Miami Aim to Become First Team to Punch Playoff Ticket
With all attention now turned to the final stretch of the MLS season, Inter Miami CF have the playoffs in their sights as they return to league action. Miami can clinch an Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs berth with a win against FC Cincinnati on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) or a myriad of other combinations based off other Eastern Conference results (LINK).
By clinching a spot in the postseason this weekend, Miami would become the fourth team to do so within the first 26 games of a 34-game season, joining LAFC (25 games in 2022 and 2019) and Cincinnati (26 in 2023). A win would also go a long way in the Supporters’ Shield race, as they currently lead the LA Galaxy by four points and Cincinnati by five. The Herons have yet to win a playoff game in their brief club history and a victory this weekend gives them another chance to do so in October.
The fastest teams to clinch an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth (34-game regular season era):
Road Win No. 10 in Cincinnati’s Sights
On the other end of the marquee matchup on Matchday 29 is an FC Cincinnati team that has been sensational on the road in 2024 with nine wins and 28 points in total. Only three teams in the post-shootout era have reached 10 road wins in a single season, with the last to do so CF Montréal in 2022, when they produced 11.
Luckily for the Orange and Blue, the club bolstered their squad in the Secondary Transfer Window with Nicholas Gioacchini (Designated Player forward) and Chidozie Awaziem (Nigerian international defender) ahead of their Audi MLS Cup Playoffs push. Additionally, Cincinnati also has confidence against Miami after inflicting the worst loss in their club history on July 6 when they beat the Herons, 6-1, at TQL Stadium.
The most road wins in a single season (excluding the shootout era):
First to 400 – LA Galaxy Chasing MLS History
Coming out of Leagues Cup last season, the LA Galaxy were second-to-last in the Western Conference. Fast-forward 12 months and the club is one of the primary contenders for MLS Cup presented by Audi as they sit second in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 49 points (14-5-7). The resurgence has been led by Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Riqui Puig alongside dynamic young attackers Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil. Reinforcements also joined in the summer window as Borussia Dortmund and German Men’s National Team great Marco Reus joined the club as a free agent.
One of the league’s founding clubs, the Galaxy can make history with a win on Saturday against Atlanta United (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) by becoming the first club in MLS history to reach 400 regular-season victories. LA currently has a 25-win lead over the New York Red Bulls and they also sport the best winning percentage among the founding MLS clubs.
The most regular-season wins in MLS history:
Jordan Morris Looking to Continue Hot Scoring in MLS Play
Seattle Sounders FC forward Jordan Morris scored three times in Leagues Cup 2024, helping the club progress to the quarterfinals. Now, as they turn the page to MLS regular-season action, Seattle sits seventh in the Western Conference (37 points, 10-8-7) and looks poised to make a patented Sounders postseason push.
For Morris, he currently sits on nine goals in regular-season play in 2024 and can hit double-digits on Saturday when the Sounders travel to face Minnesota United FC (6:45 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / FOX). By scoring his 10th goal, Morris would become the first player in Sounders history to produce five different seasons with at least 10 goals, eclipsing his teammate Raúl Ruidíaz (four) in the process.
The most 10-goal regular seasons in Seattle Sounders FC history:
