Good afternoon! Sydney here with this edition of the Scarves and Spikes Daily newsletter. Follow me on X, BSky, IG, and Threads.
It’s matchday, but…
…it’s officially official: Breel Embolo is an Atlanta United player, as his signing was announced just a few short hours ago.
Some fans will be skeptical about how he’ll be able to produce at the MLS level, especially given the failed signing of Emmanuel Latte Lath and others. Some will approach the signing with hopeful optimism that the 29-year-old will come good rather quickly and will turn out to be a much-needed piece of the puzzle for an Atlanta attack that hasn’t produced consistently.
And both feelings are OK! That said, after seeing Dejan Joveljić traded from Sporting Kansas City — Atlanta’s opponent tonight — to the Sounders, it’s fair to wonder if there was a cheaper, more reliable No. 9 option already in the league that the club could have pursued. Eighteen million dollars is a lot of money, and it means Embolo will need to prove his worth immediately.
How many goals and assists this season do you think Embolo will need to be considered a good signing? Reply to this email with your thoughts and to leave a comment. Or click the “Comment” button at the bottom of this email.
Now, on to matchday
Suddenly, with Atlanta United winners of their past two matches, a path to the playoffs looks to be emerging. A win tonight against an awful Sporting KC side, likely without Joveljić in the lineup, puts Atlanta three points back of ninth place and five points out of seventh place.
Make no mistake: there are still some holes in this lineup that Embolo can’t fix. But if Atlanta can continue its run of form at the Benz this evening, it can start to dream just a little more. Here’s my full match preview, projected XI, and score prediction; as always, our match thread will be up and running throughout the night, too. We’re also live from the Benz with our prematch show on YouTube at 6 p.m. ET.
Across MLS
Last Night
- In the wildest finish of the evening, the Columbus Crew led Nashville SC 2-1 on the road…until Andy Najar scored twice in stoppage time to lead the Boys In Gold to a stunning 3-2 win. Nashville now has a nine-point lead over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Shield race and has opened up a 10-point lead on…
- …Inter Miami, which lost at home to Toronto FC 2-1. That’s now four straight winless results in league play for Lionel Messi’s Herons, who are 0-4-1 in their last five across all competitions. Things aren’t good in South Florida.
- Things are even worse in San Jose, where the Earthquakes were pummeled by Minnesota United 5-1. The Quakes have lost four in a row and five of their last six. Meanwhile, the Loons’ nine-match winless streak is over.
- Also, Bruce Arena got hit by a beer during the match, which just added to a miserable night for the Northern California outfit.
- Vancouver put up five on FC Dallas in a 5-0 rout at BC Place, a day after (unconfirmed) reports surfaced that the team was staying put for at least the next five years.
- St. Louis City snapped the Houston Dynamo’s five-match winning streak with a 2-1 win at Energizer Park. St. Louis is 8-0-3 in its last 11 and is about in form as any team in the league right now.
Other Scores
- Charlotte FC 3-1 D.C. United
- FC Cincinnati 1-1 Seattle Sounders
- CF Montréal 2-2 LA Galaxy
- Red Bull New York 1-1 Chicago Fire
- Orlando City 2-1 Real Salt Lake
- Austin FC 1-1 Philadelphia Union
- LAFC 1-1 Portland Timbers
- San Diego FC 3-0 Colorado Rapids
Tonight
- New England Revolution vs. New York City FC, 4 p.m. ET
- Atlanta United vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m. ET
ATL UTD 2 rolls past Orlando City B
Arif Kovac scored his club-record 17th of the season in the 74th minute before adding No. 18 in stoppage time as Atlanta United 2 crushed Orlando City B 5-1 in MLS NEXT Pro action at the CHOA Training Ground yesterday. The 2s, now on a record 40 points, are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and two points out of a top-four spot with four matches to go. Things are trending toward a first-ever playoff appearance. Our newest writer, Jake Branan, was on the scene yesterday.
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That’s it for now. See you in the next one.
As for what it will take by Embolo to be considered worth the money, Iâm going with some combination of goals and assists equal to 7. Thatâs what Iâll take to start with. I think that is fair.
Kevin Brabant