Soccer <\/p>\n
We\u2019re looking at a few pleasant surprises in Cascadia, San Diego<\/a>\u2019s Designated Players doing their thing, the Crew<\/a> being the Crew and the Revs<\/a> going old school.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The 2025 regular season is just about a third over. In we go:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n We\u2019re reaching the point where LAFC<\/a>\u2019s center forward job is Nathan Ordaz<\/a>\u2019s job to lose, right? He scored the game-winner in their by-the-numbers 2-0 home win<\/a> over Houston<\/a>, which gives him four goals (and two assists) in about 800 minutes across all competitions this year.<\/p>\n Those aren\u2019t overwhelming numbers; he\u2019s not going to win the Golden Boot presented by Audi or anything. But his instant recognition in change-of-phase moments and willingness to run the hard yards \u2013 for himself, as any good forward does, but also for his team \u2013 injects pace (not just raw footspeed, but pace of play) and unpredictability into the Black & Gold\u2019s attack. It gets opposing defenses into rotation, scrambling and running at their goal or caught a half-beat behind the play, and that matters.<\/p>\n For any team, that\u2019s huge. For a team that plays like LAFC do, it\u2019s everything.<\/p>\n I originally wasn\u2019t going to post a clip from this game because it was just a good team winning a game they should win, but look at how aware Ordaz is here, and how quickly he reads the space as soon as play turns vertical:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Really excellent patience from LAFC here to draw Houston upfield, then hit the gas.<\/p>\n Using the ball to create what is essentially a transition opportunity via possession… it’s a beautiful thing. pic.twitter.com\/GqqkUujTfY<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Also note how he stays locked in even after David Mart\u00ednez<\/a> misses the chance to slip him through, toggling immediately to the near-post run for the pullback across the six. That\u2019s a true goal-scorer\u2019s mentality.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is aware that at the end of the night, if you want to score goals, you need to poach,\u201d is how head coach Steve Cherundolo put it in the postgame presser. \u201cYou need to be in those areas. You need to be in the box, and you need to be running to goal \u2013 to be the first in the box. He was exactly where he should have been. He ran hard and was rewarded for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a fast counter-attacking team, so once we had that rotation going, you kinda always know where it\u2019s going to end up,\u201d is how Ordaz himself talked about that sequence. \u201cSergi [Palencia] put in the cross. I get yelled at every day in practice to make it to that first post, so that\u2019s what I did.<\/p>\n \u201cThank God the goalie did what he did. I\u2019m very happy with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dynamo aren\u2019t bad, by the way (though I have strong opinions about the decision to start Jonathan Bond<\/a>). They\u2019re certainly much better than they were in February and March, even if they were outclassed on the day because of their inability to get on the ball and dictate any of the game until the second half.<\/p>\n \u201cLAFC are a good team at home, and they played well tonight. We were not comfortable on the ball in the first half, but we were sharp in the second half,\u201d is what Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said. \u201cWe got control of the game and looked better on the ball. We were still toothless in front of goal, but it was a good response by the group.<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot just play one good half here in Los Angeles and expect to get a good result.\u201d<\/p>\n And so it goes.<\/p>\n Ok, back to Ordaz: We\u2019re in an era where converted wingers are taking up a bunch of No. 9 jobs (I have, against all odds, become a big Ferran Torres guy), and it sure looks like this kid is the MLS version of that. He\u2019s been one of the most pleasant surprises in the league this year and gets the big stage next week when the Black & Gold visit Vancouver<\/a> for Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire (7 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It took less than 10 minutes for Inter Miami<\/a> to open the scoring against the Red Bulls<\/a> on Saturday night. And for RBNY fans, the way it happened brought a familiar pain.<\/p>\n The Herons had pinned the visitors deep. They were knocking the ball around \u2013 doing so very comfortably \u2013 before whipping in a cross. It was cleared, but Miami won that clearance and kept RBNY pinned. So they knocked it around again and whipped in another cross.<\/p>\n Rinse and repeat. The Red Bull center backs cleared it out, Miami won the clearance, the RBNY line didn\u2019t step up and so in came another cross.<\/p>\n This happened four times before, finally, New York\u2019s center backs couldn\u2019t quite deal with a whipped-in cross, and that left Faf\u00e0 Picault<\/a> loose on the back post. He one-timed a finish past Carlos Coronel<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n QUE GOLAZO DE FAFA 7\ufe0f\u20e3\u2728 pic.twitter.com\/1F5VF3ENSr<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n This wasn\u2019t a classic Inter Miami performance, coming, as they were, off a midweek Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> elimination against Vancouver<\/a>. But a ho-hum 4-1 win<\/a> over the Red Bulls should, at least, stem the tide on some of the frustration the Herons\u2019 fanbase was feeling heading into the weekend.<\/p>\n That frustration has now made its way to Harrison, where the Red Bulls look nothing like a team that nearly won MLS Cup last year. They are waiting, every week, for things to click, but they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n And these goals, man. It\u2019s so easy to get to the back post unmarked against RBNY, and say what you want about Miami \u2013 a bunch of their flaws were exposed against the \u2018Caps \u2013 they\u2019re good enough and smart enough to take space in the box when it\u2019s handed to them. Whether it\u2019s attackers like Picault or Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a>, or right back Marcelo Weigandt<\/a> just ghosting completely inattentive defenders, there is always time and space to be found against a team that had built their identity on the ability to deny both.<\/p>\n Using American Soccer Analysis\u2019s xPass metric (basically the same thing as xG, except it measures the likelihood of a pass being completed or not) there\u2019s been a collective fall-off from the Red Bulls in overall\u2026 difficulty to play against, I guess? Like, how hard is it to complete passes and develop a rhythm against you?<\/p>\n Over the past 10 years that answer has always been \u201creally freaking hard\u201d at worst, and usually \u201chardest in the league.\u201d What I\u2019ve repeatedly written was they controlled the terms of about 90% of all the games they played in; no matter who they were playing against it turned into a crash-bang Energy Drink Soccer game (even against teams as good with the ball as the Crew), and that was always reflected in the numbers.<\/p>\n They\u2019re not that team anymore.<\/p>\n They\u2019re contesting and winning fewer box aerials despite facing more crosses, and they\u2019re facing more crosses because they\u2019re defending deeper and are under more constant pressure. When they do win those aerials and clear their lines, they\u2019re winning fewer second balls at the top of the box.<\/p>\n Because they\u2019re defending deeper and making it easier to complete passes against them, they\u2019re not creating anywhere near as many chances as they used to via the press. Because their two main attackers are older and relatively slow, they\u2019re not able to blow past teams on the break.<\/p>\n All of that puts a ton of pressure on them to become a precise and methodical possession team, which is about as big a philosophical shift as I\u2019ve ever seen in this league. Since 2015 they\u2019ve weaponized the change of possession; now it\u2019s been weaponized against them. They need to protect the ball or they\u2019re in trouble, but that means they can become gun-shy when it\u2019s time to push forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had so many situations in our transition moments. We had two, three moments where we can go with clear direction to the goal,\u201d said RBNY head coach Sandro Schwarz (who, to be clear, has mostly impressed me since taking over last year). \u201cBut we have to pass. We have to pass clean and when you lose the ball, for sure, then in the game [it\u2019s] 2-0.<\/p>\n \u201cThen you are losing a little bit the confidence. But we tried, every time we tried, but we have to play more clean and to make these fast deep runs behind the center backs or behind the fullbacks of the opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n That is a good, honest answer. But I thought the way he ended it was particularly telling:<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s it, guys. That’s it, to be honest. That’s it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n 13. The \u2018Caps keep rolling<\/strong> \u2013 this time without Brian White<\/a>, without Ryan Gauld<\/a> (still, though maybe not for much longer), and with Ranko Veselinovi\u0107<\/a> getting a rest. It ultimately didn\u2019t matter in their 2-1 win<\/a> over RSL<\/a> because this team just continues to ball.<\/p>\n White\u2019s excellence and Sebastian Berhalter<\/a>\u2019s rise from part-time starter to maybe the best No. 8 in the league have taken up the most oxygen, but man\u2026 Pedro Vite<\/a> has become the guy we all hoped Pedro Vite could be, hasn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That’s Pass of the Week sorted. pic.twitter.com\/DR1RuVg4mL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n They are atop the Supporters\u2019 Shield race on 2.36 ppg \u2013 well ahead of Miami\u2019s pace from last year \u2013 and are into the Concacaf Champions Cup final. You\u2019re not supposed to be able to do that!<\/p>\n But they are. They have, by far, the best underlying numbers in MLS, and because of the development of guys like Jayden Nelson<\/a> (2g\/6a across all competitions, including the opening goal this weekend), J.C. Ngando<\/a>, Tate Johnson<\/a>, \u00c9dier Ocampo<\/a> etc. etc. ad infinitum, they have shown the depth to survive injuries, fixture congestion, squad rotation, travel and everything else that has traditionally broken the very best MLS has to offer.<\/p>\n With LAFC having found themselves \u2013 they\u2019re unbeaten in four and have played very well the past two games in particular \u2013 next week\u2019s Sunday Night Soccer has \u201cGame of the Year\u201d potential.<\/p>\n RSL got out-classed, but not blown out. They finish their three-game road swing with a trip to Dallas next weekend, and a result there means this month was a success.<\/p>\n 12. I don\u2019t know why Atlanta United bunkered<\/strong> for the final 70 minutes of their 1-1 home draw<\/a> with Nashville SC<\/a>, but they did. Here\u2019s the data from the first 20 minutes, during a period of the game that concluded with Miguel Almir\u00f3n<\/a>\u2019s goal to make it 1-0:<\/p>\n And here\u2019s the subsequent 70 minutes:<\/p>\n The Five Stripes got that lead and treated Nashville like they\u2019re Barcelona. Nashville are good \u2013 they scored seven last week \u2013 but I don\u2019t think that level of caution was warranted from the hosts. And I don\u2019t really blame the fans who were booing at the end.<\/p>\n 11. The Columbus Crew,<\/strong> ladies and gentlemen:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n 17-pass build-up over 70 seconds, back to front, up and down, left to right and back again… just the Crew doing Crew things. pic.twitter.com\/ZQIF83oeBq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The final score \u2013 it ended 4-2<\/a> to the Crew \u2013 was probably a little flattering to Charlotte<\/a>, who capitalized on an unusual Patrick Schulte<\/a> gaffe to stay in the game just when the hosts were starting to drop the hammer. The Crown are a good team, but there are levels here, and Columbus are on a different one.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could have scored more goals. It\u2019s the game of football. It’s normal,\u201d Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy said afterward. \u201cWe could have been in control a little bit more, I would say\u2026 I would like to have a game where I can sit down, clearly, but this is not the case [on Saturday].<\/p>\n \u201cI’m happy. I’m happy with the performance. It’s not easy to play against this team. They defend really well, really well organized defensively. We have grown a lot because if I compare with last year, they played the same way. But this year, we adjusted certain things.\u201d<\/p>\n The Crew are one of two teams ahead of Miami\u2019s record-setting points-per-game pace from last year. A third of the season is done, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s too soon to start talking about the race for 75 points.<\/p>\n 10. D.C. United are not, of course<\/strong>, one of those teams in the running, but they did manage their second victory in three with a 2-1 home win<\/a> over the Rapids<\/a>. Colorado did their usual thing of completely collapsing in the five minutes before the half \u2013 on the season they sport an incredible -7 goal differential from minute 40 to the halftime whistle. They\u2019ve done it in 11 games.<\/p>\n To put that into context, CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> were last year\u2019s worst team in that particular stat on -5. That\u2019s over 34 games.<\/p>\n There\u2019s other stuff to talk about with the Rapids (I\u2019m still not enamored with the 4-4-2; they\u2019re starting to get key pieces back; the central defensive pairing remains a work in progress), but none of it matters at all if they\u2019re just unplugging for 5-10 minutes every single game.<\/p>\n D.C.<\/a> showed some progress<\/a> with the ball, by the way. We\u2019ll see if that holds up.<\/p>\n 9. One of the year\u2019s other breakout performers<\/strong> is Danley Jean Jacques<\/a>. This whole sequence\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n This is game-breaking, Best XI stuff from a No. 6. He\u2019s been, I think, the most consistent and best player on a Union<\/a> team \u2013 they won 2-1<\/a>, by the way, thanks to a late goal by Mikael Uhre<\/a> \u2013 that\u2019s very clearly one of the five best in the league at this point.<\/p>\n Montr\u00e9al actually played well, by the way. Marco Donadel shifted them into a 4-4-2 and met Philly on their terms, and it nearly worked. This team isn\u2019t quite as bad as their record indicates.<\/p>\n But the record really is grim. They\u2019re 0W-8L-3D, and that\u2019s historically bad. They would need to average nearly two points per game from here on out just to earn an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n 8. I sent this one to some friends at about<\/strong> the 20th minute of the Fire<\/a>\u2019s scoreless draw<\/a> with Orlando City<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Generating three xG in 20 minutes is insane. Getting nothing out of it is insane. Being forced to hang on for the final 55 minutes, after dominating like that, because your own ‘keeper got sent off for misadventures outside the box is insane.<\/p>\n Chicago are in a very big rut right now, having gone winless in six. If they play like this again next week, though, chances are they\u2019ll break that streak. This was a needed reminder that they\u2019re able to play good soccer after last week\u2019s spectacular capitulation against Nashville.<\/p>\n Orlando\u2026 both lucky and not to come away with a point, right? Pedro Gallese<\/a> continues to be awesome \u2013 he is, by the numbers, the best \u2018keeper in the league since Matchday 3 \u2013 and I think Oscar Pareja\u2019s gambit to shift into a back three in possession is the right one.<\/p>\n But without Eduard Atuesta<\/a>, who\u2019s likely to be out a few weeks, they lack line-breaking passers out of central midfield, and that\u2019s made it tough.<\/p>\n He\u2019s pretty important!<\/p>\n 7. Turning it over to<\/strong> Armchair Analyst special correspondent Calen Carr, who was on the mic in Austin for the Verde & Black<\/a>‘s pretty dispiriting 3-0 loss<\/a> to Minnesota United<\/a>:<\/p>\n Minnesota got their get-right game after a disappointing home loss to Vancouver last week, which snapped an eight-game unbeaten streak (it\u2019s become hard for any team in North America to take it too personally at this point).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n In recent weeks, though, including two nil-nil draws before the Vancouver loss, teams have decided to hand the Loons the ball, which has resulted in only one goal scored. Forty percent possession seems to be the tipping point, with Minnesota looking much more comfortable absorbing and countering from a low block to create space in behind for Tani Oluwaseyi<\/a> and company. Instead of playing out of situations, head coach Eric Ramsay uses any foul or throw-in around midfield to go direct and send numbers crashing forward. Second balls then become the focus and attacking in the second phase in the box when opponents’ shapes are scrambled. In this match it led to a wonderful headed goal from the rangy left-sided defender Anthony Markanich<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n The signing of Julian Gressel<\/a> is a tell that Ramsay knows they need more creativity and flexibility with the ball through the run of play (in some irony, he subbed on as a wingback and immediately contributed with a goal-line clearance). It will also continue to come from Designated Player Joaqu\u00edn Pereyra<\/a>, who was excellent as a pocket 8. His ability to turn and release more advanced runners, or to carry himself, is important for a team that needs goal production behind the two No. 9s. Pereyra\u2019s goal came from a pressing moment to put a cherry on top of a convincing performance from a team that knows exactly who they are heading into next weekend’s big test at home against Inter Miami.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n Austin have now won just once in their past five and aren’t generating great chances. The bigger worry: that $30 million front line has negative attacking chemistry so far with just seven goals and a -6 goal differential through 11 games.<\/p>\n 6. San Diego had no problems generating chances<\/strong> against FC Dallas<\/a>, repeatedly ripping through the visitors in transition and getting both wingers, DPs Hirving Lozano<\/a> and Anders Dreyer<\/a>, in great spots in front of goal.<\/p>\n That led to goals, which led to more space, and in the end it was 5-0<\/a>. That was maybe a little bit flattering, but not by a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in these individual defending moments that just didn’t turn out well for us tonight,\u201d Dallas head coach Eric Quill said, and what the hell, let\u2019s show you one:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That\u2019s just gorgeous soccer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt became a trickle-down process,\u201d Quill said. \u201cWe’re chasing, and chasing under fatigue, unorganized. It compounds itself and that’s what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Los Ni\u00f1os (I\u2019m still trying to make it happen, work with me here) snapped their three-game losing streak, and looked much closer to what they were, in terms of compactness, during the first six weeks of the season.<\/p>\n 5. New England pushed their winning streak<\/strong> since shifting to the 3-5-2 to four, and Saturday\u2019s 2-0 victory<\/a> at Toronto<\/a> was probably their best all-around performance of the bunch. They regularly ripped through TFC in transition and were quicker to everything in central midfield \u2013 both goals came when the Revs won loose balls in the middle of the pitch and immediately poured numbers forward. There is real chemistry between Alhassan Yusuf<\/a> and Matt Polster<\/a> in that neighborhood.<\/p>\n And then, when they got that 2-0 on the half-hour mark after goals from Carles Gil<\/a> (playing at a Best XI level these days) and Leo Campana<\/a>, they didn\u2019t make the mistake of defending in Alja\u017e Iva\u010di\u010d<\/a>\u2019s lap, instead doing a nice job of keeping in the possession battle.<\/p>\n Formations aren\u2019t tactics, but they\u2019re related, and the 3-5-2 \u2013 at least the way the Revs play it, which is really a 3-4-1-2 with Gil in a free role \u2013 lets them immediately extend the game vertically without stranding either of the forwards. Polster and Yusuf mostly sit behind that, and the three center backs sit behind them. There\u2019s no frills here, no underlapping center backs or anything like that, and that\u2019s fine. New England badly needed some stability that would allow Gil and the forwards to attack, and they\u2019ve developed that over the past month by giving rigid specificity to the d-mids and center backs.<\/p>\n That leaves the wingbacks as the only real hybrids, which is also fine. It\u2019s a throwback interpretation of the formation, but when you\u2019ve got a classic No. 10 playing at Gil\u2019s level, it\u2019s not wrong to play the hits.<\/p>\n TFC have now been shut out in three of their past four and four of their past six. They miss DeAndre Kerr<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. The Sounders pushed their unbeaten streak<\/strong> to four (three wins and a draw) with a commanding 4-1 win<\/a> over St. Louis<\/a>, one in which they outshot the visitors 31-7, posted almost 4 xG and were in command in basically every part of the pitch.<\/p>\n A couple of related tidbits here:<\/p>\n Osaze is a true No. 9 who is absolutely destroying MLS NEXT Pro<\/a>, real men among boys stuff. But it\u2019s not that he\u2019s just overpowering or out-athlete\u2019ing the kids; it\u2019s his movement that\u2019s become refined over the last year (when both his goalscoring and underlying numbers were merely very good, rather than off-the-charts elite), which means\u2026 yeah, he\u2019s a guy who finds good looks.<\/p>\n With Jordan Morris<\/a> and Jes\u00fas Ferreira<\/a> (whose time as a No. 9 was probably done, anyway) both laid up for the next few weeks at least, we\u2019ll probably get to see some more of Osaze. Any MLS sicko should be looking forward to that. (Also, I will lose my sicko card if I don’t mention how Nouhou<\/a> had a goal and an assist. I’m not gonna analyze that, I’m just gonna remind you it happened).<\/p>\n St. Louis are now winless in seven. As I pointed out two months ago, teams are rusty and sloppy to start the season. But by about mid-April, everybody\u2019s sharper.<\/p>\n Just stuffing as many center backs as possible into the XI and putting numbers behind the ball is a defensive strategy with a short shelf life. We see it every year.<\/p>\n 3. It felt like the Quakes were due<\/strong> for a win like Saturday\u2019s 4-1<\/a> over Portland<\/a>, one in which they both played well and got on the right end of a few lucky breaks (they have habitually been on the wrong end of those, basically all year long).<\/p>\n Bruce Arena\u2019s made some adjustments to the backline personnel, which was him making good on a promise after their 5-3 loss<\/a> to Sporting<\/a> a couple of weeks back. Rookie Max Floriani<\/a> is now starting at right center back in a 3-4-3 (Floriani\u2019s upside is huge, though he still has a lot of rookie moments), while veteran Dave Romney<\/a>\u2019s at left center back. Third-year pro Daniel Munie<\/a> is in the middle, and that offers San Jose<\/a> something different because of his distribution:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Quakes have weaponized Daniel Munie’s passing over the past few weeks. Been a real upgrade. pic.twitter.com\/oWFfGxZF5v<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The other difference is this really was a 3-4-3 (they\u2019ve mostly been playing a 3-5-2) with Cristian Espinoza<\/a> and Ousseni Bouda<\/a> flanking Chicho Arango<\/a> (whose movement was incredible all game, both in possession and attack). All three of those guys got on the board \u2013 Espinoza twice, with Chicho and Bouda also picking up assists.<\/p>\n Playing with just two true central midfielders could become an issue against other teams, though the Timbers, who still aren\u2019t comfortable in possession, aren\u2019t really built to punish that.<\/p>\n Portland carved out some looks \u2013 including a few very good ones \u2013 but their inability to compress space effectively remains worrying, and was especially pronounced without Diego Chara<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. NYCFC got a well-deserved 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati<\/strong>, one that always felt more likely to end 2-0 or 3-0 after Juli\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a> did well to pounce on a deflected pullback at the top of the box for a one-time finish past Roman Celentano<\/a>.<\/p>\n Celentano was in the firing line all game, as the Pigeons<\/a> generated 19 shots, many of them high quality. There were also moments like this one in which NYCFC got in an incredibly good attacking spot and generated nothing:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I know he scored today but I might be done with Julian Fernandez. pic.twitter.com\/8gBNJcaquQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n I\u2019m certain I made the Face of the Week when Fern\u00e1ndez did not make a run there.<\/p>\n Anyway, if you want to know why this team has missed Malachi Jones<\/a> so much over the past year \u2013 why he got about twice as many box touches per 90 as Fern\u00e1ndez, Agust\u00edn Ojeda<\/a> and the rest of the wingers \u2013 it\u2019s because Jones would never just sort of jog along in that outside channel Fern\u00e1ndez is in. Instead, he\u2019d have been riding two yards behind the line and sprinting towards the box as soon as that defender shaped his body towards the ball.<\/p>\n That should be the wide attacker getting slipped through virtually every time, but THE RUN MAKES THE PASS. The pass never happens if the winger is just standing there.<\/p>\n I feel weird picking on Fern\u00e1ndez (who I\u2019ve generally defended) in particular, and NYCFC as a whole, a little bit after this one. It was, after all, their third win in four and maybe their best all-around performance of the year (at least until Keaton Parks<\/a> came off injured around the half-hour mark; he’s irreplaceable). But they need those wide attackers to move like they mean it off the ball, and if that doesn\u2019t happen, this patch of good form will be a patch, not a habit.<\/p>\n Cincy<\/a>, whose five-game winning streak ended, need some of that chemistry and dynamism themselves. The talent is there but the pieces aren\u2019t quite fitting, which was made worse by the absence of Pavel Bucha<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1. And finally, the Galaxy stayed in the cellar<\/strong> with a 1-0 loss<\/a> at Sporting KC<\/a>, who did not register a single shot:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n History made! Sporting are the first team in MLS history to win without taking a single shot.<\/p>\n Only goal came via this unfortunate deflection off Maya Yoshida, who then gave us our Face of the Week. pic.twitter.com\/UZMPaGPnf1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That\u2019s not \u201cno shots on goal.\u201d That\u2019s \u201cno shots, period.\u201d<\/p>\n The Galaxy<\/a> are now winless in 11 to start the year and saw both their healthy DPs come off injured (no word on how badly yet for Gabriel Pec<\/a> and Joseph Paintsil<\/a>). Sporting have now won three of five under interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t feel the need to get into this one any deeper than that.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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