Soccerwise Minutes

October 30, 2026

Happy Halloween, soccer friends. It's truly the most wonderful time of the year, with the playoff race in full swing in MLS and NWSL and Decision Day drama looming, with it all to be decided - what a treat. What we don’t love is the extra darkness, but maybe we can bring you just a little bit more light in your day as we cruise toward the weekend. Now let’s get into it:

🥅 Goal of the Midweek:

USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes from way downtown in the UEFA Champions League.

🥳 The Best Thing We Saw :

Everybody Watches Women’s Sports… including bears.

⏪ MLS Midweek Rewind:

Goals on goals on goals is what Wednesday delivered, to the tune of MLS setting a new single-season scoring record with 1,559 goals. And a record-breaking goal congratulations to Houston’s Lucas Halter; your name will now forever be etched in the record books, well, until probably next season. Here are some of the biggest results in case you need to catch up:

Charlotte FC is officially into the postseason after a complete demolition of CF Montreal 4-0, and boy was it fun for them. It was the Idan Toklomati and Liel Abada show live on Wednesday night from Bank of America Stadium. Toklomati gave Charlotte a lead seven minutes in, scoring for a fifth straight game. But it all really happened in the second half when Abada stepped onto the pitch in the 65th minute, and then proceeded to score not one, not two, but three goals in just 16 minutes. More importantly, Charlotte is now within two points of Chicago for fourth in the East.Inter Miami and Cincinnati delivered all the action in literally a 10-minute span; the full highlights are definitely worth checking out, and it was a crucial point for both teams in their final playoff push. Luis Suarez finally broke things open in the 61st minute with an insane strike, but it was the 80th minute when the dam finally broke. Cincinnati scored twice in six minutes and looked like they were about to do something they’ve done only three times this season: win on the road, but Riquelme Fillipi rescued a point for the Herons, scoring his first-ever goal for the club in the 90th minute. But wait, it didn’t end there: Ian Fray probably saved the game for Miami in the final seconds.

The New England Revolution continued a Wednesday night theme of blown leads and comebacks, as two teams entered with very different stakes: the Revs fighting for a top-four spot and Red Bull New York hoping to get an invite to the dance. Carles Gil played provider with his 100th MLS assist; he’s in elite company. Early on, Dor Turgeman scored the first of his two goals, and the Revs looked poised for a comfortable win. Then the New York kids roared back, and suddenly it was 2-2, with a leveler from starlet Julian Hall. But New England found a way, through none other than Daniel Gazdag in the 83rd minute. The kicker: the former Philly striker's goal was the mathematical trigger that clinched a postseason spot for his former squad, but it also pushed the Revs to second in the East. Also, shout-out to Matt Turner; he made eight saves.

Real Salt Lake looked dead and buried after just one win in 16 games, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they've now won three in a row with their 2-1 win at Austin on Wednesday and are somehow above the playoff line. For Austin, it went from joy to sadness in 150 seconds: the home team struck first in the 52nd minute, but it was short-lived, with RSL scoring the next two goals. And once again, magical rookie Sergi Solans came to the rescue, this time setting up Morgan Guilavogui in the 61st minute, who might finally be living up to his DP status with three goals in his last two road matches. But bad news bears as Guilavogui picked up a yellow card and is now suspended for the next match. 

Vancouver bounced back after a disappointing loss to Colorado over the weekend, rolling past San Diego FC and officially crushing their playoff dreams with a 4-1 win. And thanks to a slip-up by FC Dallas, the Caps now lead out West by four points. The night, however, belonged to Brian White, one of MLS’ most underrated forwards, who scored his 100th regular-season goal. Not to be outdone, Ryan Gauld, who might finally be looking like his old self after a long injury recovery, chipped in with two assists as the offense starts to click, now at 67 goals for the season, a new club record.

MLS Rapid Fire: The 2027 Sprint Season is coming, and the league announced the schedule yesterday, with some marquee games on tap; mark your calendars for Feb. 19….Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or voting…The New England Revolution’s Andrew Farrell announced he’s retiring at the end of the season, and if you didn’t catch these words from head coach Marko Mitrovic when he told his teammates, it's absolutely worth your time…Houston Dynamo did something they haven’t done before: after going 0-14-4 in their previous trips to Lumen Field, they finally won…Finally, D.C. United and Atlanta United were also eliminated from playoff contention, seven straight years without a playoff berth for D.C.; this graphic says it all.

Plus, don’t forget to check out Thursday’s MLS Soccerwise. With just two games left Gass, Tom and Doyle have you covered on all the action from Wednesday night, plus they talk the Sprint Season and a whole lot more.

Despite Reign’s chances, all eyes will be on the Summit and Courage

By: Cat Bush

At 5pm EST on Sunday, the NWSL will head into decision day, with all 16 teams playing concurrent games in a matchday that will decide who makes the playoffs and who falls short. Despite the drama, however, most of the playoff race is already complete. Just one playoff spot remains, with three teams vying for it — two of which play each other in what is a blockbuster matchup. The Denver Summit, the league’s highest-scoring team this season (53 goals), will face off against the North Carolina Courage, the league’s third highest-scoring team (51). Above them, in the final playoff spot, sit the Seattle Reign, who have scored less goals than any other team not in last place (36). According to Trevor Larner, who publishes elo-based predictions for the NWSL, the Reign have the highest chance to go through, with their two point lead over the Courage giving them a 65% probability of advancing. The Summit, meanwhile, are a longshot, with just 7% odds of reaching the knockouts. 

The dichotomy between the two high-scoring teams and one, dismal-at-attacking club couldn't be more stark. The Reign put in more crosses than any other team in the league, but take the third-least shots on target. The Summit, meanwhile, have excelled at turning crosses and set pieces into quality chances, and are fresh off a 6-1 throttling of Racing Louisville, where all but one of their goals came from crosses or cutbacks inside the box. Likewise, despite a recent stretch of poor performances, the Courage are one of the most fun, attacking teams in the league, mainly thanks to an MVP-level campaign from Ashley Sanchez, who has scored more goals than the entirety of the Chicago Stars this season. While only one team can go through, on watchability merits, both the Summit and Courage deserve that berth, not the Reign. 

Seattle could go through even with a loss, but have their fate in their hands. Laura Harvey’s side face an already-eliminated, Banda-less Orlando after the star forward was subject to CDC quarantine regulations after traveling to represent her country. Though it’s the most important matchup to determine who goes through, it’ll hardly be the most watched. Regardless of who wins, who makes the playoffs, and who gets eliminated, all eyes will be on Denver-North Carolina, a riveting matchup fit for decision day. 

And to get you prepped for a soccer feast on Sunday, Gass and Jordan talked NWSL Decision Day on our NWSL Soccerwise episode, the Shield, the final playoff spot up for grabs and all the matchups that will make the biggest impact on the final day of the regular season. So catch up before you tune in!

📺 Weekend Watchlist:

Watch soccer, enjoy Halloween and then recover from Halloween and Daylight Savings with even more soccer, that is the perfect recipe for an ideal fall weekend. NWSL Decision Day will be a treat with an ESPN2 whip around, or pick your favorite and we’ve got you covered with MLS and a USL Championship game too!

North Carolina Courage vs. Denver Summit FC, NWSL (Sun., Nov. 1, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN+): This is the pick of the bunch if you want the game to tune into for NWSL Decision Day. The two highest scoring teams in NWSL with the Golden Boot leader Ashley Sanchez still looking for that record-breaking goal. If the Courage win and Seattle Reign drop points, they are in the playoffs most likely. For Denver, they have to win and the Reign have to lose, that’s their only path into the postseason.

Charlotte FC vs. Orlando City SC, MLS (Sat., Oct. 31, 1 p.m. ET, Apple TV): Out East it's all about the teams jockeying for position and these two are square in the middle of it. Orlando smacked Charlotte 4-1 earlier this season, so it’s no small task as red-hot Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda come to town. But Charlotte has historically been good at home and Orlando has never won there, so there is plenty of motivation in the Queen City.

New England Revolution  vs. Inter Miami, MLS (Sun., Nov. 1, 7 p.m. ET, Apple TV): Miami has slipped up and left the door open in the race for second place out East. Just the slimmest of margins now separate these two teams in the table, and we assure you this one will be much better than the American football version on Sunday. It’s two of the best goal scorers and creators in Lionel Messi and Carles Gil in a showdown sure to feature some nice goals.

Louisville City FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, USL Championship (Fri., Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Two of the most decorated clubs in the USL Championship clash in a 4 vs 5 battle in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Pittsburgh won both meetings during the regular season, but Louisville has the Hounds number in the postseason, which has included three crazy past semifinal meetings. If you don’t believe us check out the ending to the 2022 semifinal.

📰 Other Things You Might Have Missed:

• The Ballon d’Or Awards took place earlier this week and with it a couple of notable things for us in the land of Concacaf. Kansas City’s Current forward Temwa Chawinga finished 10th, Orlando’s Barbra Banda was 18th, American born, Mexican international, and Club America star Scarlett Camberos was 21st and USWNT and Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle was 27th in voting for the Ballon d’Or Femenin. 
• In NWSL, the High Impact Player (HIP), aka the “Rodman Rule”, got a facelift. The league and their Players Association agreed to lift the restrictive qualifications for the rule to allow any player to earn the league’s highest salary. 
• Lots of reports out of Italy are saying Christian Pulisic is staying put. His current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2027, but the rumor mill says the Italian giants are locking down Mr. Hershey for an additional four years through 2031.
• U.S. U-17s - play Thursday at 2 p.m.
• USL League One playoffs also kick off this weekend. Big shoutout to One Knoxville SC as they open their playoff run on the road against expansion side Athletic Club Boise on Sunday night. Want to follow along? Check out John Morrissey and Alex Ashton on BlueSky.
• Back in August, Men’s College Soccer celebrated what looked like the first step toward a transition to a fall-spring season. But not so fast friends, there is a late push to shut it down with 150 schools putting up the stop sign. Henry Bushnell tackles the latest in the saga on The Athletic if you want to check it out.

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.