The league leaders are closing in on their first Supporters’ Shield, while MLS scoring records, Coach of the Year debates and playoff races continue to heat up.
FC Cincinnati Look to Deliver Playoff Knockout Blow in Hell is Real Derby
Sunday’s edition of the Hell is Real derby (5 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV) has massive Audi MLS Cup Playoff implications as FC Cincinnati aim to end the Columbus Crew’s chances of making the postseason.
Following a road victory on Saturday over Atlanta United, FC Cincinnati now sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference (36 points, 9-9-9 record), three points above New York City FC for the last playoff position. Their rivals, the Columbus Crew, sit on 29 points and their playoff hopes will likely be determined this week. For Cincinnati, that means they could deal a crushing blow on their rivals as a win would strengthen their grip on an Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs berth, while the Crew would be practically eliminated.
The good news for Columbus is they have won the last two regular-season contests against Cincinnati and haven’t lost a regular-season match at TQL Stadium since 2023. With playoff implications on the line, Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire expects to be a do-or-die affair.
Nashville Closing in on Supporters’ Shield
Nashville’s record season continued with another win on Saturday as B.J. Callaghan's side moved one step closer to claiming the Supporters' Shield.
Despite the victory for Nashville on the road against Austin, the club's first opportunity to clinch may have to clinch the Supporters’ Shield would be this Saturday. If Nashville were to win both of their games this week, they would need Vancouver to drop points just once to start the celebrations on Saturday night at the San Jose Earthquakes. They could also clinch the Supporters’ Shield with other result combinations during the week, but it will then depend on other matches throughout the league.
Nashville is still chasing the MLS points record and they need to win four of their last six games to do so. Additionally, no team in MLS history has ever won the Supporters’ Shield with four games remaining in the season, something they could accomplish if they won the Supporters’ Shield on Saturday. It’s been a historic year already and a perfect week could cap it off with a trophy in the Music City.
MLS Trending Toward Goal-Scoring Records
With less than a month left in the regular season, MLS could set multiple goal-scoring records in one of the most exciting seasons to date.
Through Matchday 29, MLS clubs have scored a total of 1,368 goals in 420 matches for an average of 3.26 goals per game. Since the league expanded to a 34-game season, the highest goals per game was 3.19 in 2018. It would also be the most when compared to the top-five European leagues and LIGA MX. Additionally, the league is also on pace to finish with the most total goals in a season.
It’s not just high-scoring matches but also plenty of players racking up the goals. We’ve already seen 13 different players score 15-plus goals and 29 with double-digit goals. Fewer than 100 games remain and multiple MLS scoring records appear likely to fall.
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Race Might Be the Closest Ever
With the 2026 MLS regular season entering its final stretch, one of the league's most compelling postseason award races is coming into focus: the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.
Official year-end award voting does not begin until Wednesday, Oct. 21, leaving multiple matchdays for candidates to strengthen their cases. This year's race features a variety of coaching stories including:
- Coaches who have transformed their clubs into Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup and Open Cup contenders
- Managers leading dramatic year-over-year turnarounds
- First-year head coaches exceeding expectations
- An interim head coach who has produced one of the biggest season flips in league history
Whether it is B.J. Callaghan leading Nashville’s Supporters’ Shield chase, Ryan Richter engineering Philadelphia’s turnaround or Yoann Damet inspiring St. Louis to an MLS-record unbeaten run, the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year race will likely be one of the closest in the award’s history.
