Soccer <\/p>\n
Free kick bangers, a three-goal comeback, late winners, a club legend returning home and so much more \u2013 this past weekend\u2019s slate of MLS games had it all.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Let’s explore some of the most interesting things we learned during Matchday 21. And if you want to read up on other key moments in detail, check out Matt Doyle<\/a>\u2019s latest column<\/a>.<\/p>\n Onwards.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019ve got stock in the Sounders<\/a> that I don\u2019t plan on selling even if Jes\u00fas Ferreira<\/a> doesn\u2019t regain his 2022 form. They\u2019re plenty talented to compete with the best this league has to offer, they\u2019re deep, and they\u2019re positionally versatile. Seattle just won a game with Alex Roldan<\/a> starting at center back, for crying out loud!<\/p>\n But maybe \u2013 just maybe \u2013 we\u2019re starting to see Ferreira wake up. With goals in two of his last three regular-season games, the 24-year-old is beginning to find his footing in Brian Schmetzer\u2019s attack. Now, I\u2019m not expecting a full-on return to the player who forced his way into the USMNT picture under Gregg Berhalter until he has more of a set role in the Sounders\u2019 attack. Ferreira\u2019s goal in a 2-0 win<\/a> over Austin FC<\/a> on Saturday came with him playing on the right wing, while his goal against San Diego FC<\/a> came when he started as the No. 9.<\/p>\n Still, Ferreira showing signs of life as the team around him slowly becomes healthy is a great sign for Seattle. Don\u2019t count them out in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) June 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Every year, the coach of the club hosting the MLS All-Star Game makes a batch of selections to round out the roster.<\/p>\n As such, Nico Est\u00e9vez added two of his Austin FC players into the mix \u2013 Brad Stuver<\/a> and Brandon Vazquez<\/a> \u2013 along with a smattering of others from around the league. Thanks to him, we\u2019ll get to watch deserving players next month like Anders Dreyer<\/a>, Jeppe Tverskov<\/a> and\u2026 Philip Zinckernagel<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That\u2019s right, folks. Zinckernagel had a strong case.<\/p>\n Sure, he\u2019s not the biggest name on the Chicago Fire<\/a>‘s roster. That\u2019s Jonathan Bamba<\/a>. But he’s been their most productive attacker, leading the team with 16 goal contributions (8g\/8a). Far more relevant to the All-Star conversation, the Danish midfielder is one of only four players in MLS in the top seven for goal contributions and expected assisted goals, as per FBref. Dreyer, Pep Biel<\/a> (Charlotte FC<\/a>) and Mart\u00edn Ojeda<\/a> (Orlando City<\/a>) are the other three.<\/p>\n With a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win<\/a> over Charlotte FC on Saturday, Zinckernagel continues to put his fingerprints on games. Don\u2019t expect that to stop anytime soon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) June 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n In case you haven\u2019t been following along closely, San Diego FC<\/a> are on pace to have the best regular season in MLS expansion team history.<\/p>\n Because the number of games on the MLS schedule has shifted over the years, there are two marks to beat: LAFC<\/a>\u2019s 57-point total from their expansion year in 2018 and the Chicago Fire\u2019s 1.75 points-per-game rate from their expansion year in 1998.<\/p>\n Playing at a 1.95 points-per-game pace right now, San Diego FC are on track to shatter both of those records. If they keep picking up points at this clip, SDFC will end the 2025 regular season with 66 points.<\/p>\n This season isn\u2019t just about setting expansion records, which I think SDFC will do. Rather, it\u2019s about winning legitimate hardware. They\u2019re in the Supporters\u2019 Shield hunt, with only Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> and the Philadelphia Union<\/a> beating them on points per game (they’re both sitting on 2.0 ppg).<\/p>\n After a 3-2 comeback win<\/a> at FC Dallas<\/a> on Saturday featured a short-handed lineup, the new kids on the block are enjoying a four-match winning streak. San Diego FC are a must-watch team with a trophy in their sights.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Exactly zero people outside of San Jose<\/a> (and even then, very few people in San Jose, from what I\u2019ve heard) had \u201cBeau Leroux<\/a> breakout campaign\u201d on their bingo card for the 2025 season. And yet? Here we are.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old central midfielder keeps changing games for the Earthquakes. His latest exploit was scoring an absolute banger in a 1-1 draw<\/a> with Cali Cl\u00e1sico rivals LA Galaxy<\/a> on Saturday:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Goal of the year from the LeROTY ???? @beau_leroux<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1lIJ1uwZAr<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) June 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Though the 2024 SuperDraft pick didn\u2019t make this year\u2019s All-Star squad, he had an extremely compelling argument for inclusion. I wrote about that argument last month<\/a>, and it\u2019s held up: Leroux is in the 85th percentile or higher among his positional peers in non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG, successful take-ons, carries into the box, interceptions, and ball recoveries on a per-90-minute basis, as per FBref. But I was callously ignored by the voting powers that be.<\/p>\n And yet Leroux has kept dominating even without the accolades. Only two players have earned more minutes for San Jose this year than Leroux. Only three Quakes have registered more goal contributions than his eight. Again, the guy is a No. 8 and putting up box-score stats like he\u2019s a No. 10.<\/p>\n Leroux is a force to be reckoned with. Ignore him at your own peril.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Real Salt Lake<\/a> have played their last two games without Diego Luna<\/a> while he\u2019s repping the USMNT at the Gold Cup<\/a>. Johnny Russell<\/a> has started both of those matches to help cover the hole in Pablo Mastroeni\u2019s frontline \u2013 and he scored each time, a 2-0 win<\/a> over D.C. United<\/a> and Saturday\u2019s 1-1 draw<\/a> with Sporting Kansas City<\/a>. That\u2019s right, the same Sporting Kansas City where Russell started (and hoped to end) his MLS career.<\/p>\n Classy as can be, the 35-year-old didn\u2019t celebrate against his old club after putting his new side ahead at Children\u2019s Mercy Park:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Johnny is a class act through & through ???? pic.twitter.com\/q1R3x6VroI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) June 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Sure, Russell doesn\u2019t move as quickly as he did at his peak in Kansas City. But the veteran is bringing more than just intangibles to the table in Salt Lake (though you\u2019d have to imagine his experience and leadership can do nothing but good things for Luna and 18-year-old Zavier Gozo<\/a>, who\u2019s blossoming this year, too). Rather, he\u2019s bringing legitimate value to RSL\u2019s attack. He\u2019s second in the squad in progressive passes per 90 and fifth in passes into the box per 90, according to FBref.<\/p>\n Russell won\u2019t be an every-game starter for the rest of the season, but he\u2019s certainly got something left in his legs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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