LeBron James heaped praise on Dalton Knecht after he tied the NBA's single-game rookie record in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

He scored nine 3-pointers, including going 6-for-6 in the third quarter, while scoring a career-high 37 points in the Lakers' 124-118 win, their sixth on the bounce.

Knecht now shares the record with Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Utah's Keyonte George (2024).

The Lakers' six-game winning streak is their longest since February 2021, while they have also extended their perfect home record this season to 7-0.

James, who had 26 points and 12 assists, had previously said that he was a fan of Knecht, having watched him at Tennessee while he was in college.

"Same s*** I saw last year," said James, when asked about being ahead of the curve in praising Knecht.

"Everybody on the internet called me a liar. So, what am I now?

"I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot. I did not think he would fall to us. I thought it would be impossible."

Knecht was the 17th overall in the 2024 NBA draft, and James brushed off the suggestion that the Lakers 'found' him.

"They [The Lakers] didn't 'find' DK," he added. "The other 16 teams f***** it up. Did anybody watch him? You don't 'find' an SEC player of the year."

A frustrated Gerardo Martino admitted Inter Miami fell "too short" after being knocked out in the first round of the MLS playoffs by Atlanta United.

Miami won the first match in the best-of-three series at Chase Stadium, but subsequently lost the next two, being beaten 3-2 in the decider on Saturday.

Bartosz Slisz netted the winner in the 76th minute, but the hosts struggled to find an equaliser that would have forced penalties, with Brad Guzen in inspired form as he thwarted their attack.

It is arguably one of the biggest upsets in playoffs history, with Miami the favourites to lift the MLS Cup after a record-breaking regular season saw them claim 74 points in the Eastern Conference.

"In this last part of the year, we get used to achieving the objectives that we set for ourselves, and we have not been able to achieve the most important one," Martino told reporters.

"If you think about where we were in November last year, obviously there is progress as far as the club is concerned, not just the team.

"If you think about the expectations we had for this playoff, obviously we have fallen too short."

While the loss has come as an obvious shock, Atlanta have actually now won three matches against Miami this season.

Jamal Thiare scored two goals in two minutes to give the Five Stripes the lead in the first half, having also hit the post moments before Miami had opened the scoring.

They face another trip to Florida to face Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, and the forward is excited to see what else Atlanta can do.

"It took everyone's special amount of running and giving everything that they got," said Thiare. "Everyone's held each other accountable, fighting when we're basically backs against the wall.

"We didn't want to finish the season like this, so it was a good effort in training, but it was really something that the group discovered along the lines of the last few games. And something great is igniting from all of this."

Atlanta United stunned MLS Cup favourites Inter Miami, coming from behind to win 3-2 and setting up another trip to Florida to face Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Bartosz Slisz scored the all-important winner to ensure Atlanta overturned the deficit in the series, having lost their first trip to Chase Stadium.

The hosts started brightly, with Matias Rojas sharply turning in the rebound of Lionel Messi's saved shot moments after Jamal Thiare was denied by the post.

However, the Senegalese striker would soon turn things around with two goals in two minutes – he powered his first shot past Drake Callender after some chaos in the box and was left with a simple tap-in from close range for his second.

Diego Gomez was denied an equaliser by VAR shortly after, having drifted offside before receiving Luis Suarez's pass, while Brad Guzen made a string of fine saves to keep Atlanta's lead intact.

He could not keep them out forever though, with Messi peeling away at the back post to nod in an equaliser in the 65th minute.

It was Slisz who would have the last say though, leaping high to power a header past Callender against the run of play, with Atlanta causing the biggest upset of the playoffs so far.

Data Debrief: One for the books

Miami were classed as the favourites to win the MLS Cup this year, but their defeat to Atlanta maybe should not be too big of a surprise, with this their third loss against them this season.

The Five Stripes ended a six-match winless run on the road in the play-offs (D1 L5), but have still conceded multiple goals in each of their last six such games. 

Slisz is not known for his goalscoring, but he stepped up at the right time for Atlanta - it was just his second goal in MLS this season, and his first since May 18.

Orlando City booked their place in the second round of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a dramatic 4-1 penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC.

The Lions had Facundo Torres to thank, as he scored a last-minute goal to force spot-kicks, where Charlotte were twice denied by Pedro Gallese.

Orlando had the better of a tight first half, with Torres hitting the base of the right post before sending a header against the crossbar within the first 21 minutes.

Patrick Agyemang thought he had given Charlotte the lead against the run of play just before the break, but his lob was ruled out for offside.

Charlotte eventually broke the deadlock in the 81st minute, Karol Swiderski getting a stroke of luck as his shot deflected in off Rodrigo Schlegel.

It looked like Orlando's chance was gone when Torres saw his 102nd-minute penalty saved, but the Uruguayan kept his composure to slot in the rebound.

He scored one of the hosts' four penalties but Gallese proved the hero, denying both Pep Biel and Swiderski with fine saves to send them through and set up a meeting with Atlanta United.

Data Debrief: Leaving it late

If Orlando were going to find a way back into this game, it was always going to come through Torres, who proved a thorn in Charlotte's side from the first whistle. 

He had six shots in this game, though only hitting the target twice (his saved penalty and the follow-up goal), and netted his 16th goal in MLS this season when he finally hit the back of the net.

While Charlotte suffered late heartbreak, it was a deserved win from Orlando, who dominated from the off by creating 2.41 expected goals from their 20 shots.

New York City FC will face the New York Red Bulls for a place in the Eastern Conference final after a 6-5 penalty shootout victory over FC Cincinnati.

In a shootout during which five spot-kicks were missed, Mitja Ilenic kept his cool to slam home and get NYCFC over the line after a 0-0 draw in Ohio.

Cincinnati, last season's Supporters' Shield winners, had the better of the chances at TQL Stadium, though NYCFC did have a goal disallowed midway through the second half, with Alonso Martínez having been flagged offside.

But Nick Cushing, who this week insisted he wanted to stay at NYCFC amid reported interest from Arsenal Women, saw his team get the job done in dramatic fashion.

NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese, who made a crucial save to deny Luca Orellano on the half-hour mark, looked set to be the hero until his counterpart Roman Celentano thwarted Thiago Martins.

Freese's save from Gerardo Valenzuela then sparked a remarkable streak of five straight missed penalties, with Kevin O'Toole denied by Celentano, Chidozie Awaziem and Andres Perea blazing over, and Teenage Hadebe kept out by NYCFC's shot-stopper, before Ilenic finally showed how it was done.

NYCFC will now go up against their city rivals next week, while Cincinnati must lick their wounds heading into the offseason.

Data Debrief: Away form a concern for Cushing

While New York can celebrate making the Conference semi-finals, they have now won only one of their last 15 away games in all competitions.

Indeed, NYCFC have won just five of their last 41 road matches in all competitions since the start of the 2023 season.

Their meagre 0.28 expected goals (xG), compared to Cincinnati's 1.13, across the 90 minutes showed they were largely outplayed, and Cushing will be glad next week's semi-final will take place on home turf - with NYCFC the sixth seed, whereas the Red Bulls are the seventh.

Los Angeles FC advanced to the Western Conference MLS playoff semi-finals after beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 at the BMO Stadium on Friday. 

After a tense first-half that saw just one shot on target, Mateusz Bogusz's 62nd minute strike settled the best-of-three series to set up a tie with the Seattle Sounders. 

A cagey opening to proceedings saw clear-cut chances hard to come by, as visiting striker Brian White saw his effort comfortably gathered by Hugo Lloris in the 27th minute. 

But the decisive moment came just after the hour-mark when Andres Cubas' poor header was collected by Bogusz, with the Pole then firing a left-footed effort into the far corner. 

Vancouver, however, improved after going a goal down and thought they had drawn themselves level through Tristan Blackmon, but his 74th minute header was ruled out for offside.

The visitors continued to push to try and send the game to penalties, but LAFC were able to hold on to seal their progression to the semi-finals for the third consecutive season. 

Data Debrief: Bogusz keeps the double alive

In a game that lacked quality from both sides in the final third, LAFC's Bogusz proved to be the difference, netting his 20th goal of the season in all competitions on Friday. 

The Pole also registered a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 0.21, while also completing the joint-most successful dribbles (three) along with Lewis O'Brien. 

The Whitecaps, meanwhile, have still managed to win just once in their 13 all-time away matches against LAFC (D4 L8), though this one may be their most heartbreaking. 

Dean Smith is hoping Charlotte FC can replicate their aggressive approach from game 2 when they travel to Orlando City in their MLS playoff decider.

Charlotte forced a third match in their best-of-three series against Orlando, winning 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw on Thursday.

However, they lost the first game 2-0 when they travelled to Inter & Co Stadium and have not had much luck on the road against the Lions, failing to win there since March 2023.

Smith was proud of how his side took the game to Orlando on home soil and is urging his players for more of the same when they return to Florida.

"There's still a job to be done. We think we can go to Orlando and put in a performance that will put us through to the Conference semi-finals," Smith said.

"We have to take our intensity in. That's what gave us that performance, our aggressiveness.

"We forced them into mistakes, and we restricted them to almost no chances, so we were doing something right. We need to make sure we're on the front foot again and take it to them."

Meanwhile, Orlando are hoping their home advantage will provide a much-needed boost as they look to put that shoot-out defeat behind them.

They only managed one shot on target in that match and then netted just one of the four penalties that they took, but Oscar Pareja is confident they are in a strong position to go through.

"We're good. We're aiming for the same intensity, the same intentions, the same plans and the same positive essence that we have.

"When things get tight you've got to use the advantage, and we have that by being at home. We're going to be faithful to the tactics that have got us to this point.

"We have to be confident and be ourselves. Have full belief in what to do. We have a team that plays very well and one that has earned this ride, so we plan to use our advantages."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Orlando City – Duncan McGuire

Orlando attempted just three shots in their game 2 draw and penalty shoot-out defeat to Charlotte, their fewest in any MLS match this season, while hitting just one on target.

Duncan McGuire was responsible for one of those, generating 0.25 expected goals with that effort. The substitute also had the most touches in the box (three) of any Orlando player.

Charlotte FC – Kristijan Kahlina

Charlotte have won both of their penalty shootouts, beating Orlando City 4-1 on Friday after recording a 3-1 shootout win in the 2023 Leagues Cup group stage.

Charlotte have converted all seven of their penalties in shootouts while Kristijan Kahlina allowed goals on just two of the seven spot-kicks he faced.

MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN

Orlando have won eight of their last 10 home matches against MLS opposition in all competitions (D1 L1), including a 2-0 victory over Charlotte in Game 1 on October 27. The Lions scored multiple goals in all eight wins over that time.

While Charlotte stayed alive with a penalty shoot-out win after a scoreless draw against Orlando in Game 2 on Saturday, the Lions have now kept clean sheets in three straight matches against them after not doing so in any of the first six meetings in all competitions.

Charlotte's only defeat in their last seven matches in all competitions was their Game 1 loss at Orlando on October 27. In fact, Charlotte’s last loss prior to this run of seven games (W4 D2 L1) also came in Orlando (on September 18), with the omens not looking good going into their final match.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Orlando City – 53.7%

Draw – 23.7%

Charlotte FC – 22.5%

New York City FC boss Nick Cushing rubbished rumours linking him with the vacant head coach position with Arsenal women, confirming he would remain in the MLS next season.

Cushing previously spent seven years in charge of Manchester City in the Women's Super League between 2013 and 2020 and has been touted for a return to England with the Gunners after Jonas Eidevall's dismissal last month.

Despite the rumours circulating around his future after leading NYCFC into the postseason, Cushing was quick to deny reports, saying: "I can confirm that I will be back here next year."

The Pigeons travel to the TQL Stadium to face FC Cincinnati this weekend in an encounter that will decide who will advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals in the MLS playoffs.

Cushing encouraged his players to play their football and dig deep in their pursuit of a victory, adding his side can harness the momentum generated from their 3-1 win in Game 2.

"It's about trying to show our players how much our fans enjoy seeing that type of performance from our players," he said. "Not just the good football and the goals, but the guts and the fight and the desire to ensure that we are the team that goes through the next game right.

"The performance at Citi Field had everything. Not only did we play well and create chances, but the running numbers were excellent, as was the desire to make sure that we didn't give the second goal away.”

"We've got to make sure that we play the football that our fans deserve and that we know we can play, and in the difficult moments, you have to dig deep. We know who we are now. We've just got to make sure that we go prepared, and we deliver everything that we've got.”

Pat Noonan, meanwhile, noted that his side were unable to create clear-cut opportunities against NYCFC, which resulted in defeat last time out.

The Orange and Blue scored 58 goals in the regular season, with only the four sides who finished above them in the East netting more.

But despite their defeat in Game 2, Noonan is confident that his players will respond in their deciding fixture, not wanting to end their season just yet.

"We've created enough chances. These are playoff games. You're not going to score three, four, five goals a game. So sometimes one goal is going to have to be enough like we saw last week," Noonan said.

"I don't expect us to score at ease. That's just not how these games are played. But it was going to take a little bit more, and we just didn't finish some of those moments when it was 2-1 to level it in a better way or in a good enough way.

"I could see it in the locker room. The guys are going to move on from this pretty quickly. For a team that just lost a game, I think they recognise the good and the bad of the game to know they should feel confident going into Game 3.

"So at the moment, I don't think I need to say too much. I think they understand, and we'll just have good conversations about this game and what we think needs to improve when we go back home."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

FC Cincinnati – Luca Orellano

Orellano scored Cincinnati's only goal in their Game 2 defeat to the Pigeons, notching his 13th goal in all competitions this term.

He is the seventh different player to score Cincinnati's last seven playoff goals dating back to last season's first round. Four of those seven scorers hail from Argentina.

NYCFC – Alonso Martinez

Martinez found the back of the net against Cincinnati in NYCFC's 3-1 win in Game 2, taking his tally to two goals in five appearances against the Orange and Blue.

Along with Santiago Rodriguez, either Martinez (nine) or his Uruguayan team-mate (five) have scored 14 of NYCFC's 21 goals in the regular season and playoffs since MLS returned from the Leagues Cup break in August.

MATCH PREDICTION: FC CINCINNATI WIN

Cincinnati's 3-1 defeat in Game 2 was the fifth time they conceded multiple goals in their last seven matches dating back to the end of the regular season.

They are winless when allowing multiple goals in that time (D1 L4) while winning both matches in which they held their opponent under two goals.

NYCFC have won only one of their last 14 away matches in all competitions dating back to late May (D6 L7). Overall, they have won just five out of 40 away matches in all competitions since the start of last season (D15 L20).

The Pigeons' win over Cincinnati last Saturday was their second win of the season over Noonan's side, both coming at home. Cincinnati have won their last five home matches against NYCFC in all competitions, though, including a 1-0 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-three series.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

FC Cincinnati – 50%

Draw – 25.3%

NYCFC – 24.7%

Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino gave an update on the availability of midfielder Sergio Busquets ahead of their playoff decider against Atlanta United at Chase Stadium.

The Spanish midfielder missed their 2-1 defeat in Game 2, which levelled the series and put the Eastern Conference winners potentially a game away from elimination.

"He had a problem because of a knock in the last game and he had the beginnings of pneumonia, he had a fever and did not train all week, today he was better," Martino told a press conference.

Thinking ahead to the final game, Martino stressed that his players have played through pressurised games before and that they will be able to deal with the situation.

"We have the advantage of hierarchy in the team with many players who have been through much more difficult situations than this," Martino said. 

Interim Atlanta United coach Rob Valentino, meanwhile, was clear that his team were concentrating on themselves.

"It's been the theme of our team that we don't control that, so whatever the outside is saying, it's not our focus. Our focus is on ourselves," he told a press conference.

"We have our own internal pressure individually, collectively as a team, and that's the pressure we put on ourselves to perform everyday.

"We're in a great position to be in the playoffs and now we're hoping that with one game left, we've got more after that."

The deciding game will be played at Chase Stadium, where Inter Miami are unbeaten in 11 matches, while they also beat Atlanta 2-1 in Game 1 of their best-of-three series.

But Valentino was unbothered by that, or Lionel Messi's impressive record on home turf, saying: "Nothing changes in terms of where the venue is.

"Messi is fantastic, there is no slander on my end, he's a fantastic player.

"That doesn't change for the venue, we have to have a really good start, be really aware of where he's at among other players."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter Miami – Lionel Messi

Who else? Messi scored 20 goals in the regular season in MLS, contributing another 10 assists. 

The 37-year-old has recorded at least one goal contribution in 12 of his last 13 matches in all competitions at Chase Stadium, including in each of his last six.

Atlanta United – Saba Lobjanidze

Lobjanidze is Atlanta United's top scorer in MLS this season, with nine goals in the regular season and one in the first game of the series against Inter Miami.

The Georgian equalised for his team at Chase Stadium late last month in their 2-1 defeat, while he has also supplied seven assists over the course of the 2024 season.

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER MIAMI WIN

Inter Miami are unbeaten in 11 straight home matches in all competitions (W9 D2) following a 3-1 defeat to Atlanta in May. They have also outscored opponents, 30-14, in those matches.

Atlanta, meanwhile, are winless in their last six away playoff matches (D1 L5), though they advanced on penalties in its lone draw in that time, a 2-2 draw at Montreal in this year’s Wild Card Round.

However, they will have hope of stopping Messi playing a starring role in proceedings. The Five Stripes' 2-1 win in Game 2 was the 21st MLS match (regular season and playoffs) Messi has played in 2024 but just the second defeat. The other loss also came at the hands of Valentino's side.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter Miami – 63.3%

Draw – 19.5%

Atlanta United – 17.2%

Vanni Sartini opened his arms to an unlikely addition to the Vancouver Whitecaps’ fanbase in their deciding fixture against Los Angeles FC in the MLS playoffs.

In the Whitecaps’ wild card match against the Portland Timbers, a game they won 5-0, opposition manager Phil Neville believed that God was on his side after the game was played at Providence Park, despite Vancouver finishing higher in the Western Conference.

Sartini explained after the result that he did not believe in God but said he would be a welcome Whitecaps supporter in their must-win encounter at the BMO Stadium.

“I don’t know. After last time when I said that I don’t think he exists, I don’t know if he wants to become part of the Whitecaps, but if he does, we will give him an honorary card,” Sartini said.

The Whitecaps forced a deciding game in their best-of-three series after beating LAFC 3-0 at BC Place, the only tie to go the distance in the West.

Vancouvers’ postseason form has seen them play some of their best football this term, and Sartini is hoping for that to continue.

“We had a run in the late summer, and we were playing really well, and we have achieved that same level, and it’s the level of a top four team to be honest,” Sartini added.

“The three games, we knew that the conditions were going to be back, and we knew we were gearing towards the playoffs with all the players arriving and ready to go.

“I know that we will play a good game in Los Angeles, we will. If we win, I don’t know. We will honour this playoff run.”

LAFC, meanwhile, will be aiming to avenge their defeat in Game 2, hoping not to become the second high-profile casualty in the playoffs after the Columbus Crew were eliminated by the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference bracket.

Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 10th minute before two own-goals either side of half-time from Ryan Hollingshead and Eddie Segura sealed the win for Vancouver.

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo bemoaned his side’s slow start to proceedings after finding themselves two goals down inside 13 minutes and is looking to rectify that on home turf this time around.

“If you go back to the 11 games that we lost this season, it has always been the crucial moments at the beginning of the half where we make mental lapses and errors,” Cherundolo said.

“It was a little sloppy mentally and tactically in those moments and that is just not good enough to win games. Against Vancouver, it is difficult because they are a team full of energy.

“They almost always capitalise on opponents’ mistakes, and they did against us. We have nothing to blame but ourselves and we will look to correct those errors in training.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LAFC – Denis Bouanga

Despite not finding the back of the net in Game 2, Bouanga will be hoping to get himself back among the goals against one of his favoured opponents in the MLS.

He has recorded at least one goal contribution in all five home matches he’s played against Vancouver in all competitions, totalling four goals and four assists over the five matches.

Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

Gauld has scored in four straight matches for the Whitecaps going back to the end of the regular season, including a goal during his side’s victory in Game 2.

The only Whitecaps player to score in five straight MLS matches (regular season and playoffs) is Camilo Sanvezzo between June and July 2013.

MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN

While the series is level heading into the decider, it is LAFC who are predicted to emerge victorious according to Opta’s data-led simulations.

However, their seven-match winning streak in all competitions ended with the loss to Vancouver in Game 2. LAFC have not lost consecutive matches in over a year, since a three-match losing run between August and September 2023.

Vancouver’s 3-0 win last time out ended an eight-match winless run in the best-of-three series. (D2 L6). They have managed only one win in 12 all-time away matches against LAFC (D4 L7) but did beat the Black and Gold in a penalty shootout at BMO Stadium in the Leagues Cup this year.

The Whitecaps’ triumph in Game 2 was their third all-time playoff victory (D2 L8). In those three wins, the Whitecaps have outscored opponents, 13-0, while being outscored 19-6, in their other 10 postseason contests.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LAFC – 63.1%

Draw – 19.6%

Vancouver Whitecaps – 17.3%

The Philadelphia Union have parted ways with head coach Jim Curtin, the club announced on Thursday. 

Curtin was the second-longest serving coach in the MLS, only behind Sporting Kansas City's Peter Vermes, but his 10-year stint at Subaru Park has finally come to an end. 

During the 45-year-old's tenure, the Union won the 2020 Supporters' Shield and made the 2022 MLS Cup final. 

But Philadelphia struggled this season, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference standings and therefore missing the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Curtin oversaw 394 matches in all competitions, winning 170 (D90 L134), ending with a win percentage of 41.9%. 

"We want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Jim for his passion and dedication to this club over the last 10 seasons," sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement.

"He greatly contributed to the success the club has achieved in recent years and for that, we are extremely grateful.

"We thank Jim for the significant impact he made both on the field and in the community. Following the 2024 season, we recognise the need for change.

"We'll continue to evaluate our sporting strategy and make the necessary changes this offseason to best set the team up for success."

In the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes named Bruce Arena as their new head coach and sporting director after a poor 2024 season. 

They conceded an MLS-record 78 goals and finished bottom of the overall league standings, parting ways with Luchi Gonzalez before being led by interim coach Ian Russell.

Arena takes charge of his fifth club in the MLS and his first since resigning from his position with the New England Revolution in 2023. 

The 73-year-old is the most accomplished coach in MLS history, leading the league in regular-season wins (262) and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs victories (35).

Additionally, Arena led the United States at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and won three CONCACAF Gold Cup titles.

"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to come to San Jose," said Arena.

"I coached my first ever professional game at Spartan Stadium in 1996 – the first game in MLS history – and my first international game with the U.S. in 1998 was in San Jose.

"The Earthquakes and Northern California have a proud soccer tradition.

"There’s a lot of potential with the club, and I am looking forward to working with everyone here to unlock that potential and get back to winning ways."

The Columbus Crew's MLS Cup title defence came crashing to a halt as they were eliminated from the playoffs following a penalty shoot-out defeat to the New York Red Bulls.

Following a surprise home defeat in Game 1, Wilfried Nancy's champions needed a road win in Game 2 to keep their season alive, but Yevhen Cheberko, Max Arfsten and Alexandru Matan all saw their spot-kicks repelled by Carlos Coronel following a pulsating 2-2 draw.

Arfsten had earlier given Columbus a 55th-minute lead moments after stepping off the bench, only for Dante Vanzeir to drill home a swift equaliser.

New York looked set to advance when Emil Forsberg's 80th-minute penalty completed the turnaround, but another Crew substitute, Christian Ramirez, headed home six minutes into second-half stoppage time to force the shoot-out.

Columbus couldn't keep up their momentum from 12 yards, though, with Colonel's three saves proving vital as New York won it at the second time of asking, Daniel Edelman scoring the decisive kick after Sean Nealis had failed to do so.

Elsewhere, the Seattle Sounders also needed penalties to dump the Houston Dynamo out in round one, prevailing from the spot for the second game in a row.

Seattle's Cristian Roldan scored at both ends, slotting home an 87th-minute opener only to put through his own net three minutes into stoppage time, turning in Griffin Dorsey's cross.

The first 13 penalties in the shoot-out were all scored, but Tate Schmitt was the unfortunate man to see his spot-kick saved, Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei pushing it away to send his team to the Western Conference semifinals.

Finally, Ryan Gauld scored and forced two own goals as the Vancouver Whitecaps kept their best-of-three series against Los Angeles FC alive with a 3-0 triumph at BC Place.

The Scotland midfielder powered home after 10 minutes and, just 180 seconds later, saw his long-range effort deflected past Hugo Lloris by the unwitting Ryan Hollingshead.

Denis Bouanga twice went close for the Western Conference's top seeds after the break before Gauld was involved again in Vancouver's third goal, seeing a cross go in off the heel of Eddie Segura.

The teams will now reconvene for a third match next week, with the victors set to face Seattle in the next round.

Lionel Messi endured an outing to forget as Inter Miami suffered a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Atlanta United, sending their MLS Cup Playoff tie to a deciding third game.

Having recorded a 2-1 victory at home in Game 1, the Supporters’ Shield winners had a chance to book their place in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday.

However, they were punished for a lacklustre performance at Mercedez-Benz Stadium, only recording two shots on target throughout the match.

The Herons did take a 40th-minute lead when David Martinez scored a bizarre opener, dinking his shot into an empty net following a slip from Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

However, Derrick Williams headed a 58th-minute equaliser and Atlanta struck the decisive blow four minutes into stoppage time, Xande Silva coming off the bench to fire home from the edge of the box and prevent a penalty shoot-out.

The teams will now reconvene for a third game next week, with Messi and Miami requiring a home win to keep their campaign alive.

New York City also forced a decider in their series against FC Cincinnati, clinching a 3-1 home victory with goals from Alonso Martinez, Thiago Martins and Santiago Rodriguez.

Martinez put them ahead with a cool finish midway through the first half, with Martins adding a deserved second just before the interval, taking advantage of some poor defending to score with a free header at the far post.

Cincinnati were given hope of a comeback when Luca Orellano curled a wonderful strike into the top-left corner, but Rodriguez converted a stoppage-time penalty to ensure NYCFC kept the tie alive.

In the last of Saturday’s games, Minnesota United recorded a second penalty shoot-out win over Real Salt Lake in the space of four days to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Joseph Rosales’ placed effort gave Minnesota a second-half lead just four minutes after Brayan Vera’s deflected strike was disallowed for an offside in the build-up at the other end. 

Emeka Eneli prodded home 15 minutes from time to take the game to spot-kicks, but Real Salt Lake came up short from 12 yards once again, failing to score with three straight kicks in a 3-1 loss.

Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair repelled efforts from Diogo Goncalves and Diego Luna either side of Matt Crooks blazing over the top, allowing Jeong Sang-bin to score the decisive kick for the Loons, who will face the LA Galaxy in the next round.

LA Galaxy were the first team to book their place in the MLS Cup playoff semi-finals after sweeping aside the Colorado Rapids 4-1 to seal their best-of-three series. 

Gabriel Pec handed the Galaxy the lead in unusual fashion when Zack Steffen's clearance deflected off the Brazilian and into the net with just eight minutes on the clock. 

But parity was restored in stunning fashion when Oliver Larraz took aim from distance and fired home the leveller with a curled effort beyond the grasp of John McCarthy. 

Greg Vanney's side would, however, restore their advantage in the third minute of first-half stoppage time with another fine strike, this time Joseph Paintsil curled a strike in off the post.

The Galaxy's passage was sealed late on with a brace from Riqui Puig, his second double against the Rapids in their two games in the postseason.

Puig poked the ball through Steffen's legs, before racing through from the halfway line and rounding the Rapids goalkeeper to seal a memorable win at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. 

The visitors' display shows they mean business in the playoffs. They had 13 shots to Colorado's eight, ending the contest with a 1.76 expected goals (xG), limiting their opponents to just a 0.52 xG in the process. 

In the other playoff game, Kristijan Kahlina's heroics helped Charlotte FC to a 3-1 victory in a penalty shootout against Orlando City. 

Kahlina saved two spot-kicks to deny Nicolas Lodeiro and Duncan McGuire in the shootout, levelling up their best-of-three series heading into the final game. 

In a game that lacked clear-cut chances, Charlotte's Adilson Malanda came closest to opening the scoring, seeing his effort strike the woodwork in the 19th minute.

The Crown were ultimately worthy winners, though, given they had 12 shots to Orlando's three, with the visitors mustering just 0.29 expected goals (xG) before penalties were required. 

And Charlotte held their nerve in the shootout, converting all three of their penalties and helped by Kahlina, who kept a division-high 13 clean sheets in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. 

“It was a wonderful game for me,” Kahlina said. “I didn’t have so much to do in 90 minutes, but I showed myself in penalties and helped my team.”

Minnesota United "justified the work" they did in preparing for a penalty shootout after beating Real Salt Lake, so says Eric Ramsay.

Loons coach Ramsay invited the club's office staff to attend the training ground and jeer his players during penalty practice ahead of Minnesota's playoff opener against Salt Lake.

After a 0-0 draw, Minnesota came away with a 5-4 shootout victory to take the edge in the best-of-three series, meaning a win at home on Saturday would get them into the next round.

And Ramsay believes his unorthodox method of preparation paid off.

"I would like to think that probably, without that, the players wouldn't have had the level of conviction they largely showed," Ramsay said.

"It was a bit of fun. There was a real sense of us being intentional behind that.

"I was really pleased that we included that as part of our prep.

"I don't think there were big chances given up either way.

"I sort of felt like as we opened up, we started to leak a little bit more space that wasn't there in the opening stages.

"[Goalkeeper] Dayne [St. Clair] was called into action a couple more times, and so was [Salt Lake goalkeeper] Zac MacMath. So I think it was a very even game, and given that we're coming here as the away team under challenging conditions, that's hats off to us.

“It felt like if we if we won, it would have justified the work. If we lost, there wouldn't have been anything we could have done differently.

"We were very solid, very disciplined, and that's one goal allowed in six games, which is very difficult to achieve at this level.

"I'm pleased with the defensive effort. I was also pleased that we were able to start to find a foothold in the game with the ball and create a couple of really good chances."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Minnesota United - Dawyne St. Clair

St. Clair made six saves in Game 1, and has been in fine form as of late.

United has allowed only one goal in their last six matches going back to the end of the regular season, going unbeaten in that time (W4 D2). This is the first time in club history that the Loons have allowed just one goal in a span of six matches in all competitions.

Real Salt Lake - Cristian Arango

Arango attempted five shots in Game 1, the most shots attempted by a Salt Lake player in a postseason match since Damir Kreilach had six attempts against Sporting Kansas City in the 2018 playoffs.

MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA WIN

Salt Lake have managed just four wins in 21 all-time away playoff matches (D7 L10) including going winless in four straight (D2 L2). RSL lost on penalties in each of the last two away matches that ended in draws (2022 at Austin FC, 2023 against the Houston Dynamo).

After Tuesday's win on spot-kicks, Minnesota have been involved in seven penalty shootouts in all competitions since joining MLS in 2017, winning six of them, including the last four in a row.

The last five meetings between Minnesota and Salt Lake have been drawn after 90 minutes.

Including playoffs, the only matchup that has been drawn six straight times in MLS play is between the Chicago Fire and the New York Revolution, who played in six straight draws from 2021 to 2024.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Minnesota United - 44.5%

Real Salt Lake - 28.6%

Draw - 26.9%