By Charles Boehm
Canadian Thanksgiving is upon us, and the US version will be here before we know it. FIFA’s new, supersized autumn international window is finally in the rearview mirror, and with only a few short weeks remain in the regular season, Decision Day is looming, with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs kicking off just days later.
It’s pumpkin season for most of North America. Is your team carving theirs, or turning into one?
That’s the context for a fast, furious MLS Matchday 29. Grab a sharp knife and a big spoon…
St. Louis CITY SC
Soaring in STL
We’ve simply got to start at Energizer Park, site of a stunning Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire beatdown.
White-hot St. Louis CITY SC brought their paddle out for the LA Galaxy’s visit, Carlo Holse notching a hat trick in the first 21 minutes as STL stacked up five goals in the first half en route to a 6-2 demolition that underlines their trophy credentials with the biggest marker imaginable.
Holse’s fellow summer signing Rafa Navarro added 2g/2a, the entire team seemed to be in glorious sync and the home faithful showed their appreciation with a rollicking atmosphere. By the time former CITY man João Klauss scored his late consolation for LA, the vibes in STL were so nice that it was more of a feel-good moment than a downer for the hosts.
CITY’s unbeaten run now stands at 20 matches across all competitions, which matches the league record held by Red Bull New York in 2026. They can pass Western Conference leaders Vancouver and take possession of first place with a win over the Whitecaps at Energizer on Wednesday. One week after that, they’ll battle Columbus in the US Open Cup final.
It’s a very good time to be a soccer fan in St. Louis.
WATCH: Red-hot St. Louis CITY stretch unbeaten streak to 20
Inter Miami CF
Did Messi, Miami get their groove back?
With just one win in their last 10 league matches heading into their Walmart Saturday Showdown home clash with D.C. United, Inter Miami hadn't looked much like the juggernauts they are widely perceived to be.
The veterans who lead the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions changed that picture dramatically over these 90 minutes, routing downtrodden D.C., 4-0, at rainy NU Stadium.
Lionel Messi bagged a brace in his return to Herons pink following his emotional international swan song with Argentina, his old pal Luis Suárez hit a double of his own and Germán Berterame chipped in a pair of assists – a pretty good night for the attacking trident atop new head coach Kily González’s 4-3-3 formation.
From where we’re standing, Miami’s remaining schedule looks pretty manageable, and if this is Messi flipping the big red switch marked ‘playoffs mode,’ well, buckle your seat belts.
HIGHLIGHTS: Inter Miami CF vs. DC United | October 10, 2026
Orlando City
Grizi calls his shot… again
Orlando City and the Columbus Crew produced an instant classic – at least, if you’re not a defensive purist fuddy-duddy – at Inter.co Stadium, with goals from the 1st minute to the 89th and plenty of flowing, open play in between, the two sides producing a combined SIX expected goals and forcing 17 saves combined between Patrick Schulte and the superb Max Crépeau.
At the very end, the result hinged on 20 fateful seconds in which the Crew’s Gonzalo Tapia failed to convert a one-on-one with Crépeau – or square to his teammate Brais Méndez – and Orlando raced the other way, Iván Angulo leading, then finishing a lightning Lions counterattack for the 2-1 win.
All that said, perhaps the most fun detail of all here? A few days ago Antoine Griezmann (who notched 1g/1a in this one) posted his rookie teammate Harvey Sarajian’s high-school football photo on his Instagram (39 million followers, by the way, nearly equivalent to the population of Canada). And voila, Sarajian scores Saturday’s opener, less than one minute into his first career MLS start.
“I remember waking up in the morning before training,” Sarajian said postgame. “I'm scrolling, I'm like, wait, that's me in high school! It brought a smile to my face, I'm not gonna lie.”
Grizi’s magical effect on his teammates endures. Reminder: The French legend called his shot in similar fashion with Justin Ellis in the lead-up to his MLS debut back in July. And as my colleague Justin Ruderman noted, the Lions are 7W-0L-1D this year when Griezmann scores.
HIGHLIGHTS: Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew | October 10, 2026
Red Bull New York
Julian keeps scoring
With three goals in his first three US men’s national team caps – an achievement only two others in history have ever attained – few in MLS had a better international window than Julian Hall. And Red Bull New York’s prized homegrown kept the momentum rolling with a tone-setting early goal in RBNY’s 4-1 thrashing of San Diego FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium, their third win in four.
“You could see that he was excited to be back, that he had energy and confidence from his time with the national team,” head coach Michael Bradley said afterwards. “When you have a young player like that, there’s a lot being thrown at him right now and he’s handling it all in a really mature way.”
RBNY are now in possession of a precious playoff spot, and a midweek win over D.C. United could consolidate their position while inflicting further damage on their Atlantic Cup rivals’ fading hopes.
HIGHLIGHTS: Red Bull New York vs. San Diego FC | October 10, 2026
Philadelphia Union
Philly keep flying
MLS is (and always has been) exceptional when it comes to second assists, sometimes called ‘hockey assists.’ Unlike many top leagues around the world, players who play the proverbial ‘pass before the pass’ are often rewarded as such on the scoresheet. To some, that’s controversial – they believe it waters down the statistic’s value.
If you’re one of those types, watch the opening goal of the Philadelphia Union’s 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake and tell us with a straight face that Frankie Westfield and Cavan Sullivan don’t both deserve recognition for their role in this gorgeous team move:
Heck, if anything, the sequence deserves a THIRD assist – to Milan Iloski for that genius dummy which cleared space for Bruno Damiani to stroke home. But look, we can agree to disagree on this stats-related quibble, because the real headline here is that Philly and Cavan continue to cook.
Their club-record unbeaten streak now stretches to 13 matches, and Cavan's two assists on the night have pushed him past Alphonso Davies and Diego Fagúndez for most goal contributions in a season by a teenager; he’s now on 21, and has several more weeks to pad his numbers. Like Hall, Sullivan got a real boost from his USMNT adventure and we suspect it will help the Union keep climbing into a top-four finish in the East.
Toronto FC
Classique magnifique
If you find yourself at a matinee at BMO Field, DON’T LEAVE EARLY.
We’ve warned readers repeatedly throughout the season, and Toronto FC did it again on Saturday, conjuring up delirious drama to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win over their fierce Canadian Classique rivals CF Montréal via two stoppage-time goals.
Lewis Morgan struck the equalizer, then Djordje Mihailovic – whose injury woes have made 2026 “probably one of the most difficult years of my life,” he said afterwards – arrived at the back post as the visitors from Québec got badly exposed in transition at the death, sparking delirious Reds celebrations.
“We lost the match due to our emotional management during stoppage time,” said CFMTL head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “Between the fear of losing the match, and perhaps even the fear of winning it, we made poor decisions during those tense moments.”
TFC sit four points below the Eastern Conference playoff line, with four of their last six matches away from home. Their odds are long, but beat Orlando City at home on Wednesday, and maybe there’s a chance.
HIGHLIGHTS: Toronto FC vs. CF Montréal | October 10, 2026
Charlotte FC
Charlotte’s stormy comeback
FC Dallas have matured into a rugged, resilient side under coach Eric Quill. So it seemed like three road points in the bag when they carried a 2-0 lead into the 70th minute in their first-ever visit to Charlotte FC, riding goals from Logan Farrington and his second-half replacement Petar Musa on a rain-soaked evening at Bank of America Stadium.
WRONG!
Inspired by Idan Toklomati, who dug out two goals and an assist, The Crown stormed (see what we did there?!?!) back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Israeli international’s dramatic injury-time winner delivered a 3-2 W that could turn out to be worth much more than three points to a team who’ll need a bit of attacking quicksilver to mount a deep run in the postseason.
“That was certainly one for the supporters tonight because it was wet out there, and it was a great victory for them,” said head coach Dean Smith. “I think the excitement when you come back from a two-goal deficit and score right at the death as well, it’s brilliant for everyone.”
WATCH: Charlotte FC are singing in the rain after dramatic comeback
Around the grounds
→ While St. Louis soared this weekend, the Whitecaps side they’re pursuing had to grind for their lives in downtown Los Angeles. A straight red card to defender Tristan Blackmon just seven minutes in for a DOGSO foul on Jacob Shaffelburg put the British Columbians between a rock and a hard place at LAFC, but what’s normally a death sentence to visitors at BMO Stadium turned into a galvanizing moment for the ‘Caps.
They snatched a lead via Oliver Larraz’s first goal in VWFC colors, then kept their shape and composure well enough to escape with a 1-1 draw that clinches their playoffs participation for the fourth straight season. They’d best be ready for an absolute dogfight at STL in midweek, though.
→ This week’s ‘that’s so MLS’ affair took place in Kansas City, where Sporting KC’s record signing André Luiz netted the sixth and seventh goals of his fledgling MLS career to spark a chaotic 3-3 draw with the Portland Timbers. The Brazilian is high octane, plain and simple.
And yeah, that’s not exactly a road point to be happy about for the Rose City boys, who’ll sit outside the playoff places for at least a couple more days and have won just one of their last eight games.
→ On a slightly less eventful weekend, we’d be talking a lot more about the Seattle Sounders, who pulled off the impressive feat of flying across the continent and blanking an otherwise very good New England Revolution, 3-0, in their own house.
“We came into their building,” said head coach Brian Schmetzer, “and it wasn't just a smash and grab. It wasn't like ‘oh we got fortunate.’ We outplayed them. That's a good team, well-coached team.”
Beaten-down and bedraggled just a few weeks ago, the Rave Green have won four straight, haven’t tasted defeat since mid-August and look like a safe bet to cruise into the playoffs – and with momentum to boot. Wednesday’s visit to FC Dallas bears watching.
HIGHLIGHTS: New England Revolution vs. Seattle Sounders FC | October 10, 2026