Dallas

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.

Austin FC's 2-1 defeat to the LA Galaxy on Saturday, which led to the team firing head coach Josh Wolff, ensured they could not overhaul Portland for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot.

The Timbers still went with a strong lineup for their final home game of the regular season but had to settle for a point.

Both Portland and Dallas had their chances, having 19 and 18 shots respectively, with the hosts almost finding a winner in second-half stoppage time as Dario Zuparic's header was cleared off the line.

Perhaps their best opportunity came in the 88th minute, but Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer pushed Felipe Mora's attempt over the crossbar to preserve the visitors' clean sheet.

Dallas, who had already been eliminated from the playoff race, sit 11th in the West, while Portland missed a chance to close the gap to the automatic qualification spots, which are now out of reach due to seventh-placed Minnesota United boasting two more wins with one game remaining.

Data Debrief: Timbers end playoff exile

Portland enter the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021, having missed out in both of the last two campaigns.

They finished as runners-up when they last made the postseason, while three of their last six playoff appearances have seen them make the MLS Cup Final. 

Portland fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Austin, who they are vying with for the final play-off spot in the Western Conference.

While The Timbers will have a second chance to secure their spot against the Seattle Sounders should they fail to gain points against Dallas, Neville will hope to enter the final day with it already wrapped up.

Portland currently sit six points ahead of Austin, meaning a draw against Dallas will be enough.

“We’re looking forward to bouncing back,” Neville told the press. “We’ve qualified for the playoffs barring a miracle.

“We’ve got to return to what we do best and that’s put on a convincing show at home on Sunday.”

The man in the opposition dugout, Peter Luccin, is far more disappointed with his side's recent defeat, which saw them mathematically ruled out of playoff contention.

Dallas lost 3-2 to the San Jose Earthquakes midweek, which puts them eleventh in the table and out of reach of their opponents.

Luccin’s side had kept the scores level at 1-1 until the 79th minute when San Jose scored two in quick succession before Dallas pulled one back. It left the interim head coach frustrated with the display.

"[I’m] very disappointed, very sad, mad at the same time. With Austin beating Portland, our scenario was perfect, winning this game and going to Portland just five points away and trying to beat Portland. It’s so disappointing,” he said, via Big D Soccer.

“The goal that we conceded, the chances that we missed. Very, very disappointed. I haven’t had time to talk with the players, it is a night to suffer a little bit. We didn’t take care of business and it’s all on us.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Portland Timbers – Evander

Attacking midfielder Evander has the second-most assists in the league with 14 in 26 appearances, only behind FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta, who has 16 in 30 appearances.

The Brazilian ranks joint-sixth in the league for chances created having produced 81 across the season, while he has also scored 15 goals.

Dallas - Peter Musa

Musa is the top goalscorer for Dallas this season (15), with three times the number of goals than his highest-scoring team-mate, Paul Arriola.

He was on the scoresheet last time the two sides met in a high-scoring encounter that saw Dallas win 3-2.

MATCH PREDICTION: PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN

Portland have lost just one of their 15 all-time home matches against Dallas (W9 D5), going unbeaten in the last seven (W4 D3).

Dallas have scored just two total goals in those seven visits, following a 3-1 victory in their only win at Portland in April 2016.

Despite failing to score at home on Wednesday, Portland’s 39 goals at Providence Park this season in the MLS is their most in a single regular season since the club joined the league in 2011.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Portland Timbers – 54.2%

Draw – 23.5%

Dallas – 22.3%

Real Salt Lake have been among the Western Conference pacesetters all season, but they have lost two of their three games since returning from the Leagues Cup break, including a 4-1 defeat to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

They remain fourth in the West but just three points separate them from Houston in seventh, while their cushion to the wild-card spots stands at seven points.

"There are things we're working out, and it's one thing doing it in practice and another doing it when there are so many variables on the line," Mastroeni said this week.

"The only way we build real cohesion is by just going into the fire, playing these games, then going back to review them.

"With time, you expect that the guys will get a really clear understanding. You can make changes on gameday, you can tweak, but also you have to affect games with mentality.

"It's about mindset. I would rather make errors of effort than errors of overthinking."

Dallas are currently one place, but five points, outside the playoff picture, with a tough stretch seeing them face Los Angeles FC and Orlando City after their visit to RSL.

Interim boss Peter Luccin, though, feels the identity of their opponents is not important, saying: "Right now, for us playing versus a team in the top five or the top 10 is the same thing... the only thing we have to do is win.

"If we want to fight for the playoffs, which is the least the club deserves, we have to do that. One thing is for sure, we will fight until the end."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Real Salt Lake – Cristian Arango 

Arango has scored six goals in 407 minutes over five career regular-season matches against Dallas. 

His rate of 1.33 goals per 90 minutes in those games is the highest of any player that has played at least 300 minutes against Dallas in MLS history.

FC Dallas – Jesus Ferreira 

Ferreira has scored seven times in 10 regular-season meetings with Real Salt Lake, more than he's scored against any other opponent in his MLS career. 

The Dallas forward has also scored in four of his five matches at America First Field, including the last three in a row.

MATCH PREDICTION – REAL SALT LAKE WIN

Dallas have won at Real Salt Lake in each of the last two seasons, their first consecutive wins at RSL in regular-season play. Only two teams have won on three straight regular-season trips to Utah (LAFC – four straight from 2020-23, Portland – three straight from 2014-15).

They are also unbeaten in three straight regular-season away matches (one win, two draws). Dallas had lost eight of their first 11 away from home (three draws) in 2024.

They face a daunting task on Wednesday, though, against a Real Salt Lake side with 10 home wins already this season, reaching that mark for the first time since 2019 (13 home wins). 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Salt Lake – 52.4%

FC Dallas – 23.3%

Draw – 24.3%

Caden Clark had put the Red Bulls up with a spectacular goal early in the second half but last season's Western Conference top spot finishers hit back.

Gadi Kinda netted a 59th minute penalty with Hungarian forward Daniel Salloi putting KC ahead barely 60 seconds later with a simple close-range finish.

New York City were also opening day losers, blowing a 1-0 lead to go down 2-1 at D.C. United.

City, who reached last season's play-offs, went ahead on the quarter hour from Valentin Castellanos.

But United responded by taking the lead before the interval with a sensational long-range drive from Brendan Hines-Ike and another from Russell Canouse, coming from a perfectly executed corner routine.

10-man Revolution hit back, Pato debut

Last season's semi-finalists New England Revolution fought back from two goals down to claim a thrilling 2-2 draw away to Chicago Fire.

Revolution, who were reduced to 10 men in second-half stoppage time after a DeJuan Jones red card, trailed 2-0 after 11 minutes following goals from Robert Beric and Luka Stojanovic.

Polish attacker Adam Buksa and Gustavo Gou netted in the following 15 minutes to level the match.

New England debutant Edward Kizza should have scored the winner when he struck the crossbar with an 87th minute header.

Victor Wanyama was among the goals as Montreal eased past Toronto 4-2 in their Canadian clash, while former Brazil international Alexandre Pato debuted for 2020 quarter-finalists Orlando City who had a scoreless draw with Atlanta United.

However, Pato limped off in the 80th minute with an apparent knee issue which will have Orlando sweating on scans.

Los Angeles FC started the new season with a solid 2-0 victory at home over newcomers Austin with goals from Corey Baird and Jose Cifuentes.

Nashville fought back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Cincinnati thanks to Randall Leal's 64th minute long-range curler, while Dallas and Colorado also played out a 0-0 draw.

Premature substitution

LAFC coach Michael Bradley admitted he "might have jumped the gun" when he accidentally subbed off star Mexican attacker Carlos Vela in the 22nd minute after he waved in his direction. In hindsight, Vela was calling for treatment from a trainer after picking up a knock.

Teenager's special strike

The Red Bulls went ahead when 17-year-old midfielder Clark fired in a superb volley out of mid-air. The teenager appears a star in the making.

Saturday's results

Montreal 4-2 Toronto FC
Orlando City 0-0 Atlanta United
Los Angeles FC 2-0 Austin
Sporting KC 2-1 New York Red Bulls 
FC Dallas 0-0 Colorado Rapids
DC United 2-1 New York City FC
Chicago Fire 2-2 New England Revolution
Nashville 2-2 Cincinnati

Galaxy in Florida

There's three games on Sunday including a glamour fixture between David Beckham's Inter Miami against his former club Los Angeles Galaxy.

Nashville had gone ahead in the 28th minute from Hany Mukhtar's penalty but Hernandez was the centre of attention once again.

The former Manchester United forward failed to convert a 97th-minute penalty attempting a Panenka last Sunday against Sporting KC, spurning a hat-trick and winner.

Hernandez stepped up again in the 55th minute after being bundled over by Shaquell Moore but had his low shot tipped around the post by goalkeeper Joel Willis.

With their season on the line, the Galaxy earned a late reprieve after a penalty was awarded for a Walker Zimmerman handball following VAR review, with the defender receiving a second yellow card.

But Riqui Puig grabbed the ball and took the responsibility instead of Hernandez, before firing just beyond Willis' fingertips for the goal.

The result means the Galaxy are winless in three games and sit eighth in the Western Conference on 40 points.

Western Conference leaders LAFC stumbled again, suffering their fourth loss in their past five games with a 2-1 defeat to Dallas.

Jesus Ferreira boosted his claims on a spot in USA's World Cup squad with a double for Dallas, while LAFC were reduced to 10 men after Ryan Hollingshead's 13th-minute red card.

Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union showed why they are arguably the best team in the MLS with a 5-1 thrashing of Orlando City securing their fifth straight victory.

Lewis Morgan scored a 78th-minute penalty to help New York Red Bulls secure a 2-1 home win over New England to firm up their grip on third in the east.

New York City suffered their seventh defeat from their past nine games, going down 1-0 to Charlotte.

Brenner scored a hat-trick as Cincinnati extended their unbeaten run to nine games, winning 6-0 over San Jose Earthquakes

Thiago Almada fired in a golazo as Atlanta United defeated Toronto 4-2, while Inter Miami slumped to a third straight loss with a 3-1 defeat at Chicago Fire.

Seattle Sounders toppled Austin 3-0, Houston Dynamo and Sporting KC drew 0-0, Portland Timbers edged Minnesota United 1-0, Colorado Rapids beat Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 and Real Salt Lake and DC United ended goalless.

The Sounders progressed to their second successive conference decider thanks to Shane O'Neill, who settled Tuesday's contest in the 49th minute.

For only the second time this season and first since September 6, Seattle failed to record a shot on target in the opening half of a home fixture.

But O'Neill headed home his first goal for the club four minutes into the second half to break the deadlock and eventually move the Sounders to within a win of back-to-back appearances in the league showpiece.

The 27-year-old became the first player outside of Seattle's big three – Jordan Morris, Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz – to score for the Sounders since Will Bruin on October 22.

Dallas came close to equalising just past the hour mark when Michael Barrios rattled the post, while Andres Ricaurte's follow-up attempt was thwarted by a goal-line clearance via Yeimar Gomez Andrade.

The Sounders will face either Sporting Kansas City or Minnesota United for a spot in the December 12 final.

Dallas beat Minnesota 5-3 at home on Wednesday, making it three games unbeaten.

The club dismissed Nico Estevez on June 9, and Musa suggested Luccin has let the team off the leash from an attacking standpoint.

“I think we play more vertically towards the goal,” said Musa.

“We are more offensive now, we have a lot of players who run behind and we started playing more attacking football.

"We scored five goals at home so you can see from the build-up that we play attacking soccer. I am very happy about the new style we are implementing.”

Luccin added: “I’m thankful and grateful for the effort from the players. It’s very important for me that the effort has been fantastic. I’m very pleased with some of the sequences that we had, playing good football and very vertical.

“Overall, the goals that we conceded, sometimes we need to be a little bit smarter. All the players have been fantastic. Five goals at home, I think the fans were very happy.

“I’m sure they would’ve liked fewer goals conceded but it’s part of the game. We are making progress. It’ll be step-by-step but you can see the attitude from the players is excellent. They want to play, they understand. Now we need to adjust to find that balance. I really think we deserved to win.”

Next up for Dallas is a trip to the northwest, to face the Seattle Sounders.

Dallas are one place and two points below Seattle in the Western Conference.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Jackson Ragen

Ragen scored his first MLS goal in Seattle's 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo last time out. He is the seventh different player from the United States to score for the Sounders in MLS play this season, equalling their number from all of last season.

FC Dallas – Petar Musa

Musa’s hat-trick took him onto eight MLS goals for the season, four more than any other team-mate.

He is the sixth Dallas player with a hat trick for the team since the beginning of 2017, tying them with D.C. United for most such players with a hat-trick in that time.

MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE WIN

The Sounders are unbeaten in 20 straight home matches across all competitions against Dallas (16 wins, four draws), in a run dating back to August 2011.

They could equal the longest ever unbeaten home run by one MLS team against another here (21, achieved twice).

With Dallas winless in 11 MLS road games dating back to last October (three draws, eight defeats), we expect the Sounders to claim a slice of history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle Sounders – 47.5%

FC Dallas – 26.4%

Draw – 26.2%

A Patryk Klimala brace secured the win for New York, including a penalty in the 91st minute, as they claimed top spot in the East on goal difference over Philadelphia Union. Both are on 17 points, but Philadelphia are still to play Nashville on Sunday.

Chicago also scored from the penalty spot to hit the lead, with Xherdan Shaqiri converting in the 16th minute after Ashley Fletcher was judged to have handled the ball.

New York regrouped after a weather delay which forced the two sides off, and substitute Klimala eventually restored parity after a fine assist from Luqinhas in the 75th minute.

A clumsy challenge at the death from Miguel Navarro handed New York the chance to snatch an otherwise even contest, and Klimala calmly put his penalty away for the three points.

Orlando City also moved to 17 points with a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday, but have played 10 games in comparison to NYRB's nine and Philadelphia's eight.

Montreal CF and Columbus Crew kept within touching distance after respective wins over Atlanta and DC United meanwhile, and in Saturday's other Eastern Conference matchup, Cincinnati beat Toronto 2-1.

New England Revolution joined Inter Miami as one of the six teams on 10 points in the East, with Damian River and Adam Buksa giving them a 2-0 victory.

In the West meanwhile, Austin FC also came from behind to go top of the conference, beating Texan rival Houston Dynamo 2-1 but in much less dramatic circumstances than NYRB.

Sebastian Ferreira put the Dynamo ahead in only the fifth minute, but Daniel Pereira was able to equalise before the interval.

Sebastian Driussi kept up his recent goal-scoring form and provided the eventual winner for Austin in the 66th minute, finding a pocket of space in the penalty are before rifling into the top corner.

Los Angeles Galaxy lost ground despite dominating the game, losing 1-0 to Real Salt Lake after Marcelo Silva's goal in the 49th minute.

A Mark-Anthony Kaye goal on the counter in injury time secured a 2-0 win for the Colorado Rapids over the Portland Timbers, while Sporting KC and FC Dallas played out a 2-2 draw.

The MLS expansion side had suffered back-to-back losses after creating league history by winning their first five games but responded at CityPark.

Jared Stroud fired in a third-minute opener from a set-piece before Eduard Lowen lashed home a volley in the 39th minute.

Kyle Hiebert glanced in Stroud's cross in first-half stoppage-time and St Louis did not relent after the break, with Nicholas Gioacchini adding another from Rasmus Alm's classy touch in the 53rd minute.

It was five in the 57th minute when Alm's rifled strike from outside the box hit the post and deflected in off goalkeeper Roman Celentano.

Sergio Santos grabbed a consolation for Cincy, who were unbeaten coming into this encounter.

Dairon Asprilla netted an early goal of the year contender with an acrobatic bicycle kick to equalise for Portland Timbers before they raced away with a 4-1 win over Seattle Sounders.

Asprilla brilliantly netted in the 71st minute before Portland added a further three goals in the final 20 minutes, meaning Seattle slipped from top spot in the West.

Sean Zawadzki netted a 90th-minute equaliser as Columbus Crew pinched a 1-1 home draw with 10-man New England, who move up to top spot in the Eastern Conference ahead of Cincinnati.

Lorenzo Insigne returned from a groin injury as Toronto drew 2-2 with Atlanta. Toronto have drawn four games in a row.

DC United ended their six-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over last-placed Montreal, while New York Red Bulls' streak without a win extended to four games after a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo.

Keaton Parks and Maxime Chanot scored excellent early goals as New York City moved up to fifth in the East with a 2-1 win over Nashville.

Austin drew 0-0 with Vancouver Whitecaps, while Orlando City rallied from behind to get past Minnesota United 2-1.

Bernard Kamungo scored an 88th-minute winner as Dallas moved up to fourth in the West with a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake, while San Jose Earthquakes crushed Sporting KC 3-0 with a Jeremy Ebobisse double.

Struggling Charlotte drew 2-2 with Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union's winless run extended to five games with a 2-2 draw at Chicago Fire although they fought back from 2-0 down.

City had made MLS history by winning their first five games but that was ended by the Loons with Amarilla drilling home the spot kick after a needless challenge by Kyle Hiebert.

Hiebert brought down Amarilla just inside the box with a rash tackle when Jakob Nerwinski appeared to have Kervin Arriaga's wayward pass under control.

Substitute Samuel Adeniran came closest to equalising for St Louis, with a 95th-minute shot going over the bar after a great first touch from Klauss' right-wing cut back.

St Louis remain top of the table with 15 points from six games, but unbeaten Minnesota climb up to fourth in the Western Conference.

Cincinnati continued their impressive start to the season with a 1-0 home triumph over Inter Miami who slumped to their fourth straight defeat.

Yerson Mosquera scored the 45th-minute winner for Cincy, who are top of the Eastern Conference.

Giorgos Giakoumakis scored an early winner as Atlanta United moved up to second in the East with a 1-0 home win over New York Red Bulls, who are down in 12th in that conference.

Jordan Morris and Leo Chu scored first-half goals as Seattle Sounders stayed second in the West with a 2-1 victory at LA Galaxy, who are without a win and have only three points from five games.

LAFC remained unbeaten and third in the West despite a 0-0 draw at the winless Colorado Rapids, while SJ Earthquakes climbed to fifth with a 2-1 victory over Houston Dynamo with all three goals coming from penalties.

Vancouver Whitecaps snapped a run of three straight draws with a resounding 5-0 win over 10-man Montreal with Simon Becher scoring a double. Becher is the fastest player (87 minutes) in MLS history to score his first four goals.

Franck Boli rescued a 1-1 draw for Portland Timbers at Dallas, Chicago Fire and DC United drew 0-0 and Nashville triumphed 2-0 at Orlando City.

Federico Bernardeschi netted another spectacular goal with a strike straight from a corner in Toronto's 2-2 home draw with Charlotte.

Sporting KC remained winless after a 0-0 draw at Philadelphia Union, New England drew 1-1 with New York City and Real Salt Lake suffered their fourth straight loss, going down 4-0 to Columbus Crew.

Pepi, 18, impressed for Dallas in the 2021 season as he scored 13 times in MLS – the joint-most ever managed by a teenager in the competition.

The forward is also the youngest player to ever score in consecutive World Cup qualifiers for the USA and has previously been linked to some of Europe's top clubs, such as Borussia Dortmund and Ajax.

But Pepi has opted to move to Augsburg, who have signed the talented teenager on a five-and-a-half-year contract, while holding the option to extend for a further year.

The transfer represents a club-record deal for Dallas as Pepi dethrones Alphonso Davies' move from Vancouver Whitecaps to Bayern Munich in 2018 as the most expensive outgoing homegrown player from MLS.

Upon confirmation of the deal on Monday, Pepi said: "Moving to Europe after the conclusion of the MLS season was my dream. 

"I believe FC Augsburg and the Bundesliga will prove the perfect settings for me to gain match practice at the top level as a youngster. 

"The efforts the FCA [Augsburg] club officials put in to sign me were really impressive. As a result, I felt right away that FCA was the right club for me. 

"I can't wait to meet my new teammates and I want to integrate into the team as quickly as possible. I can hardly wait to get going!"

Augsburg sit just a point above the relegation zone in the German top flight before they restart their Bundesliga campaign with a trip to Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Goals from Lewis Morgan and Luquinhas secured the three points for NYRB, with Morgan scoring his seventh for the season, heading in from a corner in only the second minute.

Luquinhas assured the three points in the 56th, spectacularly chipping over Quentin Westberg from outside the penalty area after Tom Barlow was initially denied when put through one-on-one.

With only one win in their previous six games, the three points were critical for Gerhard Struber's side.

The Philadelphia Union could only secure a 1-1 draw at home to Cincinnati, meaning they join New York City on 26 points at the top of the Eastern Conference, but City are still to play on Sunday against the Colorado Rapids.

An Ercan Kara brace helped Orlando City move into fourth position in the East, backing up from Wednesday's draw in New England to beat Houston Dynamo 2-1.

They leapfrogged CF Montreal, who lost 1-0 to a ten-man Austin FC, following Maxi Urruti's goal in the 67th minute.

Elsewhere in the East, Chicago Fire defeated DC United 1-0 in the battle between the conference's bottom-placed teams, while Columbus Crew and Charlotte played out a 1-1 draw.

There were also stalemates at the top of the Western Conference, with Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders managing a 1-1 draw, as well as Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers.

It allowed Real Salt Lake to move two points from LAFC, following their 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in Saturday's final game.

Salt Lake captain Marcelo Silva opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Jefferson Savarino's flick-on from a corner, and Savarino doubled the margin in the 81st with a fine solo effort.

The Vancouver Whitecaps stayed within touching of the West's playoff spots, meanwhile, defeating FC Dallas 2-0.

Dallas sit 13th in the West with just two wins from nine matches this year, though they snapped a seven-game winless run by beating the Houston Dynamo 2-0 last week.   

Just as Estevez refused to be too critical of his players during their poor run of form, he will avoid getting too high off the back of a single victory.

"As we always say, we're never too high and never too low. It's about taking the positive things that we did against Houston to carry through the week, having the same mentality," Estevez said.

"Also, with some of the things that we didn't do well, we'll keep improving on those.

"As we always say, it is a process and we're trying to keep growing throughout the season, while getting results."

Toronto, meanwhile, sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 points from their first 10 MLS games under John Herdman.

They scored two late goals to overturn a 1-0 deficit and clinch a third straight victory against Orlando City last time out, leaving Herdman to credit his players for their resilience.

"We showed a good mentality to set the tone on how we wanted to approach it," he said.

"I thought the guys were brave from the front and stamped their physical dominance on the game. To see the shift they put in was exceptional. It was a complete performance."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Toronto FC – Prince Osei Owusu

Owusu has scored five goals for Toronto in MLS this year, his latest being a 90th-minute winner against Orlando last week. He has had 15 shots overall in 2024, converting 33.33 per cent of those. 

FC Dallas – Petar Musa 

Musa has scored in each of Dallas' last two matches, against the Colorado Rapids and Houston. 

He has scored (three goals) or assisted (one) four of his team's seven MLS goals since the beginning of March, demonstrating his importance. 

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Toronto won their first-ever meeting with Dallas 4-0 in June 2007, but Dallas have only lost one of 18 subsequent regular-season meetings (11 wins, six draws).

Dallas, though, are winless in their last 11 games against Eastern Conference opponents across all competitions (five draws, six losses), dating back to a 1-0 win over Inter Miami last April.

Toronto have more league wins this season (five) than they managed through the entirety of 2023 (four), but Dallas have only lost one of their last four. A draw could be on the cards in Canada.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Toronto FC – 34.8%

FC Dallas – 35.6%

Draw – 29.6%

Union took an early lead after Lukas MacNaughton's 16th-minute own goal before Denmark international Uhre bagged a double before half-time.

Uhre added a third in the 56th minute to round out his hat-trick, tapping in Julian Carranza's low ball across goal and put the contest to bed.

Toronto pulled one back through Italy international Lorenzo Insigne in the 66th minute, before Richie Laryea's stoppage-time consolation.

New England reinforced their grip on top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 home win over Sporting KC, who are last overall.

Giacomo Vrioni netted a first-half brace for the Revs, but Sporting pulled one back in the 50th minute from Johnny Russell, only to be reduced to 10 men when Andreu Fontas was sent off 10 minutes later.

The Revs are ahead of second-placed Cincinnati on goal difference, with Cincy winning 2-1 over Portland Timbers after strikes from Sergio Santos and Brandon Vasquez.

New York City moved up to fourth in the East with a 3-1 home win over Dallas sparked by Santiago Rodriguez's double.

Western Conference leaders St Louis City were denied victory after Michael Barrios' 90th-minute equaliser as they drew 1-1 at Colorado Rapids.

St Louis remain top in the West but only on goal difference from Seattle Sounders who condemned Minnesota United to three straight losses with a 1-0 victory.

Denis Bouanga netted his seventh goal of the MLS season as LAFC drew 1-1 at Nashville, while LA Galaxy snapped their winless start to the campaign with a 2-0 home victory over Austin.

Inter Miami's losing run extended to six in a row, compounding the pressure on boss Phil Neville, as they went down 1-0 at Houston Dynamo.

Real Salt Lake beat San Jose Earthquakes 3-1, Charlotte defeated Columbus Crew 1-0, struggling Montreal edged New York Red Bulls 2-0 and Christian Benteke scored as DC United won 3-1 at Orlando City.

The best defence in the MLS had to chase the result this time after Gustavo Bou's well-taken opener for the Revolution in the 61st minute, with goals from Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag handing the Union the three points.

The Union still created little from open play but they were gifted goals to turn the result around via the dead ball. Uhre equalized in the 75th minute, heading into what was effectively an open goal after Revolution keeper Djordje Petrovic failed to claimed the ball after coming off his line at a corner.

Gazdag then scored the eventual winner in the 79th minute, converting from the penalty spot after he was clumsily shoved by Henry Kessler.

Jim Curtin's side moved to 39 points, building a four-point lead from New York City, whose derby against New York RB on Sunday is one of two games they have in hand.

CF Montreal also moved to outright fourth in the East on Saturday, with Lukas McNaughton's own-goal handing them a 1-0 win over Toronto FC.

Chad Ahston momentarily remains in charge of D.C. United until Wayne's Rooney's work visa is finalized and Minnesota United took full advantage, earning a 2-0 win at home.

The Chicago Fire claimed an upset 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, while Emerson Rodriguez's 93rd-minute goal gave Inter Miami a 3-2 victory over Charlotte FC.

Gonzalo Higuain bagged his second goal of the week for Inter, scoring the equaliser after Yordy Reina's first-half brace gave Charlotte a 2-0 load.

In the Western Conference meanwhile, Austin FC claimed the Copa Tejas with a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas, but now only hold a two-point lead over Los Angeles FC, who have two games in hand.

The race for the last playoff spot in the conference tightened up, with the Colorado Rapids defeating Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0.

Along with the Sounders' loss, only three points now separate the seventh-placed Galaxy from the Rapids, moved to 11th with the win.

A Maximiliano Urruti double within the opening half-hour put Austin in a commanding position at the interval, but they struggled in the second half, giving up eight shots to three despite 62.3 per cent of possession.

Sebastian Driussi clinched the result for Josh Wolff's side in the 68th minute, though, getting on the end of a flick-on from Nick Lima's long-throw at the back post to head home.

Austin have now gone five games undefeated in the league, bouncing back from Wednesday's elimination at the hands of San Antonio FC in the US Open Cup.

They remain a point ahead of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who scraped a 1-0 win at home to Nashville via Dejan Joveljic's winner in the 86th minute. Real Salt Lake slipped up away to Portland Timbers, playing out a goalless draw.

There were also goalless draws between Sporting KC and Columbus Crew, and Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC.

They were leapfrogged by FC Dallas, who claimed their fourth win of the season with a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo.

They left it very late in the Texan derby after Sabastian Ferreira's opener for Dynamo in the 33rd minute, only equalising in the 87th minute through Tsiki Ntsabeleng.

Facundo Quignon claimed the three points for the Toros, lurking unmarked at the back post from a corner to score in the third minute of injury time.

Philadelphia Union remained top of the Eastern Conference despite a 1-1 draw at home to Montreal CF, giving the impetus to Orlando City and New York RB to make up ground on Sunday.

San Jose Earthquakes moved from the bottom of the Western Conference with a shock 4-3 win over the Seattle Sounders. Cristian Espinoza scored the winner for his hat-trick in the fourth minute of injury time via the penalty spot.

In Saturday's other results, Minnesota FC defeated Chicago Fire 3-0, while DC United claimed a 3-2 win over New England Revolution.

Armstrong, who arrived at BC Place as a free agent following his release from Southampton last season, provides a wealth of international and domestic experience for Vanni Sartini’s team.

The Whitecaps returned to league action last week with a win over Austin FC, leaving them fifth in the Western Conference table, four points behind Colorado Rapids with two games in hand.

And Armstrong, who will reunite with former Dundee United team-mate Ryan Gauld at the club, provided insight into what fans can expect from him for the remainder of the campaign.

"Hopefully, I can bring position play from back to front and connect the midfield to the forward line. Hopefully I can chip in with some creativity, some goals and assists too," Amstrong said.

"Every player I speak to says to me that the changing room's the best they've experienced in their career. The first player that said that to me was Ryan (Gauld) and I didn't believe him.

"Once more and more, every player says it, you begin to believe it. And having met the boys, a few boys yesterday and everyone today and a few more when they come back, I can re-affirm that everyone's a very good guy and a very good changing room to be a part of."

FC Dallas, meanwhile, were on the wrong end of a five-goal thriller against the Rapids last time out, with Darren Yapi’s 93rd minute winner sealing the victory for the away side.

The Toros twice led the encounter but were unable to build on their dramatic win over DC United in their first MLS fixture since their disappointing run in the Leagues Cup.

Interim head coach Peter Luccin acknowledged his side must improve to have a chance of reaching the playoffs as they sit 11th in the standings, identifying his team’s home form as a particular area to strengthen.

“We knew from the beginning that we had to get points on the road,” Luccin said. “Now we are doing the opposite, now we are winning on the road and losing at home.

“It would be great to now do both at the same time, but in the end, I am not saying that it was crucial today that we lost three points, but it was important.

“But the content of the game, is a concern. We have to learn, because today was not good enough.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

Gauld assisted Vancouver’s only goal against Austin last time out, his 10th assist of the season to go along with his nine goals.

The Scot, who recorded 11 goals and 12 assists last year, could become the first Whitecaps player to notch 10 goals and 10 assists in multiple MLS seasons.

FC Dallas – Petar Musa

Musa came off the bench to score for Dallas on Saturday, his fifth straight regular season appearance with a goal.

Only Jeff Cunningham (six in 2009) and Carlos Ruiz (seven in 2006) have had longer scoring streaks in FC Dallas’ MLS history.

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

The Whitecaps have lost only one of their last nine meetings with FC Dallas dating back to 2019 (W5 D3), including going unbeaten at home against Dallas in that time (W3 D1).

They have also won five of their last seven regular season matches (D1 L1), including a 1-0 victory over Austin. The 1-0 win marked Vancouver’s first clean sheet in league play since a scoreless draw against the same opposition in May.

However, Dallas’ 4-3 win against DC United marked a rare away victory. The last time they recorded back-to-back triumphs on the road in the MLS was in May 2018, when they secured wins against Toronto FC and LA Galaxy.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 50.2%

Draw – 25.2%

FC Dallas – 24.6%

Vela struck twice within six first-half minutes, first from the penalty spot before getting in behind the Colorado defence and calmly finishing past goalkeeper William Yarbrough.

The former Mexico international produced his best goal of the game to complete his hat-trick in the 50th minute, curling in a fine left-footed shot from just inside the box.

Vela only managed five goals from 20 MLS appearances last season with LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo cautiously optimistic about his potential impact this term.

“We will have to wait and see what it does. But I think we all know what he can do,” Cherundolo said. “He showed it again today and he worked very hard in preseason to get to where he is today. I'm very happy for him and the group that we're all rewarded for it.”

Yimmi Chara's spectacular 78th-minute goal earned Portland Timbers a 2-2 draw with 2021 Supporters' Shield winners New England Revolution.

Portland, who reached the MLS Cup final last year, found a way back with Chara firing home a stunning overhead goal while Jozy Altidore debuted for the Revs as a 79th-minute substitute.

Ex-Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri made his debut for Chicago Fire as they drew a blank in a 0-0 draw at Inter Miami.

Leonardo Campana's 10th-minute header from Gonzalo Higuain's cross hit the crossbar for Miami, while Chicago's Stanislav Ivanov struck the upright in the 31st minute. Shaqiri was impressive throughout, with a long-range first-half chance his only major goal attempt.

Toronto, who made a major off-season signing with Lorenzo Insigne to join in July, only managed a 1-1 draw at Dallas.

Philadelphia Union started its new season with a 1-1 home draw against Minnesota United, with Cory Burke levelling Robin Lod's 23rd-minute strike.

New York Red Bulls won 3-1 at San Jose Earthquakes, while Columbus Crew swept aside 10-man Vancouver Whitecaps 4-0.

Cecilio Dominguez netted a double as Austin won 5-0 over last year's bottom side Cincinnati, while Michael Estrada scored a brace as DC United eased past newcomers Charlotte 3-0.

The bizarre incident occurred in stoppage time with the Red Bulls trailing 2-0 after Yearwood conceded a foul near the sideline, with the Englishman kicking away the ball in frustration.

Yearwood's errant kick cannoned into two young fans in the front few rows at Red Bull Arena, with a boy seen crying afterwards while a young woman seemed dazed. Yearwood immediately realised his error and attempted to apologise to the fans, by climbing into the stands but that effort was not accepted by those close to the shaken-up supporters.

The Red Bulls crowd could be overheard chanting against Yearwood before referee Timothy Ford gave him his marching orders.

The incident capped a poor night for the home side, with goals from Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag clinching the win for Union, who sit top of the Eastern Conference.

Gazdag's goal, which came after Julian Carranza dispossessed Aaron Long, was his 18th of the campaign.

Dallas scored three goals in three minutes as Dallas firmed up their grip on a playoffs spot with a 3-0 road win over Minnesota United.

Michael Boxall netted a 55th-minute own goal before Alan Velasco curled in a right-foot strike less than a minute later.

Two minutes later, Velasco cannoned an effort into the crossbar with Jesus Ferreira glancing home their third after Sebastian Lletget collected the rebound and whipped in a cross.

Franco Fragapane was sent off for Minnesota, who also lost Emanuel Reynoso to a worrying ankle concern.

Cincinnati extended their unbeaten run to seven games and moved into the playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 home win over Charlotte after goals from Nick Hagglund and Luciano Acosta.

Hany Mukhtar scored a double as Nashville claimed their fourth straight win and moved up to fourth in the west with an impressive 4-0 victory over Austin.

Columbus Crew missed a golden opportunity for three points with a 0-0 draw against struggling Chicago Fire.