Breakfast Links - August 28, 2023

We’ve made it through another weekend, and a little closer to the end of summer. Let’s get into the links to get your week started off right.

Houston

Some mixed results this weekend for the Houston teams. The best result of the bunch was the Dynamo who won 3-0 on the road to Real Salt Lake. After failing to beat RSL in their last ten meetings, the Dynamo went and beat them twice in one week. This was the fourth road win of the season in all competitions, showing some massive progress in that regard. Corey Baird scored the opening goal against his former club with the assist coming from Brad Smith. Hector Herrera set up Daniel Steres who found himself in an advanced position for goal two. Then Coco capped off the night with a sweet finish on a cutback from Aliyu Ibrahim. The Dynamo were dominant from start to finish even with the long weather delay.

The Dash managed to get another important point as they try to make those last playoff spots. While a point was nice, it is getting to the point of the season where three points are needed every time they step on the field. The offense struggled yet again until Michelle Alozie decided to do it on her own. She won a tackle high up the field and carried the ball forward to unleash a wild shot that found the bottom corner. It is becoming do or die for the Dash now, four points behind the playoff line with five games to go.

The Dynamo first team had a massive game but we cannot say the same for Dynamo 2. Dos hosted LA Galaxy II and lost 4-0 in humiliating fashion. This is now the second loss in a row for the team in the most important part of the season. They are only a point above the playoff line with four games left to go. It’s going to be a tough fight to stay above the line.

MLS/NWSL

Draws were the theme this week in the NWSL with four of six games ending in a tie. The only teams to get all three points were San Diego and Angel City. It was a massive win for both teams as it gives San Diego a five-point gap between them and the teams below the playoff line. Angel City are now just three points away from the playoffs and are hitting some good form at just the right time. More points were dropped by Chicago as they drew against North Carolina. It’s looking like their chances of making the playoffs are near zero.

There were some massively one sided matchups once again in MLS this week. Let’s start with Atlanta who dominated Leagues Cup runners up Nashville 4-0. Thiago Almada had one of the performances of the season with a goal and two assists. Cincinnati destroyed NYCFC at home 3-0 with another goal from new striker Aaron Boupendza. Lionel Messi got his first MLS goal from an incredible play combining with Jordi Alba and Benjamin Cremaschi.

Out west, we saw Dallas with a last-minute goal to beat Austin 1-0. Nkosi Tafari scored the goal to earn all three points over their Texas rivals. The LA Galaxy and Sporting KC both had massive 3-0 wins to keep them in the playoff conversation. Portland and Vancouver had the highest scoring matchup of the week with Vancouver winning 3-2 on the road. Ryan Gauld scored a brace and added an assist to continue his impressive season.

Around the World

The Bundesliga continued with a massive road win for Union Berlin who were down to ten men for the last 70 minutes. American midfielder Brandon Aaronson was sent off in just the 21st minute. New signing Robin Gosens scored a brace to elevate his team to a win as they fight for a potential title challenge. Bayer Leverkusen continues to look like the best coached team in the league with a 3-0 win on the road to Borussia Monchengladbach. Victor Boniface scored his third goal in three games now for Leverkusen. Harry Kane also scored his second and third goals for Bayern in a 3-1 win over Augsburg.

AC Milan are off to a flying start with another win against Torino. Christian Pulisic scored once again as his partnerships with Giroud and Leao continue to develop into something special. Both Rome teams find themselves winless for the second week in a row with Roma losing to Hellas Verona and Lazio losing to Genoa. Juventus has dropped points for the first team this season with a 1-1 draw against Bologna.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal had the worst possible starts to their games this weekend with both conceding in the first minutes. Unlike Arsenal, United were able to come back and get all three points in a 3-2 win against Nottingham Forrest. Arsenal managed to comeback and then choke the lead to draw 2-2 with Fulham. West Ham won again with a shocking 3-1 win away to Brighton. Title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool both got three points in tight games against Sheffield and Newcastle.