Weston_mckennie_-_asn_top_-_juventus_tackle_vs._leipzig_-_10-2-24
Friday kickoff

Miami wins shield, Martinez sinks Atlanta, McKennie wins classic

ASN's Brian Sciaretta looks at the midweek games from Wednesday and Thursdsay, both domestically and abroad, and breaks down what he saw. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 04, 2024
6:10 AM

THE GAMES KEEP ROLLING in from both MLS and Abroad as the domestic said of the game gave us a full slate of games on Wednesday while there were many Yanks involved in the multiple European competitions.

There is no need for any long-winded introduction, let’s just get into it.

 

Miami wins Shield behind Messi & Callender

 

Among the full docket of MLS games for Wednesday, the most anticipated was Inter Miami visiting Columbus. Miami would win the Supporters Shield with a win, while Columbus also is considered one of the top teams in the league.

Full credit to all those involved as this game lived up to the hype.

In the end, Inter Miami won 3-2 on the road. It was a wild back and forth game that saw Messi open the scoring at the end of the first half with two goals, the second of which was an incredible free kick.

Columbus kept fighting. They pulled one back in the opening minutes of the first half via Diego Rossi. Miami then scored through Luis Suarez two minutes after Rossi. A Cucho Hernandez penalty  saw Columbus pull one back and make it 3-2.

Then the game continued to get crazier. Rudy Camacho was sent off in the 61st. Columbus still was able to mount a solid attack with 10 men and in the 81st minute, earned a penalty. Cucho tried to score his second penalty goal, but was denied by Inter Miami’s American goalkeeper Drake Callender.

Not sure what else you could ask from this game. Messi was brilliant, the atmosphere was electric, Columbus gave them a great test.

Miami deserved the shield. As great as Messi has been this season, they were still very good even in games when he was out.

But Columbus continues to be a top-level MLS team who will be very tough to beat. Hopefully we get to see these two teams meet in the playoffs.

 

Other MLS Notes

 

I won’t break down every game, but here are some of my thoughts on Wednesday.

Toronto’s ugly collapse: Toronto FC is likely going to miss the playoffs after a 4-1 loss at home to the New York Red Bulls. For Toronto fans, this was tough to watch. A win would have given the team a great chance at the play-in game. Instead, they came out with 0 intensity. The low point was a meltdown from Federico Benardeschi, who blatantly fouled a player from behind while he was on a yellow card. It was a no-brainer that he had to be sent off.

Toronto has gotten nothing from its expensive Italian investment. Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne have had some great moments, but have been backed up without sufficient investment in the rest of the team.

In one sense you could understand Bernardeschi’s frustration, but a veteran player cannot act the way he did. This was also his third red card of the season. It’s a mistake just to look at this one incident.

Toronto needs serious soul searching this offseason as to how to start putting together a roster that can win. Also, do they proceed forward with the Italians?

As for the Red Bulls, it’s simple. They needed something that would stop the tailspin, and they got it. I don’t see a postseason run in their future, but this showed they’re better than what they have been showing recently.

Union in trouble: Philadelphia has a tough schedule to end the season. Toronto is struggling but Philadelphia needs points to move past them. The road is at Orlando, at Columbus, home vs. Cincinnati.

First up was the trip to Orlando, and it did not go well. Orlando jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 64th minute on a great goal that saw Luis Muriel hit a fantastic pass that played Duncan McGuire into a great spot. For McGuire, it was his 10th goal of the season as he begins his career with two straight double-digit seasons just in MLS play. In 3205 MLS minutes, he has 23 goals. Between Leagues Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup, he has another three goals in 355 minutes. That’s 26 goals in 3560 minutes.

Orlando could be a tough out in the playoffs.

As for the Union, they’re consistently losing to the league’s best teams. They need to change that in the final two games.

Martinez sinks Atlanta: While Lionel Messi won the league’s player of the week, it could just as easily have gone to Josef Martinez. The legendary striker returned to face his former club in Atlanta and had a two-goal effort in a win that likely puts Montreal into the play-in game and likely eliminates Atlanta.

Montreal has been great down the stretch behind Martinez, and the attacking midfield duo of Caden Clark and Bryce Duke. Martinez now has five goals in his last three games to hit 10 on the season. Montreal has now has four wins and a draw inside their last five.

"It’s very difficult to come here. Because of the emotions, because of the mixed feelings you have. But in the end, this is a sport," Martinez said. “It’s a little sad, but we move on."

Atlanta has a ton of work to do this offseason.

Galaxy move closer to first: LA Galaxy traveled to Colorado and walked out with a 3-1 win. They now have a six-point lead on LAFC and a winnable two games (LAFC has three games remaining). Most impressively was the Galaxy’s defense in this one. That is the biggest question about their ability to make a playoff run, and this was a very good defensive 90 minutes on the road by the Galaxy.

European games (Wed & Thurs.)

 

Champions League

 

Weston McKennie went the distance in a tremendous game which saw Juventus defeat RB Leipzig 3-2 in Germany. Juventus had to play the last 31 minutes plus stoppage time with 10 men after Michele DiGregorio was sent off. McKennie was one of the several players on Juventus who stepped up, especially on the defensive end to break up plays and cover ground. He had one particular play in the second half where he made a big run to break up a dangerous play that would have given Leipzig a big chance to score. It was a gut-buster and McKennie had an admirable effort that will only solidify his importance to the squad. Juventus has now won its first two Champions League games.

Folarin Balogun played the second half for Monaco which needed to rally from a 2-0 deficit away Dinamo Zagreb to settle for a 2-2 draw. But it was Balogun wo drew a penalty in stoppage time that allowed Monaco to equalize. In the 55th minute, Balogun had a chance to score from the run of play but saw his shot from the top of the box saved. Monaco has four points from two games to open its Champions League run.

 

Europa League

 

Pellegrino Matarazzo has seen his Hoffenheim team struggle to start the year but his team picked up a big 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday. That might help to give the team momentum in the Bundesliga, where it is in the bottom three. Hoffenheim has four points from two games in the Europa League.

Timmy Chandler was an unused substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3-1 win over Besiktas.

Tanner Tessmann picked up a knock and missed Lyon’s 4-1 away win over Rangers. This concluded a terrible weekend for the Old Firm in Europe. Celtic was defeated by Borussia Dortmund 7-1 and Rangers lost 4-1. The combined score of their games was 11-2.

 

Conference League

 

Lennard Maloney played 90 minutes for Heidenheim in a 2-1 win over Olimpija Ljubljana to open their run with three points. After being limited in minutes last week in the Bundesliga, Maloney returned to the starting lineup and had a decent game in defensive midfield.

Johnny Cardoso played 66 minutes for Real Betis, who were upset 1-0 in a visit to Legia Warszawa in Poland. Cardoso is still playing with a taped leg and might not be at 100%. Still, he was not one of the problems for Real Betis in this game.

George Bello played 55 minutes for LASK in a disappointing 2-2 home draw with Djurgarden of Sweden.

 

 

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