LA Galaxy clinched their first playoff berth since 2019 after Javier Hernandez earned them a late penalty to secure a 1-1 draw away to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Douglas Costa converted the 68th-minute penalty won by Hernandez, after Riqui Puig had his 17th-minute spotkick saved by RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
RSL had gone ahead in the 25th minute from Sergio Cordova's header, but were left to lament Justen Glad failing to convert two late golden opportunities from headers, denting their playoff hopes and extending their winless run to five games.
Ex-Manchester United forward Hernandez earned Galaxy's reprieve after review when bundled over by Marcelo Silva inside the box, with Costa sending MacMath the wrong way.
The draw was enough for the Galaxy, who are perched fourth in the Western Conference with 47 points from 33 games, with RSL sitting eighth, just outside the playoff spots, with 44 points from 33 games.
Derrick Etienne scored two late goals against his former side to earn Columbus Crew a 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls, who suffered their third defeat in four games.
Etienne equalized Franuel Amaya's 53rd-minute thunderbolt with an 89th-minute strike on the turn, before grabbing a 93rd-minute winner by lashing home a rebound.
Philadelphia Union handed the initiative to LAFC in the Supporters' Shield hunt after being thrashed 4-0 by Charlotte, for whom Daniel Rios netted four goals, achieving a franchise-first hat-trick.
The defeat means Philadelphia have failed to win in their past two games, leaving them on 64 points from 33 games, while LAFC have the same number of points with two games to play, starting with Portland Timbers on Sunday.
Donovan Pines scored an own goal and was red carded as DC United lost 1-0 to Montreal, who closed within two points of Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia with one game to play.
Sergio Santos was sent off amid a late scuffle as Cincinnati missed a chance to practically clinch a playoff spot with a 3-2 home loss to Chicago Fire. Cincinnati fought back from 3-0 down after Jhon Duran's double for Chicago.
Minnesota United's winless run extended to six games after going down 2-0 to San Jose Earthquakes, leaving them in a precarious position in the race to qualify for the Western Conference playoffs.
Vancouver Whitecaps capitalized on Minnesota and RSL's results and beat Austin 2-0 to keep alive their playoff hopes with their third straight victory. The Whitecaps are ninth in the west with 43 points with one game to play, with seventh-placed Minnesota on 45 and RSL on 44.
Josef Martinez scored a spectacular scissor-kick goal but Atlanta United went down 2-1 to New England, while playoff-bound Dallas lost 1-0 at Colorado Rapids.
Hojbjerg tells Conte to 'elaborate' on outburst that has left him on brink of Spurs sack
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg told Antonio Conte to "elaborate" on the remarkable outburst that has left him on the brink of being sacked as Tottenham manager.
The fiery Italian boss said he saw "selfish players" who "do not want to play under pressure" after his side were pegged back in a 3-3 Premier League draw by Southampton on Saturday.
Conte also seemingly took aim at the club's hierarchy when he said: "20 years there is the owner and they never won something. Why?"
Spurs are now expected to wield the axe during the international break. Hojbjerg said he can understand Conte's frustration given disappointing exits in the FA Cup and Champions League to Sheffield United and Milan respectively but thinks there should be a clearer message to help the team get to where they want to be.
"We've all seen it," Hojbjerg told reporters while on Denmark duty.
"[It was a] very honest and very open press conference he gave. It is because he is not satisfied. You don't do that if you've reached the quarter-final of the Champions League and if you're in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
"It comes from the fact that, unfortunately, we did not get the results we as a team and club wanted. We are still where we want and need to be in the Premier League. But yes, it's hard, I should say.
"I understand that if you want to be successful as a team, you need 11 men who are committed to a project and a culture. But I think he has to elaborate on how he feels before you as a player can start measuring and weighing.
"The coach has not been satisfied, and that is what I will take with me. You do what you can to please him. What I do know about myself is that I am an honest player. I am a player who always gives 100 per cent of myself for the team."
When asked if he felt Conte was right to take the course of action he did, Hojbjerg replied: "Fortunately, I am not the one to judge it.
"If that's how he sees it, then you have to be a little more precise in order for you as a player to take it to heart."
He did confirm, though, that Conte did not give his players prior warning of the tirade that was to come.
"He didn't tell us what he wanted to say at the press conference," he said.
"But it is clear that you work with each other every day, you want the best for each other and you want to be successful together. And sometimes the waves go high in football."
Spurs are fourth in the table but each of Newcastle United, Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion own games in hand in a congested fight for Champions League football.
They return to action at home to Everton on April 3.
Struggling Sevilla sack Sampaoli
Jorge Sampaoli has been sacked by Sevilla after a poor run of form left them just two points above the relegation zone in LaLiga.
A 2-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Getafe on Sunday proved the final straw for Sampaoli, who had only returned for his second spell in charge in October.
Sevilla have won just twice in their past seven LaLiga matches, losing four games in that run.
Sampaoli did steer Sevilla into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but a different coach will now be in the dugout when they go head to head with Manchester United.
A Sevilla statement read: "Sevilla have terminated the contract of coach Jorge Sampaoli after the team's defeat in Getafe, which has once again placed the team on the verge of relegation places.
"The fact that the team has not managed to get out of the lowest positions in the table since his incorporation as coach and the image offered in the last matches of the team have led the club to make this decision, in search of a reaction in the 12 games that remain in the league.
"Sevilla thanks Sampaoli for the services he has provided and wishes him the best of luck in his future."
The club said they planned to appoint a new coach later on Tuesday, to be in charge in time to take an early-evening training session. Former Real Valladolid and Eibar boss Jose Luis Mendilibar has been strongly linked with the job.
Sampaoli was first put in charge in Sevilla ahead of the 2016-17 season and led them to a fourth-placed finish in LaLiga before leaving to take over as Argentina head coach.
Mbappe new France captain as Deschamps puts trust in striker
Kylian Mbappe will be the new captain of France after getting the nod from Didier Deschamps, reports said on Tuesday.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was the outstanding candidate to replace Hugo Lloris, who retired after the World Cup.
Mbappe is said to have been told of his appointment by coach Deschamps after a dinner on Monday, with Antoine Griezmann to be vice-captain.
The French Football Federation did not immediately confirm the news, but the secret appears to be out.
The appointment means Mbappe will lead the team into their Euro 2024 qualifiers, which start against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland this fortnight.
His first game as skipper will be against the Dutch on Friday at the Stade de France.
The 24-year-old has been a member of the national team since his teens, making his debut as an 18-year-old against Luxembourg, and has earned 66 caps, scoring 36 goals.
Former Monaco player Mbappe was a World Cup winner in 2018, and from a small field of potential candidates for the captaincy he stood out a mile.
Long-standing skipper Lloris stepped down from national team duty after France lost to Argentina in the World Cup final, when Mbappe's hat-trick was not enough to stave off a defeat on penalties.
France's squad gathered at their Clairefontaine training base on Monday ahead of the European qualifying double-header, their first gathering since returning from the Qatar 2022 near-miss.
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