2025 Matchweek 2 Review
March begins with a full slate of MLS games
I’m back with my second matchweek review. Reminder about what these involve:
Links to game highlights, ranked by watchability, with no spoilers for people who like watching them without knowing the outcomes yet
Some statistical looks at which teams and players did well and did poorly
Storyline check-in on the topics I identified in my matchweek preview as being interesting from each game
Two quick points before we start. I’m interested in any feedback you have on what you like and what you don’t in these matchweek previews and reviews. And if you do like what you see, please share it with other fans who might also enjoy it!
Ranked Highlights
If you only have the time or inclination to watch highlights from a few games, I’m providing my non-spoiler ranking of this week’s highlights. This uses my entirely subjective aesthetics that celebrate cool-looking goals more than close games, so if you’re going in cold, you can’t be sure what you’ll get.
Starting with the most fun highlights and working down to the least fun:
I’m proud that a DC United match topped this completely objective and scientific ranking. Now, on to the stats!
Tai Baribo leads the week after scoring a hat trick in Philly’s blowout of FC Cincinnati.
Hugo Cuypers got almost all of his xG on the two point-blank goals he scored on very similar corner kick plays.
Rafael Navarro topped the “shutout” list last week so it’s good to see him get some redemption.
With Messi not playing, Oliver Larraz tops the list. I confess I have never heard of Oliver Larraz, apparently he’s a central midfielder for Colorado.
I went back and forth about whether to use xA or xAG for this, but it seems like xA rewards some otherwise unheralded players. Alexandros Katranis is a left back for RSL, another player I wasn’t familiar with. Most MLS fans won’t know David Schnegg either, but he’s DC’s left back.
There’s also some DPs mixed in of course, including new arrivals Bruno Damiani and Myrto Uzuni, who racked up his xA in just a 30 minute sub appearance.
The coaching change in Philadelphia doesn’t seem to have changed their ability to periodically score goals in bunches.
I don’t know that anyone would have guessed DC United and Chicago Fire as the matchup that would produce the most expected goal fireworks, but they’re two teams with struggling defenses so maybe it makes sense.
St. Louis City and CF Montréal were pretty high in this ranking last week, so no reason for them to panic, but it’s two straight poor showings for New England.
It’s also two straight poor showings for the LA Galaxy, but at least they have reinforcements coming when their two ailing DPs recover (though it’s going to be an awful long time for Puig).
Last week, only one listed-by-FBref-as-forward played 90 minutes without taking a shot. This week was a rough one for offenses, apparently, because there were 10 such players, including two on Montréal.
Dejan Joveljić managed to get on this list despite scoring a goal! Apparently FBref doesn’t count penalties as shots.
It’s a bit weird seeing someone from Inter Miami on this list. Is Ben Cremaschi really a forward? I’m not so sure, but FBref says so.
Chicago’s Chris Brady leads the week thanks to some clutch saves late in the game, though he couldn’t do anything about DC’s stunning stoppage-time equalizer. Jonathan Sirois helped keep the game close against Minnesota.
Unfortunately for the goalkeeper’s union, the outsized numbers are on the other side of the chart this week. New #1 Andrew Tarbell had a rough game against Miami, but I’d blame at least some of that on the defense in front of him and the quality of Miami’s attackers, who seem to routinely break xG models.
Pedro Gallese and Sean Johnson had their rough performances against each other, with Gallese coming out just a hair ahead numerically but a lot farther ahead on the scoreline.
Maarten Paes got statistically screwed on the first goal by Keegan Rosenberry, a cross which took a lucky deflection and looped into the corner. Opta says it was only 0.12 PSxG. I hadn’t noticed any goalkeeping issues, so I went back for another look. And…well…he reacts late. And just misses it. But it’s such an unexpected situation, I don’t know how fair it is to blame him.
Game by Game Storylines
In my preview article, in addition to the matchup grids, I list two storylines to follow for each team. Most will take many games to fully answer (“did they fix their defense?”) but a few are just about this matchweek. Most will carry over to next week, but we’ll briefly check in on each one here.
Remember, I fully admit I’m usually doing this without having watched more of the game than just the highlights, so hop in the comments if you watched the game and either disagree or think you can add useful context!
Charlotte FC 2 - 0 Atlanta United (xG: 1.4 - 0.8)
Charlotte: Wilfried Zaha ought to still be a devastating attacker in MLS, but is he motivated and bought in to what Charlotte are doing?
I happened to watch this entire game and so can say that the reports Zaha “dominated” are very exaggerated, but Zaha did play well. What would be most encouraging for me if I were a Charlotte fan is that he was still putting in effort on defense late in the match.
Charlotte: Their defense was great last year, but will efforts to improve the offense come at a cost to that solidity?
The defense looked great. It’s bit early to know what to make of this as I am starting to have a few doubts about Atlanta’s offense. But my summary of this game is that Charlotte’s defense continues to be solid, so that’s good, but I’m not sure they will have turned out to dramatically improve the offense. They ended up with 1.9 xG in this game but their goals came off terrible defensive miscues by Atlanta. Guys like Liel Abada and Pep Biel haven’t convinced me, but the season is young.
Atlanta: Other than maybe Miami, they have the most expensive frontline in MLS. Will it live up to the hype?
Well…look, I don’t want to overreact to a 1.0 xG match against a team we expect to have a great defense. I thought Miguel Almirón looked like he was clearly the best player in this match and his work rate is still very high. Latte Lath is fast and got a shot or two, but Charlotte prevented him from getting into any dangerous situations. In effect, that meant it fell to Almirón, Miranchuk, and Saba to beat them. Almiron was lively and created some chances, but Miranchuk and Saba weren’t convincing.
Atlanta has two very different opponents coming up with New York Red Bulls and then Inter Miami, so there’s still a lot to learn here.
Atlanta: Is the defense going to remain “decent” this season with the new DPs and Mateusz Klich all on the field?
Klich was sick and didn’t play. Atlanta’s defense looked good in the first half, though I’m personally still skeptical about Charlotte’s offense. Then Atlanta had a meltdown with two bad goals given up early in the second half.
From glancing at their subreddit, Atlanta fans hope the problems will be fixed when their first choice fullbacks get healthy. That’ll help for sure, seeing as the second goal in particular involved a terrible mistake from a fullback. But Atlanta fans also seem to think Derrick Williams is a good centerback. Maybe they’re right. I don’t usually watch their games. But I watched him play for DC United, and at that time I thought he was below average for MLS. He’s especially weak in the air, and the first goal sequence in this game started because he made a pretty bad mistake on a header.
Real Salt Lake 2 - 0 Seattle Sounders (0.7 - 1.1 xG)
Real Salt Lake: They’ve had a lot of turnover from their offense, so there’s going to be a lot more weight on Diogo Gonçalves and young attacker Diego Luna, can they step up?
It sure helps the cause to get an own goal, but Gonçalves had a very nice assist on Ayago’s second goal. Luna had a quiet game statistically.
Real Salt Lake: Rafael Cabral is one of just a handful of new MLS starting goalkeepers in 2024. He seems to have a good defense in front of him, so can he post strong numbers?
Three saves and a clean sheet on 0.6 post-shot expected goals, so a good outing both for Cabral and the defense against a rotated Seattle.
Seattle: They tripled down on using domestic players in the attack, adding Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola to go with longstanding Sounder Jordan Morris. They got the job done midweek, but how will the attack look against what we expect to be a strong Charlotte defense?
This was another game where Ferreira and Arriola came in as subs. I guess I should have waited for the CONCACAF Champions Cup run to be over before trying to follow Ferreira and Arriola in the MLS regular season, but it’s tough since I know them so well from the US national team. It’s tough for Seattle fans as well. We all assume the offense will improve when the team is rested and rotation isn’t needed, but that won’t happen yet as a two-leg tie with strong Mexican side Cruz Azul looms.
Seattle: The Sounders were very good last year and finished with their customary strong performance in the regular season, but it’s a lot easier to win trophies with a truly elite DP. Will Pedro de la Vega take a step forward—maybe several steps forward—to help provide that?
He played the second half in this one and was quiet statistically, but Sounders fans will be happy anyway since he had a brace midweek in their CCC match.
New England Revolution 0 - 1 Columbus Crew (0.2 - 0.4 xG)
New England: Carles Gil is a former league MVP coming off a down year. Can the new players around him help him shine?
Carles Gil played 90 minutes and led the team with 69 touches, so he was very involved if nothing else. He’s been so good in the past I can’t help assuming he’s still good and that he’s surrounded by a bunch of stiffs, or Caleb Porter is a terrible coach, or both. Whatever the issue is, after two games the offense hasn’t been working.
New England: Leo Campana looked very good in limited action with Inter Miami, but Miami is such a weird team. Will he look as good in this very different situation?
Two shots for 0.1 xG. So…no. Not yet anyway. I think the Crew is still a tough assignment with their pressing defense, so maybe things will go better next week against…checks notes…Philadelphia. Uh oh. After that, NYCFC is maybe a bit of a softer target, but then Red Bulls and Cincinnati. Oof.
Columbus: They will probably replace Cucho when they can, but until that happens, can Diego Rossi carry the load as the offense’s remaining big star?
Quiet game statistically from him. Maybe the Revolution’s rebuilt defense is actually really good, but 0.4 team xG suggests there’s still a Cucho-shaped hole to fill in this roster.
Columbus: Was Columbus’ success over the past two years driven more by Cucho’s star talent or by Nancy’s system?
5 goals scored and 2 goals against in two games would suggest it’s Nancy’s system. Having actually seen the goals in the highlights, I’m more inclined to say they’ve been a bit lucky. There’s a bunch of relatively weak teams coming up on the schedule (Houston, San Diego, then NYCFC who isn’t so weak, but then DC United, CF Montreal, and St. Louis) so Nancy can probably keep them grinding out results while the front office looks for a move.
New York Red Bulls 2 - 0 Nashville SC (1.9 - 0.8 xG)
Red Bulls: Are the Red Bulls still going to play with their famous intensity after bringing in some older players, like new DP forward Eric Choupo-Moting?
This is the sort of question that’s easy to embarrass myself with since I haven’t seen them play outside of highlights yet, but Nashville had a lot more of the ball without being able to do much with it, so I’m going to guess that so far the Red Bulls are still bringing that intensity.
Red Bulls: Will the Red Bulls recreate the form of their magical playoff run, centered around a hopefully healthy Emil Forsberg, or are they going to look more like they did in their poor run into the playoffs late last season?
I admit I was skeptical about this team, but this seems like a strong win, and while Forsberg’s stats were just ordinary (0.1 xG, 0.3 xA) the goal was the sort of game-winning moment you want from a superstar designated player (yes, I know, it was the second goal so it didn’t technically win the game).
Nashville: Hany Mukhtar is still in his prime. Just a few years ago he was the league MVP, can he bounce back this season?
So far it seems like it’s still a slog out there for Mukhtar. He and Carles Gil need to form a former MVP support group.
Nashville: Nashville didn’t finish strong last year after a coaching change, but with a full preseason, will BJ Callahan get better results?
Zero goals scored in two games isn’t a great look. xG says they’re unlucky to not have at least one goal, but their xG difference is still negative. Winnable home game against Portland coming up, though.
Orlando City 4 - 2 Toronto FC (1.5 - 0.4 xG)
Orlando: The front office has put a lot of faith in Marco Pašalić to jumpstart the offense despite what seems (to me, anyway) a distinctly so-so résumé. Will he reward their trust?
On a good day overall for the team, Pašalić had 0 shots and 0.1 xA. Not a big deal after a brighter week one (for him, not the team).
Orlando: The defense—decent in 2024 and mostly back in 2025—gave up four goals on relatively low xG to Philly in week 1. Was that just bad luck or are there cracks this season?
Well, they gave up 2 goals on relatively low xG to Toronto. One was a header on a corner, the other a classic low-xG laser from outside the box. Doesn’t seem like reason for Orlando fans to be too concerned.
Toronto: Bernardeschi has had his off-the-field issues, but he’s a dangerous attacker and works hard against the ball. Is he still motivated, and if so, does he have enough support around him?
He went 90 and was very involved in the offense. It’s harder for me to comment on defensive output without having watched the game, but I don’t know any reason to think he’s the problem here.
Toronto: Can new coach Robin Fraser get more out of a roster that hasn’t really been reinforced since last year’s dismal campaign?
Toronto had just a hair over one point per game in 2024. So far they are at 0.5 ppg. It’s way, way too early for this to be a fair comparison, but I think Fraser needs more help from the front office.
Philadelphia Union 4 - 1 FC Cincinnati (3.2 - 1.0 xG)
Philadelphia: We’re expecting a return to their most direct, car-crash soccer game model, but how will they look after moving on from Jim Curtin after so long?
This is a tough one because Cincinnati also can play direct and against the ball, but Philadelphia got more touches and attempted more passes. They also, you know, dominated the game. Both the Union and Bradley Carnell have a history of looking good early in the season, but it’s a great start.
Philadelphia: Sorry Philly fans, take from someone who followed DC United during the Freddy Adu seasons. This is going to be annoying all year, but…Cavan Sullivan! How much will he play, and is he the chosen one will he look like he belongs?
Cavan played 9 minutes as a sub with the team leading 3-1. Seems to have been mostly uneventful. Probably the biggest Sullivan story of the season so far is actually Quinn Sullivan, who in two games seems to have improved over last season.
Cincinnati: For the second straight week, they’re playing an intense team after a midweek CCC match. They handled the Red Bulls; can they do the same with the Union?
Apparently not. FC Cincinnati has to be wishing they rested Evander and Denkey with the benefit of hindsight.
Cincinnati: Of course everyone is going to be watching their new DPs, Evander and Denkey. If they are as good as hoped, this is a trophy contending team. Road games in Central America are no joke, but will this offense look as dominant as we expect against MLS competition?
Evander and Denkey each have a goal in the regular season, so there’s no warning bells here. The offense definitely hasn’t been dominating, but that could come once they are free of their CCC obligations. And that could be soon. Tigres is a really tough opponent.
Chicago Fire 2 - 2 DC United (2.3 - 3.0 xG)
Chicago: Will the many new players take a long time to adjust to Gregg Berhalter’s famously complex system of play, or can they be effective right out of the gate?
It’s definitely not a flying start. There are various extenuating circumstances—Brian Gutiérrez was suspended for this game, one of their starting centerbacks was a late scratch—but it seems to me that it’s still a work in progress.
Chicago: Is Hugo Cuypers primed for the sort of big year that Berhalter’s forwards often had with the Crew?
He got a brace in this game, so you’d think the answer would be yes, but the “Gregg Berhalter is good for forwards” thesis isn’t that his forwards score easy goals at the far post on corner kicks (which is how Cuypers scored both his goals in this game), it’s that his patterns of play set them up in front of goal during the run of play. Cuypers did have one chance somewhat like that in this game, but he hit the crossbar.
DC United: Christian Benteke won the Golden Boot last season, but he’s 34. Can he pick up where he left off, or is he going to be less effective this season due to age and the departure of Matuesz Klich?
Two goals in two games for Christian Benteke, so he has, in fact, picked up right where he left off. And that’s despite missing a penalty in this game.
DC United: DC spent money in the last two transfer windows bringing in new talent for its defense and goalkeeping, but will coach Troy Lesesne’s style of play continue to leave them too exposed?
There were some signs of improvement in this game. To some extent it might be Lesesne’s fault (or at least his coaching staff’s fault) that DC was so vulnerable to a particular pattern on corner kicks. They weren’t great defending set pieces last year, but that’s not the vulnerability that’s had DC fans concerned. Chicago’s chances in transition were more limited this game than Toronto last week.
Sporting Kansas City 1 - 2 San Jose Earthquakes (1.7 - 1.6 xG)
Kansas City: Can an attacker like Dejan Joveljić who played well for a good team produce the same results dropped into a rebuilding team?
He scored a goal, but it was a penalty earned through a random dumb handball. Otherwise, 0 shots despite 44 touches. So…not great.
Kansas City: It doesn’t seem like they’ve done enough to improve the defense, but maybe the switch to a new starting goalkeeper (John Pulskamp) will help?
He gave up two goals on 1.8 post-shot expected goals, so the stats say there wasn’t a ton he could have done.
But this is why it’s helpful to actually watch the games. Or at least the highlights. San Jose’s second goal comes on an inswinging corner that, as far as I can tell, bounces off Pulskamp’s thigh prior to Josef Martínez poking it home. Instead of making a play on the ball, it seems like he just jumped up and made himself big assuming someone else would touch it? Seems like a big mistake to me. Everyone makes mistakes, but Sporting KC needs someone to play better than average to get a result in a game like this.
San Jose: Cristian Arango had two very good years with Real Salt Lake, but can he still be effective on a rebuilding team?
The first goal was a nice poacher’s goal from Arango. So far so good for both him and Martínez.
San Jose: He’s done it before, but can Bruce Arena once again resuscitate a team with clever (and a bit idiosyncratic) veteran acquisitions?
xG models say they’ve been lucky, and they’ve definitely been lucky to face two CCC teams in the first two weeks. But they’ve also seized their opportunities. Coaches like Arena who are long on motivation and short on tactics get results by raising the floor and I think you can make a good early case he’s done so.
Minnesota United 1 - 0 CF Montréal (1.6 - 0.2 xG)
Minnesota: They finished strong last season and beat Real Salt Lake in the playoffs. Most of the players are back, so can they continue that momentum?
The offense hasn’t really gotten going yet, but apparently they didn’t need it to fire on all cylinders to win this game.
Minnesota: Tani Oluwaseyi went from 17th overall in the college draft to posting some of the league’s best attacking statistics in limited action last year. Was that a small sample flash in the pan, or can he pick up where he left off?
He got an assist today, heading the ball towards the goal for Yeboah to bundle in. Only 0.2 xG in two games, but it’s still early.
Montréal: They have bet heavily on youth. Will that pay dividends or will the suffer from their lack of high-end talent?
Just three shots from the entire team. Last week they had a moral victory of sorts by earning more xG than Atlanta despite losing, but this performance was rather bleak. Five more road games until their home opener.
Montréal: Is the change of scenery going to unlock more production from Vrioni?
Vrioni is hurt and won’t be back any time soon, but I leave this question in as a memorial to the severe talent constraints this team is struggling to deal with. One of their most notable players, and only DP, is a guy who was meh at best for a bad New England team. When he’s healthy, he’ll probably improve the starting eleven by a fair amount, but that in itself is a bad sign.
Colorado Rapids 3 - 3 FC Dallas (1.6 - 2.0 xG)
Colorado: They have brought back most of their good 2024 attack, plus some reinforcements, so is this the season Djordje Mihailovic steps into the ranks of the league’s elite players?
Three shots and five key passes for Mihailovic in this game, though he didn’t end up getting any assists. The team scoring three goals makes it an overall good vibes game for the offense, at least.
Colorado: Zach Steffen had very bad shotstopping statistics in the 2024 regular season. Is this a problem with him that’s going to continue, or will the changes to the defense in front of him help?
Three goals allowed on 2.4 post-shot expected goals. These were kind of weird goals, though, so I’m not inclined to be harsh.
Dallas: Is Lucho motivated, or will he still be carrying some of the unhappiness that drove him out of Cincinnati?
The second goal was a classic Lucho goal, just gliding through the defense, playing the give and go, and then the calm, devastating finish. Petar Musa got a goal and assist. So everything going as planned with the big offensive talent.
Dallas: Are the big changes to the defense going to reduce goals allowed?
Not today! The first Colorado goal was the sort of annoying luck a defense can’t do much about, but the other two were very much earned.
LAFC 1 - 0 NYCFC (0.5 - 0.4 xG)
LAFC: They moved on from a lot of midfielders and forwards in the offseason. Will the new offense be effective or will it be Bouanga against the other team?
In this game, they were in danger of not really having any offense at all before getting low-xG goal out of Ryan Hollingshead. Just five shots overall.
LAFC: Last season Giroud was on track to join the list of extremely famous but extremely disappointing designated players. After a full preseason, can he turn that around and be more effective?
NYCFC did their absolute best to help him. Matt Freese passed it directly to Denis Bouanga who touched it straight to Giroud in the box. Nothing doing: he shot it directly into Freese’s chest at close range. That was his only shot in 14 substitute minutes.
NYCFC: Can the defense step up and play well enough to compensate for what likely is going to be some offensive regression?
I don’t think a defense can feel too bad about giving up 2 goals to Inter Miami or 1 goal to LAFC…but it hasn’t been enough for them to win either game seeing as the offense really does seem to have regressed.
NYCFC: Alonso Martinez had an amazing season last year and was statistically one of the league’s best attacking players. NYCFC badly needs him to repeat that, especially with Santi Rodríguez gone. Can Martinez get off to a quick start?
Two shots for 0.1 xG in this match. Scoring a lot of goals without some kind of Santi Rodríguez replacement might be asking too much.
Portland Timbers 1 - 0 Austin FC (0.6 - 0.7 xG)
Portland: David da Costa got his visa faster than expected and got playing time in week 1. Can he integrate quickly and help the team bounce back from its week 1 loss?
He did indeed help them bounce back with a late goal! I don’t think this is a goal he can repeat (a far post free kick that goes in after no one touches it) but it was much needed. He also earned 0.4 xA and five shot-creating actions, so that’s good.
Portland: It’s hard to imagine their offense will be as good this year without Evander, so the defense probably needs to improve to keep them in the playoffs. Will the additions they’ve made there raise the level?
They kept a clean sheet against Austin’s expensively retooled attack. Time will tell how impressed we should be by that, but it sure is better than last week. It helps not to have someone sent off in the 11th minute.
Austin: They poured money into fixing their poor offense with some big transfers. Will Uzuni and Vázquez provide the immediate impact their price tag suggests?
Vázquez had four shots for 0.4 xG, so not terrible. Uzuni isn’t starting yet, only played 30 minutes, and still got 0.6 xA. So that’s good, but Portland’s goal was very late. The game was hanging in the balance and in that time Uzuni had 4 touches. That’s…not good.
Austin: Their defense last season was good in terms of goals allowed, but it overperformed expected goals allowed by a good margin. Which stat is going to tell us more about what to expect from their defense this year?
They’ve given up one goal in two games off 1.1 xG allowed, so the early returns look very positive. That could have a lot to do with offensive struggles from Kansas City and Portland, though.
San Diego FC 0 - 0 St. Louis City (1.0 - 0.1 xG)
San Diego FC: San Diego scored two goals in a surprising upset of the LA Galaxy in week 1, but the Galaxy did them some favors. Can the attack continue to be effective against a well-organized St. Louis?
Um, no? Maybe that’s unfair. They took 15 shots and Hirving Lozano went out with an injury after thirty minutes. But while you can look at 1.0 xG and say you were unlucky not to get a goal, when it’s across 15 shots you worry you’re just blasting hopes and prayers from way outside the box.
San Diego FC: Their coach says he wants to play beautiful, possession-based soccer. Are they going to be able to execute this right away or do they need more time to get in sync?
They dominated possession, attempting more than double the passes of St. Louis and completing a staggering 87% of them. They seem to be executing on the vision, though more work is needed to generate more dangerous chances.
St. Louis: Marcel Hartel hit the ground running in eight games last season. With a full preseason, will he be the elite player St. Louis needs him to be?
It was a quiet game from Hartel, 0 shots on 30 touches, but then it was a quiet game from the entire team. They had only two shots as an entire team.
St. Louis: Their defense shut down Colorado almost completely in week 1. Can they do the same on the road?
Holding the home team to 1.0 xG is usually a pretty good outing for a defense, but it’s not as encouraging when it comes along with a completely ineffective offense.
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 1 LA Galaxy (1.8 - 0.4 xG)
LA Galaxy: LA are back after winning MLS Cup, but they’re missing two DPs to injury (Puig for months, Paintsil for several weeks). Can veteran Diego Fagúndez and new arrival Christian Ramirez keep the offense humming?
Apparently I should have focused this question on Miguel Berry, as he somehow pushed his way past a defender (seemed like a foul to me but apparently the referees thought otherwise) and cut the ball back to Pec for the Galaxy’s only goal. Fagundez and Ramirez don’t seem to be making a big impact yet.
LA Galaxy: Marco Reus didn’t play a ton of minutes last year. Does he have enough left in the tank at age 35 to be the focus of the team while Puig recovers?
He only played 20 minutes in this game and had 9 touches, so that’s not a great sign.
Vancouver: After poor run-in and then a really rough offseason, can their new coach Jesper Sørensen help them improve despite a roster that pundits think hasn’t really improved on overall talent?
They’re 2-0, let the good times roll! So far so good for Sørensen. Next up is a home match against what seems like a struggling CF Montréal squad. You never know in MLS but 3-0 is looking very attainable.
Vancouver: After crushing Portland, can they do the same to a Galaxy side coming off an embarrassing week 1 loss?
2-1 isn’t crushing, especially with the game-winning goal coming in the 87th minute, but the xG difference does lean in that direction. We’ll just say it’s a great start to Vancouver’s season.
Houston Dynamo 1 - 4 Inter Miami (0.6 - 1.5 xG)
Houston: How will Jack McGlynn fare as he takes over the keys to the offense from Héctor Herrera?
It was a quiet statistical game from McGlynn. Inter Miami is a fearsome opponent even without Messi—and, some might quietly argue, possibly more fearsome when they have either Messi or Suárez instead of both—but Miami’s defense ought to be vulnerable. No such luck for Houston today.
Houston: They had a great defense in 2024 and have brought pretty much all those players back, but can their new starting goalkeeper (Tarbell) match the shotstopping numbers Steve Clark put up last year?
Opta’s judgment is harsh: 4 goals allowed on only 1.7 post-shot expected goals. And yeah, several of these goals involved shots flashing right past Tarbell. But I don’t know, Miami is Miami.
Miami: Messi went 90 minutes in the freezing cold on Wednesday. Is he going to go 90 again—as he often did last season—or will he allow the team to manage his minutes when he’s healthy?
Messi doesn’t seem to be hurt but he didn’t even travel for this game, so I guess some minutes are being managed. Elsewhere on old-player-watch, though, Suárez and Busquets went 81 minutes and Alba went 90. Good thing they just so happen to have a Jamaican team up next in CCC instead of a Liga MX matchup.
Miami: Does Miami’s new manager have any new wrinkles to help cope with the fact several starters can’t provide any meaningful energy on defense?
Maybe? With Messi out, the young players were actually pressing, earning turnovers, and then scoring goals off those turnovers! Just what the rest of the league needed: another club in Miami’s bag.
Love to see Najar on that assist ranking.
Perfect writeup. Nothing to note, unless you want to be sarcastic in a reply comment and claim you fixed something.