最新杏吧原创

Here are five things to know about City SC鈥檚 game with its toughest opponent yet:

The biggest test yet

City SC, with its club-record run, is nine points back of Vancouver, and it could have been seven if it hadn鈥檛 blown a 3-1 lead on Sunday.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a great challenge,鈥� said Damet. 鈥淵ou travel to the West Coast, you play on turf. They are, in my opinion, the best team in the league, and I鈥檓 speaking about results. I think they are. We want to challenge ourselves. I think every time there is those kind of opportunities ahead of us, I think the guys are excited. The group is excited. I think that鈥檚 what we want. We want more of those challenges.鈥�

During this run, City SC has gone 3-0-1 against the teams ahead of it in the Western Conference standings, which is one of the things that has enabled them to jump up so quickly. But only one of those games, against slumping San Jose, was on the road.

鈥淚t will be a fun game for sure,鈥� said wing back Conrad Wallem. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good team, probably one of the best teams in the league, if not the best. It鈥檚 always fun to play those teams. We are traveling there to get a result, for sure. We can beat them, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檝e been working on.鈥�

New faces

City SC could have as many as three brand new faces in the lineup, though it may not be until Wednesday in Portland that everyone gets put to work. The club acquired Rafael Navarro, Damion Downs and Charles-Emile Brunet on Wednesday, the final day of the transfer window. The new players will have had two practice sessions before the game, which isn鈥檛 a lot, but Navarro and Brunet, who came to 最新杏吧原创 from other MLS teams, are in midseason form. Downs, who came in from England where he鈥檇 been training but didn鈥檛 appear in any of his club鈥檚 first six games, may need more time.

Navarro, who played 90 minutes for Colorado on Saturday, said he is ready, but how much he plays is up to Damet.

Sporting director Corey Wray may have lost the club鈥檚 two best field players, Marcel Hartel and Eduard Lowen, in the window but still managed to come away with a better roster. And the club has backed up its on-field success with spending $18 million to bring in Navarro and Carlo Holse.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a good sign from the club that we鈥檙e headed in the right direction,鈥� said Wallem. 鈥淚 told you last time I sat here, when you were panicking about players leaving, I told you guys there will probably come in new faces, and they did.鈥�

On the road, again and again

City SC plays at Vancouver on Saturday and then at Portland on Wednesday. It鈥檚 the first time the club has had back-to-back West Coast games, and while that means a longer trip because the club will stay in Vancouver to train after its game before heading south, it means one less slog to the West Coast and, at a time when there are plenty of new faces, plenty of team bonding time.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try to maximize everything we can in terms preparation and recovery,鈥� Damet said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good time of the year to get on the road a little bit and spend some time together.鈥�

Damet said with the extended trip that more players would come along on the road trip than they would normally take.

The only trip comparable to this in City history came in season 1, when it played in Toronto on a Saturday and then flew directly to Los Angeles for a midweek game.

In and out

Center back Jaziel Orozco was sick and missed practice on Thursday, which could affect his availability on Saturday. Tomas Ostrak didn鈥檛 practice much of the week because of his hamstring injury, but Damet said he would be available for the weekend. Brendan McSorley trained with City2 this week and is expected to play with them on Saturday to start his final step in getting game ready.

Oh, and last week 鈥�

The roster dramatics this week helped overshadow many of the memories of the team鈥檚 colossal collapse against Dallas on Sunday, blowing a 3-1 lead in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time of the game.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lesson to take from it,鈥� Wallem said. 鈥淲e have been probably in a position more in the last couple of months of finding ourselves defending a lead than we did before. Before we were chasing a lot more in the last periods of the game, so that鈥檚 a learning curve we need to have for sure to know how to see out games and to protect leads, but also not just think about protecting the lead but also probably go for another goal instead of starting to sit deep. So I think there鈥檚 a lesson there for sure because we haven鈥檛 been too comfortable with that. A part of the game we probably need to improve is when the game goes to 3-1, we should have that game in our pocket.鈥�

In City SC鈥檚 four ties in its undefeated run, it has given up the tying goal in the 90th, 55th and 97th minutes. In the other it scored the tying goal in 72nd minute.

鈥淭his is the statement,鈥� he said.

A new era kicked off at City SC on Thursday, as Navarro, along with other new acquisitions Damion Downs and Charles-Emile Brunet practiced with the team for the first time. The acquisition of Navarro from Colorado is the largest MLS cash trade yet and the largest expenditure for a player in City SC history, by a factor of two. It supplants a mark that had stood for, well, about five weeks, when the team spent a reported $6 million to get Carlo Holse from Turkey. No longer can anyone say City SC is cheap. City SC identified a player it wanted and went out and got him.

鈥淲hen I started here in November, a lot of conversations happened internally about where we believe this club can be,鈥� Wray said. 鈥淚 think now you鈥檙e seeing kind of statements of intent. You鈥檙e seeing hopefully the fruits of a good process. You鈥檙e seeing clarity in how we want to recruit and play game after game. I can talk, and people can listen sometimes, but without action, certainly in acquisition or in results, maybe it can fall to deaf ears.

鈥淣othing鈥檚 changed in terms of how we鈥檝e gone about our business. But now we鈥檙e starting to see the words of ambition and intent to be competitive for all the different windows to be competitive on the field, we鈥檙e starting now actually to see that come to fruition in soccer players arriving here, in records being broken, and I think that is ultimately all that I think we can do is show that we鈥檙e not just about words; we鈥檙e actually about actions.鈥�

This puts a lot on the shoulders of Navarro, who is basically expected to continue what he was doing at Colorado, namely scoring goals, creating chances for others and playing defense. City SC has climbed into a tie for fourth in the Western Conference, putting a playoff spot in sight and this team well ahead of its rebuilding plan.

As for Navarro, the team isn鈥檛 expecting him to be something he鈥檚 not, just who he is.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel a lot of pressure,鈥� Navarro said through a translator. 鈥淚 know about my responsibility, and I will do the best I can. I鈥檒l make this team happy, and I鈥檒l score a lot of goals.鈥�

He has 38 goals and 15 assists in 97 regular-season MLS appearances and has already scored 10 this season. He comes to a team where the leading scorer has six goals.

鈥淚t's a great addition to the group,鈥� said City SC coach Yoann Damet. 鈥淲e're all very, very happy and excited to add him to our group of players. I think the players are also very, very excited. I really like his personality. I think the common trait between all those guys, you look at Matti (Alex Matan), you look at Carlo, you look at the other guys as well coming in. Tahir (Reid-Brown), Charles, Rafa, Damion, great character, great personality that know what it takes as well to compete every single week, to be at a high level, to take care of himself.

鈥淚n terms of the professionalism,鈥� Damet said, 鈥渢he work ethic and the personality, it fits right into what we want to have here in in 最新杏吧原创, and at the same time, in terms of abilities, what he can do on and off the ball, he's, like, very, very good. He's one of the forwards that presses the most in the league. He's scoring goals. He's working for the team. He's selfless. Like everything we like to have and everything that we've been doing as well with the team.鈥�

There shouldn鈥檛 be any delay in getting Navarro on the field. He鈥檚 in midseason form, having played in his 22nd game of the season on Saturday, and he has played the full 90 minutes in all but one of them. The only issue is getting up to speed on Damet鈥檚 system.

鈥淚 feel very good; I鈥檓 ready to play,鈥� Navarro said. 鈥淲ho will decide when I play is the coach, and I know he will have the best time to put me in the game. I鈥檓 very excited to help, I鈥檓 ready to help and I鈥檓 ready to play at any moment.鈥�

Denver isn't that far from 最新杏吧原创, but it was still a long journey for Navarro to get here. Wray said the club identified him as a top choice in January, when Klauss was traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy, but a deal didn鈥檛 work out then. Then the team used up its available designated player spot by signing Holse, but then when Marcel Hartel expressed a desire to go back to Germany for a personal matter, a move that would free up a DP spot, things fell into place to acquire Navarro.

鈥淎fter three or four times of seeing what could be done,鈥� Wray said, 鈥渨e were able to get to a point where we felt like we could close this deal.鈥�

Navarro signed a four-year deal with the club, the furthest into the future any player is signed, with the club having an option year.

鈥淭he energy of the fans of the team make me very welcome,鈥� Navarro said, 鈥渁nd also the way the team plays and the whole staff make me feel so welcome, and that makes me so excited about 最新杏吧原创. 鈥� It鈥檚 wonderful to be here. I鈥檓 really happy. I hope to contribute inside the game and help the club. I鈥檓 very anxious and very excited to be here and be part of the team.

鈥淎ll Brazilians are very happy. Happiness is always our thing. The energy about the game and the love about soccer, it鈥檚 one of the things that I will bring with me.鈥�

In addition to the $12 million fee, Colorado gets an additional $250,000 in conditional compensation. Navarro has agreed to four-year contract through the 2029-30 season, with an option for the 2030-31 season. He's the first player on the club with a contract that runs to 2030.

"When we started the search for a striker who could fit our system, Rafa鈥檚 profile really stood out to us, and he quickly became one of our main targets,鈥� said Wray in a statement released by the club. 鈥淲e knew there was significant interest in Rafa, but we were determined to make him a priority for us. He is not only a proven goalscorer in this league, but he brings so much to the team through his work ethic, pressing, link-up play and overall presence in the attack. His effort on both sides of the ball, combined with his ability to score goals and create opportunities for his teammates, will be a big boost to our group. We believe Rafa is entering the prime years of his career, and we are excited to bring him to 最新杏吧原创 and get him integrated into the group as soon as possible.鈥�

It shouldn't take long. Navarro, 26, is already in 最新杏吧原创.

City SC has long been accused of being cheap but Wray is putting to full use ownership's financial resources.

"Rafa鈥檚 signing is further evidence of the ambition we have for 最新杏吧原创 City SC and the commitment our ownership group has made to building a club capable of competing at the highest level,鈥� said club president and general manager Diego Gigliani in a statement. 鈥淏ringing a player of Rafa鈥檚 quality to 最新杏吧原创 represents a significant investment, but more importantly, it reflects our belief in the project and future of this club. Our ownership group has embraced a desire to be bold, and this signing is another step in that direction. We know our supporters expect us to compete, and we are committed to giving our sporting staff and players the resources they need to do that.鈥�

For Downs, the club has a purchase option at the end of the loan that runs through the 2027 sprint season. The club also acquired his discover priority rights from Charlotte for $350,000 in general allocation money. For Brunet, City SC gave Nashville $50,000 in 2026 GAM, and City SC holds a permanent trade option at the end of the loan.

The window was a two-way street, as City SC also saw two of its best and most popular players leave, with Marcel Hartel going home to Germany for personal reasons and Eduard Lowen being traded to San Jose after negotiations for a new contract hit an impasse.

Depending on how coach Yoann Damet sets his lineup Saturday in Vancouver, it鈥檚 conceivable that eight of the 11 starters could be players signed, or re-signed, by Wray, who was hired on Nov. 3. And if it doesn鈥檛 happen in Vancouver, it will likely happen in the not-too-distant future. When the team played Dallas on Sunday, the only starters not signed by Wray were goalkeeper Roman Burki, left wing back Tomas Totland, center back Timo Baumgartl and attacking midfielder Sangbin Jeong. All of those players except for Burki are in the final seasons of their contracts.

The $12 million is the most City SC has spent on a player, and coupled with Holse鈥檚 reported $6 million fee, the club would have spent more on those two players than it did on all previous transfers in the history of the club. In addition, the club has tapped into its extensive supply of general allocation money, spending $900,000 (some of it from the 2027 pool) on acquisitions.

Navarro, 26, is from Brazil but has a green card, so he doesn鈥檛 require an international spot. He will give City SC a true goal scorer it hasn鈥檛 really had in its brief existence. In his two full MLS seasons, he has totaled 15 and 12 goals, more than any City SC player has ever had in a season. This season, he has 10 goals in 22 MLS games. He鈥檚 a tireless worker, covering as much ground in a game as some midfielders and routinely playing 90 minutes; he has played all but six minutes for Colorado this season. He has 38 goals and 15 assists in 97 regular-season MLS appearances.

Downs could use a restart. He scored 10 goals and had five assists in 29 games for Koln in the Bundesliga 2 in 2024-25 as the team earned a promotion and Downs got called in to the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup that summer (including five minutes in the Guatemala game at Energizer Park).

That season also got him a transfer to Southampton in the Championship, the English second division, but his scoring dried up. He couldn鈥檛 crack the starting lineup and sometimes couldn鈥檛 even make the game-day roster. Just after the winter break, he was loaned to Hamburg in the Bundesliga, where he started but still couldn鈥檛 score. At the end of the season, he was returned to Southampton.

Downs doesn鈥檛 figure in Southampton鈥檚 plans for this season and hasn鈥檛 suited up for any of its first six games. Downs was born in Germany to an American father and German mother and returned to U.S., living in Texas, when he was 1. He moved back to Germany when he was 9 and took up soccer. He played for the German U-20 team but has since played for the U.S.

鈥淒amion brings an exciting mix of technical quality, pace and athleticism to our attack,鈥� Wray said. 鈥淗e gives us a different profile at the forward position and the flexibility to play in different ways. His ability to combine with his teammates, get in behind and make an impact in the box will give us another weapon in attack. For a player his age, he already has a lot of valuable experience, including time with the U.S. men鈥檚 national team, and we believe he still has more room to grow.鈥�

Brunet came up through the Montreal academy system, where he worked with Damet. He has made seven appearances with Nashville across all competitions, usually playing in a defensive midfield role.

鈥淎dding Charles gives us some depth in the midfield as we head into the final stretch of the season,鈥� Wray said in a statement. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a technical, young player who can contribute on both sides of the ball and provide some versatility to our group. We鈥檙e excited to bring him (in) and see how he can contribute.鈥�

After leaving the Montreal academy, Brunet played college soccer, starting at Central Arkansas as a freshman and then transferring to SMU, where he had two goals and six assists in 20 games. He was selected by Nashville in the third round of the 2026 MLS draft.

U.S. Soccer, which runs the Open Cup, and MLS have been at odds about the event since 2024, when the league said its schedule was too busy to accommodate Open Cup games and it would instead let clubs send their MLS Next Pro teams. This came at the same time that MLS launched the Leagues Cup, an annual event between MLS and Mexican clubs.

The idea of MLS teams not being in the Open Cup landed like a rock聽鈥� for starters, it ran against U.S. Soccer鈥檚 professional league standards, which said all eligible teams had to participate in competitions聽鈥� so a compromise was reached, with essentially teams that qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup being exempted, with some of the other clubs sending their first team and others their reserve team. City SC, which qualified for the Champions Cup that season, didn鈥檛 take part in the Open Cup that year, even though it had been eliminated from the Champions Cup before the Open Cup began.

But with the schedule change, there are fewer conflicts in the MLS schedule. The Champions Cup starts in January, so it will be over by the time Open Cup starts and is more likely to conflict with the Leagues Cup. Also, an Open Cup that used its current schedule, starting in the spring and finishing in the fall, would span two MLS seasons, with a team potentially winning the competition with a vastly different lineup than it started with.

To ease the strain on lineups, teams will be able to use any player contracted to the club, be they first team, Next Pro or academy. Game-day rosters will expand from 18 to 20 players.

MLS clubs will receive hosting priority for their Round of 64 games, and following that round, a live draw will be held for the games and hosting scenarios for the next two rounds, to be played Sept. 14-15 and at a date not yet set. The quarterfinals will be Nov. 23-24, the semifinals on Dec. 1 and the final on Dec. 15, though these dates are subject to change.

While many fans protested MLS teams skipping the Open Cup, Open Cup games have long been plagued by small attendances, especially in the early rounds, and teams have often moved games to smaller facilities. City SC did not announce an attendance for its last Open Cup game, on May 19 vs. Houston, but the upper decks were not used.

City SC has reached the semifinals of this year鈥檚 competition and will face Colorado on Sept. 16 in Commerce City, Colorado. If City SC wins, it would also be on the road for the championship game, to be played on Oct. 21 at Columbus, Ohio, or Orlando, Florida. The tournament doubled the prize money to $1 million in 2025.

Clubs from 最新杏吧原创 have won 10 Open Cups, the most recent in 1988, when the 最新杏吧原创 Busch Seniors won. Since MLS started, MLS teams have dominated the competition, winning every title since 2000.

It was after this particular pass that I thought to myself: Oh, this is what they鈥檙e talking about.

In the past few weeks, we鈥檝e seen glimpses here and there of what makes Holse worth his contract.

In the meantime, 最新杏吧原创 City SC is hottest team in MLS聽鈥� and the best player (for now, anyway) comes off the bench. Remember, he hadn鈥檛 played since the Turkish season ended in May.

Incidentally, the 鈥渇or now, anyway鈥� is two-fold. One, Holse said he鈥檚 become comfortable in the system (four games in), so perhaps he鈥檒l finally make his first start Saturday in City鈥檚 biggest game in years聽鈥� a match at first-place Vancouver (it鈥檚 understandable that coach Yoann Damet wants to keep the same starters that got City on this 12-game unbeaten streak in MLS play, but man, I say go with Carlo).

Two, it鈥檚 possible that he might not be the best player for long 鈥� City is reportedly close to acquiring Rafael Navarro, the stellar striker from Colorado.

Regardless, Holse is, at worst, one of the best players on 最新杏吧原创. And after his goal in his fourth game聽鈥� last Sunday鈥檚 match against Dallas FC聽鈥� he sure looks like a game-changer. I love his creativity and explosivity.

鈥淗e was excellent when he came on (against Dallas),鈥� City teammate Daniel Edelman said. 鈥淪cored a great goal. He has a really good left foot, as well.鈥�

That left foot notched the great goal. In the 64th minute at Energizer Park, Holse took off down the left wing from about midfield. That鈥檚 a heck of a hike. But he just kept chugging. Ultimately, teammate Conrad Wallen unleashed a blistering cross that eluded the diving goalie. Wallem鈥檚 valiant effort earned himself an assist as the hustling Holse knocked it home.

And when he scored, goodness, it felt like a dagger into Dallas. It put 最新杏吧原创 up 3-1. Alas, City allowed two goals, including one in the final minute, which turned a win against a fellow fourth-place team into a draw.

In other words ... worst tie ever.

Now, in the other three games, Damet had the attacking midfielder Holse play on the right side. But against Dallas, Damet played him on the left.

鈥淐arlo was more in a free role, a little bit more central when we were attacking,鈥� Damet said. 鈥淪o that was a little bit what we wanted to create, like in a asymmetrical way聽鈥� I thought he did well. He found some good pockets of space at times. 鈥�

鈥淚 don't think we we've seen the best of him. It's good that he's getting minutes. He's getting to feel a little bit of the team. So this is very important.鈥�

So is Holse ready to start and play the majority of minutes in a match?

鈥淵ou have to speak to Yoann,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like these four games have been good for me. Played 30 minutes (against Dallas). So I think we're almost there. 鈥� I feel like with every game that's been played so far, it's getting better and better. The heat, I鈥檓 still adjusting to it. 鈥� The first three games, (there wasn鈥檛 much practice time). So to have that full week (before Dallas), also with the tactical aspect of it聽鈥� meetings, trainings, speaking with the guys聽鈥� it was definitely a help.鈥�

It鈥檚 been a bit more than a month since Holse was announced as the team鈥檚 latest designated player (with a reported $6 million transfer fee). I was curious what he鈥檚 learned about Damet鈥檚 system聽鈥� and what excites him.

鈥淚t's definitely different than what I鈥檓 used to,鈥� said Holse, who turned 27 in June. 鈥淢uch more tactical details. So also with the different positions that I can play, there's a lot to keep track of, that's for sure. So that's also something that I have to get used to. There are so many different aspects of it 鈥� we could play with two strikers, one striker, play with three in the middle, four in the middle. A lot of different things. So still trying to get my head around it. It's getting better every day.鈥�

And after some nifty passes and a great goal, perhaps this is the most encouraging thing Holse said: 鈥淚 have higher expectations for myself than what I've showed so far.鈥�

Forward Zach Zengue made his Major League Soccer debut Sunday night, coming off the bench and playing the final 17 minutes plus stoppage time. Zengue is with the club on loan from the Columbus Crew for the rest of the season, with City SC having an option to acquire him at the end of the loan. He鈥檚 part of sporting director Corey Wray鈥檚 project: rebuild the first team to compete for the playoffs but also rebuild the club鈥檚 depth.

鈥淲hen we got here, I would say there was a lot of inefficiencies in the salary cap,鈥� Wray said. 鈥淭here was a lack of future assets in the club. Our second team was completely depleted. 鈥� We won鈥檛 know necessarily until maybe next summer what that looks like from a whole, but I do feel like we鈥檝e progressed quite substantially in the just more than half of the year.鈥�

The club promoted Palmer Ault from City2 to the first team after the World Cup break, got Zengue on a loan and acquired Tahir Reid-Brown, a left back, from Orlando. Reid-Brown was on the game-day roster for the first time Sunday. Riley Lynch, who is on the City2 roster, trains with City SC most days and coach Yoann Damet said the club may keep him there for training the rest of the season.

The arrivals of Navarro and Downs may squeeze those players off the game-day rosters for the rest of the season, but players like Zengue, who is 22, are players for the future.

Zengue is very much a man of the world. He was born in Washington and, with his mother working for USAID, the family soon embarked on a tour of places in need of American aid. At 6 months old, he moved to Nigeria for five years, then to Haiti (鈥淚t was right when a big earthquake hit, so everything was in ruins where we were living in Port-au-Prince,鈥� he said) and then to Sri Lanka before finally returning to the United States and settling in Minnesota, where he went to high school at Shattuck-St. Mary鈥檚, a school known most for developing hockey players. He played collegiately at Georgetown before being drafted by Columbus.

At a young age, Zengue got a feel for what the world looked like.

鈥淟iving in places where there鈥檚 a lot of poverty opened my eyes to how people live,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what the States were like. I grew up in that situation, so that was normal. Then we鈥檇 come to the States every summer to see family, and I鈥檇 be like, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 a different world.鈥� But I loved it, honestly. The people were amazing. Just the different lifestyles, the reverence they hold for the earth and just different spiritual things in their cultures, it just opened my eyes to a lot of different ways of living, which I apply to my life now, which is nice. So I loved it. It was a great experience.鈥�

Zengue didn鈥檛 take up soccer formally until he got to Minnesota, but he played a lot of it along the way.

鈥淚 was just playing with my brother in the backyard or at recess when I was in those countries because they didn鈥檛 have any organized footy there. It was more just fun, and honestly, I鈥檓 grateful that I got to do that part of footy because it brought back just me trying to nutmeg my brother every time I had the ball. It gives me that fun and that joy. I think that鈥檚 where I found that.鈥�

Getting in the game Sunday, in part because City SC is low on options at the moment (that will change soon), was a big deal for Zengue.

鈥淚t was a dream come true,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been talking a lot with my family about it and just talking about how at a young age I鈥檝e always been like, 鈥業 want to be a professional soccer player,鈥� and tell my teachers that and everyone that I meet that. So it was definitely a first step in the career, but it鈥檚 kind of just over now. It feels like another day, and now it鈥檚 just I want to get more. I want keep going, keep pushing.鈥�

鈥淕ood for him,鈥� said Damet. 鈥淗e鈥檚 trained well. He鈥檚 working hard. He鈥檚 got a strong mindset. I thought we needed to keep a similar profile to Sangbin (Jeong) with someone able to stretch and run in behind, that鈥檚 why he came on. I thought he did a good job. It鈥檚 never easy when it鈥檚 your first, but I was quite pleased with what I saw.鈥�

Notes

• Tomas Ostrak was absent from practice Tuesday. Damet said he was close to getting back in training.

• City SC hasn鈥檛 announced Navarro鈥檚 arrival, but Colorado has apparently found his replacement: Morgan Whittaker from Middlesbrough in England, according to The Athletic.

• The transfer window closes at 11 p.m. Central time Wednesday.