Soccer <\/p>\n
Matchday 11 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
Via one of the most lopsided 2-0 victories<\/a> you can imagine, Real Salt Lake<\/a> pushed past the Portland Timbers<\/a> at home to continue their top-tier run of form.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n At the very center of RSL\u2019s dominant outing was none other than\u2026 Diego Luna<\/a>.<\/p>\n Likely feeling pressure to perform and make USMNT<\/a> boss Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> squad (one that will be announced May 26), Luna has been a genuine standout across five starts this season.<\/p>\n After missing the March international window and the start of the MLS campaign due to injury, Luna has notched five goal contributions in those five starts. His goal against Portland helped put the match out of reach:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Beyond that finish, Luna was constantly on the precipice of breaking the Timbers\u2019 defense wide open.<\/p>\n According to American Soccer Analysis\u2019 goals added metric, Luna was the\u00a0most impactful<\/a> player on either side of Saturday\u2019s contest. His outlet passes to kickstart transition attackers were spotless \u2013 as was his one-v-one dribbling in tight spaces:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n diego luna, my word pic.twitter.com\/wb97N0mO1m<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n With performances like his against the Timbers, Luna doesn\u2019t look ready to simply crack a World Cup roster. He looks ready to play on the world\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After a brutal start to the season, one that featured 23 goals conceded in their first six games and a coaching change<\/a>, Orlando City<\/a> are suddenly surging back into form.<\/p>\n The Lions have won three of their last four games across both MLS play and the\u00a0US Open Cup<\/a>, most recently roaring back from a three-goal deficit to best Florida Derby rivals\u00a0Inter Miami CF<\/a> by a 4-3 scoreline<\/a>.<\/p>\n The undisputed star behind Orlando\u2019s recent uptick in form? Mart\u00edn Ojeda<\/a>, who bagged a hat trick against Miami just more than a week after scoring a brace in a 4-1 win<\/a> against Charlotte FC<\/a> that kickstarted a better run of results in the league.<\/p>\n With top-tier timing off the ball and a wand of a left foot, the Argentine No. 10 was a thorn in Inter Miami\u2019s side. His long-range effort in the first half gave life to a team that desperately needed it at Nu Stadium:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n MARTIN OJEDA. WHAT A GOAL. pic.twitter.com\/zLoEmwRBse<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Between Ojeda\u2019s status as a truly elite attacker in MLS, the return of captain Robin Jansson<\/a>, and interim head coach Mart\u00edn Perelman\u2019s tactical tweaks that have seen Orlando adopt a tight reset defense base, the Lions are tougher to beat now than they have been at any point this season.<\/p>\n And with just four regular-season games before the World Cup break and Antoine Griezmann<\/a>\u2019s arrival, Orlando City have made one thing clear: they\u2019re not going to lie down.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Life in MLS didn\u2019t start too smoothly for Louis Munteanu<\/a>.<\/p>\n D.C. United<\/a>\u2019s club-record signing, acquired in January from the Romanian top-flight, didn\u2019t make head coach Ren\u00e9 Weiler\u2019s starting lineup in league play until late April.<\/p>\n Now fit and having started back-to-back league games, the Designated Player striker has begun firing in front of goal. With three goals in those two games \u2013 one via a deflection in a 3-2 win<\/a> over Orlando City and a brace in Sunday\u2019s 2-0 win<\/a> at New York City FC<\/a> \u2013 Munteanu is showing signs of why the club reportedly spent up to $10 million on him.<\/p>\n Against NYCFC over the weekend, Munteanu helped United execute their hyper-direct approach. The Black-and-Red, who ended with just 35% possession, sat deep, looked to attack on the break, and tried to enter the opposing box at every turn.<\/p>\n Off a long throw-in from Jared Stroud<\/a>, the Romanian international pounced on a loose ball to give his team the lead:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Later, a converted penalty kick helped D.C. United see out the result. With Munteanu and Tai Baribo<\/a> still yet to forge a partnership due to injury, it\u2019s intriguing to imagine how the Black-and-Red could look with their first-choice strike partnership.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Few teams demand more attention right now than FC Cincinnati<\/a>, whose last eight league matches have averaged 5.4 goals per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s 3-2 victory<\/a> at Chicago Fire FC<\/a> was, predictably, a spectacle. Chicago had a chance to win in stoppage time via a Hugo Cuypers<\/a> penalty, but couldn\u2019t convert and opened the door for Evander<\/a> to sink a 97th-minute, game-winning penalty at the other end.<\/p>\n With injuries depleting the team\u2019s center back corps, Cincinnati\u2019s matches are still far more open than head coach Pat Noonan would like. However, Noonan has found several answers to help his team\u2019s attacking play. Specifically, with 17-year-old homegrown center back Andrei Chirila<\/a>\u2019s ball progression in the backline and Dado Valenzuela<\/a> now part of the double pivot in a familiar 3-4-1-2 attacking setup, the Orange & Blue move the ball forward with a previously unseen level of ease.<\/p>\n And in the final third, Evander has sparked to life. The Brazilian scored his first two non-penalty goals of the year against Chicago en route to his first career MLS hat trick:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n There\u2019s still work to do to balance the team. But as key defenders regain full fitness, some of the tactical lessons learned amid the raft of injuries may benefit Cincy in the long run.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n We\u2019ve got ourselves one heck of a Golden Boot presented by Audi race, folks.\u00a0<\/p>\n With FC Dallas<\/a> striker Petar Musa<\/a> and Chicago Fire striker Hugo Cuypers tied atop the scoring charts with 10 goals apiece, there are two legitimately elite goal threats leading the charge in 2026.<\/p>\n For his part, Musa opened the scoring in FCD’s 2-0 win<\/a> at Red Bull New York<\/a>\u00a0with a well-timed finish from the right side of the box:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n “Personally, it would mean a lot for me to win the Golden Boot,\u201d said Musa, who, if the last two FIFA international windows are any indication, could be at the World Cup with Croatia this summer. \u201cBut I always focus on the team. I want to help with goals and help out defensively.”<\/p>\n While Cuypers failed to convert the Fire\u2019s late penalty against FC Cincinnati, it\u2019s impossible to criticize the Belgian\u2019s form in front of goal. He has scored a brace in three consecutive league games for Chicago and is enjoying a club-record seven-game scoring streak.<\/p>\n Nashville SC<\/a> striker Sam Surridge<\/a> is behind Cuypers and Musa with nine goals, while NYCFC forward Nicol\u00e1s Fern\u00e1ndez Mercau<\/a>,\u00a0Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> striker Brian White<\/a> and Inter Miami icon\u00a0Lionel Messi<\/a> all have eight goals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n With that list of names, there\u2019s little doubt that we\u2019ve got a Golden Boot race on our hands.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
\n