Latest news with #MLSDefenderoftheYear
Toronto Star
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Toronto FC defender Nicksoen Gomis out for the season after Achilles surgery
TORONTO - There was more bad news on the injury front for Toronto FC on Friday with word that defender Nicksoen Gomis is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. Gomis went under the knife Tuesday. The 23-year-old Frenchman had to be helped off the field Saturday. He was unable to put weight on his left leg after going down in the 63rd minute in the Toronto penalty box with a non-contact injury in the 2-0 loss to the visiting New England Revolution. 'It's a big loss for us,' said coach Robin Fraser. 'He does so many things well. And as a young centre back, he's only going to get better. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I would say with the way medicine is these days, I have zero worries for his future,' he added. 'We will obviously just miss him now.' Toronto (1-6-4) continues its search for a first home win of the season when D.C. United (3-5-3) visits Saturday. Gomis joins an injury list that includes captain Jonathan Osorio, defender Richie Laryea, midfielder Markus Cimermancic and forward Deandre Kerr. 'We obviously are still missing a few guys but it feels a lot better at the moment than it has for probably a couple of weeks,' sad Fraser. Defender Zane Monlouis, midfielder/forward Derrick Etienne Jr. and backup goalkeeper Luka Gavran are all available again. Defender Henry Wingo, meanwhile, appears to be getting closer to a return. Veteran defender Kevin Long, who sat out Saturday's loss to New England, is also ready — good news with D.C. United star striker Christian Benteke coming to town. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The six-foot-three Belgian is perhaps the most dangerous aerial threat in Major League Soccer. 'Benteke is just a beast in the (penalty) box,' said Fraser, a former two-time MLS Defender of the Year. After going unbeaten in its first four games (1-0-3) of the season, which included a 2-2 draw with visiting Toronto in the season opener, D.C. lost four straight during which it was outscored 14-2. But the team seems to have found its footing of late, winning three of its last four (3-1-0) in all competitions. D.C. United goes into weekend play in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, two places and five points ahead of Toronto. The club is coming off a 2-0 win over the Charleston Battery in U.S. Open Cup action Tuesday. 'It feels good,' said former Toronto midfielder Brandon Servania. 'Obviously there's momentum behind us, three out of four.' Benteke, the reigning MLS Golden Boot winner, leads the D.C. attack. Benteke's 23 goals last season accounted for 44.23 per cent of his club's goals in 2024 in tying Raúl Díaz Arce's franchise single-season goals record. Benteke has six goals this season upping his career MLS total to 44 in 78 games. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The 34-year-old needs just one goal to tie Christian Gomez (45 goals in 124 matches) for the second most in club history. Jamie Moreno had the franchise record, scoring 131 of his 133 career goals across 329 games with the squad. 'I would say that's a massive moment because it just shows Christian's availability over the course of his time here,' said D.C. coach Troy Lesesne of Benteke. 'He's always available for us. 'When he's available he usually steps out on the field and creates chances and goals. And so he's fulfilling his responsibility to the club. What I would love to see is that coupled with on-field team success, the like of which Christian Gomez had during his time period.' Benteke scored in last Saturday's 2-1 win over Colorado despite being listed as questionable with a quad issue before the game. Lesesne said the Belgian is ready for the weekend. Benteke leads the league in aerial duels (86) and shots on target (22). And, no surprise, D.C. ranks second in the league in accurate crosses per match, averaging 6.0. Defence is another issue for D.C. United, however. The club ranks last in the 30-team league, conceding 2.09 goals a game on average. In contrast, Toronto is tied for 17th (1.45). ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW But 10 of D.C.'s league-worst 23 goals allowed came from two losses — 4-1 at Orlando on March 22 and 6-1 at San Jose on April 6. The D.C. defence appears to have steadied in recent weeks, having allowed just six goals in its last four league outings. Toronto is also getting its backline together. After conceding 12 goals in its first five games, it has allowed just four in its last six matches. But TFC has won just two of the last 17 meetings (2-5-10) with D.C United. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why these 5 players can be X-factors for successful Nashville SC 2025 MLS season
Nashville SC could have opted for a wholesale teardown when it fired coach Gary Smith in May. Instead, it hired B.J. Callaghan to replace Smith while keeping its core — designated players Hany Mukhtar, Walker Zimmerman and Sam Surridge — intact. Those three will be leading the team during Callaghan's first full season, which starts Saturday at Geodis Park against the New England Revolution. When healthy and in full form, all three are proven commodities — Mukhtar was the league's MVP in 2022, Zimmerman is a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, and Surridge led the team in goals in 2024. But whether Nashville returns to the MLS playoffs in 2025 could have as much to do with the players around them. Here are five potential X-factors with the ability to raise Nashville SC's ceiling: One of the fastest players in MLS, Shaffelburg has become a standout for the Canadian national team, scoring five goals in 13 games in 2024. The 25-year-old's ability to stretch the field has been essential to Nashville's attack the past two seasons, but his MLS scoring numbers — seven goals in 59 games with NSC — haven't popped off the page. Callaghan's aggressive approach might help unlock more output in front of goal, as might a positional tweak: During the preseason, Shaffelburg has been used in central positions rather than exclusively out wide. "Jacob's had a tremendous camp," Callaghan said after Nashville's 3-0 preseason win over Lexington SC on Feb. 1. "He's a menace running behind the back line, but we're trying to make him more unpredictable. If he can also come in the pocket, receive the ball and dribble at the back line, people have to respect that." While Brugman is dealing with an injury and might not be ready for Saturday, the 32-year-old Uruguayan midfielder, acquired in a December trade with the LA Galaxy, provides a passing element that Nashville has sorely missed. Brugman was named MLS Cup MVP after delivering the assist on the opening goal of LA's win over the New York Red Bulls, a slick through ball that epitomizes what he can bring to Nashville. He completed 89.4% of his passes in 2024, which ranked 10th among all midfielders in MLS. The key for Brugman is remaining healthy; he tore his meniscus in 2023. He likely will be relied upon for more starts and minutes than he was with the Galaxy. Part of Tagseth's appeal is that he can play anywhere across the front line and midfield, and even on defense in a pinch. The 23-year-old had four goals and six assists in 26 games with Norwegian side Rosenborg in 2024, and during the Nashville SC preseason often played as a right-sided midfielder despite being left-footed. "He's a high-energy player, likes to be on the ball, likes to be between lines," Callaghan said. "A player that can unlock defenses, whether it's on the dribble or passing balls behind the back line. He has a relentless mentality. Without the ball, he's somebody who presses." Tagseth's player profile reads similarly to that of Alex Muyl, a hardworking, versatile midfield engine who scored four goals in his final eight games under Callaghan last season. While Mukhtar and Surridge should lead Nashville in scoring, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Tagseth ranked right after them. MORE: Nashville SC signs Ahmed Qasem, 21-year-old midfielder from Sweden Maher made 32 starts in 2023 for a defense that tied for the fewest goals allowed in MLS, but wasn't able to duplicate that success last season. Against Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on March 13, he was a healthy scratch, with Dan Lovitz, normally a left back, playing in his place at center back along Lukas MacNaughton. Nashville's defensive numbers dipped — from 32 goals allowed in 2023 to 54 last season — and Maher had to fight off MacNaughton and Josh Bauer for his starting spot at times. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 SuperDraft has the talent to be a lockdown defender and needs to be at his best for Nashville's defense to return to its historic standard. Nashville doesn't have a wealth of pure strikers. Teal Bunbury returns for a fourth season, and the soon-to-be 35-year-old will serve as Surridge's principal backup. But Bunbury is more of a late-game chess piece than a goal threat: He scored six goals in 58 games the past two seasons. Could Sipić offer the scoring punch Bunbury doesn't? The 6-foot-1 teenager is strong in the penalty box and scored twice in six preseason games. Sipić occasionally trained with Nashville last season and scored four goals in 19 MLS Next Pro games for Huntsville City FC. This season, Callaghan said he can challenge for a place on the first team. "We've seen great development on his tactical side, especially working defensively, understanding how to press," Callaghan said. "We still have work to develop him on the ball." Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@ and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC potential X-factors in MLS 2025, with Jacob Shaffelburg
