Inter Miami are dropping points, and their stars are in hiding: MLS weekend wrap

Frustration boils over

The Philadelphia Union’s 0-0 draw against Nashville SC would have been forgettable, but for one notable moment. About 68 minutes in – and with the Union stretched defensively – head coach Bradley Carnell pulled 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan. Sullivan, who was starting just his third league match of the year, was unhappy. We know this because one could read Sullivan’s lips as he jogged off the field: “Fucking bullshit, motherfucker.” Related: The Vancouver Whitecaps are MLS’s best team this season. Why are they on life support? Aside from the Union’s run in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Sullivan has largely been left out of Carnell’s plans, at least as a starter. It’s been a head-scratching decision at times, with the Union circling the drain in the Eastern Conference, in need of some creativity up top that Sullivan could provide. It’s led some to question whether Sullivan’s growth is being stunted by the Union ahead of a potentially life-altering transfer – he has a clause in his contract that will see him move to Manchester City when he turns 18, or potentially earlier to one of their sister clubs. It’s also fair to ask what anybody is supposed to expect from Sullivan, who was even younger than MLS’s other notable phenom, Freddy Adu, when he made his first team debut in 2024. Carnell praised Sullivan’s performance after the match and pinned the substitution on a tactical shift. “You know, the front four, they invest so much for us and there were a couple of plays at the end there where [Nashville] brings on [Andy] Najar, especially down that side,” Carnell said. “That’s why we had to get [Agustín Anello] on just from a physicality point of view, just to do the recoveries as well. So, you know, definitely not performance related because he did really well.” Carnell’s remarks aside, outbursts like Sullivan’s are never helpful and may run counter to the general assessment of Sullivan, or at least the one that existed when the Union announced he’d be headed to Manchester City in the first place. Back then, decision-makers at the Union spoke of his maturity and professionalism. Saturday’s outburst doesn’t mean that assessment is wrong, though – rather, we just saw a different side of Sullivan, though many in attendance probably understood his frustration. \\\*

San Diego standoff goes aerial

The borderline telenovela between San Diego FC and Chucky Lozano has reached brand new heights. Altitudes, even. Lozano has been excluded from San Diego’s plans this year and has been training away from the team, having recently posted something akin to an “everybody hurts” video of himself wandering around San Diego’s training facility alone. The club’s head coach, Mikey Varas, gave an almost hilariously curt answer last week when asked if Lozano – who is making $7.4m a year – coulc return to the team, offering the following: “No chance.” Yet San Diego’s pitiful start to the season has fans clamoring for his return, with some supporters chanting Lozano’s name during matches. Just before Saturday’s match against LAFC, a plane appeared overhead towing a banner with a message for Varas, or anybody who would listen: “FREE CHUCKY = MORE WINS.” San Diego actually looked decent against Los Angeles and very nearly won, undone deep into second-half stoppage time by a controversial Ryan Hollingshead strike. Something tells me we won’t be seeing Lozano anytime soon, airborne pleas be damned.