WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
THE RECAP
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - 2 | ATLANTA UNITED - 1
M. Polster (4'), G. Vrioni (9') | M. Chol (90'+3')
What happened?: Matt Polster scored from distance and Giacomo Vrioni capitalized on an excellent play from Carles Gil to put the Revs up two early. At that point, Djordje Petrovic took over. Petrovic finished the night with a career-high 10 saves.
So, did we learn anything?: Don't think so. But it's always good to get a reminder that Djordje Petrovic is unreal. He may genuinely be the best keeper to ever play in MLS. That's not a stretch. Once the Revs went up 2-0, Atlanta didn't have a chance even though they created plenty.
NEW YORK RED BULLS - 1 | FC CINCINNATI - 2
O. Fernandez (28' PK) | L. Acosta (80' PK), O. Nwobodo (90'+3')
What happened?: OBBBBIIIIIIIIII!!!!!
Cincy pulled out a remarkable comeback win at Red Bull Arena thanks to a stoppage-time winner from, of all people, defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo. My heart is full.
So, did we learn anything?: I think Cincy wants the Shield. That's an unreal result. They created next to nothing and still pulled out a huge road win. At some point, all you can really do is say that something special is happening and sit back and enjoy it. FC Cincinnati will be your Supporters' Shield winner this season and you can't undersell how cool that is.
Anyway, the Red Bulls just don't have it this year. I think I'm officially done on waiting for the underlying numbers to come good. They might still make the playoffs, but the results will likely be all too familiar to Red Bulls fans if they do. They play too many games decided by thin margins and rarely come out on the better side.
CHICAGO FIRE FC - 3 | CF MONTRÉAL - 0
B. Gutiérrez (9'), M. Haile-Selassie (11'), X. Shaqiri (33')
What happened?: The Fire were off and running early and never struggled.
So, did we learn anything?: … So…anyone up for some "Believing in the Fire"? Anybody? I mean now's the time, right? It maybe feels different this time? They've won four of their last five. Anybody gonna bite? Don't make it be me please I've already been hurt so many times.
HOUSTON DYNAMO FC - 0 | MINNESOTA UNITED - 3
B. Hlongwane (15'), T. Pukki (20'), I. Tajouri-Shradi (87')
What happened?: Bongokukle Hlongwane continued to be one of the best wingers in the league (telling y'all) and Teemu Pukki scored his first-ever MLS goals as the Loons cruised in Houston.
So, did we learn anything?: That's an excellent road win in the heat and humidity. Pukki already looks the part and Minnesota can potentially begin to build off the result. Their underlying numbers have been solid all year. It's about time they started to get results like this. It probably means something that they were able to win this one with just 25% possession on the night but I'm not quite sure what.
SPORTING KC - 2 | REAL SALT LAKE - 2
D. Sallói (30'), J. Russell (36') | D. Musovski (46'), A. Julio (72')
What happened?: RSL put together an excellent second half to stun SKC and complete a two-goal comeback. They nearly took all three points too.
So, did we learn anything?: RSL are incredibly resilient. SKC…not so much. At least that's the narrative so far. It's not ideal that RSL went down 2-0 in the first place but, as always, any road points are good points. They rotated a decent amount too.
NASHVILLE SC - 0 | PHILADELPHIA UNION - 2
D. Gazdag (40' PK, 84' PK)
What happened?: Two Union penalties, two Daniel Gazdag goals, three red cards, three points for Philly. A delightful mess.
So, did we learn anything?: Neither team came into this one in the best form. Now it kind of feels like Nashville are sputtering. That's four losses in the last five for the Coyotes. They're all but out of the Shield race at this point. To be fair, they created like 3.1 xG worth of chances and didn't score, but it's hard to give them too much of a pass when they still haven't brought in a DP striker. I think it might be fair for Nashville fans to start being a little impatient.
COLORADO RAPIDS - 0 | PORTLAND TIMBERS - 0
What happened?: Eight days of nothing.
So, did we learn anything?: No.
LAFC - 3 | ST. LOUIS CITY SC - 0
C. Vela (72'), S. Biuk (82'), J. Cifuentes (90'+2')
What happened?: It took a moment but once LAFC broke the stalemate they were off and running.
So, did we learn anything?: LAFC may be tired but they still have a ton of quality. With the win they've set themselves up to chase down St. Louis at the top of the conference for good once they get past Leagues Cup. They might have done it anyway to be honest. Still, huge win.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - 2 | SEATTLE SOUNDERS - 0
C. Espinoza (19' PK), M. Trauco (65')
What happened?: The Quakes took the lead against the run of play and then Miguel Trauco scored another excellent goal later on.
So, did we learn anything?: These two teams frustrate me so much. The Quakes will do this and inexplicably lose to a lower-tier team right after. Seattle will do this and then it will feel like they kind of keep doing it but somehow they stay near the top of the West. Are either of them good? Who knows! But they're going to be playoff teams either way.
Look, there's only so much MLS a person can take before it just starts to feel a little extra. Both these teams are overdoing it.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS - 2 | AUSTIN FC - 1
P. Vite (1'), S. Córdova (72') | R. Redes (47')
What happened?: Pedro Vite scored in 29 seconds, Rodney Redes equalized later on, then Sergio Córdova made the difference.
So, did we learn anything?: Vancouver bounced back from a tough loss to Seattle last week. Austin cooled off a little. I still don't really know what to think of either of these teams.
AND OTHER THINGS
THE READING RAINBOW
FULL TIME
Good luck out there. Why take many kicks when two kicks work?
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