Inter Miami's woes continued as Lionel Messi's arrival loomed, suffering a demoralizing 4-1 defeat against Philadelphia on Saturday, while DC United and the New York Red Bulls celebrated victories in Major League Soccer Saturday.
Miami's seventh consecutive loss kept them rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, while United surprised Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati with an impressive 3-0 victory at home.
In a surprising turn of events, the Red Bulls secured a resounding 4-0 win over Atlanta.
Amid the anticipation of Sergio Busquets joining Messi at the club in July, announced on Friday, Miami faces an uphill battle to salvage their season and secure a spot in the playoffs.
Philadelphia, last season's runners-up, took the lead through Jakob Glesnes' straightforward header from a corner in the 14th minute.
Julian Carranza extended the advantage, slotting home from close range in the 39th minute, while Leon Flach sealed a commanding 3-0 lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the box just before halftime.
Although Finnish winger Robert Taylor reduced the deficit for Miami with a fortuitously deflected shot five minutes into the second half, the visitors never truly threatened their opponents.
Philadelphia completed their comprehensive victory in the 68th minute when Miami's David Ruiz inadvertently redirected Mikael Uhre's cross into his own net.
Cincinnati's impressive 10-match unbeaten run ended against Wayne Rooney's DC United, who claimed an early lead through Pedro Santos' goal in the 10th minute.
Derrick Williams doubled the advantage with a thunderous left-footed strike in the 17th minute. Cristian Dajome's effort slipped under Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano just before halftime, securing a comfortable 3-0 lead for United.
Cincinnati's hopes dwindled further when Ian Murphy received a second yellow card in the 79th minute, leaving his team a man down.
The Red Bulls continued their resurgence after a sluggish start to the season, climbing to 11th in the Eastern Conference and edging closer to the playoff places with an impressive performance against Atlanta.
Daniel Edelman fired the New York side ahead with a left-footed drive in the 32nd minute, while Cristian Casseres added to the lead with a superb individual effort just before halftime, giving the Red Bulls a comfortable 2-0 advantage.
Late goals from Frankie Amaya sealed an emphatic 4-0 victory under the interim leadership of head coach Troy Lesesne.
In the Western Conference, St. Louis claimed the top spot by defeating San Jose 2-1, while defending champions Los Angeles FC suffered a surprising 3-2 home defeat against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
St. Louis took the lead through Samuel Adeniran's first MLS goal in the 41st minute, a powerful header from a corner delivered by Rasmus Alm.
Although Jamiro Monteiro equalized for San Jose, Adeniran secured the victory from the penalty spot after Aziel Jackson was fouled by Jonathan Mensah in the box.
The Whitecaps stunned Los Angeles with an early goal, as Ranko Veselinovic expertly headed the ball into the net in the second minute.
Vancouver extended their lead in the 23rd minute when Brian White scored with a looping header from Ryan Gauld's superb cross. Denis Bouanga pulled one back for Los Angeles just before halftime, but Gauld swiftly restored the Whitecaps' two-goal advantage with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.
Despite Carlos Vela's goal in the 68th minute, Los Angeles FC failed to capitalize on many opportunities to equalize in the final minutes.
In another match, the Columbus Crew secured a 2-0 victory over Nashville, with goals from Christian Ramirez and an own goal by Jack Maher.
These results shape the ever-evolving landscape of Major League Soccer as teams jostle for positions in their respective conferences and strive to secure coveted playoff berths.
