Page 14 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

THINGS TO WATCH - MLS
Messi gets lifted in the air by teammates after winning the Leagues Cup
10.) CINDERELLA IS MAKING A BAY AREA
APPEARANCE
9.) THE TITLE DEFENSE IS ON
8.) THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT IN PHILADELPHIA
7.) LUCHO’S DREAM SEASON
6.) IS WAZZA’S LUCK UP?
Denis Bouanga will look to lead LAFC to a title defence
Quinn Sullivan celebrates with teammates
TEN THINGS
TO WATCH
THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYOFFS ARE ALMOST HERE! TO GET YOU CAUGHT UP ON ALL OF THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF THIS WACKY 2023, HERE IS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE TOP HEADLINES FROM ACROSS THE LEAGUE.
This year’s Cinderella may very well be the San Jose Earthquakes, who are looking to make their first playoff appearance since 2020 and just their second since 2016. Cristian Espinoza has led the charge with 12 goals for the ‘Quakes with Jeremy Ebobisse scoring 7 just before the League Cup break.
There has been no sophomore slump for LAFC after finally winning their first-ever MLS Cup title. Last year’s late signing Denis Bouanga has come into his own in his second season in the City of Angels, scoring 12 goals prior to the Leagues Cup break. His partnership with Carlos Vela has helped LAFC out of countless jams and will prove critical during the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Union are once again the darlings of MLS, with their core of Homegrown Players (Quinn Sullivan, Matthew Real, and Jack McGlynn) propelling the group to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. After last year’s MLS Cup run to the Finals many were wondering if the young side could take the pressure heading into year two. The answer seems to be emphatically yes.
The MLS Most Valuable Player award is always
a hotly contested topic and 2023 seems to be
no different. If there is a leader Lucho Acosta of
FC Cincinnati would certainly be in the running, having led the dormant club to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference Standings. Prior to the Leagues Cup break, the Argentine international (who is reportedly looking to file a one-time switch with FIFA to represent the USMNT) scored 12 goals while leading the league in Key Passes with 58.
D.C. United are three years into the Wayne
Rooney experiment and thus far the results have been...uneven. Although the club currently finds themselves in the playoff hunt it hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. United terminated the contract of All-Star forward Taxi Fountas after an MLS investigation showed that there were ‘credible allegations’ that he used discriminatory language towards teammate Nigel Robertha. On the field, they have struggled to find their attacking spark, scoring just 32 goals before the Leagues Cup break.
14 SOCCER360 MAGAZINE