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Atlanta United finally looked like the team it has been trying to become under Tata Martino on Saturday. The 3-1 win over Philadelphia was not just important because it delivered the club’s first victory of the season. It mattered because the performance felt complete. There was quality in the final third, confidence in possession, and a sharper competitive edge against a Philadelphia side that always tries to drag matches into a fight.

The breakthrough came from the kind of sequence Atlanta supporters have been waiting to see. Elias Báez started it with the long pass into space, Miguel Almirón did the rest with a perfectly weighted through ball, and Emmanuel Latte Lath finished calmly for his first goal of the season. After a frustrating opening few weeks, seeing those attacking pieces connect with that kind of speed and purpose felt like a real step forward.

Just as important was the response in the moments that could have changed the game. Philadelphia had a penalty late in the first half with a chance to level things, but Milan Iloski hit the post and Atlanta took its lead into halftime. From there, the Five Stripes did not relax. They stayed aggressive, matched Philadelphia’s intensity, and looked like a team playing with conviction instead of doubt.

That is why this result felt bigger than three points. It did not solve every problem, and the late Union goal kept it from being a perfect afternoon, but Atlanta showed emotion, rhythm, and bite in a way that had been missing. Now the challenge is turning that performance into the standard when D.C. United comes to town next Saturday.

Check out Maddie’s Version for Madison Crews’ thoughts on the win, and be on the look out for the Long View later this morning at soccerdownhere.net.

Four matchdays into the 2026 season, the league is already beginning to split into groups. Vancouver and LAFC are the only teams left with perfect records, and both made emphatic statements this weekend. The Whitecaps demolished Minnesota United 6-0 behind two more goals from Brian White and a goal-plus-two-assist day from Sebastian Berhalter, while LAFC’s 2-0 win over St. Louis made Marc Dos Santos’ side the first team in MLS history to open a season with four straight shutout victories.

The wildest scorelines of the weekend came in those blowouts. New England crushed FC Cincinnati 6-1 in Marko Mitrović’s first win in charge, tying a club record for goals in a match, and Vancouver followed with a six-goal eruption of its own later in the day. It is still early, but those results felt like more than random March chaos. They were reminders that some teams are finding another gear already, while others are learning how hard it is to balance league play with Concacaf Champions Cup commitments.

There were also some more measured but just as meaningful wins around the league. Real Salt Lake kept rolling with a 2-1 win over Austin, making it three straight victories, and Seattle ended San Jose’s unbeaten start with a 1-0 road win powered by Paul Rothrock’s goal and Jesús Ferreira’s fourth assist of the season. In the East, New York City FC kept its unbeaten run going and moved to the top of the conference with a 3-1 win over Colorado, looking more and more comfortable in Pascal Jansen’s ideas.

The weekend also carried some heavier context. After LAFC’s win over St. Louis, Dos Santos used his press conference to speak not about the match but about Eduard Löwen and his family following the death of Löwen’s wife, Ilona, after a two-year battle with brain cancer.

Elsewhere, Nashville continued its steady rise, and goalkeeper Brian Schwake matched an old Jorge Campos record by going unbeaten in his first 12 starts for the club in all competitions.

So yeah, it is still March. But this already feels like the point in the season where early noise starts turning into something more real. Vancouver and LAFC look like the standard-setters, several contenders are being tested by two-front schedules, and a few teams are already feeling real pressure. In MLS, the table can change quickly, but Week 4 made one thing clear: the season is moving fast.

The 2026 NWSL season opened with a reminder of just how much momentum the league has right now. Boston Legacy’s first-ever match drew 30,207 fans to Gillette Stadium, the largest crowd ever for an expansion team home opener, even if the result went Gotham’s way in a physical 1-0 win. Esther González scored the only goal for the defending champions, and the match carried plenty of edge with 10 yellow cards and a late sending off for Boston’s Bianca St-Georges.

Elsewhere, Seattle picked up one of the more dramatic results of the weekend, beating Orlando 2-1 in a match interrupted by a lengthy weather delay. Jess Fishlock opened the scoring, Barbra Banda equalized after play resumed, and Brittany Ratcliffe came off the bench to head home the winner late. Angel City delivered the most emphatic performance of the weekend, rolling past Chicago 4-0 behind standout contributions from Kennedy Fuller and Ary Borges, while Savy King’s return to the field after last year’s cardiac event made the afternoon even more meaningful.

There was plenty happening across the rest of the league too. Bay FC spoiled Denver Summit’s debut with a 2-1 win, North Carolina got two goals from Ashley Sanchez to beat Racing Louisville 2-1, Kansas City came from behind to top Utah 2-1 with Croix Bethune scoring in her Current debut, and Houston stole a 1-0 road win over San Diego thanks to Makenzy Robbe and a huge performance from Jane Campbell in goal.

Friday night set the tone for the weekend as well, with Portland opening the season by beating Washington 1-0 on the road through Olivia Moultrie’s goal. So the first weekend gave the league a little bit of everything: a record-setting crowd in Boston, defending champs starting strong, statement wins in Los Angeles and Seattle, and early signs that the expansion clubs are going to add real energy to the season even as they learn how unforgiving this league can be.

Botafogo is racing to avoid another FIFA transfer ban, with Monday marking the deadline to pay the second installment of its debt to Atlanta United for Thiago Almada. Botafogo and Atlanta reached a restructuring agreement in February that lifted the previous ban after an initial $10 million payment, but the next payment is now due and another missed deadline could trigger a fresh punishment from FIFA.

Glogo reports that the remaining agreement calls for four more installments of $5 million each, with this second payment scheduled for the first half of March. If Botafogo misses it, Atlanta United can notify FIFA and Botafogo would again be placed under a transfer ban.

What makes this especially notable is the financial picture around the club right now. Globo reports there is concern internally because Botafogo does not currently have the cash on hand for this payment, and there is broader anxiety about covering monthly expenses in the months ahead. The same report says some inside the club are already working under the assumption that another transfer ban may be coming.

This is not just about Almada in isolation, either. Globo also notes that other clubs, including Betis, Junior Barranquilla, and Vélez Sarsfield, have expressed dissatisfaction over delayed payments on other transfers, which amplifies that this is part of a wider financial strain at Botafogo rather than a one-off problem.

New U.S. kits arrive ahead of the World Cup
U.S. Soccer and Nike unveiled the new 2026 national team kits on Monday, with the collection set to be worn across all 27 U.S. Soccer national teams. The USMNT will debut the new look later this month in Atlanta, and the rollout is being framed as the federation’s first fully unified visual identity across youth and senior teams, built around “stars” and “stripes” designs ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The launch is also a major commercial push. U.S. Soccer says the jerseys will be sold in roughly 2,500 retail locations nationwide, making this the widest and most heavily promoted kit release in federation history, with player feedback helping shape everything from fit and mobility to bespoke fonts and other design details.

Alyssa Thompson lifts silverware with Chelsea
Alyssa Thompson picked up her first trophy since joining Chelsea as the Blues beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Women’s League Cup final at Ashton Gate. Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones scored the goals in front of a crowd of 21,619 as Chelsea added another domestic trophy to its collection.

For the U.S. angle, it was another reminder of how many American players are operating deep in major European competitions right now. Thompson was part of a Chelsea side that handled the occasion well and continues to stack silverware in a season that still has bigger prizes ahead.

‘Summer of ’94’ puts a U.S. soccer milestone back in focus
Fox Sports debuted Summer of ’94 at SXSW over the weekend, revisiting the USMNT’s run-up to the 1994 World Cup with never-before-seen footage and new interviews from players and staff tied to that era. The documentary is scheduled to air on Fox on May 23, just three days before the U.S. announces its 2026 World Cup squad, which gives the project an obvious bridge between the country’s last men’s World Cup at home and the next one.

That timing is the whole point. As the U.S. gets closer to hosting again, Fox is using the film to reconnect this moment to one of the most important turning points in the modern history of the sport in this country.

Colorado rewards Billo Diop’s rise
The Colorado Rapids signed 19-year-old forward Mamadou Billo Diop to a first-team contract through the 2027-28 season, with club options running through 2029-30. Diop was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, and the Rapids are betting that his production with Rapids 2 can now translate at MLS level.

It is an easy move to understand when you look at the numbers. Diop scored 14 goals with two assists in 1,614 minutes for Colorado Rapids 2 in 2025, won the team’s Player of the Year and Golden Boot honors, and helped the club reach its first MLS NEXT Pro Cup appearance.

Western Michigan soccer gets a major boost
Western Michigan announced more than $2 million in anonymous alumni gifts for its men’s and women’s soccer programs, a significant investment in a college game that often struggles for this kind of visible backing. The money will fund stadium lighting, new professional-style benches and shelters, and what the school described as championship-level program support.

It is the kind of gift that can change the day-to-day standard for both programs, not just the look of the complex. Just as importantly, WMU is openly framing it as a challenge to other alumni and supporters to help push the sport forward on campus.

SDH AM is live this morning starting at 9:05 with Jon Nelson in the host chair. Abe Gordon from 92.9 The Game and Bart Keeler from the Soccer For US podcast here on SDH will join the show to look back at the weekend around the world and get your Monday started.

Atlanta Soccer Tonight will be live tonight on 92.9 The Game, a special Monday edition of the show and Madison Crews will join me to recap Atlanta United’s weekend and preview the Champions League Round of 16 second leg matches starting tomorrow.

The match really turned after halftime. Even after Santiago Pita had a penalty saved, Atlanta stayed aggressive, with Adyn Torres helping spark the sequence that led to Brennan’s goal before Butts added a second soon after. Enzo Dovlo then capped the night with his first professional goal, a fitting finish to a second half in which Atlanta outshot Huntsville 11-6 and controlled the game with intensity, vertical play, and relentless defensive pressure.

Carrick keeps making his case
Manchester United strengthened their top-four push with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa, moving to 54 points and opening a three-point gap over Villa in fourth. Michael Carrick now has 22 points from his first nine league matches as interim boss, and while Jim Ratcliffe has not committed publicly to making him permanent, the results keep making the conversation harder to avoid.

Spurs finally show some fight
Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool did not solve everything, but it did stop a six-match losing streak and gave Igor Tudor his first point in charge. Richarlison’s late equalizer and the way Spurs competed through a depleted squad made this feel more significant than a normal draw for a team still hovering just above the relegation zone.

Finalissima falls apart
The 2026 Finalissima between Spain and Argentina has been cancelled after the match in Qatar became unworkable because of the conflict in the Middle East and failed attempts to find a replacement venue. Reuters reported that UEFA explored alternatives including Madrid and a two-legged format, while Argentina and CONMEBOL pushed back on options they viewed as unfair or unworkable, turning what should have been a showcase match into a public dispute.

Poland’s title race is pure chaos
The Ekstraklasa has turned into one of the wildest leagues in Europe, with all 18 clubs still mathematically able to either win the title or be relegated with less than a third of the season remaining. That level of volatility fits a league that has produced nine different champions since 2000, more than any other European top flight in that span, and it says plenty about just how open the competition remains.

Neymar’s World Cup path keeps narrowing
Neymar did little to strengthen his case for Brazil in Santos’ 1-1 draw with Corinthians, struggling to influence the match and failing to put a shot on target ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad announcement. Afterward, Neymar admitted he wants to return to the national team and play in the World Cup, but said the decision is not his to make.

Ashley Cole gets his first head coaching job
Ashley Cole has been appointed head coach of Serie B side Cesena, giving the former England defender his first managerial role. Cesena are currently eighth in the table, so Cole walks into a team with something tangible still to play for as he makes the jump from assistant and development roles into the main chair.

Suriname leans into Dutch star power
Patrick Kluivert and Clarence Seedorf are joining Suriname’s World Cup push in informal advisory and ambassador roles ahead of this month’s playoffs in Mexico. It is another fascinating twist in one of the best qualification stories around, with Suriname now two wins away from a first-ever World Cup appearance.

Iraq gets a path to Mexico
After asking FIFA for a postponement because of dangerous and impractical travel conditions, Iraq has now confirmed it will travel to Mexico for its World Cup playoff via chartered flight. That does not erase the disruption caused by the regional conflict, but it at least gives Iraq a viable route to a match that could send them to their first World Cup since 1986.

Wales loses a key piece
Kieffer Moore has been ruled out of Wales’ World Cup playoffs with a hamstring injury, a significant blow heading into the semifinal against Bosnia-Herzegovina on March 26. Moore will also miss a potential final five days later, leaving Wales without one of its most important focal points in attack at exactly the wrong time.

Atlanta United finally gave the season a jolt with a win that felt like more than just three points, while the rest of the weekend reminded us how quickly the landscape is taking shape in both MLS and the NWSL. Around the league, some contenders are already separating themselves, some big clubs are already under pressure, and some of the stories that will define this season are starting to come into focus.

Closer to home, there is plenty on the calendar this week as SDH AM gets Monday started and Atlanta United turns quickly toward D.C. United. Add in a strong Atlanta United 2 performance, another financial twist in the Botafogo-Almada saga, and a busy domestic and international picture, and this feels like one of those mornings where the soccer world already has a little bit of everything on the table.