Nashville SC Maintains Top Spot as Inter Miami Rallies Behind Lionel Messi

Nashville SC secured a 3-2 victory over Red Bull New York with a stoppage-time header from Sam Surridge to remain first in the MLS Power Rankings.

Nashville SC maintained their number one position in the ESPN MLS Power Rankings following a 3-2 victory against Red Bull New York. Despite trailing by two goals early in the match, Nashville benefited from two own goals before Sam Surridge scored the game-winner with a stoppage-time header. The Supporters' Shield winners are now level with Inter Miami’s points record and can surpass it with a single point in their final regular-season fixture. The defeat officially eliminated the Red Bulls from playoff contention for the first time in consecutive seasons.

Inter Miami CF reclaimed second place in the Eastern Conference by defeating the New England Revolution 2-1. Lionel Messi provided a headed assist to Germán Berterame for the equalizer before scoring his 26th goal of the season with a low left-footed strike past Matt Turner. The loss ended New England's four-game winning streak and dropped them to third in the conference, though Dániel Gazdag extended his personal scoring streak to two matches.

In the Western Conference, the Vancouver Whitecaps moved up to sixth in the rankings after a 5-1 win over the Seattle Sounders. Brian White scored a brace starting in the 56th minute to lead the first-place side. Seattle has now recorded three losses and no wins in their last five matches, leaving them one spot outside the wild card positions heading into a Decision Day matchup against LAFC.

Other notable results included Chicago Fire’s 4-2 win over the Colorado Rapids, featuring a goal and an assist from Robert Lewandowski off the bench. FC Cincinnati secured their playoff berth with a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union as Ayoub Jabbari scored the lone goal off a rebound from an Evander strike. Meanwhile, New York City FC was eliminated from the postseason following a 1-1 draw with CF Montréal, who leveled the match in the 91st minute.