1. What happens next at Gotham FC will be fascinating
Gotham FC has more National Women's Soccer League championships than top-four finishes in the past three years. Since adding a slew of U.S. women's national team stars, the club has come in third and eighth. As underwhelming as the regular season displays have been, this team has not been beaten in normal time in eight postseason games, only falling to the Washington Spirit in a penalty shootout in the 2024 semifinals. The Bats also created 1.4 expected goals while conceding 3.0 in their three playoff games.
So where does the club go from here? Does Gotham win a Shield and establish itself as the NWSL’s premier franchise? Do the regular-season struggles continue while the playoff magic runs out? Nobody in the league is better equipped to survive in the playoffs; that much is clear. As long as that remains the case, regular-season results can be overlooked. What do you do with a franchise on the verge of becoming a dynasty that isn't actually dominant?
2. There is something special about this Whitecaps team
There were numerous points where the Vancouver Whitecaps’ magical campaign could have unraveled, starting with Ryan Gauld’s injury. Their 5-0 loss in the Champions Cup final was another potential turning point. Then came injuries to key players like Ranko Veselinović and Brian White. A loss at home on Decision Day cost them the No. 1 seed. It also put Vancouver on a collision course with LAFC, the team that has knocked the Whitecaps out of tournaments time and time again.
They were excellent in the first half Saturday and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Stoppage time saw Tristan Blackman pick up a second yellow and Son Heung-Min tie the game. By the final minutes of extra time, the Whitecaps were playing 9-on-11. LAFC hit the woodwork three times in about 10 seconds at one point. Somehow, Vancouver got the game to penalties and, of course, prevailed. It was the latest example of resilience in a season full of them. That deserves to be celebrated no matter how this all ends.
3. The Philadelphia Union had a no-good, very bad week
When a divide formed between two-time Major League Soccer coach of the year Jim Curtin and Sporting Director Ernst Tanner, Philadelphia Union owner Jay Sugarman unequivocally chose Tanner. Other clubs probably would have picked the highly successful and popular coach, but Tanner is one of the most powerful executives in the league. Every part of the Union organization – from the famed academy on up – is molded in his image. He's quite good at his job, too.
The Guardian’s extensive report that led to Tanner being placed on administrative leave included multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior. Sexist comments. Racist comments. Homophobic comments. Unwanted physical contact. It becomes much harder to doubt articles like this when so many examples are provided. If the reporting is accurate, this was not a one-time mistake that could be learned from. It was a pattern that makes you question quite a bit about a club that seemed to have done so much right. That was all before the Supporters’ Shield winners got knocked out of the playoffs by a banged-up NYCFC team without scoring a goal at home. Their terrific season came to an end, and Tanner’s time at the club may soon as well.
4. MLS and Mauricio Pochettino got their validation
Five of the 11 players who started for the U.S. men's national team in Tuesday's 5-1 trouncing of Uruguay play in Major League Soccer. Four more came through MLS academies and played in the league before moving to Europe. Mark McKenzie is the only one in a top-five European league, and he plays in Ligue 1. It was this group of players that beat Uruguay so thoroughly that a national crisis ensued. Marcelo Bielsa had to confirm that he will in fact continue to manage the team.
There were, at most, two projected starters on the field: Sergiño Dest and Matt Freese. Pochettino kept telling everyone to be patient. He said nothing would be handed to anyone. Just one camp remains before the World Cup squad is announced. Pochettino has proof that he doesn't need the stars to get results against quality opposition. If he chooses to leave a big name off the squad, he will be justified in doing so. The next time someone wants to hold being in MLS against a U.S. player, they'd be wise to remember what happened in Tampa.
5. The losers of the Premier League’s new financial rules are the clubs doing the best job
The simplest way to explain the Premier League’s decision Friday to replace its Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) with the Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) is that team’s spending will now be limited based on their revenues rather than their losses. The more commercial power a club has, the more it can invest in wages. Being smart with player transactions is not as beneficial as it was under PSR because it is only a portion of the money a club brings in.
It is not a coincidence that Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace were four of the six teams that voted against the change. They have small stadiums and limited global reach compared to a Leeds United or a Newcastle. They overachieve because they are great at identifying talent and sell their most promising players for huge transfer fees. That doesn't matter as much anymore, making the best-run clubs in the league the biggest losers from Friday’s developments.