If you made it past all the Leagues Cup drama on Sunday evening and stayed up to watch this one, you were in for a real treat.  Two of the west coast’s best went head to head in Los Angeles, and it felt like a high level game from start to finish.  If there was any doubt, the atmosphere at BMO Stadium was electric, and the action on the field matched the energy.  Denis Bouanga opened the scoring for LAFC just 15 minutes into this one when David Martinez clipped a perfect through ball behind San Diego’s back line and with one touch, Bouanga cleverly lobbed the ball over CJ Dos Santos to put LAFC ahead. 

Bouanga almost doubled LAFC’s lead ten minutes later, and probably should have.  Sergi Palencia whipped a teasing early cross that found Bouanga right in front of goal, but he wasn’t able to put his effort on frame.  That missed chance would provide costly, as Chucky Lozano leveled the game for the visitors in the 33rd minute.  Lozano found the end of a lofted Anders Dreyer through ball and his shot deflected off the retreating Nkosi Tafari and past Hugo Lloris.  LAFC had a flurry of chances to end the first half, but Manu Duah laid out to make a fantastic block on Bouanga’s shot from close range, then immediately Son Heung-min’s curled shot to the far post was excellently pushed away by Dos Santos.

A much needed halftime break (for everyone, me included) came and went, and the second half was almost as action packed as the first.  Mark Delgado nearly edged LAFC ahead in the 65th, but Artem Smolyakov’s slipped cross was just out of his reach.  Off of the ensuing goal kick, Jeppe Tverskov danced around the midfield and launched a 60 yard through ball to Dreyer, who chopped past Smolyakov and then Eddie Segura, putting the ball on his favored left foot and smashed the would be winning goal past Lloris. 

His 31st goal contribution of the season silenced BMO Stadium for the time being, and sent the visiting fans into a frenzy.  Ten minutes later, Son had another opportunity to bring LAFC level, but his right footed blast from the top of the box rang off the post and out of danger.  A couple more half chances would go begging for LAFC, and San Diego would hold on for a huge three points.

Here’s a couple fun San Diego stats for you.  They’ve swept the state of California in their first season as part of the “rivalry” (5-0-0 with a game to go at home against San Jose).  They’ve won seven straight games away from home.  There are only four other teams in the league that have won seven away games TOTAL, and San Diego has won seven straight.  This season is far more than a flash in the pan for the newcomers.  This game was a huge test for San Diego.  There haven’t been many games where their opponent has had the better of the chances, but that surely was the case on Sunday.  They bent (a lot), but didn’t break, and were able to keep a dangerous, high energy LAFC from finding any result on the day.  They dominated possession once again, if that was any surprise, but were outshot 16-6.  It’s a gritty win on the road to say the least, and one that extends their lead over the rest of the Western Conference.  They’ll have two weeks now to prepare for a 1 vs 2 matchup against Minnesota in Southern California after the international break.

On a different day, LAFC could easily have taken three points from this one.  Like I said above, they outshot San Diego 16-6 and created far more dangerous chances than their opponents as well.  Son has settled in well and you can really see his chemistry with Bouanga grow from week to week.  This was a top tier clash and it truly could have gone either way.  LAFC will be disappointed not to have at least taken a point from the game, but we’re far away from any sort of concern about them down the stretch.  Watching them will tell you the same thing, but by most metrics, they’re one of the top teams in the West and have every opportunity to run the table as playoff time comes.  They’re third in the West in expected goals per 90 minutes (xG/90) and first in expected goals against (xGA) by quite a large margin.  Bouanga is still one of the most dangerous players in the league and Son will only continue to grow into the team.  First place seems out of reach for them now, but a strong finish to the regular season will make them a team absolutely nobody wants to see come playoff time.

Sometimes it’s fun to sit back and just watch madness.  Forget about tactics, style of play, big stars, and just enjoy these games for the action.  Every once in a while it’s nice not to focus on the little details and tactical matchups and just have fun watching goals on goals on goals (yes, this is coming from a goalkeeper).  This game had six goals and it easily could have had 10.  Dejan Jovelic started the party early with a redirected cross that beat Zack Steffen to his near post in the third minute.  Rafael Santos almost leveled the match near the 10 minute mark with a shot that skimmed the top of the bar. Paxten Aaronson was denied a dream goal in his first Rapids start when he saw his incredible solo effort cleared off the line by 17 year old center back Ian James just a couple minutes later.  It would be Aaronson who set the Rapids up to tie the game right after that when Zorhan Bassong pulled down the newly signed DP in the box.  Rafa Navarro stepped up to take the penalty kick, but was stoned by a stunning double save from John Pulskamp.  Navarro would get his revenge five minutes later after Cole Basset slipped the Brazilian in on a breakaway.  Navarro chipped his 11th of the year over the onrushing Pulskamp to tie the match midway through the first half.  Keegan Rosenberry found himself on the scoresheet in the 31st minute when a cross skipped all the way through the box, bounced off of Rosenberry’s chest and somehow ended up in the back of the net.  Both goalkeepers were busy throughout the rest of the first half, however neither team was able to break through.  Steffen made a jaw dropping save to deny Bassong an equalizing goal ten minutes after halftime and Calvin Harris cleared a Jovelic header off the line in the 66th.  A ten minute onslaught would see Kansas City score three goals to take all three points, and it was Daniel Shalloi who would drag SKC level in the 73rd.  Salloi ripped his seventh of the season past Steffen from a tight angle after slicing past three Rapids to get in on goal.  Mason Toye slotted home the go ahead goal within 120 seconds of Salloi’s equalizer, and then Jovelic found his brace with an incredible diving header off a corner kick in the 81st.  Logan Ndenbe rattled the post in the 88th and that would be the last chance of the game.  Words can’t describe this one, so here’s the visual.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

SKC sit in 13th in the Western Conference and they’re eight points off the last playoff spot with six games to play.  They do have a game in hand on San Jose (who currently hold that spot), which they’ll play during the international break at Austin.  They also have remaining games against RSL, LA Galaxy, and Houston, so nothing is out of the question for them yet, but they do have quite the mountain to climb.  When Kansas City are at their best (which hasn’t been often this year), they’re actually pretty exciting to watch.  They’ve had little to no consistency and have had a really tough time keeping teams off the scoresheet.  Saturday’s game against Colorado was a matchup of the two teams who have the highest xGA in the league, which could speak to why we saw so many chances and goals.  They’re middle of the table when it comes to goals scored though, and they do have quite a young roster.  In all likelihood, they’ll miss the playoffs this year unless we see a run of form we haven’t seen from SKC in years, but they’ve been in some of the highest scoring games this year and they have enough talent to actually overpower teams on their best days.  It’s not all bad there, and a strong finish in their last six games could breathe some much needed optimism around the fanbase.

Colorado fell to eighth place in the Western Conference with the loss.  It’s their second straight loss, both against teams in the bottom three in the West.  They have just five games to go to solidify a playoff spot this year.  After the international break, Houston will head to Denver in a real six point affair that will boost one team heading into the final few games and leave the other in desperate need of results to sneak into the playoffs.  Paxten Aaronson looked lively in his first start with the team, and Chris Armas will be hoping the signing of Rob Holding will help bolster the back line.  The Rapids have a really young roster, and there’s a clear plan of how they’re going to construct it in the future.  Rafa Navarro has had a really solid year in front of goal, and if Paxten Aaronson can bring some production they lost in the Djordje Mihailovic sale, the Rapids could have a nice system that breeds some real excitement and success going forward.

Atlanta United left the Music City with all three points on Saturday, marking their first league win since the end of May.  Ronald Hernández headed home the lone goal of the game from a wide free kick in the 24th minute.  The second of his MLS career would be the eventual winner for Atlanta United, but a struggling Nashville would have plenty of opportunities to draw level.  Sam Surridge thought he’d scored his 21st league goal of the season just before halftime, however referee Ismir Pekmic deemed the Englishman handled the ball into the net and reversed the call on the field.  Rules are rules, and there are none less clear than the handball guidelines.  According to the law, it is a handball.  I completely understand why Surridge didn’t like it and I’m not sure the ball hitting his hand has any consequence to how that play would have ended anyways, but unfortunately that’s the way it goes with the handball rule sometimes.  Surridge would have more opportunities to get on the scoresheet, none better than a breakaway in the 50th minute.  Surridge was played in behind the Atlanta back line with just the rookie goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert to beat, but his effort rang off the crossbar.  Jayden Hibbert starred in this one.  Two point blank saves on Hany Mukhtar were the highlight of his match, and seven saves preserved his second straight shutout for the Five Stripes.

Everyone knows what the expectations were for Atlanta United at the start of the season, and to say it’s been disappointing is an understatement.  With all the money spent on shiny attacking options, Atlanta have posted just 32 goals this season, ranking them 24th in the league.  Atlanta are in the same position when it comes to goals conceded and only three teams have a worse goal differential than they do.  Atlanta aren’t mathematically eliminated just yet, but that day is coming.  They sit 14 points behind New York Red Bulls for the final spot with just six games left.  Atlanta United will play back to back home games after the international break against Columbus and San Diego, so it may not be long until the club starts talking about how to fix things this offseason.

Nashville dropped their fourth game in the last five and continue to drop down the Eastern Conference table.  It’s a testament to how good they were before this skid that they’re still in fourth place and just seven points back of Philadelphia for the top seed.  BJ Callaghan will look to reset the locker room during the international break, as a nightmarish week lies just on the other side.  At FC Cincinnati, a midweek US Open Cup home game against first place Philadelphia, and an away game in Orlando is a treacherous week.  They still have Golden Boot leading Sam Surridge, and they’re among the best in the league when it comes to their defensive record, so there still isn’t much cause for concern in Nashville, but it is an inopportune time to go on a little skid.  Their schedule isn’t really that favorable over the final five games, and the week following the break will really determine how they’ll be seeded in the playoffs.

Charlotte FC picked up their eighth straight win on Saturday with a smash and grab victory in New England.  They’re now just one win away from tying the 2018 Seattle Sounders for the longest single season winning streak in MLS history.  They’ll welcome Leo Messi and Inter Miami after the international break, in a game that for multiple reasons is a must watch.

The Seattle Sounders beat Inter Miami 3-0 in the Leagues Cup Final on Sunday, lifting the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.  It’s another title in the illustrious career of head coach Brian Schmetzer, and his trophy cabinet is more impressive than anyone’s since he took over in August of 2016.  Tempers flared after the game, and there are some actions that should bring some pretty long suspensions.  If you haven’t seen it yet you’ve been living under a rock, but it’s worth a watch.  Here’s the longest clip of it I could find:

And then there’s this one— I don’t even need to talk about how disgusting this is.  MLS will have a big responsibility to hand down a punishment, and the fact that it happened to a big name in Suarez and Inter Miami (who everyone thinks gets special treatment already) makes it interesting to say the least.

Both Seattle and Inter Miami automatically qualified for next years’ Concacaf Champions Cup by reaching the final.  The winner of the third place game would also get a chance to play in next years’ CCC, and it was the LA Galaxy who unthinkably ran the League’s Cup table to save their disappointing season.  A 2-1 win over Orlando was an impressive end to a Leagues Cup campaign that not only saves the season, but also shows optimism about where Galaxy will be next season.  They’re still a talented team with difference makers in the midfield and final third, and competing in CCC will give them a boost heading into next year.