Soccerwise Minutes

November 6, 2026

The weekend is loaded. The USMNT dropped its Nations League roster Wednesday, and we cooked up something special for it. Then there’s MLS Decision Day, NWSL playoffs and so much more.

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Now, let's get into it.

🥅 Goal of the Midweek:

No MLS or NWSL midweek my friends, but college soccer is peaking like the fall colors, and we found quite the goal for your viewing. UCLA’s Diego Castano with the game winner from downtown LA.

🥳 The Best Thing We Saw :

Bangers only from Jack McGlynn with Stoke City, what are they feeding him over there?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfS60C_P82O/?xtok=M252aGt5YmUxYWYy

MLS Decision Day Ahead:

It’s hard to pick just one or two games with so much on the line, so here are some storylines to keep an eye on, plus a few suggestions for your viewing schedule. But probably just a whip around so you can follow all the chaos as it unfolds. If you want to read all the scenarios, have at it.And if you are looking for some fun on Saturday, head on over to our Soccerwise YouTube channel where David Gass and Matt Doyle will be live between the Eastern and Western Conference madness to react, chat, banter and share all their thoughts.

• The Western Conference is basically musical chairs right now. Six teams (LA Galaxy, Portland, Real Salt Lake, Colorado, Seattle and Minnesota) for only three chairs. One gets to sit pretty with a direct spot. Two get dragged into a Wild Card play-in. Three go home. 👋📺 One to Watch: Galaxy vs. RSL is a playoff game, just not officially. Greg Vanney’s squad has its fate in its own hands. For the Claret & Cobalt, three points would go a long way but they still need help too.
• Nashville SC wants moar records. All the records. Next up is the points record, and all they need is a draw against FC Cincinnati on Decision Day to take it from 2024 Inter Miami. 
• In the Eastern Conference the field is set. Nashville has the top seed and can chill, sort of. Spots two through nine? Still a free-for-all. Sixth through ninth is especially packed, with just four points between Philadelphia (47 points) in sixth and Orlando (43 points) in ninth. Anything can happen. 👀
• 📺 One to Watch: Orlando and New England could be a goal fest. Orlando’s defense? Ehh. The Revs want second place, Orlando wants to avoid the Wild Card, and both have real stakes. 🍿 
• Home-field advantage is up for grabs too. Nashville and the Whitecaps already claimed theirs, so out West, every road leads to Canada. St. Louis vs. Houston could decide a top-four spot, and in the East, the Chicago Fire are in the driver’s seat over Charlotte FC.
• 📺 One to Watch: Houston vs. St. Louis. Both teams were cooking out of the World Cup break, and now have gone ice cold. 🥶 A win would get the vibes back just in time for the playoffs and lock in home field for round one.
• One more thing, yes Lionel Messi (26 goals) does have a four-goal lead on Petar Musa (22 goals) for the Golden Boot and the tiebreaker. But he’s in uncharted territory as he would be the first player in MLS history to win it in consecutive seasons, and the sixth to do it twice along with Bradley Wright-Philliips, Chris Wondolowski, Jeff Cunningham, Taylor Twellman and Preki!

The USMNT Call Ups You Might Not Have Heard Of

Plenty of the regulars are back for this crucial Nations League window, like McKennie, Pulisic and Balogun, and our favorite kids have another chance to prove they are worthy like Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall. Here’s the full roster thanks to our good friend Tommy Scoops. But the most intriguing part is a couple of names you might not have heard before this week

By: Cat Bush

It’s been an eventful few years for Santiago Castañeda and Reed Baker-Whiting. Four years ago, Baker-Whiting was sitting in the Seattle Sounders’ reserves, while Castañeda was doing the same for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Since then, the now-21-year-olds have both broken into respective first teams, made big moves, and excelled enough to receive their first USMNT callups despite the long odds. 

Reed Baker-Whiting finally broke into the Sounders’ rotation in 2023, making 20 MLS appearances and scoring once in an Open Cup match. The talented, attacking left back was a much-hyped prospect coming through the Sounders academy, but failed to command the position with club veteran Nouhou ahead of him. Baker-Whiting wasn’t perfect — he was prone to defensive errors and his underlying metrics were poor — but he showed promise going forward. The Sounders, however, were unconvinced, so Nouhou kept his spot and Baker-Whiting was traded to Nashville this past winter for $800k plus $300k in add-ons. At Nashville, Baker-Whiting received the full trust of BJ Callaghan, and it paid off. Though Baker-Whiting is still sharing minutes with the 35-year-old Daniel Lovitz, he’s emerged as Nashville’s starter at LB for the foreseeable future, and his contributions on both sides of the ball have helped power Nashville to become a shield-winning team. Once a USYNT prospect, Baker-Whiting has finally received the trust and attention he deserves, and has made the most of it, turning a breakout season into a first senior call up. 

After just two senior appearances for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Castañeda found his way to MSV Duisburg in the third division of German soccer, where he finally saw regular playing time at defensive midfield. He left a year later on a free transfer to Paderborn, a second division team where Castañeda remained a starter. The club came in third in the 2025/26 season, then vanquished Wolfsburg across two legs to achieve promotion to the Bundesliga. Now, in his third season with the club and fourth in Germany, Castañeda is a locked down Bundesliga starter, and is arguably Paderborn’s most important player. The midfielder is a defensive beast, operating as the sole defensive midfielder ahead of a three-person backline. With few true, aggressive defensive midfielders at his disposal, it’s no wonder why Pochettino wanted to take a look at Castañeda, who at least by the numbers appears to be the second coming of Tyler Adams. The 21-year-old has played every possible minute for Paderborn this season. And while the German side are dismal in attack, they’ve conceded just 9 goals, tied for third least among all teams in the Bundesliga this season. 

Pochettino continues to show that he is unafraid to encourage competition and bring in new faces, especially after this year’s World Cup. Though he isn’t breaking any records like last international window, both Baker-Whiting and Castañeda have proved they are worth the look.

📺 Weekend Watchlist...The Best of the Rest:

After, before, or in between your MLS Decision Day viewing, check out some other excellent matchups this weekend with NWSL playoffs and USL playoffs in full force. Four NWSL quarterfinal playoff matches take place this weekend: one Friday, one Saturday and two on Sunday. The conference semifinal round is in full effect in the USL Championship on Saturday and USL League One playoffs have their penultimate games on Saturday and Sunday.

Kansas City Current vs. Angel City FC, NWSL Playoffs (Sat., Nov. 7, 12 p.m. ET, CBS): It's a showdown at high noon in Kansas City, and we reckon we might have a shootout on our hands. Both of the league’s highest scoring teams will battle it out at CPKC Stadium. Last time the Current were home in the playoffs, Gotham ended their record-breaking campaign. Meanwhile, the challenger — red-hot Angel City — are unbeaten in 10… do we smell an upset? It’s do or die in this high-stakes duel, and Angel City is hoping their first-ever playoff win comes at KC’s expense.

Sacramento Republic FC vs. El Paso Locomotive, USL Championship Playoffs (Sat., Nov. 7, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Sacramento is on an incredible run of form, having not lost a game since August and now unbeaten in 14 games. On the line is a spot in the conference finals, but first they have to fend off El Paso, who have won more road games (8) than home ones (7) this season. El Paso are led by a familiar face for MLS fans in Rubio Rubin, who scored a league-best 17 goals.

Charlotte Independence vs. Forward Madison, USL League One Playoffs (Sun. Nov. 8, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Unstoppable force meets an immovable object out in North Carolina on Sunday night. The Independence might be the most fun men’s team in North Carolina, scoring nearly 3 goals a game at home in 2026. On the other side, challenger Forward Madison has only allowed 19 goals on the road all season. Can Madison’s defense slow down this vaunted attack?

📰 Other Things You Might Have Missed:

• 🌟 Maddie Di Maria went off at the U-17 World Cup for the U.S., had UNC lined up, and instead she decided to turn pro. Angel City just locked her up through 2030, and she’s available this weekend. The future is now. 
• Fit check: MLS edition. 👕 These are the top ten selling jerseys in MLS in 2026. Who's in your collection?
• 🇺🇲 And how about a big round of applause for everyone’s favorite USMNT midfielder, Tyler Adams, scoring in the Europa League to spark the comeback for Bournemouth in a 3-1 win against Sparta Prague. The Cherries have now won seven in a row!
• 🏆 The 2027 Gold Cup said goodbye to the four groups of four format and hello to two massive groups of eight. Supposedly that means more games that actually matter. Confused? Same. Here's an explainer.
• 🥇 Is it time to say goodbye to a major women’s tournament? FIFA is trying to broso-ify women’s Olympic soccer by making it a U23 tournament, in what people are calling the least necessary change ever. Deep breaths though, because the USWNT still gets to run it back for gold on home soil in 2028.
• 🗓️ RIP to the men’s college soccer’s two-semester calendar. GOAL is reporting that the skeptics got the votes to overturn it, so it’s officially dead less than a month after approval. Gone before it even kicked off. Another season of meaningless Spring games, here we go. 💀

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.