Six games remain (for most teams) as we wind down to the end of the MLS season. We have a slate of mid-week fixtures on Wednesday, but first we’d like to review seven crazy MLS moments that happened over the weekend.
1. Can Anyone Stop Philadelphia Union?
This is not a hypothetical question. Since the International break Philly has yet to lose a league game (sorry, haters, but Leagues Cup doesn’t count). They’re not just not losing, they’ve earned eleven wins and two draws. From eating off the Wooden Spoon they’ve climbed into sixth place in the East.
2. Le Canadian Classique
There was a completely bonkers finish in this Canadian derby. Toronto FC was a goal down as the clock struck full-time to cross-province rivals CF Montréal. L’Impact had to be feeling good as the fourth official signalled five minutes of stoppage. Then Lewis Morgan struck from close range to equalize. Less than two minutes later Theo Corbeanu took a pass on a fast break counter, crossing smoothly to the onrushing Djordje Mihailovic. Just like that, Toronto had the win and Montréal was left shell-shocked.
3. FC Dallas’s Epic Collapse
Petar Musa and Logan Farrington are MLS’ most dangerous duo, with 37 contributions (29g/8a) between them. They did their job against Charlotte, putting FC Dallas up by two before the 65th minute. But the Queen City fought back. A pair of goals in a five minute span brought the scorelines level, and Idan Toklomati bagged the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.Â
4. Don’t Sweat the Red CardsÂ
Two teams drew early reds, and didn’t lose. Chicago Fire’s Djé D’Avilla was a naughty boy, drawing a yellow early in the 20th, then again in the 43rd, earning himself an early trip to the locker room. Fire was down by a goal and a player as the second half started, but equalized in the 55th. Maren Haile-Selasse provided the assist, then punched in the game winner in the 87th.
Vancouver’s Tristan Blackmon saw a straight red in the 7th minute for DOGSO against Jacob Shaffelburg. LAFC then played a full 90 minutes up a player, but were as toothless as a centenarian with a sweets fixation. Whitecaps ended up drawing 1-1.
5. All Hail the Old Guys in PinkÂ
Lionel Messi (39) and Luis Suárez (39, but he’s a vampire) combined to score four goals in a brutal evisceration of DC United. Seriously, throw in Casemiro (34) and Rodrigo De Paul (32) and the combined age of these four is just about equal to the sum of United’s entire starting forward and midfield lines.Â
6. The Lie of Statistics
Columbus Crew is learning the hard way that statistics don’t mean shite. In their match against Orlando City they dominated in nearly every key metric: xG, shots, shots on target, corners, big chances and passes. Columbus still lost 3-2 thanks to a clutch 89th minute strike from Iván Angulo, because goals is the only statistic that matters.
7. STL WTF?
In terms of post-break turnarounds, St. Louis City is putting up a real challenge against Philadelphia. But Sunday’s complete demolition of LA Galaxy should put any team facing them over the next six games on high alert. St. Louis scored five goals in the first half, including a Carlo Holse hat-trick in 21 minutes from the opening whistle (also happened to be the second fastest MLS hat-trick from match start). The final score was 6-2, but even the concession of goals can’t hide the fact that STL are for real.
The Qooligan is an alias of Hooligan Soccer founder Q Williams. Q is a 20+ year veteran of numerous technology and media companies, including MTV, Gracenote, Watchwith and Crunchyroll. He has a master’s degree in European History from Columbia University. Q is also a respected Sports Journalist with extensive experience in Soccer, particularly the Premier League, Champions League, MLS and USL. The Qooligan provides analysis and valuable insights based on years of professional practice. Connect with The Qooligan on X and Bluesky. He is committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy content that reflects expertise, experience and no shortage of attitude.
