J. Sam Jones

1 week ago | fivestripefinal.com | J. Sam Jones

Atlanta United put together their best performance of the year on Sunday. They weren’t perfect. But the bar has been set down on the floor at this point. At least they stopped running into it. A few contextual notes before we dig in. First, I hope Nick Hagglund is well and recovering. From a purely on-field perspective, I don’t think his early injury can be treated as a major reason for Cincy’s struggles.

1 week ago | mlssoccer.com | J. Sam Jones

Inter Miami rescued a late point, the Quakes played a wild, high-scoring game, and the Whitecaps pulled off an impressive comeback. It was truly a week unlike any other. As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does get a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots, though. The 'Caps have figured out how to go full horror movie monster.

2 weeks ago | fivestripefinal.com | J. Sam Jones

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2 weeks ago | fivestripefinal.com | J. Sam Jones

via Atlanta UnitedBefore the season began, we ran a series called “Performance Evaluations” that looked back at each returning player’s 2024 and took our best shot at what their 2025 might look like. Some were optimistic (Hi, Bartek), some were skeptical (Hi, Alexey), and some were a psyop based on per 90 stats to kickstart flame wars about certain players that would in theory boost clicks to the article (Jk we would never do that) ((Hi, Edwin)).

2 weeks ago | mlssoccer.com | J. Sam Jones

Orlando scored three goals in a game, El Tráfico got weird and Inter Miami struggled defensively. It was truly a week unlike any other. As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does get a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots, though. The ‘Caps couldn’t find a breakthrough against Austin in Saturday’s 0-0 draw.