Soccerwise Minutes

October 20, 2026

Happy U.S. Open Cup Week to all who celebrate. If you are in the Buckeye State this week, you can catch up with Gass, Tom and Doyle at Land-Grant Brewing Company on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. ET. Everyone’s favorite MLS trio will be palling around town. 

Let’s get into it with your Goal of the Weekend, The Best Thing We Saw, MLS Matchday 31 Rewind, Yanks Abroad, Matches to Watch, and What You Might Have Missed.

🥅 Goal of the Weekend:

We are giving you two for the price of one, because yes, this Martin Ojeda goal is Puskas-worthy.

But Vancouver’s Yadal Diaby's game-winner is, too; Brad Stuver’s reaction says it all.

🥳 The Best Thing We Saw :

Who even thinks to do this in a soccer game? San Diego’s Kenza Dali with the skill check

⏪ MLS Matchday 31 Rewind:

The Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes all clinched playoff spots over the weekend, while Nashville SC will have to wait another week to put their hands on the MLS Supporters' Shield. Let's run down some of the biggest results of the weekend.Minnesota United’s playoff hopes are on life support, but their first home win since April, snapping St. Louis CITY SC’s ridiculous 21-game unbeaten run, might just be what the doctor ordered. The Loons looked dead and buried down 2-0 inside 10 minutes, but former St. Louis midfielder Aziel Jackson got the comeback party started before Kelvin Yeboah flashed his career-year form with a goal. And then the winner: a stunning counter-attack from substitute Marcus Caldeira in the 86th minute. But don’t sleep on this crazy double save from Drake Callendar late that helped seal the Loons' 3-2 win at Allianz Field.

Inter Miami made it three wins in a row, but not without a little bit of drama. The Herons downed Atlanta United FC 3-1 as Lionel Messi extended his Golden Boot lead with another brace, bringing him to 25 goals and closer to a third straight MVP award. But the talk was less about the result and more about Messi and Rodrigo De Paul’s antics, with Messi doing his best Michael Jordan, “and I took that personally,” impression by dunking on Junior Alonso. 

The Copa Tejas delivered all the fireworks anyone could need as FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo played to a 2-2 draw. And when the clock hit second-half stoppage time, insanity reigned supreme. First, Mateusz Bogusz looked like he had sealed the win for Houston in the 94th minute, but then Dallas got a penalty kick of their own in the 111th minute. Petar Musa failed to convert his early PK attempt, but this time he didn't miss and shenanigans ensued. Houston fans threw beer at FC Dallas players and Sam Sarver responded in kind leading to his early exit. 

Orlando City SC continues to score in bunches, this time denting D.C. United’s playoff hopes with a 4-1 win at Inter.co Stadium. Antoine Griezmann just can’t be stopped: 10 straight games with a goal contribution and 12 goals in his first 14 league matches. Martin Ojeda is finding his form too, with four goals in his last five matches. You saw the insane goal by Ojeda above, but also check out this angle from above the goal to become Orlando’s all-time leading goal scorer. A huge win for Orlando keeps them five points clear of the chasing pack in the East as they fight for a spot in the play-in game.

MLS Quick Hits: Charlotte FC’s Idan Toklomati scored his 15th goal of the season, a new club single-season record…Columbus Crew SC secured bragging rights in the Hell is Real Derby with a 2-0 win, but FC Cincinnati fans showed out with a spectacular tifo…The Philadelphia Union saw their 8-game winning streak snapped in a wildly entertaining 2-2 draw with Charlotte, but they are still unbeaten in their last 15 games.

Also, don’t forget to check out Monday’s MLS Soccerwise episode with the guys, where they chat all things from the weekend and get you prepped for the big showdown in Columbus.

Yanks Abroad:

Our boys abroad had some standout performances in France. Here’s a quick rundown:

Tanner Tessman showed out in France over the weekend as he looks to earn his way back into the USMNT fold. In his first league start of the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season, Tessman scored the game-winner, his first Ligue 1 goal, for Lyon in a 2-1 win over Nice. It wasn't easy; Tessman played the full 90 minutes and helped his team secure all three points after playing down a man for the final 20 minutes.

After missing out on Marseille’s Europa League tilt with Olympiacos midweek due to red-card suspension, Tim Weah bounced back in convincing fashion. Two assists on the day helped his Marseille side notch a 5-2 win over Angers SCO over the weekend, marking his best performance of the season.

The Gio Reyna reinvention, reclamation, revival. Not sure what we want to call it, but after a stellar USMNT camp, Reyna took that form back to France. He’s already back playing consistent minutes, with 423 minutes this season for Strasbourg after just 520 minutes in 2025-26 with Gladbach. Plus, he scored his second goal of the season against PSG, even if it came in a 3-1 loss on Saturday. 

Yunus Musah remains a regular for AC Milan, partnering with the legendary Luka Modric. Musah started and played 75 minutes in a five-goal thriller as his side beat Atalanta 3-2 on Sunday, and they are now unbeaten in seven straight games to begin their Serie A campaign. Musah was influential early on, as his 22nd-minute shot earned the home side a penalty. His passing accuracy was 98%, with 52 of 53 passes completed.

Honorable MentionsAntonee Robinson went the full 90 minutes in a much-needed 1-0 shutout win for Fulham over Hull City. Tyler Adams started for Bournemouth as they picked up a 2-0 win against Sunderland. 17-year-old Mathis Albert made his season debut for Dortmund in a 0-0 draw with Union Berlin.

📺 Weekend Watchlist:

Columbus Crew SC vs. St. Louis CITY SC, U.S. Open Cup (Wed., Oct. 21, 8 p.m. ET, Paramount+/CBS Sports Network): It’s the Crew's fourth Open Cup final, as Columbus hosts the match with $1 million on the line and a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. The Crew are looking to hoist their second Open Cup trophy, last doing so in 2002, while St. Louis chases its first ever piece of silverware. Homegrown hero and 20-year-old Taha Habroune will look to stay hot, having scored in his last two league games. St. Louis will be without their new DP Rafael Navarro, who is ineligible to play after featuring with the Rapids in the tournament, but fellow DP Carlo Holse should be rested and ready to go.

CF Montréal vs. Forge FC, Canadian Championship (Wed., Oct. 21, 7 p.m. ET, FS2): A potential silver lining to a season to forget for Montreal as they chase a sixth domestic title against Canadian Premier League side Forge FC at Stade Saputo. The winner will lift the Voyageurs Cup and head to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. Montreal stunned four-time defending champions Vancouver in the semifinal round and could lift the trophy for the first time since 2021, with Prince Owusu leading the charge with 15 goals and 5 assists in league play and Chilean legend Alexis Sánchez looking to make his mark for the club. 

FC Cincinnati vs. D.C. United, MLS (Wed., Oct. 21, 7 p.m. ET, Apple TV): This one is a true six-pointer but could turn into the most rare twelve-pointer. It's like a two-legged playoff showdown circa the old MLS playoff format because just three days later these two teams do it all over again in D.C. Six points for either team would go a long way, while two losses for the other would likely sink their season. Cincinnati has been conceding goals left and right, but D.C. United has struggled to find its scoring form, so we could be in for a high-scoring affair or get-right series for one of these teams’ weaknesses.

📰Other Things You Might Have Missed:

• 🪽Angel City stayed hot on the road against the Denver Summit on Saturday and gave us some absolute cinema. There were five goals in just 43 minutes with Angel City delivering three in 11 minutes to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Angel City is now unbeaten in its last eight games, and the Ally Sentnor reclamation project continues as she scored a stunning 43rd-minute winner.
• ❎ The Washington Spirit punched their ticket to the NWSL playoffs and exercised some demons in the process. In a rematch of the 2025 NWSL Championship, the Spirit got a 1-0 win over Gotham FC at Rowdy Audi. Washington hadn't scored against Gotham in almost two years, so Lucia Di Guglielmo's 70th-minute goal was a cathartic release for everyone in the District.
• 🏆 The Tampa Bay Rowdies locked up the 2026 USL Championship Players’ Shield, claiming the honor for the second time in club history. It didn't look like it would be the Rowdies' day, but Sebastian Cruz delivered the decisive strike to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 win over Detroit City FC.
• 🌎 The U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco got underway over the weekend. The 🇺🇲U.S. opened group play on Monday afternoon with a dominant 17-0 win over Samoa. The full tournament schedule is here. Also check out this wild stat about Maddie DiMaria’s six-goal performance. 
• ⚽✍️Finally, the newest NWSL teams, Atlanta City FC and Columbus, announced their first hires. Columbus tabbed Lucy Rushton as its first GM, while Atlanta named Richard Gunney Chief Soccer Officer.

Quick Links, Kickback:

• Soccerwise: David Gass and your Kickback family have you covered all things MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
• First Touch: Your American home for the global game. Join us every week for First Touch Dispatch and First Touch Weekly with Susannah Fuller for the stories and conversations shaping soccer around the world.
• 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:

• Happy Foot, Sad Foot is your go-to podcast for LAFC. Check out their weekly pod and some pretty sweet merch. 
• Out West, San Diego Futbol has you covered for all things San Diego FC. San Diego’s #1 source for all things soccer.
• Five Stripe Final  has your coverage of Atlanta United. Check out their Substack and listen to their podcast to keep up to date.
• And for our friends on the East Coast, The Blazing Musket covers soccer across New England, from the Revs to Legacy and a whole lot of love for the USL.
• 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.
• 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 with College Soccer News.