MLS results: Nashville cruise, Messi leads scorers as playoff race tightens
MLS Matchday 29 results round-up: Nashville SC beat Sporting KC 4-0 to lead the East by 14 points, Inter Miami win, and Vancouver, St. Louis and Dallas are split by two points in the West.
Nashville SC turned Wednesday's MLS midweek round into a statement, thrashing Sporting Kansas City 4-0 to stretch their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 14 points, while Lionel Messi's Inter Miami beat New York City FC 2-0 and the Western Conference race tightened around Vancouver Whitecaps, St. Louis City and FC Dallas. This MLS results round-up covers all 15 matches of Matchday 29 played on 14-15 October 2026, plus FC Cincinnati's 3-1 win at Atlanta United on 10 October, and reads what the updated standings, form guide and Golden Boot race tell us with the regular season entering its final stretch.
MLS results: Matchday 29 scores at a glance
The 16 matches in this round-up produced 54 goals, including two 3-3 draws and only one goalless game. Across the 15 Matchday 29 fixtures, home sides won seven, five ended level and three were away wins, the most eye-catching being Atlanta United's 3-0 win in Montreal and New England Revolution's 3-2 comeback at Cincinnati.
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Half-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct | Atlanta United FC | 1-3 | FC Cincinnati | 0-0 |
| 14 Oct | Inter Miami | 2-0 | New York City FC | 2-0 |
| 14 Oct | Columbus Crew | 3-1 | Charlotte | 1-1 |
| 14 Oct | FC Cincinnati | 2-3 | New England Revolution | 1-2 |
| 14 Oct | Toronto FC | 3-3 | Orlando City SC | 1-1 |
| 14 Oct | CF Montreal | 0-3 | Atlanta United FC | 0-2 |
| 14 Oct | DC United | 2-1 | New York Red Bulls | 2-0 |
| 15 Oct | FC Dallas | 1-0 | Seattle Sounders | 0-0 |
| 15 Oct | Chicago Fire | 1-3 | Philadelphia Union | 1-0 |
| 15 Oct | St. Louis City | 0-0 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0-0 |
| 15 Oct | Nashville SC | 4-0 | Sporting Kansas City | 3-0 |
| 15 Oct | Colorado Rapids | 2-2 | Minnesota United FC | 1-0 |
| 15 Oct | Real Salt Lake | 1-1 | San Jose Earthquakes | 0-0 |
| 15 Oct | Los Angeles FC | 3-1 | Austin | 0-0 |
| 15 Oct | Los Angeles Galaxy | 2-0 | Portland Timbers | 1-0 |
| 15 Oct | San Diego | 3-3 | Houston Dynamo | 2-3 |
A few results stand out. Nashville were 3-0 up at half-time at Geodis Park and never let Kansas City breathe. Philadelphia Union fell behind 1-0 at Soldier Field but scored three after the break to beat Chicago Fire 3-1. Los Angeles FC were level 0-0 at the interval against Austin before pulling away 3-1, and San Diego and Houston Dynamo shared a wild 3-3 draw in which Houston led 3-2 at half-time. Toronto FC and Orlando City also traded six goals at BMO Field.
Eastern Conference: Nashville SC run away with it
Nashville SC are the outstanding side in MLS this season. Their record reads 20 wins, six draws and only three defeats from 29 games, for 66 points, 63 goals scored and just 22 conceded, giving them a goal difference of +41, comfortably the best in the league. Their last five matches read W-W-W-W-D (most recent first), and the win over Kansas City was their fourth victory in a row.
Inter Miami sit second on 52 points after the 2-0 win over NYCFC, sealed by two first-half goals. Miami have the most prolific attack in the league (70 goals) but have also conceded 50, a number that explains why they trail Nashville so heavily despite their firepower. New England (49), Chicago Fire (48), Charlotte (46) and Philadelphia (45) complete a tight chasing group, with only seven points separating second from sixth.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 29 | 20 | 6 | 3 | +41 | 66 | W W W W D |
| 2 | Inter Miami | 29 | 14 | 10 | 5 | +20 | 52 | W W L D D |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 29 | 15 | 4 | 10 | +7 | 49 | W L L W W |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 29 | 14 | 6 | 9 | +9 | 48 | L W W W L |
| 5 | Charlotte | 29 | 13 | 7 | 9 | +8 | 46 | L W L W D |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 29 | 13 | 6 | 10 | +13 | 45 | W W W W W |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | 29 | 11 | 5 | 13 | -15 | 38 | D W L L W |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 29 | 10 | 6 | 13 | -15 | 36 | L W L W W |
| 9 | FC Cincinnati | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | -8 | 36 | L W L D D |
| 10 | New York City FC | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | +2 | 33 | L L D L W |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 29 | 7 | 12 | 10 | -11 | 33 | D W L L L |
| 12 | DC United | 28 | 7 | 12 | 9 | -11 | 33 | W L D L D |
| 13 | Columbus Crew | 29 | 9 | 5 | 15 | -3 | 32 | W L W W L |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 29 | 8 | 6 | 15 | -12 | 30 | W L D W D |
| 15 | CF Montreal | 29 | 6 | 6 | 17 | -24 | 24 | L L W L L |
The battle for the last playoff places is just as interesting. Orlando City (38) sit seventh, the final position the table currently marks for direct entry into the playoff round of 16. New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati are level on 36 in eighth and ninth, the two places that lead to the earlier wild-card round, and Cincinnati have a game in hand. Behind them, NYCFC, Toronto and DC United are all on 33, with Columbus on 32 after their 3-1 win over Charlotte, so the line is far from settled. CF Montreal (24 points, 17 defeats) prop up the conference.
Western Conference: three-way fight for first
The West is much tighter at the summit. Vancouver Whitecaps lead on 52 points with the best defence in the conference (30 conceded) and a +31 goal difference, but their form is wobbling: D-D-L-D-W, with Wednesday's goalless draw at St. Louis City extending a run of only one win in five. St. Louis City (51) are one point behind and unbeaten in five (D-W-W-W-W), while FC Dallas (50) edged Seattle 1-0 to stay right in contention.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 29 | 15 | 7 | 7 | +31 | 52 | D D L D W |
| 2 | St. Louis City | 29 | 14 | 9 | 6 | +16 | 51 | D W W W W |
| 3 | FC Dallas | 29 | 14 | 8 | 7 | +8 | 50 | W L W D W |
| 4 | San Jose Earthquakes | 29 | 13 | 8 | 8 | +10 | 47 | D D W D W |
| 5 | Houston Dynamo | 29 | 13 | 7 | 9 | +2 | 46 | D D L D L |
| 6 | Los Angeles FC | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | +15 | 45 | W D L D L |
| 7 | Seattle Sounders | 29 | 11 | 8 | 10 | +2 | 41 | L W W W W |
| 8 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | -9 | 39 | W L W W D |
| 9 | Colorado Rapids | 29 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 38 | D D L D W |
| 10 | Portland Timbers | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | -5 | 33 | L D L L L |
| 11 | Real Salt Lake | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | -5 | 33 | D L W L L |
| 12 | San Diego | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 33 | D L D D L |
| 13 | Minnesota United FC | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | -9 | 31 | D D L L L |
| 14 | Austin | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | -17 | 31 | L L D D W |
| 15 | Sporting Kansas City | 29 | 6 | 4 | 19 | -37 | 22 | L D L W L |
San Jose Earthquakes (47), Houston (46) and LAFC (45) round out the top six. LAFC have played one more game than everyone above them, so the 3-1 win over Austin was important. Seattle Sounders had won four in a row before Wednesday's 1-0 defeat in Dallas (their form reads L-W-W-W-W, latest first) and sit seventh on 41. The LA Galaxy, 2-0 winners over Portland, and Colorado Rapids hold the two wild-card spots on 39 and 38. Portland, Real Salt Lake and San Diego are all on 33, five points adrift of ninth, with Portland having lost four of their last five.
Form guide: who is hot and who is not
Reading the last-five strings in the official standings data (latest result first), these are the sides with momentum and those in trouble:
- Philadelphia Union - W-W-W-W-W: the only perfect run in the league. Five straight wins have lifted them into the Eastern top six.
- Nashville SC - W-W-W-W-D: 13 points from a possible 15 and a 14-point cushion at the top of the East.
- St. Louis City - D-W-W-W-W: unbeaten in five and one point off the Western summit.
- Portland Timbers - L-D-L-L-L: the worst current run in the West, slipping out of the playoff places.
- CF Montreal - L-L-W-L-L: four defeats in five, capped by the 3-0 home loss to Atlanta.
- Minnesota United - D-D-L-L-L: no win in five after the 2-2 draw in Colorado, now 13th in the West.
MLS Golden Boot race: Messi out in front
The scoring charts are led by Lionel Messi, who has 23 goals and 12 assists in 26 appearances for Inter Miami, with only one of those goals from the penalty spot. He also carries the highest average rating of the top five (8.51). FC Dallas forward Petar Musa is his closest challenger with 19 goals, while Philadelphia's Milan Iloski has 18, a tally that helps explain the Union's surge.
| # | Player | Club | Goals | Assists | Pens | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L. Messi | Inter Miami | 23 | 12 | 1 | 26 |
| 2 | P. Musa | FC Dallas | 19 | 5 | 3 | 25 |
| 3 | M. Iloski | Philadelphia Union | 18 | 2 | 4 | 29 |
| 4 | D. Bouanga | Los Angeles FC | 17 | 5 | 1 | 28 |
| 5 | B. White | Vancouver Whitecaps | 17 | 2 | 1 | 27 |
With a four-goal gap and Miami's attack still the league's most productive, Messi is the clear favourite for the Golden Boot, but Musa's 19 goals in 1,837 minutes work out at roughly one every 97 minutes, fractionally better even than Messi's rate, so the Croatian remains a genuine threat. Denis Bouanga (LAFC) and Brian White (Vancouver) are tied on 17.
Bottom of the tables
MLS has no relegation, but the bottom of each conference still tells a story. Sporting Kansas City have the worst defence in the league, having conceded 72 goals in 29 matches for a goal difference of -37, and sit last in the West on 22 points. In the East, CF Montreal (24 points) and Atlanta United (30) are well short of the playoff line, although Atlanta's 3-0 win in Montreal, after losing 3-1 at home to Cincinnati four days earlier, was a rare bright spot. Visit the full MLS standings and fixtures page for the complete picture.
What's next in MLS
The next round of MLS action begins on Saturday 17 October, with the first kick-off scheduled for 18:30 GMT. The key storylines to follow: whether Vancouver can rediscover their winning touch to hold off St. Louis and Dallas; whether Philadelphia can extend the league's only five-game winning run; and how Cincinnati and DC United use their game in hand in the fight around the playoff line. Follow every match minute by minute on our live scores page.