All eyes were on Los Angeles where the celebrity guest list in the VIP area at LAFC’s BMO Stadium was longer than its ever been in Major League Soccer.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Liam Gallagher, Nas, LeBron James, Leonardo DiCaprio and members of Rage Against The Machine were among those in attendance.
They were there to see Inter Miami and Lionel Messi and weren’t disappointed, unless, like LAFC owner Will Ferrell and, apparently, Prince Harry, they were there supporting the home team.
There were several performances in MLS Matchday 30 at least as good as Messi’s, starting with a perfect hat-trick in Montreal, from Columbus Crew’s star striker.
By James Nalton, MLS expert
Cucho Hernández 9.7 (Columbus Crew)
Columbus Crew play some of the best football in MLS and Wilfried Nancy is one of the league’s most impressive coaches.
The team ranks highest in FotMob’s team ratings with a score of 7.11 across the season, ahead of last season’s champion Los Angeles FC and 2023 league leaders FC Cincinnati.
It boasts the highest average possession in the league (57%) which is a reflection of its ball-playing and buildup style.
But to make all of this count, a cutting edge is needed at the top end of the field, and Columbus has this too as the highest-scoring team in MLS in 2023.
This is where former Watford striker Cucho comes in. A hat-trick in the 4-2 win against Montreal this week took him to 12 goals in total for the season and nine in MLS.
A diving header, a left-footed finish from close range and a right-footed penalty made the hat-trick a perfect one.
Cucho also scored three in three in the recent Leagues Cup tournament, also adding two assists, and if he can continue that kind of goalscoring return, Columbus will secure a home tie in round one of the playoffs and have as good a chance as anyone in the mix for the MLS Cup.
Any team would miss the playmaking skills of Lucas Zelarayán, who left Columbus for Saudi Pro League club Al-Fateh at the end of July, but Columbus has continued impressively even in his absence with three wins in four since his departure.
Kai Wagner 9.5 (Philadelphia Union)
Philadelphia Union’s creative left-back was at it again, registering a hat-trick of assists in his side’s 4-1 drubbing of New York Red Bulls.
Perhaps surprisingly, this collection of assists in one game took him to just five assists in total this season, but he looks to be making his creativity count at the right time as the post-season approaches.
Wagner created more chances than any other player during this summer’s Leagues Cup and has now continued that form into the league.
In this game, there was one assist from a corner, another from a free kick, and one from open play. It showed his all-round ability and supreme delivery with his left foot that makes him one of the best left-backs in the league and shows why there is always interest from Europe.
Christian Benteke 9.2 (DC United)
Like Cucho, Benteke is a striker who makes a massive difference to his team’s fortunes when he’s firing in front of goal.
The former Liverpool and Aston Villa man is third in the league for total xG with 11.6, behind Brian White and Hany Mukhtar.
It is this type of goal threat that has helped propel DC from one of the worst in the league last season to one that is challenging for a playoff spot under head coach Wayne Rooney.
In Matchday 30’s 4-0 win against Chicago Fire, Benteke was assisting as well as scoring.
He held the ball up brilliantly before setting up Ted Ku-DiPietro for DC’s second.
Mateusz Klich had provided a great assist for Benteke’s first which slotted home cooly before the Belgian caused havoc for the Chicago defence resulting in an own goal.
His and DC’s performance was rounded off with a tap-in at the far post that was more difficult than it looked with the first-time finish from a narrow angle.
Promising signs for DC, Benteke, and Rooney.
Alan Pulido 9.0 (Sporting Kansas City)
This new rivalry with 2023 expansion side St. Louis City is obviously not going to be the easiest of home matches for Sporting KC given how the away fans travel in numbers and make their presence felt, but the hosts came through with a result thanks in no small part to Pulido.
The Mexican’s first-half brace led to a 2-1 win in which his team came back from a goal down and held onto the lead throughout the second half.
They were two reassuringly composed finishes, giving the rest of the team confidence that if they create, this man can finish.
Pulido is quietly making his way up the goalscoring charts. Now with 12 goals to his name in MLS in 2023, he is just two off top scorer Hany Mukhtar and has a better per 90 record than the others around him in this chart.
Sporting KC remains disappointingly outside the playoff spots while their rivals top the Western Conference, but showed here the team has the ability to make a late-season push to qualify for the postseason.
Lionel Messi 8.8 (Inter Miami)
Messi’s ability to change a game with his creativity as well as his goals was evident in the US Open Cup semi-final game against FC Cincinnati.
He dragged his team back into that tie with two world-class deliveries that were just as impressive as any of his wondergoals.
He was in this kind of mood again as Inter Miami travelled to Los Angeles FC and recorded a 3-1 win.
As might be expected in this particular city, celebrities were out in force, and though the dignitaries might have wanted the Messi name to end up on the scoresheet, they were still treated to a standard Messi masterclass even without that.
His pass to Jordi Alba for the first goal was sublime, and he pounced on some poor LAFC defending to add another assist to make sure of the win.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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