As Bologna thrive, sister club CF Montreal has been left in the dust

**Timbers take advantage of LAFC rotation**

Los Angeles FC entered the weekend as the final MLS team yet to concede a goal. The Portland Timbers came into Saturday’s match winless in five, with Phil Neville kicking an ad board after a recent draw. So, true to custom in MLS, both trends ended in unison: Timbers 2, LAFC 1. After largely riding his starting lineup through an unbeaten league start and a continental campaign, Marc Dos Santos finally rotated; Son Heung-min, Hugo Lloris and Sergi Palencia were all healthy scratches from the matchday roster. In his MLS debut, 21-year-old homegrown goalkeeper Cabral Carter impressed, making a reflexive triple save to keep Portland from doubling their initial lead. Another academy product, 17-year-old Jude Terry (also a Guardian Next Generation honoree), scored his first MLS goal in fine style with a curling equalizer around a diving James Pantemis. Portland bravely fought back, finally finding a winner in the final minute. Canada winger Jacob Shaffelberg misread a wishful cross into the mixer, with right back Brandon Bye heading it back into the heart of the box where striker Kevin Kelsy provided the necessary prod. The Timbers faithful erupted, climbing closer to the playoff positions they expect to hold each year. Neville’s relief was clear to see after the final whistle, with multiple team staffers coming up to hug and pat his back between congratulatory daps between the coach and his players. Even at their mid-2010s best, the Timbers could dependably win ugly: the majesty of Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe, and Sebastián Blanco paired with the muscle and scrap of Nat Borchers, Diego Chara, and Will Johnson. Considering the rotated LAFC lineup, it was a game Portland simply couldn’t afford to leave with dropped points. Mission accomplished for another week.

**Second season Bruce**

Throughout a distinguished career, Bruce Arena has shown a knack for nailing his second season. After leading DC United to a surprise MLS Cup in the league’s first year, his team was a legitimate juggernaut as it won the league’s first domestic double in 1997. His second full year with the LA Galaxy saw David Beckham win his first Supporters’ Shield, kicking off another dynasty. In his second year with the New England Revolution, they set a new record for points in a single season. He’s just seven games into year two with San Jose, but he’s already pulled off a trick that’d proven difficult for recent predecessors: he’s made the Quakes both fun *and* consistently good. While sample sizes are still too small for many broad strokes assessments, their place in the standings and the underlying numbers back them: a +9.4 xG difference, per American Soccer Analysis, one of two teams (Vancouver, +13.6) fostering a margin over +5.0. Related: MLS commissioner: Fifa ‘smart’ to use dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets San Jose are one of just two teams with 18 points in the young season, also tied for the fewest goals conceded (2) thus far. The team’s construction follows a blueprint that Arena (who also leads recruitment) has refined from stop to stop: a largely domestic core of players supplemented by a few foreign standouts. Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel has been in his best form under Arena, while Timo Werner and Ronaldo Vieira are among the top options in their positions leaguewide. The domestic contingent is doing their part, too. Niko Tsakiris is actualizing his long-lofty potential and is among the league’s steadiest chance creators. Beau Leroux has quickly become one of the league’s best box-to-box midfielders, while striker Preston Judd is a dependable line-leader with physicality and a knack for creating the requisite space in close quarters to fashion his shots. Saturday’s 3-1 win in Kansas City came without Werner, with all three goals coming from domestic vets: two from Jack Skahan, a 28-year-old winger who’s been at the club since 2020, and a third from Dave Romney, a holdover from Arena’s time in LA and New England. While Kansas City is hardly a heavyweight, the Quakes’ early wins against last year’s Western Conference finalists (Vancouver and San Diego) show they shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s just what Arena does.

Odds and ends

• Inter Miami is now winless in their first two games at Nu Stadium, after blowing a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute against Red Bull New York on Saturday. Michael Bradley’s side still leans heavily on academy products, with exceptional midfield prospect Adri Mehmeti equalizing for his first MLS goal. Miami’s next home game comes on 25 April, with New England looking to continue the spoilers’ streak.
• Colorado rebounded from last week’s madcap loss in Toronto with another chaotic contest. The Rapids outlasted Houston in a 6-2 goal fest, with five goals coming from the 69th minute onwards. Their 19 goals to date this year are joint-most in MLS, tied with Vancouver after their more modest 2-0 win over New York City.
• MLS teams begin their participation in the US Open Cup field this week, with 16 teams joining in the tournament’s third round. MLS has only had partial participation since the cup resumed after Covid-19 led to two cancelled installments, with defending champion Nashville SC among the non-participants due to their qualification for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Four MLS sides will face a lower-division opponent from within their state: Orlando (away at third-division FC Naples), NYC FC (at third-division Westchester SC), Charlotte (hosting third-division Charlotte Independence), and Houston (hosting second-division El Paso Locomotive).