What We Learned: Chucky lifts San Diego, USMNT call-ups deliver

Matchday 15 was wild, people. We had full-blown chaos at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Supporters’ Shield-leading Vancouver Whitecaps making a late comeback, and goals galore on both Saturday and Sunday.

Let's look back at the latest slate of MLS matches to examine some of the most interesting things we learned. And if you want to read up on the other key moments of Matchday 15 in detail, check out Matt Doyle’s latest column.

Onwards.

Most often, I look back at my writing (or my takes) and cringe. That’s not the case with Chucky Lozano, who I thought would be a top-tier addition to San Diego FC and MLS when the winger was announced as San Diego’s first Designated Player signing last June.

Here’s what I wrote about Lozano at the time:

It’s hard to imagine Lozano won’t be among the top wingers in MLS when he arrives in January before making his debut at the start of the 2025 campaign. Few players in MLS history have notched Lozano’s accomplishments overseas and returned to North America while still in their 20s, putting San Diego’s big-money signing in impressive company.

So many of the league’s best wingers call California home. From LAFC’s Denis Bouanga to the LA Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil to the San Jose Earthquakes’ Cristian Espinoza, the Western Conference has a group of elite wide players. Lozano has the tools to find himself among that group, competing for a spot in the MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire.

That’s all aged remarkably well. Lozano is up to 11 goal contributions on the season (5g/6a) following his last-second game-winner in a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy:

The goal was probably the easiest Lozano will score all season, but the 29-year-old is making just about everything look easy on the left wing. With his elite one-v-one dribbling ability (he’s in the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons per 90 minutes, according to FBref) and nearly impeccable off-ball running, Lozano has picked apart just about every defense he’s faced in 2025.

But it’s not just Lozano’s attacking play that stands out. It’s his defensive effort, too:

“He plays within the collective… I think he's made more defensive actions in the defending box than any DP in this league. It's because he plays both ways,” San Diego FC sporting director Tyler Heaps told Backheeled of Lozano earlier this year.

With Lozano changing games on both sides of the ball, San Diego FC are in great hands.

The Vancouver Whitecaps lead MLS in xG differential so far this season, with a +0.77 per 90 tally based on FBref’s data. That the ‘Caps are atop that statistical category while also leading the Supporters’ Shield race shouldn’t come as a surprise. But the second team in that xG differential ranking? That’s right, it’s Nashville SC at +0.67 per 90.

I’m willing to bet you wouldn’t have guessed Nashville if this section header didn’t give the game away. But there’s little doubt after their first 15 games of 2025: Nashville aren’t to be trifled with. They dispatched Toronto FC on the road Saturday, playing on short rest after a 3-2 win over Orlando City in the US Open Cup booked their spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.

The biggest transformation for Nashville has come in the attack, where they’ve become a far more free-flowing and dangerous possession team. According to American Soccer Analysis, their xG generated per game from non-counter-attacking and non-dead ball sequences is the highest in club history.

Still, even with the attacking boost and even without Walker Zimmerman for a big chunk of the season, Nashville haven’t lost their defensive calling card. They have the best defensive record in the league based on non-penalty xG allowed per 90 minutes, according to FBref. Getting Zimmerman back on the field against Toronto after a long concussion layoff is a major boost to a team that… didn’t really need one?

Overlook Nashville at your own peril.

Speaking of the xG differential and the Shield-leading Vancouver Whitecaps…

Jesper Sorensen’s team roared back to life in MLS play with a 3-2 win at Real Salt Lake on Saturday, breaking their three-match winless streak across all competitions. Despite a slow start against RSL where they struggled to play through the host’s press and shipped a pair of goals inside the first five minutes, the Whitecaps quickly got back to doing what they do best: systematically searching for space in the opposition’s defensive structure.

Vancouver found that space, too, targeting the lane behind forward-thinking left back Alex Katranis. According to MLS Analytics, 51% of the Whitecaps’ passes into the final third came from the right vertical third of the field (to target the space behind Katranis), compared to just 37% on the left.

Between their open-play problem-solving and their set-piece dominance, slowing down the ‘Caps is wildly difficult. Stopping them? That’s a different story entirely.

With the Concacaf Champions Cup final against Cruz Azul set for Sunday, the Whitecaps are about to begin the biggest week of their 2025 campaign. Crucially, they look ready.

Towards the end of last week, US men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino named his 27-man roster for a pair of pre-Gold Cup friendlies. Sixteen MLS players made the cut. Then over the weekend, most of those players balled out.

Of the seven central midfielders and attackers included in Pochettino’s squad (I’m not including Sean Zawadzki in this category even though he was listed as a midfielder in the official release), five of them scored on Matchday 15.

From braces scored by Patrick Agyemang and Brian White to Quinn Sullivan’s banger to Diego Luna and Luca de la Torre getting on the scoresheet out West, it was a banner weekend for the league’s USMNT contingent. Toss in Miles Robinson’s goal in Atlanta and it was a veritable feast for the Americans.

With more uncertainty surrounding the USMNT’s player pool than I would’ve expected just about a year out from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many of these MLSers have a legitimate chance to carve out a roster spot for the biggest soccer tournament in history. There are spots up for grabs in literally every position group.

If you don't think I've got my popcorn ready to see whose stock rises in next month's friendlies against Türkiye and Switzerland and the Gold Cup that'll follow, you're dead wrong.

Between Alex Freeman in Orlando and Peyton Miller in New England, 2025 really is the year of the uber-talented young domestic fullback. Freeman made his way into the latest USMNT squad and Miller, three years his junior, may not be far behind.

The 17-year-old shined yet again for the Revs in a 3-3 road draw with Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, dominating in the final third from his wingback role. Miller played one dangerous ball after another as Caleb Porter’s width-provider on the left side of the field, even forcing an own goal with a teasing ball across the goalmouth:

The tempo and texture Miller puts on his service from the left help him stand out. The same goes for his savvy off-ball movement and his one-v-one dribbling. According to FBref, he’s in the 85th percentile for progressive passes received per 90 and in the 72nd percentile for successful take-ons per 90 among MLS outside backs. There’s room for the teenager to become a more efficient dribbler, but he certainly doesn’t lack confidence.

And ever since he debuted for New England’s first team last year? He hasn’t lacked for impactful moments, either. This past weekend was just the latest example.