MLS talking points: a record in Chicago and a reprieve for the Sounders

The Sounders aren’t done quite yet

This was supposed to be the Seattle Sounders’ year. The team had a nice path in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and a number of seemingly savvy acquisitions in the winter had fans hoping they’d be enjoying a 2025 season that went down as the best in the club’s storied history.

Advertisement

Like many resolution-makers who, in January, believe it’s their year, the panorama had totally changed by April. The Sounders entered the weekend long eliminated from the continental championship, with just one league win in seven tries and a rash of injuries making even simple-seeming matchups look daunting – before even thinking about this summer’s visits from Atlético Madrid, PSG and Botafogo in the Club World Cup.

That’s why Saturday’s 1-0 victory over FC Dallas is significant. It wasn’t a dazzling performance. The Sounders didn’t score for fun like they did in their other win this season, but they secured three points on the road against a conference rival.

Related: Kevin De Bruyne could move to Messi’s Inter Miami. Here’s how

They did so with Danny Musovski pressed into duty as the starting forward after Jordan Morris felt discomfort in a training session the day before the match. Musovski scored the winning goal, finishing with his first touch after a shot from outside the box smashed off the post but fell in his direction.

Advertisement

Winning is a skill, and previous incarnations of the Sounders have mastered that skill when it mattered. After last weekend’s 3-0 blowout defeat in San Diego made it four MLS matches in a row without a win, there was concern about whether or not this team could master it.

“The team never quits,” Sounders manager Brian Schmetzer said Saturday.

Now, the team will have a positive atmosphere in training sessions this week with new acquisition Ryan Kent also set to join up ahead of a return to Lumen Field this weekend. Perhaps this year will be the one after all. JA

A welcome break for Porter

No one individual needed a win this weekend more than Caleb Porter.

Advertisement

Heading into Saturday’s road clash with Atlanta United, the New England Revolution had picked up just one win and one draw from their first six games. The start had been a far cry from what Porter would’ve imagined after overseeing one of the largest roster overhauls in recent MLS history. In hopes of rebounding from a brutal 2024 campaign that saw New England finish second from bottom out East, the Revs returned just 37% of their minutes. Between the winter overhaul and a set of summer moves, nine of the top 10 minutes-getters for New England hadn’t played for the club at this time last year.

With a host of new pieces, Porter projected confidence heading into 2025.

“We had good players here … they just didn’t happen to be the right players, once we got in here,” Porter, now in his second season in New England, told local Boston media in January. “They’re still good players, but now we have the right players. Now this is my team. These are, these are my players. I’ve picked them, and I’m confident in the blueprint that I have.”

If you picked the players and the team isn’t playing well, it’s not hard to trace the blame for a set of poor results back to the source.

Advertisement

With his seat starting to warm, Porter pulled out a tactical innovation in Georgia this weekend. He shifted to a 3-4-1-2 setup for the first time in 2025, allowed his wingbacks to push high, and watched as his team put up their second-highest xG total of the season in a 1-0 win, according to FBref. It was exactly the result Porter needed – and without any difference-making wingers in the squad, it’s one that was fueled by a formation swap that could become a feature for the Revs.

Maybe Saturday’s win will galvanize New England. Maybe it only delayed the inevitable for Porter. Either way, they’re three points richer in a competitive Eastern Conference. JL

Questions in Philly

Ernst Tanner gets most things right. Many questioned the Philadelphia Union sporting director’s decision to fire Jim Curtin, yet Bradley Carnell has given the team a new high-energy identity quicker than anyone could have envisaged. Three straight wins to start 2025 were further vindication. However, Dániel Gazdag’s departure could prove to be the biggest test of Tanner’s vision.

Advertisement

Philly’s performance in the 1-0 defeat to New York City FC didn’t exactly comfort supporters unhappy at the exit of the club’s all-time top scorer. There was little between the two teams at Citi Field, but the visitors created just one Big Chance (as Opta defines it). Coincidentally (or not), Gazdag led the Union in Big Chances created so far this season. When Philadelphia dominated Orlando in Gazdag’s final match, nobody created more in front of goal than the Hungarian.

Against NYC FC, Quinn Sullivan came close with a shot from 20 yards out. Jovan Lukić had another effort from similar range while Chris Donovan drew a save with a powerful header near the end. But by and large, Philadelphia lacked a spark. Matt Freese wasn’t called into action once until the 65th minute.

There’s still reason for Philly to be positive about their start to 2025. However, they’re relying on Tai Baribo keeping up his hot streak. And Quinn Sullivan proving his recent step up is more than just a flash in the pan. And Indiana Vassilev settling in quickly. And Kai Wagner getting back to his best after a spell out. And the hype around Cavan Sullivan being real. And Carnell’s approach not being figured out by opponents like it was after a while in St Louis.

“We made the change and it turned out to be the right thing. People see it now,” Tanner told Backheeled in an interview before the Gazdag deal was struck. Will people still see it if the Union’s new identity doesn’t do enough to mask the lack of top end talent in the team? Philly might now be a clearer reflection of their sporting director, but what is the true ambition of what he wants? As Gazdag sees it, he’s now “playing for a club that is actually playing for titles.” GR

A big day in Chicago

The presence of Lionel Messi at Soldier Field on Sunday was enough for Chicago Fire to break their all-time attendance record as 62,358 spectators filled the historic stadium for the visit of Inter Miami. That edged the Fire’s previous record of 62,124 set in anticipation of a Messi appearance back in October 2023, but the Argentinian missed the game due to injury.

Advertisement

Fans weren’t disappointed on this occasion, at least not when it came to Messi’s presence. Chants of “Messi, Messi” could be heard during the game despite him being on the visiting team, but Chicago head coach Gregg Berhalter pointed out that it was good just to see a packed house.

“It’s nice to see this stadium filled up, and I think both teams put on a good effort and a good show for the fans,” said the former USMNT head coach.

Fans may have been disappointed with the game itself, which finished in a 0-0 draw, but Messi came close a couple of times to give them some of what they came for. He hit the bar on two separate occasions from free kicks, one of which produced a great fingertip save from Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady. A nice pass over the top to Luis Suárez produced a goal, but it was flagged for offside.

The Fire had the better chances overall, though, and will have been disappointed not to have won the game against its star-studded opponent. This was demonstrated by the fact that Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, not Messi, was named Man of the Match.

For a team that has been in MLS since 1998 to be breaking attendance records in 2025 shows the power of Messi and the potential he has to bring new fans to these long-established MLS teams. Keeping them interested in American soccer once Messi leaves town, and indeed once Messi leaves the league, will be the challenge. JN