Cavan's epic brace, Nashville's Shield grip & more from Matchday 26 | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

MLS Matchday 26 featured 15 games involving all 30 clubs.

Yet in its wake, two words above all will be on the lips of soccer likers across North America and beyond: Cavan Sullivan.

The Philadelphia Union’s wunderkind struck again out in Southern California on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, extending his – and his team’s – remarkable run of form, and cranking up the volume on his US men’s national team prospects as we count down to Mauricio Pochettino’s release of the Yanks’ roster for the upcoming FIFA international window.

No surprise that we’ll start our whiparound at Snapdragon Stadium.

Philadelphia Union

Cavan in Cali

Philly’s 16-year-old phenom had perhaps the most impressive outing of his fledgling MLS career on Sunday, notching his first MLS brace and adding an assist for good measure as the Union utterly smashed San Diego FC, 5-0.

And these were no run-of-the-mill finishes, either.

Now, we’re not about to call him the American Messi or anything rash like that. Peep the statistics, though: both Sullivan (5g/7a) and Lionel Messi (7g/5a) have racked up 12 goal contributions in their last seven games. That’s the GOAT, the two-time defending Landon Donovan MLS MVP we’re talking about.

There’s an understandable sentiment to be cautious about Cavan, to pump the brakes on the hype train that so often gathers behind highly talented North American prospects when they catch our attention. Pochettino himself did much the same, albeit without mentioning anyone by name, when he spoke with reporters on Labor Day.

But, look: The younger of the Union’s Sullivan siblings is doing stuff we’ve never seen from a teenager in MLS, week in, week out. And it’s powering a legit Lazarus act by his team, who are now 8W-0L-2D since the FIFA World Cup pause, looking not so much like an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs qualifier as a legit dark-horse title threat.

Nashville SC

Herons held again in top-of-the-table tussle

Nu Stadium witnessed a No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF on Walmart Saturday Showdown, a clash that crackled with quality and intensity – and it might just have given us a preview of the Eastern Conference final as well.

This was two heavyweights trading haymakers, “a big boys' game,” in the words of NSH head coach B.J. Callaghan. Sam Surridge struck early for the visitors. Miami counterpunched viciously and seemed to have a grasp on all three points when Lionel Messi netted his MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi-leading 19th goal of the season just past the hour mark.

The Coyotes had one more sting left in the tail, though. After solid work from supersub Shak Mohammed, Surridge poached expertly to snatch the 2-2 leveler in second-half stoppage time, sniffing out a rebound at the back post to steal yet another two points from the Herons in their own house. With a 3W-2L-6D record at Nu, IMCF have now taken just 15 of the 33 points available to them at their glittering new home.

As a result, what could’ve been a dire week for Nashville – who got ambushed by Toronto FC at midweek – got a lot less ugly. NSH’s lead over their closest Supporters' Shield pursuers, Vancouver and Miami, shrunk a bit, yes, yet remains healthy: eight and nine points, respectively.

WATCH: Messi, Miami & Surridge, Nashville battle in instant classic!

FC Cincinnati

Six in Cincy

One of the weekend’s most unhinged games unfolded at TQL Stadium, and yes, you’ve heard that before. FC Cincinnati and opportunistic Charlotte FC traded haymakers for 90-plus minutes before Kévin Denkey’s injury-time equalizer imposed a 3-3 deadlock in the end. Also, don’t miss the Squirrelinho content.

As dramatic as the finish was, Denkey’s non-celebration speaks volumes about the hosts’ overall discontent. Head coach Pat Noonan described it as “a shame” to have dropped points again despite a superior expected goals tally, while goalscorer Pavel Bucha was even blunter, pointing out that “you cannot concede three goals and think about winning the game.”

One of MLS’s top defenses last season, where they finished second in the Supporters’ Shield race, Cincy have now grown perilously leaky. FCC have conceded a whopping 12 goals in their last three games, which leaves them on 59 goals allowed this season, a generous 2.46 per game, level with last-place Sporting KC.

It’s probably no coincidence that the Orange & Blue have, according to multiple media reports and the player himself, parted ways with Matt Miazga, the cornerstone of their back line for the last three-plus years and a victim of some serious injury woes, a few months before the expiration of his contract.

WATCH: Cincinnati, Charlotte slug it out in six-goal thriller

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting stunner

Speaking of that bottom-dwelling SKC side, after losing six of their last seven games, during which time they’ve continued to flirt with some of the worst statistics in the league’s history, they pulled off the shock result of the weekend, knocking off star-studded LAFC, 3-1.

It all started with an absolute banger from their new record signing, André Luiz:

Take note, however, of how the Midwesterners soon doubled their lead: via Taylor Calheira, a standout in the USL Championship acquired by Kansas City last year for far, far, far less than the $18 million Luiz reportedly cost. That’s a reminder of the massive importance of under-the-radar and value signings for competitiveness in contemporary MLS. Shout-out to Sporting goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland as well; his seven saves were crucial in staving off the Angelenos’ furious second-half rally.

“The problem is, in the first half we stayed on the plane,” lamented LAFC boss Marc Dos Santos, whose team have won just once in eight league matches since the start of August. “In the first half we were still in LA, maybe. Very disappointing.”

One more note from this upset: The numbers suggest SKC defender Wyatt Meyer, a depth signing from Nashville over the winter, has quietly become a vital cog in their rebuild.

Orlando City

Onward, Orlando

The terminally online among us may have noticed Antoine Griezmann’s visceral discomfort with central Florida’s uniquely ferocious summer blend of heat and humidity birthed a hilarious internet meme last week. All that sweat hasn’t slowed down Orlando City’s incredible surge, though.

With a six-point week that runs their winning streak to three straight games, Grizi and the Lions just keep cruising. They were markedly superior to their Southern rivals Atlanta United in a 3-2 victory on Wednesday, then committed a bit of highway robbery as Toronto visited Inter.co Stadium on Saturday, seizing the lead via Griezmann near the halfway point and countering the Canadians to death down the stretch for a 3-0 W that made a mockery of TFC’s expected-goals superiority.

“They killed us in the right moments,” observed new Reds midfielder Niklas Dorsch. “Even when it was 1-0 for Orlando, a lot of chances for us in the end. Orlando today was more killer than us.”

That starts with Grizi, who also scored twice at midweek and is now up to 8g/3a in just 10 MLS appearances, though it’s also a credit to homegrown attacker Justin Ellis, who’s notched assists in four straight games, and the Lions’ speed in transition via the likes of Iván Angulo and Tyrese Spicer.

WATCH: Antoine Griezmann sparks Orlando City in playoff hunt

St. Louis CITY SC

Rollin’ on the river

St. Louis CITY SC paid tribute to local icon Tina Turner with their gold away kits this year, and as their unbeaten streak rolls onward like the Mississippi River that flows a mile and a half east of Energizer Park, powering a steady climb up the standings, it feels only right to call back to her memorable hit ‘Proud Mary.’

With Saturday’s emphatic 4-2 home win over struggling Minnesota United, the Ravioli Boyz have now gone 16 matches across all competitions without tasting defeat – and may even be shifting into a higher gear, just in time for Wednesday’s US Open Cup semifinal date with Colorado, where a win will take them to the doorstep of the oldest trophy in the United States.

Pricey summer signings Carlo Holse and Rafa Navarro each produced two goal contributions in this one, the latter bagging his second straight brace, as STL continue to tweak their usual 3-4-2-1 shape to incorporate two out-and-out strikers up top. What’s your favorite, Holse’s curler or Rafa’s delicate chip?

The Loons, meanwhile, keep sinking. They’ve won just one league match since early May and now sit 12th in the West, looking bereft of ideas or inspiration. Their fun fling with James Rodríguez back in the spring feels like a different era entirely.

Around the Grounds

Are Austin FC making a postseason push? The Verde & Black stunned West leaders Vancouver on Sunday with a 2-1 smash-and-grab road win, their third in three visits to the Cascadia clubs, led by some astonishingly efficient finishing from veteran striker Christian Ramírez.

How efficient? We’re talking four shots for the entire team, two of them on target, both of them icily clinical strikes from the guy they call ‘Superman.’

Factoring in their run to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, ATXFC have now lost just twice in 11 overall matches over the past month and are only one point below the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line despite a dismal start to the season.

WATCH: Christian Ramírez brace powers Austin FC to shock win over Vancouver

The most valuable result of the weekend might just have been New York City FC’s 2-0 win at Real Salt Lake, a hard-earned win at high altitude that snaps a seven-game winless skid and, the Pigeons hope, turns the page on a dog-days swoon of just one win in 10 across all comps.

The story might be very different were it not for US international goalkeeper Matt Freese, however, who produced a remarkable double save to keep this one scoreless in the early going: