Nashville SC put four past Inter Miami on Saturday night and climbed to the top of the MLS Power Rankings. Hany Mukhtar scored twice. Elias Saad assisted twice. The Herons never looked close to turning it around.
The gap at the top of the Supporters' Shield standings is now five points, with 15 games left. Nashville have conceded just 15 goals through 19 matches — the best defensive record in the league — and their forward line is clicking at exactly the right time. This isn't a team running hot. It's a team built to sustain it.
Inter Miami's rough week gets worse
The defending champions had a week to forget. They exited Leagues Cup in Phase One for the first time, then got outclassed in a regular season fixture that was supposed to test Nashville's credentials. It tested Inter Miami's instead, and they came up short on both counts.
Five points back sounds bridgeable. Against a side that doesn't concede, it's a steeper hill than it looks. Miami's odds of catching Nashville this season just took a serious hit.
Elsewhere in the rankings, a few storylines worth tracking:
- FC Dallas (8th, up 5): Petar Musa's 14th goal of the season won it at Austin. He leads the Golden Boot race and is dragging Dallas into home playoff contention — seven points off Vancouver in the West.
- Philadelphia Union (13th, up 6): Down 2-0 at halftime to NYCFC, Philly scored three in the second half to win 3-2. Cavan Sullivan has six assists on the year and is running the show under interim boss Ryan Richter. Four straight league wins since the break.
- St. Louis CITY SC (7th, up 3): Nine games unbeaten. A 3-1 road win in San Jose without Marcel Hartel, who was just sold to Hannover 96. Yoann Damet is making a real case for Coach of the Year.
- Charlotte FC (10th, up 5): Allan Saint-Maximin made his MLS debut in a 3-1 win over Columbus. His arrival raises Charlotte's ceiling considerably in a post-Wilfried Zaha world.
- Real Salt Lake (12th, down 1): Zavier Gozo is off to Crystal Palace for a reported $15 million — a club record fee. RSL get the money. They lose the player they can't replace.
Colorado's $23 million question
Lucas Herrington is headed to Hull City in a deal worth up to $23 million — the largest outgoing fee for a defender in MLS history. Colorado have won three of four since the World Cup break and still have a genuine shot at a playoff spot. How they spend that Herrington money before the transfer window closes could define the rest of their season.
At the bottom, Atlanta United ended a 105-day winless run with a 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls. The bar is low. They cleared it. Sporting KC remain last, with a club-record signing in winger André Luiz now on board after Manu García was bought out. Whether that's a rebuild or a panic move depends entirely on what comes next.
Nashville, meanwhile, head to Red Bull New York on August 19th. They're five points clear, defensively sound, and showing no signs of wobbling. The Supporters' Shield race isn't over — but right now it's Nashville's to lose.
