🔬 The Debrief on Saturday's rivalry themed MLS action | OneFootball

MLS was back with another full slate of games on Saturday as rivalries took centre stage. Here is what went down.

What happened

Jul 20, 2024; Carson, California, USA; Portland Timbers defender Miguel Araujo (2) and LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig (10) battle for the ball during their MLS soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Eastern Conference continues to be full of drama as leaders Inter Miami held onto all three points over Chicago Fire 2-1 thanks to Jordi Alba heroics.

Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati’s nightmare continues after they stumbled for a third consecutive game in a 3-1 loss to New York Red Bulls.

A hat trick helped Philadelphia Union blast three past Nashville, Columbus stumbled on the road against Atlanta United (2-1), and over in Canada, Toronto survived 1-0 against Montreal.

Over in the Western Conference, Minnesota United won 2-0 over San Jose Earthquakes before things turned chaotic with the late games.

LAFC blanked Seattle 3-0, Vancouver lost Ryan Gauld to injury and 4-3 to Houston Dynamo, Riqui Puig inspired LA Galaxy to hold on and beat Portland 3-2, then a late Cole Bassett penalty saw Colorado Rapids win 3-2 over Real Salt Lake.

The teams that split the points were Orlando City and New York City (1-1), New England and FC Dallas (1-1), Sporting KC and St. Louis (1-1) plus Austin and Charlotte (2-2).

Stat of the night

One of the shocks of the night arrived inside the fortress that is Red Bull Arena.

Player of the night

Hat-trick hero Dániel Gazdag earns this honour after ripping apart Nashville’s defence.

It’s now 14 goals and one assist in 20 MLS games this season for the 28-year-old attacking midfielder.

He is the second player in Union history to hit 80 career goal contributions alongside Sébastien Le Toux (100).

What this means

Jul 20, 2024; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; Real Salt Lake forward Carlos Andrés Gomez (11) celebrates his goal scored in the second half against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

NYRB are the biggest winners in the East with an upset over second-place Cincinnati. A second consecutive slip for Columbus is something they can’t make a habit of, but two games in hand could see the Crew eventually move behind leaders Inter Miami.

Toronto, meanwhile, secured a season double over Montreal and remains in the Final Series play-offs, while New England sits bottom of the table.

Over in the West, back-to-back wins for the Galaxy see them sit top and second in the race for the Supporters’ Shielf. Rivals LAFC, meanwhile, earned their first league win since July 4.

RSL are the biggest losers, slipping further down in the Supporters’ Shield race, dropping points for a third consecutive game. Houston and Minnesota secured three vital points in their playoff hunt and San Jose remains bottom of the table.

What comes next?

We now take a break from the MLS action and turn our attention towards the Leagues Cup. MLS returns on August 24.

Feature image credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports