Matchday 29 is in the books.
What did we learn? Did the games confirm what we already knew, or did they change the complexion of the league?
Let’s dive into some key takeaways from another weekend of MLS action.
We might be witnessing history, folks.
Thanks to a dominant 4-1 victory over Austin FC on Saturday, Nashville aren’t just nearing the Supporters’ Shield. No, they’re also closing in on the single-season points record set by Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at 74 points back in 2024. Currently on 63 points, 12 more over the final six matches of the regular season will see Nashville etch their names in the record books.
Nashville SC’s ability to stack dangerous shots from close to the opposing goal continues to impress. On the road in Texas this weekend, they managed a staggering 22 efforts from inside the box en route to posting the highest expected goals tally on the road in American Soccer Analysis’ database, which spans back to the start of the 2013 MLS campaign.
It may just be that no team in MLS can match Nashville’s attacking quartet. Across Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza, and newcomer Elias Saad, the breadth of weapons at B.J. Callaghan’s disposal is frightening for opposing defenses. That’s before you get to Andy Nájar at right back and Reed Baker-Whiting at left back, the latter posting a pair of goal contributions over the last three games.
With Nashville firing on all cylinders, no one should bat an eye if they make history later on this year.
If you don’t believe me, just ask the LA Galaxy, who found themselves on the receiving end of a 6-2 defeat in St. Louis on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire. Between Carlo Holse’s 21-minute hat trick and Rafael Navarro's brace, CITY’s new Designated Player duo combined for five of the half-dozen goals scored by Yoann Damet’s outfit.
If you still don’t believe me, just ask, well, the rest of the league. Odds are, an MLS team near you has recently been stopped by St. Louis CITY. Amid their joint league-record 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions that began in early May, St. Louis have taken a result from 15 of the other 29 teams in the league. No team in MLS — not the Philadelphia Union, who have gone unbeaten since the World Cup break, and not even Nashville SC, who are closing in on the Supporters’ Shield — is hotter than St. Louis.
This past weekend’s dazzling display was a reminder of everything that’s made St. Louis so dangerous over these past several months. The stars connected in the attack. The supporting cast filled in around the margins. And the team controlled where and how the game was played from the very start.
It’s impossible to give enough flowers to the players, Damet on the sidelines and Corey Wray, the club’s sporting director, in the front office.
Somehow, it already feels like a long, long time ago when the Seattle Sounders were in the doldrums. That club-worst eight-game losing streak seems distant. Why? Well, because the Sounders have roared back to life thanks to an infusion of healthy talent into Brian Schmetzer’s lineup.
Closer to full strength than they’d been at virtually any other point in 2026, Seattle traveled to take on the New England Revolution on Saturday — and secured a dominant 3-0 win, their fourth straight.
With Cristian Roldan back to his regular starting role following a summer injury that limited his World Cup role, Seattle’s midfield looks strong once again. With Hassani Dotson, who’s played far fewer minutes than expected due to injury issues of his own, starting next to Roldan in the double pivot and a first-choice backline behind him, the Sounders have returned to their usual state of being difficult to beat.
The attack, bolstered by summer acquisition Dejan Joveljić, is finding itself, too. Joveljić already has four goals in five appearances for Seattle, while homegrown Sebastian Gomez is learning to impact games from the left wing.
Despite enduring enough injuries to last several seasons, the Sounders look ready at just the right time to sprint into the postseason.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Earthquakes.
To begin the year, the club secured 11 wins in their first 12 games across all competitions. Then injuries struck and a brutal run of form followed, with star attackers Timo Werner and Niko Tsakiris missing time over the summer. Then, towards the end of August, San Jose found their footing again with both Werner and Tsakiris back in the lineup. But then? Tsakiris went down again, this time with an upper body injury.
Missing their talismanic No. 10, the Earthquakes looked tame in their 1-1 draw at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. The same goes for virtually all of the time Bruce Arena’s team has spent without Tsakiris on the field this season.
According to Backheeled, Tsakiris was included on Mauricio Pochettino’s preliminary US men’s national team roster for the recently concluded fall window, though he didn’t make the final cut. Perhaps that absence from a youth-filled camp was due to his unfortunate troubles staying off the trainer’s table. When fit, the 21-year-old has been the best American player in MLS this season, based on data app Futi’s algorithm, using his creativity and high touch count to control games for San Jose.
If Tsakiris is fit and firing come playoff time, the Earthquakes will be a threat. Without him, as we saw on Saturday, they fall into tame territory.
It seemed inevitable, didn’t it?
Though Inter Miami had gone five straight games without a win prior to their resounding 4-0 victory over D.C. United on Walmart Saturday Showdown, there’s something about this time of year that seems to push the Herons into top gear. Undoubtedly, that something is MLS Cup presented by Audi nearing. Lest we forget, October of last year was the month when Inter Miami began their incredibly dominant postseason run, the one that saw them march towards a trophy while playing perhaps the best soccer the league has ever seen.
This year, D.C. ended up on the receiving end of Miami’s first game in October — and paid the price.
Between braces from Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Inter Miami’s attack made quick work of their fellow Eastern Conference rivals. Add in a backline that's nearing full health upon the return of star center back Micael, and Miami could be shifting towards juggernaut status once again. On their best day, no team in MLS can slow down Inter Miami, and this is the time of year when Miami tend to have a whole lot of best days.
