MLS Weekly - Moving and shaking
Philadelphia gets first home win in Wagner return, Orlando gets first clean sheet since last June in Grizi debut, and the Berhalter-less Whitecaps lose a thriller in Cincinnati.
GOAL OF THE WEEK
Luis Suarez (Inter Miami) vs. Chicago Fire, 51’
Inter Miami brought in German Berterame in the offseason for $15 million from Monterrey. He was meant to be a replacement for the aging and ailing Luis Suarez. However, a slow start to the season from Berterame meant Suarez joined him in the starting lineup.
Since Suarez’s insertion, Miami is 5-1-1 while scoring 3.4 goals per game. In that span, Suarez has five goals and one assist; Berterame: five goals and two assists, including this backheel on the run to set up Suarez’s second goal of last night.
WORST OF THE WEEK
Rocco Rios Novo (Inter Miami) vs. Chicago Fire, 18’
This one speaks for itself. I guess the general presence of Robert Lewandowski will do that to you. Rios Novo’s teammates comforted him after the whiff and Miami went on to win it late, taking a huge weight off the young keeper’s shoulders. But I’ll bet Dayne St. Clair is back between the sticks next game.
STAT OF THE WEEK - Constant Chaos in Cinci
Through the first half of the season, FC Cincinnati is averaging 5.0 total goals per match (for & against). The rest of the league’s average is 3.24.
FC Cincinnati total goals per game
2022-2025: 3.0 (1.7 for, 1.3 against)
2026: 5.0 (2.5 for, 2.5 against)
The scores in their last four games are as follows: 4-3, 6-2, 3-3, and 5-3.
This would be wild for any team, but it’s completely unexpected when you look at the ways FC Cincinnati has found success over the past few years. Pat Noonan is the king of the 2-1 win, and it’s earned them a spot in the top five of their conference four years straight.
The results might appear to be a contrived change in the style of play, but the truth is, Cincinnati’s own defensive errors and loss of structure are forcing them to chase games. Chasing is not so daunting a task when you have Evander, Kevin Denkey, and Ender Echenique working the ball. They have a lot of work to do defensively and could do for signing a new center back, but a more open (intentional or not) play style could turn them into a more dangerous team in these playoffs compared to the past few iterations of FC Cincinnati.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME - TRIVIA
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IN OTHER NEWS…
Sebastian Berhalter is off to Middlesborough for a $2m fee. Vancouver has a big hole to fill, but it’s not for the first time. They moved forward seamlessly when Pedro Vite and Ali Ahmed left in the middle of last season.
New England Revolution are set to sign winger Jack Harrison from Leeds as a Designated Player. The Englishman played for NYCFC for two seasons before spending multiple seasons with both Leeds and Everton.
Emmanuel Latte Lath’s disappointing time in Atlanta seems to be up, as he was a healthy scratch last night. Atlanta United is attempting to make a big splash for the striker’s replacement, with two potential targets being Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez and Switzerland’s Breel Embolo.
The Philadelphia Union’s singular transfer market move thus far — getting their best player, Kai Wagner, back after six months in England — looked like very good business in their 3-1 win over Red Bulls. It was Philly’s first home win of the season.
ONE TO WATCH: Orlando City vs. Nashville SC, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PST
Orlando cracked open the supposedly strong San Jose defense with ease in Antoine Griezmann’s first competitive game. Most impressive was that they did it without Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic appearing. Eduard Atuesta looked like his LAFC self from seven years ago, forming triangles all over the field with Griezmann and whoever else wanted the ball. Maxime Crepeau made seven saves, impressing in Orlando’s first clean sheet in over a calendar year.
While Nashville is the last team in the league you’d want to play to continue building momentum, Orlando could offer them a real test if they play at a similar level as they did against the Quakes.
Sam Surridge is officially back from injury, though — he scored yesterday and now has 10 goals in just six starts. With teammates possessing an ability to score goals and a coach possessing a willingness to strategize the team’s attacking play (Gary Smith did alright, but BJ Callaghan is taking them to a new level), Hany Mukhtar has transformed into a more natural no. 10. The former MVP isn’t being asked to do everything, which means he’s being more patient and precise. And when you’re winning as much as they are, it makes sharing the spotlight far easier. Lastly, watch Michael Woledzi play. The guy is a beast of a center back, he can really do it all.