It was MLS’ turn to fill in the void in sports fans’ hearts–not to mention the slates of gambling and prediction apps–that a midweek evening in October produces. In the same spirit as Tuesday night’s Frozen Frenzy, every single team was active last night, filling to the brim the possibilities of feeds on Apple TV. But unlike the NHL, which took the chance for such an inclusive showcase to happen merely two weeks into the season, the MLS season has less than a month to go, and as such produced a host of matches that actually meant something.
I’m guilty of being less attentive to this league than I have been in past years; World Cup fatigue being a major reason. And with the local teams in Los Angeles both struggling for even an elimination game in the post-season the sort of trickle-down frenetics that one can pick up amidst the clientele I interact with daily has been muted. So last night was a great opportunity to reconnect, and I’m sort of glad I did. I was able to give appropriate focus to arguably the biggest Gen Alpha story who isn’t carrying a classload, as MLS.com’s Alex Calabrese described:
The Philadelphia Union can’t be stopped right now. Nor can the Cavan Sullivan hype train.
The Eastern Conference’s hottest team notched their eighth straight victory on Wednesday night, this time coming from behind to dispatch Chicago Fire FC, 3-1, at Soldier Field and extend their club-record unbeaten streak to 14 matches (12W-0L-2D). Sullivan’s second-half assist on the eventual game-winning goal marked his 21st goal contribution of the season (7g/14a), now officially the most ever by a teenager in a single MLS season.
There may be no bigger story in American soccer right now than Sullivan. The Union entered halftime down a goal but up a man after Chicago defender Jack Elliott picked up a second yellow card. Union striker Milan Iloski tied it in the 49th minute, and moments later, Sullivan teed up Bruno Damiani to take the lead. The visitors never looked back. With the assist, Sullivan surpassed Diego Fagúndez’s longstanding record for the most goal contributions in a season by a teenager. He’s also level with Lionel Messi and others with 14 assists, one behind league leader Son Heung-Min (LAFC).
Meanwhile, there were several other storylines of note playing out at just about the same time that Calabrese’s compatriots chronicled. This one from Jose Nunez:
A pair of assists from USMNT rising star Peyton Miller, a pair of goals from Dor Turgeman, a first MLS tally for Joshua Wynder, and a record-setting night for captain Carles Gil were enough to send New England past FC Cincinnati, 3-2, at TQL Stadium on Wednesday night. Not only did the win move the Revs back into the top four spots in the East, but it also saw Marko Mitrović’s side clinch their return to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2023, in the head coach’s first MLS season.
And this from Ben Wright:
St. Louis CITY SC rewrote MLS history on Wednesday night.
With a 0-0 draw against Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC, CITY have gone 19 regular-season matches without a loss, equaling the league’s all-time regular-season record. Their 21-match unbeaten streak across all competitions is the longest in MLS history, surpassing the previous record set by Red Bull New York in 2016.St. Louis haven’t lost a match since May 3, an astonishing 164 days ago.
And this which apparently the entire MLS staff collaborated on:
FC Dallas have qualified for the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs, clinching their spot via a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday night. With five regular-season matches left, Dallas are third in the Western Conference (50 points; 14W-7L-8D). Dallas have made the playoffs in back-to-back years under head coach Eric Quill.
I do love when there’s actual stakes on the line, so being able to look in on genuine celebrations even from a distance made my ADD night of grazing that much more enjoyable. And as I was reminded as I dug deep into the site it was fortuitous that I chose to enjoy it when I did because it will be the last time such meaningful matches will be played on an autumn evening. Said staff had let more attentive folks know it last November:
Beginning in the summer of 2027, MLS will adopt a summer-to-spring season format, marking one of the most significant developments in the league’s history… The 2027-28 MLS regular season will begin in mid-to-late July 2027 and conclude with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup presented by Audi in late May 2028. Like other major international leagues, MLS will observe a midwinter break from mid-December through early February, with no league matches scheduled in January.
Fine with me, because that’s where college and pro basketball–and for me even some college hockey–can more than make up the loss. And I suppose that the league will nonetheless use this window to stack a slew of matches in similar fashion because, hey, not only do sports fans need something to engage with but their TV partner needs something to promote their crucial fourth quarter originals to.
Maybe MLS is changing its calendar but the streaming industry is stuck with theirs. Until Christmas itself moves to June and seasonal viewing patterns that shorter days and cooler weather produce I expect this sort of maneuver to remain in effect.
That said, it’s gonna be 90 degrees-plus here yet again today; the East Coast is similarly enjoying “Indigenous Summer” and we know certain people are lobbying for the end of Daylight Savings Time.
See you next summer, Santa?
Courage…