Soccer <\/p>\n
Between a pair of high-stakes regular-season matchups between teams near the top of each conference, Leagues Cup<\/a> knockouts, and summer transfer window debutants, this past weekend\u2019s slate of games had it all.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Let’s look back at the latest batch of matches involving MLS teams to examine some of the most interesting things we\u2019ve learned. And if you want to read up on the other key moments of Matchday 31 in detail, check out Matt Doyle\u2019s latest column<\/a>.<\/p>\n Onwards.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Sunday night\u2019s matchup between San Diego FC<\/a> and LAFC<\/a> was supposed to be about Son Heung-Min<\/a>. The South Korean superstar was making his debut in front of the BMO Stadium crowd after playing his first three MLS games on the road. It was the last match of the weekend, kicking off in Los Angeles after the Leagues Cup final had concluded up in Seattle. The stage was set, then, for Son.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t LAFC\u2019s brand-new star who showed out. No, it was San Diego FC\u2019s star-filled attack that stole the show in just the way we\u2019ve come to expect from the newcomers. Because San Diego spend so much time drawing the opposing press with intricate buildup play, they\u2019ve led the league in time spent in the \u201cfast break phase of play,\u201d according to data cited by John Muller for The Guardian<\/a>. The thinking goes: draw the press, kickstart a transition attack, profit.<\/em><\/p>\n And against LAFC? Those fast break-style direct runs worked a treat. First, Chucky Lozano<\/a> raced in behind the host\u2019s backline to score, then Anders Dreyer<\/a> finished off the scoring after a darting run of his own in the second half:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n With elite attackers and a clear on-field strategy that makes them even better, San Diego FC are five points clear on top of the West.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When the Philadelphia Union<\/a> met FC Cincinnati<\/a> on Saturday, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference \u2014 and two of the top three teams in the Supporters\u2019 Shield standings \u2014 were doing battle.<\/p>\n The result? An impressive win for the visiting Union that put them even closer to claiming the Shield.<\/p>\n The 1-0 scoreline<\/a> in favor of Philadelphia doesn\u2019t capture just how effective Bradley Carnell\u2019s team was on the day. Most notably, they pressed FC Cincinnati to the point of confusion and created more than a few chances on the back of transition attacks – not unlike this one that led to Bruno Damiani<\/a>\u2019s game-winner:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Real confusion in the build-out from Cincy here. Can’t do that against anyone, most of all the Union. pic.twitter.com\/3gWEQ0WaC2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) August 31, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Defending in their 4-2-2-2 setup, the Union had a ton of success forcing Cincinnati to play around their shape, rather than through it. This pass map from MLS Analytics on Bluesky<\/a> illustrates that theme perfectly. Look at the U-shaped possession from the hosts, with precious little incision into the most dangerous parts of the field:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If anything, Saturday reminded us that the Philadelphia Union are deep (they triumphed without starters Andre Blake<\/a> and Indiana Vassilev<\/a> in the lineup) and they\u2019re worthy of their best-in-class +19.7 xG differential, as per FBref. They\u2019ve got the inside trade to the Shield.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019ve given the Seattle Sounders<\/a> credit time and time again this season for building a wildly deep roster on the back of their varied talent pipeline that draws from their academy setup, the SuperDraft, and MLS NEXT Pro<\/a>. That pipeline helped build Brian Schmetzer\u2019s starting lineup for his team\u2019s 3-0 victory<\/a> over Inter Miami<\/a> in Sunday\u2019s Leagues Cup final \u2014 and Osaze De Rosario<\/a> was a key part of it all.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old striker has had a unique career path, from being the son of MLS legend Dwayne De Rosario to playing in the lower levels in Canada, moving to Ukraine, playing in the Canadian Premier League, and then being signed by the Tacoma Defiance in MLS NEXT Pro. Oh, and along the way? He became a Guyana international.<\/p>\n Finally, after a journey that spanned years and multiple continents, De Rosario found stability in Seattle. After starting the year with the Defiance, he earned a first-team contract earlier this season and has quickly blossomed into a legitimate goal threat against other elite teams. Don\u2019t believe me? Just ask Inter Miami, who watched as De Rosario opened the scoring against them on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n OSAZE DE ROSARIO ????@SoundersFC<\/a> lead Miami in the @LeaguesCup<\/a> final! pic.twitter.com\/M766TjM9PV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n A true physical specimen with high-level off-ball movement in the box, De Rosario\u2019s development curve has looked like a straight line pointed to the sky over the last six months. He\u2019s gifted to the point where I can\u2019t imagine Seattle haven\u2019t started getting calls from other teams around the league asking how much it would take to acquire the striker.<\/p>\n Remember his name, reader. Not just \u2018De Rosario\u2019. But \u2018Osaze De Rosario\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n You don\u2019t need me to tell you that things have been bleak for the LA Galaxy<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n They\u2019re currently favorites to take home the Wooden Spoon, sitting on just 19 points at a 0.7 points-per-game pace through 27 games. After Riqui Puig<\/a>\u2019s ACL injury in last year\u2019s Western Conference final and some major roster tweaks that reshaped the team\u2019s midfield and striker position, the Galaxy haven\u2019t been able to string together wins this year.<\/p>\n But on Sunday? They enjoyed a flash of momentum-building optimism. By taking down Orlando City<\/a> in the Leagues Cup Third-Place Match, the Galaxy were rewarded with a spot in next year\u2019s Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a>. That means Puig, when he\u2019s back and fully healthy for the start of next season, will have the chance to lead the Galaxy in continental play for the first time since he arrived in California.<\/p>\n Sure, Sunday\u2019s match truly was a third-place game. But for a struggling team in desperate need of something to hold their hat on? It felt an awful lot like a final.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Quakes<\/a>\u2019 clash with Austin FC<\/a> on Saturday had all sorts of potential Audi MLS Cup Playoffs implications. Both teams were sitting in the Western Conference Wild Card spots with a chance to jump into the automatic playoff spots. Austin did exactly that following a 3-1 win<\/a>, leapfrogging the Colorado Rapids<\/a> and moving into seventh place in the West.<\/p>\n San Jose, on the other hand, remain in ninth \u2014 the final playoff spot \u2014 and have nothing but an incredibly familiar issue to blame. For Bruce Arena\u2019s team, it was their leaky defending that came back to bite them yet again. According to FBref, only three teams have allowed more non-penalty xG than the Earthquakes on a per 90 minute basis in 2025: the LA Galaxy, the Colorado Rapids, and Sporting Kansas City<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Quakes undoubtedly know their own biggest weakness. They went and signed an in-prime, self-proclaimed ball-winner<\/a> in Ronaldo Vieira<\/a> from Sampdoria to help tighten things up in their own half. It\u2019s early days on the Vieira signing with the 27-year-old now just fresh off his first start, but his transition defending was sloppy on Saturday. Toss in a mental lapse from rookie center back Reid Roberts<\/a> and an own goal in the second half, and San Jose found themselves in the unenviable position of being the first team outside of D.C. United<\/a> to concede three goals to Austin FC in a single game.<\/p>\n For San Jose to make the playoffs, it sure looks like they need to right the defensive ship. That\u2019s proving to be easier said than done.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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