Matchday 6 is within the books.
What did we be taught? Did the video games verify what we already knew or change the complexion of the league?
Let’s dive into some key takeaways from one other weekend of MLS motion.
For LAFC followers, it’s completely cheap to be excited in regards to the membership’s 6-0 win over Orlando City on Saturday. Beatdowns of that dimension don’t come round fairly often, in any case. But there was one thing at BMO Stadium to be much more enthusiastic about than scoring a landing towards the Lions: head coach Marc Dos Santos tinkered with Son Heung-Min’s function, and people modifications helped supercharge LAFC’s assault.
Still but to concede a objective in MLS play, which is downright astonishing, nobody is doubting LAFC’s defensive bona fides. But some (me!) spent the worldwide break doubting LAFC’s means to search out high quality seems to be within the assault whereas being ultra-locked in defensively. According to American Soccer Analysis, LAFC hadn’t posted greater than 1.3 anticipated targets in any of the 4 matches between their season-opening win over Inter Miami and the demolition of Orlando.
So, what helped unlock LAFC’s assault on Saturday? Besides Orlando’s lackluster displaying, Dos Santos transferring Son right into a second forward-type function labored a deal with. No longer liable for all the hold-up play as a lone No. 9, Son let Nathan Ordaz do a number of the central soiled work in order that he might obtain the ball going through ahead and break open the sport.
LAFC’s second objective of the sport (and Son’s first of 4 assists on the night time) serves as an ideal instance. With Ordaz worn out on the bottom after his back-to-goal work, Son has area to run into and a streaking Denis Bouanga to search out. It’s an ideal sequence:
The second ahead function may not be an ideal match for Son in each recreation, however it labored a deal with on Saturday and provides LAFC one other method to unlock their celebrity.
So, uh, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino might need a choice to make about Zavier Gozo this summer time:
Realistically, with precisely zero USMNT camps left earlier than Pochettino names his 2026 FIFA World Cup roster, it’s in all probability too late for Gozo to push his means into this summer time’s squad. But it appears inarguable that the 19-year-old homegrown is doing issues that few different gamers in MLS – or within the USMNT pool – are able to.
In Real Salt Lake’s 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City, Gozo displayed a formidable mixture of abilities. There was the audacious objective up above. There was his quick-twitch one-v-one work on the appropriate wing that noticed him go three-for-four on dribble makes an attempt. Then there was his athleticism, intelligent off-ball motion, and quickly bettering resolution making on the ball within the closing third, all of which popped up on his help within the second half:
Gozo’s aggressive underlapping run helped RSL get away of their very own half. Then his persistence and on-ball gravity noticed a pair of visiting heart backs overcommit to the teenager, creating area for a easy layoff to Sergi Solans for the end.
It actually looks as if Gozo is bettering from one weekend to the following. It gained’t be lengthy earlier than he’s beginning USMNT video games.
Quick: Guess the variety of video games final season the place FC Dallas held greater than 45% possession following Lucho Acosta’s exit.
Zero? You guessed it. Towards the top of 2025, Eric Quill wasn’t afraid to pack issues into Dallas’ personal third, take in strain and attempt to hit on the break. Without a heliocentric attacking midfielder like Acosta within the group, it wasn’t loopy to assume FC Dallas would keep their extraordinarily conservative line of confrontation in 2026. But because it occurs, issues have taken a distinct flip in Texas.
Saturday’s 4-0 win at D.C. United marked the third time in six video games the place FC Dallas held no less than 49% possession this season. Of course, extra possession doesn’t a greater group make. But with a willingness and, crucially, a capability to make use of the ball extra successfully in the appropriate moments, Quill’s group seems to be extra harmful than ever.
With a rising record of gamers snug on the ball – see: Ramiro and Logan Farrington combining for one of the goals of the weekend, but additionally Petar Musa being one among MLS’s most well-rounded strikers, whereas Joaquín Valiente and Santi Moreno mattress into the assault – it’s simple to see why Quill has eased the possession reins a bit in 2026.
FC Dallas gained’t be San Diego FC-esque with preserving the ball. But early indicators level to them being very, very robust to beat.
During the first-ever match at Nu Stadium, the stage was set for Inter Miami to christen their freshly minted digs with a win.
Instead, Austin FC scored the primary objective in entrance of a sold-out crowd and practically stole all three factors earlier than a late objective from Luis Suárez salvaged a degree in Saturday’s 2-2 draw.
Don’t get it twisted: the hosts created greater than sufficient possibilities within the second half to earn a victory. But Miami began beneath the tempo and needed to come from behind to keep away from defeat. It was additionally the fourth recreation in six throughout the common season the place Miami have discovered themselves taking part in from behind. The different two video games? A flat 2-1 win over D.C. United and a 0-0 draw at Charlotte FC (albeit with a rotated lineup).
With sluggish begins, even whereas sitting fourth within the Eastern Conference, Inter Miami’s rising pains are very actual proper now.
After an offseason crammed with change, head coach Javier Mascherano has used the identical beginning lineup in consecutive regular-season video games simply as soon as this season. And Germán Berterame dropping his beginning spot simply weeks into the season wasn’t on my bingo card coming into 2026.
The takeaway? Mascherano continues to be trying to find his finest personnel grouping. If final 12 months is any indication, he’ll discover it. But at current? Inter Miami look nearer to flawed than flawless.
Last season, solely six groups in MLS allowed extra xG per recreation than Chicago Fire FC’s 1.75, as per American Soccer Analysis. This season, solely three groups in MLS have allowed much less xG per recreation than Chicago’s 1.02.
We’re witnessing a real defensive turnaround, one that may, maybe, be finest visualized by a number of additions to the beginning lineup. In midfield, newcomer Anton Saletros supplies way more physicality than Sergio Oregel and Robin Lod provides noticeably extra defensive heft than Brian Gutiérrez. Along the backline, South African worldwide Mbekezeli Mbokazi has been imposing at heart again in his first MLS season.
All three of these gamers have been efficient in a 1-0 win over Nashville SC on Saturday, the place Philip Zinckernagel scored after 17 seconds and the Fire by no means regarded again. Despite all of Nashville’s attacking may, Chicago didn’t buckle below strain. They even saved simply 43.2% possession, one of many lowest tallies of the Gregg Berhalter period. It was a grit-and-bear-it kind of night for Chicago – and so they did simply that. It’s exhausting to think about saying that about final 12 months’s Fire squad.
Now, there’s work to do for Chicago’s assault to be as harmful as final 12 months. But because the group will get more healthy and has extra time to gel (and perhaps even take a giant swing or two in the summertime window), it’s not troublesome to image the Fire reaching that stage.
No matter the way you slice it, the Fire are a group to be taken significantly. Last weekend’s win over Nashville proved it.
