da betsul： To cap off a week headlined by an incoming superstar, this weekend's matches showed just how far his new club has left to go
da bwin： In some ways, it feels almost trivial to talk about games after a week like this. Lionel Messi, perhaps the best player the sport has ever seen, is coming to Inter Miami. The easy thing to do would be to take this column, put 'MLS' as one giant winner and call it a day.
But it isn't that simple, is it? There were some massive games this week. One of the most notable featured Inter Miami, who showed just how much ground the club will have to make up even with the Argentinian genius on his way.
It was another loss for Miami, as they couldn't ride the Messi wave to a win in New England. While the club is thriving on social media, the on-field results remain horrendous. Messi's arrival can't come soon enough.
Meanwhile, another Argentina-born maestro stole the show with a Goal of the Year, and perhaps Puskas Award, contender. It was a reminder of the talent that is already in this league, even if the focus is all on the one man that will undoubtedly lift MLS into a new stratosphere in the months and years to come.
With that said, here's a look at the winners and losers from this weekend's games:
WINNER: Lucas Zelarayan
While one Argentina-born maestro stole the headlines this week, another scored a legitimate Goal of the Year contender as dazzling as any goal the World Cup winner has ever scored.
Level with the Chicago Fire in stoppage-time, Lucas Zelarayan scored an absolutely unimaginable winner. Receiving the ball in his own half, the Armenia international looked up, saw the goalkeeper and went for the chip, scoring from a mile away to seal all three points.
The goal was officially measured at 60.98 yards and was Zelarayan's second 50+-yard goal of his MLS career. It's a reminder of the type of magic he can create.
His celebration was Messi-esque, as he took off his shirt and displayed his name to the crowd. "I didn't know what to do," Zelarayan said. "I was so, so excited and I took my shirt off. I saw that celebration before and, yes, I was so excited. I did that because I was out of my mind."
The league may be eagerly awaiting Messi's arrival, and for good reason, but there are some pretty damn good No.10s running around MLS, and Zelarayan continues to show why he may be the most spectacular of the bunch as he provided another highlight-reel goal.
AdvertisementInter MiamiLOSER: Inter Miami
It's hard to put them in this category given their absolutely league-altering signing midweek. But this is an on-field column, and there's a lot to say about what's going on on the field with Inter Miami.
Once Messi's decision became public, his long-time friend and former team-mate Sergio Aguero revealed a funny story. He'd texted Messi once the news became public, letting him know that his new club wasn't exactly in a good place.
“I spoke to Messi yesterday," he told . "I sent him a message with a screenshot of the Eastern Conference standings and I said: ‘Your team is behind! You have to move up to eighth or ninth!’”
Another week, another loss for Inter Miami, though. Messi's going to have a lot of work to do. The latest defeat was a 3-1 battering at the hands of the New England Revolution, one which kept Miami at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. As things stand, Miami are seven points out of a playoff spot. Even in MLS, that's a lot of ground to make up.
Adding injury to insult, the club also picked up another injury, as Corentin Jean went down in the loss. You can add him to the club's extensive injury list, another starter that looks set to miss time.
The question isn't whether or not Messi can lift Miami to an MLS Cup, but rather if Messi can even lift Inter Miami to the playoffs. On-field success wasn't the only thing that brought Messi to South Beach, but it appears this club will need even more than the Argentine if he wants to lift some trophies in the near future.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Alan Pulido
Pulido deserves this moment. After missing nearly all of 2022 due to injury and watching his side struggle mightily out of the gate to start 2023, Pulido is well and truly back.
He struggled to find his form initially but, after this weekend, Pulido is back to his old self, scoring twice and assisting another in a 4-1 win over Austin FC. That's now back-to-back games with a goal for Pulido, and 10 points from four games for a Sporting KC team that has emerged from their early-season mess.
Pulido burst onto the scene with 11 goal contributions in his first 12 matches, but has never quite looked the same. He had eight goals and three assists in 2021 before an injury derailed his 2022 campaign. Sporting KC has missed him, dearly, as the club has lacked his presence up top.
The Mexican star is back, though, and so is Sporting KC. With just one loss in eight games after zero wins in their first 10, the vibes have completely turned around at Children's Mercy Park and, if Pulido can perform like this, everything will be just fine for Sporting KC.
Getty ImagesLOSER: LAFC
A bad, bad week for LAFC. A loss to Leon in the CONCACAF Champions League final, a midweek draw with Atlanta and then a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Houston Dynamo. It's safe to say the CCL hangover is in full effect.
Head coach Steve Cherundolo put it bluntly: "Didn't show up to play tonight and just got beat." He's certainly right. The Dynamo beat the breaks off the defending MLS Cup champions, who put in the flattest performance we've seen from them in some time. The Dynamo have played some decent soccer this season, but they shouldn't be doing to LAFC. No team in MLS should.
We'll chalk it up to a CCL hangover. We'll say heads dipped after their continental loss, and we'll say that this loss will be the perfect wake-up call. LAFC will probably be just fine – they're too good not to be.
Still, though, they wouldn't be the first team to see their gas tanks emptied in CCL play. They wouldn't be the first team to never quite refuel, underachieving on tired legs after a deep run in continental play. Toronto FC (2018) and the Seattle Sounders (2022) were both victims of it; it's fair to ask if LAFC may be next.
It's certainly something to keep an eye on. Is this a one-off or a sign of slowing down for a team that has played a lot of soccer over the last year or so?