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MLS Analysis

MLS Notebook: Luna lifts RSL, McGlynn delivers, while Atlanta, Seattle, and LAFC struggle

ASN' Brian Sciaretta opens up the lastest chapter in his MLS Notebook and this week's edition features entries on top American players such as Diego Luna and Jack McGlynn while also looking at the struggles of Seattle, LAFC, and Atlanta along with the surprising San Diego FC.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
April 08, 2025
2:00 PM

THE WEEKEND IN MLS was a good one for young American players as players such as Diego Luna and Jack McGlynn delivered big goals, while preseason top team like Atlanta, Seattle, and LAFC are struggling mightily.

Let’s start in Utah.

 

Luna ‘s growth continues

 

One of the big themes to emerge over the weekend in MLS was the continued growth of Diego Luna, who was the Man of the Match for Real Salt Lake as he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy. This is an important time for Luna as he knows USMNT Mauricio Pochettino is watching him and rates him. One thing he cannot do is disappear, and he isn’t. He is coming out of the March camp where he was one of the few bright spots, and is continuing to roll.

 

He is also answering any questions people had over his position. Does he play outside? Is he a false nine like he was at the 2023 U-20 World Cup? No. He is a clear No. 10.

Real Salt Lake bled a lot of talent in the offseason, and it is hard for them to compete against the best teams in the league. But Luna gives them a set creative force to generate scoring chances. The USMNT staff was on hand to watch this past weekend.

Naturally there will be discussions about Luna transferring given his still youthful age at 21 and his national team prospects. But he has had a lot thrown at him this year, he still has plenty of room to grow. For now, he seems like a safe bet for the Gold Cup. He has a lot of competition with Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, and Matko Miljevic, but Luna has put himself in a great position.

 

Red Bulls sneek past Chicago

 

Gregg Berhalter had a homecoming on Saturday as his Chicago team travelled to New Jersey, close to where Berhalter grew up, to take on the New York Red Bulls. Playing on a cold and wet day, the Red Bulls prevailed 2-1 with all the goals coming in the first half.

The Red Bulls are a tough team to read. If they’re the underdog, they find ways to be surprisingly competitive. If they are the favorite, they tend to disappoint (like last weekend’s loss to New England). They’re rarely convincing.

 

Once again they are dealing with injuries as Lewis Morgan and Cameron Harper are out for another few weeks. But they got a surprising contribution from U.S. U-20 eligible Serge Ngoma who scored the team’s first goal to equalize the game at 1-1. Ngoma has talent, but injuries have been a major roadblock in his development the past two years. He still needs to play for a long time without getting injured for him to be considered a top prospect and maybe sneak back into the U-20 team.

The Red Bulls also need more from the run of play with Eric-Maxim Chupo-Moting. He scored in this game, but his only goals this season have come from the penalty spot. If he gets going, the Red Bulls could be a tough out.

As for Chicago, they’re still improved from last season and Berhalter is doing a nice job bring coherence into the system. In terms of youth development, Sergio Oregel is playing a lot but still is on the outside of the U.S. U-20 picture. It would be a good thing if Berhalter can help with his development.

 

Cincinnati gets past the Revs

 

At the start of this year, you would think that Cincinnati would be expected to smash the New England Revolution anytime they played. There is a big difference in talent and experience in these teams. When you consider that Cincy was still able get past the Revs 1-0 despite missing Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, Evander and sever other starters, it was even more impressive.

From an American perspective of things, it needs to be stressed just how good Roman Celentano has been the past two weeks. He’s been the determining factor why they’ve earned six points instead of two over the past two games. I wouldn’t necessarily sleep on him competing for a backup job on the USMNT. It’s not like that position is settled.

 

As for the Revolution, they’re playing better but still have a long way to go. They will get points with a similar level of effort. But Caleb Porter has to keep the team focused, even in the face of losses.

On another note, it was good to see Peyton Miller return to the field after being sidelined due to injury to start the season. Last year, he played a significant number of minutes as a 16-year-old. He looks ready to be on the U.S. U-20 team now despite playing up a cycle. He’s a good left back prospect.

 

San Diego FC surging

 

Once again, one of my biggest misses in my MLS preseason prediction was figuring out an expansion team. On Saturday, San Diego ran Seattle out of the building en route to a 3-0 win that now has San Diego with 14 points from seven games. Their 13 goals scored on the season are second best in the Western Conference behind San Jose, who has 15.

They were playing when Chucky Lozano was hurt, and now that he’s back, they’re playing even better. Full credit to head coach Mikey Varas who has a system and has the team playing up to their full potential.

 

Meanwhile, I’d be worried about Seattle if I were a supporter. Pedro de la Vega still doesn’t look close to the player Seattle needs and expects him to be. Injuries have played a role in that but even when on the field, de la Vega is off. Acquiring Jesus Ferreira was a bit of a gamble but he more closely resembles the player who struggled at Dallas last year than the player who was dominant in this league. It’s just a stale team right now and they are winless in four games. 

 

McGlynn lifts Houston, LAFC in trouble

 

Seventh time is the charm for Houston as the Dynamo won its first game of 2025 with a 1-0 win over an LAFC team that is struggling mightily trying to juggle MLS and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Houston got a wonderful goal from Jack McGlynn that was set up with a backheel from Griffin Dorsey. Ben Olsen felt the need to do something different and moved McGlynn further up the field to create more. When they spent so much on McGlynn, why not?

 

The good news is that it worked. McGlynn had five chances created, four shots, and a goal. Experiments don’t always work this well, and this might only be an anomaly, but we will see McGlynn again soon. It will be interesting to see it unfold and if this truly is the best position McGlynn to make the most out of his talent.

As for LAFC, there are problems. Yes, the team is trying to balance two competitions, but Denis Bouanga is quiet. In the past, LAFC were still dangerous if a key player went dormant because they had plenty of other scoring options. Now? Not so much. When Bouanga is quiet, so too are players like Olivier Giroud.

 

Atlanta’s problems continue

 

Atlanta United only managed to earn a point against FC Dallas in a home game on Saturday following a 1-1 draw. I wouldn’t be worried quite yet about Atlanta as they are still trying to build up chemistry in the attack. Thus far this season, they’ve scored some goals with some very good individual quality but the sustained pressure just isn’t there.

But will chemistry come with this group? That’s up to head coach Ronny Deila to keep this team from getting frustrated and focused as they put things together.

 

Philly and Orlando draw

 

Two of the better attacking teams in the Eastern Conference not named Miami played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in the rain in Pennsylvania. When these teams met in the first game of the season, Philadelphia pounded Orlando in Florida. Now, they each earned a point.

Philadelphia had the better of chances and generally if Philadelphia gets 20 shots a game, they will win because they also have a lot of capable goal scorers. But they didn’t score in this one as Orlando did a great job keeping Tai Baribo in check.

 

In an American perspective, U.S. U-20 right back Frankie Westfield continues to impress and he was good in this game in helping Philadelphia stay on the front foot. Meanwhile, Orlando City right back Alex Freeman might be the top performing young American player (2004 birth year and younger) thus far this season. He defended well but wasn’t able to explode into the attack as much has he had been.

It wasn’t the best of games from either team, but I’d be bullish for both squads being among the better teams in the east.

 

DC United in a sad state

 

DC United lost 6-1 against San Jose and it was a terrible performance in a contest that was to mark the anniversary of the league’s first game, which San Jose won 1-0 over DC United in 1996. The same team won but this time Bruce Arena was on the winning side.

 

A lot of players played well for San Jose, but the running theme was about how far DC United has fallen when it was such an important team in the early days of MLS. This isn’t even on head coach Troy Lesesne. This team is just not put together right and will be at a talent disadvantage in every game they play. Christian Benteke is the only positive for the team right now.

 

Toronto plays Miami to a 1-1 draw

 

Inter Miami is dominant in this league and Toronto is a doormat. But anything is possible when teams still have individual qualities. That was the case in a 1-1 draw.

We know Miami can do better and will do better. But let’s talk about Toronto. Federico Bernardeschi was great in this game but as we’ve seen with Toronto, when he’s not playing well or he is contained, Toronto typically lose. In this game, Sean Johnson was at his best too – and that helped.

 

The big question will be what happens with Lorenzo Insigne? The disgruntled star is back on the field and he gave a first rate effort to help earn the draw. That’s fine, but it is easy for players to get motivated by an away game with Messi, Alba, Busquets, and Suarez on the other team. Can they play like this in front of a disappointed fan base at home where the opposing team doesn’t have world-renowned players?

Watching Toronto’s game next weekend at home against Minnesota will tell us a lot more than this game.

 

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