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With Decision Day just around the corner, it was another fiercely competitive week of MLS action, with a midweek round followed by a packed weekend of fixtures. Here, we'll run you through the key results from the past few days.
Nashville equal the points record in dramatic style
Nashville matched the MLS single-season points record on Sunday after coming from two goals down to beat New York Red Bulls 3-2 in their final home game of the regular season. It looked like being a frustrating afternoon for the Supporters' Shield winners when Julian Hall and Rafael Mosquera, just 43 seconds after coming off the bench, put the visitors 2-0 up, after Brian Schwake had earlier saved a Cade Cowell penalty. However, a Tim Parker own goal just before half-time got Nashville back into it, and a second own goal from Julian Bazán levelled the scores late on. Sam Surridge then headed home Cristian Espinoza's corner in the first minute of stoppage time to win it, his 19th goal of the season. It came just days after a heavily rotated Nashville side were held to a 0-0 draw by Philadelphia on Wednesday, with Hany Mukhtar and Surridge only introduced from the bench. The win takes Nashville to 74 points, level with Inter Miami's 2024 record, and sets a new league mark of 15 home wins, while also knocking the Red Bulls out of playoff contention. A win or a draw at Cincinnati on Decision Day will see them break the record outright.
Messi's Miami win the heavyweight clash
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami picked up valuable points against New England on Sunday after winning 2-1 at Gillette Stadium. Nothing of note happened in a tight first half, before Dániel Gazdag put the hosts 1-0 up eight minutes after the break. It didn't take Miami long to respond, with Germán Berterame levelling in the 69th minute after a superb team move, and Messi then turned the game on its head in the 83rd minute, finishing off another slick passing sequence to win it. The goal was Messi's 26th of the season, extending his lead in the Golden Boot race, while Telasco Segovia's assist was his 12th. It was a welcome response from the reigning champions, who had dropped to third after needing Riquelme Fillipi's 90th-minute equaliser, his first MLS goal, to rescue a 2-2 draw with Cincinnati on Wednesday. Miami now move back above New England into second place in the East on 59 points, one point ahead of the Revolution.
Cincinnati punch their playoff ticket
FC Cincinnati booked their place in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday after edging past Philadelphia Union. The match ended 1-0, with substitute Ayoub Jabbari pouncing in the 70th minute after Andre Blake could only parry Evander's shot, just six minutes after coming on. Philadelphia tried to fight their way back into the game, winning 12 corners in total, but it was all in vain as they failed to find an equaliser. The defeat stung less than it might have, as the Union had already clinched their own playoff place with a gritty 0-0 draw at Nashville on Wednesday, capping a remarkable run from last place in the East. Cincinnati, meanwhile, move up to 46 points, having won three of their last four. With just Decision Day to go, they will host record-chasing Nashville knowing they could still climb the standings.
Columbus Crew complete their turnaround
Columbus Crew continued their remarkable late-season surge on Saturday after beating D.C. United 3-0 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, days after a 2-0 win away at FC Dallas. Captain Sean Zawadzki put the Crew ahead in the 16th minute with a free header from Dylan Chambost's free kick, before Anass Zaroury doubled the lead in the 41st minute, again set up by Chambost. D.C. United, who missed a penalty in between, never looked like finding a way back, and Kimito Nono's own goal on the hour rounded off the victory. It is now five straight wins for Columbus, who were bottom of the East in August, and results elsewhere on Sunday confirmed their place in the playoffs. For D.C. United, it was a fifth consecutive defeat, and a sobering end to a season in which they have now missed the playoffs for a record seventh year in a row.
Charlotte hit four again as Orlando slip
Charlotte FC made it back-to-back 4-0 wins on Saturday after thrashing Orlando City at Bank of America Stadium. Henry Kessler put Charlotte 1-0 up in the sixth minute after heading home Ashley Westwood's free kick, and it didn't take them long after the break to double the lead, with Allan Saint-Maximin dribbling from halfway before finishing into the bottom corner in the 49th minute. Abdoulaye Doucouré then converted a penalty in the 84th minute, and Rodolfo Aloko volleyed in a fourth in stoppage time. There was one blemish for Charlotte, as Saint-Maximin was sent off late on following a spat with Wilder Cartagena and will miss the Decision Day trip to Miami. It follows a 4-0 win over CF Montréal on Wednesday, in which Liel Abada scored a hat-trick in 18 minutes. Charlotte now sit fifth on 53 points, while Orlando, who have conceded a club-record 75 goals this season, have slipped into the play-in positions.
Vancouver run riot in Cascadia
Vancouver Whitecaps capped off a dominant week on Sunday after thrashing Seattle Sounders 5-1 at BC Place. Brian White headed Vancouver ahead in the first minute, and Ryan Gauld doubled the lead before Mathías Laborda made it 3-0 with a header just before half-time. White then added his second, his 20th MLS goal of the season and his 100th for the club, early in the second half. Jordan Morris pulled one back for Seattle, but Aleksa Cvetković restored the four-goal cushion in the 70th minute. It was an impressive result for Vancouver, who had already clinched first place in the West after Saturday's results and beat San Diego 4-1 on Wednesday, and they now sit on 61 points after sweeping the Cascadia Cup. For Seattle, it means they cling to the final playoff spot in the West with just one game to play.
Reus inspires Galaxy as Austin are swept aside
LA Galaxy kept their playoff hopes firmly on track after beating Austin FC 4-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday. João Klauss opened the scoring in the tenth minute, before Hirving Lozano rose highest to head home Marco Reus' cross in the 38th minute. Robert Taylor made it 3-0 three minutes after the break, also from a Reus assist, but Austin pulled one back in the 54th minute when Ervin Torres curled in from distance. Sergi Roberto then wrapped up the scoring in the 66th minute with his first Galaxy goal, giving Reus his third assist of the afternoon. The win moves the Galaxy up to seventh in the West on 44 points, while Austin's miserable season continues. And, with another must-win game to come on Decision Day, the Galaxy will need to repeat that form quickly.
