29 Sep 2026

Soccerwise Minutes

September 29, 2026

The days are getting shorter, but there is still plenty of room for soccer. We’ve got you covered across the USMNT, MLS, and NWSL, and word on the street is there’s a USWNT roster dropping soon. Here are your quick headlines and then some.

📰 Headlines:

It has been a less-than-stellar 2026 for trophy-hunting LAFC, so the Black & Gold decided to say goodbye to head coach Marc Dos Santos on Sunday night after only one win in their last 10 games. If you want to hear more on this, check out Monday’s Soccerwise.
And in early Monday morning news, the newest NWSL franchise has a name: Atlanta City FC. Brand consultants everywhere rejoiced at another job bland done…whoops, we meant well. Also check out their logo; it’s giving Hunger Games vibes.
⛈️We will have more midweek MLS action! Thanks to the Nor'easter storm, Red Bull New York and St. Louis CITY SC’s game was postponed this past weekend.
LAFC’s Son Heung-Min is closing in on history. Late last week, he scored his 57th career international goal in spectacular fashion, one shy of matching 🇰🇷South Korea’s all-time international record.
It was a banner Saturday for MLS players with the USMNT, and Mauricio Pochettino gave credit where credit was due to those MLS coaches in his postgame comments.
Big-time players shined in MLS this weekend with big-time records. 🫡Hany Mukhtar scored his 100th career goal, making him the 16th player in league history to reach this mark.
Up in Seattle, 🐟 Jordan Morris and Jess Fishlock both became their club’s all-time leading goal scorers. 73 goals for Morris and 52 goals for Fishlock.
The Ashley Sanchez show continues. The North Carolina Courage forward scored her 20th regular-season goal, tying the NWSL single-season record set by Temwa Chawinga in 2024.
Across the pond, 🇺🇲USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson scored the game-winner for Chelsea in a 1-0 win over Arsenal in WSL action on Sunday.
And special mention to the Houston Dash’s Kat Rader. The rookie forward scored her 10th goal of the season Saturday. She is one goal off the NWSL single-season rookie record.

🇺🇲 We're the Kids in America:

The USMNT is back as they ushered in a new era with a bang and a 4-1 win over Peru on Saturday in Orlando. Tom was on-site to cover the match; check out his takeaways.

Eleven players made their USMNT debuts, including eight teenagers, and all four of the goals had a contribution from a debutant.

Nineteen-year-old Justin Ellis started things out in emphatic fashion with the fastest goal scored by a debutant in the modern era, as the Orlando City forward scored in his home stadium in the fourth minute.

The young kids took over in the second half, as the US scored three goals, highlighted by a debut goal for 18-year-old New York Red Bull forward Julian Hall. Mathis Albert didn’t get on the scoresheet, but was a handful and earned a penalty. And Sebastian Berhalter closed things out with a ridiculous long-range banger.

Just a banner day all around. Cavan Sullivan became the fourth-youngest American to debut for the USMNT at 16 years and 363 days. Hall also added an assist on Berhalter’s goal, the third-youngest USMNT player to record an assist in the modern era.

The youth movement is officially here, with Pochettino putting out the youngest starting XI in his tenure, and the overall youngest since March 24, 2023, against Grenada.

Who stood out to you in Game 1 for the USMNT? Check out our player grades from the first match.

⏪ Weekend Rewind:

Who wants to make the playoffs out West? Out East, Nashville is just going to run away with it, while several top five teams faltered and Philadelphia is now breathing down their necks. Meanwhile in the NWSL, the table is changing faster than that guy at the carnival who says follow the ball as he moves his cups around.

Let's start in the East, where three of the top four teams dropped points, leaving the door open for the Philadelphia Union. They continue their climb up the table after earning their sixth win in a row.
The Union have amassed 32 points in their last 12 matches, tied for the most points in any 12-game span with the Seattle Sounders back in 2018. And despite being without some of their top-performing players as of late, Milan Iloski said get on my back; I’ll carry us, scoring a hat trick for the Union, who downed Orlando 4-2 at home on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Nashville just keeps winning. They opened their lead up even further in the Supporters’ Shield race, now 10 points clear of Vancouver, who had a shocking home result in a 3-3 draw against D.C. United. The men in the Music City made quick work of Toronto behind a 2-0 win thanks to a Hany Mukhtar brace.
The race is also on out West as FC Dallas continues to surge, now unbeaten in six, after a 1-0 win at home this weekend against LAFC, which finds them just three points behind first-place Vancouver.
The Earthquakes seemed to have found their early-season form once again. Preston Judd scored twice, and San Jose has now won three of their last four games. A 3-1 win against Portland has vaulted them up to third in the Western Conference table. Bonus, Eduard Löwen got his first goal for the club.
Then there were the teams on life support that peeled themselves up off the floor. The Sounders are back above the playoff line, and still have games in hand with back-to-back wins (after going almost four months without a victory). Real Salt Lake finally won for the first time since May 16, as maybe the surprise signing of the season, Sergi Solans, scored a brace in a 3-0 win over the surging New England Revolution.
The LA Galaxy were quite literally gifted a win against Colorado. Trailing 2-0 at halftime, LA clawed back to grab a 3-2 win against the Rapids, moving up to eighth place. João Klauss is back in the lineup, and he’s got goals in back-to-back games.
Austin FC is down but not out quite yet, and in dramatic fashion, they snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat. Down 3-0 in the 73rd minute, Austin scored three times, and Superman himself Christian Ramirez scored a four-minute brace to earn a 3-3 draw against San Diego and keep their playoff hopes alive.
For our NWSL friends, this thing is going to go wire-to-wire, as the table just keeps shuffling each week. Let's start with Angel City, the hottest team in NWSL. Unbeaten in their last six with three straight wins, and on a rainy night in D.C., it was a dramatic game-winner from substitute Maiara Niehues in the 88th minute that gave them a 1-0 win.
Two other top-half teams kept pace and put themselves in a position to host a home playoff game. San Diego took care of business on the road against Louisville, winning 2-0 to vault into second place in the table.
Then surprise team of the season, Utah, slowed down the vaunted North Carolina attack as Cece Delzer netted the game-winner on a sublime pass from Mina Tanaka for a 2-1 win. It continues to be an historic season for the Royals as they are looking to make their first-ever playoff appearance.
And finally, the Kansas City Current. No one can beat them at home, and Temwa Chawinga continues to be a handful, grabbing a goal and assist this weekend. But it was her teammate Haley Hopkins who stole the show with a hat trick as KC demolished Denver 4-1 and are back in playoff position.

📺 Midweek Watchlist:

We’ve got you covered for this week. It’s getting darker earlier now, so you might as well stay home and watch soccer.

USMNT vs. Chile, International Friendly (Tues., Sept. 29, 8 p.m. ET, TNT): It’s another chance for players to get some experience under their belts with the big games looming between Mexico and Canada. And the USMNT will honor Tim Ream before the match in his hometown. Expect more rotation and hopefully more goals.

New York Red Bull vs. St. Louis CITY SC (Wed., Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET, Apple): The first-ever meeting between these two teams. The Red Bulls are looking for a third straight win despite being without their young stars, while Simon Becher and red-hot St. Louis are looking to extend their unbeaten run to 17 regular-season games.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Sporting Kansas City (Thurs., Oct. 1, 9:30 p.m. ET, Apple): Seattle is back on track for now, while Sporting Kansas City comes to town looking to play spoiler. Andre Luiz has burst onto the scene for Kansas City and is must-see TV, while the Sounders are hoping they have turned a corner.

🥅 Goal of the Weekend:

Who even scores from this angle? Duh Lionel Messi.

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.