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2023 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR
This year’s 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR has arrived. The list honors the top 22 players in MLS under the age of 22 – as voted on by an expert panel consisting of select MLS staff and MLS Season Pass talent.
Watch "Messi Meets America" on Apple TV+
The first three episodes of "Messi Meets America,” the highly-anticipated documentary about Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami CF, premiered on Oct. 11 on Apple TV+. Additional episodes of the six-part series will be viewable later in the season.
The game model works
Kind of. I mean, it depends on what you mean by “works.” If you believe “works” means “entertaining the masses and lighting up the scoreboard” then no, it does not work. But if “works” means “limiting chances, keeping games close and hoping Hany pops off,” then it actually does tend to work – especially in small sample-size tournaments. We saw Nashville come agonizingly close to the Leagues Cup title earlier this year because they found a groove in attack at the right time and their outstanding defense held steady.
This year, Nashville have allowed 34.1 xG against, the second-best mark in the league. And while Hany Mukhtar hasn’t quite been at a Landon Donovan MLS MVP level this year, he’s been darn close. We know he can change close games at any time. If Nashville can stifle some of the best teams in the league, catch a break or two in a penalty shootout and have Mukhtar find a few opportunities, they have a chance to go on a Leagues Cup-esque run.
Could I interest you in some match winners?
Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis would be enough on their own to make Atlanta United an intriguing pick from the bottom half of the bracket. The pair have 26 goals and 20 assists between them. But Atlanta seem to have genuine threats on the wings now in Xande Silva and Saba Lobjanidze. They have the kinds of players who can flip games on their head. Even when the team as a whole is struggling.
That counts for a lot in the playoffs. The problem of course is that the team as a whole still has a tendency to struggle defensively due to issues in midfield and poor shot-stopping numbers. They can overcome those potential problems easily, though, if Almada and Giakoumakis get hot at the right time.
Carles Gil is good at this
I’ll be honest. Out of all these teams, I’m least confident in the Revs making a run. They’ve lost too much to injury or transfer at this point. But they do still have Carles GIl. And he’s still easily one of the single most impactful players in the league. Would you really be all that shocked if he carried the Revs on his back for a few weeks.
The end-of-game issues are probably blips
We’ve mentioned a lot lately that the Crew have dropped 10 points in stoppage time this season. That includes this weekend’s late draw against Atlanta United. But those late-game issues likely aren’t indicative of a larger issue. They’re definitely scary after last year’s repeated disasters. But this feels less like a team that can’t keep it together and more like a team that has put themselves in a position to have a lead to blow in the first place getting unlucky.
The Crew are one of the best teams in the league and play some of the best attacking soccer in the league. They’ll be more than able to go blow-for-blow with the best teams in the East. And if they end up holding a late lead in any of these games, well, maybe they’ve learned by now how to correct any tangible issues. Or maybe they’ll just get a little luckier. The main thing here is that they’re more likely to have a lead at all than most teams.
Experience matters
The Union have been here before. A lot actually. Philly have played in a ton of big games over the last few years and, in the end, tended to come up just short. Those are learning experiences, though. For a team that’s seemed to be waiting for the playoffs all season, they’re likely very eager to put what they’ve learned into practice. This team is clearly good enough to win it all. They just have to hope that this is the moment when they’ve figured out how to get over the line.
Duncan McGuire
I’ve had a couple of reasons to be worried about Orlando City running through my head lately. Mainly, their underlying numbers suggest they’ve only been really good, not great, over the course of an outstanding second half of the season. The other concern has been whether they have the match-winners to make a playoff run.
I can’t do anything about the underlying numbers, but I can convince myself that the Lions do actually have a match-winner. Some folks might point to Facundo Torres and his 14-goal tally on the season, but he only has nine non-penalty goals. Torres is solid, but I think the real answer here is Duncan McGuire. McGuire is the only Lion with double-digit non-penalty goals and…[checking]...might genuinely be the most productive player in the league besides Lucho Acosta?
Ok, yep, stay with me here. McGuire has only played about 1400 minutes this season. Acosta has played about 2600. There’s clearly a difference in sample size. But 1400 is a decent chunk of playing time. And in that playing time, McGuire has averaged 0.93 goal contributions every 90 minutes. Acosta, in what looks to be a near-unanimous MVP season, has averaged 0.93 goal contributions every 90 minutes.
This could be the Big Dunc playoffs. If it is, Orlando have an excellent shot at a run.
Idk, your call here honestly
You could go a number of different routes here. It’s tough to pick just one. But, just for fun, I’ll choose The Bailey as my reason for Cincy’s potential title run. They’ll be at home for the entirety of the playoffs thanks in large part to a 13W-2L-1D home record during the regular season. We’ll give some credit to the folks making the most noise in TQL Stadium.
Charlotte FC unveil Atrium Health Performance Park: Charlotte FC have a new day-to-day home. The second-year MLS club has formally unveiled Atrium Health Performance Park, their training facility and business headquarters located in East Charlotte. The privately-financed project offers a home to almost 200 players and staff. It’s highlighted by a 52,000-square-foot facility and will include access to eight soccer fields for sporting and community purposes once fully complete.
Rooney joins Birmingham City after DC United departure: Four days after departing D.C. United, Wayne Rooney has a new job. Rooney has returned to England to take over Championship (second division) side Birmingham City with immediate effect, on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
- MLS’ Paraguayan stars will face their biggest challenge yet in their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Argentina.
- Charlotte FC's Ashley Westwood won the AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday.
Good luck out there. Make some folks look silly.
