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Morning update

Morning update: Lagerwey pauses in Atlanta, DCU fire Lesesne, Vazquez out, Cosmos back, and more

ASN's Brian Sciarette kicks off your Friday and your weekend with a news roundup. DC United fires Troy Lesesne, but does it matter if the club won't spend? Cosmos are back, are they relevant? Lagerwey's reveals cancer diagnosis, European preseason, MLS returns in full, and much more
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
July 11, 2025
6:55 AM

GOOD MORNING AND happy Friday to all ASN readers. With the Gold Cup over and the Club World Cup winding down, American soccer is returning to what is normal in mid-July, specifically MLS, USL, and transfer news/rumors.

Fortunately, there is news in all of it.

 

Lagerwey’s cancer diagnosis

 

Atlanta United president Garth Lagerwey has been forced to take an indefinite leave of absence due to a cancer diagnosis. The club said that the prognosis for a complete recovery were “encouraging” and Lagerwey ended the statement saying “I shall return.”

Lagerwey, 52, joined Atlanta United in 2022 after serving as the general manager with both Seattle and Real Salt Lake – where he won titles with both organizations.

This season, Atlanta United has struggled immensely despite spending significantly on new players such as Emmanuel Latte Lath and the return of Miguel Almiron. Despite this, Atalanta sits 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference.

Per the club: “In the interim, Chief Soccer Officer Chris Henderson, Chief Business Officer Skate Noftsinger and Senior Vice President of Strategy Dimitrios Efstathiou will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of their respective departments and provide regular reports to Lagerwey and Rich McKay, Chief Executive Officer of AMB Sports and Entertainment, during his absence.”

 

DC United fires Lesesne

 

DC United sits 12th in the Eastern Conference and will now be looking for a new manager as they fired Troy Lesesne on Thursday. Assistant coach Zach Prince has also been let go.

Academy director Kevin Flanagan has been named interim head coach but both the Washington Post and Give Me Sport have said that René Weiler will be the team’s next coach. Weiler, 53, is a native of Switzerland and most recently managed Servette in Switzerland. He has had stints in Belgium, Japan, and elsewhere – but never in the United States.

My take on this is that unless the club decides to spend money throughout its roster, results will not improve. They have among the least talented rosters in the league.

 

New York Cosmos return

 

USL has been aggressive over the past years with the announcements that they want promotion/relegation between its Championship and League One leagues. The organization then announced that it wants to create a first-division league on par with MLS.

On Thursday, the league announced that the New York Cosmos would be incorporated into League One starting in 2026 and would play in Patterson, NJ at Hinchliffe Stadium. New Jersey native and former Italian international Giuseppe Rossi will serve as the head of soccer operations.

The New York Cosmos were last rebooted in 2010 in the revival of the NASL and then later NISA. The team last played in 2020.

This revival began when North Jersey Pro Soccer was awarded franchise rights in USL and then was able to secure the name from Rocco Commisso – who remains as a minority owner.

It remains an open questions how much of an appetite there is for the Cosmos anymore. It has been over 40 years since their heyday and only fans in their 50’s and 60’s will remember those days. But the name is still big and it gives the USL penetration into the New York/New Jersey market, which it needs.

The bet is that the club’s first game in 2026 will be a big deal. But how long it lasts is another question.

 

Vazquez out for the season

 

Austin FC defeated San Jose in a shootout to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, but the result was extremely costly as USMNT forward Brandon Vazquez tore his ACL and will now miss the rest of the season and potentially the start of 2026. Austin FC has scored just 15 goals in 20 games and are clinging to the last playoff spot – 9th place in the Western Conference.

 

MLS returns in full form this weekend

 

There were a few midweek MLS games this weekend but nothing too surprising as Lionel Messi scored twice for Inter Miami in a 2-1 win away over New England. The Revs are now four points out of the final playoff spot. Inter Miami, meanwhile, sits fifth but has the third best points per game ratio given that they had to miss games due to the Club World Cup and Champions League.

LAFC easily got past Colorado 3-0 after Colorado went down to 10-men early. Colorado fell to 10th place and are skidding out of the playoff picture.

This weekend, however, will see MLS teams return to action with full strength rosters and ahead of the secondary Transfer window opening on July 24 through August 21.

The best game this weekend is Cincinnati hosting Columbus as it pits two of the best teams in the East against each other in what is also part of the Ohio Derby. Cincinnati’s Evander has been the best player in the league over the past month.

Inter Miami hosts Nashville in what will also be another top matchup between two contending teams. With Walker Zimmerman returning, Nashville is very balanced and will be tough to beat. Inter Miami is about how far Messi can take them.

Meanwhile, NYCFC has bolstered its team with the acquisition of Argentine midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau as a Designated Player from Spanish side Elche CF on a contract through 2029. NYCFC had spots open and needed to make this happen. He will be able to play after July 24th once the transfer window opens.

 

European preseason

 

It is still in the early stages of the European preseason and teams in the top leagues are mostly playing against small teams as they get into the flow. But there are some little bits of news.

Taylor Booth scored for FC Twente against FK Qarabag on Thursday as he looks to move on past a disappointing 2024/25 season where he was injured frequently.

Former U.S. youth international left back Jonathan Gomez is back to the Segunda in Spain as he was loaned by his club, PAOK in Greece, to Albacete Balompie. Gomez is coming off essentially a lost season.  

Matthew Hoppe is also trying to revive his stalled career and he scored for SonderjyskE on Friday in a 2-1 win over Esbjerg. Reports say it was a nice shot from distance.

Daryl Dike played about 60 minutes for West Brom Albion in a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kiev. It will be very interesting to see if he can finally turn the page on a very ugly two-year run with injuries.

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