Soccerwise Minutes

September 11, 2026

Headlines:

• The numbers are in from the MLS transfer window with clubs spending $370 million on incoming transfers, up 10.1% from 2025. David Gass and Matt Doyle talk about this and more on Thursday’s episode of Soccerwise.
• Ballon d’Or nominees were announced on Tuesday. USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle was named to the 30-player shortlist and Lily Yohannes is one of five nominees for Women’s Young Talent of the Year.
• KC’s Temwa Chawinga and Lorena, along with Orlando’s Barbra Banda, were also on the shortlist. Lorena along with Gotham’s Ann Katrin Berger are also nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year.
• Eight-time winner Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is a nominee for the Ballon d’Or for the 17th time in his career.
• On Thursday, Sergiño Dest scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in six years, helping PSV Eindhoven earn a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening game.
• Alex Freeman made his UEFA Champions League debut against Dortmund on Tuesday, entering as a halftime substitute in a 3-2 loss.
• U.S. youth international Luca Bombino made his Stoke City debut, starting in 1-1 draw with Cardiff in the Championship on Wednesday.
• Brendan Aaronson scored on Wednesday night for Leeds, but it was not enough as Chelsea won 6-3 in the EFL Cup.
• The US U20s led twice in their second group game at the World Cup, but settled for a 2-2 draw against Japan on Sept. 9. They now face an unexpected uphill battle to advance. 
• In some USL news, Athletic Club Boise is moving from USL League One up to the USL Championship for 2027.

Midweek MLS Recap:

• Out West, Vancouver recorded an emphatic 3-0 win over the LA Galaxy, but concerns loomed after Thomas Müller made an early exit from the match with an injury.
• Houston rallied late to grab a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake with Mateusz Bogusz delivering an 87th-minute winner. The race for the top of the West remains tight with just three points separating the Whitecaps in first and the Dynamo in second. 
• After rough runs of form, both LAFC and San Jose got back into the win column as they try to keep pace for a top four spot out West.
• Niko Tsakiris dazzled for the Quakes with a goal and two assists in a wild game that saw multiple red cards. San Jose held onto a 3-0 lead against San Diego to prevail for their first win since May 23.
• LAFC took care of business to snap their winless streak with a 2-0 win against Red Bull New York, surprisingly behind a goal from 17-year old homegrown Jude Terry and newcomer Armindo Sieb.
• FC Dallas remained in the hunt for a top four spot, despite missing their star striker Petar Musa due to injury. Second-half sub Santiago Moreno provided the winner in the 84th minute for a 2-1 win at Minnesota.


• Late night in Portland, Kristoffer Velde scored a birthday brace, complete with an 89th-minute free kick equalizer to spoil Rafael Navarro's brace for his new club in a 2-2 draw. But the streak remains intact as St. Louis goes to 14-games unbeaten in league play.
• In the East, the cream is starting to rise to the top with eight points separating fifth place Charlotte and sixth place Orlando.
• But the battle for spots six through nine is heating up with only four points separating Red Bull New York in 12th and Orlando in sixth place.
• Miami and Chicago shared the points, leaving the door open for New England as a last-gasp goal from new signing Daniel Gazdag saw the Revolution escape New York City with a 2-1 win.
• In a shocking turn of events, Nashville fell on the road 2-1 and dented its quest for the single season points record. Toronto got a late goal again, this time to secure all three points with a 93rd minute winner.
• Two slow starters in Orlando and Philadelphia continue their climb up the table. Antoine Griezmann notched a brace in a 3-2 win for Orlando at Atlanta and is now up to seven goals in nine MLS games.
• Meanwhile, Philadelphia throttled 10-man Cincinnati for a 5-0 win, behind a hat trick from Bruno Damiani to make it seven wins in the Union’s last nine MLS games.

Story of the Week: Sporting Kansas City's $27 Million Reset

By: Cat Bush

Sporting KC are in the midst of a transformational season; they’re also in the midst of an historically bad season. The club started the 2026 season with two DPs, both of whom are now gone. Manu Garcia left via mutual contract termination, while Dejan Joveljic, the team’s leading scorer, was sent to Seattle in exchange for $6m. Those moves left David Lee and his staff with no DPs or U22s on the roster, and despite spending big this summer, the club only managed to fill two of those six spots. And by spending big, I mean spending big.

Sporting Kansas City averaged around $3m spent on transfer fees per window since 2022, and this summer, they managed to shell out $27m. Much of that was spent on new DP Andre Luiz, who has seen lots of change over the last two years but was most recently a backup winger in the Greece first division. KC also made a big move for Owen Wolff, bringing the Austin FC product in on a U22 deal. One of these is a big bet, and it’s not the 21-year-old with nearly 150 MLS appearances. 

The overall quantity of spending under David Lee has gone through the roof. That being said, Lee’s use of his discretionary roster slots has perhaps been more important than anything for the club. Few times, if ever, have we seen an MLS club so aggressively rebuild by clearing every one of their high earners. And though Lee has yet to fill those slots, there’s an argument to be made that waiting is the right decision. With roster rule changes looming and in-progress scouting and analytics departments in KC, Lee will want to have every resource at his disposal when constructing the squad in his vision. For all intents and purposes, Lee is treating Sporting KC as an EA FC career mode save, clearing out the old crop of players and going on a spending spree to overhaul the squad. Help is desperately needed in Kansas City, and it’s clear that the club is treating this season as a wash. What comes after is anyone’s guess. 

For a deeper look at Kansas City’s finances and more on the MLS transfer window, Cat has you covered over at The Guardian talking about MLS spending in the recent window.

Weekend Watchlist:

Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC, MLS (Sat., Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, Apple): The top two teams in the East go head-to-head in a match with Shield implications. Messi, Mukhtar, Surridge and Suarez are sure to bring the goals.

LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC, MLS (Sat., Sept. 12, 10:30 p.m. ET, Apple): Two historically top teams in the West are fighting for their playoff lives. Earlier this season, the Galaxy snapped Seattle’s home unbeaten streak, and the Sounders are looking to get some revenge when they visit LA.

San Diego Wave FC vs. North Carolina Courage, NWSL (Sat., Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m. ET, ION): Third-place North Carolina visits fifth-place San Diego, tied on points with only goal differential separating these two in the standings. Golden Boot leader Ashley Sanchez looks to continue her red-hot form against rising star Trinity Byars.

US vs. New Zealand, U-20 Women’s World Cup (Sat., Sept. 12, 9 a.m. ET, FS1): A little breakfast and some soccer as the U.S U20s face New Zealand in their final group game. The US needs a win, some help with results, and a positive goal differential if they hope to advance to the Round of 16.

Louisville City vs. El Paso Locomotive FC, USL Championship (Sat., Sept. 12, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Rubio Rubin leads El Paso and its six-game winning streak into Kentucky for a cross-conference showdown. The Locomotive are locked into a tight battle in the West for the top spot, while Lou City needs a win if they want to try and chase down a top four seed.

Goal of the Midweek:

I bet Rodrigo De Paul can’t do this. What a strike from Robert Lewandowski.

Where the Soccer Rabbit Holes Took Us:

Each Friday we try to bring you an interesting story or article we came across highlighting our favorite sport. Whether it’s something on the field or off it, you never know what you might find.

The Independent brings us an in-depth interview with USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino about the human dimension of coaching football, World Cup controversy and more.

Quick Links, Kickback:

• Soccerwise: David Gass and your Kickback family have you covered all things MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
• First Touch: Kickback’s global soccer platform got bigger this week First Touch Weekly, the best audio coverage in twenty minutes of the global game. This week, the Stadio crew joins host Susannah Fuller!
• Tom Bogert, The Athletic: No one better to keep you up-to-date on all of the silly season news from MLS!
• Tactics Free Zone: Matt Doyle is your go-to analyst for all MLS action.

Quick Links, Kickback Partners:

• SixOneFive Soccer has you covered as they continue to recap Nashville’s historic run. The Music City men are headed to Toronto midweek and they have you covered.
• Check out Sounder at Heart as they provide all the coverage for the Boys in Rave Green, keeping you up-to-date as Seattle looks to make a playoff push.
• Our newest Kickback partner TopBin90 is your main source for Charlotte FC and beyond. Also with college soccer season now in full swing they can keep you up-to-date at College Soccer News.