If you were watching a different game and picked up your phone at halftime to check some scores from around the league, I can almost guarantee your eyes widened when you saw this one.  Diego Rossi’s first half hat trick helped Columbus Crew jump out to a commanding 5-0 first half lead.  Wessam Abou Ali opened his MLS account during the first half rout in the 25th minute, and Miguel Almiron finished a nightmarish first half for the Five Stripes with a penalty that felt at the time like a consolation.  Five minutes into the second half however, goals from Pedro Amador and Jamal Thiare dragged Atlanta within two.  With 40 minutes still to play, this game became really interesting all of a sudden.  In the end, it was too little too late, and even though Thiare scored his second of the game in the 88th minute, Atlanta’s historic comeback came up just short.

It’s a healthy reminder of two big things for me:

1. Even though Columbus has struggled a bit as of late, they still have plenty of firepower and the single best coach in the league.  Their system still works and when Diego Rossi is on his game, he can drag teams to victory.  The 2020 MLS Golden Boot (presented by Audi) winner still has plenty of magic left in him, and Columbus will desperately need his goal contributions if they want a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.

2. Just because they have the firepower, doesn’t mean they’ll be able to keep teams off the board.  If you really think about it, Columbus doesn’t even play with a true center back.  Nancy’s system is so effective at playing through teams to create chances, but if it doesn’t work, they don’t have many guys to put out the fires.  For them to let their firepower show, they’ll need to tighten up the giveaways and defensive errors.

Columbus jumped back up into fifth in the East with the win and Orlando’s draw in the Nation’s Capital (sidebar— don’t look now but Jackson Hopkins scored his third goal in the last four games.  The 21 year old has come into his own and could be an important cornerstone for the rebuild in DC).  Columbus still has a game in hand on the teams above them, and that game in hand will happen Wednesday when the Crew travel to play NYCFC in a HUGE matchup for playoff seeding.

Idan Toklomati’s hat trick sealed Charlotte FC’s ninth straight victory on Saturday night, tying the 2018 Seattle Sounders for the longest winning streak in MLS history.  Kristijan Kahlina will never forget the day he saved Lionel Messi’s penalty kick, and Charlotte never looked back.  Two minutes after the penalty save, Toklomati put the home side ahead and his second goal two minutes after halftime would seal the record tying win.  Toklomati would complete his hat trick in the 85th minute with a penalty of his own.  It makes it easy to sell on players like Patrick Agyemang when you can immediately replace his goal production, and Toklomati has done just that.  Since the departure of Agyemang (which ironically was the start of the winning streak), Toklomati has eight goals in nine games and has led Charlotte to third place in the Eastern Conference.  Next week, Charlotte will head to the Bronx to take on a dangerous NYCFC on their quest for playoff seeding.  The win against Miami brings Charlotte all the way up to third in the conference and if they continue their current form, there’s no reason they can’t challenge for the Supporter’s Shield.  Four points separate them from first place Philadelphia, but if you haven’t heard how their game went over the weekend, keep reading.  Keep an eye out for a Decision Day clash between those two.  It could very well decide the number one seed and potentially the Shield.

Inter Miami dropped all the way to eighth place in the crowded East, but we have to say it every time we talk about them: they still have four games in hand on the top teams in the East.  I never liked math, but I always had a knack for it so check my work on this one.  Four games in hand, 12 points available, 11 points behind Philadelphia for first place in the conference.  Would anyone be surprised if Miami did the Miami thing, refocus for MLS play and run the table to take a shot at the top seed in the East?  Can anyone give me a reason why they won’t do it?  It does seem a bit off there at the moment though, doesn’t it?  The Leagues Cup drama, Suarez out on suspension, the constant rumors that Messi could look to take his talents out of South Beach.  It’s the circus that comes along with being the biggest brand in MLS, but you know what else comes with being the biggest brand in MLS?  Expectations.  Winning.  Never being counted out.  They’ve shown the ability to dominate some of the best teams across the league, and even though their schedule is congested down the stretch, it’s nothing new to Messi and Co., and I fully expect a strong finish leading into the playoffs.

This was a fantastic game that had a bit of everything.  A ton of shots and chances, big missed opportunities, goals, and late drama made for a game that felt like there was so much at stake.  Brenner re-opened his FCC account in the 73rd minute through another assist from Evander to put Cincy ahead.  Sam Surridge drew the visitors level in the 84th to silence TQL Stadium.  Just when a draw looked almost certain, Evander roofed his 17th goal of the season past Joe Willis AT THE DEATH to secure all three points for FCC.

He’d been a little quiet since the Portland game, but Evander was back to normal on Saturday night.  A fantastic assist that was really well taken from Brenner and a stunning goal as added time was coming to an end closed out FC Cincinnati’s three game home stand with a really important win.  Could a three headed monster of Evander, Brenner, and Kevin Denkey cause headaches for all the other teams in the East?  It seems like it very well could.  The high-powered offense will look to mesh at the right time as Cincinnati remained in second place, now jut two points behind Philadelphia.  Cincinnati may have the most favorable schedule remaining of all the Eastern Conference challengers, and getting the attack clicking and integrating Brenner with a healthy Kevin Denkey would be an absolute problem in Southern Ohio.  They’ll head out to Southern California to take on an unpredictable LA Galaxy team next weekend before a Sunday Night Soccer matchup with Orlando the following week.

I still can’t really put my finger on Nashville.  They went through an incredible run of 12 unbeaten through the middle of the season, but have now lost five of their last six games and have fallen to fourth place in the East.  The good news is two fold for Nashville.  Despite the poor run of form, they’re still just seven points back from Philadelphia for first place in the East, and you’ve got (currently) the top goalscorer in the league in Sam Surridge.  Surridge extended his lead in the Golden Boot (presented by Audi) race with his 21st of the season, and Hany Mukhtar is quietly having himself another great season with 14 goals and seven assists.  35 of their 50 goals this year have come from those two, however nobody else on the team has more than two.  If the well runs dry for those two, Nashville will surely be in trouble.

Before they return home for a deadly 10 day stretch, NYCFC headed to Soldier Field for a pivotal game in Chicago against the Fire.  It looked like late season MLS on Saturday night. Back and forth action, desperation and… football lines.  Yep, nothing says it’s almost playoff time like blue and orange Bears end zones in Chicago!  Philip Zinckernagel scored in his second straight game to put the Fire ahead within the first quarter of an hour, but Nico Fernandez’ first goal for the Pigeons leveled the game heading into halftime.  Alonso Martinez put NYCFC ahead just before the hour mark and 17 year old Seymour Reid sealed the away win in stoppage time.  Chicago will rue some missed opportunities, but the credit here goes to the road warriors.  NYCFC was under immense pressure for most of the second half but held strong and were rewarded with a massive three points.

We spoke about NYCFC’s nightmarish 4 game stretch, and it’s no joke.  The positive is that they won’t have to take a flight the entire time.  The bad news is they welcome Columbus on Wednesday, Charlotte on Saturday, and Inter Miami the following Wednesday before hopping on the bus to head to Harrison.  The Hudson River Derby match against the Red Bulls will either cap off a season defining four game stretch or the Pigeons will be desperate to get three points against their rivals just to keep their heads above water.  The final two games after that stretch are away to Philadelphia and a Decision Day tussle in Seattle.  Holy shit.  I’m not sure any team in the league has as tough a schedule to close out the regular season.  It’ll be a true test of playoff caliber games and how they handle the last six games will either have people completely writing them off or believing they have a real chance to win it all.  For me, they’re too inconsistent to be a true contender, but who knows? Maybe they’ll find their form and make a believer out of me.  Keep in mind the rivalry game is against a Red Bull team that desperately need points if they want to sneak into the playoffs, so that one will be a must watch.

Chicago are the team currently keeping Red Bulls out of the playoffs.  They’re holding on to the final spot by two points still with a game in hand.  Chicago’s next three are no summer breeze either.  At Minnesota, home against Columbus, and in Miami are three tough games to get any points in.  Like NYCFC, they’ve been wildly inconsistent this year.  The Fire score goals in bunches but can concede at an equally fast rate.  They’ve scored the fourth most goals in the league and given up the seventh most.  The next three games will be a true test for the Fire.  If they come out of it improving their playoff resume, they could be a tough out come late October.  If they start to crawl to the finish line, they could miss the playoffs altogether.

I certainly didn’t have this beatdown on my bingo card.  The Whitecaps scored seven but it easily could have been 10.  Thomas Müller scored a hat trick with two penalty kicks, but the most impressive goal was this one from Emmanuel Sabbi:

After Müller scored his second penalty of the game in stoppage time of the first half, the 4-0 halftime lead matched the margin we saw in the earlier Columbus game.  This one would end differently.  Three second half goals left no opportunity for a comeback in Vancouver, and as Müller completed his hat trick in the 88th minute, the final whistle would shortly follow.

From start to finish, Vancouver laid the beatdown on Philadelphia.  The scoreline matched the largest win margin in MLS history, matching seven other results.  It’s also the second time this season that it’s happened following a New York Red Bulls slaughtering of LA Galaxy back in May.  Vancouver narrowed the gap between them and first place San Diego to just four points with the win, and with two games still in hand they’re in position to take over that top spot.  Granted, the two games in hand are against Portland next Wednesday and over the final international break in Orlando, but all is there for the ‘Caps to play for.  Thomas Müller has obviously found chemistry with his teammates, and it’s even scarier to think that Brian White was out for this one and the team is still without Ryan Gauld.

For Philadelphia, this is a “bury the tape” type of game.  I’m sure during the week they’ll look over some of the mistakes, but I chalk this up to a bad night.  Truth is, it was the game immediately following the international break.  Tai Baribo, Danley Jean Jaques, and Kai Wagner all started on the bench for the Union and the team was without starting goalkeeper Andre Blake.  It’s never an excuse to go out and get beaten that badly, but it does give some context on why they fell short in the first half.  Philly retained their one point lead atop the Supporter’s Shield table, but will have to turn it around quickly as they head straight to Nashville for a US Open Cup semifinal Tuesday night.  Advancing to the Open Cup final could be just the boost the Union need to quickly move on from the west coast drubbing.

Minnesota United walked into Southern California and in their typical way, found a way to grind out a massive three points against San Diego FC.  If you read the Friday preview, this game went exactly how it was expected to go.  San Diego had far better of the possession, far more shots, and more than quadrupled Minnesota’s xG tally.  That didn’t matter for Dayne St. Clair and Minnesota United.  As they do, they defended for their lives, St. Clair had another man of the match performance, and the Loons caught San Diego on a corner kick, on the counter, and the dagger— a half field effort from debutant Nectarios Triantis.

The Australian joined the Loons during the summer window as a U22 Initiative signing, and in his first game might have scored the best debut goal in MLS history.  Not only was it an incredible effort, but it put an exclamation point on a victory that brings Minnesota within two points of their opponents at the top of the West.  Minnesota has shown a comfort, a willingness almost, to absorb as much pressure as possible without conceding at a high rate and catch teams on the counter in order to win games.  Dayne St. Clair is having a unanimous Best XI type season.  19 of their 51 goals have come from set pieces this season, which is the highest mark in the league.  Outside of Philadelphia with 17, no other team has more than 15.  It’s an important part of the way Minnesota play.  They aren’t breaking teams down and they’re not overpowering teams with chances, but they have found a recipe to success that’s extremely effective and dangerous as they surge towards the playoffs.

San Diego really can’t be too upset with their performance in all honesty.  Similar to Minnesota, they have a system that under no circumstances changes.  No matter if they’re winning or losing, they never stray from their DNA.  Games like this will happen for San Diego, but this is the danger of MLS and the way the playoffs are structured.  Do I think San Diego is a better team than Minnesota? For sure.  Do I think if they played 3 times that San Diego would win the series? I think so.  But if these teams do face off again, it’ll be a single game that determines who moves on, and Minnesota are more set up for those type of stakes.

This truly was one of the more remarkable weekends in MLS this season.  We saw a record tying margin of victory with Vancouver’s 7-0 win over Philadelphia.  Four different players recorded hat tricks in their games.  Diego Rossi, Idan Toklomati, Denis Bouanga, and Thomas Müller all eclipsed three goals in their games, marking the first time that’s happened in MLS history.  Charlotte FC tied the MLS record for consecutive wins in a season with nine, and that’s a record that could yet be broken this weekend.  The historic run will come to an end eventually, the only question is… when?  This league is so exciting, and so much happens from week to week.  The best part of the season is right here in this moment, where champions are crowned and everyone else tries to dethrone them throughout the MLS Cup playoffs.

Seattle travel to South Beach to take on Inter Miami on Tuesday night.  The rematch of the Leagues Cup final has shown real bad blood.  I’ll be interested to see if that bad blood continues or if both sides have moved on in their push for the postseason.

NYCFC will host Columbus on Wednesday night in another huge match for playoff implications.  Both teams are coming off massive victories and will look to bolster their playoff hopes in the Big Apple.  I’ll be interested to see how Columbus’ style holds up on the tight field at Yankee Stadium and if New York City will be able to start their difficult home stand with a positive result.

Real Salt Lake and LAFC will go toe to toe and try to cash in one of their games in hand on Wednesday night in Sandy, Utah.  LAFC are desperate to keep pace with the top four in the West while RSL is in a dog fight around the playoff line.  Salt Lake can jump into a playoff spot with a win or draw on Wednesday night and will still have a game in hand on their playoff competitors.

Don’t forget about Open Cup! Philadelphia head to Nashville and Austin will travel to Minnesota  with berths in the US Open Cup final on the line.  Say what you want about Open Cup, but trophies are trophies.  I don’t care which teams didn’t participate this year or who didn’t play their best guys and go for it, it’s a true war of attrition.  To play these games midweek, often without many fans, in between two difficult MLS matchups takes a lot.  The four teams who have made it to the semis have no other option but to fully go for it this week, and the two victors are scheduled to face off October 1st for all the glory.