There might have been a few extra eyes on Major League Soccer this weekend following the announcement that Lionel Messi will join Inter Miami in the league’s summer transfer window which opens on July 5.
Messi’s exact date of arrival and the match at which he will debut in MLS is yet to be confirmed, but the anticipation has meant there is already a new buzz around the league.
And with new eyes on it, MLS didn’t disappoint, with a collection of typical wonder goals and unpredictable performances and results.
Here are five players who made a notable difference for their team on Matchday 18, starting with the game involving Messi’s new club.
By James Nalton, MLS expert
Carles Gil (New England Revolution
Messi will arrive as literally the most valuable player in MLS, but that doesn’t mean he will win that particular award at the end of the season.
The 2021 recipient, Carles Gil, is once again showing his class for New England, and the Spanish No. 10 was involved in all three of New England’s goals against Inter Miami.
He dispatched a penalty with ease to open the scoring before whipping in a corner five minutes later for Matt Polster to head home.
His second assist was a long pass for Bobby Wood, played from deep in the left-back position to put the American forward in on goal to score his side’s third.
It was a timely reminder of how No. 10s can thrive in MLS, and that Carles Gil remains one of the best in the league.
Unfortunately for Miami, it was a reminder of why it is rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference ahead of Messi’s arrival.
Alan Pulido (Sporting Kansas City)
After a difficult start to the season, going ten games without a win, including seven losses, Sporting KC is now one of the form teams in the Western Conference.
Peter Vermes’s side is now on a run of nine games that includes five wins, three draws, and only one defeat which has propelled the team into the playoff picture.
The return to fitness of striker Alan Pulido has helped greatly after the Mexican missed the start of the season through injury.
He now has three goals in his last two games and netted two goals and an assist in this weekend’s 4-1 victory over Austin FC.
“The team is playing better and everyone has confidence,” Pulido said after the game. “We need to keep this play going.”
If it does, they will have put that terrible start to the season behind them and secure qualification for the playoffs.
Lucas Zelarayán (Columbus Crew)
Sometimes all it takes is a goal, and Zelarayán scored one of the most memorable MLS will witness.
The NBA Finals are currently underway between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, and this goal had all the hallmarks of a last-gasp three-pointer on the buzzer.
Zelarayán didn’t even take a touch as the ball rolled into his path after Fabian Herbers’ pass ricocheted off Aidan Morris.
The Argentine-born, Armenian No. 10 looked up to see Chicago goalkeeper Spencer Richey off his line on the edge of this area, before pinging a shot from just inside his own half which drifted and dipped over Richey into the net.
The goal didn’t earn him a spot in our TOTW but more importantly, it gave his side the win in the third of four added minutes at the end of the game, which only added to the drama of the goal. Comically, the deflection off Morris that led to the situation will go down as an assist, too.
Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo)
There were a number of standout displays in Houston’s impressive victory against reigning MLS Cup champions and Concacaf Champions League finalists LAFC.
Right-back Franco Escobar scored one of the round’s many standout goals, Micael put in a solid display in defence, while Nelson Quiñónes caused trouble for LAFC from his position on the left wing, netting a goal of his own and winning a penalty.
But it was the much-needed talisman Herrera who steered his team around the park.
The captain finished the game with the most touches (69) of any Houston player along with five chances created, 11 passes into the final third, and three dribbles completed.
He also gets the assist for Escobar’s goal, which even if not the most notable of assists given it was all about the strike, showed how he brought his teammates into play and allowed them to do their thing.
It was a much-needed win for Houston after heavy defeats in St. Louis and Vancouver, and they’ll get the chance to prove it wasn’t a one-off when they visit LAFC in midweek.
Andrew Gutman (Atlanta United)
Just as it looked like DC United might have secured a point from this game after equalising through Taxi Fountas, two second-half forays down the left wing from left-back Gutman eventually secured a comfortable win for Atlanta.
It was a game of cat and mouse with DC goalkeeper Tyler Miller. For Gutman’s goal, MIller anticipated that the Atlanta full-back would square the ball across the six-yard box for a teammate but Gutman just blasted it in at the near post.
When a similar situation arose later in the second half, Miller stuck to his near post, so Gutman squared for Tyler Wolff who couldn’t miss, even though it wasn’t the cleanest of finishes.
The two moves and the mind-games with Miller turned the game around for the home side who now sit fifth in the Eastern Conference.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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