Major League Soccer

31 August 2026

Major League Soccer

31 August 2026

By Joseph Lowery

Matchday 23 has now been completed.

So, what did we learn? Did the results reinforce what we already believed, or did they alter the shape of the league?

Here’s a closer look at some of the main takeaways from another weekend of MLS action.

One of the hottest teams in MLS at the moment, Charlotte FC are 4W-1L-2D in league action since the FIFA World Cup break. Over the weekend, Dean Smith’s side earned yet another win, defeating Atlanta United 2-0 in a match that saw new Designated Player Allan Saint-Maximin register his first MLS goal contributions.

With Charlotte already 1-0 ahead a few minutes into the second half, thanks to his secondary assist on The Crown’s opening goal, the winger surged straight through the middle of the Five Stripes’ retreating defence and collected a primary assist on what proved to be the goal that put the game to bed.

The pass itself may not stand out, but the key detail is the explosive way Saint-Maximin carried the ball forward in transition. The former Newcastle attacker’s pace and directness represent a clear change on Charlotte’s left flank.

Wilfried Zaha, who occupied that left-wing role before leaving in May, often slowed things down on the ball. Even allowing for the small sample size, the new arrival is causing more damage to opposition backlines. According to FotMob, Saint-Maximin ranks in the 100th percentile among players in his position for successful dribbles per 90 minutes, posting a remarkable 4.78. Zaha, by comparison, recorded 1.70 such dribbles per 90.

If Saint-Maximin can keep dismantling defences with this level of force for the rest of this season and beyond, Charlotte FC will move closer than ever to genuine trophy contention.

As Saturday nights go, Inter Miami’s latest one could hardly have gone much better.

On their way to a club-record 7-1 victory over CF Montréal, MLS’s most star-laden side saw its biggest star add another record to his name. With four goals in the game, Lionel Messi became the fastest player in MLS history to reach 20 multi-goal matches. The Argentine needed only 72 appearances to get there. Put differently, in more than one out of every four matches in his MLS career, Messi has scored at least twice. That, quite simply, is staggering.

While new manager Cristian ‘Kily’ González has still not arrived to impose his own ideas on this Inter Miami side, the club does not seem to let much time pass without reminding the rest of the league just how high its ceiling is. Much like last year’s playoffs, when Miami played some of the finest football this league has ever witnessed on the way to winning MLS Cup presented by Audi, this year’s squad has the quality to overwhelm opponents.

According to American Soccer Analysis, Inter Miami lead MLS in both goals and expected goals, and with defensive reinforcements added this summer, including Casemiro, the team appears to be coming together at exactly the right time as autumn approaches.

It always felt inevitable, didn’t it?

Just after being traded from Sporting Kansas City to the Seattle Sounders in a $6 million cash-for-player move, Dejan Joveljić went straight into Brian Schmetzer’s starting XI. Then, only 12 minutes into Saturday afternoon’s meeting with the Chicago Fire, Joveljić had already put the ball past Chris Brady. He struck again in the 48th minute as well, meaning he scored both goals for his new club in a 2-2 draw.

If there is one simple truth about the Serbian striker, it is this: wherever he goes, he scores.

In his first full MLS campaign with the LA Galaxy, he still reached double figures for goals despite starting only seven regular-season matches and coming off the bench in all the rest. In 2024, he scored 15 before the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and then helped the Galaxy win MLS Cup with six more in the post-season, including the winning goal in the final. Last year, he scored 18 times for a struggling Sporting Kansas City side. This season, before changing clubs, he had already netted eight times for Kansas City, who were favourites for the Wooden Spoon.

Joveljić possesses two elite traits. His movement off the ball allows him to create space that many other strikers simply cannot find, and his finishing lets him take chances that others would waste. For a Sounders side that has badly needed more end product, bringing in Joveljić already looks like a smart piece of business.

There may not have been a more drama-filled match all weekend than San Diego FC’s 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy. At the centre of that drama was Chucky Lozano’s first appearance at Snapdragon Stadium since joining the Galaxy on loan for the remainder of this season, with an option to make the move permanent.

After what appeared to be a falling-out with San Diego FC last autumn, Lozano had not played a single league match this season before moving to Carson. Now an important starter on the left wing for a team trying to force its way into the playoff race, he returned to San Diego on Saturday and found the net. But it was another Designated Player left winger who struck first: new San Diego FC signing Elias Achouri.

Signed earlier this summer from FC Copenhagen in the Danish top division, Achouri has made an immediate impact in MLS. With a goal in each of his first two starts, the 27-year-old already looks like a player capable of changing games. His understanding with fellow DP winger Anders Dreyer also seems to be growing, with the Dane picking out his new teammate early against the Galaxy to help San Diego go in front.

If Achouri can deliver the way Lozano did during the early part of his San Diego FC spell, do not be surprised if the second-year side climbs rapidly up the Western Conference table.

It has been an excellent summer for the Revolution. Let’s run through it.

First, New England brought in star goalkeeper Matt Turner on loan until the end of next year, with an option to buy, freeing up a Designated Player slot while ensuring one of MLS’s best shot-stoppers remains at the club for the foreseeable future. According to FotMob, Turner leads all goalkeepers this season in goals prevented with 8.2. His ongoing presence between the posts is crucial for a team that is firmly in the hunt for a home playoff place.

Then they added Jack Harrison as a DP from Leeds United. Harrison has already produced six assists in five matches for New England, giving Marko Mitrović’s 4-2-3-1 system much-needed creativity and one-v-one quality out wide.

And now? After the Revs’ 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew on Sunday, they have lost only twice since the World Cup break. The attack looks more polished than at any previous stage of the season, and the defence led by Turner continues to stand strong. Through it all, Carles Gil keeps strengthening his case as one of the greatest players in MLS history.

At this rate, there are not many teams in the Eastern Conference that look like a more difficult playoff opponent than New England.