Mls Weekend Wrap: Tough Times For Phil Neville And Some Very, Very Late Goals

Atlanta sink Shield-holding Philadelphia for first points of 2026

On 28 May 2025, Atlanta United thrilled their location fans pinch a stoppage-time victor against Orlando City. Jamal Thiaré’s match-winner pulled nan nine wrong 5 points of nan playoff places aft 16 games, and nan squad hoped to harness nan momentum for a rosier 2nd half of nan season.

“In nan 2nd half, we were truthful ascendant that they couldn’t header pinch it,” caput coach Ronny Deila told nan media that day, nary uncertainty still enraptured by adrenaline. “Being mean is boring, truthful I want to spot much personality, much togetherness, much energy, return our awesome fans pinch us.”

Atlanta surely wasn’t mean from that constituent forward, though not rather according to Deila’s plan. The Five Stripes grounded to triumph different lucifer astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium for nan remainder of nan season, sinking to second-bottom successful nan year-end standings. Deila was sent packing aft conscionable 1 season, and Atlanta began a 290-day agelong of futility connected location turf.

That streak was yet snapped connected Saturday, giving Atlanta their first points of nan 2nd Tata Martino era. Emmanuel Latte Lath opened nan scoring pinch his first convention extremity since 19 July 2025, while Tomás Jacob and Aleksei Miranchuk sewage nan different 2 successful a 3-1 triumph complete nan visiting Philadelphia Union.

The Union had plentifulness of chances to slow Atlanta’s roll, nary amended than a 42nd punishment footwear pinch nan people still 1-0. But Milan Iloski’s spot footwear clanged disconnected nan post, and Philadelphia ne'er recovered.

“There’s a batch of, I don’t want to opportunity anxiety, but there’s a batch of that floating around, particularly erstwhile things don’t spell your way,” Union coach Bradley Carnell said afterwards. “It feels for illustration each bounce is going to nan opponent. How do you activity that backmost successful your favor? It’s by doing nan basics really well, and we’re letting ourselves down pinch nan basics correct now.”

The nonaccomplishment leaves Philadelphia pinch immoderate ignominious history: nan first defending Supporters’ Shield victor to suffer their first 4 games of nan pursuing season. While their 2025 triumph saw nan lowest points full (66) of immoderate Shield victor successful a 34-game play since 2016 (FC Dallas, 60), this isn’t a elemental lawsuit of regression aliases a post-trophy hangover. Few teams person been truthful eager to move complete truthful overmuch of nan lineup each offseason, portion of nan trading nine ethos nan Union person adhered to since appointing Ernst Tanner arsenic sporting head successful August 2018.

While Tanner remains distant from nan squad owed to the ongoing investigation that opened aft nan Guardian’s reporting connected his alleged misconduct, past wintertime was overmuch of nan same. Kai Wagner, nan league’s champion left-back and a champion of Philadelphia’s lineup for complete half a decade, was sold to Birmingham City for conscionable complete $2m. Tai Baribo, past year’s starring goalscorer, was sold to DC United for a guaranteed $4m. Their replacements (left-back Philippe Ndinga and striker Ezekiel Alladoh) arrived for akin fees, but some are conscionable 20 years aged and neither had antecedently played successful MLS aliases a convention of a akin quality.

For truthful long, nan Union person gotten by pinch savvy recruitment and staunch committedness to processing players. And yet, Carnell doesn’t look consenting to play their latest rising star, Cavan Sullivan, for much than a fistful of sparse minutes successful convention action. The 16-year-old has already agreed to subordinate Manchester City erstwhile he turns 18, and is arguably nan nation’s astir promising prospect. On Saturday, he was an unused substitute contempt offering nan dynamism and on-ball productivity a struggling squad for illustration Philadelphia truthful desperately need.

Philadelphia are balancing aggregate competitions: they are 1 of 8 MLS sides that precocious to nan Concacaf Champions Cup information of 16. Of their MLS peers successful nan bracket, each 7 person astatine slightest 1 convention triumph while six person earned astatine slightest 4 points from arsenic galore matches. While Carnell doesn’t want to telephone it anxiety, nan Union person each logic to beryllium sweating.

It ain’t complete ‘til it’s over

Saturday’s games rewarded viewers who stuck astir until nan whistle blew. Three matches were decided by second-half stoppage clip matchwinners, while different 2 sawequalizers aft nan 90th minute. Here they are, classed successful expanding bid of impressing this writer.

5) Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting made definite that Red Bull New York near Toronto pinch a point, finishing a ’ area footwear successful nan 97th-minute. It was a melodramatic conclusion to Michael Bradley’s return to BMO Field, nan tract of truthful galore of his heroics crossed 10 seasons pinch Toronto FC. The 1-1 tie was astir apt conscionable deserts for a very bully capacity from New York, but a sadistic extremity to a good displacement from Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran.

4) DC United earned a latepenalty footwear aft a four-minute VAR cheque penalized Chicago Fire defender Jonathan Dean for handball. Despite nan lengthy buildup, Baribo made nary mistake, striking nan shot to Chris Brady’s correct to headdress a 2-1 comeback triumph successful added time. No doubt, Philadelphia could person utilized their ex-striker’s punishment prowess earlier successful Atlanta …

3) While FC Dallas’s squad still feels incomplete arsenic nan nine reportedly chases a caller playmaker, they’ll beryllium reliable to hit arsenic agelong arsenic Petar Musa leads nan line. The Croatia world completed his hat-trick successful nan 5th infinitesimal of stoppage time, rewarding an eager upfield dribbling series by Bernard Kamungo to declare a constituent against a beardown San Diego FC.

2) Mateusz Bogusz was nan Houston Dynamo’s prima signing this winter, and his first extremity for nan nine came astatine a important time. Despite being down a man, nan Dynamo recovered an awfully precocious victor erstwhile Bogusz blew done nan Portland Timbers defense much than 15 minutes into stoppage time. More connected nan Portland broadside of this 3-2 thriller successful nan adjacent section, but Bogusz and chap caller winger Guilherme person fixed nan Dynamo a jolt early this year.

1) Hany Mukhtar made history successful nan 4th infinitesimal of stoppage time, giving Nashville a 1-0 triumph connected nan road. The onslaught was nan 25,000th extremity successful MLS, different spot of convention history made by nan 2022 MVP. The existent magic came from Cristian Espinoza, whose cutbacks successful nan container near Crew defender Rudy Camacho connected his haunches. Espinoza continues to relish life connected a apical team, and Mukhtar repaid nan Argentinian for his work pinch a pantomimed cleaning of his magic near boot.

Columbus are 1 of 3 teams without a triumph done 4 games, thing that puts them successful miserable institution pinch Philadelphia and St Louis City SC.

Timberrrrrrrr

While Dynamo fans sang nan sanction of Bogusz, nan Timbers religious were near to rue different bogus showing by their defense.

“I deliberation nan vexation is that, for each nan bully play, is that our structure, I thought, was fantastic,” Phil Neville said afterwards. “It was a mates of mistakes that really costs us. We’re going done a reliable moment, and nan dressing room is hurting. I return afloat work for that. Them players are giving perfectly everything.”

Neville besides called it a bully infinitesimal for “a young team;” though nary of his starters were nether 22 and 7 were 25 aliases older, including 39-year-old nine fable Diego Chará. In truth, nan building seemed to beryllium mostly to blasted contempt immoderate good individual performances. While nan Timbers narrowly won nan possession equilibrium pinch a 51.3% share, Houston were acold much incisive pinch a 57.7% section tilt.

Throughout nan game, Portland saw sizeable abstraction some vertically betwixt nan lines and horizontally crossed them. That made it much difficult to meaningfully build a caput of steam connected nan ball, and created wide unfastened spaces for nan Dynamo to utilization erstwhile they regained possession. Bogusz’s victor doesn’t hap without those sizeable gaps, though Brandon Bye’s dive astatine nan lightest interaction from nan Polish winger did nary favors.

It’s nan 3rd consecutive conclusion for nan Timbers. Now successful his 3rd season, Neville’s triumph complaint of 35.3% done 85 games is moreover worse than his grounds astatine Miami, wherever he was dismissed conscionable earlier Lionel Messi’s presence (38.9%, 90 games). It’s an particularly difficult infinitesimal for Portland considering some of their location rivals are among nan league’s champion teams this play aft each made cup finals successful 2025.

Neville’s broadside will beryllium sternly tested from now into early May pinch their adjacent six games coming against teams expected to contend successful nan Western Conference.

Gil’s long-awaited moving mate?

Since arriving successful astatine New England Revolution successful 2019, Carles Gil has been among nan astir dependable playmakers successful MLS pinch 49 goals and 76 assists successful 16,830 minutes. While he’s earned 2 Best XI nods, 3 All-Star appearances and was named MVP successful 2021, overmuch of his tenure has seen him near without a worthy imaginative complement to unpick opponents successful nan last third.

Perhaps Luca Langoni will yet beryllium that moving mate. The Argentinian was mostly rotational nether Caleb Porter aft joining successful 2024, but has started 2 of 3 games nether caller leader Marko Mitrović. Langoni rewarded his manager’s religion connected Sunday, assisting connected each 3 of nan Revs’ first-half goals to unfastened a 6-1 rout of visiting FC Cincinnati.

Langoni coiled each 3 balls into nan container pinch his correct foot: first from a free kick, past a run-of-play cross, and yet a area kick.

Already down 4-1, Gerardo Valenzuela – who opened each scoring for Cincinnati’s lone extremity of nan blowout – was sent disconnected successful nan 69th infinitesimal for a stomp connected an opponent’s ankle. The Revs made Cincinnati pay, capping their location opener pinch six goals – their astir successful a azygous crippled since September 2004.

Perhaps nan only bully news from Cincinnati’s position was that Evander went nan region successful his first commencement aft exiting nan play opener pinch a tight hamstring. The Brazilian assisted connected Valenzuela’s goal, building disconnected of a brace of late-game substitute appearances successful nan erstwhile week against Toronto and Tigres.

James debuts successful a British Columbian bloodbath

The Vancouver Whitecaps rebounded from a midweek daze against Seattle successful Concacaf Champions League play pinch a six-pack, bagging half a twelve goals to humble Minnesota United. Sebastian Berhalter was again astatine nan bosom of things, opening nan scoring from nan punishment spot and getting an assistance earlier exiting astir nan hr mark. Fellow US world Brian White bagged a brace, pulling him level pinch Petar Musa (and 1 extremity beyond João Klauss) successful nan aureate footwear race.

As Berhalter headed toward nan sideline, his exit was overshadowed by nan long-awaited debut of James Rodríguez. Minnesota’s caller No 10 began forging relationships pinch his teammates while they were admittedly rattled, and checked successful to sizeable applause from galore fans successful Colombia jerseys arsenic good arsenic jeers from Vancouver’s supporters. While it was a consequence to forget, Rodríguez swapped shirts afterwards pinch existent Vancouver Whitecap, and erstwhile Bayern teammate, Thomas Müller.

The triumph near Vancouver atop nan Supporters’ Shield standings, up of LAFC connected extremity difference, while Minnesota dropped to 13th successful nan West.