LAFC hosts Vancouver in decisive Game 3
LAFC and Vancouver meet tonight in Los Angeles with a spot in the Conference Semifinals on the line. Kickoff is set for 10:30 pm ET (MLS Season Pass).
Philadelphia Union part ways with Curtin
The Philadephia Union have parted ways with head coach Jim Curtin. Curtin was the second-longest tenured coach in MLS, only behind Peter Vermes (Sporting Kansas City). The two-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year had led Philadelphia since 2014. During Curtin's tenure, the Union won the 2020 Supporters' Shield and made the 2022 MLS Cup final. They were also three-time US Open Cup finalists and twice made the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.
San Jose Earthquakes name Arena head coach & sporting director
The San Jose Earthquakes have named Bruce Arena head coach and sporting director. Arena is the most accomplished coach in MLS history, leading the league in regular-season wins (262) and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs victories (35). He's won five MLS Cups and four Supporters' Shields, plus is a four-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year honoree.
Real Salt Lake's Luna named 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year
Diego Luna has been named the 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year. Luna's 20 goal contributions (8g/12a) were second-most for RSL, fueling their climb up the Western Conference standings with a club-record 59-point haul. Additionally, the Claret-and-Cobalt qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
LAFC and Vancouver are set to give us our first of the weekend’s four decisive Game 3s tonight. East Coast folks, get a nap in and drink some coffee. It will be worth it to stay up for this one.
Hey, remind me what happened in Game 1 and 2?
LAFC had the better of the chances in Game 1 and outlasted the ‘Caps for a 2-1 home win. Game 2 gave us a totally different story. Ryan Gauld found the net 10 minutes in, and Ryan Hollingshead found the net for the wrong team three minutes later to give Vancouver a 2-0 lead. LAFC never got back into the game.
Any idea what’s going to happen in Game 3
The first goal is critical in every game, but it feels like it means even more in this one. LAFC’s game model is predicated on taking control of the game and then making your life worse and worse as you try and work your way back into the match. If you start getting numbers forward, they’re going to punish you.
The flip side of that is that they typically aren’t built to play catch up. That’s not to say they’ll go down a goal tonight and be incapable of coming back—they’re still overwhelmingly talented—it’s just to point out that a Whitecaps opener will set off all of the upset alert sirens.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see them get it, either. The Whitecaps have played two of their best games in club history over the last three matches. They pummeled Portland in a 5-0 win in the Wild Card round and then one-upped that performance with their 3-0 win over LAFC. For the first time…ever (?) the Whitecaps are flipping the narrative that they can’t compete with the league’s best teams. If they can pull off one more big win tonight, we’ll have to put that narrative to be entirely and start thinking about just how deep a run this team can make.
It’s a big ask though. LAFC were rough in Game 2. But that doesn’t mean we should dismiss their body of work this season and their back-to-back appearances in MLS Cup. They’re favorites tonight for a reason. It’s just that they aren’t as clear a choice as we all expected.
What a day for the coach carousel. A Thursday we expected to stay quiet while we waited for playoff games to start back up became one of the most consequential MLS days of the decade. Bruce Arena, a five-time MLS Cup winner and four-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year winner, is back in MLS. Jim Curtin, a two-time MLS Coach of the Year, is out. At least for now.
We’ll start with the Quakes’ new head coach and sporting director. As far as names go, this is about as big as you could expect San Jose to pull. It’s no secret that things have been struggling for what we’ll politely call “a while.”
In fact, here are some numbers: 6, 9, 7, 9, 6, 12, 8, 8, 10, 14, 9 and 14. That’s a year-by-year list of the Quakes’ place in the Western Conference standings every year since they finished first in 2012. There are two teams with a lower rate of points per game in that span: Chicago Fire FC and Chivas USA.
We’re probably talking about the toughest challenge of Arena’s career. He’s taking on a huge role in reshaping a team that’s the least successful Western Conference side of the last decade. He not only has to coach, he’ll be in charge of constructing a roster that can compete. Frankly, it’s a pretty big risk for San Jose to put so much on one person. But, then again, nothing else has worked for them. And Arena, wherever he’s been, just wins.
Don’t forget, before his unceremonious exit from New England, the Revs were competing for a home playoff spot. They’ve been disastrous ever since. It’s hard to think he won’t be able to turn the Quakes into a winner…other than the fact it’s the Quakes.
Meanwhile, the Union were busy making the most shocking coaching decision I can remember in recent MLS history. Curtin has been in Philadelphia for the last 10 years. He signed a contract extension in July of 2023. And even with this year’s disappointing results, the Union have still earned more points than any team in the Eastern Conference since 2019. The only team in MLS that’s outperformed them in that span is LAFC. Once the Union found their place near the top of the East in 2019, they stayed there.
Until this year. Their 12th-place finish in the conference is one of the surprises of the season. They inexplicably took a major step back defensively and struggled to win at home after years of being virtually unbeatable at Subaru Park. They also experienced a level of roster turnover we aren’t used to seeing. It became clear midway through the season that we were entering a new era for the Union.
Unless you had some idea that things weren’t working internally, it never even seemed like a possibility that the new era wouldn’t include Curtin. Now, the Union have fully committed to a total renovation of their first team.
It seems like…a choice. I’m not plugged into the day-to-day thoughts of Union supporters, but it feels like the discussions surrounding the Union’s struggles this year have been focused far more on how much the club spends to build their roster, rather than who’s coaching that roster. This move won’t change that and won’t suddenly turn a team that’s been punching above its spending power for years into a side that can get over the hump.
For years, the Union were a sure thing. Now there’s a ton of uncertainty.
It’s also uncertain what this means for the rest of the league. There’s a new spot open and a chance the coaching carousel could keep spinning with the Union’s next hire. On top of that, multiple MLS teams are looking for a manager and would gladly take a two-time Coach of the Year winner.
It’s a move that’s going to cause major shifts in the MLS landscape. I’m not convinced the Union will come out better for it on the other side. Some other team—Atlanta? St. Louis—might be thankful for the opportunity to bring on Curtin. And everyone in the East will be thankful to see this era of the Union officially come to a close.
- LAFC are vowing that Game 3 "will be completely different" against Vancouver.
- Ryan Gauld is channeling "Playoff Jimmy" for the Whitecaps.
- FC Cincinnati and New York City FC are facing a decisive Game 3.
- Here’s every coaching change this year in MLS.
Good luck out there. Be great as soon as you can.
