Atlanta United have lost their top spot in the MLS Eastern Conference after a surprising 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
Atlanta had three wins and a draw in their first four games of the season and won their last two by 8-1 aggregate, but they couldn’t match the Columbus-inspired form in front of their home fans.
Crew forward Cristian Ramirez scored a double in the second half and Alexandru Matan provided three assists in Columbus’ second win of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris took the lead with four goals in his team’s 4-1 away victory over Sporting Kansas City.
That’s FOUR for Jordan Morris! pic.twitter.com/aiVAumpFwH
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 26, 2023
The 28-year-old American has more than doubled his three goals in his first four matches to open up a two-goal lead in the rest of the tournament.
When Atlanta lost, it was New England’s revolution to capitalize and lead the Eastern Conference by overcoming Christian Benteke’s strike in the first half to defeat DC United 2-1.
The defeat left DC at the bottom of the standings with four points in five matches, where they were joined by Charlotte after a 1–1 home draw against the New York Red Bulls.
Cincinnati are the only five-match undefeated team in the East, securing their third win with a 1–0 win over Nashville, and two draws as they are one point behind New England.
A 92nd-minute winner gave the Chicago Fire a 3-2 away victory over Inter Miami – their first win of the season – while two goals in the first 10 minutes were enough for Orlando City to defeat the Philadelphia Union 2-1.
LA Galaxy remains winless after a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers, while it was more dramatic for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they needed to equalize in the 98th minute to take a point in their 1-1 tie with Minnesota.
EQUALIZER IN THE LAST MINUTE!
Simon Becher is suitable for @WhitecapsFC. pic.twitter.com/z6zbJiONKO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 26, 2023
Austin squandered a golden opportunity to move up to the Western Conference by dropping points in a 1-1 home draw against the basement-dwelling Colorado Rapids, who doubled their tally for the season with the result.
A 55th-minute penalty from Amine Bassi was enough to give the Houston Dynamo a 1-0 victory over New York City, while the St. Louis City expansion team continued their perfect start in their first season by convincingly thrashing Real Salt 4-0 Lake, leaving them the only side to score a maximum of 15 points in five matches.
In the late window, Los Angeles received a red card in the first half and beat Dallas 2-1, while Toronto drew with the San Jose Earthquakes.