Rivalry Week in MLS is a special time. Chaos wrapped in pandemonium served with a side of unpredictability. The best sides find a way to rise above the volatility, to keep their heads when all about them are losing theirs. Rivalry week separates the wheat from the chaff, and MLS Matchday 14 embodied that.
In a word, forgettable. Following one of the most exciting matchdays of the MLS season, the league’s first foray into midweek play definitely did not live up to the billing, but there were still a few moments that caught our attention. Despite MLS Matchday 13 being promoted as a continuation of Rivalry Week, there were few games that truly fit that description, and it showed both on the field and in the scorelines.
Winning is great, but it’s even better when it’s against a rival. Goals mean more, away games are more demanding and everything is personal. Though the matches count just as much in the table, it's a day the fans circled on their calendars as soon as the schedules dropped. MLS Matchday 12 featured red cards aplenty, late winners and fans who went home filled with an anger that can only be felt after a loss in Rivalry Week.
The culmination of this week’s midweek U.S. Open Cup matches ensured that 14 of the teams in the tournament’s Round of 16 will be from Major League Soccer, equalling a record set in 2015, 2016 and 2019 for the most MLS representatives at this stage of the competition. The two non-MLS representatives are USL Championship sides Birmingham Legion FC, who beat fellow USLC side Memphis 901 FC 3-0, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, who pulled off the round’s only “cupset” as they knocked off Bruce Arena’s New England Revolution 1-0.
The growth of the women's game has manifested in the biggest (32 teams), most audacious (co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand) World Cup yet. The individual talent pool, as evidenced by our following best players at the Women's World Cup list, has also never been more exciting.
There are some household names looking for one last legacy-defining tournament, but there's also an emerging next generation taking things to another level.
Shock results rocked the boat in MLS Matchweek 11, with upsets happening from Seattle to Miami and San Jose to Charlotte. Frontrunners have emerged in both the league standings and the MVP race as several big names set the scoresheets alight and dazzled in front of packed crowds.
The 32-team field is set, the list of participating stars is growing and on Thursday we finally learned the groups for this June's $1 million winner-take-all "The Soccer Tournament" (TST) in Cary, NC.
The latest episode of Ted Lasso brought us ever closer to the series finale but no closer to resolving the myriad of complications that are serving to bring our beloved characters down.
Something's got to give with the finish line is sight, and here's what we're pondering.
*Ted Lasso S3E8 spoilers below*
#1. Can Richmond still win the Premier League?
Matchups at the top and bottom of the table make for some interesting reading. The two best teams in the East faced off in Foxborough, while Kansas City played host to both the NFL Draft and a struggling Montréal side to varying degrees of success. In the West, dropped points from Seattle, St. Louis, and San Jose only gave more life to LAFC on their week off.
Springtime is finally here, marking a return to outdoor soccer across the country after a particularly brutal winter. It's time to play the game the way the Football Association intended.
With the changing of the season comes certain rites of spring that all players will recognize.
#1. Securing the bag.