Our MLS expert James Nalton picks five of the standout players from Matchday 8 in Major League Soccer, including his two North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) Player of the Matchday votes.
By James Nalton
A comeback from three goals down and a 101st-minute winner: just another standard week in American soccer.
While New York Red Bulls, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Philadelphia Union set the tone for team performance, occupying the top three spots in the Supporters’ Shield standings, the most notable individual performances came from elsewhere in the league.
Two of them came from one game in particular, which combined a great team performance with standout individual displays, and two of the best of Matchday 8.
The Top Two
9.1 FotMob Rating: Raúl Ruidíaz – Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders have been the most disappointing, underperforming team in MLS so far this season, but when they did finally manage to win their first game, they did so in style.
It arrived in the form of a 5-0 demolishing of CF Montreal this weekend, with contributions from across the team.
Having scored twice already this season, it was no surprise that Peruvian striker Ruidíaz played a big part in this first win.
It was a much-neeed performance from the number nine, and he opened the scoring with a great goal, fired into the far corner with his left foot from outside the area.
It set the tone for the rest of the game for the Sounders, and he stepped up to score the second from the penalty spot.
From there, Seattle and their fans had some fun, and not before time in 2024.
9.1 FotMob Rating: Alex Roldán – Seattle Sounders
Ruidíaz was one of several standout players in Seattle green during the win against Montreal.
The contribution from his teammate Alex Roldán was such that the right-back was almost like an extra midfielder and winger when needed, as well as doing his defensive duties as part of the back four.
He was at the heart of everything the Sounders did, both in possession and out of it.
Roldán finished the game having had the most touches (104), the second most completed passes (66), three dribbles completed, the most passes into the final third (16), and the most defensive actions on his team (nine).
He rounded off his performance with a goal, showing his attacking instincts by drifting in at the far post to finish Albert Rusnák’s cross, sent in following a neat one-two with Ruidíaz, exhibiting everything good about this Seattle performance.
Three more standout performers
9.1 FotMob Rating: Sebastián Driussi – Austin FC
When Austin FC scored three goals within five minutes to give them a 3-2 lead midway through the second half against San Jose Earthquakes, it looked like they had done enough to come back brilliantly and record their second victory in a row to make up for their poor start to the 2024 MLS season.
But San Jose equalised through Amahl Pellegrino with 15 minutes to go, and as the game reached the tenth minute of added time it looked like any chance for either side to record a win had gone.
Step forward Driussi, who had scored a penalty to kickstart Austin’s earlier scoring spree.
In the eleventh minute of added time, the ball fell to him on the edge of the area and he fired it into the bottom corner to give his side a dramatic, late win, much to the delight of the home fans.
8.9 FotMob Rating: Maarten Paes – FC Dallas
It was a case of though shalt not pass Paes as FC Dallas played out a 0-0 draw with St. Louis City on Saturday.
Sometimes the games that produce no goals can still produce some of the week’s standout players.
Both goalkeepers made great saves to keep clean sheets for their teams, but it was the Dutchman Paes who just had the edge over the ever-impressive St. Louis stopper Roman Bürki in this great game for the goalkeepers union.
Paes made seven saves in the game with standout stops from Anthony Markanich and Célio Pompeu, and a particularly brilliant reaction save from Klaus.
Paes could soon be representing the country of his grandmother’s birth, Indonesia, at international level, and this has attracted plenty of attention to his performances from the Southeast Asian nation.
His new fans will have been more than pleased with what they saw this weekend.
8.6 FotMob rating: Willy Agada – Sporting KC
It could and should have been so much more for Agada and Sporting KC this weekend, but the Nigerian’s performance was notable nevertheless.
Sporting will have been bitterly disappointed to not have held on to their lead against Portland Timbers in the round’s final game on Sunday afternoon.
They were 3-0 up at halftime but conceded three in the second half to Phil Neville’s side to end the game with just a point.
Agada had a good chance early on which he could not take, but shortly after rifled a shot into the corner via a deflection to open the scoring.
Then just before halftime, he turned in a second and his team’s third, but it all went sour in the second half.
Had Agada converted his chance from the penalty spot to make it 4-0, three points would surely have arrived for Sporting, and with them a place for Agada in this week’s Team of the Week.
But he sent it wide of the post and Portland came back to salvage a point—the fine margins of football.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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