2 weeks ago
There are elemental adages which thief america navigate this huffy world. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it heaves a brew your measurement connected nan section astatine PayPal Park, you springiness it a hearty chug.
The San Jose Earthquakes person been nan season’s astonishment outfit, storming to nan apical of a competitory Western Conference successful Bruce Arena’s 2nd season. In their last location fixture earlier nan World Cup break, they stormed backmost against a valiant FC Dallas to find an 80th infinitesimal leveler, giving nan crowd dreams of a comeback earlier nan last whistle.
Instead, Dallas seized their opportunity. Sam Sarver had only entered successful nan 84th minute, caller legs to harry nan Quakes backline and spoil their hopes of a winner. Instead, he did thing acold much significant. Sarver’s scamper ended successful a cool decorativeness to guarantee each 3 points for Dallas.
As if nan series wasn’t already huffy enough, Sarver reveled successful his domiciled arsenic lucifer winner. He took a mates teammates for a scuba dive disconnected nan advertisement boards, possibly a homage to MLS cult leader Roger Levesque. While we don’t condone nan San Jose faithful’s throwing of beers and debris astatine nan 23-year-old, Sarver acted pinch an improviser’s small heart to “yes, and” by shotgunning 1 of nan cervezas – a BAC-boost to get done nan remainder of stoppage time.
When life throws you a stadium beer, you champion crush it.
This wasn’t conscionable an underdog’s occupation good done. Dallas person had a resurgent twelvemonth aft a tumultuous 2025. Head coach Eric Quill has closed ranks and made his squad incredibly reliable to play against: well-stationed successful defense, and opportunistic whenever they outpouring forward.
It helps to person arguably MLS’s champion axenic center-forward, mind you. Petar Musa looks poised to crest Croatia’s squad astatine nan World Cup and, should he execute well, should bid liking from European clubs this summer. Off nan bench, Sarver and Musa’s sometimes onslaught partner, Logan Farrington, adds sizeable inaugural disconnected nan shot and goalscoring prowess. Farrington has 5 goals and 2 assists successful 698 minutes this year. Sarver has 3 goals successful 182 minutes aft starring their Next Pro connection North Texas SC pinch 19 goals successful 2025, earning nan league’s MVP honor.
Under Quill, who led North Texas from 2019 to 2021, nary squad perpetrate truthful profoundly to nan bunker-and-counter bit, per Futi. That has kept them successful games pinch nan West’s contending class, pinch nan triumph against second-place San Jose further grounds aft they contained breakout Real Salt Lake a week earlier.
Whether Musa stays aliases goes will play an outsized portion successful whether they tin return to nan convention last for nan first clip since 2015. Until then, scenes for illustration Saturday’s show this squad person afloat moved past past season’s disastrous signing of Luciano Acosta and are relishing nan aftermath – whether nan opposing fans proviso their post-win drinks aliases not.
While San Jose will rue 3 dropped points astatine home, they tin return immoderate comfortableness that their rivals atop nan West besides dropped a consequence …
Guilherme helps Houston assistance off
Few outsiders knew what to expect erstwhile nan Houston Dynamo announced nan signing of Guilherme. A autochthonal boy of São Paulo, nan 31-year-old has had a nomadic career. A compatriot coach brought him to Saudi Arabia successful 2020, but he returned to Grêmio successful 2022 and seemed group for home journeyman position aft moving to Santos.
He didn’t person nan astir sparkling resume of MLS’s wintertime signings, but nan Dynamo saw an on-ball wizard who could fresh into Ben Olsen’s system. Houston offered a much salient domiciled (and a little caliber of opponents’ defending) than he’d had successful Brazil, arsenic good arsenic amended accommodation and in-stadium support than he saw successful Saudi Arabia and nan UAE. Guilherme has been successful blistering form, pinch 7 goals and 4 assists successful his first 13 MLS matches.
His latest extremity proved pivotal successful Saturday’s triumph complete Vancouver and was emblematic of really he’s taken MLS by storm. After playing a short area precocious successful a scoreless location title against nan mighty (albeit short-handed) Whitecaps, Guilherme mazed into nan container and finished to move 1 constituent into 3 for nan Dynamo.
His fearlessness successful possession tin put defenders connected skates, and he has nan deft footwork to beforehand upfield connected his own. He averages 2.9 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, nan sixth-best successful MLS, while his 12 extremity contributions person him comfortably among nan apical 10 successful nan convention successful that category.
Guilherme is remarkably adept astatine scoring from low-likelihood looks, pinch 5 of his first 7 strikes having been forged by solo efforts.
This whitethorn beryllium a beardown first belief while opponents refine their gameplans, but Guilherme has helped nan Dynamo outperform expectations. Houston closed Saturday sixth successful nan West, while Guilherme is simply a reliable contender to beryllium nan club’s 2nd All-Star prime since 2018.
MLS has agelong been hospitable to crafty Brazilian dribblers, from Ilsinho’s super-sub turns pinch Philadelphia to Ibson’s all-gas-no-brakes attack successful Minnesota’s midfield. His floor plan whitethorn not person jumped disconnected nan page astatine first glance, but his performances person made him assignment viewing connected a squad that desperately needed an entertainer.
“There is not a batch he can’t do,” Olsen said aft nan win. “Right foot, near foot, he tin provide, he tin serve, he is bully successful nan air, he is simply a awesome athlete, and he is simply a awesome shot player.”
Phil Neville does Miami
Inter Miami yet recovered a first triumph astatine their caller home, Nu Stadium, strolling to a 2-0 triumph complete nan Portland Timbers. The lucifer doubled arsenic Phil Neville’s first lucifer against his erstwhile nine since he was dismissed six weeks earlier Lionel Messi signed successful nan summertime of 2023. True to expectation, it was Messi who led nan landmark consequence astatine a stadium that already boasts a guidelines named successful his honor.
Playing down a onslaught tandem of Luis Suárez and Germán Berterame, Messi tested Portland early and often, placing 4 of his 9 shots connected target. His extremity came from a give-and-go up nan channel pinch Suárez that took a adjuvant backheeled prod from Telasco Segovia. Messi past created Miami’s second, dancing into nan container earlier squaring nan shot to Berterame, who vanished nicely.
Speaking pinch Apple’s broadcast astatine halftime, Neville said he was happy pinch wherever his low-defensive artifact was stationed but wanted to spot amended tackling. Seemingly, nan scheme was for his players to triumph nan lion’s stock of one-on-ones pinch Messi and Co – a bold strategy, arsenic astir teams that win against Miami show much inaugural successful each phases.
To their credit, Portland were sharper pinch their challenges aft nan break, winning 60% of duels (including 78% of aerials) successful nan second-half aft claiming 44% (38% aerially) successful nan first half. Days aft being named to New Zealand’s squad for nan World Cup, Finn Surman handled a downhill Messi scamper pinch grace successful nan 67th minute, forcing nan Argentinian to his near for an off-center changeable which Surman capably blocked. Containment whitethorn person been easier arsenic Miami eased disconnected aft half-time: Miami created a patient 2.45 xG worthy of chances successful nan first, per Fotmob, while generating conscionable 0.59 xG aft nan break.
This was Miami’s 5th triumph successful 7 games since Javier Mascherano’s daze departure, though only 1 came against a squad classed among either conference’s apical eight.
Odds and ends
While Dallas and Houston near nan play connected a high, Austin FC are near to study nan wreckage. They suffered nan ignominy of conclusion against lowly Sporting Kansas City, seeing their 1-0 lead successful nan 78th infinitesimal squandered successful a location fixture they expected to win. Questions abound astir nan club’s guidance nether sporting head Rodolfo Borrell, whose awesome CV moving for Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester City hasn’t translated to occurrence successful Austin. In an accidental 2010 World Cup homage, nan matchwinner from Stephen Afrifa coiled for illustration a Jabulani.
Wilfried Zaha was nan header omission from nan Ivory Coast’s squad for nan World Cup, missing retired aft starting for nan Elephants during Afcon 2026. He seemed fresh to beryllium a constituent connected Saturday, slotting location nan opening goal successful Charlotte’s 3-1 triumph complete Toronto FC. Zaha still has plentifulness to benignant retired this summer, arsenic his indebtedness woody expires astatine nan extremity of June on pinch his statement astatine Galatasaray.
Orlando City proceed to bide their clip until Antoine Griezmann arrives aft nan World Cup, drafting 1-1 pinch Atlanta United. With attacking midfielder Martin Ojeda still successful uncommon form, Griezmann projects to beryllium needed up top, wherever his activity and meticulous shooting would beryllium a boon for a nine who person been without a dependable halfway guardant since they sold Daryl Dike successful 2022.
Dike, for what it’s worth, will deed free agency astatine nan extremity of adjacent month, and could beryllium successful request among MLS teams arsenic he looks to get his profession backmost connected way aft an injury-riddled tenure pinch West Brom.
