The latest round of Major League Soccer action wrapped up Monday night following Seattle Sounders' 2-0 home triumph over Sporting Kansas City.
The match at Lumen Field highlighted two Western Conference teams trending in opposite directions. The Sounders climbed into fifth place in the division with 46 points while Sporting KC remained in 12th place with 28 points as head coach Peter Vermes's seat continues heat up.
Inter Miami welcomed Lionel Messi back to the pitch for his first minutes since Copa América in July. Former USMNT interim manager B.J. Callaghan picked up three points for the first time since taking over at Nashville SC. San Jose Earthquakes nightmare of a season continues after its latest defeat while LA Galaxy came back from 2-0 down at halftime to win 4-2 over LAFC in El Tráfico.
Here is SI Soccer's MLS Wrap-up for Matchweek 4.
Inter Miami
As to no one's surprise, Messi stole the show in his return to action Saturday night with a first-half brace. The 37-year-old's goals helped turn around a 1-0 deficit that Miami faced early on after Philadelphia Union's Mikael Uhre stunned fans at Chase Stadium in the second minute.
It was a concerning moment for the Herons. The team has conceded first several times this season and often in the opening 10 minutes. However, the win proved Miami's mentality rarely wavers no matter the opponent.
The Union picked up a little momentum in the second half but were unable to get past Drake Callender. Messi picked up a late assist by setting up Luis Suárez in stoppage time to settle the affair. Miami was already a contender before Messi's return to action, but it just might be favorite with the record Ballon d'Or winner back in the side.
Up next, the Herons hit the road for a midweek contest against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
LA Galaxy
LAFC thought it had closed the gap on its in-state rivals LA Galaxy with a 2-0 halftime lead at Dignity Health Sports Park last weekend. That is, until Riqui Puig and Dejan Joveljic came to life in the second half.
At the interval, LAFC was just one one point off the Galaxy in the Western Conference table. After the final whistle, the Galaxy is now ahead by seven points with weeks remaining in the regular season.
Riqui Puig grabbed a pair of assists and a goal while Joveljic managed a brace to help turn the match around in the second half. Edwin Cerrillo chipped in with a second-half strike and the Galaxy showed true signs of being an MLS Cup contender.
The Galaxy hit the road next weekend for a clash against the in-form Portland Timbers and attacking midfielder Evander at Providence Park.
Nashville SC
Nashville is still trying to break away from the Gary Smith era with a new play style under Callaghan. Under Smith, the team's primary goal was to soak up pressure and hit teams on the counter with Hany Mukhtar spearheading the attack.
Mukhtar is still the focal point in Nashville, but with a twist. Mukhtar is now operating as more of an attacking midfielder across the final third. Instead of playing as a center-forward or in a strike partnership isolated up top, Mukhtar can now operate freely in the opposing team's half to beat a defender or drop deeper if needed to receive the ball.
The Coyotes managed its first win under their new head coach after a difficult stretch of 10 matches.
The squad still needs a bit of work in the transfer window, but Nashville remain in line for a postseason spot. The team is lodged in 14th place in the Eastern Conference table, just four points outside of a playoff spot ahead of a home clash against Chicago Fire.
San Jose Earthquakes
It's been rough 2024 season for San Jose Earthquakes, to say the least. Perhaps the warning signs were there when it finished in a Wild Card spot last season before the season came to an end against Sporting Kansas City.
San Jose still has a few solid players like, Daniel, Cristian Espinoza, Hernan Lopez and Carlos Gruezo. However, they can't do it alone and be expected to shoulder the workload the entire season without quality pieces around them.
What appears to be a lack of investment in the starting lineup has led to San Jose's current predicament. San Jose is in dead-last in the Supporters' Shield standings with a mere 17 points accumulated from 28 matches. The team has just five wins and two draws on the season while suffering 21 defeats.
The Earthquakes stunned the MLS world when it picked up a shock 2-0 win on the road at Real Salt Lake. However, things returned to normal in the next two matches with a 2-1 loss to Minnesota United and a 2-0 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps.
San Jose hasn't been able to establish any sort of momentum this season. The last, and only, time the team managed two consecutive wins this season was in early May over Oakland Roots SC in U.S. Open Cup play and Colorado Rapids in MLS action. Since that match against the Rapids on May 11, San Jose has three wins in 21 outings.
To make things even worse, San Jose could end up making history at the end of the season, just not the sort of history one wants to be part of. The Earthquakes' 65 goals conceded are the most in MLS. The most goals conceded in a single MLS season is 75 set by FC Cincinnati in the 2019 season.
There's a good chance that San Jose could rewrite history and surpass 76 conceded goals. With upcoming matches against Seattle Sounders, Salt Lake and LAFC before the end of the campaign, who knows what might happen.
The Earthquakes return to action this weekend to take on Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field, looking to sit in and take a point away from its Western Conference foes.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Matchweek 32 Wrap-up: Lionel Messi Bags Brace in Inter Miami Return.
