Cincinnati

Alan Pulido, Luis Martins and Daniel Salloi all scored within 16 minutes as KC raced to a 3-0 lead. Salloi's classy volley took his tally to nine goals this MLS season.

Israeli midfielder Gadi Kinda added a fourth in the 58th minute with Graham Zusi getting his second assist, before LAFC got a consolation from Danny Musovski.

The win lifted Sporting KC past Seattle Sounders who conceded in the 90th minute to draw 1-1 at home with Dallas.

Fredy Montero had put the Sounders ahead in the 72nd minute with a set-piece header but Dallas equalised from Franco Jara's 90th-minute close-range strike.

Sporting KC are ahead of Seattle on goal difference, with both sides having 33 points, although the leaders have a game in hand.

LA Galaxy are third following a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, secured by Efrain Alvarez's cool 53rd-minute winner.

Eastern Conference leaders New England extended their unbeaten run to five games with a 0-0 draw against Nashville, who slip to fourth despite the result.

The draw also extends Nashville's undefeated streak to nine games.

Former England international Kieran Gibbs netted a 66th-minute equaliser to earn Inter Miami a 1-1 draw away to fellow Florida outfit Orlando City. The goal was Gibbs' first in the MLS.

Philadelphia Union ended their three-game winless run with a 3-0 victory over Toronto after three first-half strikes.

Ola Kamara and Yordy Reyna both netted doubles as DC United won 4-2 over Columbus Crew.

Tomas Pochettino scored a first-half brace as struggling Austin won 3-2 over Houston Dynamo.

Chicago Fire and 10-man New York City played out a goalless draw, while New York Red Bulls and Cincinnati also ended 0-0 and Portland Timbers drew 1-1 with San Jose Earthquakes.

Sergio Santos netted three times as Philadelphia crushed Toronto 5-0 at Subaru Park on Saturday.

The result equalled the Union's biggest ever win and Toronto's largest defeat, as per Opta.

Philadelphia needed until the 27th minute to get going, Sergio Santos heading in a wonderful cross from Kai Wagner.

Just six minutes later and the hosts doubled their lead, Mark McKenzie heading in from close range after a corner.

Jamiro scored a spectacular third for Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia in the 56th minute, his 20-yard effort going in off the underside of the crossbar.

Sergio Santos put away two more to complete his hat-trick – the fourth in the Union's history and first since C.J. Sapong in May 2017.

Western Conference leaders Sporting also enjoyed a fine win, thrashing the Colorado Rapids 4-0.

Alan Pulido, Andreu Fontas, Gadi Kinda and Gerso Fernandes netted in the victory.

Leandro Gonzalez Pirez's 89th-minute winner saw Inter Miami – without the suspended Gonzalo Higuain – edge Orlando City 2-1, while DC United overcame Atlanta United 2-1.

New York City recorded a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps were too good for the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1.

The Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls drew 2-2, Minnesota United edged Cincinnati 1-0, Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew drew 1-1 and Real Salt Lake and Dallas played out a goalless draw.

Seattle are atop the Western Conference on 57 points, second only to runaway Eastern Conference leaders and Supporters' Shield pacesetters New England Revolution (65), who already have secured the top seed on their side. 

The Sounders established themselves early with goals from Shane O'Neill in the fifth minute and Nicolas Benezet in the 14th at home to the Whitecaps amid their 13-game winless run against Seattle – the club's longest drought against any opponent in MLS.

After Vancouver clawed a goal back via Brian White at the end of the first half, Will Bruin added a third for Seattle 10 minutes into the second period and Leo Chu netted in the 90th minute to close it out. 

New York Red Bulls kept their play-off hopes alive, defeating slumping Inter Miami 1-0 behind a 25th-minute goal courtesy of Patryk Klimala. 

The Red Bulls sit ninth in the east, three points adrift of Montreal, rivals New York City and DC United, who currently hold the final three post-season positions.

Inter Miami are eight points off the pace amid a five-match losing streak.

FC Cincinnati became the first team officially eliminated from play-off contention following a 2-1 home defeat to third-placed Philadelphia Union. 

Though Philadelphia had possession for only 37 per cent of the match, they built a lead through Kacper Przybylko in first-half stoppage time before Paxten Aaronson doubled the advantage 11 minutes into the second half.

Haris Medunjanin netted in the 82nd minute but it was too late as Cincinnati suffered their 16th loss of the season against eight draws and an MLS-worst four wins. 

Super sub Ruidiaz came off the bench and scored a delightful game-winning goal just past the hour-mark as the Sounders downed Dallas 1-0 in MLS on Wednesday.

The Sounders were winless in 10 consecutive visits to Dallas (D3 L7, including play-offs) dating back to 2014 – their second-longest winless away run against a single opponent in MLS (11 straight at LA Galaxy from 2010 to 2015).

But Seattle snapped that skid thanks to Ruidiaz as Sporting KC's 1-1 draw with Portland Timbers allowed the Sounders to move top of the west by one point.

Atlanta extended their winning streak to three matches after Ezequiel Barco's first-half goal secured a 1-0 win at home to Toronto.

Since the sacking of head coach Gabriel Heinze following a falling out with star Josef Martinez, Atlanta – who had won successive matches for the first time since the opening two games of the 2020 season entering the fixture – have steadily climbed the table.

Atlanta are three points outside of the play-off positions in the Eastern Conference, which is topped by New England Revolution – 3-2 victors against DC United despite ending the contest with 10 men.

Elsewhere, Rodolfo Pizarro's stoppage-time winner guided Inter Miami to a dramatic 3-2 win against Chicago Fire midweek.

Pizarro struck in the 93rd minute to clinch a third straight home triumph for David Beckham's Inter Miami, who have now lost just once in their last six games.

Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls were 1-0 winners over New York City and Columbus Crew respectively, Vancouver Whitecaps topped Austin 2-1, Real Salt Lake defeated Houston Dynamo by the same scoreline, 10-man Montreal drew 0-0 with Cincinnati, while Nashville and Orlando City played out a 1-1 draw.

After Raul Ruidiaz's 40th minute opener, the visitors had taken the lead after goals from Cristian Dajome and Lucas Cavallini.

Medranda intervened with his 71st minute strike, coming after a corner was cleared into his path, lashing home from the edge of the box.

The result means Seattle remain top in the Western Conference, having conceded only seven goals in 11 games.

It also ends Vancouver's five-game losing streak, although they remain second last in the west.

Former Manchester United striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez scored a double to lift LA Galaxy to a 3-1 win away to San Jose Earthquakes.

The Mexico international opened the scoring in the 11th minute when he swept home Samuel Grandsir's dangerous cross from the right.

Hernandez produced a similar finish to double their advantage in the 50th minute, tapping home from Kevin Cabral's ball.

Galaxy are third in the Western Conference, four points behind Seattle with a game in hand.

Philadelphia Union extended their unbeaten run to eight games with a 3-3 draw away to Chicago Fire.

Toronto's struggles continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Cincinnati, condemning them to five consecutive defeats.

Sporting Kansas City defeated Los Angeles FC 2-1, Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo drew 1-1, Minnesota United won 1-0 at Portland Timbers and Abu Danladi netted a late leveller to help Nashville claim a 1-1 home draw with Montreal.

The Sounders remain undefeated through six matches this season thanks to a two-goal second half at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Entering the contest, Seattle had 13 points from their first five matches for the second time in the last three seasons – the only team in the last 20 seasons to have at least 13 points after five games more than once.

The Sounders stayed hot courtesy of Xavier Arreaga and Brad Smith – the former opening the scoring in the 57th minute.

Smith doubled the lead with 17 minutes remaining when the Australian full-back pounced for his third goal of the season.

The Sounders are four points clear of LA Galaxy in the Western Conference, while Sporting Kansas City are a point further back in third following their 3-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps.

LAFC are bottom of the west with five points from five matches in 2021.

Former Juventus and Real Madrid forward Higuain was the hero for Inter Miami, who prevailed 3-2 in a thriller at Cincinnati.

Higuain scored the winning goal five minutes from the end after Cincinnati's Nick Hagglund has restored parity three minutes earlier.

David Beckham's Inter Miami – led by former Manchester United team-mate and head coach Phil Neville – raced out to a 2-0 half-time lead via Brek Shea and Higuain before Cincinnati rallied with goals from Alvaro Barreal and Hagglund.

Former Argentina international Higuain, though, had the final say with his fourth goal of the season.

Elsewhere, New England Revolution topped defending champions Columbus Crew 1-0 and Orlando City beat DC United by the same scoreline.

Orlando have opened the season unbeaten in their first five games (W2 D3). The Lions have lost just three regular-season matches since the end of the MLS is Back Tournament, fewer than any other team that was in MLS both last season and this.

Sporting claimed a 2-1 win over Minnesota United at Allianz Field to pull clear atop the Western Conference.

Michael Boxall's 55th-minute own goal proved decisive as Sporting claimed a fifth win in six MLS games, going four points clear of second-placed Minnesota.

Gadi Kinda got on the end of a Jaylin Lindsey cross to give Peter Vermes' Sporting a 12th-minute lead.

Minnesota were level just after the half-hour mark, an unfortunate deflection off Lindsey leading to an own goal.

But Boxall turned a cross into his own net 10 minutes into the second half for what proved to be the winner.

Toronto recorded a second win in four days over the Vancouver Whitecaps with a 1-0 victory.

Richie Laryea's low finish in the 15th minute was all Toronto needed, getting back to within a point of Eastern Conference leaders Columbus Crew.

In the day's other games, Cincinnati and DC United drew 0-0, while the Houston Dynamo's clash with Dallas also finished goalless.

Johnny Russell's 79th-minute goal gave Sporting KC a 2-1 win away to Seattle Sounders, locking up a play-off spot for the second-placed team in the Western Conference table as Russell netted for the seventh straight game.

Colorado also are in after defeating Portland Timbers 2-0 behind golas from Dominique Badji and Diego Rubio. 

The Seattle loss ensured New England, who face Orlando City on Sunday, will finish atop the overall table. The Revs are on 69 points, 20 points clear of Philadelphia and Nashville in the Eastern Conference and 11 clear of Seattle overall. 

Nashville had a chance to clinch the play-offs with a win but fell 1-0 to Philadelphia Union on Kacper Przybylko's first-half penalty. 

Inter Miami got a goal and three assists from Gonzalo Higuain, while his brother Federico also found the net in a 5-1 rout of Cincinnati, who lost their ninth in a row. 

Toronto dealt a blow to rival Montreal's play-off hopes as Jozy Altidore's free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time secured a 1-1 draw after Sunusi Ibrahim had netted in the 55th minute for the visitors. 

Minnesota and LAFC also finished at 1-1, as did San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps. 

New York City crushed DC United 6-0 and Sean Nealis' 87th-minute goal lifted New York Red Bulls past Columbus Crew 2-1. 

Sebastian Lletget's brilliant 83rd-minute equaliser gave LA Galaxy a 2-2 draw with Dallas, while Chicago Fire downed Real Salt Lake 1-0. 

Sibling pair Diego and Yimmi Chara were among the goals as the Timbers – unbeaten in six matches – eased past RSL at Providence Park on Saturday.

Felipe Mora, Dairon Asprilla, Jaroslaw Niezgoda and Cristhian Paredes also scored for the Timbers, who have netted in 16 consecutive matches against RSL (including play-offs) – the second longest streak against any opponent in their history, behind the 17 straight versus Dallas from August 2012 to March 2018.

The Timbers led 2-1 at half-time before putting RSL to the sword in the second period to match their six-game unbeaten streak from September-October last season.

Portland are fourth in the Western Conference, six points behind leaders Sporting Kansas City, while RSL occupy the seventh and final play-off position in the west.

Los Angeles FC are three points outside the top seven following their 2-0 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes, while Vancouver Whitecaps are also on 33 points after topping Dallas 1-0.

The Union defeated Atlanta 1-0 thanks to Kacper Przybylko's goal with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Back-to-back wins sent Philadelphia up to fourth in the Eastern Conference as Atlanta's three-game winning streak came to an end to leave them eighth in the east and outside the post-season positions.

In other results, Supporters' Shield leaders New England Revolution were 2-1 winners over Orlando City.

The Revolution extended their MLS single-season record for wins by one-goal margins to 16. Nine of New England's last 10 MLS victories have come by a one-goal margin.

It continued Orlando's misery against New England – the team have never won at the Revolution (D1 L5), the only side they have visited more than three times without recording a victory in MLS play.

DC United prevailed 4-2 against FC Cincinnati, New York Red Bulls overcame rivals New York City 1-0, defending champions Columbus Crew won 2-1 against Montreal, Houston Dynamo lost 2-0 to Minnesota United, while Colorado Rapids and Toronto played out a 0-0 draw.

Patrick Mullins' first-half goal saw Toronto edge FC Cincinnati 1-0 on Sunday to book a spot in the play-offs.

Mullins produced a side-footed finish from inside the area after a Richie Laryea cutback just before the half-hour mark.

Toronto are top of the Eastern Conference and three points clear of Philadelphia Union.

Philadelphia won six straight home regular-season matches for the first time in their history, as per Opta, thanks to a 2-1 win over Montreal Impact.

Danny Musovski scored a double as LAFC enjoyed a 3-1 victory against Seattle Sounders.

LAFC are fourth in the Western Conference, which the Sounders top.

Erik Hurtado scored a spectacular volley to see Sporting Kansas City edge a 10-man Nashville 2-1.

Hurtado produced a wonderful finish from Amadou Dia's lofted pass to earn Sporting three points.

New England Revolution beat New York City 2-1, Chicago Fire were 2-1 winners over DC United and Jaroslaw Niezgoda netted twice as Portland Timbers claimed a 3-0 victory against San Jose Earthquakes.

Toronto moved level on points with Philadelphia after a 2-1 win over Inter Miami and the Union's 2-1 defeat to Columbus Crew on Sunday.

Columbus took a 37th-minute lead at home, Artur finding the bottom corner from 20 yards.

However, Philadelphia drew level in the 57th minute thanks to a penalty from Jamiro, although the hosts would strike late.

Krisztian Nemeth got on the end of a Luis Diaz Espinoza cross from the right to tap away a winner six minutes from time for Columbus, who are third in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto boosted their chances of winning the Supporters' Shield by overcoming Inter Miami.

Former Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi opened the scoring for Inter Miami with his first MLS goal.

But Toronto would win after conceding the opening goal for the third time this season, which is tied for the most with San Jose Earthquakes, as per Opta.

Ayo Akinola scored a fine equaliser after outmuscling his opponent before Gonzalo Higuain almost responded for Inter Miami, hitting the crossbar with a powerful 20-yard effort in the 79th minute.

Instead, Alejandro Pozuelo tucked away an 84th-minute penalty for the winner for Toronto.

Pozuelo has scored each of his past seven penalties for Toronto in MLS.

Valentin Castellanos scored a hat-trick to inspire New York City to a 5-2 derby win over the Red Bulls.

Castellanos became just the second player to net a hat-trick in the Hudson River Derby, joining David Villa (2017).

Elsewhere, Teal Bunbury's brace saw New England Revolution overcome DC United 4-3 in a thriller and Atlanta United beat Cincinnati 2-0.

Orlando City edged Montreal Impact 1-0, Colorado Rapids beat Seattle Sounders 3-1, the Portland Timbers overcame the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 and LA Galaxy edged Real Salt Lake 2-1.

Alejandro Pozuelo's fine run of form continued as Toronto came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 in Connecticut.

Sergio Santos' delicate chip had put Philadelphia ahead in the fifth minute, but Toronto fought back in the second half.

Ayo Akinola headed in a Tony Gallacher cross from the left approaching the hour-mark to bring Greg Vanney's side level.

Pozuelo scored what proved to be the winner in the 76th minute, heading in at the back post following a corner.

As Toronto won for the 10th time in their past 13 meetings with the Union, Pozuelo has been directly involved in 10 goals since the MLS regular season resumed in August, as per Opta.

Toronto joined Columbus on 31 points atop the Eastern Conference after the Crew were held to a 2-2 draw by Dallas.

LA Galaxy are bottom of the Western Conference after slumping to a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clasico.

The Galaxy seemed on track when Sebastian Lletget put away the opener after Javier Hernandez hit the post, and goalkeeper David Bingham saved Chris Wondolowski's 12th-minute penalty.

But Marcos Lopez drilled in a wonderful equaliser before half-time, and Andres Rios made no mistake with San Jose's second spot-kick of the game in the 82nd minute.

Orlando City continued their fine season with a 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

The club's tally of 29 points from their first 15 matches is five more than they have ever had through the same number of games in any previous campaign, according to Opta.

Gonzalo Higuain's Inter Miami fell to a 3-2 loss to New York City, while Atlanta United crushed DC United 4-0.

Montreal Impact and Chicago Fire drew 2-2, Alan Pulido scored a brace as Sporting Kansas City edged Houston Dynamo 2-1 and Minnesota United enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Cincinnati.

Western Conference leaders the Seattle Sounders beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1, while the clash between the New England Revolution and Nashville finished goalless.

Cincinnati were the better of the two sides based on expected goal data, tallying 1.98 expected goals compared to just 0.36 for Seattle in front of their home fans.

The visiting side took the lead in the 24th minute when Brandon Vasquez was able to take advantage of the Sounders' high defensive line, slipping a ball through for Brenner to run onto and he made no mistake with his one-on-one, calmly side-footing it inside the far post.

Seattle nearly equalised through a set-piece in the 35th minute, with Will Bruin rising well to send his header towards the bottom-left corner, only for Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano to deny him with a terrific save.

When the hosts did find the leveler, it was worth the wait, with a searing ball from Kelyn Rowe out of defense being controlled by Fredy Montero near the corner of the penalty box, before he unleashed a rocket high into the near-post corner.

With the result, Seattle remain five points away from the seventh and final Western Conference playoff spot, which is currently occupied by Minnesota. Cincinnati are much more comfortable, fifth in the Eastern Conference and four points clear of chasers.

The Orange and Blue are on the road again this weekend as they travel to face Nashville SC, a side they were beaten by earlier in the season to halt a seven-match winning streak.

Having already secured their spot in the playoffs, Noonan placed emphasis on being solid at the back for the remainder of the season, especially in their fixtures away from home.

“Credit to Minnesota, they put a lot of pressure on us, and we relied on the back line to make a lot of individual plays, to defend the box well,” Noonan said.

“That's going to be a recipe for success down the stretch if we want to win on the road in tough games. It's not always going to be with us in control. So (FCC) went about that game in a really good way.

“After a lot of the emotional and physical or emotional highs, and then you know the physical demands and emotional demands of our previous game, to be able to turn it around the way they did, I was really impressed with that.”

Nashville, meanwhile, made it two wins from two after beating Chicago Fire in midweek, with head coach BJ Callaghan earning his first home victory in charge of the Coyotes.

Callaghan’s side currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference table but are just a point behind Philadelphia Union, who occupy the final playoff position.

The Nashville head coach lauded his players for their recent displays in the MLS and was confident his team are making the right strides in becoming a competitive outfit in the division.

“The players have been tremendous,” Callaghan started. “They have taken information in, and they look to apply it in training – they are working hard every single day.

“We look at it through all the phases of play. We are trying to give them clear roles and put them in the best position possible and I think you are seeing, little by little, improvement from them all.

“They are now making good decisions on the pitch. I am very happy with the progression of the team as we make incremental steps of getting better each week.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nashville SC – Hany Mukhtar 

Mukhtar assisted the only goal of the match in Nashville’s triumph over Chicago on Wednesday.

Since 2021, when the German plays and records a goal contribution, Nashville has averaged 1.99 points per match compared to 0.75 points per match when he plays but isn’t involved in a goal.

FC Cincinnati – Yuya Kubo

Kubo recorded a goal and an assist in Cincinnati’s win at Minnesota on Wednesday.

It was the 32nd time a Cincinnati player recorded a goal and an assist in a regular season match since the start of the 2022 season, tied for the most such individual performances in the league in that time (Portland Timbers).

MATCH PREDICTION: FC CINCINNATI WIN

Cincinnati’s victory against Minnesota was the club’s 27th regular-season win by a one-goal margin since the start of last season. No other MLS team has more than 16 one-goal wins in that time.

However, Nashville defeated this weekend’s opponents in the first encounter between the sides this season after Cincinnati had gone unbeaten in the previous four meetings in all competitions (W2 D2).

As mentioned, the Coyotes have recorded consecutive shutout wins after losing their previous eight regular season matches, allowing multiple goals in all of those. Nashville have not kept three straight clean sheets in a single regular season since doing so in four straight in May 2021.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nashville SC – 31%

Draw – 25.1%

FC Cincinnati – 43.9%

Inter required a 97th-minute equaliser from Christopher McVey to rescue a point, despite having led 3-2 entering the final 10 minutes thanks to a first-half Gonzalo Higuain hat-trick.

Brandon Vazquez scored twice to turn the game on its head, leaving Neville furious despite McVey's last-gasp intervention.

"We defended like little boys, we defended naively, we didn't compete, we lacked discipline and concentration," the former Manchester United and Everton defender said. "And that's unacceptable, unacceptable.

"Simple balls into the box we didn't deal with. Simple concentration bits we didn't deal with.

"We are in the stage of the season where concentration is the main thing, concentration will get you to win games of football, and it's not going to be easy; you've just got to defend and do the right things all the time, and defensively we were as poor as we have been all season."

Remarkably, it was not Saturday's first eight-goal draw, as Minnesota United and the Portland Timbers had earlier played out a thriller.

Sebastian Blanco got the scoring started in the first minute, but there was no late drama in this one, with all eight goals netted before the 70-minute mark.

This was the first time in MLS history two matches on the same day have seen both teams score at least four goals, but there was a chasm between the Philadelphia Union and the Houston Dynamo in Saturday's third high-scoring game.

The Union ran out 6-0 winners as Mikael Uhre continued his stunning run of form at Subaru Park, netting either side of half-time for his fifth and sixth goals in his past four home games.

Uhre had also scored twice in a 7-0 defeat of DC United earlier in July, making Philly the first team to win multiple games by a six-goal margin in a single MLS season.

Elsewhere, New York City FC lost ground on the Union in the East as they drew with CF Montreal, while Sebastian Druissi continued his MVP bid by inspiring Austin FC to a 2-0 win at Sporting Kansas City.

"He continues to demonstrate why he deserves that [award]," said Austin coach Josh Wolff.

NYCFC were routed 5-1 by the Philadelphia Union just two weeks ago, but they responded by thrashing their cross-city rivals by the same scoreline on the road on Saturday.

That result lifted them to fifth in the Eastern Conference and within one win of sealing a playoff place, something their next opponents Cincinnati have already done.

Reflecting on NYCFC's last result, Cushing said: "I've got some things to say about the 5-1 loss. A lot of the way that I see that game is in a boxing metaphor. 

"I know there are many champion boxers that have been champion and have been knocked out in the first round, and they don't retire. They go back to the training ring. 

"They go back to the gym, and they come back and become champions again. It's difficult and you have to accept it. Now our focus turns to Cincinnati."

Cincinnati, meanwhile, have seen their hopes of retaining the Supporters' Shield all but extinguished after losing 1-0 at home to Los Angeles FC last time out.

With the MLS Cup now the Orange and Blue's target, Pat Noonan is focused on getting the best out of star midfielder Luciano Acosta, who has been battling a niggling injury.

Noonan said of Acosta: "The more games he gets, the better going into the playoffs. 

"He's had enough games and been back without physical limitations but obviously he did take that knock.

"A lot of times our attack does go through him and when he's on it, he's on it. It's just about us trying to find good spots for him."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New York City – Alonso Martinez

Martinez netted twice in NYCFC's derby rout of the Red Bulls last time out, pulling further clear at the top of the club's scoring charts for 2024 with 14 MLS goals. 

He also has five goals in New York's last three regular-season home games, last failing to net in such a match in late June.

FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta

Acosta has 28 goal involvements (12 goals, 16 assists) in MLS this season, a tally only bettered by Portland Timbers star Evander (29 – 15 goals and 14 assists). 

No player can match Acosta's 98 chances created in the league this year, though, and he will be key if Cincinnati are to seriously challenge for the MLS Cup in the coming weeks.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Cincinnati saw their four-game unbeaten run in MLS play (two wins, two draws) brought to an end with their defeat to LAFC last time out. 

They have gone unbeaten through their last five MLS matches against NYCFC, winning three and drawing two while outscoring their opponents 12-6 in those games.

However, NYCFC have only lost two of their last eight MLS games on home soil (four wins, two draws), versus the MLS Cup holders, the Columbus Crew, and the Union. A draw could be on the cards on Wednesday.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New York City – 36.7%

FC Cincinnati – 37.1%

Draw – 26.3%

Gerhard Stuber's side looked to absorb pressure for the majority of the match and captain Aaron Long put them ahead in the 53rd minute, heading in at the back post after a finely worked corner routine.

Choice became necessity after a VAR review that forced Sean Nealis off in the 73rd minute, but they were able to hold out against a Sporting KC that failed to penetrate in possession.

The win makes for the first time NYRB have managed consecutive wins in the MLS since April, also putting them on 32 points, now two points clear of Philadelphia Union.

The Union were in a similarly dour contest, generating only two shots in the penalty area from open play in a goal-less draw away to Columbus Crew.

The Crew had an opportunity to take the lead in the 19th minute, only for Andre Blake to save Pedro Santos' penalty.

New Yoirk City are a further point back on 29 points, after they played out a 2-2 draw at home to Atlanta United, while the New England Revolution and Cincinnati also managed a 2-2 draw.

In the Western Conference meanwhile, Real Salt Lake critically slipped up in a chance to make up ground following LAFC's loss on Saturday, going down 3-2 to Minnesota United.

RSL were down 3-0 at one stage until Jefferson Savarino inspired a dramatic late fightback, scoring and assisting for substitute Anderson Julio within a five-minute span.

It was not enough however, with LAFC maintaining a five-point gap to second-placed Austin FC.

Elsewhere in the West, Nashville and Portland Timbers played out a 2-2 draw, while Houston Dynamo lost 2-1 at home to Charlotte FC.

In Sunday's final game, the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Chicago Fire 2-1 via Benjamin Kikanovic's brace, with his first coming after the Quakes extraordinarily hit the frame of the goal twice in the same passage.

The Orange and Blue were forced to relinquish top spot in the Eastern Conference table as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Chicago Fire courtesy of Brian Gutierrez’s second half winner.

Cincinnati are now two points behind Inter Miami, who overcame their 6-1 defeat to Pat Noonan’s side last week with a convincing triumph over Toronto FC in midweek.

With Columbus Crew breathing down their necks and going to within five points of them with two games in hand, Yedlin insisted that his squad must rally together to rekindle that winning formula.

"We expect to win every game. It doesn't matter who we have on the field," Yedlin said.

"Since I've been at this club, I've noticed that the foundation of the club is hard work, is competing, is effort and then the little things sprinkled on top of that − the stuff that 'Lucho' can do, pulling stuff out of the hat.

“For whatever reason, the last few games it feels like that's a little off. There's nobody from the outside that can fix that. It's on us. It's on us to look deep within the team and find that competitiveness again."

For the Red Bulls, they extended their unbeaten run in the MLS to seven matches with their draw against CF Montreal last time out.

Sandro Schwarz’s side have drawn six of those games, however, and find themselves losing touch to the sides above them in the division.

The Red Bulls are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, 10 points behind this weekend’s opponents with the possibility of dropping out of the top four should they fail to find a win on home soil.

Schwarz bemoaned his side’s lack of clinical nature in the final third, admitting the draw with Montreal left a bad feeling among his squad heading into their next encounter.

"It was a good game," Schwarz said. "But at the end, it's 2-2, and it's two less than if we play like the first 60, 65 minutes.

“Then you want to win. Then you want to go home with three points and that's it. And today, it's a bad feeling for us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

NYRB – Wikelman Carmona

Having registered just two goal contributions in his first 10 MLS games this season, Wikelman Carmona now has two goals and an assist in his last six league outings.

Carmona scored the Red Bulls’ opener against Montreal last time out, and has lost just one of his four previous encounters with Cincinnati (W2, D1).

FC Cincinnati – Yuya Kubo                                      

In the absence of talisman Luciano Acosta, Yuya Kubo will take on the responsibility of providing an attacking threat for Cincinnati in the final third.

Kubo has scored nine goals in 22 appearances for Noonan’s side this season, scoring in the reverse fixture between the two sides. However, the 30-year-old has won just one of his previous eight meetings with the Red Bulls (D3, L4).

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Cincinnati will be hopeful of returning to winning ways having lost back-to-back home games but have found comfort playing away from home.

Noonan’s side have won their last seven games away from the TQL Stadium, having taken just six points from their last five home fixtures.

The Red Bulls have won two of their last five encounters against Cincinnati (D1, L2), hoping to equal their last unbeaten streak which was eight matches between September – October 2021.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

NYRB – 38.6%

Draw – 26.5%

FC Cincinnati – 34.9%

A day after the MLS is Back Tournament was announced, the league held a draw for the group stage on Thursday, placing the 26 teams into six groups.

Sixteen teams will then progress to the knockout stage, which will begin on July 25 ahead of an August 11 final.

Aside from the opening match, the rest of the tournament schedule has yet to be announced.

The groups for the MLS is Back Tournament:

Group A (Eastern Conference): Orlando City, Inter Miami, New York City, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire, Nashville SC.
Group B (Western Conference): Seattle Sounders, Dallas, Vancouver Whitecaps, San Jose Earthquakes.
Group C (Eastern Conference): Toronto, New England Revolution, Montreal Impact, DC United.
Group D (Western Conference): Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United.
Group E (Eastern Conference): Atlanta United, FC Cincinnati, New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew.
Group F (Western Conference): Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, Portland Timbers.

RSL moved above Portland Timbers into the last playoffs spot in the Western Conference with their 3-1 victory, while Orlando achieved the same feat in the east after beating Columbus Crew 2-1 after a late penalty.

Pablo Mastroeni's RSL will take on two seed Austin in the first round of the MLS playoffs, navigating their way past Portland who started the day in sixth spot, but dropped to eighth, with Minnesota United also qualifying with their 2-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps.

Jefferson Savarino settled any nerves for RSL, who had claimed only three wins from their past 17 games, by curling in a 19th-minute opener before Rubio Rubin's deflected shot doubled their lead in the 48th minute.

Bode Hidalgo sealed RSL's playoffs spot with a classy finish in the 82nd minute, with Dairon Asprilla scoring a late consolation for the Timbers.

Minnesota, who will take on Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, got their win after Franco Fragapane's low 17th-minute drive. Jonathon Gonzalez added a second with a left-foot volley in the 77th minute to seal the Loons' spot.

Hany Mukhtar was confirmed as the MLS Golden Boot winner with 23 goals, although he did not score as Nashville locked in the five seed with a 1-0 win over Supporters Shield winners LAFC.

Teal Bunbury scored the only goal in the 53rd minute, with Nashville to face LA Galaxy in the playoffs. Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo 3-1 with Riqui Puig and Javier Hernandez among the scorers.

Facundo Torres converted an 84th-minute spot kick to send Orlando into the playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the Crew. The Lions will take on Eastern Conference two seed Montreal.

Columbus came into the game one point ahead of Orlando and had gone ahead through Derick Etienne in the 38th minute.

Junior Urso leveled for Orlando in the 56th minute before Milos Degenek's handball led to Torres' decisive penalty, condemning the Crew to missing the playoffs.

Cincinnati clinched their spot in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, leapfrogging up into the five seed slot, with their 5-2 win at struggling DC United.

Brenner hit a hat-trick for Cincy, who will take on New York Red Bulls in the playoffs. The Red Bulls won 2-0 over Charlotte after Elias Manoel's double to secure the four seed.

Inter Miami lost 3-1 at home to Montreal, meaning Phil Neville's side slipped to the six seed and will take on reigning MLS Cup champions New York City. City beat Atlanta United 2-1 to clinch the three seed.

In other games, Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes drew 2-2, Chicago Fire drew 1-1 with New England and Austin and Colorado Rapids ended 1-1 after Diego Rubio's late equalizer for the visitors.

Eastern Conference winners Philadelphia Union thrashed Toronto 4-0 with Daniel Gazdag netting a hat-trick, while Western Conference three seed Dallas got past Sporting KC 2-1.