Soccer <\/p>\n
If the 2025 MLS season were a racetrack, we\u2019ve already navigated through the first turn and are officially picking up speed on the straightaway.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
After six weekends of action, trophy favorites are starting to emerge, teams are hitting the panic button near the bottom of the standings, and two coaches have been unseated.<\/p>\n
Today, we\u2019re looking back at the latest slate of MLS matches to examine some of the most interesting things we\u2019ve learned so far this year. We\u2019ve got game-changers in Cincinnati<\/a>, promising signs out West, and so much more. Oh, and if you want to read up on the rest of Matchday 6 in detail, check out Matt Doyle\u2019s weekly column<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIf not for Roman [Celentano] and Evander, this is a different result. I think those two won us the game tonight,\u201d FC Cincinnati manager Pat Noonan said after his team\u2019s nervy 2-1 win over Nashville SC on Saturday.<\/p>\n Noonan didn\u2019t mince words postgame. He called the match \u201cwild\u201d and \u201ctoo chaotic for my liking\u201d. And you know what? He was exactly right. Cincinnati<\/a> were outplayed between the boxes for stretches of their road clash and were out-created in the final third. Really, it was the performances of goalkeeper Celentano<\/a> and star attacking midfielder Evander<\/a> that turned the tide in Cincy\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n Celentano, who\u2019s been a rock-solid shot-stopper in each of his three full seasons in net for Cincy, made a penalty save on Hany Mukhtar<\/a> in the second half. Then, he came up with a crucial double-save less than 60 seconds later to keep his team level. Of course, the reason Cincy had pulled level in the first place was Evander\u2019s incredible free kick just minutes before halftime. This, folks, is what you pay eight figures for:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Cincy didn\u2019t beat Nashville<\/a> with precision or extended control of the match. Rather, they claimed three points thanks to their elite individual talent. Between Evander\u2019s dazzling display, Celentano\u2019s elite goalkeeping and a late penalty kick winner from K\u00e9vin Denkey<\/a>, Cincy proved they have the strength to brute force wins.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t bode well for the rest of the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I have so much time<\/em> for a team that knows exactly who they are, plays to their strengths and does it with ruthless conviction. That describes Nico Est\u00e9vez\u2019s Austin FC<\/a> team to the letter right now.<\/p>\n Now on a three-game winning streak, Austin have toppled LAFC<\/a>, San Diego FC<\/a>, and St. Louis CITY SC<\/a> this month. Notably, they\u2019ve done so while collecting less than 37 percent of the ball in all three games, according to FBref. After taking first-half leads in each of those wins, Austin haven\u2019t overextended themselves. They haven\u2019t tried to control games with the ball. They haven\u2019t tried to squeeze the opposition with a high press.<\/p>\n Instead, Austin have played to their strengths: defending in a deeper block and attacking in transition through Brandon Vazquez<\/a> and Myrto Uzuni<\/a> up top and the speed of Osman Bukari<\/a> on the wing. It\u2019s a simple recipe, but one that\u2019s proving incredibly difficult to stop for Austin FC\u2019s Western Conference foes.<\/p>\n There will come a time when they have to play from behind and break down a deeper block themselves, of course. But in matches where the game state is in their favor \u2013 or in even game state situations \u2013 Austin’s specific excellence is already a genuine strength. Watch out, Portland Timbers<\/a>, because you could be the next team to fall at the hands of the Verde & Black on Saturday (7:45 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+<\/a>; FOX, FOX Deportes).<\/p>\n If you trail against Est\u00e9vez\u2019s team, you\u2019re in trouble.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The most exciting part about the start of a new season is figuring out which teams are destined to hang out towards the top of the table for the rest of the year. It\u2019s still early, but it sure looks like we\u2019re getting a read on a few of those teams in an otherwise murky Western Conference.<\/p>\n In addition to the Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a> and Austin FC, who sit in the West\u2019s top two spots, San Diego and Minnesota United<\/a> are both building strong cases that could end up with them earning home-field advantage come Audi MLS Cup Playoffs time.<\/p>\n San Diego continue to impress despite their attacking injuries. Chucky Lozano<\/a> only just got back on the field during a 3-2 win<\/a> over LAFC<\/a> on Saturday, subbing on for his first minutes since Matchday 2. Striker Marcus Ingvartsen<\/a> is set to be sidelined for a couple of months, which should impact San Diego\u2019s attacking play. Note I said \u201cshould\u201d not \u201cdid\u201d because against LAFC, Mikey Varas\u2019 team put together their best chance creation outing of the season. Set-piece and open-play looks were commonplace for a team with the fourth-best xG differential in MLS, according to FBref.<\/p>\n Speaking of xG differential, Minnesota top MLS in that statistic with a whopping +1.05 per 90 minutes based on FBref\u2019s data. They\u2019ve been downright dominant over the last five games, picking up three wins and two draws along the way. On Saturday, in a 2-0 victory<\/a> over RSL<\/a>, Eric Ramsay\u2019s two-striker setup enjoyed regular chances in a ruthlessly efficient display. According to MLS Analyst<\/a>, the Loons nearly tripled Salt Lake\u2019s passes into the box (14 to five) despite having fewer passes in the final third (49 to 73).<\/p>\n Minnesota and San Diego are thriving right now and don\u2019t show signs of stopping.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There have been some high highs and some low lows for Charlotte FC<\/a> this season.<\/p>\n At their best, they\u2019ve outplayed another Eastern Conference contender in FC Cincinnati, punished Atlanta United<\/a> on the break, and decimated the San Jose Earthquakes<\/a>. At their worst, they\u2019ve been almost lifeless. That was the case in a 2-0 loss<\/a> to the Colorado Rapids<\/a> over the weekend. Sure, the Rapids deserve credit for putting the screws to Charlotte in the second half on Saturday. But that doesn\u2019t totally account for the lack of attacking threat shown by Dean Smith\u2019s team at Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods Park.<\/p>\n Charlotte failed to generate quality looks in front of goal, managing just 0.6 xG on 10 total shots, according to FBref\u2019s data. With only eight passes into Colorado\u2019s box<\/a>, Charlotte barely moved the ball into dangerous areas often enough to threaten Zack Steffen<\/a>\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n There\u2019s attacking progress to be made in Charlotte \u2013 they currently rank 15th in MLS in non-penalty xG, according to FBref, and are still searching for their identity on the left side with the addition of Souleyman Doumbia<\/a> as a more traditional left back, in contrast to Tim Ream<\/a>\u2019s stay-at-home interpretation of that role.<\/p>\n Charlotte have enough talent to become a well-rounded squad. But they\u2019re not there yet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In 2024, the San Jose Earthquakes allowed more goals in a single season than any other team in MLS history (78). They also allowed more goals per game than all but the 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny. It was bad, hence Bruce Arena\u2019s arrival. But along with Arena, star goalkeeper Daniel<\/a> fully returned to the fold after missing all but 12 games with injury last season \u2013 and boy, have the Quakes needed him.<\/p>\n Despite Arena\u2019s reputation as a manager who sets a high floor for his teams with a steady defensive setup, the Earthquakes are allowing more<\/em> chances this year than last year. They conceded 1.53 non-penalty xG per 90 in 2024 compared to 2.07 per 90 this year, according to FBref. Arena has stacked the field with aggressive, attack-minded players, using two traditional strikers and high-flying wide players in every game. That includes San Jose\u2019s 1-1 draw<\/a> with Seattle<\/a> on Saturday, where they allowed 26 shots and 2.8 xG.<\/p>\n But while the Earthquakes have allowed more chances than any team in MLS, Daniel is thriving between the sticks. He\u2019s second in MLS this year with 3.3 goals saved above expected, picking up right where he left off in his last healthy season in 2023.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t expect the Quakes to find sustained success by heaping so much pressure on Daniel\u2019s shoulders. They haven\u2019t won a game since March 1, after all. But Daniel is a match-winner in this league. So, while San Jose\u2019s defensive issues haven\u2019t faded, they\u2019re not quite as concerning as last year. Their goalkeeper will keep them in games until Arena finds the right balance further upfield.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n