A seven-goal derby thriller in Miami, a 2-0 to 3-2 turnabout in Ohio, and 104th-minute drama out in San Diego. And we haven\u2019t even gotten to the actual craziest game of the weekend yet.<\/p>\n
Matchday 11 did not fail to entertain. Tune in, turn on, and try to keep up as we tear through the action of a pulsating few days in MLS.<\/p>\n
Purple and pink, an explosive mix<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen some wild Florida derbies since the in-state rivalry sparked to life when Inter Miami CF<\/a> entered MLS in 2020. Orlando City<\/a>\u2019s tormenter-in-chief, Lionel Messi<\/a>, added a memorable chapter just a few weeks ago, when he snarkily punctuated the clinching goal of the Herons\u2019 stunning comeback from 2-0 down to 4-2 winners<\/a> with an autograph gesture<\/a> towards the OCSC bench.<\/p>\n But Saturday\u2019s instant classic at Nu Stadium pushed all that right into the shade, didn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Still hunting their first victory at their new home, Miami shoved Orlando into a 3-0 hole with barely half an hour played and were pushing hard for more, peppering Max Cr\u00e9peau<\/a>\u2019s goal with shot after shot. You\u2019d hardly have guessed what transpired next: A Mart\u00edn Ojeda<\/a> hat trick fueling a ferocious fightback from the Lions, who stunned the home crowd by drawing level at three goals apiece with 10 minutes left, then snatched the 4-3 victory<\/a> at the death with\u00a0Tyrese Spicer<\/a>\u2019s delirious injury-time strike.<\/p>\n So the Herons will have to wait a while longer for those inaugural three points at Nu. And Orlando, \u201clittle by little,\u201d in the words<\/a> of interim head coach Mart\u00edn Perelman, \u201care getting closer to the team we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Lazarus acts from Loons, LAFC<\/p>\n Miami weren\u2019t the only team to blow a healthy lead on home turf this weekend.<\/p>\n Thanks to a banger from homegrown Taha Habroune<\/a> and a close-range finish from Hugo Picard<\/a>, the Columbus Crew<\/a> were two goals to the good against Minnesota United<\/a> as the clock approached the hour mark at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field Saturday. Then… the Loons\u2019 aerial bombardment began to take its toll.<\/p>\n Flashing the set-piece prowess that was so devastating last year, MNUFC reeled off three unanswered goals \u2013 two from Kelvin Yeboah<\/a> and the last from Anthony Markanich<\/a>, off a long throw-in, a corner kick and a deep cross, respectively \u2013 to steal victory from the jaws of defeat and leave the Crew fuming.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just have to be dogs,\u201d Habroune said postgame<\/a>. \u201cWe were just soft going into all those set pieces. They just wanted it more than us, and they got their goals from it.\u201d<\/p>\n LAFC pulled off a similar trick a few hours later out West at Snapdragon Stadium. Even with Son Heung-Min<\/a> rested, the Angelenos dug out two late goals, the second from (you guessed it) a corner kick<\/a>, to erase San Diego FC<\/a>\u2019s hard-earned 2-0 lead and snatch a 2-2 draw<\/a>, extending\u00a0Los Ni\u00f1os\u2019 winless skid to nine games across all competitions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just what Black & Gold fans would want to see as their side prepares to travel into the high-altitude lions\u2019 den that is Estadio Nemesio D\u00edez, where they\u2019ll defend their 2-1 aggregate lead<\/a> over back-to-back LIGA MX champions Toluca in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> semifinal clash on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, this stuff doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d said FC Cincinnati<\/a> head coach Pat Noonan after his side\u2019s unhinged 3-2 road win<\/a> over the Chicago Fire<\/a> on Saturday, and that phrase probably sums up this game more elegantly than anything we can come up with.<\/p>\n Fire marksman Hugo Cuypers<\/a> scored his ninth and 10th goals of the season to take a joint share of the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi lead alongside FC Dallas<\/a>\u2019 Petar Musa<\/a>. A 56th-minute red card to Kyle Smith<\/a> for a careless boot to the face of Robin Lod<\/a> gave the home side a numerical advantage for most of the second half at Soldier Field. Then Philip Zinckernagel<\/a> drew a penalty kick for the Fire in second-half injury time.<\/p>\n Yet all that still wasn\u2019t enough to neutralize the Orange & Blue. Chicagoland native Roman Celentano<\/a> saved Cuypers\u2019 PK, one of eight saves he made on his homecoming, several of them absurdly good. Then, when the tables turned minutes later, Cincy earned a spot kick of their own in the final seconds, and star playmaker Evander<\/a> converted to bag his\u00a0first career hat trick<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the third time this season FCC have come back from a deficit to take points with 10 men.<\/p>\n What\u2019s that they say about 2-0 being the most dangerous lead in soccer? Don\u2019t tell the Portland Timbers<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Rose City side\u2019s nascent upswing came to a shuddering halt in the mountain air of Utah Saturday afternoon, as Real Salt Lake<\/a> dealt out the most one-sided two-goal victory you\u2019re likely to witness in a while.<\/p>\n Zavier Gozo<\/a> got things going early with a sizzling one-timer, Diego Luna<\/a> clinched it with a clinical finish not long after and with 13 saves, Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis<\/a> had to work mighty hard to keep it from getting worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve noted more than once this spring, RSL\u2019s kids are appointment viewing, and for all the chatter about whether Luna will make the US men\u2019s national team<\/a>\u2019s 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> roster, more people might well be wondering why Mauricio Pochettino doesn\u2019t give Gozo a call, too.<\/p>\n Have D.C. United<\/a> turned a corner?<\/p>\n With Sunday\u2019s well-deserved 2-0 win<\/a> over New York City FC<\/a> at Citi Field, one of the league\u2019s chronic underachievers over the past several years has climbed up to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Here they rode a two-goal outing from Louis Munteanu<\/a>, the club-record winter signing who finally seems to be hitting his stride after injuries slowed his start with the Black-and-Red.<\/p>\n The Romanian\u2019s tallies were nothing fancy: A point-blank tap-in after NYCFC failed to defend a long throw into their box, and a late penalty kick to ice the W. It\u2019s still manna in the desert for a D.C. squad who seem to have fashioned last month\u2019s embarrassing US Open Cup<\/a> loss to USL League One side One Knoxville SC into a positive turning point, as they\u2019re undefeated in their four matches since, three of them on the road.<\/p>\n Be it in Queens or the Bronx, the Big Apple has been a nightmare destination for United: D.C. carried an all-time record of 2W-8L-2D at NYCFC into this afternoon fixture, which underlines the weight of their performance. Conversely, that\u2019s now seven league games winless for the reeling Pigeons.<\/p>\n \n Around the grounds<\/p>\n The San Jose Earthquakes<\/a> remain your Supporters\u2019 Shield leaders, having lost just one match this season while boasting a remarkable 5W-0L-1D record on the road. That was mere inches from changing in Toronto<\/a> on Saturday afternoon, however. The Quakes gutted out a 1-1 draw<\/a> at BMO Field most notable for an absolutely unreal goal-line clearance by their young defender Reid Roberts<\/a> to deny D\u00e1niel Salloi<\/a> a dramatic late winner.<\/p>\n Coaches, parents, aunties, uncles and such \u2013 please play this clip for the aspiring ballers in your life to help remind them: Never, ever, ever give up on the play.<\/p>\n Croatian World Cup hopeful\u00a0Petar Musa<\/a>\u2019s continued scoring pace for FC Dallas<\/a> is the obvious story from the North Texans\u2019 2-0 road win<\/a> over Red Bull New York<\/a>. But don\u2019t sleep on what a cool moment their second strike was for MLS NEXT Pro<\/a> success story Sam Sarver<\/a>. Not only was it Sarver\u2019s first-ever MLS goal, but it took place on the very same night his role model, mentor and former Columbus Crew teammate\u00a0Bradley Wright-Phillips<\/a> was inducted into RBNY\u2019s \u2018Legends Row\u2019 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Just look at what it means to the 23-year-old.<\/p>\n Probably nowhere is the gap between performances and outcomes any bigger than with St. Louis CITY SC<\/a>, who continue to do so much right in the first 80 to 90 yards of the pitch only to fall apart in front of opponents\u2019 goals.<\/p>\n STL probably should\u2019ve beaten Austin FC<\/a> on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, but contrived to flub one scoring chance after another and paid the price with a 2-0 loss<\/a>. The frustration building around Yoann Damet\u2019s willing, misfiring squad is tangible.<\/p>\n