It’s in the title, folks. Every week during the MLS season, Backheeled is here to dive into the biggest Winners and Losers from around the league. Let’s get right to it!
Loser: Marc Dos Santos and LAFC
Sunday night news dump, anyone?
LAFC fired manager Marc Dos Santos over the weekend, cutting his tenure on the sidelines before it even reached the one-year mark. Currently sitting sixth in the West and fresh off Saturday's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas, albeit one played without their biggest stars due to the international break, LAFC and Dos Santos reached their breaking point.
The change should come as no surprise to those who have watched LAFC closely this season – compared to last season under Steve Cherundolo, their goals, xG, and xGA have all trended the wrong direction under Dos Santos. Without an appetite to be anything more than a sturdy defensive team that knifes through opponents in transition, LAFC have left plenty on the table in 2026. You could argue the same was true under Cherundolo at times, but his assistant-turned-replacement took things one step further. Allow me to reference my colleague Andrew Clausen's recent assessment of the club:
LAFC keep dropping results in the exact same way - they don’t control games.
At this point, the Black & Gold’s game model is pretty well known. Their goal is to be resolute in the back and deadly in transition. They don’t care about possession, they just want to find moments to attack space at speed. They’re really good at that part, too. Having the best transition player in the league in Denis Bouanga, and maybe the second best in Son Heung-min, certainly helps with that. When things come off the way they want them to, it’s truly thrilling to watch. It’s just not happening enough right now.
The problem is, everyone knows that’s LAFC’s plan when they play LAFC. Their opponents are well aware there isn’t another plan besides Plan A. I’m not even sure there’s a variant to Plan A. The result? Teams are prepared to deal with LAFC, a fact that’s been clearly illustrated by their recent results... What LAFC’s dropped points have in common is this: when the game calls for them to dictate play, they can’t. Whether it’s breaking down an opponent, or protecting a lead, they don’t control the flow of the game. They are the ultimate ‘moments’ team.
LAFC can do more than defend and counter. They have the talent to do more. To be more. But as this season wore on, it became clear that Dos Santos wasn't the manager to help them get there. And so? LAFC are back in the market for a head coach. As for this season, it's probably too late for them to overhaul things. But make no mistake: this club should aim for a manager that can help them inch closer to the free-flowing, attacking end of the tactical continuum, without losing the defensive steel that's made LAFC so consistent for years. Really, they should've thrown the bag at Jesper Sorensen this past winter.
Just who will they land on to erase the mistake of handing the keys to Dos Santos? - Joe Lowery
Winner: Everyone who watches MLS…
…because this should be the last time we have a full slate of games during an international break.
Look, I know this gets talked about a lot. MLS plays games through international breaks more than any major league on the planet. Everyone agrees that it’s dumb. But friends, rejoice, because it seems that our years-long plight is finally over. While we’re still going to get a break after Decision Day but before playoffs in November, and a pause next March during the sprint season is a possibility, next year’s calendar shift should see the end of this farcical practice that has gone on for too long.
I couldn’t be happier about it.
Let’s be honest, it really is a joke that teams are having to play real games with barren rosters. It’s absurd that teams are effectively punished for having good players who can impact games for their countries. Especially at this juncture of the season. From this past weekend alone, here were just a few games with big playoff seeding implications that were severely impacted by the international break:
