St. Louis City swing big, Chucky Lozano’s San Diego return & more! | MLS Update
The Total Soccer Show discusses major MLS transfers including Rafael Navarro to St. Louis City, Owen Wolfe to Sporting Kansas City, and Chucky Lozano's return to San Diego. The hosts analyze how these moves affect team trajectories, evaluate Inter-Miami's hiring of Christian Killi Gonzalez as coach, and debate whether star signings alone can fix defensive issues.
Summary
The episode opens with hosts Taylor Rockwell, Joe Lowry, and Jeff Reuter discussing which MLS team they'd most want to be traded to, establishing that Miami, Atlanta, and Sporting Kansas City are currently willing to spend significant money. The main transfer focus is St. Louis City's acquisition of Rafael Navarro from Colorado Rapids for $12 million, which the hosts praise as a brilliant move. Navarro is characterized as an exceptional all-around striker with elite possession play and defensive work rate—exactly what St. Louis needs for their system. Colorado responds with their own reinforcements, including Morgan Whitaker from Middlesbrough for a club record fee and a U22 player, attempting to offset the loss.
The hosts discuss Colorado's pattern of selling star players (Georgie, now Navarro) and how this positions them as a "selling club" rather than contenders. Meanwhile, San Jose acquires Eduardo Loewin from St. Louis, where Bruce Arena plans to use him in a more advanced role, making it an intra-league move that excites the hosts. However, San Jose's broader problems—including terrible goalkeeper play from Angus Gunn (12th percentile in goals prevented above expected) and injuries to Timo Werner and Nico Shakira—suggest they're regressing rather than truly improving.
Sporting Kansas City's acquisition of Owen Wolfe from Austin for $7.6 million (with performance add-ons) is praised as smart U22 business, keeping salary flexibility while adding proven MLS talent. The hosts debate Wolfe's best position, with Joe suggesting he's not ideal for a double pivot, though Rafael Vickery's system remains unclear given Kansas City's recent poor performances.
Portland's sale of Kevin Kelsey to Rangers FC for $13 million generates mixed reactions—good business for Portland but raises questions about their direction now losing their emerging striker. Austin's rebuilding (selling Wolfe and Danny Pereira) and San Diego's positioning (Luca Bombino to Stoke, Kieran Sargent stepping up) are discussed, with San Diego emerging as the club best positioned to handle departures.
Chucky Lozano's return to San Diego results in a goal for LAFC but a 3-1 loss, suggesting ongoing tension between player and club following last year's alleged handshake incident with Mikey Varas. The hosts note that San Diego's recent performances and additions (Elias Achuri scoring) show they're the stronger team.
LA Galaxy's struggles continue despite having Ricky Puig, with the hosts arguing that without a star in their solar system, Greg Vanney's tactical limitations become apparent. They're positioned disappointingly in the Western Conference standings.
Inter-Miami's hiring of Christian Killi Gonzalez as manager (replacing Marciano) is analyzed as another relationship-based hire rather than a performance-based one. The hosts note his 32.5% career winning percentage and argue his purpose is managing Lionel Messi's happiness and contract through 2028 rather than implementing tactical innovations. Messi's performance remains elite—20 multi-goal games in 72 MLS appearances (more than one brace every four games)—making Miami still the favorites for MLS Cup regardless of coaching changes.
The episode concludes with discussion of whether any current MLS coach could actually coach Messi, with Brian Schmetzer, Matt Wells, and possibly Bob Bradley named as candidates, though the hosts largely agree no one should try to significantly alter Messi's play.
About this episode
<p>Taylor, Jeff, and Joe are here to break down the latest from around MLS! We discuss big transfer news — see: major changes in St. Louis and Colorado — along with high-priced outgoing moves, a dramatic reunion, Inter Miami’s new manager, and more!</p><br /><p><strong>JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/totalsoccershow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Check out our Patreon</a>, which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, videos, The TSS Scouting Network, and much more.</p><br /><p><strong>WATCH TSS EPISODES ON YOUTUBE!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Total-Soccer-Show" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We're posting all our episodes here</a>! Smash like and subscribe etc.!</p><br /><p><strong>TSS SCOTLAND TRIP!</strong></p><p>Want to come along with the TSS crew to a once-in-a-lifetime soccer trip to Scotland? <a href="https://www.earthlydelights.club/tss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Register your interest here</a>!</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Key Insights
- Rafael Navarro is characterized as MLS's best on-ball striker outside Luis Suarez due to his possession play, linking ability, and defensive work rate—exactly what St. Louis's possession-heavy system requires, making him far more valuable there than in Colorado's lower-possession approach.
- The hosts argue that Colorado Rapids operate as a 'selling club' due to insufficient ownership support, losing players like Georgie and now Navarro, which prevents them from competing for trophies despite attempts to reinvest via other signings.
- Joe Lowry contends that within-league U22 moves like Owen Wolfe to Kansas City are preferable to international signings because players already understand MLS's travel, weather, and rhythms, reducing acclimation time critical for mid-season acquisitions.
- Angus Gunn, San Jose's replacement goalkeeper, ranks in the 12th percentile for goals prevented above expected according to StatsBomb data, indicating systematic defensive and positioning failures beyond typical goalkeeper struggles.
- The hosts view Inter-Miami's hiring of Christian Killi Gonzalez as driven entirely by his personal relationship with Messi rather than his 32.5% career winning percentage, framing it as managing Messi's satisfaction through his contract rather than implementing tactical change.
- Lionel Messi has achieved 20 multi-goal games in 72 MLS appearances—more than one brace every four games—demonstrating he remains historically elite despite retirement from Argentina and personal tragedy, sustaining Miami's title favorites status regardless of coaching.
- Jeff Reuter argues that signing star strikers like Griezmann and Lewandowski doesn't automatically fix teams if midfield and defense remain disorganized, evidenced by Seattle-Chicago (2-2) and Orlando-Minnesota (3-3) performances despite individual brilliance.
- The hosts debate whether any current MLS coach could successfully direct Messi, suggesting Matt Wells, Brian Schmetzer, or Bob Bradley might have the tactical credibility, but ultimately conclude no one should attempt significant tactical influence over Messi's play.
Topics
Transcript
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