MLS Winners and Losers: Evander apologizes for scoring winning goals, Kai Wagner is back and San Diego FC don't learn their lesson

The first thing Evander did after scoring from exactly 38.5 yards away from goal was apologize to his coach. FC Cincinnati's manager Pat Noonan had supposedly held a meeting with his squad earlier in the week, begging them to take higher-quality shots and be more patient in attack. A bit more savvy in the final third, he argued, and Cincinnati could take the next step.

So, when Evander took a touch, looked up, shrugged, and bashed the ball home from the parking lot, he was technically ignoring his coach's orders. He was also scoring the winning goal in a quite remarkable comeback over San Jose. Cincinnati went down 2-0 at home, and looked to be staring down back-to-back losses. Then Evander took over. He assisted the first with a tidy dink into the path of Bryan Ramirez. He assisted the second, too, finding Tom Barlow in a similar area, who finished. And then came the quite remarkable third.

All of this happened, of course, with the attacking midfielder appearing as nonchalant as ever. But by full time, his statline read: one goal, two assists, seven chances created and, of course, Man of the Match.

What is going on in Seattle? The Sounders, if nothing else, are always there or thereabouts. Brian Schmetzer's side has made the playoffs in nine of the past 10 seasons. In all but one of those appearances, they were among the top four. Their ability to make deep runs can be questioned - especially after last year's round one exit to Minnesota United on penalties. But consistency is Schmetzer's thing.

It is quite baffling, then, to see the Pacific Northwest's best rack up six straight losses, a new franchise record. It is even more surprising - and perhaps a little demoralizing - that two of the six have come at the hands of Portland, who are on their third head coach of the season. Saturday night's loss felt particularly dour, if only because the Sounders actually took the lead. But they crumbled as the game wore on. Paul Arriola's fourth-minute injury was a blow to an already thin squad.

And while Portland managed the game and grabbed a much-deserved late winner, the Sounders looked bereft of both energy and ideas. They put just one shot on target in the second half, and managed seven touches in the opposition box after the break. Everything looks a bit bleak at the moment. And with Leagues Cup imminent, it's hard to see where things improve.

Well, it was going to happen at some point. There was a funny scene before the Chicago Fire's Eastern Conference matchup against Charlotte. Robert Lewandowski literally did not know where he was going. In a brief clip, captured by Apple TV cameras as he walked into the stadium, the Polish legend was pictured asking a security guard for directions as he walked into the bowels of the cavernous Soldier Field.

This place, after all, is new to him. But on Saturday, he made it look just like home. What's so special about Lewandowski these days is the way he is able to move. He has never relied on pace or athleticism. Lewandowski is one of those durable strikers who relies on both ruthless instinct and the ability to contort his body to find impossible angles. Both of his goals were fine examples of that. The first was a swivel and deadly finish into the bottom corner, the movement of the hips of a far younger man. The second was a brief nudge of the ball away from a center back, a delicate tap to cut off an angle and create just enough room for a slick side-foot into the bottom corner.

His first couple of games in the league were a bit difficult. But make no mistake. Lewandowski has arrived.

Tata Martino claimed before this season that at Atlanta United return was a good idea:

"I know there's a saying that second acts aren't always the best. But in my case, I've done it once before, and we were able to achieve success," he told GOAL in November.

It was pretty easy to believe him. Atlanta were coming off a disastrous season but had invested just 12 months before. The squad looked good enough to, at the very least, go from Eastern Conference basement dwellers to playoff contention. And even if Martino urged patience, there was an expectation that the man who won them the MLS Cup less than a decade before could at least turn their fortunes around.

Turns out some situations are more difficult to turn around than others. Atlanta simply can't get going. They are rarely blown out, but no MLS club has lost more games, and they have the fewest points in the league. The latest disappointment? A 3-2 loss to Philadelphia after leading 2-0 after 66 minutes. In fairness, Atlanta were down to 10 men and in survival mode. But conceding twice in stoppage time is a pretty morbid turn of events. The word is Romelu Lukaku could be on the way, not long after Emmanuel Latte Lath was loaned out to Union Berlin. That would surely be a welcome boost.

Philadelphia's transfer strategy is funny. It goes something like this: own two of the four best defenders of the league, then get rid of them in the same offseason. Watch one struggle for consistency at a Western Conference foe. Then buy the other back seven months after letting him go. Wagner is the club's all-time assist leader, and has a deadly left foot. He was, no doubt, the Union's best player during their 2025 Supporters' Shield run, too, providing 11 assists while also playing a key role in MLS's best defense.

His return has been a quite remarkable thing. The Union might have been struggling when he arrived. But with Wagner back, they have found their form of old. He has three assists in three games, and produced two quite sumptuous ones to lead a late comeback for the Union against Atlanta on Saturday evening. Whether this is a mere bump for a team that couldn't get worse remains to be seen. Certainly, NY Red Bulls, Seattle and Atlanta is a kind trio of fixtures. But you can only beat what's put in front of you, and Wagner looks a lot like the best left back in MLS again.

For the billionth time, San Diego, why are we playing out of the back? Yes, last year's Western Conference champs play some delightful football. But it is also immensely predictable, and, at times, very easy to stop. Varas, though, has stuck to his guns in insisting that San Diego keep the ball on the deck. They are bottom of the league in clearances per match, and 25th in xG against. To translate: they don't kick the ball very far and when they lose it, the opposition get high quality turnovers. More often than not, they are converting, too.

And that is exactly what happened against Minnesota. San Diego conceded an entirely preventable goal in the third minute, when the home side pounced on some sloppy play. They fought back for a 1-1 draw, and might have won it, too. But Varas' insistence on playing once way has become detrimental.

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