Alex_freeman_-_asn_top-_orlando_vs._dc_united_-_9-13-25
Morning update

Morning update: Porter gone, Freeman shows quality, U-20 roster looms, & the UCL opens

ASN's Brian Sciaretta kicks off your Tuesday with thoughts on MLS, the U.S. U-20 World Cup team, and Americans in the Champions League as the tournament opens today
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
September 16, 2025
10:05 AM

HAPPY TUESDAY TO all ASN readers, it’s a busy week in American soccer. In MLS we can look back at the weekend’s top stories and games, in Europe we will see potentially 10 Americans involved in the Champions League, and later this week Marko Mitrovic will name his U.S. U-20 World Cup roster.

For now, let’s start on the domestic side of things

 

MLS News and Thoughts

 

Revs fire Porter

 

Caleb Porter was fired by the New England Revolution on Monday. It is his second season running the team and there hasn’t been any improvement. This was supposed to be the year when everything was lined up for him and it never happened. The Revs are technically not eliminated from the playoffs yet, but they are 10 points back and should be eliminated soon. The final straw came over the weekend in a 1-1 draw with Toronto at home.

Assistant Coach Pablo Moreira will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season



For the Revs, this move seems like it should have happened weeks or months ago. It was clear in midseason that things were not going well for the Revs. Why did they wait? Did the club miss out on top potential candidates because they waited so long?

What also makes this difficult for the Revolution is that last winter the club brought in several new players that were designed for Porter’s system. That makes this an expensive fire. Will the next manager have a use for these players?

Getting rid of Bruce Arena two years ago proved to be a disaster. Arena was not toxic. He’s back in the league and no one is upset about it.

As for Porter, he is an accomplished coach, but it wasn’t a fit in New England. Unfortunately, it has been a while since he last had success. It might take some time for him to be back.

 

Charlotte wins 9th in a row

 

Charlotte is the hottest team in the league and Saturday’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami was the club’s ninth win in a row in MLS play. Idan Toklomati has been an upgrade for Patrick Agyemang, who was sold to Derby County. Tim Ream was showing signs of age but has now found the fountain of youth, yet again.

Dean Smith is going to have his name up for coach of the year, even if Mikey Varas remains the favorite.

The big question is whether Charlotte can keep it up into the post season? Kristijan Kahlina has been probably the hottest goalkeeper in the league over the past two months. It becomes tough to rely on that in the postseason where elite designated players tend to raise their game.

But we will see.

As for Miami, they should be a little worried. They’ve played fewer games than everyone else and should rise from eighth place. But is Messi tired? Was their meltdown after the Seattle loss reflective of a deeper problem?

Sure, Miami won the first Leagues Cup with Messi and advanced out of the group stage at the Club World Cup, but since then the losses have stood out – Atlanta, Monterrey, Vancouver, and Seattle.

 

Vancouver trounces Philadelphia

 

Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell did not start his best possible lineup on Saturday on a trip to Vancouver. But that should not excuse what was a 7-0 loss. Yes, Philadelphia has to play on Tuesday in the Open Cup in Nashville but Vancouver also has a home game on Tuesday in the Canadian Championship, albeit at home against a Canadian Premier League team in Forge FC.

This game was a disaster for the Union, but all history shows this was an aberration instead of a reflection of their lack of quality.

The proper way to view this game is that the Vancouver Whitecaps can be very, very good. In fact, they should be seen as a contender to win MLS Cup. Thomas Mueller has been everything they wanted in terms of his quality, attitude, and leadership. The big test for head coach Jesper Sorensen is what to do when Brian White and Ryan Gauld return from injuries. That should be a powerful, powerful team.  

 

Freeman shows potential

 

Orlando played DC United to a 1-1 draw on Saturday and Orlando’s goal was scored by U.S. international Alex Freeman.

If people want to know why Freeman is likely going to the World Cup, why big European offers are expected, and why Mauricio Pochettino rates him – watch Freeman’s goal.



The modern game at the high levels demands so much from fullbacks but athleticism is a priority at the younger ages. It’s not so much Freeman’s finish but rather his run in the build-up. He just effortlessly takes his sprint to another level to get into the box. You can’t coach or develop that. A player either has it or doesn’t. Freeman has athleticism that is unique and valuable.  

He’s only in his first season as a starter for Orlando. He is improving rapidly. He won’t be at Orlando much longer, but he should consider staying with Orlando until the World Cup. Moving to a team where he might not be a lock starter right away carries a huge risk.

 

Results impacting playoffs

 

Colorado defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-1 in a game that was a huge boost to putting Colorado into the playoffs and now puts Houston on the brink. Paxten Aaronson looked his most comfortable with the Rapids since joining and he might turn out to be the player the Rapids need. Meanwhile Zack Steffen leads MLS this season in saves per game. His USMNT chances are not dead yet (although it’s hard to see him starting for the team).

Meanwhile, USMNT midfielder Jack McGlynn scored for Houston. He’s done his job this season but the Dynamo are not well put together. It would be tough for McGlynn to have his season end in mid-October.

Real Salt Lake moved to the edge of playoff bubble with a 2-1 win Sporting Kansas City. Zavier Gozo assisted on both RSL goals while Diego Luna also scored. Luna is back to being in good form while the youthful Gozo has found another level in his development.

The New York Red Bulls had a chance to secure a point in Portland but conceded the winning goal to the Timbers just minutes after they equalized. RBNY is lackluster and should see their playoff streak end this year.

 

U.S. U-20 World Cup roster

 

The United States U-20 World Cup roster will be announced on Friday and head coach Marko Mitrovic likely knows who he wants to bring (it should closely mirror the recent U-20 roster he brought to the September camp along with maybe players such as Peyton Miller and Sergio Oregel). The question is about releases. It is not just about European-based players. It is also in MLS and if clubs release players to the tournament, they would miss the final weeks of the regular season. That now involves several players on the playoff bubble.

Noahkai Banks was unlikely when he made the jump to the USMNT roster earlier this month. But there are now other concerns.

Benja Cremaschi just moved from Inter Miami to Parma. Will the Serie A club want to let their new player leave?

Cole Campbell made his season debut for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday in a 2-0 win over Heidenheim. If his role on the team is increasing, it might put him in a tough spot. On the other hand, BVB needs Campbell to get minutes, and the U-20 World Cup is great way to do that.

Zavier Gozo is red hot for Real Salt Lake right now. They are in 10th place, a point out of the playoffs. Gozo had two assists in RSL’s 2-1 win over Sporting KC on Saturday. Losing Gozo hurts their playoff push. Is RSL okay with that? Especially for a player who is also eligible for the next U-20 World Cup.

Brooklyn Raines continues to start for the Houston Dynamo, who are two points out of the playoffs.

Sergio Oregel has played among the most minutes this season of anyone in the U.S. U-20 player pool for Chicago. Chicago is clinging to ninth place and the final playoff spot.

This is the toughest part about coaching a U-20 national team. You can have camps, identify players, build a team, and then it comes down to getting them released just before the start of the tournament.

 

Americans abroad

 

In total, 10 American players could play in the UEFA Champions League opening round of games this week.

  • PSV Eindhoven (Ricardo Pepi and Sergino Dest) vs. Union St. Gilloise
  • Juventus (Weston McKennie) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Cole Campbell)
  • Real Madrid vs. Marseille (Tim Weah)
  • Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (Johnny Cardoso)
  • Paris St. Germain vs. Atalanta (Yunus Musah)
  • Club Brugge vs. AS Monaco (Folarin Balogun)
  • FC Copenhagen vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Malik Tillman)
  • Eintracht Frankfurt (Timmy Chandler) vs. Galatasary

It is a very impressive list and all players are expected to play, except for Timmy Chandler and possible Cole Campbell. Those eight players have a high degree of making the U.S. World Cup team. The question then becomes how well they play together on the USMNT and if their club form can carry over to the USMNT.

In terms of how the players should perform in this tournament, it is tough to read.

Juventus is off to a good start this season in Serie A and might be capable of a Champions League run but Weston McKennie’s role on the team is unclear. Yunus Musah also likely hasn’t carved out a role on a good Atalanta team just yet.

Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid have been subpar to start the season. Marseille has benefitted from an easy schedule in its start to the Ligue 1 season.

PSV is interesting to watch with Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi. The team’s defense has been a huge concern to start the Eeredivisie season but Pepi and Dest could still find success.

Monaco could be one to watch with Folarin Balogun. Monaco have played well and have a favorable first game against Club Brugge. But Tottenham and Manchester City will make it very difficult to advance.

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