Portland acquire Rodríguez from Club América
The Portland Timbers have signed forward Jonathan Rodríguez from Liga MX powerhouse Club América. The 30-year-old Uruguayan international, nicknamed Cabecita, is a Designated Player for Portland. His contract lasts through the 2026 MLS season with an option for 2027. Rodríguez established his reputation in Liga MX across stops at Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna and Club América.
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Yesterday, we looked at the teams who already seem on track to pull off something special this year. We came up with a handful of teams that seem ready to compete for the Supporters’ Shield. Considering that the four teams that seem most likely to make a run – Inter Miami CF, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Atlanta United – are all in the same conference (East), all have varying levels of Achilles heels and questions, and all have MVP candidates guiding the way, it feels like we could be in for something special this season.
It made us here at The Daily Kickoff, the world’s only soccer newsletter, realize that we might be in for something special in another race as well. We have seven players with three or more non-penalty goals through four full weeks of play. With apologies to Portland’s Antony and his brace against Colorado, six of those seven feel like bonafide Golden Boot presented by Audi candidates.
Cucho made a push for this last year, piling up 16 goals on the year while adding 11 assists. The assists aren’t quite as important in this case, but you need to remember that Cucho is one of the single best all-around players in the league. Even his defensive numbers rule. We don’t talk about it enough.
Anyway, he already has three goals and an assist through his first four games of the year and I can’t envision a world where he slows down. Maybe a deep Concacaf Champions Cup run from the Crew could cause him to miss some time, but even then, do you expect him to stop producing? The Crew are just going to keep scoring more than just about anyone else and he’s going to be at the center of it all.
Benteke is here on the strength of a hat trick in his first game. He’s only played in one match since then after picking up an injury, but we can assume more goals are on the way. The problem (or maybe the good news?) for Benteke is he won’t be getting as much help as the other players on the list. D.C. aren’t a high-flying attacking team, and Benteke is the focal point of the attacking they do. If D.C. are launching crosses his way for 30 games this year, he’s going to get his. Most of the league’s defenders just don’t have the physical skillset to handle him. That could be enough to keep him in the race against some players in more high-octane attacks.
Ah, right, this guy.
This guy is really good. Even with Miami rotating due to CCC, he’s scored four times in three starts. He’s even found the time to add three assists along the way for a league-leading seven goal contributions. We’ll see if that pace continues as the year goes along, but, as long as he’s healthy, do you really expect Suárez to slow down too much? The only thing that could really derail him in this race is injuries and international duty.
Ah, right, this guy.
This guy is really good. Even with Miami rotating due to CCC and a light injury keeping him out of games, he’s scored three times in three starts. He’s even found the time to add two all-competition assists along the way. That pace will continue as the year goes along as long as he’s healthy. The only thing that could really derail him in this race is injuries and international duty.
Joveljic is the most surprising player on this list. We wondered for a couple of years what he might be able to do if he got a chance at a full-time starting role. We saw it for a bit last year, and, well, it didn’t go all that well. It didn’t end in disaster or anything. It just didn’t go well.
After putting up 11 goals in just seven starts and a whole lot of substitute appearances in 2022, Joveljic scored just six times in 19 starts last season. This year, four starts and a league-leading four goals.
It’s somehow happened quietly. Everyone probably got distracted by Riqui Puig and Joseph Paintsil. That’s understandable. And it’s also reason to believe Joveljic can keep finding the back of the net. He has help around him like he’s never had before. Being the tip of the spear for one of the most exciting attacks in the league can take you a long way, especially if it leads to you repeatedly finding yourself in excellent positions to score. Joveljic leads the league with 4.0 non-penalty xG through four games. The next closest player, Benteke, has 2.7. Joveljic is averaging 1.49 xG per 90. That’s a level that’s not sustainable, but it is a sign that his hot start hasn’t been a fluke.
GG has averaged just below a goal every 90 minutes since he arrived in MLS. So far this year, he’s been even better. He has four goals through Atlanta’s first three games and averages 1.4 goals per 90. That’s the second-best mark in the league just behind Benteke.
The bottom line for Giakoumakis: If he plays, he scores. That was true before Atlanta added multiple dynamic pieces around him in attack and solidified the rest of their starting XI. It might be even more true now. He finds a way to score even when he’s not at his best. Like a few other folks on this list, the only thing that’s going to keep him from winning the Golden Boot is injuries and international duty. The defenders he’s facing almost feel irrelevant.
Someone else may throw their hat in the ring soon, too. It just takes one hot streak. If you ask me, I’m taking one of the six above, but who knows? Maybe a new signing like Portland’s Cabecita makes an immediate impact? Maybe someone like Teemu Pukki in Minnesota or Dénis Bouanga at LAFC gets hot. RSL’s Chicho Arango still exists. Remember Luciano Acosta and Aaron Boupendza in Cincy? There’s plenty of reason to think we’ll see a few more folks make a push for this. Who comes out on top is anybody’s guess.
Atlanta sign Ríos on loan from Chivas: A familiar face is back in MLS, as Atlanta United have acquired striker Daniel Ríos on loan from Liga MX powerhouse Chivas through the 2024 season. The 29-year-old Mexico native previously played in MLS from 2020-22, posting 12g/3a across 57 appearances for Charlotte FC and Nashville SC.
Portland waive goalkeeper Ivacic: The Portland Timbers have waived goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic. Ivacic departs after Portland brought in three goalkeepers this offseason – highlighted by Canadian international Maxime Crépeau, an MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield winner at LAFC. They also signed James Pantemis (ex-CF Montréal) in free agency and acquired Trey Muse from USL Championship side Charleston Battery.
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Good luck out there. Get comfortable somewhere new.
