MLS roundup: Nashville SC batter Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, Tata Martino ends Atlanta United’s skid and Houston Dynamo go top of West
MLS was typically chaotic on Saturday evening, but Nashville’s rout of Inter Miami offered the clearest indication yet of where the Supporters’ Shield may be headed.
We probably knew that Inter Miami weren't all that.
Yes, they have Lionel Messi. Yes, they have Rodrigo De Paul, Luis Suárez and Casemiro. But they have never been the most complete team in this league. On Saturday, that much was clear.
Their matchup with Nashville was a tantalizing one. Nashville are extremely well coached, exceptionally well drilled and full of legs, with a sprinkling of star talent of their own. As football teams go, they are the most complete in the Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami, on the other hand, have Messi. But on Saturday night, in what felt like a victory for soccer at large, the best team won. Nashville battered Miami 4-1, and it might have been more had they not become lackadaisical in front of goal after taking off some of their bigger names. They surely have one hand on the Supporters’ Shield now, barring a shocking collapse.
Elsewhere, the league was all over the place. Bad teams won for the first time in months. Good teams settled for truly turgid draws. And the Houston Dynamo, whom many viewed as the epitome of mediocrity entering the season, are now serious contenders to win the West. Who would have thought?
GOAL rounds up the action from MLS on Saturday evening...
Mukhtar outduels Messi
First versus second, then. Inter Miami welcomed back Leo Messi, who made his first start since the passing of his father. Nashville, though, set up with no fear. They committed bodies forward and played as if Miami’s array of attacking talent were of little concern.
And the home side dominated proceedings. Andy Najar and Cristian Espinoza torched Miami down the left. Hany Mukhtar picked up all sorts of dangerous positions through the middle. Nashville were good value for the opener: Elias Saad’s ripping, snorting cross found Najar at the far post.
Miami appeared to have blown their chance to get back into it when Messi missed from the penalty spot. But Telasco Segovia eventually equalized, courtesy of a quite wonderful Messi assist.
Yet this was Nashville’s night. The Eastern Conference leaders only grew more assertive as the game wore on, while a slew of defensive errors from the Herons allowed Nashville to grab three more. The final scoreline, in truth, was kind to Miami.
Houston go top
How about the Houston Dynamo? The Texas side spent big over the winter to revamp a struggling squad. They brought back Hector Herrera after a Mexican interlude. So, too, came Mateusz Bogusz and Guilherme. It took a while for things to click, but now they have hit their stride in full. Ben Olsen has found some of his mojo as a head coach, and the Dynamo, crucially, are solid defensively.
They proved as such against the struggling LA Galaxy on Saturday night. They had one really good chance, in truth, a penalty that Guilherme simply stroked home. A third red card of the season for Carlos Garces ensured the Galaxy's threat was largely muted. Even the introduction of high-profile San Diego FC loanee Chucky Lozano couldn't change the game. By the time the final whistle blew, Houston, expected to be so middling, were top of the West.
Atlanta United get their win...
How good that must have been for Tata Martino! The new/old Atlanta boss has endured a miserable second act in the city where he became a hero. He warned, prior to taking the job, that second acts can be difficult. That seemed like a joke, but it turned out to be slightly prophetic. To be sure, some things have gone against him. The structure of the attack is imperfect - too many creative players and not enough legs. The defensive options are also pretty thin.
Still, they were expected to improve from last year's 14th-placed effort. At the start of play Saturday, they were in 15th. And they finished there, too - albeit with a slightly better outlook. They picked up a remarkably deserved win over the struggling New York Red Bulls. After conceding early, the Five Stripes worked their way back into the game. Tristan Muyumba scored a quite lovely equalizer. And then Fafa Picault grabbed the winner with three minutes to play. Atlanta will not make the playoffs this season. Martino might not have a job in three months. But this was a good night.
...and so do Toronto
The signing of Josh Sargent was supposed to signal something of a sea change in Toronto. They needed goals, and here was a guy who scored them at a good level in England. Sargent hasn't really delivered. Toronto are still pretty mediocre. They, quite literally, have not won a game in months.
That is, until Saturday against the New England Revolution. Toronto were actually second-best for long periods. Jack Harrison, signed from Leeds, was quite comfortably the best player on the pitch - and could have scored two on the night. But the Reds were more opportunistic than New England. A deflected strike gave them one goal. Niklas Dorsch, a new signing from Heidenheim, added a quite lovely second. The last few minutes were nervy, not least because of a well-worked goal through Wilson Harris. But Toronto saw New England off.
The playoffs are just about in sight and Toronto are now four points away from a play-in spot as they sit in 12th minute.
A calamity of defensive errors in Charlotte
This was a good advert for MLS chaos. Within the first 45 minutes, there were three goals. It was immensely watchable stuff, with two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference jabbing back and forth. But it was also a good reminder of how dreary some of the defending can be in this league. Within 30 seconds, Brandt Bronico drifted into the box, entirely unmarked, and nutmegged Patrick Schulte at his near post.
Eight minutes later, Schulte played chief culprit, giving the ball away inside his own 18-yard box. Dylan Chambost chopped down his man, and Liel Abada converted from the spot. Then, the Charlotte defense decided to collapse. Tim Ream was outleapt at the far post - not for the first time this summer - to give the Crew a chance. Yet they shot themselves in the foot again. Pep Biel was allowed to stroll into the box, entirely unmarked, and slot home to give Charlotte a 3-1 lead - one they wouldn't relinquish.
