Conference Semifinals begin tomorrow
The Conference Semifinals are almost here. You can plan your Saturday around New York City FC hosting New York Red Bulls (5:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) and plan your night around LAFC hosting Seattle (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
FC Cincinnati sign DP striker Denkey
FC Cincinnati have acquired striker Kévin Denkey from Belgian top-flight side Cercle Brugge. He's signed a Designated Player contract through 2028 with an option for 2029. The 23-year-old Togo international arrives for a reported club-record $16.2 million transfer fee. That would set a league-record incoming transfer fee, surpassing when Atlanta United acquired World Cup champion Thiago Almada in February 2022.
Tata Martino leaves Inter Miami CF for personal reasons
Head coach Tata Martino is leaving Inter Miami due to personal reasons, having led the club the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield titles. Headlined by Lionel Messi, the Herons set the MLS single-season points record in 2024 with 74 points.
Charlotte, CF Montréal announced end-of-year moves
Charlotte FC declined to pick up DP attacker Pep Biel’s purchase option while CF Montréal declined an option on 2018 MLS MVP Josef Martínez. Check out the full list of moves here.
FIFA World Cup 2026 hospitality deposit program launches
Major League Soccer and On Location, the Official Hospitality Provider of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, are collaborating to promote and sell game-changing hospitality experiences for the historic FIFA World Cup 26™ being hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA. Fans can now place deposits for priority access to hospitality ticket experiences.
Just in case you forgot, the Conference Semifinals are this weekend. They start tomorrow with a Hudson River Derby semifinal, followed by yet another tournament meeting between LAFC and Seattle. And, just in case you forgot, both of these matchups have strong narratives around them.
You should be well aware by now that NYCFC have been a much better side at home this year. You should also be well aware that “home” seems to generally be within 15 miles of Manhattan. Even when they have to play in Red Bull Arena, they look far more comfortable. They proved that in a 5-1 win over the Red Bulls back on Sept. 28.
How does that narrative get broken?
Well, basically, it involves the Red Bulls playing their best ball of the season like they did against Columbus a couple of weeks ago. Somewhat like the Crew, NYCFC are likely to press and try and use the ball as much as they can. That happens in different ways for NYCFC than with Columbus, but the guiding principles for Red Bulls will probably stay the same. They’re going to be happy to play direct when needed and concede possession in exchange for space to try and hit at speed.
That formula worked incredibly well against the Crew and there’s no real reason to overhaul that setup now. There might be some questions about whether or not it translates as well to the smaller Citi Field pitch, but there are worse things than having Emil Forsberg closer to goal a little more often. If he’s clearly the best player on the field in this one, the Red Bulls should feel good about their chances to steal a win on the road.
You should be well aware by now that Seattle haven't beaten LAFC in their last 10 tries. That includes losses in Leagues Cup and the U.S. Open Cup this year.
How does that narrative get broken?
Seattle have to score first. Yeah, I know, super bold of me to say that scoring a goal before the other team does good. But, the Sounders have given up a ton of first-half goals in this 10-game span. They’ve been stuck chasing the game against a team that loves when opponents have to chase. It doesn’t matter how they get up, they just have to flip the game state in their favor for once.
Obviously, that’s easier said than done. This isn’t really so much about instructing Seattle on how to win this game though, it’s more about instructing you, dear reader, on how to consume it. Maybe the Sounders have something special up their sleeve, but if LAFC take an early lead, you should probably go ahead and start considering what another conference final in LA looks like and maybe what another MLS Cup in LA looks like. LAFC are the best remaining team and Seattle will have to put in the performance of the season to pull this off.
If Seattle can get up early though, it’s time to perk up. As good as LAFC are at throttling teams who are trying to get back into a game, they’re not nearly as outstanding when they have to chase. That’s generally true for every team, but LAFC have had particular issues when they’re forced to come out of their shell. They just aren’t forced to do that often, especially not against Seattle.
It almost didn’t even register to me that FC Cincinnati just paid the biggest transfer fee in league history. That’s a statement on a few things. First, that my brain is entirely in playoff mode instead of offseason mode. Second, that this is just what MLS teams do these days. And, third and most importantly, FC Cincinnati are among the most ambitious teams in MLS.
Cincy are a bit of an outlier in that group. We’re normally talking about teams in major media markets when it comes to moves like this. The LAs, Miami, not New York, Atlanta, Chicago. Teams that have big money and big city draw that pulls players in. Whether those players are actually good tends to vary, but no one can accuse those clubs of cheaping out. For the single-smallest media market team in MLS to be throwing around $16 million like this and to have it feel pretty normal is about the best compliment I can give to the club and the folks who run it.
Big money doesn’t always lead to big results though. Take a look at a list of the biggest transfers in MLS history and you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s like half a list of Atlanta United flops and the rest is flops from other teams. A couple of folks have been decent, but only Thiago Almada put in a season anywhere close to living up to his price tag.
Cincy folks are at least aware of one player on the list. The last time FCC spent enough to make it on the list, they brought in Brenner for a little over $12 million. 27 goals in 61 starts later and I don’t think anyone feels like they got their money's worth from that experience. The club didn’t even recoup the transfer fee in the end. After two seasons, Brenner moved on to Udinese for $10 million.
There’s another player on the list they should be aware of though. Chicago’s Hugo Cuypers arrived earlier this year for around $12 million from Belgian side Gent. After winning the Belgian Pro League’s Golden Boot in the 2022-23 season, Cuypers scored 10 goals and two assists in 31 starts for Chicago. Part of that, of course, is because he played for Chicago, but still, he didn’t immediately come in and start running the league.
Now, Denkey arrives after winning the Belgian Pro League’s Golden Boot in the 2023-24 season. Fortunately for Cincy fans, he arrives in a much different situation. FCC were desperate for a starting caliber No. 9 this year. They were an excellent team, but when they reached the playoffs they were playing wingback Luca Orellano out of position up top. It’s hard not to wonder where they would have been if Denkey had arrived a few weeks earlier.
He’s here now though. And FC Cincinnati look hellbent on staying near the top of the East for a fourth-straight year.
Philadelphia Union sign Mbaizo to contract extension: Philadelphia Union have signed defender Olivier Mbaizo to a contract extension through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028. The Cameroonian made 21 appearances (12 starts) for the Union this season, adding two assists.
New York City FC stadium to be named Etihad Park: New York City FC’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium will be named Etihad Park, the club announced Thursday as part of a 20-year naming rights agreement.
- Kévin Denkey’s signing brings FC Cincinnati to "another level."
- LAFC are expecting a "completely different" Seattle Sounders side in the Western Semis.
- All the pressure in the East is on Orlando City now.
- Matt Doyle took a look at who’s set to come out of the wreckage in the East and make it to MLS Cup.
Good luck out there. Be so cool that people want to pay money to hang out with you.
