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With the MLS regular season coming to a close, all eyes are on Decision Day. There are five teams who, at best, can play spoiler as they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention. Two of the highest-paid players in Major League Soccer history, Lionel Messi and Lorenzo Insigne, will both be on the sidelines, but each of their teams has had a very different path to this point.
Inter Miami were never expected to make it to playoff contention, but Messi gave them a spark, helped win a trophy, and then picked up an injury which quickly doused that spark in cold water.
Toronto had all the hope in the world with Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi leading the attack before it all exploded in their faces. From off-the-pitch struggles to on-the-pitch nightmares, things couldn’t have gone worse for the club. However, Toronto isn’t the only team that mismanaged its way out of the playoff race. There’s plenty of that to go around
Inter Miami, Toronto FC, Austin FC, the LA Galaxy, D.C. United, and the Colorado Rapids go into Decision Day with nothing to play for but pride. Let’s take a look at where it all went wrong for each club.
Colorado Rapids
Where it went wrong: Ownership forgot that they existed
The 2021 season, in which the Rapids won the West, is looking more and more like an outlier with each passing day. The club has now missed the playoffs in three of the last five seasons and failed to advance past the first round in four of the last five. Every time the Rapids find a bright spot in the team, that bright spot is sold and not adequately replaced. Even when there’s a chance for a comeback, as with Cole Bassett, who returned from loans in the Eredivisie, not enough pieces are added around them to make the team truly competitive.
There was a significant hole in the defense, one the size of Auston Trusty, who moved from Colorado to Sheffield United by way of Arsenal, and considering the dual ownership between the Rapids and the Gunners, it would be fair to expect occasional player loans from London to Major League Soccer. The frustrating aspect with the team is that they should have access to some of the most resources in the league. Considering the desirability of the Denver area as a place to live, it’s disappointing that the Rapids haven’t performed better.
Heading into the season, it was clear that there was a lack of transfer activity, and when combined with an injury to forward Diego Rubio, that’s how you end up with a Wooden Spoon contender.
It’s likely that the Rapids will be among the worst teams in the league next season as well, even with their MLS Next Pro side putting in impressive performances. Youth can only take you so far in Major League Soccer, and if the Rapids won’t be sold, there should be pressure on them to compete with the rest of the teams to reach their full potential.
Austin FC
Where it went wrong: Off-the-pitch issues seep onto the pitch
While it’s hard to determine if Austin FC is as poor as they were in their first year in MLS or as impressive as they were in their second year, the answer likely lies somewhere in between. The offseason was also marred by the need to remove Claudio Reyna from his role as sporting director as part of the fallout between his son, Gio, and Gregg Bernhalter. And while the Reyna-Berhalter feud that emerged following the World Cup might be behind the player and coach, its impact is still being felt in Texas. Mocing on from the elder Reyna required head coach Josh Wolff to take on additional front office responsibilities alongside his coaching duties as the interim chief soccer officer. Being a head coach is challenging enough, but doing both roles while replacing one of the top executives in the league is even more challenging. Reyna was on the cusp of potentially becoming the U.S. Soccer sporting director before the whole dispute, and instead Austin lost him basically overnight.
The pieces are in place for this to become a strong team, and there’s no reason to expect Austin not to be a playoff team next season. Strengthening the defense during the transfer window could quickly position this club above the red line and back into the playoffs, as soccer in Texas continues to grow stronger with each passing year.
Toronto FC
Where it went wrong: Everywhere
From top to bottom, there isn’t a bigger failure among the teams that failed to make the postseason than Toronto. The LA Galaxy come close, but even they had to deal with a transfer ban. I’ve already mentioned how it is challenging for a head coach to also be involved in front office duties, yet Toronto allowed Bob Bradley to take on both roles, and the season spiraled spectacularly.
Reports emerged that Insigne and Bernardeschi were disgruntled in MLS, all the way to allegations that the duo attempted to force a change in management away from Bradley, which eventually did happen with John Herdman taking over.
Even now, loose reports are circulating that Bernardeschi wants to return to Juventus. Realistically, if Toronto wants to turn things around, it may be in their best interest to let their star players go and allow Herdman to build the team in his own image. Toronto possess resources and fan support, but they need to align everything at the same time, and it may be a long road to achieve that.
Handing the team over to youth and starting the next season with a blank slate seems like the way to go. If Herdman can transform TFC into a Canadian domestic national team, that also wouldn’t be a bad idea, as having more players he is already familiar with on the international stage could come in and influence things at Toronto.
D.C. United
Where it went wrong: “Credible allegations” of using “prohibited and discriminatory language against another player”
Among the teams that can hold their heads high despite missing the playoffs, D.C. United is likely at the top of that list. Wayne Rooney did the best he could with the hand he was dealt, but when you’re forced to terminate the contract of one of your best players, Taxi Fountas, due to the use of racial slurs, the season can only take a downhill turn from there. Nevertheless, Rooney was able to salvage things and had the Black and Red playing good soccer at times. That’s one of the reasons why he’s now the manager at Birmingham City, leaving DC with quite a void to fill.
Perhaps Rooney wouldn’t have led them back to the playoffs even without the sidewise turn their season took in 2024, but now we’ll never know. United will once again be in the midst of a rebuilding phase. There are talented youth prospects to build around, and credit should be given to Rooney for having faith in players like Theodore Ku-DiPietro, and Donovan Pines, and even giving Jackson Hopkins some playing time. However, the front office will need to ensure that the club doesn’t stray from its youth-oriented approach to win. The top half of the roster is aging, but replacements are waiting in the wings. The vision in the District just needs to align for everything to come together and for the club to retain a coach for more than a year and a half.
LA Galaxy
Where it went wrong: Christian Pavon
For some context, the Galaxy spent the season under a transfer ban due to violating MLS roster rules in the 2019 season when Christian Pavon was added to the team as a Target Allocation Money player instead of his correct budget charge as a Designated Player. While these semantics are overly complicated and perhaps something that the league could do with having less of, they’re also the rules that the teams need to operate within and the Galaxy didn’t. That’s also why president Chris Klein was suspended from all sporting activities for the season.
Head coach Gregg Vanney was then promoted to sporting director and… you may be beginning to sense a common thread here. Three out of the six teams eliminated from playoff contention have their head coaches also functioning in front office roles and a fourth could join them in Peter Vermes and Sporting Kansas City who are on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoff picture. This isn’t to put everything on that one issue as a lot went wrong with the Galaxy this season, but being a head coach is hard enough adding in the extra stress can make it impossible.
Fan protests began the season calling for Klein to be fired and eventually he was, but there is still so much more around the club. Chicharito was injured, Douglas Costa got injured and even Riqui Puig was hurt by the end of the season leaving Vanney without his best players. Billy Sharp — a loophole signing due to being a free agent — came in and did the best he could to try and will the Galaxy into the playoffs, scoring six goals in only 11 matches, but it wasn’t enough to dig the Galaxy out of the hole that they were in.
For a team that is supposed to be near the top of the West consistently, what the post-Klein era looks like will be critical. It could still include Vanney, but this time around maybe he’ll just coach healthy stars instead of being responsible for running the club as well.
Inter Miami
Where it went wrong: Making the playoffs last season
Imagine if this team had just replaced Phil Neville a little bit earlier. If Inter Miami didn’t sneak into the playoffs last season Neville might nor have survived. The team’s poor start this season, which led to his firing should’ve been expected especially when the main person who helped lead them there — Gonzalo Higuain — had retired. Yes, Lionel Messi isn’t the first Argentine player to come in and use individual brilliance to lead Miami on a hot streak, his just ended with a trophy while Higuain’s ended with a playoff spot. That poor start meant that the the injuries, including ones to Messi and Jordi Alba, were too much to overcome. It was a hole that Miami just couldn’t get out of.
But it’s not all bad, they won Leagues Cup and secured the first trophy in club history. Tata Martino is a massive upgrade over Neville in the managerial department and the Herons can basically sign anyone they want next season. Add that with a full season of Messi instead of just a few months and this team may break records overnight. It’s quite scary to imagine Miami scratching their potential and if playing in 60 plus games next season doesn’t run them into the ground, the only team that can stop Miami after whatever additions are made during the offseason may be Miami.