Major League Soccer returned Sunday after a month-long hiatus during Leagues Cup 2023. Leagues Cup was quite the spectacle, concluding with a signature Lionel Messi performance and Inter Miami victory. But now, the attention shifts back to MLS, where Miami can be found on the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. Nine matches took place during MLS Matchday 27, and this is the instant recap.
CLB 3, FCC 0
The Columbus Crew made perhaps the biggest statement of the night, beginning with an Aidan Morris screamer into the top right corner from downtown Columbus. Life without Zelarayan is starting to set in, and Cucho Hernandez looks ready to head the attack. Alexandru Matan has filled the #10 role expertly. It will be interesting to see how Wilfried Nancy fits Diego Rossi into this squad. Speaking of, Rossi made his debut and provided some dangerous moments. Columbus are a team to watch down the stretch, a solidified contender. FC Cincinnati are now off pace to break New England's points record of 73. Now is definitely not the time to panic for FCC, they still have a solid cushion in the East. It wasn't their day, Boupendza, Vazquez, and Acosta still need some time to gel. They'll have to regroup for the US Open Cup semi-final on Wednesday against a revamped Inter Miami.
CLB: Aidan Morris 15', Cucho Hernandez 23', Jacen Russell-Rowe 96'
MOTM: Aidan Morris
HOU 5, POR 0
The Dynamo must've had a great team breakfast, as they scored early and often. Houston came out flying, playing a high tempo brand of soccer. Bassi kicked it off by scoring his eighth penalty kick in all competitions, and they simply never looked back. The Dynamo badly needed a win, going without one in regulation in their last 9 matches. They did manage to win two Leagues Cup matches in penalties after a draw in regulation. Regardless, it puts them into sixth in the West for the time being. The situation for Portland is quite simply concerning, they had no answers on either side of the ball. The playoffs stray further away.
HOU: Amine Bassi 5', Nelson Quinones 11', Corey Baird 14', Franco Escobar 48', Brad Smith 63'
MOTM: Franco Escobar
TFC 2, MTL 3
Toronto FC scored for the first time in seven games, but it still wasn't enough to beat CF Montreal at home. Montreal have put themselves in a decent position to make the playoffs. Mathieu Choiniere is leading the charge for the Canadian side. Federico Bernardeschi also scored a brace, Insigne assisting one. Regardless, TFC are practically eliminated at this point.
TFC: Federico Bernardeschi 66', 94'
MTL: Mathieu Choiniere 18', 79', Aime Malika (OG) 25'
MOTM: Mathieu Choiniere
NYC 0, MIN 2
NYCFC won the xG battle 2.12-0.97, but luckily for Minnesota, the game is not decided by expected goals. Minnesota scored a wild 0.02 xG Jan Gregus deflected goal in his first game back with the club. NYCFC took 15/19 shots from inside the box, but were still unable to put one in the back of the net. NYC's record now falls to an ugly 5-9-11, but the playoffs are still in reach if they figure it out soon. For Minnesota United, the win sticks them into the final wildcard spot with 11 matches to go.
MIN: Jan Gregus 53', Mender Garcia 95'
MOTM: Dayne St. Clair
RBNY 1, DCU 0
It's safe to say this was the most boring match of the day, there was simply nothing to it until the death. John Tolkin scored his first MLS goal of the season on a direct free kick late in the match to claim an important three points. DC United and RBNY now sit in 10th and 11th place in the Eastern Conference, making the next couple months extremely crucial for both sides.
RBNY: John Tolkin 88'
MOTM: John Tolkin
CHI 1, ORL 3
Georgios Koutsias is going to have nightmares about the night he had at Soldier Field. He put the ball in the net not once, but twice, with neither one counting on the scoreboard. An offside and handball call erased both of his goals. Chicago started well through Mauricio Pineda, but in the end, Orlando's quick fire goals in response made the game. The Fire still hold 9th place, with an even 8-8-8 record. Orlando City have cemented themselves among the beasts of the East, tied with Philadelphia for third place.
CHI: Mauricio Pineda 47'
ORL: Wilder Cartagena 50', Ivan Angulo 54', Facundo Torres 68'
MOTM: Facundo Torres
STL 6, ATX 3
There's simply no denying that St. Louis CITY are a legit team. Joao Klauss dominated the early days of the team, but hasn't been heard from since April due to injury. Nicholas Gioacchini has stepped into the striker role with ease, scoring 10 goals for STL, including a brace in this match. Samuel Adeniran has also become a factor in the attack, he scored a brace off the bench. Eduard Lowen provided three assists as he looks to round back into form for the Western Conference leaders, who were the first team eliminated from Leagues Cup. Austin FC showed some life later in the match, but they simply did not take their chances well enough and got exposed defensively. The final half hour was absurd, with both teams scoring on three occasions back and forth.
STL: Tim Parker 22', Nicholas Gioacchini 47', 50', Samuel Adeniran 73', 95', Tomas Ostrak 88'
ATX: Sebastian Driussi 61', Will Bruin 87', Emiliano Rigoni 91'
MOTM: Eduard Lowen
SEA 0, ATL 2
Giorgos Giakoumakis found himself back on the scoresheet early on at Lumen Field, and it ultimately propelled Atlanta United to a huge win. Giakoumakis reminded the league of his aerial presence, scoring both of his goals with headers powered downwards. He's now up to 12 goals in 17 matches on the season. The Sounders managed just two shots on target as they continued their poor form. Regardless, Seattle is still in 4th place in the West, despite the fact that they would be 8th in the pretty clearly stronger Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Atlanta has created some room between themselves and the wildcard spots.
ATL: Giorgos Giakoumakis 11', 65'
MOTM: Giorgos Giakoumakis
VAN 0, SJ 1
The Vancouver Whitecaps dominated the entire first half of play, but it was Cristian Espinoza making them pay on an assist from Ebobisse right at the close of the first half. San Jose practically scored on their only chance, while the Caps failed to score on 19 shots, 8 on goal. The Whitecaps were in blazing form and playing lights out at home, so it's a shame they were unable to start back off on the right foot. The Quakes are now 9-7-8 and in fifth place, aiming for more.
SJ: Cristian Espinoza 43'
MOTM: Daniel
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