Soccer <\/p>\n
Matchday 10 is in the books.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
What did we learn? Did the games confirm what we already knew or change the complexion of the league?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dive into some key takeaways from another weekend of MLS action.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Following their run to MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi, the Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a> lost a couple of key pieces in wingers Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson<\/a>. Ahmed was transferred<\/a> to Norwich City in the English Championship, while Nelson was traded<\/a> to Austin FC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rather impressively, it looks as though Vancouver\u2019s talent gap out wide has been filled \u2013 and then some \u2013 after a savvy bit of offseason recruitment.<\/p>\n Cheikh Sabaly<\/a>, a Senegal international who played nearly 1,000 minutes for Metz at the start of the still-ongoing Ligue 1 season, and Bruno Caicedo<\/a>, an Ecuador youth international, have wasted no time making an impact this year.<\/p>\n Both newcomers, in fact, were influential in Vancouver\u2019s 3-1 win<\/a> over the Colorado Rapids<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n Sabaly found the opener by finishing off a Thomas M\u00fcller<\/a> cross. Consistent defensive effort mixed with a balanced attacking skillset makes Sabaly a regular threat:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n For his part, Caicedo looks like one of the most physically gifted players in all of MLS. He dusted Colorado\u2019s Keegan Rosenberry<\/a> late in the match, getting in behind and serving the ball on a platter for Brian White<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Head coach Jesper S\u00f8rensen has garnered much-deserved attention for his influential system in Vancouver. But the club\u2019s front office-driven recruitment has been nothing short of elite as well, bringing in players like Sabaly and Caicedo to arguably upgrade major needs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s like Matt Turner<\/a> never left, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Once a load-bearing pillar in the New England Revolution<\/a>\u2019s 2021 Supporters\u2019 Shield-winning team, Turner is up to his old tricks after returning from his English sojourn.<\/p>\n Up against Inter Miami<\/a> at Nu Stadium on Saturday, the USMNT<\/a> goalkeeper made a whopping nine saves en route to saving 1.45 goals more than expected, as per FotMob, in a 1-1 draw<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n This wasn’t a one-off performance from Turner, either. According to American Soccer Analysis, he has saved 6.71 more goals than expected across his nine games in 2026. That\u2019s the best tally in the league.<\/p>\n The 2021 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year truly looks to be back to his best while helping New England kickstart life under new head coach Marko Mitrovi\u0107.<\/p>\n A regular in camps for Mauricio Pochettino and fresh off having started the USMNT\u2019s loss to Belgium in the March international window, could Turner make a play to pass New York City FC<\/a>\u2019s Matt Freese<\/a> in the depth chart to become the team\u2019s starting goalkeeper? If the 2022 FIFA World Cup<\/a> veteran carries over this form into the pre-tournament camp, anything is possible.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s been plenty of chopping and changing in Columbus<\/a> this season under new head coach Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m.\u00a0<\/p>\n In hopes of shoring up the team\u2019s frailties in defensive transition, we\u2019ve seen the Crew adopt a 4-4-2 shape instead of the back three that became the norm under Wilfried Nancy. In possession, the team primarily uses two center backs (rather than three) and pushes their fullbacks inside to overload the midfield.<\/p>\n On an individual level, those structural changes mean new roles for key players \u2013 including Max Arfsten<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arfsten, who entered the USMNT fold via standout showings at left wingback, has been tasked with playing higher upfield this season. First, the 25-year-old became something closer to a true left winger under Rydstr\u00f6m. However, Arfsten\u2019s role changed yet again this past week as an inverted winger on the right.<\/p>\n With plenty of dribbling ability and a dangerous left foot, it didn\u2019t take long for Arfsten to reward that choice. He picked up an assist in a 2-1 midweek win<\/a> over the LA Galaxy<\/a> and scored in a 2-0 win<\/a> over the Philadelphia Union<\/a> on Saturday:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n It\u2019s too early to tell if Arfsten will be a mainstay on the right. But Rydstr\u00f6m seems eager to put him in goal-dangerous positions, and for good reason.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Marc Dos Santos hasn\u2019t made sweeping changes to LAFC<\/a> after taking over as head coach. The team is still focused on stout defending first and pushing numbers forward into the attack second.<\/p>\n But even with slight personnel tweaks, Dos Santos has raised LAFC\u2019s ceiling. Most notably, David Mart\u00ednez<\/a> consistently being in the lineup has changed the team\u2019s outlook.<\/p>\n Want proof? Here you go:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Mart\u00ednez, who scored the only goal in LAFC\u2019s 1-0 win<\/a> at Minnesota United FC<\/a> on Saturday, initiated the scoring sequence, made a clever third-man run, and capped things off with an impressive finish. The 20-year-old Venezuelan international thrives in exactly the sort of moments where LAFC often stalled out last season: up against a set defense in the final third.<\/p>\n But Mart\u00ednez’s attacking skillset has been obvious since he arrived in MLS. It\u2019s become easier for his manager to trust him on the field, however, thanks to his improved defensive output.<\/p>\n Against Minnesota, the young attacker\u2019s effort in the counterpress was notable. Just look at how quickly Mart\u00ednez reacts after LAFC lose the ball on this play \u2013 and how aggressively he works to win it back:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n David Martinez putting in major shifts against the ball has been crucial to him getting on the field for LAFC this season.<\/p>\n Sky is the limit for the young Venezuelan attacker.<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea pic.twitter.com\/wQSk8HFwyq<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n With Mart\u00ednez making plays with and without the ball, he\u2019s evolving in a way that makes LAFC far more than the Denis Bouanga<\/a> and Son Heung-Min<\/a> show.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I submit, dear reader, that there’s no more underrated player in MLS than Prince Owusu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2024, the Ghana international bagged nine goals for a struggling Toronto FC<\/a> team. In 2025, he notched 13 for a CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> outfit that finished near the bottom of the overall table.<\/p>\n This season, the striker has already collected 6g\/3a for Montr\u00e9al, who appear to be loving life at Stade Saputo under interim manager Philippe Eullaffroy. Unsurprisingly, Owusu\u2019s goal put Montr\u00e9al ahead against New York City FC<\/a> on Saturday, a lead they never relinquished en route to winning 1-0<\/a>.<\/p>\n With a difficult-to-defend-against mixture of size and savvy movement, he makes things look easy inside the 18-yard box:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n