Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 14 matches played on the 36th matchday of the 2024 MLS regular season on Wednesday, October 2.
With just over two weeks remaining in the MLS regular season, 15 teams have clinched a berth in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, including seven teams in the Eastern Conference and eight in the Western Conference. Battles for the final positions and playoff seeding will define the final weeks of the MLS regular season, as clubs look to best position themselves for a playoff push.
Matchday 37 will kick off this weekend and feature 12 matches on Saturday, October 5 and a pair of matches on Sunday, October 6.
Inter Miami Wins First Supporters’ Shield in Club History
Courtesy of a pair of goals from Lionel Messi and a score from Luis Suárez, Inter Miami CF defeated the Columbus Crew, 3-2, at Lower.com Field to secure the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, an award given to the MLS team with the best overall regular season record by the supporters.
- Photo and video assets of Inter Miami’s season and tonight’s match can be found ***HERE***.
With the accolade, the Herons have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home-field advantage throughout the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. As the Supporters’ Shield winners, Inter Miami will compete in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, marking the second-straight season they will participate in the competition.
Messi scored in the 45th minute with a slight touch past the goalkeeper (Watch Here) before adding his second in first-half stoppage time with a sensational free kick (Watch Here). After Columbus scored quickly after halftime, Suárez restored the two-goal advantage in the 48th minute (Watch Here) as Miami held on to the 3-2 win thanks to a penalty kick save by goalkeeper Drake Callender with six minutes remaining (Watch Here).
With Messi’s first goal, Miami (72 goals) became just the 10th team in MLS history to score at least 70 goals in a season and the club became only the third team since 2011 to win the Supporters’ Shield after missing the playoffs in the previous season, joining LAFC in 2022 and the San Jose Earthquakes in 2012.
Inter Miami returns to action on Saturday as they travel to face Toronto FC (4 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). Miami (68 points, 20-4-8) still has an opportunity to achieve the MLS single-season points record (73, 2021 New England Revolution) by winning their last two matches.
For more information on Inter Miami’s Supporters’ Shield winning season, click HERE.
Charlotte FC Clinches Playoff Position Behind Sensational Swiderski
Charlotte FC punched their ticket to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season in a 4-3 victory over Chicago Fire FC at Bank of America Stadium. With the win, Charlotte (45 points, 12-11-9) leapt to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings and remains within striking distance for home-field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series.
Leading the charge for the Queen City was forward Karol Swiderski, who notched two goals and an assist, and midfielder Pep Biel, who added a pair of assists in the win. The club’s all-time leading scorer, Swiderski now owns six of the 14 multi-goal games in club history and three of the six games in club history with at least three goal contributions.
Charlotte returns to action on Saturday night as they welcome CF Montréal to Bank of America Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) as both clubs look to improve their standing in the Eastern Conference postseason race.
D.C. United Mounts Remarkable Comeback to Keep Postseason Hopes Alive
Trailing 3-2 entering second-half extra time, D.C. United midfielder Gabriel Pirani scored goals in the 94th minute (Watch Here) and 97th minute (Watch Here) to steal a victory from Nashville SC and keep their postseason hopes alive with two matches remaining. D.C. United (37 points, 9-13-10) currently sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, but is tied with ninth-placed Toronto FC (37 points, 11-18-4) on points.
For the second time in club history, D.C. United earned a comeback road victory by scoring both the game-tying and game-winning goals in second-half stoppage time. The previous occurrence happened on July 27, 2003, as Eliseo Quintanilla tied the game in the 91st minute and Dema Kovalenko and Alecko Eskandarian each scored in the 93rd minute in a 4-2 victory over the New England Revolution.
D.C. will look to make up ground in the postseason race on Saturday night as they travel to face the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Puig, Galaxy Flying High in Western Conference
The LA Galaxy faced a difficult road test on Matchday 36, traveling to face the Colorado Rapids, but left Dick’s Sporting Goods Park happy with a 3-1 win as they solidify their place atop the Western Conference. LA’s road victory improved their record to 18-7-7 on the season for a total of 61 points, marking the club’s first 60-point season since 2014 (61). It is only the third time in the post-shootout era that the Galaxy have accomplished this feat (67 in 2011) and the club won MLS Cup presented by Audi on both previous occasions.
Once again, the catalyst of the victory was midfielder Riqui Puig, who scored twice, including the game-winning goal in the 58th minute (Watch Here). Puig is up to 13 goals and 14 assists in 2024 and tonight, reached 50 career goal contributions in the regular season (23 goals, 27 assists). Puig accomplished the feat in his 66th game, becoming the fifth-fastest player in Galaxy history to do, behind only Zlatan Ibrahimović (44), Robbie Keane (48), Carlos Ruiz (56), and Mauricio Cienfuegos (62).
The Galaxy will look to take one step closer to securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Saturday night (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) as they welcome Austin FC to Dignity Health Sports Park.
Minnesota Clinches Playoff Berth and Push for Top Seven
After a physical, scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United FC would have to wait until the end of the night to clinch a berth in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Due to FC Dallas’ loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, this Loons punched their ticket to the postseason for the fifth time in the last six seasons, becoming the eighth team to advance to at least five postseasons over the span.
With two games left in the season, Minnesota will look to jump into the top-seven of the Western Conference to secure an automatic berth in the Round One Best-of-3 Series. The good news for Minnesota? Their contest on Matchday 37 is against the team above them in seventh place – Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who will play host to the Loons at BC Place on Saturday, October 5 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). On the opposite side, a Vancouver win would officially clinch a top-seven seed in this year’s postseason for the Canadian side.
