GOAL US debate all things MLS at the midseason mark, including Messi's MVP case and which team is likely to win it all

Who's up for a weird MLS season? All of the things that most people predicted might happen a few short months ago have been proven wrong. Inter Miami were supposed to be very good, and instead look like a middling playoff team. Atlanta United seemed poised to return to the top after spending big, but are markedly worse.

The Vancouver Whitecaps are literally on the market. No one wants them. And they are probably the best team in MLS. Meanwhile, everyone thought the dialogue around the Philadelphia Union would be about Cavan Sullivan. He's still mostly MLS Next Pro – or occasionally on the senior side's bench – while the first team dominates the Eastern Conference.

It's s been a bit of a mad first half, and no one can say, with any conviction, that they know what will happen come playoff time. It's an apt moment to check in, though, with the midseason point upon us.

Are Miami and Lionel Messi still presumptive favorites? Who's the front-runner for MVP? And, for the billionth time, what the hell is wrong with Marco Reus and the LA Galaxy?

GOAL US writers discuss answer all of those questions and more in an MLS edition of … The Rondo.

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  Which team is the biggest midseason surprise?

  Tom Hindle: San Diego FC, by some distance. Expansion franchises stand on a knife's edge, and tend to either be really good or fairly disastrous. A peek at SD's roster didn't scream "MLS Cup contenders" but it's late June and they're in the picture. Depth is a concern, and a couple of injuries could hurt in the dog days. Still, it's been a great first half.

  Jacob Schneider: It has to be San Diego. In no world did ANYONE expect the roster Mikey Varas put together to be this good. They've got Chucky Lozano, Anders Dreyer is the frontrunner for Newcomer of the Year, Anibal Godoy is competing for best XI and Luca De La Torre is firmly back in the conversation with the USMNT. Meanwhile, Paddy McNair and Christopher McVey have created a top-tier center-back partnership. They've been brilliant.

  Alex Labidou: Atlanta appeared to be primed for MLS contention prior to the season, and their struggles have been confounding. They actually played their best at the end of last season, once they sold stars and were a harmonious group heading into the playoffs. The decision not to promote Rob Valentino as full-time manager appears to have backfired, as Ronny Deila isn't getting the best out of a strong MLS team. It's a bit surprising that well-respected team executive Garth Lagerwey isn't feeling more heat for the way this season has gone – 13th place isn't good enough for this group.

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  Which has been the most impressive team, player?

  TH: Boring, but it has to be the Whitecaps, doesn't it? Sebastian Berhalter has been excellent all year, and they're a really good side. A word, too, for Quinn Sullivan and the Philadelphia Union. Tai Baribo may be grabbing the goals, and Cavan Sullivan might steal the headlines, but Quinn is a proper footballer in his own right.

  JS: Brian White and the Whitecaps. That sounds like the name of an indie band. But wow, what a start to 2025. White has been a late bloomer, earning a USMNT nod in recent months while leading the Western Conference side to the top of the table – and firmly putting their feet in the race for the Supporters' Shield.The 29-year-old is having a career year, and the Whitecaps, led by first-year manager Jesper Sorensen, have been tremendous both in MLS and in CONCACAF competition.

  AL: When the Union fired manager Jim Curtin, traded away Jack McGlynn in the preseason, and moved on from Daniel Gazdag early in the season, it looked as if this was a team heading for a rebuild. Yet, here they are, sitting on top of MLS at the midseason mark. New boss Bradley Carnell has maximized a young group and has, in particular, gotten Tai Baribo firing on all cylinders. The Israeli international would be a frontrunner for MVP if a certain Argentine wasn't playing in Miami.

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  Which has been the most disappointing team, player?

  TH: Miguel Almiron and Atlanta United. Never go for the nostalgia signing, lads.

  JS: It has to be Gabriel Pec and the LA Galaxy. There were rumors that the Brazilian was being looked at by some of Europe's top clubs in the offseason, with talks of the Galaxy wanting more than $20M for the winger. Now, though, the 2024 Newcomer of the Year is sitting on just three goals. He's underperformed, and the Galaxy – the defending MLS Cup champions – as a whole have been a disaster.

  AL: The Galaxy rose back into prominence in 2024 – and then saw all of their good work go to waste in what has been an abysmal title defense in 2025. The Galaxy would be lucky to make the playoffs, let contend, and outside of losing MVP candidate Riqui Puig, have largely kept their top attacking pieces intact. It is puzzling how the Galaxy have just eight points in 18 matches. The Rapids, meanwhile, are a disappointing ninth despite largely having the same core of last year's surprise outfit. Part of the team's rise to third – and subsequent fall – lies with the form of star striker Rafael Navarro. Since the team purchased him outright prior to last summer, he's run hot and cold. He's on five goals in 17 overall appearances and hasn't scored since mid-April. At times he's looked like he could be a top-three striker in MLS. But he needs to deliver, or the Rapids might miss the playoffs.

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  Who is the midseason front-runner for MVP?

  TH: Lionel Andres Messi. Grow up.

  JS: Has to be Messi, even if he isn't in the lead at the moment. However, a few others – such as FCC's Evander, San Diego's Dreyer, and Philly's Tai Baribo – not far behind. The Argentine had a slow start to the season, but his May stretch was second to none in the league. He's on track to become the first to win back-to-back MLS MVPs.

  AL: Until Messi either leaves MLS or completely falls off a cliff production-wise, there's only one answer.

حسم التعادل السلبي، مباراة منتخب مصر للشباب تحت 20 عامًا أمام الكويت الأولمبي، التي أقيمت اليوم الأحد، وديًا استعدادًا لمشاركة الفراعنة في المونديال.

والتقى منتخب مصر مع الكويت الأولمبي في مباراتين، ضمن المعسكر الخاص بالفراعنة استعداد لكأس العالم للشباب.

طالع.. فيديو | منتخب مصر للشباب يهزم الكويت بثلاثية استعدادًا للمونديال

وينتظم منتخب مصر، تحت إشراف الجهاز الفني بقيادة أسامة نبيه المدير الفني، في معسكر مفتوح بمشروع الهدف بمدينة 6 أكتوبر.

وتمكن منتخب مصر للشباب من الفوز وديًا أمام الكويت في المباراة الأولى بنتيجة 3-2 التي جمعتهما الخميس الماضي على نفس الملعب.

واصطحب أسامة نبيه المدير الفني، 39 لاعبًا في المباراتين، من أجل الاستعداد ومنح الفرصة لجميع اللاعبين قبل كأس العالم للشباب.

ويستعد منتخب الشباب لخوض نهائيات كأس العالم تحت 20 عامًا فى تشيلي، في الفترة من 27 سبتمبر إلى 19 أكتوبر القادمين.

ويلعب منتخب الشباب تحت 20 سنة في المونديال، ضمن المجموعة الأولى التي تضم تشيلي “المستضيف”، نيوزيلندا واليابان.

The allrounder’s golden run with the bat, combined with his superb bowling, has him banging hard on the door for Test selection

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2023Usman Khawaja has compared Michael Neser to England Ashes hero Chris Woakes as the Queensland allrounder continues to press his claims for a Test recall.Neser’s heroic second-innings 140 helped the Bulls stave off defeat in their recently completed Sheffield Shield clash with New South Wales at the new Cricket Central ground at Sydney Olympic Park.Neser’s rich run with the bat, combined with his brilliant bowling, reminds Khawaja of Woakes, who was player of the series in this year’s thrilling Ashes in England.Woakes took 19 wickets at 18.15 in the only three matches he played and made critical scores of 32 not out at Headingley and 36 at the Oval to help England win both Tests to square the series 2-2. Woakes averages 27.40 with the bat and 29.13 ball in Test cricket. He has batted No.6 for England, scoring a half-century in that position, and has scored a Test hundred batting at No.7 against India at Lord’s in 2018.Khawaja believes his Queensland team-mate, who has already played two Tests for Australia, has the same capabilities.”Michael Neser has been unbelievable for so many years,” Khawaja said. “A lot of people see him for the amazing bowler that he is but you see the allrounder he is – he bats No.7 for us.”He’s always been around the group with the Australian cricket team just for his bowling, but I think what he’s offering with his batting, you’ve got a guy who can win you a lot of cricket games.”He’s got that ‘Woakesy’ type of thing where he can do both, it’s really important to have. He’s putting his hand up, definitely.”Neser’s fifth first-class century on Saturday was also, remarkably, his third in as many matches after finishing a bumper County Championship campaign in the English summer with scores of 176 not out and 123.The 33-year-old plundered 487 runs at 81.16 for Glamorgan, after averaging 35.70 with the bat and 16.67 with the ball last Shield season for Queensland. Neser’s last eight scores in first-class cricket this year are 90, 9, 86, 2, 123, 176*, 18 and 140.Michael Neser and Jimmy Peirson both made centuries•Getty ImagesNeser and Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson blunted the New South Wales attack on Friday and Saturday, sharing a 200-run partnership after coming together with the Bulls five wickets down in their second dig and still 179 runs behind.Peirson made his seventh first-class century, finishing with 106. He was Queensland’s leading run-scorer last summer with 460 runs at 35.38 and was the only Bulls batter to score two centuries. He is making a compelling case to be considered Australia’s next Test gloveman should anything happen to incumbent Alex Carey.Western Australian Josh Inglis has been Australia’s reserve Test keeper since Carey made his Test debut in 2021. Peirson was called into the Ashes squad temporarily for the Lord’s Test when Inglis flew home for the birth of his child. Peirson has been one of Australia A’s wicketkeepers in the last three A series against Sri Lanka A and New Zealand A, both home and away, and performed superbly in Sri Lanka in particular.”Jimmy’s been scoring runs for us the last three years consistently,” Khawaja said. “He’s obviously pushing his name up for Test selection. He was with us at the Ashes as a reserve, he’s been doing all the right things, he’s a great keeper and a leader of the team.”

Tasmania have maintained their dominant start to the Sheffield Shield season, thumping New South Wales by an innings and one run to stay top of the table after five rounds.After resuming on day three at 46 for 3, New South Wales worked hard at Bellerive Oval to take the game into the final day and make the home side bat again but fell short.Spinner Jarrod Freeman made the key breakthrough late in the final session, trapping Ben Dwarshuis lbw for 21 and ending his 51-run stand for the eighth wicket with Chris Green.Freeman also had Chris Tremain caught behind for a golden duck, ending the match, with the Blues dismissed for 311. The visitors could only manage 181 on day one and Tasmania took control with their first innings of 493.Tasmania are the only unbeaten side after five rounds and this is their third win. They are on 28.77 points, with second-placed Western Australia on 25.22.Ryan Hackney and Matthew Gilkes put on 82 for the fourth wicket early on Monday, raising the Blues hopes that they could take the game up to Tasmania. Gilkes made 56 while Hackney made 44.Ollie Davies top-scored with 62 and Green made his highest Shield score, an unbeaten 61 that came off 159 balls and featured 10 fours, as he and Dwarshuis batted deep into the afternoon.But the Blues lost their last three wickets in four overs and remain second-last on the ladder. Tasmania’s Bradley Hope was player of the match for his unbeaten century and two wickets.Lawrence Neil-Smith took 3 for 57 in the Blues second innings, while Freeman and Hope claimed two wickets apiece.New South Wales will host Tasmania from November 28 in their next Shield game with Test spinner Nathan Lyon set to return after being rested from the trip to Hobart.

GOAL US presents CWC XI: Key observations from the conclusion of the round of 16, and a look ahead to the quarterfinals

So, we finally got our actual Club World Cup upset. But how significant was it really? Al Hilal beat Man City. Awesome. Cool. We needed that (unless you're a City fan). But are City that mad, considering they get a couple weeks rest and nice chunk of cash? Who knows?

Yet we have content, and this Infantinopalooza of a football tournament is starting to look more and more legit every week. Also, there was a fair amount of controversy. One Bellingham brother is getting sillier yellow cards than the other. Lautaro Martinez doesn't like many of his teammates. Meanwhile, Thomas Muller just really hates Man United (which has nothing to do with the CWC but has somehow wiggled its way into the conversation of late).

GOAL US presents theClub World Cup XI, with key observations heading into the quarterfinals.

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  1Saudi Pro League – legit?

  Now there's one we all should have seen coming, right? OK, a Saudi Pro League side in the last eight might not have been on everyone's bingo card, but all of the pieces were there. Al Hilal have gone about this rather well. They resisted the urge to go for a superstar after Neymar left, hired a truly excellent manager in Simone Inzaghi, and went into their clash with City with a clear game plan. Revolutionary, that.

  Pep Guardiola's whole thing is that he is absolutely terrified of being counter-attacked. Welcome to the perfect storm. Here's a 3-4-3 that to have a go on the break. Yes, it look extra time, but Al Hilal got it exactly right. Does this mean the Saudi Pro League is the best thing ever? Probably not, but it's a very good win.

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  2If you don't like Inter, go home

  Lautaro Martinez didn't pull many punches with his remarks after Inter lost to Fluminense midweek:

  "I want to say that you have to want to be here. We are fighting for certain objectives, those who want to be here, stay, those who don’t can leave. I saw things that I didn’t like. I want to fight to win because we are in an important team, a team that we have brought back to the top and we must continue to do this," he told media after the game.

  Part of that, of course, was the emotions of a captain and competitor who has won trophies for club and country. But it's also not a great look for the Serie A side, who have rather crumbled of late. All aboard the bad vibes train, everyone.

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  3Malcom, the guy you forgot

  Remember Malcom? The Barcelona one? The guy who they blew some of the Neymar cash on, only for him to be an unmitigated disaster at Camp Nou? Well, he's just knocked Man City out of the CWC. Al Hilal's upset was wonderful, and led by a guy chewed up and spat out by the machine of football's global elite.

  Saudi Pro League ball is not the under-appreciated backwaters where you go for love of the game, but it is nice to see a player get one back on an entire federation that panned him off.

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  4Kylian Mbappe = washed

  AGENDA TIME. Right, so that's obviously untrue. There's every chance that Mbappe could score 50 goals next year, Madrid can win three trophies, and he will claim the Ballon d'Or after leading France to the 2026 World Cup.

  BUT the early signs of Mbappe in an Alonso system were, well, rubbish. He didn't move. He didn't get into the box. He made the wrong runs, refused to press, and spent his 30 minutes on the pitch mostly getting mad at everyone around him. Gonzalo Garcia, who cost $0 and is 21, looked more effective, which tells you everything you need to know.

New Zealand’s captain outlines his race against the clock to get ready for this World Cup after rupturing his ACL at the IPL in March, and just how glad he is to be back in action

Deivarayan Muthu12-Oct-20235:38

Kane Williamson on his ACL rehab: ‘A series of really small steps’

“The most important knee in New Zealand”, as Katey Martin, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper and current commentator put it in the lead-up to the World Cup, is finally ready to withstand the load of international cricket.After netting up for almost an hour last evening – and just before hitting Chepauk’s outdoor nets again this afternoon – Kane Williamson confirmed that he will return to action against Bangladesh on Friday. At one point it seemed like Williamson would not make the World Cup at all, after having ruptured his ACL during the IPL opener in March this year, but he has made a remarkable recovery since.”Yeah, definitely. Initially, it [my comeback] was not really considered,” Williamson said on the eve of the Bangladesh game. “And to be honest, it was probably a good thing just to get my head stuck into rehab and each day and not sort of rush it. That was really my focus, and I was fortunate as well I had a really, really good team around me back home.Related

NZ make it three wins in three, but Williamson goes off hurt

Bangladesh hoping to bat with 'courage, open-mindedness and freedom'

NZ look to make it 3/3 in Chennai amid their captain's big return

Will Young, the New Zealand prodigy who had to wait his turn

“And also fortunate not to have a lot of setbacks during that time, so there were lots of little steps forward, which I guess accumulate to being here now really and getting close and realising that if each week does keep progressing well, ticking off all those sort of milestones along the way, which there are many of them, then there might be a chance. And yeah, grateful that that was something that could be done and getting named in the squad was a really exciting moment.”Williamson subsequently found some game-time during the warm-ups against Pakistan and South Africa. In what was his first innings with the bat in over six months, Williamson went 4, 4, 4 against Haris Rauf’s high pace in the powerplay and pressed on to make 54 off 50 balls before retiring in Hyderabad.Even at the two training sessions at Chepauk, Williamson batted like he was never away from the game. On Wednesday evening, he middled almost everything against New Zealand’s spinners and then when Trent Boult rushed him with an effort ball on Thursday, Williamson coolly rocked his head out of the way.”Yeah, the recovery was … [a] journey really with a series of really small steps and just trying to take small steps forward and it certainly started with strength and range, in terms of the knee,” Williamson said. “And then gradually trying to improve that and control a bit – some of the pain around it as the load increases and we could be here all day talking about it, but I’ll fast-forward a little bit – great to be here and then and get involved in those warm-up games which were really, really enjoyable.

“There were lots of quite clear steps along the way that you were trying to tick off, different milestones in terms of returning to the next phases and those sorts of things. So quite different, a lot of data around it, mainly from other sports that was relied on.”Kane Williamson on how rehab for his knee injury was different compared to his elbow issue from earlier

“Then you know during those and post that were a lot of sort of return-to-play fitness parts, which were perhaps a little bit more related to fielding, time on feet and looking to try and execute some of those skills. And so, yeah, each week throughout the last period of time since I’ve been rehabbing has been really important and really valuable.”During the T20 World Cup in the UAE in 2021, a niggly elbow restricted his batting, but Williamson managed to work his way around that injury. The nature of the injury and the format is different now, but will the past experience of injury management help him this time?”Quite different injuries but yeah, I suppose speaking of this one you know there were lots of quite clear steps along the way that you were trying to tick off, different milestones in terms of returning to the next phases and those sorts of things,” Williamson said. “So quite different, a lot of data around it, mainly from other sports that was relied on and different strength numbers and heights and jumping and just heaps and heaps of different bits.”So yeah, quite different but just great to be sitting here now and looking forward to the challenges tomorrow.”Williamson’s comeback is a significant boost for New Zealand against spin-heavy Bangladesh at spin-friendly Chepauk. He is arguably New Zealand’s best player of spin along with Devon Conway, who returns to his IPL home base.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após quatro meses de trabalho e investimento na casa dos R$ 800 mil, o Fortaleza promoveu a inauguração do Hotel Ribamar Bezerra, espaço para a hospedagem de atletas que fica dentro do Centro de Treinamento do clube.

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>Novo CEO da Superliga Europeia revela prazo para início do torneio

O hotel conta com 11 suítes duplas totalmente equipadas (internet, TV a cabo, ar-condicionado e frigobar) além de um lounge de convivência, duas áreas destinadas a rouparia e também um depósito. Estrutura essa que será “incrementada” quando o planejamento avançar para a integração da estrutura do Hotel Otoni Diniz, que também é de propriedade do Tricolor, ao Ribamar Bezerra.

Segundo relatou o presidente do Leão, Marcelo Paz, a medida demonstra o compromisso do clube em proporcionar conforto com o intuito de “atrair e reter talentos” para o clube do Pici.

-É mais um equipamento dentro do Pici com qualidade, com conceito moderno, com conforto, dentre outras obras que a gente quer fazer para que nosso Centro de Excelência seja cada vez mais uma referência para atrair e reter talentos dentro do Fortaleza Esporte Clube.

Outros diretores do clube estiveram presentes na cerimônia de inauguração do Hotel Ribamar Bezerra como, por exemplo, o Gerente de Obras, do clube, Daniel Levi Martins:

-É uma entrega bastante significativa para a Instituição. A reestruturação deste novo espaço é importante, é uma prestação de contas em relação a tudo que o Fortaleza está conquistando em campo, o que é resultado de uma gestão ímpar no futebol brasileiro.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer condoled the death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and sent his thoughts to the player's bereaved family. Jota and his brother Andre Silva tragically died in a car crash shortly after midnight on the morning of July 3, 2025. Their Lamborghini is said to have suffered a tyre blowout, leading to it careering off the road and bursting into flames.

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UK PM mourned Jota's deathSent thoughts to the bereaved familyJota and his brother passed away in car accidentFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The incident took place in Zamora, north-western Spain. Spain's Civil Guard told the the brothers were travelling in a Lamborghini, which left the road and caught fire due to a tyre blowout while overtaking. Witnesses, who called Spain's emergency services, told the media they saw the car burst into flames.

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As the Reds star passed away, UK prime minister Starmer mourned the tragic death and sent his thoughts to Jota's family. The 28-year-old got married to his long-time girlfriend Rute Cardoso on June 22. The couple have three children.

WHAT STARMER SAID

Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: "Let me start with Jota, because this is devastating news. I’m sure I speak for everyone in saying our first thoughts are going to be with his family and his friends in particular. But there are millions of Liverpool fans, but also football fans, and non-fans, who will also be shocked by this.

"I think Liverpool Football Club have just put a statement out as I understand it, but it is devastating, and it is really important we bear in mind just how difficult a period this will be for his friends and for his family."

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As a mark of respect for Jota and his brother, UEFA have announced a moment of silence will be observed in all the Women's European Championship matches on Thursday and Friday.