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With the MLS regular season drawing to a close in the next few weeks, it was another fiercely competitive round of fixtures this weekend. Here, we'll run you through the key results from the past few days.
Nashville held as Mukhtar strikes again
Nashville missed the chance to wrap up the Supporters' Shield after being held to a 1-1 draw by San Jose on Saturday. It looked like being another comfortable night for the league leaders when Hany Mukhtar put them ahead in the first half, his goal in a fifth consecutive game, coming just days after a 4-0 thrashing of Sporting Kansas City. However, San Jose levelled with 20 minutes remaining, and substitute Elias Saad wasted three late chances to win it. Despite dropping points, Nashville clinched top spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time in their history. They now lead MLS on 67 points, with both Vancouver Whitecaps and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami trailing on 55 points.
Messi's Miami pick up valuable points
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami picked up valuable points against Atlanta United on Saturday after winning 3-1. Nothing of note happened until the final minute of the first half, when Germán Berterame put Miami 1-0 up, finishing off a move involving Messi and Luis Suárez. It didn't take Messi long to make his own mark after the break, scoring twice in four minutes, in the 56th and 60th minutes, to put the game beyond Atlanta. Fafà Picault pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, but it was far too little, too late for the hosts. Messi's assist for the opener was his 15th of the season, drawing him level with LAFC's Son Heung-min at the top of the charts and making him the first player in MLS history to reach 15 assists in three consecutive seasons. It will be a welcome result for Inter Miami, although they remain 12 points behind Nashville at the top of the table.
New England gain ground on Inter Miami
New England closed the gap on Inter Miami on Saturday 17 October after edging past Chicago Fire. The match ended 1-0, with Matt Polster's shot going in off the far post after patient build-up from Carles Gil in New England's first real chance of the night. Chicago tried to fight their way back into the game, but it was all in vain as they failed to find an equaliser. The defeat stung less than it might have, as results elsewhere meant Chicago clinched their place in the MLS Cup Playoffs anyway. New England, meanwhile, move up to 52 points, just three behind Miami. With the regular season heading into its final few weeks, they still have time to chase second place in the East all the way.
Columbus Crew win the Ohio derby
Columbus Crew claimed bragging rights in Ohio on Sunday after beating FC Cincinnati 2-0 in the Hell is Real derby at TQL Stadium. Gustavo Tapia put the Crew ahead in the 22nd minute, before Taha Habroune doubled the lead in the 54th minute to round off the victory. Cincinnati, missing José Martínez and Miles Robinson through injury, never looked like finding a way back. It is now 11 derby wins for Columbus to Cincinnati's six, and it will be a sobering result for the home side as they slip further off the pace in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte end Philadelphia's winning run as Toklomati makes history
Charlotte FC brought Philadelphia Union's eight-game winning streak to an end on Saturday after a 2-2 draw at Subaru Park. Milan Iloski put the Union 1-0 up in the 24th minute after converting a penalty, awarded for a Pep Biel handball, but it didn't take Charlotte long after the break to level the scores, with Rodolfo Aloko finding the net in the 48th minute. Idan Toklomati then turned the game on its head in the 62nd minute, heading home David Schnegg's cross to set a new club record for MLS goals in a single season. Charlotte's lead lasted just 11 minutes, as Bruno Damiani curled in from the top of the box to rescue a point. It means Philadelphia have now gone a club-record 15 games unbeaten under interim boss Ryan Richter, having climbed from last place in the East at the World Cup break to sixth. Charlotte sit just one point ahead of them on 47 points.
Vancouver strike late without Müller
Vancouver Whitecaps strengthened their grip on the Western Conference on Saturday after coming from behind to beat Austin FC 2-1. Myrto Uzuni put Austin ahead in the 40th minute, but Ryan Gauld equalised just two minutes into the second half. Nothing more of note happened until the 71st minute, when substitute Yadaly Diaby, just six minutes after coming on, unleashed a stunning strike to win the game for the visitors. It was an impressive result for Vancouver, who were missing Thomas Müller through injury, and they now lead the West on 55 points. For Austin, it was a third straight defeat, leaving them eight points off the final playoff spot with just four games to play.
Galaxy and San Diego share the points in four-goal first half
LA Galaxy are still waiting for their first ever win over San Diego FC after the two sides drew 2-2 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday. João Klauss opened the scoring in just the fourth minute with a superb solo effort from outside the box, before Anders Dreyer equalised from the penalty spot six minutes later. Erik Thommy restored the Galaxy's lead in the 17th minute with a first-time finish, but San Diego levelled again in the 39th minute when Gabriel Pirani pounced on a deflection inside the area. The second half failed to live up to the first, with neither side able to find a winner. The point keeps the Galaxy eighth in the West on 40 points, with San Diego on 34. And, with El Tráfico against LAFC up next, the Galaxy will need to rediscover their first-half form quickly.
