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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 2d

a soccer player wearing a white aia jersey is standing on the field .

ALT: a soccer player wearing a white aia jersey is standing on the field .

media.tenor.com

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 2d

Why am I highlighting the East? Nashville/Orlando are gonna be lower seeded teams. Miami ignore their xGD… they have Messi.

But NYCFC wasn’t too shabby either. All are either gonna be lower seeds or the four seed. Gonna be tough

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 2d

Love this from Tony. I’m looking at the 7 teams that have a positive xGD vs playoff teams. Seems like most teams will beat bad teams, but very few teams will consistently perform vs playoff level teams.

The East is looking like a bloodbath

Tony ElHabr @tonyelhabr.bsky.social · 5d

lmk if this is along the lines of what you're looking for. happy to iterate

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Reposted by Arman Kafai

Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 5d

I analyzed some of the more interesting storylines from the latest roster profiles and GAM release as we enter the end of the MLS regular season. How will the new rules about carrying over GAM impact teams in 2026? Seems like a bit more than we expected.

GAM makes the world go round

How the September 2025 GAM Release sets up teams for the 2026 off-season

open.substack.com

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 4d

Marcel Hartel was a great player joining MLS from St. Pauli and again, like we say with Musa, has been wasted at St. Louis. Legit a great player imo that’s been stuck on mediocre STL team

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 5d

I analyzed some of the more interesting storylines from the latest roster profiles and GAM release as we enter the end of the MLS regular season. How will the new rules about carrying over GAM impact teams in 2026? Seems like a bit more than we expected.

GAM makes the world go round

How the September 2025 GAM Release sets up teams for the 2026 off-season

open.substack.com

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 6d

That’s totally fair. Just watched a ton of Dallas games and without him they’d be wooden spoon hands down. His goals added isn’t crazy as well relative to the other guys but still top 30 (and I’d wager higher as of recently)

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 7d

New meta is the 2+2

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 7d

Is there a clear consensus on how to build a roster? Not yet, but going into our first full year, we're going to see how the GAM that wasn't used due to teams using the GAM received from the model will impact roster construction in 2026.

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 7d

One thing that I've been looking at is the roster construction mechanisms for the teams that are in the Supporters' Shield Race.

-PHI (3+3 but could be 2+4)
-CIN (2+4)
-SD (2+4)
-VAN (2+4)
-NYC (2+4)
-MIA (3+3)
-MIN (2+4)
-CHA (2+4)
-NSH (3+3)
-LAFC (2+4)

7/10 are 2+4

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 8d

add another one chef

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 8d

Alright I’m scratching what I’m saying. He should be in the MVP race. I don’t care about where Dallas is on the table. Had two key moments in that game that led to both goals for Dallas. It’s unreal

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Reposted by Arman Kafai

Joseph Lowery @joeclowery.bsky.social · 8d

I'm sure FC Dallas would want a big-time fee, but I'd be shocked if MLS teams weren't sniffing around Petar Musa this winter in hopes of acquiring him in a cashfer.

Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 8d

If FC Dallas wasn’t so low in the table, we’d be talking about Petar Musa as an MVP candidate. When it comes to the definition of MVP for a team, he’s almost the perfect example. Leads the team in scoring by an insane margin, leads them in npxG, basically leads the team in xA.

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 8d

FCD would be struggling without him. But one of his impacts is just his consistent work rate. On Julio’s goal Saturday, he won a header off a double team, which kept the ball alive for the goal. It’s crazy that Dallas has struggled like they have over the last two seasons with him there

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 8d

If FC Dallas wasn’t so low in the table, we’d be talking about Petar Musa as an MVP candidate. When it comes to the definition of MVP for a team, he’s almost the perfect example. Leads the team in scoring by an insane margin, leads them in npxG, basically leads the team in xA.

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 12d

Assume that every club will carry this total over to 2026.

Holy shit Minnesota

MLS Communications @mls-pr.bsky.social · 12d

The club roster profiles have been updated to now include the amount of GAM remaining for each club in 2025.

MLS eliminated expiration dates for GAM earlier this year (apart from GAM received when selecting the U22 Initiative Roster Construction Model).
mlssoccer.box.com/s/c2ok055zmd...

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Reposted by Arman Kafai

Catalina @catabush.com · 16d

I uhhhh... have a podcast now (it's about women's soccer though so it's ok)

B Team Pod @bteampodcast.bsky.social · 16d

Our first episode is up! Immediate reactions as the KC Current defeat Seattle at home to lift the NWSL Shield. Plus, we discuss the teams vying for spots in this year's playoffs, including the Wave, Gotham, Courage, and more.

Listen on Spotify and Apple podcasts.

open.spotify.com/episode/6VRn...

Current Clinch the Shield + the Playoff Race is On!

open.spotify.com

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 17d

Add a game-winning assist to the list

Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 20d

Austin FC at the death! Holy smokes, what a last couple of games for CJ Fodrey. GW goal vs SKC and now the goal to put them through to the USOC Final.

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 17d

Win now

Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 18d

Latte Lath is on $4M. Musa is on $2.5M. Let’s say Musa wants to match that to move, so the same

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 18d

Okay maybe not exactly $23M but slightly higher than the $20M. Player outside of MLS, maybe from another good league in Europe

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 18d

Hypothetical I’m throwing out to the BlueSky MLS community. Would you rather sign Petar Musa away from FC Dallas for $20M or sign a forward from another league for $23M (think Latte Lath like profile)?

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Reposted by Arman Kafai

Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 22d

Miles Robinson signed an extension last week that reportedly put him into the Designated Player slot. The reaction around the deal has been pretty mixed and people have been pointing out the constraints Cincinnati will now have. But does it really hurt them? My thoughts for FAM:

The mechanics behind Miles Robinson's extension

Why Robinson's extension may actually help Cincy's cap number instead of hinder it

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Arman Kafai

Backheeled @backheeled.com · 20d

MLS is a league known for its tactical variety.

Which defensive approaches, then, have excelled across the league in 2025?

@cata-bush.bsky.social examines the data and film to uncover elite units in MLS that prove there's no one right way to defend.

Read ⤵️
www.backheeled.com/mls-best-def...

The MLS teams charting their own path to defensive excellence

Here are the elite units proving there is no one right way to defend.

www.backheeled.com

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Arman Kafai @armankafai.bsky.social · 20d

Austin FC at the death! Holy smokes, what a last couple of games for CJ Fodrey. GW goal vs SKC and now the goal to put them through to the USOC Final.

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