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MLS Analysis

Vermes out, Celentano shines for Cincy, Galaxy crumble, and more MLS thoughts

ASN's Brian Sciaretta opens up his MLS notebook and starts with a huge coaching change and follows it by some of his thoughts from the recent games. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
April 01, 2025
7:00 AM

THE SIXTH WEEK of the MLS season was surprising and revealing in that Atlanta showed they were back on track, the Galaxy showed mental weaknesses, and San Diego continued to stand out in a weird Western Conference. But above all, it was the last weekend for Peter Vermes as the coach for Sporting Kansas City - marking the end of an era. 

Let's start with Vermes.
 

Vermes out in KC

 

The longest coaching tenure in MLS history came to an end on Monday when Peter Vermes and Sporting Kansas City agreed to mutually part ways after a disastrous start to 2025 continued with a 2-1 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday that left SKC with just one point from six MLS games. This also coincided with an abrupt exit to the CONCACAF Champions Cup to Miami in February. Dating back to last season, the club is winless in its last 13 games.

Dating back to 2009, Vermes won one MLS Cup, in 2013, and has finished first in the regular season conference table four times. He also has three U.S. Open Cups.

Kerry Zavagnin will serve as the interim head coach.

The move seemed like it was only a matter of time because SKC was playing so poorly, and it didn’t seem as if things were getting any better. But that shouldn’t detract from the accomplishments of Vermes. It’s easy to forget how poorly the state of SKC was before the New Jersey native took control of the team. But Vermes brought stability and identity to the organization and for years, it was among the elite in the league.

But there is a reason why managers, even great ones, get fired. After a long time, things get stale. Sporting KC will now have to hope a new manager is able to connect with the players better.

As for Vermes, it’s hard to believe he won’t coach again and, like SKC, he will find more success in someplace different.  

 

San Diego continues to surprise

 

After six games, the MLS Western Conference table is Vancouver, Austin, San Diego, Minnesota, and Colorado. This is bonkers. All of us writers who like to make fools of ourselves (myself included) and make preseason predictions for MLS can tell you how insane it is. I had LAFC, Seattle, and the Galaxy at the top with Austin and San Diego at the bottom.

But this past weekend, San Diego defeated LAFC 3-2, and while you can point out LAFC had to play with 10 men from the 53rd minute, all the goals had been scored by that point.

Full credit to Mikey Varas. The American head coach and former U.S U-20 boss has built a very good team that isn’t deep, but his dialed into to his gameplan and they stick with it. With Chucky Lozano back, San Diego is in good shape.

As for LAFC, they are trying to juggle the CONCACAF Champions Cup and that is tricky. As history has shown, it is tough for the entire season and teams struggle in the regular season even after the Champions Cup campaign ends.

 

Orlando rallies past the Galaxy

 

Just when it appeared as if the Galaxy were turning the corner and starting to play like a reigning champion again, they blew it. Leading Orlando 1-0 at home into the 76th minute, the Galaxy conceded a penalty and then cough up a gift to Orlando in stoppage time to allow the guests to head back to Florida with a 2-1 win.

There were all kinds of talk about the Galaxy being injured and missing a lot of talent. That is true. But this loss was all mental. They conceded a penalty and that was that. The Galaxy simply lost control of the game and folded. Mentality, as well as talent, is a big part of the team’s struggles. It’s also something they can control.

On another note, Orlando is getting better and improving. They have a DP forward in Luis Muriel who is putting a bad 2024 behind him and is now playing up to his level. Newcomer Marco Pasalic is also performing up to expectations. But on top of it, Alex Freeman is my early season contender for young American breakout performer. The 20-year-old right back plays with athleticism and quality that fit the modern requirements of that position.

These are two teams heading in very different directions.

 

Atlanta getting hot

 

In one of the more entertaining games of the weekend, Atlanta United rallied past NYCFC 4-3 after trailing 2-0. It was a game that featured catastrophic defending from both teams but also some impressive offensive as well.

This was the first time it really seemed as if the offense was clicking for Atlanta and it was the best Miguel Almiron has looked for the club since rejoining in January and Emmanuel Latte Lath scored his fifth goal of the season in just his sixth game.

For Atlanta, the question is whether they can play better defensively. If they can, they’re going to have enough firepower to overwhelm teams.

 

Cincy rallies past Nashville

 

Cincinnati defeated Nashville 2-1 in a game that was better than expected. Cincinnati is still not completely firing on all cylinders but won this game because of goalkeeper Roman Celentano who made six saves including this penalty from Hany Mukhtar. Minutes after this penalty save, Celentano made a pair of saves in quick succession off a scramble inside the box.



A win is a win, but this Cincinnati team can be better. Their defense needs to clean things up. If they do, they’ll be among the best teams in the East.

 

Miami outlasts Philly 2-1 in well-played game

 

Inter Miami defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-1 on Saturday in a game that was well played by both teams. The winning goal was unsurprisingly delivered by Lionel Messi, two minutes after being subbed on. The Argentine great is still not at 100% but only needed two minutes to score the opener. It gave Miami a 2-0 lead in the 57th minute, but Daniel Gazdag made it interesting in the 80th minute when he pulled one back for the Union.

Miami is what they are. A team loaded with stars and a team that is now deep and can rotate players to keep its aging stars fresh. Even U.S. U-20 midfielder Benja Cremaschi contributed nicely in this one with an assist on the opener.

Philadelphia played well and they have a ton of energy with Bradley Carnell’s relentless pressing system. The question is comparing them to his St. Louis teams the past two years. This system takes energy to play, and it needs a lot of players to contribute. Otherwise, it’s hard to not be exhausted come playoff time. I love that Philadelphia has a number of high-quality scoring options (more than St. Louis did in its first season), but keeping this team fresh come September and October is a concern I have.

 

Mihailovic wins player of the week

 

U.S. international Djordje Mihailovic was named the MLS player of the week for two goals for the Colorado Rapids against Charlotte in a big 2-0 win on Saturday outside Denver. The 2024 Olympian scored in the 77th minute and then minutes later from the spot to complete the scoring.

Zack Steffen has a real chance to emerge as the U.S. team’s starting goalkeeper this year. He made three saves and has been a big part of the team’s success. Steffen has been behind Matt Turner for the U.S. team but with Turner not playing, if Steffen can consistently play well, he should get a chance with the USMNT as soon as this summer.

As for the Rapids, their system works. They acquired several Americans who were recently in Europe, but these players were also established professionals (like Steffen, Mihailovic, and Cole Bassett). They’re still hungry players who are playing with a chip on their shoulder.

It was a disappointing result for a Charlotte team who could be a top five team in the East, but it was more a sign of strength for Colorado which has won three of four.

 

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