charlotte FC (44 points; 27 games played).

There’s plenty of shaking and moving ahead – that’s a huge part of what makes this time of year so exciting.

Las clasificaciones de @MLSes tras la Jornada 29. pic.twitter.com/I8aAyF3clU

— MLS Español (@MLSes) August 18, 2025