MLS Decision Day 2024: 74 points for Inter Miami, playoff positions
The 2024 Major League Soccer regular season ended on Saturday, starting with Montreal shutting out NYCFC 2-0 at home. Caden Clark put Montreal up in the 18th and Josef Martinez scored a minute into first-half stoppage time. Montreal finished 8th in the East and NYCFC finished in 7th-place.
“For the team, it’s a boost of confidence, more confidence,” Atlanta coach Tata Martino said. “As we said before, these 74 points weren’t something planned or a goal we had when the season started, but as it became within reach, we tried to achieve it, and today we were able to do so.”
Nashville won 3-0 at Chicago, taking the lead from an Alex Muyl goal in the 54th. Sam Surridge doubled the lead in the 87th and Jacob Shaffelburg finished off the scoring a minute into stoppage time. Nashville finished 12th and Chicago finished 15th.
Charlotte won 3-0 at DC United. Pep Biel put Charlotte up in the 58th, Patrick Agyemang scored in the 75th, and Liel Abada finished off the goals a minute into stoppage time. Charlotte finished 5th and DC United finished 10th.
Inter Miami came back to beat New England 6-2 in Fort Lauderdale after falling behind to a Luca Langoni goal in the 2nd. Dylan Borrero doubled the Revolution lead in the 34th. Luis Suarez pulled a goal back for Miami in the 40th and equalized in the 43rd. Inter Miami went ahead from a Benjamin Cremaschi goal in the 58th with Lionel Messi scoring in the 78th, 81st, and 89th minutes. Inter Miami had already clinched the Supporters’ Shield finishing 1st in the East with 74 points. New England finished in 14th-place.
Columbus won 3-2 at the New York Red Bulls, taking the lead from an Aziel Jackson goal in the 2nd. Yevhen Cheberko made it 2-0 Columbus in the 13th. Emil Forsberg scored for the Red Bulls in the 78th and equalized from the penalty spot in the 87th. Columbus got a late winner from Malte Amundsen seven minutes into stoppage time. The Crew finished 2nd with the Red Bulls finishing 7th.
Atlanta beat Orlando 2-1 at home, going ahead from a Saba Lobjanidze goal in the 7th. Jamal Thiare made it 2-0 Orlando in the 16th. Orlando’s Martin Ojeda pulled a goal back in the 42nd. Atlanta failed to convert a penalty in the 47th minute. Atlanta finished 9th and will play at Montreal in the wildcard on Tuesday. Orlando finished in 4th-place.
“Joy. I feel really proud,” Atlanta interim head coach Rob Valentino said. “There’s a lot of emotion. I feel a lot of joy for the people, the players, the staff, the people at the club that have had a tough year. I don’t know if this vindicates it, it just shows you can do anything if you keep showing up. Just keep showing up, keep doing your work, staying resilient, stay persistent and things went our way.”
FC Cincinnati came back to win 2-1 at Philadelphia, falling behind to a Quinn Sullivan goal in the 2nd. Yamil Asad equalized for Cincinnati four minutes into first-half stoppage time. An own-goal put Cincinnati up for good in the 46th minute. Cincinnati finished 3rd with Philadelphia finishing 12th.
“Really strong performance,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “I’m happy for the guys that they get to play some music in there and enjoy a good win against a very difficult opponent in a tough place. Yeah, there’s just a lot of good things. And it was nice to see them rewarded after what was two really good weeks of training. And I thought that carried over into the game today. So a lot of guys stepped up.”
Austin beat Colorado 3-2 at home, going ahead from a Sebastian Driussi penalty in the 8th. Colorado’s Rafael Navarro equalized in the 42nd and Omir Fernandez converted a penalty in the 75th. Ethan Finlay leveled the score for Austin a minute into stoppage time and Brendan Hines-Ike converted a penalty two minutes later. Austin finished 20th and Colorado finished in 7th-place.
Dallas beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at home, going ahead from a Petar Musa goal in the 16th. An own-goal doubled the Dallas lead in the 40th. Sporting KC’s William Agada pulled a goal back in the 89th minute. Dallas finished 11th and Sporting finished 13th.
“For the sake of our fans and for our pride as a team and as a club, we wanted to finish off on a good note,” FC Dallas midfielder Sebastian Lletget said. “We know we have a lot to work on. This was not the season that we had hoped for, this was not the season that we worked for, That is the reality, we just have to keep going.”
Houston beat the LA Galaxy 2-1 at home. Ezequiel Ponce scored for the Dynamo in the 44th with Gabriel Pec converting a Galaxy penalty six minutes into stoppage time. Houston retook the lead from a Daniel Steres goal eleven minutes into stoppage time. The Dynamo finished 5th and the Galaxy finished 2nd.
“It feels good to get the three points,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said. “We aim to entertain, and we did that in front of a packed house. These are great nights and the ones you remember. It was a playoff atmosphere and a great opponent to prepare us for the playoffs. We also set a new single-season club record with 54 points, so we are continuing to build and push for sustainable success.”
LAFC won 2-1 at home over San Jose after falling behind to a Jackson Yueill goal in the 9th. Denis Bouanga equalized for LAFC in the 64th, Eduard Atuesta gave them the lead in the 75th, and Marlon scored a minute into stoppage time. LAFC won the Western Conference with a tiebreaker over the Galaxy and San Jose finished 14th.
“We felt our first-half, we were not good,” Bouanga said. “We were lacking focus and concentration and the coach reminded us of what we’re supposed to do and we did. We were more aggressive and more offensive in the second-half and it worked.”
Minnesota beat St Louis 4-1 at home, taking the lead from a Robin Lod goal in the 21st. Jeong Sang-Bin doubled the United lead in the 72nd. St Louis pulled a goal back through Marcel Hartel in the 75th. An own-goal extended the Minnesota lead in the 78th and Sang-Bin scored again in the 83rd minute. United finished 6th and St Louis finished 12th.
“It’s just that next-man-up mentality,” Minnesota forward Tani Oluwaseyi said. “We’ve had it from the beginning of the year, when we started off flying. Whoever is on the field, the 11 on the field, they’re just going to go out there and perform. And guys aren’t going to be happy if (they’re) not starting or whatever it may be. But that’s just the game’s the game. So you just kind of keep your head down and just keep working. And when you’re called upon, just do your part. And that’s what every single guy here has been doing so far.”
Real Salt Lake came back to beat Vancouver 2-1 at home, falling behind to a Ryan Gauld goal in the 58th. Diego Luna equalized for RSL in the 73rd and an own-goal put them up for good in the 82nd. The Whitecaps failed to convert a penalty in the 52nd minute. Real Salt Lake finished 3rd and Vancouver finished 8th.
Seattle drew 1-1 with Portland at home, taking the lead from a Yeimar Gomez goal in the 37th. Antony equalized for the Timbers in the 68th. The Sounders played a man down from the 69th when Obed Vargas saw red. Seattle finished 4th. Portland finished 9th and will host 8th-place Vancouver on Wednesday in the wildcard game due to a scheduling conflict.
Quotes courtesy of MLS team press releases.
