Son can’t stop LAFC slump while Revs overtake Messi’s Miami
By James Nalton
A few of those young players put in notable performances in the latest round of MLS matches, but it was Sullivan and his Philadelphia Union team who once again stole the limelight with a sensational comeback win in Kansas.
Was a wondergoal from Son Heung-min enough to give LAFC a much-needed win? And which team has come up on the rails to overtake Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami?
The latest MLS Wrap answers these questions and has the latest headlines, as well as unearthing some of the more under-the-radar stories in the North American league.
Cavan Sullivan and Philadelphia Union demand weekly attention
There have been points throughout the last three years when you simply can’t do a weekly roundup of MLS without mentioning Inter Miami and Messi.
The individual performances, coinciding with a team regularly winning games and challenging at the top of the table, meant they could not be ignored.
Even if you try to mix it up to give all the teams some coverage at some point, Messi and Miami demand inclusion most weeks.
Few other players have put in consecutive performances that necessitate such constant attention for their team, but one who is doing so currently is Cavan Sullivan at Philadelphia Union.
The Union’s run since Ryan Richter took over as interim coach is outstanding. They are yet to lose an MLS game during his tenure, and this weekend took that unbeaten run to 11 games in the league, featuring nine wins.
Their run of consecutive wins currently stands at five games thanks to a remarkable 4-3 win against Sporting Kansas City this weekend, coming back to take all three points despite having gone 3-0 down.
What’s more, all four of their goals were scored in the space of ten second-half minutes.
A Sporting KC collapse or an unbelievable Philadelphia Union comeback?
Either way, Sullivan, who scored one of those goals to take him to six in his last six games, and the Union are in the headlines once again.
New England overtake Messi and Miami
They haven’t stormed up the table like Philadelphia Union, and aren’t one of those teams having a season of two halves that can be separated neatly into pre and post-World Cup narratives, but New England Revolution have gone about the business of winning more games than they lose or draw in 2026, and have sneaked above Inter Miami in the table as a result.
They also boast a teenage American star of their own in 18-year-old Peyton Miller.
The winger scored twice in this weekend’s 4-2 win against Orlando City, building on the one he scored last week against Chicago Fire, and on the three assists in three games he managed in August.
Precise finishes on the break showed his composure even when running at speed with plenty of time to think. Not bad for a player who started out as a left-back.
On the back of such performances, he received a deserved first call-up to the USMNT for the upcoming international window.
The Revolution also have Carles Gil, who has consistently been one of the best players in MLS for eight seasons now, regardless of the kind of form in which the New England team as a whole have been in those years.
Gil contributed a brace of his own to go with Miller’s, and if they can continue with this combination of individual talent and teamwork and results, they may well remain above Inter Miami for the rest of the season and be a threat in the playoffs.
Top two return to winning ways
While Nashville SC are still on course to set the MLS regular season points record, they were three games without a win going into this weekend.
That this was their longest winless streak of the campaign shows how good they have been this year, and that season-long work means they are still in with a chance of breaking Inter Miami’s regular season points record of 74, set in 2024.
A 3-0 win against Chicago Fire, with goals from the team’s three designated players, Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza, and Hany Mukhtar, was just the result they needed, not only to reaffirm their place at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, but also to show they are still the top team in MLS by some distance.
The next best team in the overall table, Western Conference side Vancouver Whitecaps, have also had a slight blip of late. They lost to Austin FC in the league and were knocked out of Canada’s domestic cup, the Canadian Championship, by fellow MLS side CF Montréal.
A 3-0 win against Real Salt Lake this weekend cemented their place as the closest challengers to Nashville in the Supporters’ Shield race, and though they remain eight points behind the leaders, they do have a game in hand.
The Son and Bouanga show is not enough to stop LAFC slump
It was a California derby full of incidents, as Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga turned on the style, but it wasn’t enough to defeat San Jose Earthquakes.
Son kicked things off with a brilliant, curling left-footed goal from distance before breaking free of the San Jose defence to set up Bouanga for the second.
It was reminiscent of the LAFC of the end of last season, and an attacking combination which had many predicting big things for the pair, and the team, in 2026.
It has not turned out that way, and this game went on to epitomise that.
Aaron Long was shown a red card for a desperate challenge on the edge of his own area, preventing a goal-scoring opportunity for Niko Tsakiris, before goals from Preston Judd and an added-time equaliser from Reid Roberts secured a point for the Earthquakes and kept LAFC on just one win in their last nine MLS games.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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