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Soccerwise Minutes

Soccerwise Minutes

September 1, 2026

Headlines:

  • Messi reminded everyone just how special he is this weekend, and then promptly announced he's retiring from the international game.
  • Tom Bogert’s phone is ringing off the hook with the transfer window closing Wednesday, so follow him on BlueSky. Soccerwise will have you covered with a LIVE transfer show at 1 p.m. (Eastern).
  • Here are some of the moves we think you should know about:
    • St. Louis is finalizing a deal to acquire Rafael Navarro from the Colorado Rapids for a record intra-league transfer of $12 million.
    • Daniel Gazdag looks to be headed to the New England Revolution.
    • There are some big outgoings when it comes to MLS players, San Diego FC’s Luca Bombino and Houston’s Jack McGlynn are headed to Stoke City. For more on all these moves check out Monday’s Soccerwise.
    • And a big one for USMNT fans as Folarin Balogun is on his way to Everton for a reported $54 million fee.
  • In other news, U.S. Soccer finalized an historic agreement to take over U.S. Youth Soccer (USYS) over the weekend.
  • Across the pond, it was 20-year old U.S. youth international Cole Campbell with a goal in his Bundesliga debut for newly promoted SV Elversberg in a 3-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
  • Zavier Gozo saw his first minutes for Crystal Palace last Friday. The 19-year old became the third-youngest American to play in the Premier League.
  • And Sergiño Dest is on fire for PSV Eindhoven. Dest had a goal and an assist on the weekend in a 6-1 win over FC Utrecht.
  • In big NWSL news, the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year, Seb Hines is out as head coach of the Orlando Pride.

Weekend Recaps:

  • Unbeaten in seven since the World Cup break, it was the young stars Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre that led the Philadelphia Union to a 3-1 over Red Bull New York. Don’t look now but the Union are a point out of a playoff spot.
  • Miami are trying to keep pace with Nashville for the Supporters Shield, and a 7-1 win over CF Montreal behind four goals from Messi snapped the club’s four-game winless skid.
  • Nashville rolled to a 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati. Sixteen wins, unbeaten at home and the best start through the first 22 games of an MLS season, can anyone slow them down?
  • Chucky Lozano returned to San Diego with a goal for his new team the LA Galaxy, but it was the home town team and Anders Dreyer’s three assists that led to a 3-1 win as San Diego is above the playoff line.T
  • here were a couple wild finishes involving Western Conference teams. Minnesota scored three goals in four minutes after trailing 2-0, but Orlando equalized in the 93rd minute in a 3-3 draw. 
  • Not to be out done, Sunday Night Soccer featured another crazy comeback as FC Dallas rallied three times from behind including a 97th-minute Logan Farrington stunner to get a point on the road. Despite the dropped point, St. Louis is still unbeaten in 12 games.
  • The NWSL was here for the comebacks as well. San Diego rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit against Racing Louisville to earn a 3-2 win thanks to another brace from Trinity Byars and a Kenza Dali game-winner.
  • Orlando’s Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the first half, but it was all Royals in the second half behind a goal and an assist from Cloé Lacasse in a 2-1 win.
  • The table remains tight in NWSL: a 1-1 draw between Gotham FC and Portland on Friday and a 1-0 win for Washington over Bay FC on Sunday means just four points separate first and second in the race for the NWSL Shield.

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:

Cavan Sullivan recorded his 10th goal contribution (3 goals, 7 assists) of the MLS season, tied with Freddy Adu for most goal contributions in a single MLS season by a player 16 or younger.

Lionel Messi scored four goals for Miami in their domination of Montreal, marking his 20th multi-goal game. He is the fastest player to reach this mark doing it in just 72 appearances.

Carles Gil had a goal and two assists for New England to bring him to 152 regular-season goal contributions. He becomes the 20th player in MLS history to reach 150, tied with Josef Martínez and Albert Rusnák.

In the NWSL, the Utah Royals’ Cloé Lacasse put herself in the NWSL history books, tying the NWSL single season record with her 10th assist on Saturday against Orlando. She matched Croix Bethune in 2024 with the Washington Spirit and Tobin Heath in 2016 with the Portland Thorns.

For the North Carolina Courage, Evelyn Ijeh scored her 11th goal of the season on Saturday against Kansas City. Ijeh and Ashley Sanchez (15 goals) have combined for 26 goals, tying the record for goals by a pair of teammates in a single season with the Chicago Stars Sam Kerr and Yuki Nagasato (2019), and Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga and Lo LaBonta in 2024.

Remember that guy alert! Former MAC Hermann Trophy winner and 2018 Chicago Fire SuperDraft pick Jon Bakero made history for Charlotte Independence this weekend. His two goal, three assist performance set the USL League One record for a single match in goal contributions.

Midweek Matches to Watch:

It’s a quiet midweek on the MLS and NWSL front, but we have a couple of suggestions if you are looking to scratch that soccer itch.

Georgia vs. Florida State, Women’s NCAA (Thurs., Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU): After a stunning shock loss to in-state rivals Florida that snapped a 36-game unbeaten run in non-conference play, the reigning national champions look to get back on track as they visit Georgia for a big-time Top 25 showdown. 

Forward Madison vs. One Knoxville, USL League One (Wed., Sept. 2, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Forward Madison sits in third place and holds a slim four-point edge over fourth-place One Knoxville. The last time these two teams met Madison earned a 2-1 come-from-behind win on the road.

Goal of the Week:

So many choices, Messi, Sullivan, Yeboah, but we have to go with this audacious chip from Carles Gil.

  • Soccerwise: David Gass and your Kickback family have you covered all things MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
  • First Touch: Kickback’s global soccer platform got bigger this week First Touch Weekly, the best audio coverage in twenty minutes of the global game. This week, the Stadio crew joins host Susannah Fuller!
  • 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.




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Jamie Larson
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