Timo Werner has found his role, and his form: MLS weekend wrap | MLS

IDuring his nearly 30-year career as a head coach of American soccer’s elite, Bruce Arena never claimed to be a tactical genius. In fact, he has expressed open disdain for the concept, regularly ignoring journalists’ well-meaning questions about training and strategic approaches. He once memorably said, “We have a very important analysis, and this is the score.”

It’s an attitude that’s almost completely out of step with the way managers operate in 2026. Arena gets away with it because he wins, and he wins in large part because of how he defines the roles and expectations of his players. Robbie Keane, Arena’s star striker at the LA Galaxy, once called him “America’s Sir Alex Ferguson.” Matt Turner, who during Arena’s tenure at the New England Revolution became a starter at the USMNT, praised the “super-powered thing” that Arena offers its players through man management.

“When you have 25 guys that are on the same page, they know their role and know what they can do to help the team best, it’s a beautiful thing and it creates that energy around the locker room that drives everyone’s play,” Turner told the New England Revolution website in 2021. “It really simplifies the game, so when you’re in higher pressure moments, you can execute.”

Judging by the 2026 MLS season so far, Timo Werner might have similar things to say. The German joined MLS at the start of this year after a few down seasons with RB Leipzig, the club where he first made a name for himself as one of Europe’s most in-demand strikers. He played in a variety of positions during his career, which took him to Chelsea and then to Tottenham on loan. His stays in the Premier League have been patchy; impressive at times but never scored as much as in Germany, at least partly due to a lack of consistent service. In San Jose, on a team that lost its top provider, Cristian Espinoza, during the offseason, it was fair to wonder if Werner could be an effective player while moving to an entirely different type of league.

These doubts seem so stupid now. With his double Saturday against Saint Louis City, Werner now has eight goals scored in his first eight games – one of many factors that have propelled the surprising Earthquakes to the best record in MLS. Werner hasn’t been a starter for all of those wins as he’s built up his fitness, but he hasn’t had to be – in typical Arena fashion, the Quakes are more than the sum of their parts. Yet there is no doubt that Werner has raised the level of the group as he has got into shape. Because that’s exactly what we expected of him.

“[Arena] “You are the best player and I want to win something with you,” Werner told Goal.com last month. “He always said he would be behind me. He would help me.

It helps that he was placed in a system where his skills as a versatile player — a deadly finisher, a quick reader of the game and a center of gravity willing to open up looks for his teammates — were accentuated. The Earthquakes benefit from significant contributions not only from Werner, but also winger Ousseni Bouda, forward Preston Judd and promising playmaker Niko Tsakiris. Without Werner on the pitch, they have done well enough to be considered a threat. But with Werner there to calmly finish games like he did in St. Louis on Saturday, the Earthquakes went from solid to scary. – AA

The athlete flirts with history (pejorative)

MLS history is littered with horrible teams and seasons. It’s still early, but Sporting Kansas City is starting to make the case that it’s preparing for the worst campaign in league history, especially after this weekend’s 5-0 loss to the Chicago Fire.

On paper alone, SKC has been incredibly bad. After nine matches, they have just one win, an unconvincing 2-1 victory against an LA Galaxy side who are having an atrocious campaign of their own. SKC are on track to break the record for worst goal differential ever in a single season (they are currently at -18), having scored just seven goals in about a third of their campaign, a mark that also threatens the league’s all-time low.

For years, Sporting was considered a model MLS franchise, the first example of an original MLS that reinvented itself and rejuvenated itself. They were among the most competitive teams in the league for more than a decade (even if they rarely made a deep playoff run), but there were signs that downfall was imminent.

Their situation has progressively worsened over the past three years. No team in MLS has fewer points over this period. The departure of Peter Vermes last year after more than a decade with the club – Vermes was both head coach and director of football throughout his tenure – was necessary, but a leadership vacuum naturally followed. Sporting appointed the highly respected David Lee as sporting director, but expiring contracts and declined options left the club with just 12 players entering the 2026 offseason. And the most experienced of them, striker Daniel Salloi, was quickly traded to Toronto FC.

Still, there was hope that with more roster flexibility than any team in MLS without being an expansion club, Sporting would finally turn a corner and start building for the future.

This is not the case. SKC has fielded something akin to a USL team this year, although even that assessment may prove generous given that they were annihilated in the US Open Cup by the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, a middling USL Championship team. Lee, alongside first-year head coach Rafa Wicky, says the team has a longer-term plan, a roster build-up that will begin in earnest this summer with the addition of a recruiting team that never existed under Vermes. Meanwhile, what could have been a transitional year turned – to date – into the worst season in MLS history.

There are of course other candidates. DC United scored more own goals (four) than their top scorer, Luis Silva (three), during an incredibly poor 2013 campaign, although that team somehow managed to win the Open Cup. FC Cincinnati had a trio of horrible campaigns early in its history, including a 20(!) game winless streak in 2021. Going further back to teams like the New York/NJ MetroStars and the Tampa Bay Mutiny seems more difficult statistically as the league lacked draws for several years and played far fewer matches.

The online discourse among the SKC faithful seems to focus on whether this is a coaching or talent issue. Right now, it certainly looks like both, and any way you slice it, this is by far the worst team in Kansas City’s 30-year history, by a long shot. – MP

USMNT goalkeeper controversy brewing?

In news that will either spark joy or heated debate (or both!) among USMNT fans, Turner is currently the best goalkeeper in the league, although he is expected to be the backup at this summer’s World Cup behind NYC FC’s Matt Freese.

The good news is a welcome change of pace for Turner, who was between the sticks in the United States’ 5-2 loss to Belgium last month. While Turner didn’t cover himself in glory, his performance was far from the USMNT’s biggest problem this afternoon, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino somewhat absolving him of responsibility in his post-match remarks.

His play with New England this year undoubtedly places him among the league’s elite: thanks to Fotmob’s algorithm, Turner has avoided just over six goals in 2026, a league record. He did this while facing about 2.5 more shots per game than Freese, and about half a goal more in xG as well.

Turner also passes the eye test. His effort against Miami last weekend – and against Atlanta a week before – was fearless, and Turner took no responsibility for the goals he allowed in those two games.

Which leaves Mauricio Pochettino with a call to make. Poch clearly favored Freese during the remainder of his time with the USMNT, but he also showed a willingness to deploy players based on their current form. If that’s the calculation he’ll use in just over a month when the United States faces Paraguay in their first group stage match, Turner feels in a better position. – MP