LAFC secured a playoff spot with a 0-0 draw at Portland, remaining unbeaten in five regular-season matches but sitting one point behind Philadelphia in the Supporters' Shield race. Philadelphia returned to the top of the Shield standings after a 4-0 win over Chicago and face two important road matches beginning with Cincinnati. Inter Miami beat Tigres in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals but drew with D.C. United while Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were unavailable; Miami remains within Shield contention and is focused on the Leagues Cup semifinal. Cincinnati lost 1-0 at home to NYCFC amid heavy transfer activity and injury issues, appearing to search for cohesion.
A 0-0 draw against Portland was enough to stay atop the Western Conference and clinch a playoff spot (the first team to confirm their postseason berth and the fastest expansion club to do so), but not enough to hang on at the top of the Supporters' Shield race. They're undefeated in their last five regular-season games and are behind Philly by just a point. But a revitalized LAFC and stolid Minnesota in their next two weekends could be stumbling blocks to their Shield-chasing dreams.
The Union recovered from last week's stumble against the Red Bulls with a 4-0 victory at home against Chicago. In a weekend that saw multiple rivals drop points, Philly are back on top of the Shield standings, but the race is close. They've got two pivotal tests on the road up next. That starts with Cincinnati, who sit just two points and two spots below them in the Shield race.
Miami beat Tigres in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, but settled for a draw against a lamentable 29th-place D.C. United on the weekend. Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were both absent due to injuries but failed to produce much more offensively than a basement-dwelling squad that haven't won in 11 matches. They're still in reach of the Shield though, and focused on next week's Leagues Cup semifinal.
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