🔬 The Debrief after three giants slip up during the midweek MLS action

Major League Soccer returned with 13 midweek games on the schedule as the end of the regular season looms.

Here is what went down across the United States and Canada.

What happened

Sep 18, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) looks on from the bench before the match against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Three upsets for three giants will grab the headlines off the hop. Late drama saw Inter Miami held 2-2 at Atlanta United (more on that later) before Evander inspired Portland to thump the LA Galaxy 4-2 and a sluggish LAFC were held 1-1 against Austin.

Meanwhile, the early kickoffs saw five Philadelphia Union players thump just as many goals beyond NYCFC 5-1, two late stunners helped Montréal hold New England 2-2 and Columbus Crew bounced back with an easy 2-0 win on the road in Toronto.

Orlando City also scored two goals in their victory over Charlotte, while Sporting KC let the goals fly against Colorado Rapids 4-1.

Things turned nervy between Minnesota and FC Cincinnati, with the visitors surviving 2-1 and a Western showdown between Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps ended all square 1-1.

Anderson Julio’s brace, including a strike from almost 58 yards out, helped Real Salt Lake beat FC Dallas in a five-goal thriller while Nashville edged Chicago 1-0 and San Jose earned a big point off Seattle Sounders 2-2 thanks to an 89th-minute equaliser.

Stats of the night

Orlando City’s victory over FC Charlotte made it three wins in a row for the club and manager Oscar Pareja.

They continued their climb up the table and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference as the boss moved fifth for the most regular season wins in MLS history.

We’re also giving a little love to the Timbers, whose three big-name players Evander, Jonathan Rodriguez and Felipe Mora hit an MLS first during a 4-2 win over leaders LA Galaxy.

Fit and firing.

Player of the night

We have to give this honour to Atlanta United midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk. The Russian midfielder arrived in the summer for a reported $13 million but had yet to deliver his first goal.

His stunning strike from outside the box saw the game end 2-2 against Inter Miami at the death after Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were denied at the other end.

Special shoutout to Anderson Julio of RSL and Evander of the Timbers for their individual performances, too.

What this means

Sep 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia Union forward Tai Baribo (28) celebrates after scoring a goal against New York City FC with teammates during the first half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Inter Miami’s uncharacteristic slip is the biggest talking point, but with the two teams from LA slipping up too, the Supporters’ Shield is still heading to Florida. Routine wins for FC Cincinnati and Columbus keep them second and third in the East, respectively.

Orlando finally won against an MLS side ranked higher than eighth, while the Union (ninth) showed how deep their bench is against a struggling NYCFC (sixth).

The Florida side sits fourth above both New York teams, while Philadelphia is creeping up on strugglers Toronto FC (eighth) and Charlotte (seventh) with the playoffs in sight.

Wins for all of Atlanta (11th), Nashville (12th) and Montréal (13th) keep these three also in the mix though, sitting only one or two points back of the post-season.

Real Salt Lake are the big winners tonight in the Western Conference. Thanks to results elsewhere and Julio’s magic, they moved into second place. Meanwhile, LAFC dropped to third temporarily, but if they win their two games in hand, they can move level with leaders and rivals LA Galaxy.

Colorado, Seattle, Vancouver and Houston round out fourth through seventh as losses and draws don’t do much for them. Portland (eighth) are also a side left smiling after stripping three points off the leaders and inching closer to an automatic playoff spot.

Looking at the bottom half of the table, Minnesota are ninth with Austin, Dallas and Sporting KC following afterward alongside St. Louis and bottom side San Jose.

What comes next?

We have a short break until more MLS drama returns. Saturday night, another 13 games are back on the schedule, and it all kicks off with Inter Miami visiting NYCFC.

Feature image credit: © Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images