MLS Cup Playoffs set, Kane's hat trick and Arsenal's red card problem
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning! Hope everyone had a great weekend.
The MLS regular season came to an end on Saturday and Europe’s domestic leagues returned from the international break.
The result was a weekend where Inter Miami set a record and also qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup that will take place in the U.S. next summer.
Over in the Premier League, Liverpool remain in first place, followed by Manchester City. Both teams won on Sunday, setting up an early title race between the two.
Here are the biggest storylines from this past weekend:
Decision Day sets up MLS Cup Playoffs
Following Decision Day, 18 teams — nine across both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference — have qualified for the postseason and will start the journey to MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 7.
The single-elimination Wild Card games (No. 8 vs. No. 9) begin on Tuesday, followed by the Round One Best-of-3 Series on Oct. 25.
The MLS regular season rendered a few verdicts:
Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi, set the MLS regular-season points record, concluding the 2024 campaign with 74 points following Saturday's 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution.
As a result of winning the Supporters’ Shield, Inter Miami will compete in next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.
DC United striker Christian Benteke won the Golden Boot after scoring 23 goals, becoming the league's top scorer in his second full season with the team.
CF Montreal returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, clinching their spot with a 2-0 win against New York City FC.
The single-elimination Wild Card games (No. 8 vs. No. 9) begin on Tuesday, followed by the Round One Best-of-3 Series on Oct. 25.
Kane ends scoring drought
Harry Kane scored a hat trick on Saturday to help Bayern Munich topple VfB Stuttgart 4-0.
Kane had not scored in four straight matches — three for Bayern and one for England — missed several chances before finally ending the drought in the 57th minute.
The striker grabbed a second just four minutes later, then completed his hat trick in the 80th minute.
“As a striker, sometimes there’s a lot of talk when you go a little spell without scoring,” Kane said. “That’s just part and parcel of being a striker. You can’t get too high or too low. I believe in myself and my ability. I believe in my teammates who create chances.”
Bayern are in first place with 17 points — tied on points with RB Leipzig — followed by surprise-side SC Freiburg at 15.
Arsenal loses players and games
The big story from this past weekend were the big 2-1 wins put up by Liverpool (at home against Chelsea) and Manchester City (on the road versus Wolves) on Sunday.
Despite those wins, Arsenal was the story for two reasons. The Gunners lost on Saturday 2-0 to Bournemouth, a defeat that could hurt their title hopes.
William Saliba’s red card in the 30th minute spelled doom for Mikel Arteta’s side — and it wasn’t the first time. In fact, just eight games into the season and already Arsenal have had three players sent off.
"Playing for 65 minutes with 10 men at this level is an impossible task,” Arteta said. It's an accident waiting to happen not to get the points.”
Regarding his team’s disciplinary issues, Arteta added: “There are things that we've discussed in relation to certain topics. Certainly we need to play with 11 if we want to be in the position we want to be.”
In other news: Napoli retained a hold on first place in Serie A on Saturday following a 1-0 win at Empoli. The game’s only goal came thanks to a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia penalty-kick in the 63rd minute. … Neymar is available to play for Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal in an AFC Champions League Elite match next week after one year on the sidelines due to injury. His marketing company NR Sports said in a statement on Saturday that the Brazilian’s love for soccer and his hope to play in the next World Cup were bringing him back to action. … Diario Ole revealed details about Argentina’s FA’s plan to expand the Primera Division to 30 teams with relegation — for now — on hold. The decision is meant to enhance competition and increase revenue. Starting next year, there will be no relegation at all. Instead, the emphasis will be on increasing competition among the enlarged group of teams. Once relegation resumes, two teams will drop. One comes from the annual table and the other uses the historical average points system.