Major League Soccer presented another mid-week schedule of games on Wednesday, July 17, for MLS Matchday 27. The much-anticipated debut of a skilled young soccer star took place in Philadelphia while MLS teams across the country battled for playoff position with little runway left in the season. Meanwhile, the best of the West battled late into Wednesday night for critical table points as MLS heads towards its annual all-star break.
Let’s take a quick look back at some of the more important stories from MLS Matchday 27.
Baribo Hat Trick Preceeds Sullivan’s Historic Appearance
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Philadelphia striker Tai Baribo netted the first three-goal outing of his young career as the Philadelphia Union routed New England, 5-1, in a rare home win this season. With the victory in Chester, PA, the Union ends a 10-match winless streak where they have routinely looked like a bottom-of-the-table team.
With a big lead late, all eyes turned to homegrown teenager and future Man City product Cavan Sullivan. Philadelphia agreed to terms with the 14-year-old and the Premier League club in a historic transfer agreement that will kick in as Sullivan ages out of the Union’s academy system. Cavan’s older brother, Quinn, scored the final Philly goal of the 5-1 win at the 84th-minute mark before the younger brother laid cleats to the pitch for the first time with an 85th-minute sub.
The historic appearance sets a new mark for the youngest athlete to appear in a professional sports event in North America. At 14 years old and 293 days on this earth, Cavan broke Freddy Adu’s MLS record by almost two weeks to establish the new benchmark for Major League Soccer. Melanie Barcenas from the San Diego Wave appeared at 15 years old and 181 days, establishing the prior debut record when she stepped on the pro pitch for the first time in front of home supporters in April 2023.
LA Galaxy Holds Serve at Home
As Major League Soccer barrels towards the All-Star festivities, the Western Conference appears to be running through Southern California. LA Galaxy and LA FC have traded standings positions all year, with Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids also lingering towards the top of the table.
LA Galaxy took critical points away from one of the west rivals with a 3-2 win over Colorado during MLS Matchday 27. Los Angeles scored three first-half goals, which were countered by two Colorado tallies in the first 45 minutes. Diego Fagundez, Joseph Paintsil, and Riqui Puig found the back of the net for the LA Galaxy.
Kevin Cabral and Cole Bassett responded for Colorado. The squads exchanged several yellow cards in the second half, but the Rapids were unable to find the tying marker on the road.
Top Teams Draw Out West to End MLS Matchday 27
Western Conference-leading counterpart LA FC fought to a 1-1 draw against 3rd-ranked Real Salt Lake in Los Angeles, California, in the other highly-touted match on the weekday schedule. It appeared RSL would saunter out of California with a road victory, but LA FC midfielder David Martinez had other plans with an 86th-minute tying goal.
The contest between the Western Conference foes was tight, with Salt Lake owning a slim 54-46 possession advantage. Despite a 19-9 shot advantage in the game, Real Salt Lake flew back to Utah with just one point added to their regular season points total.
The task at hand for Real Salt Lake does not get any easier with a trip to Colorado to battle the Rapids during the weekend’s MLS Matchday 28. Meanwhile, LA FC packs their backs for a trip north to Seattle in an always difficult battle on the pitch at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Sounders and NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
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