Biggest Team Takeaways
Inter Miami is going to be fine.
Vibes are at an all-time low in Miami but they will make it out alive. After the departure of head coach Javier Mascherano, a draw to New England, and a loss to a pretty bad Orlando City side, many fans, journalists, and analysts have claimed that things are falling apart in Miami. While I don’t think they are going to reach the same heights as in 2025, there is no reason to believe they won’t be one of, if not the best team in the East this year. After tearing apart Toronto, they are tied for second place in the conference and only 2 points behind Nashville. Messi’s dominance is inevitable and will continue to be.
Dark Horse Dallas?
FC Dallas taking down Real Salt Lake was a statement result. Sitting 7th in the West, Dallas has one of the most efficient counter attacks in the league. Generating 2.05 expected goals from 27% possession against RSL was a prime example of their counter attacking ability. This makes sense considering how lethal their main man, Petar Musa, has been this year. He is second in the golden boot race 1 goal behind Hugo Cuypers.
The New England Revolution. Legit or lucky?
New England earned another solid result this weekend with a 2-1 win over Philadelphia. The Revs are currently 2nd place in the east. They rank 6th place in goals conceded (per match) and have the 8th most goals (also per match).
That said, the Revs are 24th in the league for expected goals (xG) generated and 23rd in xG differential. They’ve had a pretty easy schedule so far and all of their wins but 2 have come from 1 goal leads. Props to Carles Gil who always seems to get his team out of trouble, but I am not so sure their success is sustainable.
A Fight For Playoffs
Going into matchweek 12 NYCFC and Columbus were both tied on 12 points and fighting to move into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams look similar according to underlying metrics. NYCFC came out on top thanks to a hat trick from Hannes Wolf. It was a huge win NYCFC, now 7th in the East, who had lost 3 of their last four matches.
CCC Hangovers
Both CONCACAF Champions Cup Semi-Finalists, Nashville and LAFC, had rough weeks. Both fell to Mexican opponents mid week and failed to find 3 points at the weekend. Nashville drew DC United 2-2 thanks to a 2-goal comeback performance from Warren Madrigal. LAFC got cooked 4-1 at the hands of Jack McGlynn who had 2 long range bangers with his diabolical left foot. Mateusz Bogusz also put himself on the score sheet against his old club. Son remains yet to put one in the net in 2026.
Best Player Performances
Hannes Wolf vs Columbus Crew
Wolf had all of the goals in NYCFC’s 3-0 win over the Crew. The 3 goals came from just 3 shots and 3 touches in Columbus’ box.
James Rodriguez vs Austin FC
James Rodriguez had two assists off the bench to earn a tie for Minnesota against Austin FC in what will be one of his last appearances for the club. We hope you enjoyed your vacation stint in the midwest and wish you luck in the World Cup.
Lionel Messi vs Toronto
Like usual, Messi was involved in all of the action in a Inter Miami’s bounce back win against Toronto. He had a goal, 2 assists, and created 4 chances on the day.
Gabriel Pec vs Atlanta United
Gabriel Pec earned the Galaxy a comeback win against Atlanta with 2 goals that were only 4 minutes apart from one another. He took the most shots (6) and had the most completed dribbles in the match.
Cade Cowell vs Chicago Fire
Cade Cowell has been an underrated aspect of Bradley’s young NYRB squad this season. He has been an elite ball carrier and chance creator without the output to match the amount of value he has been consistently creating from the wing. He had a goal and created 2 chances against a Chicago team with one of the most impressive rosters in the east.
Manu Duah vs Seattle Sounders
Duah made things very difficult for Jordan Morris and the Sounders in what was probably his best performance of the season so far. He had 19 defensive contributions to include 5 blocked shots in very dangerous areas of the box.
Jack McGlynn vs LAFC
Jack McGlynn had two of the silkiest long range goals of the season with his trademark left foot. He also provided 2 chance creating passes and 6 final third entry balls. We’ve seen this before from him and this won’t be the last time.
PV+ Team of the Week
