Soccerwise Minutes

November 10, 2026

The playoff field is set in MLS, but unfortunately we will have to wait until after the international break; plus, we are inching closer to crowning champs in NWSL and USL, and we’ve got you covered as we surge toward the offseason and the international break.

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Now, let's get into it.

🥅 Goal of the Weekend:

Kristoffer Velde with authority. Boom!

🥳 The Best Thing We Saw :

Utah Royals FC absolutely trolled us on Instagram for our NWSL playoff picks.

⏪ MLS Decision Day Rewind:

The regular season is in the books, and the playoff bracket is set; check out the schedule if you want to plan your holiday get-togethers around the postseason. And as always, we do our best to catch you up on all the action.If we missed something, check out David Gass, Tom Bogert, and Matt Doyle as they break it all down, look ahead to the postseason, chat awards, and react to the latest MLS firings in Monday’s edition of MLS Soccerwise.

In the Eastern Conference, there were plenty of goals and some late drama for one of the hottest teams, Columbus Crew SC, while alarm bells might be ringing for Inter Miami after their Decision Day performance.For the Crew, it looked like a Wild Card edition of Hell is Real was in the cards for Columbus as time ticked away. They fought back three times after trailing in this match. But to the rescue came Brais Mendez, delivering the dagger in the 93rd minute to give Columbus its sixth straight win, the seventh seed, and a date with the defending champs in round one. Yes, Taha Habroune, you did get Miami. 

Their opponents, well...Miami looked poised to run away with it against Charlotte FC. Messi and friends took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break, and managed to squander it. First, a five-minute brace from Liel Abada, then a 90th-minute equalizer by Rodolfo Aloko, and poof, just like that a win turned into a 3-3 draw and plenty for the Herons to think about over the international break. Despite the disappointing result, they managed to hold onto the No. 2 seed thanks to New England’s loss to Orlando City on the final day. But that home record this season - 6 wins, 2 losses and 9 draws, woof.

Out in the Western Conference, six teams entered and three emerged, locking in their spots: the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake. Minnesota United FC grabbed a third straight win, but it was not enough for the Loons to sneak in on the final day.

RSL and LA Galaxy were essentially a six-pointer, with the Galaxy controlling their own fate if they won. Unfortunately, it quickly unraveled for the 2024 MLS Cup winners, who forgot to show up, trailing 2-0 after 13 minutes, with both goals coming in a three-minute span from Sergi Solans and Zach Booth. Impressive turnaround for Pablo Mastroeni’s side, which looked done and dusted on a 13-game winless run before winning four of their last seven. They did it on the back of rookie sensation Solans, who produced 15 goals this season, the second most by an MLS rookie behind Cyle Larin’s 17 goals in 2015. Up next, a Wild Card date with the Sounders.

Seattle, much like RSL, took the game by the scruff of the neck early. Less than a minute into the match, Albert Rusnak scored a “when playing out of the back goes wrong” goal for the home team. Sergio Gomez added a second early, and then the Sounders hung on and defended for their lives as goalkeeper Andrew Thomas stood on his head and made seven saves. The Sounders have made the playoffs in all but one season since arriving in MLS, and their postseason pedigree is solid despite an uneven regular season.

And finally, the Portland Timbers might be finding their form as they head into the postseason after they dispatched Austin FC with ease, winning 2-0. A quick goal put the visitors in the driver's seat just three minutes in, and then Kristoffer Velde said night-night with an absolute rocket to pair with another stellar performance from goalkeeper James Pantemis. Four straight wins for the Rose City lads set them a date with familiar playoff foe in FC Dallas. Somehow quietly, this attack is absolutely cooking with 62 goals this season, second most in the Western Conference.

MLS Rapid Fire: Nashville SC broke the points record with 77 points, with a 2-0 win against Cincinnati on Decision Day…Three coaches have already been fired with likely more to come: New York City’s FC Pascal Jansen, Toronto FC’s Robin Fraser and Sporting KC’s Raphael Wicky…Lionel Messi won the Golden Boot, again, and he was also named to the FIFPRO Men’s World XI…Retirements continue to trickle in as we added two more over the weekend: Red Bull’s Tim Parker and Orlando’s Robin Jansson…Also sending all the good thoughts to Vancouver defender Belal Halbouni, who announced on social media that he’s been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma…And late on Monday, it’s official: CF Montreal is now for sale.

🏆 NWSL Playoff-palooza

In the NWSL playoffs, the quarterfinals were a mixed bag with mostly low scoring affairs. We got just one upset (although it was a BIG one), and the rest was chalk, setting us up for some tasty semifinal matches on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15. 

#7 Utah Royals FC stunned #2 San Diego for their first playoff win in their first playoff game as Mandy McGlynn came up big time in their 1-0 win. There were about 57 bazillion chances in like 10 minutes, but the goalkeepers stood tall. Kiana Palacios broke through for Utah in the 30th minute, and from there on out it was the Mandy McGlynn show. Most people didn’t even expect this team to be in the playoffs this season and expectedly the vibes were incredibly high postgame huddle as a result. The Royals will look to keep the upset train moving; next stop: Washington, D.C.

#4 Kansas City needed 120 minutes to get past #5 Angel City, and they did it on the back of a somewhat controversial penalty in the 96th minute of the first extra-time period, with Michelle Cooper scoring for a 1-0 win. There were limited chances between the two highest-scoring teams in NWSL this season. After Cooper scored, LA had perhaps its best chance from Svendis Jonsdottir to level things up in the 106th minute, but it wasn't their day as the Current prevailed and avenged their early exit from the 2025 playoffs. Next, a chance for some revenge against Gotham FC.

#3 Washington Spirit ran roughshod all over #6 Portland with a 4-1 win at Audi Field. A brace from Trinity Rodman helped lead the way, and it was over really before it even started as the Spirit jumped out to a 3-0 lead in 35 minutes. And while Rodman had the brace, don’t overlook newcomer Clara Luvanga, who scored and added two assists in her playoff debut. Check out these scenes in Tanzania for Luvanga. Washington is one step closer to playing for a championship on their home field.

And #8 Seattle Reign did all they could against #1 Gotham FC, but an early own goal ended their bid, 1-0, as they bid adieu to NWSL legend Jess Fishlock in her final game. Also sort-of congrats to Gotham for being the second-ever team in NWSL history to win a game without recording a shot on target. Oh, and the field was absolute garbage, which was probably the bigger story. And more on that here as its not going away because Gotham’s semifinal will also not be at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

NWSL Award Picks- What The Data Says

By: Cat Bush

NWSL awards season is upon us, and the finalists have just been announced. Using data from our partner Gradient Sports, we crunched the numbers to let you know who “deserves” each trophy. The big one as always is Most Valuable Player, which is hotly contested this year with plenty of stars on the shortlist. Three names stand out: Ashley Sanchez, Sophia Wilson, and Janine Sonis. The case for Sanchez is a straightforward one. She’s the golden boot winner and leads the league with 25 goals and assists; unsurprisingly, the underlying numbers agree that she was one of the best attackers this season. Despite a 76.8 overall grade, which is good but not great, Sanchez notched a 94.8 shooting score. Sometimes all you need is to be really good at one thing in particular, (especially when that one thing is scoring) and that was Sanchez for the Courage this year. Wilson is another enticing candidate. According to Gradient, she led the league in xG with 16.42, and her 20 goals and assists aren’t far off from Sanchez’s numbers. Plus, she was the only one of the three mentioned to make the playoffs, and her 45 chances created ranked in the 98th percentile. Meanwhile, Janine Sonis put together one of the most dominant fullback seasons in league history. Her 20 goals and assists match Wilson which is insane for a fullback. But she wasn’t just a finisher — Sonis ranked highly in 1v1 defending and crossing, too. The pick is almost assuredly heading to Sanchez, who had an incredible season. But the underlying numbers suggest Sophia Wilson may be the better overall candidate, based on her high xG and chance creation abilities. 

Midfielder of the Year is another compelling choice. Ahead of the shortlists being dropped, we identified Jaelin Howell, Mina Tanaka, and Hal Hershfelt as the three most worthy candidates. Two of those made the final cut, but one didn’t. Maybe unsurprisingly, the stats suggest that Hal Hershfelt could be the best midfielder in the league. She had a 1v1 defending grade of 87.8 — best among all CMs and AMs — and had a better passing grade than both Tanaka and Howell. Hershfelt should've been a finalist, but now it’s anyone’s game.

Defender of the Year is an easier choice. The data is pretty conclusive: Tierna Davidson deserves the award. The Gotham FC defender had the highest overall rating of any CB in the league (minimum of 2000 minutes), and led all defenders in the duel rating category. Esme Morgan, who didn’t even make the shortlist, deserves a shout for her great passing grades, but Davidson is the clear winner. 

Ann-Katrin Berger is our Goalkeeper of the Year, with the highest save percentage of any goalkeeper and the least goals conceded in the league. Shoutout Jane Campbell for putting up the second best save percentage on a far higher number of shots, but AKB is too far ahead to compete. 

Last but not least, it’s another Gotham pick for Rookie of the Year, and this stat may surprise you. Jordynn Dudley had the best overall grade of any player in the entire league (89.0) and had the number one on-ball attacking grade this season. She was absolutely incredible, even if her end product doesn’t jump off the page. For those that watched her in college, this season has been no surprise. Dudley is a star in the making, and deserves all the plaudits.

📰 Other Things You Might Have Missed:

• 🇺🇲The USMNT U-23s roster dropped on Friday. Steve Cherundolo has his eye on 2028 in LA, and his group will head to Spain from Nov. 9-17 for matches against Scotland and Ukraine. Eight players are from Europe, and 15 play here stateside in MLS.
• 🔁Roster replacements are already underway for the USMNT as they prepare for Haiti on Nov. 14. After a solid run of form and another goal with Strasbourg, Gio Reyna is now injured (again), and he’s been replaced by the Championship's hottest goal scorer, Jack McGlynn. In the backline, George Campbell is also out after suffering a groin injury, and Mark McKenzie is set to take his place.
• In the USL Championship, the Conference semifinals are now in the books, and four teams remain looking to punch their tickets to the USL Championship final on Nov. 21. It was a crazy weekend, so if you want to check out all the goals, you can find them here. The two wildest finishes came out East: Lou City trailed 2-0 at home to Miami FC and scored three goals in the final 11 minutes, including a 98th-minute winner to complete their comeback in a 3-2 win. The Charleston Battery rallied from a three-goal deficit, scoring three times from the 80th minute onward and then an equalizer at the death before escaping with a 5-4 win in penalties. And exhale.
• The USL League One championship match is set. In one corner, the second expansion team ever to make the final in their first season, AC Boise. In the other corner, the regular-season best performing team, the Charlotte Independence. Boise advanced in extra time with a 114th-minute winner from Jesus Barea for a 1-0 victory over Chattanooga Red Wolves FC. Led by Jon Bakero’s goal and an assist, Charlotte prevailed over Forward Madison 2-1 and is now looking to do the double, hoping to join Union Omaha in 2024 and One Knoxville SC in 2025 with that distinction. Mark your calendars for Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
• 🗳️As mentioned above by Cat, the NWSL announced its award finalists for MVP, Defender, Midfielder, Goalkeeper, Rookie, and Coach of the Year. Fan voting is open now through Wednesday at 8 pm ET.
• 🏆A champion was crowned this weekend, this one in MLS NEXT Pro. Chattanooga FC became the fifth MLS NEXT Pro Cup Champion, beating LAFC 1-0 on Sunday night in front of 10,228 fans. They are the first independent club to win the trophy.

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.