After eight weeks of MLS action, the best of the best are starting to emerge – and the teams staring at the bottom of the table are looking for answers.
Today, we’re looking back at the latest slate of MLS matches to examine some of the most interesting things we’ve learned so far this year.
We’ve got a new star suiting up in Columbus, Brian White enjoying the year of his life, and so much more. Oh, and if you want to read up on the rest of Matchday 8 in detail, check out Matt Doyle’s column.
Let’s dive in.
It didn't take Wilfried Nancy long to find a role for Dániel Gazdag. Just days after his $4 million move from Philadelphia to Columbus went official, the Hungarian Designated Player made his Crew debut. Nancy subbed on Gazdag at halftime of his team's eventual 2-1 road win over St. Louis CITY.
While Gazdag still has a bit of work to do in his transition from one of the league's most direct tactical approaches to one of the most patient, it's clear his new manager is ready to entrust him with big minutes. Now, in another contrast from most of his time with the Union, Gazdag didn't feature through the middle or on the right side of the attacking midfield line in his second-half showing against St. Louis. Instead, he played on the left side of Nancy's front three and enjoyed the freedom to drop between the lines to help key sequences like the one that led to Columbus' second goal of the evening.
It's Gazdag who plays a simple bounce pass that gets the Crew off to the races:
Gazdag will likely need to become a more impactful on-ball threat for his new team, but his understanding of where and when to move off the ball is already showing promise for Columbus.
Brian White scored four goals on Saturday.
Let me say that again, one more time: Brian White scored four goals on Saturday.
Only 17 other players in MLS history have accomplished that feat – and no other Vancouver Whitecaps player has done it in the club's MLS era. The 29-year-old is in the midst of his best-ever season and has been a huge part of the 'Caps incredible start to 2025.
White's best skill is the same best skill of every quality No. 9 on the planet: he's fantastic at finding vacant pockets of space inside the box. Take his second goal in Vancouver's 5-1 demolition of Austin FC as just one example:
After the ball arrives at the foot of Emmanuel Sabbi, White checks his shoulder and notices opposing center back Brendan Hines-Ike is a good three yards deeper than the rest of Austin's backline. Knowing he has space to work with without worrying about being called offside, White makes a clever diagonal run to open Sabbi's passing angle, receives the ball, and bags his brace.
With Jesper Sørensen getting vastly improved play out of the pieces around White, the veteran is enjoying more – and better – service. He's averaging more touches in the box per 90 minutes than in all but one other season of his career. White is flying, and the 'Caps are, too.
It's been a long road back for Matt Miazga.
Ever since injuring his knee last June in a road clash with the San Jose Earthquakes, the star center back has been missing for FC Cincinnati. Well, that is, until Saturday night. Miazga returned late in the second half of Cincy's 1-0 win at D.C. United to help see out the result.
Getting Miazga back is a huge boost for an FC Cincinnati squad whose central defensive depth (and even their depth higher up the field) has been tested due to a host of injuries in the early season.
Pat Noonan's team has been winning, but they've been winning ugly. Despite sitting third in the East, Cincinnati rank 10th in their conference in xG differential, according to FBref. With Miazga's sharp distribution in the back three, Cincy will become a more dangerous possession team. According to American Soccer Analysis, the 29-year-old ranked as the team's most vertical passer at the center back spot in each of the last two seasons. Toss in Miazga's aerial prowess and you have an asset on the defensive end, too.
With Miazga back, don't be surprised to see FC Cincinnati's underlying numbers improve en route to even more positive results.
Ever since moving Santi Rodríguez to Brazil, New York City FC haven't been nearly as dangerous in the attack. Last season, they ranked seventh in MLS in non-penalty xG per 90 minutes at 1.49, as per FBref. In their eight Rodríguez-less games in 2025? They're sitting 16th in the same stat, at 1.20 per 90 minutes.
The attacking dropoff hasn't been unexpected, but it has been real. But even with New York City weaker in the final third, Alonso Martínez is still delivering. After making the move from the wing to the No. 9 position early last year, the Costa Rican has become one of MLS's best individual success stories. Martínez bagged his fifth goal of the season in a 1-0 home win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday:
With a mixture of savvy ball carrying (remember, this guy used to play out wide) and sharp off-ball movement, Martínez has been a tremendous asset to New York City FC so far in 2025. Now, let's see who joins Martínez as a consistent attacking threat.
Are the Revs still searching for their first open-play goal of 2025? You bet they are. But did they take a genuine step forward in a 1-0 road win over Atlanta United on Saturday? I think so.
For the first time this season, Caleb Porter started the game with three center backs in a personnel change that shifted New England’s shape from their go-to 4-2-3-1 to a rarely used 3-5-2. Why make the change? Well, in addition to feeling more comfortable with extra central defensive cover against a talented (and cross-heavy) Atlanta team, Porter's adjustment removed wingers from the equation. Sure, Ignatius Ganago still started after playing most of this season on the wing. But he started through the middle next to Maxi Urruti rather than out on the wing, where he's struggled in 2025.
Ganago and Luca Langoni have both been poor out wide this season, so Porter's shape shift shook things up in that part of the field. Wide attacking responsibility was given to young wingbacks Ilay Feingold and Peyton Miller, while Carles Gil and Alhassan Yusuf roamed in the advanced central midfield spots.
New England still conceded some dangerous chances, but they were clearly better off in a winger-less setup. That change could bode well for the Revs moving forward.
