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Morning update

Notes on Mihailovic, Charlotte FC, Mighten, Richards, and MLS weekend games

ASN's Brian Sciaretta rounds up his thoughts on the long weekend news with MLS games and news both domestically and from abroad. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
May 31, 2022
9:00 AM

THE LONG WEEKEND is over, MLS played its final slate of games before a two-week international break and the USMNT camp is currently ongoing in Cincinnati ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Morocco.

Here are some thoughts on some of the news that has transpired as well as some of the games from the weekend.

 

Mihailovic off USMNT roster

 

CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic withdrew from the USMNT due to an ankle injury he picked up on Saturday in a 4-3 win over Cincinnati. Between MLS and the CONCACAF Champions League, Mihailovic has eight goals and four assists in 14 games this season totaling 1416 minutes. Per U.S. Soccer, there would be no replacement added to the roster.

While Mihailovic was still looking to earn a spot in the first-choice 26-player roster, it’s a blow to the U.S. team in a sense that Mihailovic has been in form, producing, and playing regularly. He fits the profile of a player who the U.S. wants to have in camp. Gio Reyna is out, Weston McKennie is not fit enough to start in the first few friendlies, Luca de la Torre had a really tough stretch to end the season, and Gianluca Busio has struggled the second half of the season.

Mihailovic, 23, could still emerge if his injury isn’t serious and he continues to play well. His consistent output since the start of 2021 makes him one of the most likely Americans to get sold out of the league this year.

 

Nottingham Forest bests Huddersfield

 

The final Premier League spot next season will go to Nottingham Forest, which defeated Huddersfield 1-0 in the Championship playoff final. There was some American takeaways here.

First, Dane Murphy, 36, has been stellar since arriving in England to take front office jobs. After taking the Barnsley CEO job, he made critical moves last year to help the small club advance to the playoff final – which very few predicted. The key move was orchestrating a coaching change and bringing in Daryl Dike on loan. Now at Nottingham Forest, he has helped guide the club to the Premier League for the first time since 1999. His decision making – particularly with coaching changes – has been critical to the success of both teams.

Ethan Horvath played the final six minutes of stoppage time after Brice Samba was unable to continue. Horvath’s only two touches came via a goal kick. It will be very interesting to see if he pushes for a loan as Samba has been terrific. It comes down to the opportunities that exist for a loan or what his salary would be in the Premier League should he decide to stay.

Alex Mighten, 20, was an unused sub for Nottingham Forest. A loan looks likely for the winger who played just 680 minutes this season and with Forest earning promotion, playing time in the Premier League seems tougher. Prior to his December injury which sidelined him during the January window, loans were speculated in the English media.

But ASN has indeed learned that Alex Mighten will be representing the United States moving forward. As we understanding, he has begun the process of filing a formal application to switch to the United States after representing England’s youth national teams. That process, however, is still not complete. Even if he is still a bit off the USMNT, he is eligible for the 2024 Olympic U-23 team should it qualify.

 

Crystal Palace interested in Richards?

 

The Telegraph in England reported that Crystal Palace is interested Bayern Munich and United States national team defender Chris Richards. Richards recently completed his second straight loan from Bayern in Hoffenheim but a coaching change at Hoffenheim decreases the likelihood he will continue at the club for a third season.

Richards, 22, was limited to 1300 minutes this past season due to injuries – including one that kept him out of the final five games of the Bundesliga season as well as the current U.S. national team camp. He’s highly regarded, and it is easy to see why Crystal Palace might be interested. The Premier League would be a big jump for Richards but one where he might find minutes.

 

Charlotte FC fires Miguel Angel Ramírez

 

In MLS news that was a stunner, Charlotte FC fired head coach Miguel Angel Ramírez on Tuesday morning. It was so surprising because Charlotte had been exceeding expectations as an expansion team. The club had 16 points from 14 games and was hovering around the playoff line. It’s -5 goal differential on the season shows it was competitive in most games, including his final game on Sunday in a 2-1 loss away to CONCACAF Champions, Seattle Sounders.

Assistant Coach Christian Lattanzio will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Charlotte’s roster is not great, but the team had been punching above its weight. On the surface, it was a baffling move and if social media is an accurate reflection, the team’s fans are livid.

Ramirez drew a lot of headlines in the preseason when he was critical of how his roster was assembled by the front office. He famously said, “we’re screwed” just 10 days from the start of the season. His team still managed to play well and play hard.

The reasons for this removal will become known in the days and weeks ahead, but it would not be surprising if the decision to fire him at this two-week break was made awhile ago. The “we screwed” comment might have angered his superiors and the break was seen as the best time to make a change.

That being said, I can see why Charlotte fans are upset. The team was far more competitive than expected and there is a hunger for this team to win early in its existence. Ramirez was delivering and with any coaching change there is a risk. For fans, this seems like the team was prioritizing the removal of a personality conflict over having a competitive team. It’s understandable why that doesn’t sit well.

 

MLS games from the weekend

 

There was a full slate of MLS games from the weekend and there was a lot to break down.

With the games now already two or three days behind us, I’ll abbreviate my thoughts so we can turn the page and focus on the upcoming week.

The best story in MLS right now is Real Salt Lake. Pablo Mastroeni’s side defeated Houston 3-0 to move into third place in the West. The team is far surpassing its expectations – especially with the injuries the team has had in the first half of the season. As more players come back from injuries, RSL will only continue to get better but this team is the most surprising in the league by far.

The New York Red Bulls and DC United had a very ugly first half that ended 0-0. The second half, however, produced two of the league’s best goals of the season inside of a four minute span as the Red Bulls coasted to a 4-1 win. After the Red Bulls took a 1-0 lead via Luquinhas, the Brazilian second was a remarkable shot off a volley (Luquinhas has been a first-rate arrival this season). Four minutes later, Lewis Morgan scored a wonder-strike for a 3-0 lead.

 

 

One interesting thing about this game is that Aaron Long was removed at halftime to make way for another attacker. It was the right move for the Red Bulls to add more attack to their lineup, but replacing team captain Aaron Long was a curious decision. There is no argument that it worked.

On the flip side, DC United look very much like a “wooden spoon” contender.

Two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference met up as New England played Philadelphia to a 1-1 draw at home. The game was rather disappointing given the quality each of the two teams have. For Philadelphia, what was interesting about this game is that head coach Jim Curtin tried to find a way to get Paxten Aaronson on the field with Daniel Gazdag as opposed to having Aaronson just be a backup to the Hungarian international. That would be a very positive step forward if Curtin can make that productive.

I think things will change in Philadelphia with the younger players after the CONCACAF U-20 World Cup/Olympic qualifiers where Aaronson, Quinn Sullivan, and Jack McGlynn are all expected to take part.

As for New England, they remain a talented team despite their record. But it’s time to be a little worried about this group. Adam Buksa is gone and a move to Lens seems imminent. Matt Turner will play one more game for the Revolution. We will see how the plan is to fill in the gaps. Also, Bruce Arena might not have many teenagers playing big roles with his Revs teams yet (they do have some very good ones in their pipeline, so that could change) but many players are seeing their values soar under him. Buksa, Turner, Tajon Buchanan, and even DeJuan Jones is a player to watch in that regard.

NYCFC defeated Minnesota 1-0 on the road and should be considered the best team in the league right now. They’re just a great example of how focusing on the CCL early in the season does set teams back. If NYCFC had a normal schedule, it would be scary what they can do.



Minnesota simply can’t score at the moment and has no other outlets right now outside of Emmanuel Reynoso. The team needs serious upgrades.

Chicago Fire lost to Toronto 3-2 and what do you make of a team that lost on the road by that score despite outshooting its opponent 33-5? For one, the team is at least generating chances. It is not going to take a lot of major changes to add another goal or two. 33 shots is a ton of shots. But Chicago’s defense is extremely vulnerable and Gaga Slonina is still a major work in progress. There is a high ceiling with him but at 17, he needs a lot more work. His form still puts him in the bottom half of the league.

As for Toronto, they’re lucky. Bob Bradley has his work cut out for him and Lorenzo Insigne’s arrival will help, but there are still way too many holes to fill for this to be among the better Eastern Conference teams.



If you’re looking for positive outlooks on teams, go no further than FC Dallas which defeated Orlando City 3-1 on the road on Saturday. Paul Arriola scored twice and now has seven goals and three assists in just 1070 minutes this season. He has a goal and/or an assist for every 153 minutes of playing time.

Think about this: for years, one of the common takes on the league is that it is dominated by expensive foreign designated players. This year has taken a sledgehammer to that – particularly with FC Dallas.

The top two scores in MLS are Jeremy Ebobisse and Jesus Ferreira who have nine goals. Paul Arriola, Brandon Vazquez, and Djordje Mihailovic have seven goals. Arriola and Mihailovic are also not strikers and both have been generating a lot of assists.

FC Dallas is a good team. They might struggle if they suffer multiple injuries to key players like Ferreira, Arriola, Velasco, or Pomykal. But if they’re healthy, they’re good.

Finally, Atlanta was a bit unlucky in its 2-1 loss to Columbus at home on Saturday. Columbus goalkeeper Ely Room stood on his head with save after save after save. But Atlanta needs these two weeks to reorganize defensively. Offensively, they’ll figure things out but defensively, it will cost them.

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