Welcome, class. Please open your textbooks to Matchday 5.
Today we're examining some of the most interesting things we learned from the latest slate of MLS matches. We’ve got a rising star in Los Angeles, a real threat out East, problems in Toronto and more.
Let’s dive in.
I’m sorry, but who put Daryl Dike in David MartÃnez’s body?
I mean, seriously. Martinez’s goal against Sporting Kansas City was reminiscent of some of the walloped finishes that Dike pulled out during his time with Orlando City SC. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Venezuelan teenager unleashing that absurdly powerful strike above serves as a reminder of just how talented a player he is.
For LAFC, who played without Denis Bouanga while the star winger was on international duty with Gabon, having a final-third threat like MartÃnez to plop on the left wing is a luxury.
Between Bouanga, MartÃnez and new Designated Player Cengiz Ãœnder, Steve Cherundolo has one of the most talented wide attacking groups in MLS. Now, we know Cherundolo prioritizes defense compactness and transition play over free-flowing final third patterns. But his first-choice wingers are so dangerous with the ball that they can create a moment of magic, even with six opponents clogging space in the box. That was certainly the case with MartÃnez’s goal.
Playing on the road without their biggest star, LAFC cruised to a 2-0 win over SKC. Depth is a differentiator, even at this stage of the season. LAFC have plenty of that.
New York City looking a little light on attacking talent after selling Santi RodrÃguez for a bundle of cash was pretty much the "free space" on the team’s early-season bingo card. Still, go ahead and pull out your dauber to mark that spot.
Through five games, only eight teams in MLS have generated a smaller amount of non-penalty xG per 90 minutes than Pascal Jansen’s team. Outside of a 2-1 win over Orlando City on Matchday 3, New York City are yet to clear the 1.2 xG mark in 2025. And in a 0-0 draw with the Columbus Crew on Saturday, they put in a season-low 0.2 xG performance.
Maxi Moralez, who’s started all five games for NYCFC, is being asked to carry a massive chance-creation burden. At 38, he’s not suited for that role in the way he was even a few years ago. Outside of Alonso MartÃnez, Jansen still seems to be searching for a set of attackers who can deliver consistently. Hannes Wolf hasn’t looked like the same player that thrived to start 2024, since… well, a few months into 2024. Julián Fernández and AgustÃn Ojeda can’t quite seem to figure it out.
NYCFC’s two DPs in their 2 DP/4 U22 setup are Thiago Martins (a center back) and Talles Magno (out on loan). They desperately need to shift to that 3 DP/3 U22 model in the summer to add an in-prime No. 10. Still, the summer is a ways away. Expect to see more creation struggles in the meantime.
…and more than that, the Philadelphia Union sure look legit.
On Saturday, Bradley Carnell had the chance to get back at the club that dismissed him partway through last season, with the Union welcoming St. Louis CITY to Subaru Park. Despite missing five starters – Tai Baribo, Dániel Gazdag, Danley Jean Jacques, Frankie Westfield and Andre Blake – for the international window, the Union pulled off a controlled 1-0 win.
Carnell stuck to his 4-2-2-2 guns, moved Nathan Harriel higher up the right wing to cover for the absent Gazdag, and no one seemed to miss a beat. After center back Ian Glavinovich scored in the eighth minute, Philadelphia put on the clamps in their pressing setup, allowing just 15 passes into the final third and only five into their own box, according to MLS Analytics.
Stiffer tests await the Philadelphia Union, including a visit to Inter Miami on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) that will put huge stress on their aggressive tactical approach. Still, it’s hard to argue that this team has been anything but hugely impressive en route to collecting 12 points from five games.
I’ll admit: I did a double-take when I saw Lorenzo Insigne's name in Toronto FC’s starting lineup. After reports that Insigne was told he didn’t fit in new Toronto manager Robin Fraser’s tactical setup and that the club tried to move him to a European club, Insigne hadn’t played a single minute in 2025.
That changed Saturday when Fraser started the 33-year-old winger on the left side of the attack against the New York Red Bulls.
In his 90 minutes, Insigne didn’t manage a shot, a key pass, or a pass into the Red Bulls’ box during a 2-1 loss. He wasn’t a threat in the final third and completed just one of his three take-on attempts. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
Despite earning more money than every player in MLS outside of Lionel Messi last season, Insigne was largely a non-factor with four goals across nearly 1,400 minutes in 2024. His production was largely the same in 2023, with four goals in just over 1,500 minutes.
And so far this season? The Italian star doesn't seem primed to be a difference-maker.
Given their roster's make-up, Toronto need their DPs to be downright excellent to give Fraser’s team a chance to compete in the East. It doesn't seem like Insigne will be, unless Fraser works some magic.
While Insigne hasn’t flipped the switch up in Toronto, there’s another DP in the Eastern Conference who’s begun changing games: Luis Muriel.
After arriving from Serie A side Atalanta before last season, Muriel lost his starting No. 9 job by June. His lack of energy and tendency to drop deep for needless touches had Oscar Pareja souring on the Colombian veteran. The result? Muriel rode the pine, played just under 1,600 minutes, and scored five goals. That’s not exactly the impact Orlando City’s front office had in mind when they made him the 12th-highest-paid player in the league last year, according to MLS Players Association figures.
So far this year, though, Muriel looks like a different player. With a goal contribution in four straight games and goals in two of his three starts, the 33-year-old Colombian international has been an elite attacking presence alongside MartÃn Ojeda and Marco PaÅ¡alić.
Muriel is doing more defensively than he did at virtually any point last season:
And he’s channeling more of his energy into carving out pockets of space in the opposing penalty box, rather than constantly dropping deep to facilitate play. Muriel is skilled enough on the ball that you want him doing both of those things, but he’s found a much healthier balance in 2025.
At least for now, Muriel has a two-handed grip on the starting striker role. If he keeps playing like he did on Saturday against D.C. United, Orlando City will march up the Eastern Conference standings.
