Soccer <\/p>\n
The FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> and Concacaf Gold Cup<\/a> haze is fading, and into the final third of the season we go.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Here’s what caught my eye from Matchday 22.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I want to point out this excellent work from Justin Egan<\/a> over at The Outfield<\/a> on New York City FC<\/a> head coach Pascal Jansen’s tactical flexibility and problem-solving skills.<\/p>\n The short version: because of backline injury and attacking underperformance issues, Jansen had to get creative in terms of creating attacking width while still maintaining even numbers (or even creating numerical superiority) through central midfield this spring. He did so by pushing the indispensable Justin Haak<\/a> \u2013 a defensive midfielder by trade coming through the academy \u2013 into the \u201cJohn Stones Role\u201d a few months ago.<\/p>\n What is the John Stones Role? It\u2019s that of a center back in a back four who, instead of maintaining his spot along the backline in possession, steps into midfield with the ball. That means neither fullback overlaps. Rather, they stay deep and pinch more central to form a back three, while the central midfield becomes a four-man box, and attacking width is provided by the wingers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just another way of creating the 3-2-5 that every possession-heavy team in the world tries to build now. And it\u2019s called the John Stones Role because this type of rotation was most famously and successfully employed by NYCFC\u2019s sister club in Manchester a few years back, with Stones stepping into central midfield to give Pep Guardiola the positional superiority he believes in above all things.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how the Pigeons\u2019 version looks on the network passing graphic. Haak is No. 80, and I will remind you once again that he is a center back:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That\u2019s from last week\u2019s 1-0 loss<\/a> at Montr\u00e9al<\/a>. And while that result was disappointing, it wasn\u2019t because of the structure. As Justin (Egan, not Haak) laid out in his deep dive, the structure is actually what\u2019s given NYCFC both direction and the ability to keep their heads above water this season, from a defensive point of view, while the attack\u2019s been misfiring (i.e., not finishing their chances).<\/p>\n Jansen’s proved to be a clever tactician; his team was 22nd in the league in expected goals allowed, as per American Soccer Analysis, before Haak moved into this role. Since then, they\u2019re eighth-best.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also proved to be a pragmatist \u2013 not the type to become besotted by his own brilliance \u2013 and the pragmatic thing to do this past Thursday, with Toronto FC<\/a> in town, was to move back to a more traditional back four and release the fullbacks to attack. It resulted in a 3-1 win<\/a>, with the fullbacks involved in all three goals. Mitja Ileni\u010d<\/a>, the right back, had an assist on Hannes Wolf<\/a>\u2019s opener and scored the second goal of the evening. Left back Kevin O\u2019Toole<\/a>, who came on for the final 20 minutes, got the third on the underlap via some champagne football:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n NOW THAT’S WHAT YOU CALL A TEAM GOAL ???? pic.twitter.com\/qhtTfHppEK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) July 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n \u201cToday, me and Kevin, two fullbacks, scored goals,\u201d Ileni\u010d said. \u201cI think it shows our versatility, if that’s the correct word. Just really happy for that, and we’ll keep riding.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the network passing graphic from Thursday. Again, Haak is No. 80:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Very different from Montr\u00e9al, right? These are very valuable clubs to have in the bag, and this team\u2019s showing the ability to play both of them.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say it hasn\u2019t been an up-and-down year \u2013 it very clearly has been. But with Alonso Mart\u00ednez<\/a> back and a new No. 10<\/a> rumored to be on the way, this feels like a team ready to cook.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m going to kick it to Armchair Analyst special correspondent Calen Carr, who was in Montr\u00e9al with Callum Williams to see Inter Miami<\/a> come back from the Club World Cup and take out their PSG-related frustrations on the home side in a 4-1 final<\/a>:<\/p>\n Inter Miami conceded in the first two minutes when Leo Messi<\/a> took a rare (maybe first-ever?) poor first touch and played a square ball directly to Prince Owusu<\/a>. After that, Miami mostly bypassed in their build and clipped balls to Tadeo Allende<\/a> wide, or Messi and Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> just in the gaps behind Montr\u00e9al\u2019s aggressive man-marking midfield.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n It\u2019s no secret that Miami lack pace up top, so opposing center backs feel comfortable jumping that first interaction. But if that first ball drops, Miami have one of the all-time greats in Sergio Busquets<\/a> to spring in deep runs from Telasco Segovia<\/a>, Allende and Jordi Alba<\/a>, whose timing of his runs in behind should be studied as an art form.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n Playing two strikers (Messi stayed high as a true striker in this one) with two fullbacks (Alba and Marcelo Weigandt<\/a>) both pushed high and wide on either side puts a ton of pressure on the spine of a team to be both perfect in build-out and excellent in defensive transition.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n Miami have been neither. But when you have the top-end talent that can consistently conjure up otherworldly moments like this\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi . ???? pic.twitter.com\/DsvmC73hns<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n \u2026the pressure still falls on the other side to take their chances when they appear.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n Montr\u00e9al didn\u2019t. They had nearly identical xG to Miami and still could\u2019ve lost 5-1 (a late Messi goal that would\u2019ve completed the hat trick was called off; it looked extremely tight).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n And while we\u2019ve seen Miami\u2019s structure fall apart against better MLS (and global) competition this year, it\u2019s spectacular when it works. I guess it\u2019s easier to play a game of cat and mouse when the cat is a Bengal Tiger.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n Two notes here (hi, this is Doyle again).<\/p>\n First is we\u2019ve seen basically every variety of classic Messi goals since he arrived in MLS, except for the jaw-dropping, solo effort where he eliminates six defenders off the dribble. We can now scratch that one off the list.<\/p>\n Second is I thought Miami head coach Javier Mascherano struck the right note in the postgame presser:<\/p>\n “It was not easy to get back into the competition after spending a month playing in the Club World Cup, and I think the players handled it perfectly,\u201d he said. \u201cThe team had to work hard to turn it around, and they did an excellent job \u2013 right in line with the level we showed throughout the Club World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, honestly, it was a great night. We\u2019re taking three much-needed points back to Miami to shift our focus back to MLS.\u201d<\/p>\n I agree with his assessment of Miami\u2019s performance, both at the Club World Cup and this weekend. They are now fourth in the East on PPG (1.88) with four games in hand on all the teams they\u2019re chasing, and every reason to think they can spin this toward a second straight Supporters\u2019 Shield.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n 12. As limited as Minnesota are<\/strong> in some phases of play, my god, this team is incredible on restarts. They are\u2026 honestly, is this the best MLS team I\u2019ve ever seen from set pieces? When you include throw-ins \u2013 they have religion on the value of long throws \u2013 they probably are.<\/p>\n Anyway, their first goal in their 2-1 win<\/a> at FC Dallas<\/a> on Friday night came from Julian Gressel<\/a>\u2019s inch-perfect service, and their second goal came from yet another Michael Boxall<\/a> long throw, which marks the third straight game in which they\u2019ve scored off one of those. Real \u201cThis one trick gets you a goal a game \u2013 other managers hate it<\/a>!\u201d stuff.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Interestingly, the Loons ended up with 46% possession despite having a lead for the final 55 minutes. It\u2019s been well-documented how possession-averse Minnesota<\/a> are (you might\u2019ve read a thing or two about it in this column), and, obviously, game states tend to mean that teams protecting a result get on the ball less. Most wins this year they\u2019re down around 35%.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if this is a philosophical shift given all the dropped points (11 dropped from leading positions is second-worst among Audi MLS Cup Playoffs teams, behind only Chicago<\/a>\u2019s 13) or just a one-off happenstance, but I\u2019ll be watching with real interest next weekend.<\/p>\n Dallas ended their three-game homestand with zero points and have won once in 10.<\/p>\n 11. Colorado\u2019s dominant performance<\/strong> against Sporting KC<\/a> on Friday night was the fourth-highest xG differential for a single MLS game in American Soccer Analysis<\/a>\u2019s database, which goes back to 2013. They were relentless and dynamic attacking out of what I\u2019d call a 4-4-1-1 (Djordje Mihailovic<\/a> was in more of a free role than operating as a true midfielder), getting constantly into transition and generating one great chance after another.<\/p>\n They lost 2-1<\/a>. It is by far the biggest positive xG differential for a losing team in the ASA database, and honestly, I\u2019d bet my net worth it was the largest in MLS history. I\u2019m not guaranteeing I\u2019ve never seen one like that, but I can\u2019t think of one worse off the top of my head.<\/p>\n Rapids<\/a> fans, shield your eyes:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cSometimes ball not go in\u201d is not a satisfying narrative, especially when you\u2019re fighting for your playoff lives and just dropped a six-pointer at home. But\u2026 I mean, that was Colorado\u2019s best performance of the year. If they keep playing at this level, they\u2019ll make the postseason.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll need to stay at or near that level over the next five games, though, as into the woodchipper they now go: at LAFC<\/a>, home vs. Vancouver<\/a>, at Seattle<\/a>, at Philly<\/a>, at Minnesota. I don\u2019t think anyone in the league has a tougher five-game stretch this year.<\/p>\n Sporting are somehow hanging around, just three points back after taking seven points from their past three games, and looking at three of their next four at home. Of course, each of their next seven are against playoff teams, and they\u2019ve probably exhausted the goodwill of the soccer gods after this one. So they\u2019ll need to find better form or they\u2019re done.<\/p>\n 10. Orlando roared back over<\/strong> the game\u2019s final 25 minutes to turn a 2-0 deficit into a very good 2-2 draw<\/a> at Charlotte<\/a>, one that felt like it would\u2019ve ended 3-2 if the game had run five minutes longer.<\/p>\n The Crown really had no answers for Orlando<\/a>\u2019s left-sided overload once Rafael Santos<\/a> \u2013 a true left back \u2013 started pushing forward on the overlap, which is not something we\u2019ve seen from the Cats for most of the year (instead it\u2019s been a third center back pinching in to form a back three). I don\u2019t think this signals a tactical shift, but instead serves as a reminder that this is a look Orlando are still very comfortable shifting into when the moment calls for it, a la NYCFC.<\/p>\n \u201cThe feeling is that we could have, or we should have, gotten the three points here in Charlotte,\u201d Orlando head coach Oscar Pareja said in the postgame. \u201cWe paid the price for our distractions on those two [Charlotte] goals, and there was much more on our responsibilities on a couple of duties there that we had to control.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, we needed to push in many different ways to find that equalizer and try to get the winning goal, but it was not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n I think that\u2019s an accurate assessment.<\/p>\n One note: After a miserable start to the year, forward Ramiro Enrique<\/a> has found his form. He scored another goal in this one, which gives him 3g\/1a in three games since returning to the starting XI. Since the beginning of May, he\u2019s now got 7g\/1a in about 800 minutes across all competitions, along with some of the best counterpressing in the league.<\/p>\n Charlotte\u2019s winless skid hit four with this late collapse, and they\u2019ve now won just twice in their past 12 in the league.<\/p>\n 9. Our Pass of the Week comes courtesy<\/strong> of Marco Reus<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Pec \u27a1\ufe0f Reus \u27a1\ufe0f Paintsil @LAGalaxy<\/a> extend their lead! pic.twitter.com\/OO5A761ItL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n He wasn’t technically awarded an assist on this since the ball deflected slightly off the defender, but still, the vision and intent were there. And that kind of run out of midfield is exactly how you\u2019re supposed to turn possession into penetration.<\/p>\n The Galaxy<\/a> have been doing that more lately \u2013 they\u2019re 2W-1L-2D in their past five \u2013 and they did it a lot in Friday\u2019s shocking 3-0 win<\/a> over a Vancouver side that are finally, officially, crashing back down to earth (three losses in their past four). Oh, and that\u2019s Joseph Paintsil<\/a> finally dispensing with the K\u00e9vin Cabral<\/a> impersonation; he had himself a brace.<\/p>\n Is it too little, too late for LA? Probably. Even with this good run, they\u2019re still 14 points below the red line and have just 12 points on the year. But they\u2019ve now won the xG battle in four of their past six outings after having done so just twice all year before this stretch (one of those being the hilarious 1-0 loss<\/a> to Sporting KC in which Sporting failed to register a shot), so\u2026 they\u2019re better, at least.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll claim the Wooden Spoon.<\/p>\n 8. Atlanta and D.C. United played to<\/strong> a tepid scoreless draw<\/a> on Saturday night in which they combined for two shots on goal.<\/p>\n 7. At the other end of the Eastern Conference<\/strong> table, Nashville<\/a> leapfrogged Philly into second place with a late, dramatic 1-0 home<\/a> win despite playing the final 30-plus minutes down to 10 men.<\/p>\n This one felt destined to end in a stalemate, as Nashville mostly weren\u2019t sharp enough to play through Philly\u2019s defensive pressure (Andre Blake<\/a> and the post combined to save the Union the one time Hany Mukhtar<\/a> got loose), but were<\/em> sharp enough to avoid falling into the pits of ChaosBall inflicted by the same said pressure.<\/p>\n In the end, Philly got desperate and undisciplined, so the seas parted and Hany did what an MVP-caliber player is supposed to do, drawing and then finishing the winning PK. Make it 12 unbeaten for the \u2018Yotes, the last four of which have been wins.<\/p>\n For Philly, since starting the year with six points against FC Cincinnati and Orlando City:<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to borrow (and lightly edit) a line I saw from a Union fan on social media<\/a>: When Philly can\u2019t create chaos they can\u2019t score. [This is] why they beat bad teams but not good ones as [good ones] don\u2019t succumb to the chaos.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve got four of their next five at home, with only one of those against a playoff team (next week vs. the Red Bulls<\/a>). So I\u2019m expecting them to return to their winning ways, but will remain skeptical of their ability to beat the league\u2019s best until they start showing they can do so.<\/p>\n 6. Those Red Bulls crossed the country<\/strong> and got themselves a very credible draw out in San Jose<\/a>, taking an early lead via Emil Forsberg<\/a>\u2019s fancy footwork in the box and mostly holding on from there.<\/p>\n In spite of the point, I think there will be some frustration in Harrison. They spent the final half-hour up a man and didn\u2019t make it count (the closest they came was a goal that, I think, was correctly flagged offside<\/a>; make sure you watch Andrew Weibe on Instant Replay<\/a> this week).<\/p>\n There was a lot of this:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s very tough to unlock a packed-in defense, which is what the Quakes immediately became once DeJuan Jones<\/a> was sent off in the 64th minute. You need to have coordinated and aggressive movement of and off the ball, and you can see that while RBNY are good at doing that in the build-up \u2013 Noah Eile<\/a>\u2019s passing from the back has been a real weapon, and Alexander Hack<\/a>\u2019s not bad, either \u2013 it\u2019s all a lot more uncertain and stilted once they reach the final third.<\/p>\n San Jose are sixth in the West, but just two points above 10th-place Austin<\/a> and have won just twice in their past nine. They\u2019re not losing much (only once since the start of May), but with four straight home draws they\u2019ve squandered the chance to create a little separation.<\/p>\n 5. The Evander & K\u00e9vin Show rolled back home<\/strong> to TQL Stadium for the first time since late May, and Cincy\u2019s DPs treated the home crowd to the full three points thanks to the type of match-winning brilliance you want from your best players.<\/p>\n Hit it like it owed him money:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Props, as well, to DeAndre Yedlin<\/a> for making that dead sprint up the right touchline to pull Chicago left back Andrew Gutman<\/a> out of the channel, giving Evander<\/a> a little bit more time to really step into that shot. Yedlin 100% knows he\u2019s not getting the ball there, but sacrificial off-ball runs to take opposing defenders out of high-value areas are the type of thing that good teams do.<\/p>\n Cincy are clearly a good team \u2013 they are atop the Shield standings, after all \u2013 and have now won the xG battle in four of their past six outings. That\u2019s important, since they\u2019ve actually been overperforming their underlying numbers to a greater extent than some of the all-time \u201cregression to the mean\u201d sides like 2022 Austin and 2023 St. Louis<\/a>.<\/p>\n As pointed out by the good folks at The Lantern<\/a>: six of the Fire’s eight losses have been against the top four of the Eastern Conference. The other two were NYCFC and the Red Bulls.<\/p>\n Chicago are ninth in the East. Seems just about right.<\/p>\n 4. For a while it looked like New England<\/strong> were going to reel in the East playoff teams, but following Saturday\u2019s 2-1 loss<\/a> at Portland<\/a>, they\u2019ve taken just one point from the past 12 on offer and have won just once in their past nine league games going back to early May.<\/p>\n The lack of urgency (or maybe just pure confusion) to get pressure to the ball you see here after the initial clearance, and the gap between the defense (which often includes the defensive midfielders) and the attack has become a tactical staple (derogatory):<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Long range precision from David Da Costa to give @TimbersFC<\/a> the lead! ???? pic.twitter.com\/IaE6CHctz1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n There\u2019s less and less connective tissue out there for the Revs<\/a>, and there doesn\u2019t seem to be any defensive plan beyond simply getting numbers behind the ball. Good players, like David Da Costa<\/a> here, take advantage of that (and to be entirely fair to the New England outfield players, goalkeeper Alja\u017e Iva\u010di\u010d<\/a> should have done better).<\/p>\n Portland, who head to St. Louis next weekend for Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, needed this bounce-back after last week\u2019s disappointing 3-0 loss<\/a> at Toronto. They weren\u2019t great, but three points are three points.<\/p>\n 3. For the first time all year<\/strong> San Diego<\/a> dropped points from a leading position, as they saw a late 3-2 lead (and an early 1-0 lead, so to be fair they dropped points twice) against Houston<\/a> turn into a 4-3 loss<\/a>. Ezequiel Ponce<\/a> grabbed an 87th-minute equalizer from the spot and an inexplicably easy winner<\/a> 10 minutes into 17 minutes of second-half stoppage.<\/p>\n Mikey Varas has pushed every right button and pulled every correct lever this year. He\u2019ll get the chance to do so again this week in film session, because a goal like that can not happen.<\/p>\n A goal like this, though\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Lawrence Ennali is electric. pic.twitter.com\/QpOMHf3EIw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That is outrageous. And the Dynamo, folks, are finally above the red line, up to eighth in the West after this very unexpected win.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is our best performance to date. The team brought the right level of intensity and quality, and we put those two together throughout this whole match,\u201d head coach Ben Olsen said in the postgame. \u201cWe were resilient and kept fighting back to secure those three points.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully this is the type of game that can change a season.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ve mentioned before in this column that I\u2019m betting on them to have a strong second half of the season, especially once Jack McGlynn<\/a> is back. The pieces seem to be in place.<\/p>\n 2.<\/strong> Seattle\u2019s delightful 1-1 home draw<\/strong> against Columbus<\/a> on Sunday night was a wonderful example of the level of tactical sophistication you can find among the best teams in the league.<\/p>\n All of this was happening within the context of ever-shifting midfield match-ups as well, as the teams traded control of the match throughout the full 90 and beyond. The draw<\/a> was probably the right result in the end, though Seattle had most of the better chances.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not going to speculate on the severity of Stefan Frei<\/a>\u2019s scary late injury. Just hope he\u2019s ok.<\/p>\n 1. And finally, our Face of the Week<\/strong> goes to Diogo Gon\u00e7alves<\/a> for this tribute to Diogo Jota<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n More than a goal. That was for Jota ????\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/UvJXXn6q7J<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Gon\u00e7alves, who was a teammate of Jota\u2019s on various Portuguese youth national teams, has struggled since coming to MLS last summer. He played probably his finest game in the Claret-and-Cobalt this weekend in RSL<\/a>\u2019s 3-2 win<\/a> over visiting St. Louis, getting loose in transition to score a banger of a goal and generally impacting play at a good level on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n RSL have now taken seven points from their past three outings and have lost just once in their past five, so there might be something percolating here. St. Louis are in a full-on tailspin, with three straight losses and just one win in nearly four months. They\u2019ll try to pull themselves out of it next week when they host the Timbers for Sunday Night Soccer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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