MLS Matchday 10 wrapped up a busy week of action. Matchday 9 provided midweek action, and Matchday 10 followed three days later.
The San Jose Earthquakes continue to roll at the top of the Western Conference. A 3-2 win over St. Louis City sees them three points ahead of the second-place Vancouver Whitecaps and seven points ahead of third-place LAFC. The Quakes are off to their best start in MLS history.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Union continue to stumble. A 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew sees last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners sitting dead last in the conference. Philly continues to trip over itself, and it’s going to be a tough climb for the rest of the season. They host conference leaders Nashville SC on Saturday.
Nashville leads the East with a four-point gap over second-place Inter Miami. Nashville defeated Charlotte FC 4-2 on Saturday, and Miami drew 1-1 with the New England Revolution.
The Chicago Fire jumped into third with a 5-0 win over Sporting Kansas City and New England’s draw with Miami. Both Chicago and New England continue mightily impressive seasons, the Revs more so.
Here is a recap of some of the best from Matchday 10.
Cavan Sullivan (6) looks to create an attack for the Philadelphia Union vs Columbus Crew SC.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union
San Jose can’t be stopped!
The Quakes were a team to keep an eye on in 2026, but I don’t think anyone saw them being this good. Timo Werner’s addition was big, but he has really transcended this club.
Preston Judd picked up the first goal of the game in the 8th minute, and the Quakes had the lead entering the second half.
St. Louis got two quick goals in the 52nd and 53rd minutes to go up 2-1, but then it was Timo Time.
Werner gave the Quakes the equalizer in the 69th minute courtesy of a penalty, then pulled San Jose ahead in the 83rd minute. In just seven matches this year, Werner has four goals and three assists. The Quakes are serious contenders in the West this year.
Nashville rolls over Charlotte
Like Nashville has been doing all this year, they came out aggressively against Charlotte. Hany Mukhtar scored first in the 19th minute, followed by Ahmeed Qasem in the 25th minute. Charlotte brought the match to within one in the 42nd minute from a goal by Idan Toklomaty.
Pep Biel brought things level in the 67th minute with a great shot from outside the box. After that equalizer, Nashville and Sam Surridge took control again. Surridge scored a brace (60th minute, 74th minute) to put Nashville up by two again. Surridge put the match out of reach late, and Nashville picked up three points.
Dominance from Chicago
Utter second-half dominance by the Chicago Fire gave them a 5-0 win over Sporting Kansas City. The first 45 minutes were quite even. Chicago controlled possession but couldn’t break Kansas City’s defense. Hugo Cuypers had a penalty chance, but was denied by John Pulskamp.
In the second half, Chicago broke through. Philip Zinckernagel got the first goal in the 52nd minute, then added a brace in the 65th minute. Cuypers got on the board in the 73rd minute, followed by Maren Haile-Selassie in the 79th minute, then Cuypers again in the 90+8th minute.
Patience from Chicago paid off in this one, and they are sitting fourth in the East.
Austin wins the Walmart Saturday Showdown
Austin FC badly needed this win. They were romped 5-1 by San Jose on Wednesday, and their last win was on March 1 against DC United. So these were three big points for Austin.
Jayden Nelson wasted no time putting Austin ahead in the 13th minute. Austin created a smooth-working sequence, and Nelson was able to capitalize on it. This goal set the tone for the remainder of the first half.
In the first half stoppage time, Mytro Uzuni doubled the lead for Austin. Messy defending from Houston on a free kick allowed Uzuni’s shot to find its way into the goal.
Austin shifted in a tight defensive structure in the second half to prevent any real chances for Houston. They controlled the remainder of the match and walked away with three points and a clean sheet.
Portland pulls off a win over San Diego
San Diego FC has been interesting this year, but not in a good way. They sit 11th in the West after a historic inaugural season in 2025. San Diego can’t seem to catch any breaks this year.
Kevin Kelsy put Portland ahead in the 26th minute after pouncing on poor defensive passing from San Diego. Anders Dreyer converted on a penalty just a few minutes later in the 33rd minute to bring things level and give San Diego some energy heading into the second half.
The next 45 minutes were tight with San Diego controlling possession. In stoppage time, Portland won it. On a scramble from a corner kick, Alex Bonetig found enough of the ball in the box to score his first-ever MLS goal, which ended up being the match-winner.
All results from Matchday 10
Toronto FC 1-2 Atlanta United
CF Montreal 1-0 NYCFC
Minnesota United 0-1 LAFC
Columbus Crew 2-0 Philadelphia Union
DC United 3-2 Orlando City
FC Cincinnati 2-0 New York Red Bulls
Inter Miami 1-1 New England Revolution
Austin FC 2-0 Houston Dynamo
Chicago Fire 5-0 Sporting Kansas City
Nashville SC 4-2 Charlotte FC
St. Louis City 2-3 San Jose Earthquakes
San Diego FC 1-2 Portland Timbers
Seattle Sounders 2-1 FC Dallas
Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 Colorado Rapids
LA Galaxy 2-1 Real Salt Lake
Referee Tori Penso, center, issues a yellow card to FC Dallas forward Nicholas Simmonds (16) during the first half against Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field.
Stephen Brashear
Nashville SC – 22 pts
Inter Miami – 19 pts
Chicago Fire – 17 pts
New England Revolution – 16 pts
Charlotte FC – 14 pts
Toronto FC – 13 pts
NYCFC – 12 pts
Columbus Crew – 12 pts
FC Cincinnati – 12 pts
DC United – 12 pts
New York Red Bulls – 12 pts
CF Montreal – 9 pts
Atlanta United – 7 pts
Orlando City – 7 pts
Philadelphia Union – 5 pts
San Jose Earthquakes forward Timo Werner (11) celebrates after scoring against St. Louis CITY SC in the second half at Energizer Park.
Joe Puetz
San Jose Earthquakes – 27 pts
Vancouver Whitecaps – 24 pts
LAFC – 20 pts
Seattle Sounders – 19 pts
Minnesota United – 17 pts
Real Salt Lake – 16 pts
Colorado Rapids – 13 pts
FC Dallas – 13 pts
Houston Dynamo – 12 pts
LA Galaxy – 12 pts
San Diego FC – 11 pts
Portland Timbers – 10 pts
Austin FC – 10 pts
St. Louis City – 6 pts
Sporting Kansas City – 4 pts
MORE: Instant reaction: 3 takeaways after the Union’s seventh loss of 2026 at Columbus