GOAL US writers discuss the first two months of MLS season, who's in the MVP race and whether LA Galaxy should blow it all up
Two months into the MLS season, and what exactly have we learned? Well, there are a few basics here. Inter Miami are good – and might be better than last year. LA Galaxy are bad – and are certainly worse than last year (it might get worse, too, if they lose Gabriel Pec).
And there are certainly suprises. Vancouver are off to a flying start. San Diego FC are better than everyone thought they might be. And Charlotte have flown to the top of the stacked East, while a retooled Atlanta United are currently outside of the playoff picture.
Of course, this is all subject to change. We are just nine games into the campaign. A couple of moves could be made before Wednesday's close of the primary transfer window that shake things up. The Galaxy will surely improve once Riqui Puig returns from an ACL injury. It's also debatable whether Vancouver can stay this hot all season.
What can we make of all of this? How good is Miami after they beat Columbus Crew over the weekend in a battle of MLS unbeatens? Is Lionel Messi a lock for MVP already? Will Olivier Giroud's first goal for LAFC bring about a scoring streak? And what do Atlanta need to do to right the ship?
GOAL US writers unpack all of those topics the latest edition of… The Rondo.
Getty Images SportHow do you rate unbeaten Miami after edging Columbus?
Tom Hindle: Javier Mascherano and Miami have absolutely nailed it. They obviously wanted Neymar, but once it became clear that his signature was impossible, they have retooled really well. Telasco Segovia and Tadeo Allende look like proper players, and ideal complementary pieces to the former Barcelona quartet in there. Yannick Bright has come on leaps and bounds. There are still a couple of concerns – right-back and goalkeeper probably need addressing – but so far, so good. Manage everyone's minutes and they should be in pole position to win this thing.
Jacob Schneider: Mascherano's rotation has been risky at times, but it's paid off. Their best performer this season has undoubtedly been Sergio Busquets – moreso than Messi. The veteran has locked down the midfield and covered for any error in the final-third or middle of the park – while also adding defensive prowess to both ends of the pitch. They look like the best team in the East – however, they need consistency in the final-third, and another option at the 9 besides Luis Suarez. Newcomer Allen Obando, who has yet to debut, could be that man. But they need to limit some of Suarez's minutes if they want to stay on course.
Ryan Tolmich: They're definitely good, but the fun part of it is that none of this matters – yet. It all comes down to one simple question: Will Messi and Miami be healthy when the games really count? If not, this team isn't going anywhere. If so, they can beat anyone in the league. All this start has done is reiterate that Messi is, in fact, the best player, which isn't much of a surprise to anyone who's ever heard of this sport.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportIs Olivier Giroud's first MLS goal a sign of things to come?
TH: Hard to say, but he will probably pick things up a bit. We tend to forget that Giroud was a real specialist in fluffing chances when he was at Arsenal, and has always been hot and cold as a striker. The obvious argument here is that he's too good to keep missing, and it would be a surprise if he doesn't start to find the net a little bit more – especially if LAFC invest in a playmaker this summer.
JS: No. He's a bad fit for a system that has not adapted to him, despite having eight-plus months to do so. It is what it is, as this point. It was a world-class free kick, but there's no chemistry in the final-third during open play, and the Frenchman just continually looks frustrated.
RT: LAFC will certainly hope so! Giroud has always been known as something more than a goalscorer, but when a club backs up the Brinks truck to sign a striker, they expect the ball to hit the back of the net now and then. That hasn't happened for Giroud, but maybe this could be his big ketchup bottle moment. It'll have to be if LAFC want to be taken seriously as legitimate MLS Cup contenders.
IMAGNThe Galaxy are winless – just growing pains, or time to blow it up?
TH: It was always going to be tough. Riqui Puig isn't the best player in MLS, but he is the one most crucial to his team's success. Everything runs through the midfielder, and when you remove him from the picture, the Galaxy look really poor. Marco Reus' iffy start – something you could have seen coming – also hasn't helped. Funnily enough, they've been given a bit of an easy go of things, if only due to the troubles of the other Los Angeles team. Stick with it for a couple months, take stock in the summer, and pray you can stay in it long enough until Puig returns.
JS: When you lose a world-class player such as Puig and two of the midfielders who started MLS Cup 2024 depart, a lot is going to change. These are definitely growing pains, but over half of their losses are due to self-inflicted wounds. Constant defensive mishaps, goalkeeper errors – it's just unacceptable from the defending champions. Perhaps it's in their heads, but there are so many simple things that they're getting wrong. There's no point looking big-picture until they fix those issues.
RT: This is what happens when someone as good as Puig gets injured. Given the salary system in this league, it's impossible to really replace an injured player at that level, which means the Galaxy have to be patient until he's back. All they can really hope to do is survive. If they can squeak into the playoffs and get Puig healthy for the postseason, they might be just fine.
Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesShould Atlanta be worried after a sluggish start?
TH: Not yet, but time is running out. Word is that they signed Emmanuel Latte-Lath when he wasn't quite fit, and everyone seemed to conveniently forget that Miguel Almiron hadn't been good at football for almost a year. But that attack will jell over time, and they might simply end up outscoring everyone. What they perhaps lack is a leader in the middle of the park – which could really hurt them in the big games (Dax McCarty, put the boots back on, mate.)
JS: Absolutely they should worry. They spent $35M on their attack, but forgot that there are three parts to the pitch. Their defense is crying out for leadership, and their midfield is in desperate need of someone who can just control the tempo of a match, provide stiff tackles and be a ball-winning midfielder. Ronny Deila is a good manager, he'll figure it out eventually. But these issues mainly reach the front office. It's poor squad management to not look at the entire spine of the team and only address one aspect.
RT: Absolutely, yes. Atlanta just don't look like a complete team. Nothing has clicked from top to bottom, and that's the concerning part. Normally, you can hang your hat on having a good defense or a good attack and sort out the other later but, right now, everything looks disjointed. The talent is there, yes, but there are some legitimate questions about how it all fits together, how they can evolve into something cohesive.
