Arman Kafai

2 months ago | backheeled.com | Arman Kafai |Joseph Lowery

Let’s dive into the most intriguing statistical storylines from the latest set of MLS games. San Diego FC’s identitySan Diego, you officially have my attention. With a very clear tactical approach set by chief soccer officer Tyler Heaps and the larger Right To Dream organization, San Diego FC hired Mikey Varas as their manager to execute a possession-based game model. As Heaps told Backheeled ahead of the season, they want to “avoid duels at all costs”.

2 months ago | backheeled.com | Arman Kafai |Ben Wright |Joseph Lowery

Let’s dive into the most intriguing statistical storylines from the latest set of MLS games. Philadelphia Union’s efficiencyRaise your hand if you had the Philadelphia Union on six points going into the third weekend of the season. Great, now stop lying. The Union have stunned their opponents out of the gate, scoring four goals in each of their first two matches and dominating Orlando City and Cincinnati respectively.

2 months ago | backheeled.com | Joseph Lowery |Arman Kafai

It’s in the title, folks. Every week during the MLS season, Backheeled will dive into the biggest Winners and Losers from around the league. This week, San Diego FC lost a superstar, Bradley Carnell’s magic surged, Wilfried Zaha debuted, and more. me, when i see 15 mls games on the weekend schedule: pic.twitter.com/Ztmb2XywPW— Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) March 1, 2025 Winner: Anyone close enough to feel Bradley Carnell’s early season auraThe year is 2023.

2 months ago | backheeled.com | Arman Kafai |Ben Wright |Joseph Lowery

We’re back, folks. And by “we’re”, I mean, you, me, MLS, and the numbers, of course. After a long offseason filled with rule changes and major moves, this past weekend finally gave us the chance to see what all 30 MLS teams actually look like on the field. With new coaches, systems, and players, the first few weeks of the season always feature an adjustment period, which makes it difficult (and foolish!) to read too much into the data. But there’s still something to be gleaned.

2 months ago | backheeled.com | Arman Kafai |Joseph Lowery

There’s a legitimate argument that this past offseason was the biggest in MLS history – remember, Lionel Messi and David Beckham both arrived midseason. With money being injected into the ecosystem with new rules like the cash-for-player trades and changes to the General Allocation Money system, teams have more autonomy with their roster builds than ever before.