MLS Moments of Matchday

By Anonymous (not verified), July 17, 2025

For Immediate Release
MLS Communications

Moments of Matchday 25:
Nashville’s New All-Stars Shine on Midweek Matchday

Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 14 matches played on the 25th matchday of the 2025 MLS regular season on Wednesday, July 16.

Highlights of the matchday included:

After the announcement today that Charlotte FC would host the 2026 MLS All-Star Game at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte midfielder Pep Biel continued to make more club history by becoming the first player to record seven goal contributions in a four-game span.
Both New York clubs earned second-half comeback victories, with the New York Red Bulls scoring five second-half goals and New York City FC recording both a game-tying and game-winning goal after the 86th minute against Orlando City SC.
2025 MLS All-Star Denis Bouanga scored the lone goal in LAFC’s 1-0 victory over Minnesota United FC, marking his 20^th game-winning goal and eclipsing Carlos Vela (19) for the most in club history.
After only one win in their last five matches, Vancouver Whitecaps FC produced a convincing 3-0 victory on the road against Houston Dynamo FC, which was led by a pair of 2025 MLS All-Stars and U.S. Men’s National Team players – Brian White (one goal, one assist) and Sebastian Berhalter (one goal).
Four of the top six players in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race scored on Matchday 25 – Sam Surridge, Evander, Tai Baribo, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Nashville’s All-Star Trio Making Sweet Music

After seeing their 12-game unbeaten streak snapped at the hands of Inter Miami CF over the weekend, Nashville SC got back to winning ways on Wednesday night with a 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew. The battle between two of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference saw Nashville solidify their place in third in the conference, just two points behind the Philadelphia Union for the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings.

Once again for Nashville, it was the trio of Hany Mukhtar (one goal), Sam Surridge (one goal, one assist), and Andy Najar (two assists) who delivered for the home side. For Surridge and Mukhtar, both earned well-deserved additions to the MLS All-Star team earlier this week and all three combined on the second goal of the evening, marking the third time they had done that this season. The Nashville trio became the second All-Star trio to each combine for multiple goals in a single season since 2019 (Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suárez).

Nashville will look to continue their chase for a Supporters’ Shield on Saturday night when they host Toronto FC at GEODIS Park (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Apple TV+).

A Changing of the MVP Guard? Evander Stars Against Miami

FC Cincinnati (45 points, 14-6-3) star Evander strengthened his case for the Landon Donovan MVP Award, scoring a brace in Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over fellow Eastern Conference contender Inter Miami CF (38 points, 11-4-5). Evander now has 23 goal contributions this season (15 goals, 8 assists), tying Lionel Messi for the second-most in MLS.

The Brazilian midfielder also hit another milestone, becoming the first player in Cincinnati history to score in five consecutive matches, recording eight goals during that span. Evander is also just behind former Cincinnati forward Brenner, who tallied nine goals between September 10 and October 9, 2022. With the win, Cincinnati moved into second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Blue and Orange will next head west for a clash against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, July 19 at America First Stadium (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), before a rematch with Inter Miami at Chase Stadium on Saturday, July 26 (7:15 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / FS1 / FOX Deportes).

Red Bulls Score Five in Second Half Comeback

After falling behind 2-0 tonight, the New York Red Bulls produced a historic comeback and defeated the New England Revolution, 5-2, at Sports Illustrated Stadium thanks to a second-half outburst. The Red Bulls scored five goals in the second half with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg both adding a brace.

For the Red Bulls, it marked just the second time in club history that they had scored five goals in a second half, last doing so on August 26, 2006 when they scored six times against Real Salt Lake. With the victory, New York continued holding an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs position and improved to an impressive 8-1-2 record at home. Next up for the Red Bulls is a date with Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi on Saturday, July 19 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

Rapids Response Stalls Sounders’ Summer Charge

Wednesday night did not start well for the Colorado Rapids as they quickly fell behind 3-0 to Seattle Sounders FC, after goals from Albert Rusnák (two) and Obed Vargas (one). For the Rapids, it appeared as if it was déjà vu since they had only earned one point in the previous seven matches at Lumen Field. The match would flip on its head in the second half, with the Rapids scoring three straight goals to snatch a crucial point in the Western Conference.

Goals from Djordje Mihailovic, Cole Bassett, and Darren Yapi saw the Rapids earn a point after trailing by at least three goals for the first time in club history. On the flip side, it also marked the first time in Sounders history that they failed to win after leading by at least three goals in a regular season match. The wild affair means Seattle and Colorado are still in Western Conference playoff positions, but the Sounders will look to make up for lost ground on Saturday when they host the San Jose Earthquakes at Lumen Field (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

Western Conference Road Teams Reign Supreme

Something was in the water in the Western Conference on Matchday 25 as not a single home team from the conference won a game on Wednesday night. As a result, the road teams reigned supreme, going 4-0-2 and producing multiple upset victories. Two of the road teams that are beginning to trend upward include Real Salt Lake (1-0 win at Portland) and Austin FC (2-1 win at LA Galaxy) who have combined to lose only two games in their last eight matches.

Other strong performances included a dominant 3-0 win by the Vancouver Whitecaps at Houston Dynamo FC and FC Dallas fighting from behind to earn a 2-2 draw in San Jose. While in Minnesota, LAFC’s Denis Bouanga shocked the Loons and scored a club-record 20^th game-winning goal to snatch all three points.