Higuain converted an 81st-minute free-kick and it proved to be the winner as Inter Miami defeated New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Wednesday.
The former Argentina international, who joined David Beckham's Inter Miami from Serie A champions Juventus, missed a penalty on debut last month.
In his third appearance for Inter Miami, Higuain earned a free-kick with nine minutes remaining and stepped up to beat Red Bulls goalkeeper David Jensen with a powerful shot into the top corner.
Higuain's first MLS goal came via a direct free-kick after not scoring a set-piece in 428 matches during his time in the top five European leagues, per Opta.
"That's my role," Higuain said in a post-match news conference. "I've been playing in the best leagues in the world and that's my main function, to score."
The Red Bulls had led through Omir Fernandez's 53rd-minute opener, before Matias Pellegrini equalised two minutes later in New Jersey.
Inter Miami are 12th in the 14-team Eastern Conference with 14 points from 16 games, while the Red Bulls are six points better off in seventh.
The visiting Timbers defeated the struggling Galaxy in a wild nine-goal showdown in Carson, California.
Portland led 2-1 at half-time before scoring another four goals in a thrilling encounter at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Felipe Mora and Jeremy Ebobisse each finished with braces as the Timbers scored a joint-club record six goals for the second time in four matches, having not scored more than five times in any of their first 337 MLS matches, via Opta.
The Galaxy have lost five matches in a row to sit bottom of the Western Conference, while the Timbers are second and three points adrift of leaders Seattle Sounders – who edged Real Salt Lake 2-1.
Elsewhere, New York City eased past DC United 4-1, Eastern Conference leaders Toronto downed New England Revolution 1-0 and Philadelphia Union were too good for FC Cincinnati 3-0.
Dallas lost 2-0 to Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City were 1-0 winners over Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes beat nine-man Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0, Montreal Impact topped Columbus Crew 2-1, while Atlanta United and Orlando City played out a goalless draw.
The Colorado Rapids-Los Angeles FC clash was postponed after one new confirmed case of coronavirus among the Rapids staff.
Lewis Morgan converted a 57th-minute penalty as Inter Miami defeated Houston in Fort Lauderdale, where the match was delayed for 48 minutes due to pouring rain on Saturday.
Gonzalo Higuain missed a penalty on debut for Inter Miami last month and team-mate Morgan stepped up to the spot and scored following a foul on Leandro Gonzalez Pirez.
Morgan has been directly involved in four of Inter Miami's last five goals – three goals and one assist – per Opta.
Back-to-back wins have Inter Miami just one point outside the qualification places for the playoffs after 17 matches in the Eastern Conference, while Houston are ninth in the west and outside of the top eight on goal difference.
The Red Bulls also won 1-0 after topping Atlanta United thanks to a goal from teenage debutant Caden Clark.
Clark scored a sensational game-winning goal in the 47th minute – the youngest player to net his maiden goal for the Red Bulls at 17 years, four months and 13 days since Jozy Altidore (16 years, 10 months and 10 days) in 2006.
The goal, however, was controversial after Atlanta claimed New York's Daniel Royer was in an offside position and in the line of sight of goalkeeper Brad Guzan, but the goal stood following a VAR review.
Meanwhile, Lucas Cavallini's 75th-minute goal helped Vancouver Whitecaps rally past Real Salt Lake 2-1.
The Colorado Rapids-LA Galaxy fixture was postponed after one new confirmed case of coronavirus among Colorado's squad.
Coming off a defeat to Los Angeles FC, Inter Miami went down to DC United 2-1 on Saturday.
Rodolfo Pizarro scored the first MLS goal in the club's history, sweeping in a Lewis Morgan cross to give them the lead in just the second minute.
However, the game turned early in the second half when, after Morgan thought he had doubled his side's lead, the visitors had the goal ruled out and Roman Torres sent off for a handball.
DC equalised through Yamil Asad's penalty in the 59th minute before finding what proved to be the winner just after the hour-mark.
Edison Flores hit the post with a free-kick and Frederic Brillant reacted quickest to fire in the rebound and lift DC to their first win of the season.
LA Galaxy are without a win through two games after suffering a 1-0 loss at home to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Tosaint Ricketts' smart side-footed finish in the 74th minute was enough for the Whitecaps.
Joe Corona was then sent off for Galaxy, who were beaten despite David Bingham later saving a Lucas Cavallini penalty.
Without the injured Josef Martinez, Atlanta United made it two wins from two by beating Cincinnati 2-1.
There are three teams with perfect records in the Western Conference in Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids.
Sporting KC thrashed Houston Dynamo 4-0, Ike Opara netted a brace in Minnesota's 5-2 win over the San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado edged Orlando City 2-1 thanks to Drew Moor's late winner.
New England Revolution and Chicago Fire drew 1-1, Real Salt Lake came from behind to hold the New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 draw and Maximiliano Urruti's brace helped Montreal Impact draw 2-2 with Dallas.
Ifunanyachi Achara's goal on his MLS debut saw Toronto overcome New York City 1-0, while the Seattle Sounders drew 1-1 against Columbus Crew.
In their first season in MLS, Inter Miami reached the play-offs after a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati on Decision Day.
Mikey Ambrose's 25-yard strike in the 19th minute gave Diego Alonso's side the lead before Leandro Gonzalez Pirez doubled the advantage with a header.
Joe Gyau's brilliant goal halved the deficit for Cincinnati in the 66th minute, but Inter Miami held on despite Andres Reyes' red card.
Philadelphia won the first trophy in their history, securing the Supporters' Shield thanks to a 2-0 win over New England Revolution.
Sergio Santos and Cory Burke scored either side of half-time for the Union, who finished three points clear of Toronto atop the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia won all nine of their home matches during the 2020 MLS season, tied for the second-longest single-season home winning streak in league history.
Toronto were chasing Philadelphia but fell to a 2-1 loss to New York Red Bulls.
Montreal Impact also secured a play-off place thanks to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over DC United.
DC led twice as Donovan Pines and Ola Kamara had goals cancelled out by Bojan Krkic and Victor Wanyama respectively.
But Romell Quioto tapped in an 88th-minute winner for the Impact, who had Samuel Piette sent off in additional time.
New York City edged Chicago Fire 4-3 in a thriller, Columbus Crew overcame Atlanta United 2-1 and Nashville beat Orlando City 3-2.
Sporting Kansas City wrapped up the top seed in the Western Conference after a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
It meant the Seattle Sounders' 4-1 victory against San Jose Earthquakes mattered little as they finished second.
Carlos Vela scored in Los Angeles FC's 1-1 draw with Portland Timbers, Minnesota United cruised past Dallas 3-0, Colorado Rapids beat Houston Dynamo 2-1 and Vancouver Whitecaps handed a 10-man LA Galaxy a 3-0 loss.
City defender Alexander Callens netted the game's only goal in the 29th minute, while goalkeeper Sean Johnson was outstanding for the visitors.
Callens powered in the winner with a bouncing header from Santiago Rodriguez's corner.
Minnesota almost equalised in the 90th minute but were thwarted by a spectacular double save by Johnson from Emanuel Reynoso and Robin Lod efforts.
City moved ahead of Philadelphia Union in the east, after they could only manage a 1-1 draw away to under-achieving New England Revolution.
The Revs, who won last season's Supporters' Shield, have rallied after a poor start to their campaign, going unbeaten in their past five, but have only collected 16 points from 13 games.
Gustavo Bou had put New England ahead from the penalty spot in the 75th minute, but Union levelled two minutes later after Omar Gonzalez's inexplicable error allowed Mikael Uhre to score.
Montreal, who are third in the east, got back on the winners' list with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Cincinnati with a double from Rommel Quioto.
Luquinhas netted a brace as New York Red Bulls stayed in touch with the Eastern Conference's top three with a 4-1 home victory over struggling DC United.
In the Western Conference, LAFC remains four points clear at the top after Brian Rodriguez's 47th-minute winner clinched a 3-2 triumph over San Jose Earthquakes.
LAFC had raced to a 2-0 lead inside 13 minutes but San Jose equalised after two goals from in-form Jeremy Ebobisse, who has scored an equal-league high nine times this term.
Rodriguez, who got the assist for Ryan Hollingshead's 13th minute goal, scored when a loose ball arrived at his feet unmarked at the back post, firing past Earthquakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.
Nashville ended the Colorado Rapids' remarkable 23-game unbeaten run at home with a 3-1 victory.
Charles Sapong netted in the eighth minute, before Hany Mukhtar's quickfire double had Nashville 3-0 up inside 18 minutes. The win moves Nashville up to fifth in the west.
Dallas came from behind to win 3-1 at Orlando City, Real Salt Lake won their third straight with a 3-0 victory over Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps moved off bottom spot with a 1-0 triumph at Sporting KC.
Inter Miami extended their unbeaten run to four games with a 2-1 home win over Portland Timbers, Columbus Crew triumphed 2-1 over 10-man Atlanta United and Toronto won 3-2 over Chicago Fire after two late Pozuelo goals.
LAFC led 2-1 and then 3-2 heading into the 86th minute but Cabral's late heroics earned a share of the points for the Galaxy in an MLS thriller on Saturday.
Signed from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt this month, Serbia international Joveljic – experiencing his first El Trafico derby – broke the deadlock in the 20th minute.
LAFC – who had lost a club record four consecutive matches as part of their record seven-match winless run heading into the fixture – were back on level terms courtesy of Cristian Arango's penalty on the stroke of half-time.
A moment of brilliance from Brian Rodriguez in the 58th minute gave LAFC a 2-1 lead, his stunning individual run evaded several Galaxy defenders before lashing home.
LAFC and the Galaxy traded goals as Jovejlic struck again in the 64th minute before Rodriguez restored the former's lead just two minutes later.
However, there was to be late drama – Cabral pounced on Araujo's cross and scored in front of a stunned home crowd.
The Galaxy are fourth in the Western Conference, six points behind leaders Seattle Sounders and 12 points clear of ninth-placed LAFC.
Elsewhere, Eastern Conference leaders New England Revolution were beaten 2-0 by New York City, who were fuelled by Valentin Castellanos' brace.
New York City equalled the longest home winning streak in club history, having also enjoyed a seven-game run from November 2017 to June 2018.
Nashville celebrated their first away victory of the season after taking down Atlanta United 2-0, DC United came from behind to defeat Philadelphia Union 3-1, Chicago Fire edged New York Red Bulls 1-0, Minnesota United topped Houston Dynamo 2-1 and Sporting Kansas City drew 1-1 with Colorado Rapids.
LAFC crushed the Whitecaps 6-0 at Banc of California Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to five goals in the opening 33 minutes.
The five goals scored in 32 minutes, 13 seconds was the fastest a team has netted five from kick-off in MLS history, according to Opta.
The Seattle Sounders had set the previous record (32:43) just 13 days ago against the San Jose Earthquakes.
LAFC went ahead in the second minute through Dejan Jakovic, who headed in a Brian Rodriguez corner.
Another corner led to Bradley Wright-Phillips finishing before the veteran forward produced another acrobatic effort in the 11th minute.
Things went from bad to worse for Vancouver when Ranko Veselinovic turned in a Rodriguez cross just three minutes later.
Diego Rossi made it 5-0 after a one-two with Mark-Anthony Kaye in the 33rd minute.
LAFC would have to wait until the second half for a sixth, Rodriguez's cross from the right leading to an Andy Rose own goal.
The win saw Los Angeles climb into sixth in the Western Conference, while Vancouver are ninth.
Orlando City extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City.
Tesho Akindele and Benji Michel scored before half-time and Orlando held on despite Johnny Russell's 53rd-minute strike.
The Earthquakes' struggles continued with a 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids.
San Jose have conceded five goals in a match five times this season, which is the most allowed by a team in a single campaign, according to Opta. The Earthquakes are just 13 games into their season.
Chicago Fire recorded a 4-0 win over the Houston Dynamo, while Inter Miami slumped to a 4-1 defeat against the New York Red Bulls.
History was made as Nashville beat DC United 1-0, with Tori Penso becoming the first female referee to oversee an MLS game in 20 years.
Columbus Crew retained their five-point lead atop the Eastern Conference thanks to a 2-1 win over Minnesota United.
The New England Revolution beat Montreal Impact 3-1, Toronto edged New York City 1-0 and Atlanta United overcame Dallas 1-0.
Cincinnati and Philadelphia Union played out a 0-0 draw, Real Salt Lake enjoyed a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy and the Portland Timbers edged the Seattle Sounders 1-0.
After three straight losses in all competitions, Los Angeles FC responded by thrashing the San Jose Earthquakes 5-1 at Banc of California Stadium.
Diego Rossi's beautiful finish into the corner opened the scoring after a poor turnover of possession by the Earthquakes in the 21st minute.
But LAFC had to wait until the second half to truly take control.
Another bad turnover allowed Bradley Wright-Phillips through to double the lead, before Jose Cifuentes made it 3-0.
Rossi added his second in the 69th minute before Danny Musovski made it 5-0, Danny Hoesen later adding a consolation goal for San Jose.
The win lifted LAFC up into third in the Western Conference, with San Jose sitting 11th.
The Galaxy made it three straight wins by edging the Portland Timbers 3-2 at Providence Park.
Efrain Alvarez opened the scoring for the Galaxy, completing a fine team move with a finish into the top corner from inside the area.
It took until five minutes into the second half for the visitors to double their lead through Cristian Pavon's individual effort.
Felipe Mora gave Portland hope with a 67th-minute goal, but Joe Corona struck for the Galaxy with a wonderful 20-yard strike.
Diego Valeri came off the bench to add a second for Portland in additional time.
The Timbers are sixth in the Western Conference, one spot behind the Galaxy while being level on points.
Columbus Crew returned to the top of the Eastern Conference after a 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union.
Lucas Zelarayan's deflected 25-yard effort in the 55th minute was enough for Columbus.
Elsewhere, Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City were held to a 1-1 draw by Dallas.
Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders drew 2-2 in a clash that featured a screamer from Pablo Ruiz, while Orlando City played out a 1-1 draw with Nashville.
New York City overcame New England Revolution 2-0, Houston Dynamo beat Minnesota United 3-0 and Erik Sorga scored a 98th-minute winner for DC United as they edged the New York Red Bulls 1-0.
Atlanta United and Inter Miami drew 0-0, while Cincinnati's clash with Chicago Fire also finished goalless.
Montreal trailed 2-0 after 14 minutes and 4-2 after 46 minutes, but Ahmed Hamdi scored twice in the final 16 minutes to give the home side a wild victory.
In Nashville, Hany Mukhtar scored in the 10th, 13th and 16th minutes on the way to a 5-1 rout of Chicago Fire.
The six-minute span was the second-shortest for a hat-trick in MLS history after LA Galaxy's Harut Karapetyan needed just five minutes to score three in a 1998 match.
Gustavo Bou's team-leading seventh goal gave New England Revolution a 1-0 win at Atlanta United, snapping a three-game win drought for the Eastern Conference leaders.
Second-half goals from Deiber Caicedo and Cristian Dajome gave Vancouver just their third win from 13 games this season, a 2-1 triumph over LA Galaxy.
Darlington Nagbe's impressive individual effort opened the scoring in a 2-1 Columbus Crew win over New York City FC.
Nani's 77th-minute penalty gave Orlando City a 1-1 draw with Toronto after Jozy Altidore had opened the scoring five minutes earlier, while Cole Bassett's second-half goal for Colorado Rapids earned a 1-1 draw against San Jose.
Kacper Przybylko's 83rd-minute decider gave Philadelphia Union a 2-1 victory over DC United, while Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 84th minute to lift Portland past Dallas 1-0.
Carlos Vela's left-footed rocket in the 79th minute was the difference in LAFC's 2-1 home win over Real Salt Lake.
The New York Red Bulls-Inter Miami match was postponed due to weather.
Former Manchester United attacker Nani scored and provided an assist in Orlando's 4-1 thrashing of the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
After Chris Mueller opened the scoring, he crossed for Nani to head in a second in the 24th minute.
Given a chance to get back into the game, Chicago squandered it when Alvaro Medran had a penalty well saved by Pedro Gallese.
Chicago took their next chance from the spot through Robert Beric early in the second half, but Orlando sealed their win late.
Junior Urso scrambled in from inside the area after Nani's set-piece went uncleared, and the Portuguese attacker's pass later found Benji Michel to finish off in additional time.
Orlando are second in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the high-flying Columbus Crew.
Second-half goals from Pedro Santos and Gyasi Zardes saw Columbus record a 2-0 win over Nashville.
Diego Valeri netted a brace as the Portland Timbers crushed the San Jose Earthquakes 6-1 at Avaya Stadium.
Fresh off confirming the signing of Gonzalo Higuain, Inter Miami recorded a second win in three matches by beating Atlanta United 2-1.
Elsewhere, a 10-man LA Galaxy fell to the Colorado Rapids 2-0 and Dallas also finished with 10 but recorded a 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City.
Haris Medunjanin scored directly from a corner in the 85th minute as Cincinnati beat the New York Red Bulls 1-0 and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat a 10-man Real Salt Lake 2-1.
New York City drew 0-0 with the New England Revolution, DC United and Toronto played out a 2-2 draw, while the Houston Dynamo and Minnesota United did likewise.
Former Manchester United winger Nani scored his ninth goal of the MLS season as Orlando City missed the chance to close the gap at the top after a 1-1 draw at Cincinnati on Saturday.
Cincinnati, who were winless in their past seven games coming in, opened the scoring in the 42nd minute from Brazilian attacker Brenner.
Nani levelled moments after being brought into the game as a 55th-minute substitute, driving forward and firing in a low left-foot pinpoint shot.
The result means back-to-back draws for Orlando who are second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind leaders New England.
Third-placed New York City blew an early two-goal lead to draw 2-2 away to Toronto.
Santiago Rodriguez and Ismael Tajouri had put City up 2-0 inside 21 minutes but Toronto netted twice after the break.
Richie Laryea pulled one back in the 49th minute before reigning MVP Alejandro Pozuela equalised in the 55th minute with a tap in.
Portland Timbers beat Real Salt Lake 3-2 in a see-sawing contest with Felipe Mora netting the eventual winner.
Columbus Crew suffered their third straight defeat as Ezequiel Barco netted a double for Atlanta City in a 3-2 win.
Dallas continued their good run of recent form, claiming their third win in four games, with a 2-0 triumph over Austin.
Minnesota United won 2-0 over Houston Dynamo, while Colorado Rapids drew 0-0 with Western Conference leaders Sporting KC.
The Portuguese got on the end of Dutchman Silvester van der Water's 87th-minute cross for the winner which keeps Orlando in touch with Eastern Conference leaders New England.
Atlanta had taken a first-minute lead from Josef Martinez's perfectly placed long-range effort, but Kyle Smith equalised on the stroke of half-time from Nani's corner.
Marcelino Moreno restored United's lead in the 66th minute with a stunning curling strike from outside of the box.
Orlando put together a fine team goal to square the game up in the 79th minute as van der Water headed in Benji Michel's pass.
The Dutch substitute would then provide the pass for Nani's decisive goal, which was his seventh strike of the season.
New York City stayed close behind Orlando in the Eastern Conference with their third consecutive win, a 4-1 victory over Columbus Crew.
City piled on the style, racing to a 2-0 half-time lead after strikes from Valentin Castellanos's early header and Thiago's chip.
Keaton Parks added a third with a deft 51st-minute touch, meaning it was the first time all season Columbus had conceded three goals in a game.
Santiago Rodriguez bundled in from close-range albeit requiring a VAR review, before Pedro Santos' consolation penalty.
LA Galaxy, without Javier Hernandez, cruised past Portland Timbers 4-1 to solidify their grip on third in the west.
Malagasy midfielder Rayan Raveloson pulled off a spectacular overheard volley to open the scoring.
Tesho Akindele scored the fastest goal in club history as Orlando got off to a quick start at home to Jaap Stam's Cincinnati on Saturday.
Akindele found the back of the net after just 33 seconds, surpassing the Orlando record set by Chris Mueller (62 seconds) in April 2018.
Nani doubled the lead in stunning fashion in the 19th minute – the former Manchester United star leaving Yuya Kubo on the floor after cutting to his right foot and then his left as he curled the ball past Przemyslaw Tyton.
After Nani hit the post minutes later and saw his shot saved by Cincinnati goalkeeper Tyton just past the hour mark, Junior Urso sealed the victory with 10 minutes remaining.
Orlando – who remain unbeaten through three games – are third in the Eastern Conference, behind leaders New England Revolution and second-placed New York City.
The Revolution edged Atlanta United 2-1 and New York City defeated reigning Supporters' Shield winners Philadelphia Union 2-0.
The Earthquakes and Dallas, meanwhile, both won 4-1 against DC United and Portland Timbers respectively.
Jackson Yueill's brace and a pair of assists from Cade Cowell fuelled the Earthquakes, who are top of the Western Conference on goal difference but level on points with Real Salt Lake, LA Galaxy and Austin FC.
Dallas showed no mercy at home to the Timbers after Andres Ricaurte and Jader Obrian scored in the opening 13 minutes.
Real Salt Lake came from behind to top Sporting Kansas City 3-1 courtesy of Rubio Rubin's second-half double, while MLS newcomers Austin prevailed 1-0 against Minnesota United.
Elsewhere, New York Red Bulls were 2-0 winners over Chicago Fire, defending champions Columbus Crew were held to a goalless draw by Montreal Impact and Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles FC played out a 1-1 draw.
A last-gasp 1-1 draw against New York Red Bulls was enough for Orlando to secure a place in the MLS Cup play-offs on Sunday.
Orlando were stunned in stoppage time – Brian White's 95th-minute equaliser cancelling out Nani's 56th-minute penalty at Red Bull Arena.
But after Toronto edged Atlanta United 1-0, Orlando were assured of their first trip to the play-offs, having entered the league in 2015.
"We've put ourselves in a good position," Orlando forward Daryl Dike said. "Obviously we just made the play-offs today, but I think we're going to carry on. The goal wasn't just playoffs. We're not done now. We just keep going and keep going.
"We want three points every single game and we want to finish the highest in the table. That's the main goal."
Orlando – fourth in the Eastern Conference – are in the midst of a club-record 12-game unbeaten streak, per Stats Perform.
The Crew's 3-1 win over New York City, coupled with Toronto's triumph, sent the team back to the play-offs after missing out last season.
Columbus also snapped a four-match winless streak to move third in the east, two points ahead of Orlando and a point behind second-placed Philadelphia Union.
Elsewhere, LA Galaxy ended a six-game losing skid by topping Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 thanks to substitute Kai Koreniuk's late winner.
Koreniuk became the first substitute to score for the Galaxy this season – the Los Angeles club were the only team without a goal from a substitute in 2020.
Los Angeles FC's Christian Torres (16 years, six months and three days) became the youngest player to score in MLS since Sporting Kansas City's Gianluca Busio (16 years, four months and 20 days) in 2018, according to Stats Perform.
Torres' last-gasp equaliser earned LAFC a 1-1 draw at Western Conference high-flyers Portland Timbers.
Seattle Sounders drew 0-0 with San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo played out a 2-2 draw against Minnesota United and DC United beat FC Cincinnati 2-1.
Bruce Arena's side, who clinched their first-ever Supporters' Shield on Saturday, won thanks to Tajon Buchanan's 74th-minute strike.
The result took Revolution's season tally to 73 points from 33 games, eclipsing the previous record mark held by LAFC with 72 points in 2019.
New England have one more regular season match to extend their record, playing Inter Miami at home on November 7.
Canada international Buchanan came up with the winner, showing fast feet to make space for a low shot that beat Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough, who had sensationally kept out Henry Kessler from close range minutes earlier.
New York Red Bulls slipped out of the Eastern Conference play-offs spots after a 1-0 defeat to DC United who moved above them into seventh place.
United snapped a four-game winless skid, while also ending the Red Bulls' four-game running run and eight-game unbeaten streak in the process. Kevin Paredes side-footed home the ninth-minute winner for United.
Sporting KC moved into top spot in the Western Conference and dented LA Galaxy's play-offs aspirations with a 2-0 win.
Johnny Russell extended his scoring run to eight straight games with both goals for KC who clinched a top-four seeding as well.
Randall Leal scored two goals and grabbed an assist as Nashville came from two goals down twice to win 6-3 at Cincinnati.
Portland Timbers moved in the west's top four with a 2-0 home victory over San Jose Earthquakes, while Vancouver Whitecaps climbed up to fifth with a 2-1 triumph over Minnesota United.
New York City boosted their Eastern Conference top-four seed hopes with a 1-0 home win over Chicago Fire, while Josef Martinez's winner helped Atlanta United past Inter Miami 2-1 after Gonzalo Higuain had opened the scoring from the spot.
Columbus Crew upset Orlando City 3-2, Toronto held Philadelphia Union 2-2 as Jozy Altidore netted while Real Salt Lake scored twice in the final 10 minutes to win 2-1 at Dallas.
The Revolution improved their record, with back-to-back wins, to the best in the MLS with 30 points from 15 games, sitting atop the Eastern Conference.
Inter are bottom of the east, with only eight points from 14 games, having lost their past six.
Carles Gil provided the assist, his 11th of the season, for Traustason's 15th-minute header, before Teal Bunbury fired in a 27th minute goal from Inter goalkeeper Nick Marsman's parry.
Icelandic midfielder Traustason grabbed his second in the 36th minute, whipping in a shot after a goalmouth scramble from a corner.
Gil was crafty on the right side of the box before setting up another goal with Adam Buksa lashing home a fine volley on the stroke of half-time.
Buksa grabbed a double in the 83rd minute as Gustavo Bou put him into space with the Polish striker finishing with class.
Without Javier Hernandez, LA Galaxy came from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw away to Real Salt Lake.
Albert Rusnak and Maikel Chang had scored inside the opening 25 minutes to give RSL a 2-0 lead.
Victor Vazquez pulled one back with a top-corner strike in the 33rd minute, before RSL keeper David Ochoa had spectacularly saved a second-half Rayan Raveloson header.
But Madagascar talent Raveloson headed in a 77th-minute equaliser to earn a share of the spoils.
DC United scored twice in the final 10 minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw at struggling Chicago Fire.
Gaston Gimenez's 32nd-minute strike, on his return from the Copa America, and Andy Najar's 61st-minute own goal had Chicago on track but United hit back late.
In the 82nd minute, Yordy Reyna laid off for Kevin Paredes who fired in off the post, before Ola Kamara converted an 87th-minute penalty.
Hungarian forward Daniel Salloi netted a 94th minute equalizer for high-flying Sporting KC to claim a 1-1 home draw with 10-man San Jose Earthquakes who are winless in 10.
Salloi forced home a rebound after Johnny Russell's free-kick hit the woodwork after Nathan had headed the Earthquakes ahead from a corner against the run of play early in the second half.
Felipe Mora glanced on a late winner for Portland Timbers to edge Los Angeles FC 2-1 after Carlos Vela had earlier squared up following Diego Valeri's 100th goal for the club.
Colorado Rapids eased past Dallas 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run, Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Atlanta United and Columbus Crew and Nashville played out a goalless draw.
Toronto drew 1-1 with New York Red Bulls, while New York City edged Montreal 1-0.
A 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire saw Philadelphia push three points clear of Toronto in the Eastern Conference, and for the Supporters' Shield, which they are bidding to win for the first time.
Kacper Przybylko opened the scoring from the penalty spot approaching the half-hour mark, following a handball in the area.
Chicago's chances of a comeback were dealt a blow nine minutes before half-time, Francisco Calvo sent off after a tackle on Alejandro Bedoya.
However, they managed to find an equaliser prior to the break as Robert Beric headed in from close range.
But Philadelphia scored what proved to be the winner in the 65th minute, when Cory Burke headed in a cross from Olivier Mbaizo.
According to Opta, Union became the first team to win their first eight home matches of an MLS season since San Jose in 2002, when the Earthquakes claimed their first 10.
The Timbers clinched a spot in the play-offs thanks to a 5-2 thrashing of the struggling LA Galaxy.
Jaroslaw Niezgoda scored a brace for Portland, who were 3-0 up after 30 minutes following Diego Valeri's penalty.
Eryk Williamson and Andy Polo also netted as the Timbers thrashed the Galaxy, who are bottom of the Western Conference.
Portland became the first team with multiple five-goal games against an opponent in a single MLS season since the Fire against the New York Red Bulls in 2008, having thrashed the Galaxy 6-3 earlier this month.
Chris Wondolowski scored a brace as the Earthquakes enjoyed a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
It was his 24th multi-goal game in MLS. Only Landon Donovan (32) has more.
The New York Red Bulls left it late to edge the New England Revolution 1-0 and reach the play-offs, Sporting Kansas City overcame Cincinnati 1-0 and Orlando City thrashed Atlanta United 4-1.
New York City upset Toronto 1-0, Minnesota United beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1, DC United were too good for Columbus Crew 1-0, Dallas claimed a 2-1 win over Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC were 2-1 victors over the Houston Dynamo to clinch their play-off place.
Union scored first-half goals from Alejandro Bedoya and Daniel Gazdag, while Sergio Santos had a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time, as Philadelphia got some revenge after last season's Eastern Conference final defeat to City.
Bedoya put Philadelphia ahead in the 12th minute, but City thought they had an avenue back into the game when referee Ted Unkel awarded them a penalty and sent off Jack Elliott for a 28th-minute last-man push on Santiago Rodriguez.
However, VAR intervened and determined that Rodriguez had illegally used his hand in the lead-up, meaning the penalty and red card were overturned.
The win was Philadephia's first at Yankee Stadium and came despite City bossing the possession count with 74 percent.
Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich attacker Xherdan Shaqiri netted his first MLS goal as Chicago Fire won 3-1 over Sporting KC.
Shaqiri scored from the spot in the 50th minute to make it 2-0 as Chicago extended its unbeaten start to the new season with Kacper Przybylko hitting a double.
Jesus Ferreira scored a first-half hat-trick as Dallas defeated Portland Timbers 4-1 in a sign of intent for the forward ahead of USA's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
All three of Ferreira's goals came in a 10-minute span, marking his first-ever MLS hat-trick.
Gonzalo Higuain scored, but Inter Miami remain winless this term after a 3-1 loss away to last season's strugglers Cincinnati.
The result leaves Phil Neville's side with an MLS-worst record of one point from four games, having conceded 10 goals and only scored two.
Karol Swiderski netted a double as Charlotte upset New England Revolution 3-1, while Luis Amarilla's 32nd-minute strike lifted Western Conference leaders Minnesota United past San Jose Earthquakes 1-0.
Tyler Pasher's 90th minute goal salvaged a 1-1 home draw for Houston Dynamo against Colorado Rapids, while 10-man Atlanta United scored twice in the final five minutes to rescue a 3-3 draw with Montreal.
Facundo Torres' early goal got Orlando City past LA Galaxy 1-0, Bob Bradley's Toronto knocked off DC United 2-1 and Real Salt Lake edge 10-man Nashville 2-1.
Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez scored twice for the Galaxy in a 3-3 draw with Minnesota United on Decision Day, but RSL's last-gasp 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City changed the landscape of the Western Conference.
RSL pipped the Galaxy – without post-season football for the second straight campaign – to the seventh and final play-off spot on victories for the season via a 95th-minute winner, having finished level on 48 points at the end of 34 rounds.
Minnesota finished fifth to clinch a post-season berth in the west, along with sixth-placed Vancouver Whitecaps, who drew 1-1 against Seattle Sounders.
Seattle's stalemate and Sporting KC's late loss allowed Colorado Rapids to secure top seed in the Western Conference following a 5-2 rout of Los Angeles FC, who were eliminated as a result.
In the Eastern Conference, Orlando City beat Montreal 2-0 for a spot in the play-offs, along with Atlanta United (2-1 over FC Cincinnati) and New York Red Bulls – the latter using a 1-1 draw against Nashville to extend their post-season streak to 12 years.
Supporters' Shield winners New England Revolution lost 1-0 to already eliminated Inter Miami, Portland Timbers eased past lowly Austin 3-0, DC United defeated Toronto 3-1, 10-man New York City drew 1-1 with Philadelphia Union and reigning champions Columbus Crew – who will not defend their title – beat Chicago Fire 2-0.
Chris Wondolowski scored in the San Jose Earthquakes' 1-1 draw against Dallas before the league's all-time leading scorer announced his retirement.
A win for either side would have sealed their play-off fate, but the Red Bulls and Atlanta must wait until Sunday's Decision Day following the midweek stalemate.
Red Bulls forward Patryk Klimala came closest for either side, with his 48th-minute effort hitting the crossbar from Caden Clark's cross.
Four minutes later, Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan denied Klimala from a one-on-one opportunity, while Clark had a goal disallowed for offside nine minutes into the second half.
In the Eastern Conference, the seventh-placed Red Bulls go to third-placed Nashville on Sunday, while Atlanta – fifth in the standings – visit bottom club FC Cincinnati.
Portland Timbers, fourth in the Western Conference, booked their play-off spot with a 3-1 win away to Real Salt Lake, sparked by Sebastian Blanco's brace.
RSL remain two points behind LA Galaxy in the final Western Conference play-off position and face Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.
Montreal stayed in the hunt courtesy of a 2-0 home win over Houston Dynamo, moving them up to eighth in the east, within one point of the Red Bulls.
Struggling Austin dented Sporting Kansas City's hopes of claiming top spot in the west with a 3-1 triumph
Sporting KC are second, a point behind Seattle Sounders heading into the final round of the regular season.
