MLS Stats Zone: Lessons learned from Leagues Cup as league action returns

MLS has returned after what was almost a longer mid-season break than what Premier League players got for an offseason, and there were plenty of takeaways from the first slate of games in a month.

That being said, it's not like MLS teams were just sitting at home or going on vacation during the break. Leagues Cup took place during the month-long break and there is plenty to dive into from that tournament.

Most teams have played 26 games at this point in the season, which means just eight games remain until the end of the regular season.

Here, we'll dive into the key numbers from Leagues Cup and the first slate of MLS games since July, as well as some trends to look for over the rest of the season.

Ohio teams shine, but will the Crew burn out?

Over the past month, the Ohio-based MLS teams - the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati - further proved themselves as two of the league's best-run clubs.

The Crew won Leagues Cup 2024 to seal their second trophy in less than a year, having won MLS Cup in December 2023.

Diego Rossi and Juan 'Cucho' Hernandez, the team's star players and best attackers, led the way. Rossi finished the tournament tied for second in goals scored with six, while Cucho scored a brace in the 3-1 victory over Los Angeles FC in the final.

In southern Ohio, FC Cincinnati showed how great its scouting and recruitment is.

The team was eliminated in the round of 16, but left wing-back Luca Orellano - the replacement for Alvaro Barreal - led all players in dribbles per match with 3.4, and striker Kevin Kelsy - the replacement for Brandon Vazquez - won the ball in the attacking third more than any other player at 4.4 times per 90 minutes.

It should be noted, though, that Cincy lost 2-0 to Inter Miami without Lionel Messi in the teams' first game back in MLS thanks to two goals from Luis Suarez in the first 10 minutes. Cincy lost despite winning the expected goals (xG) battle 1.4-0.5, and Kelsy failed to score on three shots worth a combined total of 0.6 xG.

While Cincinnati's early elimination from Leagues Cup could be helpful as it let them rest amid the chase to retain the Supporters' Shield, the Crew could be in danger of running out of steam as the season wears on.

Last season, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo warned that his players were at risk of burning out as a result of MLS' restrictive roster rules paired with the fact the team was playing in MLS, US Open Cup, Leagues Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

That's a lot of games, and this season, the Crew are the team facing a similar workload after finishing as runners-up in the Champions Cup and as Leagues Cup winners.

The Crew have played 12 mid-week games since the season began in the last week of February. The team has solid depth as the likes of Jacen Russell-Rowe, DeJuan Jones and Alexandru Matan came off the bench in the Leagues Cup Final, but will it be enough to take the team through to the MLS Cup Final on December 7?

Union's Tai Baribo joins the MLS elite

Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo had eight shots on target in Leagues Cup 2024, and he scored seven goals.

That might sound unsustainable, and, well, it probably is. But he has scored six goals on just 10 shots on target in MLS action, so he has scored 13 goals on 18 shots on target in a little less than a half-season's worth of action.

Fans wondered how the Union, who had already been struggling below the MLS Eastern Conference's playoff spots, would cope after former striker Julian Carranza's move to Feyenoord in the Netherlands, but Baribo might be an upgrade.

Baribo had been an unused substitute most of the time since he joined in the summer of 2023, not scoring in 151 minutes of action over a total of five appearances. This season in MLS, he has six goals on 4.97 xG over 633 minutes.

The 26-year-old forward is scoring at a rate of 0.67 goals per shot on target, meaning he scores two out of every three shots on target.

It is difficult but certainly possible to score at that rate for an extended run of games. If Baribo keeps it up, it'll not only cement him as one of the league's best strikers, but it will also likely see the Union make a strong playoff push.

Star-studded LA teams ready for deep playoff runs

The MLS teams from Los Angeles are good, to say the least.

The LA Galaxy signed Marco Reus - more on him in a bit - and beat Atlanta United 2-0 on Saturday.

As usual, Galaxy attacking midfielder Riqui Puig was at the center of everything with a goal, 142 touches of the ball, 100/113 completed passes, 5/8 dribbles, two shots on target, 9/15 duels won, three fouls won and two interceptions.

In Leagues Cup, LAFC made it to the final on the back of dominant performances on both ends of the pitch. Like last season's MLS Cup Final, they just couldn't get it done at the last hurdle against the Columbus Crew.

Still, LAFC players dominated the tournament.

Denis Bouanga was the joint-second leading goalscorer with six goals and the joint-second leading assist provider with three assists. Ryan Hollingshead also had three assists, and aside from Bouanga, three players - Cristian Olivera, Kei Kamara and Mateusz Bogusz - each had at least three goals.

Plus, France's all-time leading goalscorer Olivier Giroud scored his first goal for LAFC in the Leagues Cup Final.

On the defensive end, LAFC kept twice as many clean sheets (four) as the second-best teams. The Black and Gold conceded just four goals in seven Leagues Cup games.

If the LA teams' best players keep performing at such high levels, we could see El Trafico in the Western Conference Final for the first time.

MLS' major summer moves

Marco Reus to LA Galaxy

Marco Reus, at 35-years-old, is something of a throwback signing for MLS. These days, the league is more focused on signing young talent to later move for a profit, but a player like Reus still has plenty of value in this league.

He proved just that on his debut. Reus entered LA's match against Atlanta United in the 62nd minute with the score 0-0, and he assisted a Riqui Puig goal before scoring one himself to lead the team to a 2-0 victory.

Reus has plenty of quality. Since he is likely to come off the bench more often than not, the team will be able to use him as one of many weapons rather than waiting for him to control the game as was the case with experienced, high-profile MLS signings in years past.

Pep Biel, Jamie Paterson and Tim Ream to Charlotte FC

Fans know a lot about Tim Ream, as he has 281 league appearances for Fulham FC and 61 appearances for the United States Men's National Team to his name. He'll solidify Charlotte FC's defense, but there's much more intrigue in the team's other two signings this summer.

Pep Biel, a 27-year-old Spanish attacking midfielder, has played in Spain, Denmark, Greece and Germany throughout his career. He joined on loan from Greek side Olympiacos, where he scored 10 goals in 39 appearances in 2022/23, and he has the craft and skill to make things happen in attack.

Jamie Paterson, another attacking midfielder, joined on a free transfer. The 32-year-old last played for Swansea City, and he scored seven goals with six assists in the English Championship last season.

A trio of Biel, Paterson, and Liel Abada in attacking midfield will be dangerous for any team that faces Charlotte.

Aleksey Miranchuk to Atlanta United

Aleksey Miranchuk said rappers like Future and Lil Baby helped him make up his mind to move to Atlanta United from Italian club Atalanta, and fans will hope he plays with a similar swagger after the MLS side sold Giorgios Giakoumakis and Thiago Almada earlier in the summer.

Miranchuk is a creative attacking midfielder who scored 13 goals and provided 18 assists in four seasons with Atalanta. Atlanta paid the Italian club a fee of around $12 million for the 28-year-old's services.

Kelvin Yeboah to Minnesota United

Minnesota United desperately needed a boost this summer, as they started their season with six wins in their first 10 games but later lost six games in a row from mid-June to early July.

Italian striker Kelvin Yeboah could provide that boost. Although the Loons lost 3-2 at home to the Seattle Sounders in MLS this weekend, Yeboah scored both the team's goals, including stepping up to take a penalty to level the game at 1-1 in the first half.

Yeboah, at 24 years old, was signed for around $4.3 million and is the highest-profile of a handful of moves by Minnesota in the summer transfer window.

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