Soccerwise Minutes

September 8, 2026

Headlines:

• The transfer window was a wild one in MLS, and teams are still making moves as Tom Bogert reported that FC Cincinnati and Matt Miazga are likely parting ways.
• USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino spoke to a small group of reporters on Monday. The biggest news is still no 19-year-old Augsburg center back Noahkai Banks in the upcoming window, as he is still undecided on his national team future.
• In a shocking move Monday, Kansas City Current Sporting Director Vlatko Andonovski is out in KC. The club said it was a mutual parting of ways with the former KC and USWNT coach.
• The Utah Royals made a splash on Labor Day, acquiring forward Jameese Joseph from the Chicago Stars for $750k in intra-league transfer funds. Joseph has been in camp with the USWNT and will add a boost to the Royals top-flight attack.
• Heading into the holiday weekend, the USL and the USLPA agreed on a new five-year CBA. 
• On the field, the Tampa Bay Rowdies became the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the USL Championship with a 2-0 win over Brooklyn FC over the weekend.
• Over in Europe, Gio Reyna made a statement at his new club, scoring his first goal for Strasbourg in a 6-2 win.
• Reyna’s friend and American teammate Joe Scally also scored his first goal of the season in his first start of the campaign for Borussia Mönchengladbach.
• Meanwhile Ricardo Pepi can’t stop scoring for PSV Eindhoven. The USMNT forward scored his third goal of the season in a big win over rival Ajax.
• And eight players with U.S. ties are set to take part in the UEFA Champions League, starting with Alex Freeman and Villarreal against Borussia Dortmund today.
• Finally, it was a rocky start for the U.S. U-20s WNT in group play at the World Cup over the weekend. The Chicago Stars’ Micayla Johnson scored the opener, but the US fell 2-1 to Italy.

Weekend Recaps:

• Not much movement at the top of the table in the Eastern Conference as Nashville and Miami both dropped points with draws. It was a dramatic finish in Miami as the reigning champions played to a 2-2 draw with Atlanta and Breel Embolo scored his first goal for his new club.
• In the West, St. Louis made the statement of the weekend, rolling into BC Place and beating Vancouver 3-1 to extend its unbeaten streak to 13 games, moving up to fifth in the Western Conference.
• Not to be outdone, we had some high-scoring affairs, as the Portland Timbers moved above the playoff line with a 5-4 win over Minnesota behind the club’s first MLS hat trick from Vincent Janssen. 
• Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire played to a chaotic 4-4 draw. Josh Sargent scored his first MLS hat trick, and Chicago led twice, but blew their chance at all the points as Derrick Etienne Jr. scored a 92nd minute equalizer for Toronto.
• Petar Musa put himself back into the Golden Boot race with a brace, now level with Messi at 18 goals. He dragged FC Dallas back from a 2-0 deficit against Sporting KC, scoring in the 97th minute to snatch a 4-3 victory from the jaws of defeat.
• But it is Cavan Sullivan that just keeps rolling and proving his star status. The 16-year old scored his fourth league goal this season to help Philadelphia to a 2-0 win against Montreal, helping the Union move above the playoff line.
• Over in the NWSL, down goes Gotham FC, as the defending champions saw their 10-game unbeaten run snapped with a 3-0 loss to a surging Denver Summit.
• The Washington Spirit took advantage of Gotham’s slip up, exercising their demons and winning for the first time ever at Providence Park, defeating the Thorns 2-1, and pulling within two points of Gotham in the race for the Shield.
• Finally, we recognize true greatness as Ashley Sanchez simply can’t be stopped. A hat trick for the Golden Boot leader and a 6-0 win for the North Carolina Courage over Chicago moved them up to third-place in the NWSL standings.

Story of the Week: Stat Hunt

Here at Soccerwise the stats and analytics always have a home. As such we gathered the best stats that caught our attention from this weekend you might have missed:

It only took 521 regular season games, plus another 33 MLS playoff and MLS is Back Tournament games, but the Timbers finally had a player score a hat trick in their MLS era in game No. 555. The last Portland player to score a hat trick: David Hague in 2007 for the USL Timbers.

Cavan Sullivan keeps breaking records. With his goal against Montreal, the 16-year-old became the first teenager in MLS history to record a goal contribution in five consecutive games.

Lionel Messi had a pair of assists for Miami over the weekend, taking him to 30 goal contributions this season (18 goals, 12 assists). He is the first player in MLS history to record at least 30 goal contributions in three separate regular seasons.

The Spirit finally won on their 15th visit to Portland. Washington trailed 1-0 at halftime before earning a come-from-behind win, becoming just the second visiting team to do so at Providence Park. The other? Seattle Reign in May 2021.

Gotham FC has been on quite a run, but Denver has its number. It’s the second time this season the Summit have beaten the champs. Denver has as many wins over Gotham FC as the rest of the league combined in 2026.

The aforementioned Ashley Sanchez is playing out of her mind. She has 18 goals this season, two off the pace for the NWSL single-season record and the most by an American in a single NWSL season. But here’s where it gets wild: Sanchez has 18 goals in 23 games in 2026 before that she had 19 goals in her previous 110 NWSL games.

In USL League One, Union Omaha is now unbeaten at home in 24 straight games - the longest home unbeaten run in league history. Their record keeps growing after they broke the previous one held by One Knoxville (21 games) back on Aug. 22.

Midweek Matches to Watch:

Chicago Fire vs. Inter Miami, MLS (Wed., Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET, Apple): The battle for a top four spot in the East takes place in Chicago with a Robert Lewandowski vs. Lionel Messi showdown.

Portland Timbers vs. St. Louis CITY SC, MLS (Wed. Sept. 9, 10:30 p.m. ET, Apple): St. Louis visits one of the toughest venues in MLS, trying to keep their unbeaten run alive. Goals could be on the menu after Portland scored five on the weekend and St. Louis scored three unanswered north of the border.

U.S. vs. Japan, U-20 Women’s World Cup (Wed., Sept. 9, 12 pm ET, FOX Sports 2): The U.S. looks to bounce back and keep pace in group play with a big time match against Japan. The top two teams in each group advance as well as the top four third-place teams, so the US is still alive for the knockouts.

Goal of the Week:

Pure class from the Columbus Crew’s Gonzalo Tapia. Chef’s kiss.

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:

• 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.