Los Angeles FC maintained top spot of the Western Conference in the MLS on Sunday, claiming a gutsy 4-2 win away to Orlando City.

LAFC led twice in the first half at Exploria Stadium but were pegged back on both occasions, first by a finely taken goal from Alexandre Pato in the 36th minute.

Sensing where the ball would drop following Mauricio Peyeyra's delivery into the penalty area, Pato set himself and calmly volleyed past Maxime Crepeau.

But Ilie Sanchez rifled in a third LAFC goal six minutes into the second half and the visitors were able to absorb Orlando pressure thereafter.

After some important saves from Crepeau, substitute Kwadwo Opoku sealed victory in stoppage time, moving Steve Cherundolo's side to 13 points from five games after four wins and a draw.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union were also able to keep their place atop the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win at home to Charlotte FC.

The Union took the lead in uncomplicated fashion after only four minutes, with Sergio Santos running onto a ball over the top and crossing for Julian Carranza from the byline.

Daniel Gazdag doubled the lead a minute into the second half, with that two-goal margin enough for the Union to see out the win and themselves move to 13 points.

New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United stayed within three points of Philadelphia in the East with respective 1-0 victories over New England Revolution and DC United. Columbus Crew lost at home to Nashville, with Alex Muyl's lone goal the difference.

A Gonzalo Higuain penalty counted for little for Inter Miami, who remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder in the East after Phil Neville's side lost 3-1 to Houston Dynamo. Chicago Fire and FC Dallas played out a goalless draw, while Toronto FC beat reigning MLS Cup champions New York City 2-1.

CF Montreal edged FC Cincinnati in a seven-goal thriller, trailing twice in the first half before recovering to win 4-3.

In the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake fell two points behind with a 1-1 draw away to Colorado Rapids, while Austin FC conceded two goals in as many minutes to draw 2-2 against San Jose Earthquakes.

Ryan Raposo's 73rd-minute winner was enough for Vancouver Whitecaps at home to Sporting Kansas City, while Brent Kallman's own goal ultimately condemned Minnesota United to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to Seattle Sounders.  

LAFC maintained top spot of the Western Conference in the MLS on Sunday, claiming a gutsy 4-2 win away to Orlando City.

Though the visitors hit the lead twice in the first half at Exploria Stadium, the Lions equalised as many times, including a finely taken goal from Alexandre Pato in the 36th minute.

Sensing where the ball would drop following Mauricio Peyeyra's ball over and into the penalty area, Pato set himself and calmly volleyed past Maxime Crepeau.

Ilie Sanchez rifled home a mere six minutes into the second half and from there, LAFC were able to sit and absorb Orlando pressure.

After some important saves from Crepeau to deny a third equaliser, substitute Kwadwo Opoku was able to score an injury-time sealer in transition, moving Steve Cherundolo's side to four wins and a draw from five games.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union were able to keep their place atop the Eastern Conference, with a 2-0 win at home to Charlotte FC.

The Union took the lead after only four minutes and in uncomplicated fashion, with Sergio Santos running on to a ball over the top and assisting for Julian Carranza from the byline.

Daniel Gazdag doubled the margin a minute within the restart, and similarly to LAFC, absorbed pressure in their defensive half to see out the win to move to 13 points from five games.

NY Red Bulls and Atlanta stayed within three points of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference with respective 1-0 victories over New England Revolution and DC United. Columbus Crew dropped points at home to Nashville, with Alex Muyl's lone goal the difference.

A Gonzalo Higuain penalty would not suffice for Inter Miami, who remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder in the East, after Phil Neville's side losing 3-1 to Houston Dynamo. Chicago Fire and FC Dallas played out a goalless draw, while Toronto FC beat reigning MLS Cup champions New York City 2-1.

In the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake fell two points behind with a 1-1 draw away to Colorado, Austin FC conceded two goals in as many minutes to eventually play out a 2-2 draw against San Jose Earthquakes.

Ryan Raposo's 73rd-minute winner was enough for Vancouver Whitecaps at home to Sporting KC, while Brent Kallman's own goal eventually condemned Minnesota to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders.  

Gonzalo Higuain is happy to have enjoyed a fruitful international career with Argentina, despite never getting his hands on a trophy for his country.

The attacker, who was a member of the Albiceleste team that finished second at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, retired from the national setup in 2019, missing out on the Copa America triumph last year.

Higuain, now playing for Inter Miami in MLS, is delighted for old team-mate Lionel Messi's long-awaited international success, but remains proud of his own career for his country.

"With my national team, I gave everything and I will never blame myself for that," Higuain told Stats Perform. "Unfortunately I couldn't get anything.

"But I'm happy for those who could because we've shared so many bad times, but nobody takes what we've lived through.

"We were a wonderful group and we played great football, but some of us stepped aside and those who followed made it."

Higuain also believes trophies must come secondary to how a player acts both on and off the pitch.

"I want to congratulate [Messi] for keeping trying, that's what life is all about," he added.

"I think that having won a Copa America or a World Cup doesn't make you a better person. The most important thing in life is the values one has and being a good person.

 "Unfortunately, people value you for what you win or what you lose, but I prefer to be remembered for being good people and having left something in each club I played.

"I was champion in each club, I scored goals and played in the best clubs, then whoever wants can evaluate you for one or two plays.

"I respect opinions, but my happiness does not change whether or not I have achieved something with my national team. If you are happy with yourself, then that's it.

"I congratulate them, but we continue our lives in the same way, I don't feel like a better or worse person for that."

Higuain will look to help Miami to a first win of the new MLS season against Houston Dynamo in their next outing.

The former Juventus, Real Madrid and Napoli forward scored 12 times in MLS last season but has only netted once so far this term, with Miami having lost three of their four games.

Early Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union made a statement with a 2-0 win away to reigning MLS Cup champions New York City on Saturday.

Union scored first-half goals from Alejandro Bedoya and Daniel Gazdag, while Sergio Santos had a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time, as Philadelphia got some revenge after last season's Eastern Conference final defeat to City.

Bedoya put Philadelphia ahead in the 12th minute, but City thought they had an avenue back into the game when referee Ted Unkel awarded them a penalty and sent off Jack Elliott for a 28th-minute last-man push on Santiago Rodriguez.

However, VAR intervened and determined that Rodriguez had illegally used his hand in the lead-up, meaning the penalty and red card were overturned.

The win was Philadephia's first at Yankee Stadium and came despite City bossing the possession count with 74 percent.

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich attacker Xherdan Shaqiri netted his first MLS goal as Chicago Fire won 3-1 over Sporting KC.

Shaqiri scored from the spot in the 50th minute to make it 2-0 as Chicago extended its unbeaten start to the new season with Kacper Przybylko hitting a double.

Jesus Ferreira scored a first-half hat-trick as Dallas defeated Portland Timbers 4-1 in a sign of intent for the forward ahead of USA's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

All three of Ferreira's goals came in a 10-minute span, marking his first-ever MLS hat-trick.

Gonzalo Higuain scored, but Inter Miami remain winless this term after a 3-1 loss away to last season's strugglers Cincinnati.

The result leaves Phil Neville's side with an MLS-worst record of one point from four games, having conceded 10 goals and only scored two.

Karol Swiderski netted a double as Charlotte upset New England Revolution 3-1, while Luis Amarilla's 32nd-minute strike lifted Western Conference leaders Minnesota United past San Jose Earthquakes 1-0.

Tyler Pasher's 90th minute goal salvaged a 1-1 home draw for Houston Dynamo against Colorado Rapids, while 10-man Atlanta United scored twice in the final five minutes to rescue a 3-3 draw with Montreal.

Facundo Torres' early goal got Orlando City past LA Galaxy 1-0, Bob Bradley's Toronto knocked off DC United 2-1 and Real Salt Lake edge 10-man Nashville 2-1.

New York City FC kickstarted their MLS Cup defence with a 4-1 win over CF Montreal at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

After failing to score in their opening two games – a 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy and a goalless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps – City hit the lead after only seven minutes, with Alexander Callens rifling home after Montreal failed to clear their lines from a corner.

Santiago Rodriguez spectacularly chipped Sebastian Breza to double the margin on 20, but only after Montreal gifted City possession in an attempt to play out from their own half.

Zachary Brault-Guillard pulled one back for CFM, but following further City goals from Telles Magno and Thiago Andrade, the scoreline arguably belied the performance.

Douglas Costa opened his account in the MLS later on Saturday, scoring the equaliser in LA Galaxy's 3-2 loss away to Seattle Sounders.

Javier Hernandez gave the Galaxy a shock lead in the sixth minute, after fine link-up play between Raheem Edwards and Kevin Cabral, but the Sounders fought back to lead before the interval – with goals from Jordan Morris and Fredy Montero.

Costa drew the visitors level from the dead ball after 48 minutes, wrong-footing Stefan Frei, but Xavier Arreaga headed home in the 72nd to give the Sounders their first win of the season.

Los Angeles FC continued their unbeaten start to the season, meanwhile, grinding out a 2-0 win against a 10-man Inter Miami at DRV PNK Stadium.

A deflected Carlos Vela pass put Kwadwo Opoku through on the stroke of the interval, and the 20-year-old Ghanaian finished with composure. That didn't spell the end of events in the first half, though, as Brek Shea was given a straight red card in injury time.

LAFC had six shots for the match compared Inter's seven, despite 53 per cent possession and an extra man. However, an Ismael Tajouri free-kick crept inside Inters back post in the 82nd minute to secure the win.

Steve Cherundolo's side are equal top in the Western Conference with Real Salt Lake, who defeated New England Revolution 3-2. Austin FC couldn't keep pace in the final Saturday game, however, going down 1-0 away to Portland Timbers through a Bill Tuiloma goal.

Columbus Crew share the lead in the Eastern Conference, following their 2-1 win over Toronto FC. They are joined by Philadelphia Union, who defeated San Jose Earthquakes 2-0.

A Darwin Quintero brace handed Houston Dynamo a 2-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps, while Brandon Vazquez scored a double of his own in FC Cincinnati's 2-1 win at Orlando City.

FC Dallas, Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids respectively secured 2-0 victories over Nashville, DC United and Sporting Kansas City in Saturday's other games.

Yimmi Chara scored a spectacular bicycle kick goal for the second game running as 10-man Portland Timbers drew 1-1 with LAFC in the MLS on Sunday.

Chara, whose acrobatic strike earned a 2-2 draw with reigning Supporters' Shield winners New England Revolution last week, netted in the 18th minute.

Christhian Paredes' effort was blocked by LAFC defender Mamadou Fall, with the loose ball falling towards Chara with his back to goal, with his bicycle strike looping over goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.

Carlos Vela came closest to a first-half equalizer with a stinging left-foot strike which was well saved by Timbers goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic with his outstretched right hand.

Portland lost Claudio Bravo in the 62nd minute after receiving his second booking and Fall made them pay with a 93rd-minute equaliser tapping in Brian Rodriguez' ball across goal,

Inter Miami were hammered 5-1 by Austin with doubles to Sebastian Driussi and substitute Ethan Finlay.

Austin raced to a 2-0 lead inside half an hour with strikes from Driussi and Julio Cascante, before Driussi tapped home a third early in the second half.

Gonzalo Higuain set up half-time substitute Leonardo Campana to pull one back before Finlay's late double rounded out an emphatic win.

Gonzalo Higuain is hopeful his former Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi will one day join him in Major League Soccer.

Higuain is preparing for his second full season in MLS with Inter Miami, having joined from Juventus in September 2020.

Although the striker's goalscoring exploits had regressed slightly towards the end of his time in Europe, Higuain was still regarded as a major coup for both Inter and MLS, where his older brother Federico has plied his trade since 2012.

MLS has previously been considered a competition where fading stars from Europe went to see out the remainder of their careers, with the likes of Thierry Henry, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and Steven Gerrard all doing just that.

But the perception is changing slightly – it is becoming a proving ground for young talent, a viable stepping stone to Europe for South American players and even a place for established European stars who are still at the height of their powers.

Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne highlighted the shift last month by agreeing an end-of-season move to Toronto despite being virtually in his prime. While any MLS switch for Messi, already 34, would look a little more like a final pre-retirement move, Higuain reckons he would enjoy himself.

"It is a very important league and it is growing a lot," Higuain told Stats Perform.

"Important players are coming and I think that in the future it will continue to grow much more.

"I hope [Messi goes to MLS] because it would be a benefit for MLS and for the country, and if he so wishes he would have fun and be happy here."

Inter begin their 2022 MLS campaign at home to Chicago Fire on Saturday, with the David Beckham-backed franchise hoping to enjoy a major improvement from last season.

Phil Neville's side finished 11th in the 14-team Eastern Conference in 2021, a place above Saturday's opponents, while their points total of 41 was better than only six teams across the two MLS divisions.

It would seem Inter may have struggled even more were it not for Higuain, who scored 12 times. His haul of nine non-penalty (np) goals matched up well with his np-xG (expected goals) of 8.7, suggesting the team could really profit from dependable finishing if the service to him improves.

And bettering that return in front of goal is high on Higuain's list of priorities.

"We are fine, looking forward to [the start of the season] and very excited," he said. "It's so close now, let's hope it goes better than last year and we learn from the mistakes made so that this year it doesn't happen again. We are excited to have a good year.

"I want to improve my numbers, which I did my whole career, improve year after year. I hope that this year I can do better to help the team qualify [for the playoffs] and be able to compete for MLS.

"I hope I can improve my numbers, that's my goal and that's what I've prepared this pre-season."

Supporters' Shield winners New England have made more history with Wednesday's 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids breaking the MLS record for most points in a single season.

Bruce Arena's side, who clinched their first-ever Supporters' Shield on Saturday, won thanks to Tajon Buchanan's 74th-minute strike.

The result took Revolution's season tally to 73 points from 33 games, eclipsing the previous record mark held by LAFC with 72 points in 2019.

New England have one more regular season match to extend their record, playing Inter Miami at home on November 7.

Canada international Buchanan came up with the winner, showing fast feet to make space for a low shot that beat Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough, who had sensationally kept out Henry Kessler from close range minutes earlier.

New York Red Bulls slipped out of the Eastern Conference play-offs spots after a 1-0 defeat to DC United who moved above them into seventh place.

United snapped a four-game winless skid, while also ending the Red Bulls' four-game running run and eight-game unbeaten streak in the process. Kevin Paredes side-footed home the ninth-minute winner for United.

Sporting KC moved into top spot in the Western Conference and dented LA Galaxy's play-offs aspirations with a 2-0 win.

Johnny Russell extended his scoring run to eight straight games with both goals for KC who clinched a top-four seeding as well.

Randall Leal scored two goals and grabbed an assist as Nashville came from two goals down twice to win 6-3 at Cincinnati.

Portland Timbers moved in the west's top four with a 2-0 home victory over San Jose Earthquakes, while Vancouver Whitecaps climbed up to fifth with a 2-1 triumph over Minnesota United.

New York City boosted their Eastern Conference top-four seed hopes with a 1-0 home win over Chicago Fire, while Josef Martinez's winner helped Atlanta United past Inter Miami 2-1 after Gonzalo Higuain had opened the scoring from the spot.

Columbus Crew upset Orlando City 3-2, Toronto held Philadelphia Union 2-2 as Jozy Altidore netted while Real Salt Lake scored twice in the final 10 minutes to win 2-1 at Dallas.

LA Galaxy breathed life into their MLS play-off aspirations after securing back-to-back wins for the first time since August with a 3-0 victory at Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.

Galaxy, who had endured a nine-game winless skid, had beaten Portland Timbers 2-1 on the weekend before backing that up in Houston to reinforce their grip on sixth spot in the Western Conference midweek.

Greg Vanney's Galaxy went ahead in the 39th minute from veteran Sacha Kljestan's penalty, after Maynor Figueroa brought down Kevin Cabral inside the box.

Zarek Valentin's own goal on the stroke of half-time from Efrain Alvarez's cutback doubled Galaxy's advantage.

Two minutes into the second half, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez provided a well-weighted pass for Kevin Cabral to add a third, moving Galaxy up to 45 points and above Real Salt Lake into fifth in the west.

New England Revolution moved another step closer to clinching the Supporters' Shield with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at DC United.

Adam Buksa, Carles Gil and Gustavo Bou all scored within 18 minutes as the Revolution responded to Nigel Robertha's 51st-minute opener for DC United.

The result moved Eastern Conference pacesetters New England to 69 points from 31 games, with Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders closest behind them on 58 points after 30 games after they lost ground following a 1-1 draw with third-placed Colorado Rapids.

Elsewhere, Nashville – second behind New England in the east – drew for the fifth straight game in a 1-1 stalemate against defending MLS champions Columbus Crew and Cristian Arango's hat-trick guided Los Angeles FC past Dallas 3-2.

Inter Miami snapped their six-game losing skid and kept alive their faint play-off aspirations with a 3-0 home victory over Toronto.

Gudmundur Thorarinsson equalised late for New York City but their winless run extended to six games after a 1-1 draw at Atlanta United, Minnesota United were 3-2 winners against Philadelphia Union, Orlando City and Montreal played out a 1-1 draw.

Chicago Fire prevailed 4-3 over struggling FC Cincinnati, Vancouver Whitecaps came from two goals down to win 3-2 away to Portland Timbers, while San Jose Earthquakes eased past lowly Austin 4-0.

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez got on the scoresheet as LA Galaxy breathed life in their MLS playoffs aspirations with a 2-1 home win over Portland Timbers on Saturday.

Sacha Kljestan netted a stoppage-time penalty to clinch all three points for Galaxy, who had been in a freefall with a winless nine-game span.

Chicharito poked in at the back post for the opening goal in the 62nd minute, pouncing on Larrys Mabiala's defensive error from Victor Vazquez's ball into the box.

The Timbers equalized 10 minutes later when Sebastian Blanco's cross-cum-shot drifted over Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond and in off the post.

Blanco hit the upright from a long-range effort, before LA won a penalty when substitute Efrain Alvarez was brought down inside the box by Josecarlos Van Rankin.

Kljestan fired low to Timbers keeper Steve Clark's right for the winner which moves Galaxy up to 42 points, retaining their grip on sixth spot in the Western Conference.

Supporters Shield-leading New England Revolution conceded late as they drew 2-2 at home with Chicago Fire.

The sides traded four goals in the second half, with Wilfred Kaptoum drilling in a low opener in the 47th minute before Alvaro Medran equalized instantly with a classy volley.

Gustavo Bou netted his 13th goal of the season to restore Revolution's lead with a deft lob from Carles Gil's lofted pass in behind the defence in the 76th minute.

Bou was denied by Chicago keeper Gabriel Slonina before Brian Gutierrez danced forward for the visitors, finding Ignacio Aliseda who fired home an angled 88th minute leveller.

Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders missed the chance to close on New England after going down 2-1 at Houston Dynamo.

Maxi Urruti scored a spectacular volley to put Houston ahead on the quarter hour, with Darwin Quintero doubling their lead with a fine solo left-foot strike in the 20th minute.

Jimmy Medranda halved the deficit with a rifled 41st minute shot after recycling an over-hit corner, although Houston came closest to a second-half goal, hitting the woodwork four times, before Seattle's Joao Paulo had a stoppage-time free-kick cannon into the crossbar.

Real Salt Lake solidified their grip on a playoffs spot with a 3-1 home victory over Colorado Rapids, who are third in the Western Conference.

Minnesota United remained ahead of RSL by two points with a 1-0 triumph at lowly Austin thanks to Franco Frangapane's 16th-minute strike.

US international Gyasi Zardes netted a double as Columbus Crew thrashed Inter Miami 4-0, condemning them to their sixth straight defeat, during which they have scored one goal and conceded 16 times.

Luiz Araujo and Marcelino Moreno both netted late in each half as 10-man Atlanta United triumphed 2-0 at Toronto.

Junior Urso netted early as Orlando City eased past struggling Cincinnati 1-0, while DC United and Nashville drew 0-0 with the visitors recorded a draw for the fourth successive game.

LA Galaxy's play-offs took a hit after they suffered their third consecutive defeat, going down 2-1 to Real Salt Lake in MLS on Wednesday.

The defeat means the Galaxy are winless in their past eight matches and while they dropped down to sixth in the Western Conference, their form means they could find themselves only a point ahead of the post-season chasing pack.

Former Manchester United forward Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez stung RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa's palms early, before Damir Kreilach scored his 11th goal of the season to put the hosts 1-0 on the stroke of half-time.

Ochoa denied Chicharito again in a 57th-minute fast break, before the latter equalised with 14 minutes remaining midweek.

But in the fifth of six stoppage-time minutes, Anderson Julio lashed in a wonderful volley from outside the box to claim the win for fifth-placed RSL and boost their play-off chances.

United States teenager Ricardo Pepi netted his 12th goal of the campaign as 10-man Dallas went down 3-1 to Western Conference contenders and second-placed Sporting Kansas City.

Daniel Salloi scored a double for Sporting KC, taking his season tally to 14, while Dallas had Bryan Acosta sent off.

Seattle Sounders stayed top of the Western Conference, ahead of Sporting KC, as Raul Ruidiaz scored a brace in a 3-1 win away to San Jose Earthquakes.

Ruidiaz opened the scoring in the 25th minute, before firing home from the spot three minutes prior to the break. The Peruvian has 16 MLS goals this season, behind only DC United's Ola Kamara with 17.

Dairon Asprilla scored the winner as Portland Timbers claimed a 2-1 victory at Los Angeles FC to remain fourth in the west.

Supporters' Shield leaders New England Revolution maintained their 14-point advantage atop the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 triumph away to Montreal, extending their unbeaten run to six games.

Nashville, second in the east, blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Orlando City, while DC United got past Minnesota United 3-1.

Atlanta United boosted their play-offs hopes with a 1-0 win over Inter Miami, who have lost three in a row, while Toronto beat FC Cincinnati 3-2.

New York City suffered a second straight loss, going down 2-0 to Chicago Fire, and Philadelphia Union could only manage a 1-1 draw at New York Red Bulls.

Colorado Rapids eased past Austin 3-0 and Houston Dynamo played out a goalless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps.

Romeo Beckham made his professional debut for American third-tier club Fort Lauderdale CF on Sunday.

The 19-year-old signed a contract with the club earlier this month and started on the right wing in his first appearance for the reserve team of Inter Miami – the MLS outfit his father David Beckham owns.

He played for 79 minutes in a 2-2 draw against South Georgia Tormenta FC in the USL League one.

"Blessed to have made my pro debut tonight for Fort Lauderdale, full focus onto the next match," Beckham posted on Instagram post-match.

Another familiar name was among the Lauderdale ranks, with Phil Neville's son Harvey playing in midfield – his 16th appearance for the Florida outfit since leaving Manchester United's academy.

Both could return to action Lauderdale against Greenville Triumph on 2 October as they look to rise from eighth place.

Lionel Messi is wanted by MLS side Inter Miami, according to former Argentina team-mate Gonzalo Higuain.

Messi completed a momentous free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in August, with Barcelona being unable to afford a new deal for the Blaugrana great amid financial difficulties.

The Argentina captain enjoyed a cameo against Reims before making his full debut away at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, hitting the crossbar in a 1-1 draw.

However, Miami forward Higuain hinted that the door is already open for Messi's potential next move – the second time he has done so after advocating a potential transfer in March.

"Don't get me into trouble… I have no idea about Leo [Lionel Messi] in Miami," Higuain told ESPN Argentina.

"I have one year left on my contract and Leo I think he signed 2 or 3 years in Paris, I don't think we agreed. The club wants it, let's see."

Higuain also made his standpoint on his future very clear and explained admiration for Miami's joint-owner David Beckham.

Having joined Beckham's franchise in September last year, the ex-Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus striker has netted 10 times in 30 MLS outings, though he believes next season will be his last for the time being.

"Honestly, you are very far from the competition in Europe, it is a league that takes a lot of affection but now that there are people the truth is that I am enjoying it a lot," Higuain added.

"There are many players who want to come and play here. The league is very nice, I like to play it. Good teams, good players.

"After that year [left on his contract] I take a sabbatical, away from football and everything."

Gonzalo Higuain scored the winner as resurgent Inter Miami continued their excellent run of form with a fifth straight home win beating Columbus Crew 1-0 in the MLS on Saturday.

Higuain struck the winner in the 16th minute for Inter who have claimed 13 points from their past five matches to surge up to ninth in the Eastern Conference.

Inter had endured a six-game losing span in May and June but Phil Neville's side have bounced back, losing only once in their past 10.

The former Real Madrid forward swooped on a wayward back pass from Josh Williams, taking a touch inside the box and dinking a shot over Crew keeper Eloy Room, with Vito Wormgoor unable to clear it on the line.

New England maintained their stronghold on the lead at the top of the table with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over 10-man New York City.

Santiago Rodriguez had put City ahead with an 11th-minute volley before Revolution midfielder Emmanuel Boateng drive in a low leveller 10 minutes later. Tom McNamara may have put New England ahead when he hit the post late in the half.

Alfredo Morales was sent off for a second bookable offence, an heavy tackle on McNamara, early in the second half.

New England capitalized with in-form Tajon Buchanan coming up with a 65th minute winner from Carles Gil's assist.

Nashville maintained their strong season with a 1-0 victory on the road over Montreal after Walker Zimmerman's glancing 66th-minute header, keeping them second in the Eastern Conference behind New England.

Sporting KC struck twice inside the first 10 minutes from Jose Mauri and Johnny Russell as they won 2-0 over Chicago Fire to stay in touch with Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders.

Colorado Rapids squandered an opportunity to temporarily go top in the west after Samuel Grandsir's late equalizer for LA Galaxy in a 1-1 draw. The Rapids instead slip to third below KC.

Seattle Sounders remained first in the west with a 1-0 home win over Minnesota United thanks to Joao Paulo's 22nd-minute strike.

Teenage sensation Ricardo Pepi scored his 12th goal of the season as Dallas drew 1-1 with San Jose Earthquakes, while lowly Houston Dynamo won 3-0 over fellow Texas outfit Austin.

New York Red Bulls continue to struggle for wins, only managing a 1-1 home draw with DC United after a controversial penalty award for a Sean Nealis handball.

Cincinnati snapped their three-game losing run with a 2-0 home win over struggling Toronto, who have lost five in a row.

Junior Urso scored a late winner after Orlando City had blown a two-goal lead to claim second spot in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 triumph over Columbus Crew.

Former Manchester United winger Nani had set up Daryl Dike for a 26th-minute opener with a tackle-cum-pass before Silvester van der Water doubled Orlando's lead three minutes later with a cross which eluded everyone.

But the visitors rallied after the break with a double strike inside three minutes, firstly with Antonio Carlos' 52nd-minute own goal.

Minutes later Lucas Zelarayan picked out Derrick Etienne Jr who cushioned a pass into the box for Miguel Berry to equalize.

Orlando grabbed all three points with Dike laying back a pass for Junior Urso to lash home a 69th-minute winner from the edge of the box.

The result moves Orlando above Nashville into second spot in the east with 38 points from 22 games, having gone six games unbeaten in the MLS.

Inter Miami continued their excellent recent form after Brek Shea's 90th-minute winner earned them a 1-0 victory away to Cincinnati.

The result extends Phil Neville's side's unbeaten run to four games and means they have lost only once in their past nine, climbing up to 10th spot in the east.

Dominique Badji also netted a late winner, scoring in the 89th minute to lift the Colorado Rapids into second in the west with a 1-0 victory at San Jose Earthquakes.

Real Salt Lake came from a goal down early to win 3-2 over Dallas, while Vancouver Whitecaps scored twice in the final 20 minutes to beat struggling Austin 2-1.