LAFC acquire forward González from Braga
LAFC have addressed an area of need in the transfer market, announcing Saturday they've acquired forward Mario González from Portuguese top-flight side Braga. The deal, completed using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), maintains the club's open Designated Player spot alongside forwards Carlos Vela and Dénis Bouanga. The 27-year-old Spaniard brings a versatile presence to LAFC's attacking group, capable of playing centrally or out wide.
NYCFC transfer Pereira to Qatar's Al-Rayyan
New York City FC have transferred winger Gabriel Pereira to Qatari top-flight side Al-Rayyan SC. NYCFC maintain a sell-on fee and receive an undisclosed eight-figure transfer fee, making it among the club’s most lucrative outgoing moves. The 21-year-old Brazilian was NYCFC’s leading scorer during the 2023 season, tallying six goals as they look to get above the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line.
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An Andre Blake penalty save! Montréal looking great, then not so great, then good again! A midwest showdown! And more on the way!
Let’s talk it out.
What happened?: Montréal were cruising here until the very end thanks in part to an outstanding goal from Bryce Duke, who pulled the classic “get knocked over and stay on the ground until it’s time to pop up and score” move. Full credit to Gabriel Fernández for an excellent volley that got Pumas off the floor late. Montréal still ended up with two points, but they were agonizingly close to earning three and keeping Pumas off the board.
So, did we learn anything?: This Montréal group increasingly feels like the 2021 group that showed much promise before putting it together in 2022. They’re young, but have many pieces that seem to fit well and are actively improving over the course of the year. Outplaying one of Mexico's los cuatro grandes for 90 minutes is always a good sign, even if Pumas are a bit down as of late. Not saying they’ll be a Shield contender next year, but things seem to be trending in the right direction when Montréal have something close to their best XI.
What happened?: Incredibly little, but New York ended up with two points and the Revs ended up with one.
So, did we learn anything?: Nope.
What happened?: Xolos picked up a red card in the 19th minute and from there, it was classic Union. A penalty from Gazdag, a brace from Carranza, some saves from Blake, including a key PK denial early in the second half, y’all should know how this works at this point.
So, did we learn anything?: We did not and that’s as nice a compliment I think I can give the Union here.
What happened?: Whoooo boy RSL are on an elite heater right now. They rolled over Seattle here.
So, did we learn anything?: How I feel watching Seattle right now is the exact opposite of how I feel watching RSL. Everything is going right for RSL and zero things are going right for the Sounders. It’s totally possible it might be best for Seattle to just pack up shop for this competition and use the next few weeks to reset before starting the final stretch of the season. Nothing is clicking.
Anyway, I’m Scrooge McDuck diving into all the non-existent money I made off the non-existent RSL stock I kept telling y’all to buy a few weeks ago. I’m fake rich and don’t want to hear from anyone not in my new fake tax bracket.
What happened?: Evander and Felipe Mora made the difference.
So, did we learn anything?: That’s a nice win for Portland. We know they love a tournament. It would admittedly be a bit shocking to make a run in this one, but if you think about it for a bit it wouldn’t be that shocking. This is just kind of what they do.
Speaking of patterns, San Jose continues to be an awful road team. They have one win away from home on the season. They aren’t the only team in the West dealing with road woes, but they’re definitely one of the best.
NYCFC vs. Atlas | 7 pm ET | Apple TV - Free, UniMas, FS1
WATCH ON: **MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 25/50
This was a Campeones Cup matchup last year. It’s lost a lot of juice since then. NYCFC haven’t been at their best and continue to reshape their roster during a very busy collection of transfer windows over the last year. Meanwhile, Atlas picked up one point per game over the course of the Apertura and Clausura last year.
FC Cincinnati vs. Sporting KC | 7:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free
WATCH ON: **MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 28/50
SKC seem to be one of those teams that can play with anybody on their day. Those days don’t seem to happen on the road. They have one road win this year and they just so happen to be playing the league’s (the world’s?) best home team. Cincy have one draw and a whole bunch of wins at home this year.
Columbus Crew vs. St. Louis CITY SC | 7:30 pm ET | Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
WATCH ON: **MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 43/50
MLS’ most-possessiony team versus MLS’ most not that team. Someone is playing right into the other’s hands here. My gut call is St. Louis will be more than happy to swarm the Crew as they build out of the back, but the Crew may have enough quality for that not to matter. Either way, we’ve got two of the league’s best teams with two of the league’s most distinct styles going head to head. It’s an easy pick for game of the day.
Nashville SC vs. Colorado Rapids | 8:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free
WATCH ON: **MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 19/50
As always, there’s a chance the game you least expect to entertain you is the one that goes off the rails. Anything can happen, right?
Puebla vs. Minnesota United | 9 pm ET | Apple TV - Free, UniMas, FS1
WATCH ON: **MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 23/50
The Loons are still learning how to cohabitate with Teemu Pukki and will likely view the next few games as a tune-up for an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs push over the post-Leagues Cup stretch of the season. Still, they have a lot of quality going forward and are very comfortable playing without the ball. They feel like a team that could quietly get hot in this competition.
- CF Montréal defeated Pumas in PKs amid an "amazing atmosphere" at Stade Saputo.
- Andre Blake came up huge (again) for Philly in their Leagues Cup win over Tijuana.
Good luck out there. Make things difficult for everyone else.
