Jordi Alba scored the winner for Inter Miami in a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire as they moved five points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Matias Rojas had given the Herons an early lead before being pegged back by Rafael Czichos, but Alba's winner ensured Miami made it back-to-back wins.
FC Cincinnati's third defeat in a row, a 3-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls, means Miami now have some breathing space at the summit of the table.
The hosts were still without Lionel Messi, who watched on from the sidelines with an ankle injury, but made a quick start without their talisman.
Robert Taylor's bursting run opened up the space in behind Chicago for him to pull it back into the middle, and Rojas fired his shot across goal to pick out the bottom-right corner.
Moments later, Hugo Cuypers almost pegged them back when he benefitted from Drake Callendar's spill, but the goalkeeper recovered well to deny him.
Julian Gressel then fired a brilliant chance wide, not realising he had more time, but almost made up for it on the stroke of half-time, only to fire a powerful shot against the crossbar.
The Fire improved after the break and got their reward in the 73rd minute, with Czichos pushing out from defence before nestling a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Their joy was short-lived though, as just two minutes later, Alba made the most of a mix-up at the back and slotted into an empty net to seal the three points.
Data Debrief: Miami on target once more
Miami have scored in each of their last 11 games in MLS, their longest streak this season. In fact, they have only failed to score in two of their 25 matches in the league so far.
Alba's last strike here ensured they ended a four-match winless streak against the Fire (drawing one, losing three), having failed to beat them since August 2021.
Kinnear hails Cincinnati's 'remarkable' road form despite defeat
FC Cincinnati head coach Dominic Kinnear remains optimistic about their chances of topping the table despite suffering a third consecutive defeat.
Cincinnati lost 3-1 to the New York Red Bulls in MLS on Saturday, after two goals from Lewis Morgan on either side of Kyle Duncan's strike.
Corey Baird scored a consolation for the visitors but could not inspire a comeback as they slipped five points behind Eastern Conference leaders Inter Miami, who beat Chicago Fire 2-1.
Cincinnati have not won since a 6-1 thrashing of the Herons at the start of July, losing the following three by an aggregate score of 7-2, but Kinnear is unbothered by the team's recent form.
"I think this is our second road loss of the year, which is remarkable, so I think we know who we have, but we have a lot of players missing," Kinnear said.
"It's difficult to go three games in a week with players missing. We've shown in 25 games in the league that we're one of the better teams in the league, and we will not step back from that."
Columbus Crew are just five points behind Cincinnati, with two games in hand over them heading into the Leagues Cup break.
Pat Noonan's side are still targeting a top-spot finish despite their recent slump, and Kinnear believes this defeat will serve them well if they end up having to play on the road in the playoffs.
"This could be a preview of a playoff game," he said. "We've played these guys in the playoffs before, so you've got to be battle-tested to want to beat these guys, which we've done in the past, but also be battle-tested to win on the road in the playoffs.
"We are hoping to finish top of our conference to get that home playoff game, but sometimes that may not happen, and you have to come out on the road."
'Absolutely right' - Ten Hag agrees with Rangnick's United assessment
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag believes former interim boss Ralf Rangnick was "absolutely right" about his assessment of the club during his time in charge.
Ten Hag was appointed as Rangnick's successor in 2022, with the German spending seven months in charge at Old Trafford.
Rangnick, who led Austria to the last 16 at Euro 2024, finished in sixth with 58 points, United's worst points-total record in their Premier League history.
Ahead of the Dutchman's arrival at the club, Rangnick said Ten Hag must perform an "open-heart operation" rather than fixing "minor cosmetic things".
Ten Hag has since won 68 of his 114 games in charge, winning two trophies in his first two seasons at the helm, which included a 13th FA Cup back in May.
United lost a record 14 games last season, with Ten Hag making reference to Rangnick's comments he made two years ago.
"Rangnick was absolutely right," Ten Hag said in an interview with Dutch newspaper AD Sportwereld.
"We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation.
"And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job."
Ahead of the new season, United have undergone major changes off the pitch since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in the club last December.
Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell have all joined in positions at board level this year, while the club have committed £50m to improving the training ground.
United have also confirmed the arrivals of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro in recent weeks, something Ten Hag has praised the new ownership structure for.
“It is very good that we are also there on the front foot, we are very proactive," said Ten Hag.
"So, (the) leadership is doing a great job in this moment and that’s how we want to act as United."
"We are highly ambitious and you have to be on the front foot and be ready for the season.
"The earlier you get your players in then (the faster) you can work on your team."
Ten Hag is expected to return to the transfer market to bolster his squad, confirming his interest in Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt.
"It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come," said Ten Hag.
"Of course I know Matthijs well, I'm not going to deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he had already gone a long way with Bayern Munich."
The defence remains a key focus for Ten Hag, having seen his side ship 58 goals last season - the most they have conceded in the Premier League.
Flick urges Barcelona to bring 'game winners' into Camp Nou
Hansi Flick has urged Barcelona to sign players "who can win games" as they await their first signing at Camp Nou this transfer window.
The former Bayern Munich manager is preparing for his first season in charge of the Blaugrana but is currently set to go into their preseason tour of the United States without any new faces in the squad.
Barcelona have been heavily linked to Spain's Euro 2024 winners Nico Williams and Dani Olmo, with the former their primary target ahead of the new season.
Speaking in his first interview with the club's official media team, Flick vowed to take them to the "next level", noting that transfers will play a big part in that process.
"We have to bring in a player who can win games, but we also have young players who we have to help so that they can improve," Flick said.
"I've felt from day one the passion that the people have. The fans. Everyone. The president. Everyone here, those who work here, have that passion for Barca. The devotion to give their best for this club.
"And that's also something big for us because we want to be part of this entity and live this passion and this devotion.
"We want to give everything we have to take this club to the next level. We will do everything possible."
While no new signings have been brought in, Barca have seen three players out of the door, with Sergino Dest (PSV), Marc Guiu (Chelsea) and Marcos Alonso (free agent) all departing.
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