Minutes from the Committee Meeting

April 24, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 37

Agenda Items 📋:

• MLS held its first slate of midweek matches for the 2026 season, and they delivered! Wednesday night featured a pair of 4-4 draws, the first goalkeeper goal in 17 seasons, and countless sensational goals.
• Elsewhere, Inter Miami picked up six points from its first two matches under Guillermo Hoyos, defeating Colorado and Salt Lake within four days.
• For that clash with the Colorado Rapids, over 75,000 spectators packed into Empower Field at Mile High, the second-largest attendance ever for an MLS match.
• NWSL finally returns this weekend after a nearly three-week hiatus, punctuated by the USWNT’s 3-0 victory over Japan
• It was a standout match for San Diego Wave’s Kennedy Wesley, whose goal and assist complemented her defensive prowess.
• There’s no slowing down either, with both the U.S. Open Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup returning this week for the Round of 16 and Semi-finals, respectively.
• Two MLS teams will feature in the CCC semifinals, with Nashville and LAFC taking on Tigres and Toluca, respectively.

Story of the Week:

MLS always offers up quite a few surprises year-over-year, but the 2026 season has been especially unique. Over a quarter of the season in, we’re comfortable identifying our biggest surprises to date:

Surprises (Complimentary):

San Jose Earthquakes. Arguably the most beleaguered franchise of the past decade hired the League’s most decorated coach, and now have 24 points in nine matches. That’s after, by the way, replacing star players “Chicho” Arango and Christian Espinonza with Timo Werner, a 20-year-old homegrown #10, and a bunch of drafted college kids. This could be one of the greatest glow-ups in MLS history.

Real Salt Lake. RSL lost in the 2025 play-in game, and wasn’t in anyone’s playoff predictions (including ours) for 2026. Turns out that Zavier Gozo is him, there 2^nd round drafted striker Sergi Solans is elite, Diego Luna is still getting better, and RSL did finally nail a DP signing with Morgan Guiilavogui. This is a top ten team in MLS with room to improve.

New England Revolution. This one snuck up on us. The Revs have one four in a row and five of six, claiming third place in the east. New head coach Marko Mitrovic has reset the culture in Foxborough this season, and goalkeeper Matt Turner is making his case to reclaim the #1 position with the USMNT.

Surprises (Derogatory):

Philadelphia Union. The 2025 MLS Supporter Shield winners have been unlucky, sure. But five points in nine matches from the most consistent club of the decade is a stunning return. The Union have moved on from many heralded veterans but had done so successfully in previous years…the lack of attacking output from the new striker additions, and the failure to integrate new defensive additions successfully has the Union near the bottom of the table. Also, weren’t the Union supposed to be the champions of #PlaytheKids?

FC Cincinnati. Cinci was second in 2025 to the Union and seemingly had title-winning talent coming into the season. Through nine? Nine points. Neymar rumors aside, this was supposed to be Cincinnati’s trophy window, and it looks like it may have slammed shut. If fortunes aren’t reversed quickly, we’ll be watching Cinci closely to see if any major changes are made to try one more time to make it work with Evander, Denkey, Miles Robinson, and the current squad.

The Eastern Conference. This looked like potentially the greatest conference ever. Only Philly had seemingly downgraded over the offseason, while clubs like Nashville SC stocked up. Now? It pales in comparison to the west. Outside the Music City, Miami isn’t the superclub we’d expected, and playoff sides like Philly, Cinci, and Orlando have taken complete nosedives, and the bottom hasn’t gotten much better. Meanwhile, the watchability in the west right now is off the charts. Do better, the east!!

Matches to Watch:

Nashville SC vs. Charlotte FC, MLS (April 25th, 8:30 PM ET, Apple TV): Few teams are in as good a place as Nashville SC is currently in under BJ Callaghan. The Tennessee club sits at the top of the Eastern Conference through eight matches and is set to face Tigres in a Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final over the next two weeks. Nashville’s front three of Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, and Cristian Espinoza is electric, and goals are expected as Charlotte FC comes to town. 

Angel City FC vs. Portland Thorns, NWSL (April 25th, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN2): Portland sits second in the NWSL standings, following a strong start to the season with 10 points from just five matches. It won’t be an easy test on Sunday, however, as they head south to face an Angel City side that has won three of four, outscoring opponents 10 to four.

New York Cosmos vs. Brooklyn FC, USL Cup (April 25th, 2:00 PM ET, ESPN+): The USL Cup is back this week for the first group stage matches of the 2026 edition. Both the Cosmos and Brooklyn will make their USL Cup debuts on Saturday in the first installment of this local rivalry. Both sides have seen goals galore in the opening weeks of the season, and this matchup should be no exception.

FC Tulsa vs. One Knoxville SC, USL Cup (April 25th, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN Select): One Knox has been on a tear, unbeaten in seven and advancing to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 in the process. This weekend gives the Tennessee club a chance to punch above its weight again, going on the road to face USL Championship opposition. Is more Cup magic incoming for Knoxville?

Susannah "Cup Should Always Be" Fuller's Cocktail Recipe of the Week:

We’re honoring the fantastic form of the San Jose Earthquakes with this San Francisco treat, the “Cable Car”:

1. 1.5 oz Spiced Rum.
2. .75 oz Orange Curacao.
3. 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice.
4. Shake vigorously.
5. Strain twice.
6. ⅛ Teaspoon Cinnamon.
7. ⅛ Cup Sugar.
8. Mix Sugar and Cinnamon.
9. Rub rim with lemon wedge.
10. Coat glass.
11. Strain into glass.

Action Items, Kickback:

Soccerwise: We’ve still got your weekly MLS and NWSL reviews and previews, including all of the chaos from Wednesday’s MLS slate!

Make sure you listen to Soccerwise with David Gass, Tom Bogert, Matt Doyle, and Jordan Angeli now on SiriusXM, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 p.m. on SiriusXM FC 157, and on the SiriusXM App!

Kickback Committee: Susannah Fuller is joined by Chicago Stars Midfielder Brianna Pinto to talk all things NWSL, USWNT, World Cup 2026, and more!

First Touch: Episode nine is now out! Make sure to subscribe and listen to the first-ever World Cup 2026 dedicated show, First Touch! Inspired by podcasts with premium, rich storytelling like The Daily and Planet Money, this is Kickback Soccer Media’s most unique offering yet.