ORL-LA-Kickoff
What you need to know

Minnesota, Dallas close out the weekend

Minnesota United host FC Dallas tonight at 9 pm ET. You can watch for free on Apple TV or head to FS1.

Borrero suffers knee injury in New England Revolution match

The New England Revolution are holding their collective breath after forward Dylan Borrero suffered a left knee injury in Saturday's Matchday 10 match vs. FC Cincinnati. The Colombian international got injured in the 15th minute when jumping over a challenge from Cincy center back Yerson Mosquera and landing awkwardly on the Gillette Stadium turf. Borrero then immediately grabbed his knee in pain before being stretchered off.

Sign up for The Daily Kickoff in your inbox! The Daily Kickoff is more than an article – it can be delivered to your email account as well.

The Recap
NASHVILLE SC - 3 | ATLANTA UNITED - 1
Fafà Picault (36'), T. Bunbury (56'), J. Shaffelburg (90'+1') | T. Almada (72' PK)

What happened?: Nashville took an early lead off a corner that found Fafa Picault and held off a mostly toothless Atlanta attack the rest of the way.

So, did we learn anything?: Atlanta have swerved their recently refurbished car into a ditch over the last week. A lackluster performance against Chicago has been followed by crashing out of the US Open Cup and a thumping at the hands of their neighbors up north. There are serious questions to ask about the kind of performances they’re getting from their midfield and from DP winger Luiz Araujo. If Thiago Almada isn’t scoring from distance and Giorgos Giakoumakis isn’t around to bully his way into a goal, how are the Five Stripes going to score? 

Nashville are good at soccer. Like always.

COLUMBUS CREW - 1 | INTER MIAMI CF - 2
C. Hernández (10') | L. Campana (7', 41')

What happened?: Cucho Hernandez immediately canceled out Leo Campana’s opener, but Campana still had another goal in him.

So, did we learn anything?: The Crew still have some work to do before we can talk about them as contenders. That’s two straight losses to teams that probably aren’t playoff teams. That probably shouldn’t happen, especially with Cucho back this weekend.

Meanwhile, that’s an incredibly needed win for Inter Miami. I genuinely can’t understate that. They needed this. It might just be the starting point for some positive momentum. If the same personnel (Benjamin Cremaschi, anybody?) can keep things going against Atlanta next week, they may just have something good working. Maybe.

D.C. UNITED - 3 | CHARLOTTE FC - 0
T. Fountas (34' PK), C. Benteke (75'), J. Greene (90'+5')

What happened?: Nothing else really matters except for Christian Benteke’s 75th-minute bicycle kick. It’s his second-straight start with a goal and both have been fantastic.

So, did we learn anything?: Last week we started to consider D.C. United as a potential playoff team. This performance did nothing to make me reconsider that consideration. Long way to go, but D.C. have four wins on the year and finished the night in seventh place, equal on points with Columbus and just one point behind NYCFC and Nashville. Even better, they’re fun to watch. 

D.C. are three wins away from matching their 2022 total and it seems like plenty more could be on the way.

(yikes, Charlotte.)

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - 1 | FC CINCINNATI - 1
E. Boateng (45'+3') | Y. Mosquera (31')

What happened?: A draw. The biggest news from this one is that Dylan Borrero left the field on a stretcher. Hopefully he won’t be out for too long, but it seems like there’s a long road ahead for one of the league’s most exciting players.

So, did we learn anything?: I don’t think so. The two top teams in the East went head to head and played well. Both still seem like they have more in them. That’s going to be an even tougher place to get to for New England now though without Borrero.

ORLANDO CITY SC - 2 | LA GALAXY - 0
E. Kara (38') , F. Torres (57')

What happened?: Orlando’s DPs showed up. Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres made the difference.

So, did we learn anything?: This one had to feel good for Orlando. They’d been awful at home this year. This one also had to feel good for Ercan Kara. He just…well, he just hasn’t been that good. He got the opener though and celebrated the occasion by holding a finger to his mouth to shush some doubters. At least temporarily. Anyway, it’s a very solid win for the Lions. They were in control.

That means the Galaxy are back in the gutter though. You can forgive them in a vacuum for falling short on a cross-country road trip, but in the context of a miserable season, it’s another miserable result.

TORONTO FC - 1 | NYCFC - 0
C.J. Sapong (46')

What happened?: C.J. Sapong!!!

So, did we learn anything?: Toronto’s new striker had a heckuva debut. After failing to score for a long, long time in Nashville, he made an instant impact for the Reds. That’s a huge win against an NYCFC team that’s still experiencing some growing pains despite an ever-improving roster. They generated just 0.3 xG in this one and are still looking for their first road win of the year.

AUSTIN FC - 2 | SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - 2
E. Rigoni (40'), S. Driussi (78') | J. Yueill (21'), J. Ebobisse (75')

What happened?: Emiliano Rigoni broke a lengthy scoring drought and Sebastian Driussi found the net to cancel out San Jose’s second lead of the match.

So, did we learn anything?: Rigoni scored! That’s at least a step in the right direction for Austin, even if the results still aren’t that great.

San Jose and NYCFC have a lot in common. Very good team, good season so far, still looking for their first road win.

CHICAGO FIRE FC - 1 | NEW YORK RED BULLS - 1
K. Kamara (34') | C. Burke (89')

What happened?: Cory Burke found the net late for the draw.

So, did we learn anything?: Chicago is getting to the point where you have to wonder about their mental state. Dropping points late in games is officially a trend. They’re playing good ball, but they're missing a key ingredient that will help them see out games.

SPORTING KC - 0 | CF MONTRÉAL - 2
B. Duke (35'), M. Choinière (45'+1')

What happened?: Newly acquired Bryce Duke scored and that’s all CF Montréal needed.

So, did we learn anything?: Things aren’t so bad in Montréal. In Kansas City though…they’re dead last and still looking for their first win 10 games in.

ST. LOUIS CITY SC - 1 | PORTLAND TIMBERS - 2
Célio Pompeu (79') | Evander (63' PK), Y. Chará (82')

What happened?: The Timbers showed up on the road! Evander and Yimmi Chara gave them a huge win.

So, did we learn anything?: There’s probably something to the fact that St. Louis won the possession battle and lost. They certainly weren’t bad or anything, but finding easy chances off of turnovers didn’t come easy against a Portland team happy to relinquish possession. Whether that was actually the key or not, the Timbers feel like they’re starting to level out a little bit. They might be on their way to “good” even if they’re still a long way from “great.”

REAL SALT LAKE - 0 | SEATTLE SOUNDERS - 0

What happened?: Nothing in terms of goals, but Seattle did suffer the loss of Kelyn Rowe, who had to be subbed after sustaining a knee injury.

So, did we learn anything?: No.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS - 0 | COLORADO RAPIDS - 0

What happened?: Nothing.

So, did we learn anything?: Also no.

Other Things

DC United sign veteran striker Hurtado: D.C. United have signed veteran striker Erik Hurtado from USL Championship side San Antonio FC for a $10,000 transfer fee. Hurtado, 32, has joined the Black-and-Red through the 2023 MLS season with an option in 2024.

Chicago Fire sign defender Terán to new deal: Chicago Fire FC have signed center back Carlos Terán to a new contract through the 2026 MLS season with an option for 2027. The 22-year-old Colombian international defender doesn’t occupy an international roster slot since he received his U.S. Green Card last year, granting him permanent resident status.

The Reading Rainbow
Full Time

Good luck out there. Use efficient modes of transportation.