Barcelona have announced that they will face Major League Soccer sides Inter Miami and New York Red Bulls in the United States as part of their pre-season.

Barca still have one competitive game of the 2021-22 campaign to play – at home to Villarreal on Sunday – yet plans are in place for their preparations ahead of next season. 

Xavi's side will face David Beckham's Miami, who have been linked with Barcelona great Lionel Messi, at DRV PNK Stadium on July 19 and the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena 11 days later.

With a big gap between those two fixtures, it has been reported that Barca are still hoping to arrange high-profile friendlies against Real Madrid and Juventus.

It will be the Catalan giants' first pre-season tour in three years, when also visiting USA and Japan, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Barca also have a friendly pencilled in this month, having previously announced an exhibition match against an A-League All Stars team in Sydney on May 25, less than 48 hours after their match with Villarreal. 

Austin FC moved to the top of the Western Conference in MLS on Wednesday, securing a gritty 2-1 win over Los Angeles FC.

Goals from Ruben Gabrielsen and Diego Fagundez gave Austin the vital three points, with Carlos Vela's response from the penalty spot in the 86th minute providing mere consolation for LAFC.

Gabrielsen put the home side in front in the 13th minute after Fagundez zipped a dangerous corner in, coolly finishing when the ball fell his way.

Josh Wolff's side looked to absorb pressure from LAFC, and Fagundez was able to double their advantage in the 80th minute after he was played through by Sebastian Driussi.

Vela's goal, which made him the third-fastest player to 100 MLS goal involvements (98 games), was not enough for a largely passive LAFC, who could not translate possession into chances of substance. They accumulated a non-penalty expected goals total of 1.12 from the 17 shots aside from Vela's spot-kick.

Austin lead LAFC on goal difference atop the West on 23 points, with FC Dallas remaining on 22 points after the Vancouver Whitecaps came from behind to defeat them 2-1 late on.

The LA Galaxy missed their chance to make up ground, only managing a 1-1 draw with Minnesota United despite Sacha Kljestan putting them ahead in the 83rd minute.

Elsewhere in the West, the Seattle Sounders continued their recovery from a slow start to the season, defeating the Houston Dynamo 1-0, while Sporting Kansas City beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in a game that saw four red cards in stoppage time.

A Jamiro Monteiro brace helped the San Jose Earthquakes defeat the Portland Timbers 3-2, as Nashville's strong start at GEODIS Park continued with a 2-1 victory over CF Montreal.

New York City gained ground on the Philadelphia Union with a 2-0 win over DC United, scoring twice in the first half to move within a point of the Eastern Conference leaders, who were held to a goalless draw by Inter Miami.

In Wednesday's early result, Xherdan Shaqiri scored what he thought was a late winner for the Chicago Fire, only for the New York Red Bulls' Patryk Klimala to score in the first minute of stoppage time to secure a 3-3 draw.

FC Dallas placed themselves in the race for top spot in the Western Conference, defeating Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 in the MLS on Saturday.

Three goals in the opening 23 minutes, including a brace from Jesus Ferreira, set the Toros up for a critical three points after slip-ups from both Austin FC and Los Angeles FC.

Douglas Costa's well-taken free-kick in the 67th minute proved to be mere consolation, as the Galaxy failed to break Dallas down and force their way back into the contest.

Dallas now sit second in the West, a point off LAFC, who conceded two penalties in the opening 30 minutes to lose 2-0 to Colorado Rapids.

With the win, the Toros were able to go past Galaxy and Austin, who let slip a 1-0 lead at half-time following Daniel Pereira's red card to lose 2-1 to Real Salt Lake.

There were goals galore elsewhere in the West, with Portland Timbers giving Sporting KC a 7-2 trouncing while Houston Dynamo defeated Nashville SC 2-0. The Vancouver Whitecaps and SJ Earthquakes played out a 3-3 draw.

Elsewhere, Philadelphia Union's 1-1 draw with New York RB has made for up a three-way tie atop the Eastern Conference.

Daniel Gazdag put the Union ahead after some neat combination with Sergio Santos at the top of the penalty area in the 47th minute, but Luquinhas managed to restore parity with his goal in the 66th minute.

They are joined at the top of the East following respective wins for CF Montreal and Orlando City over Charlotte and Toronto FC.

New York City were able to make up ground with their 2-0 win over Columbus Crew and Cincinnati beat Chicago Fire 2-1, while Inter Miami and DC United played out a 2-2 draw. 

New York RB momentarily moved to the top of the Eastern Conference in the MLS on Saturday, coming from behind to claim a gritty 2-1 win on the road to the Chicago Fire.

A Patryk Klimala brace secured the win for New York, including a penalty in the 91st minute, as they claimed top spot in the East on goal difference over Philadelphia Union. Both are on 17 points, but Philadelphia are still to play Nashville on Sunday.

Chicago also scored from the penalty spot to hit the lead, with Xherdan Shaqiri converting in the 16th minute after Ashley Fletcher was judged to have handled the ball.

New York regrouped after a weather delay which forced the two sides off, and substitute Klimala eventually restored parity after a fine assist from Luqinhas in the 75th minute.

A clumsy challenge at the death from Miguel Navarro handed New York the chance to snatch an otherwise even contest, and Klimala calmly put his penalty away for the three points.

Orlando City also moved to 17 points with a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday, but have played 10 games in comparison to NYRB's nine and Philadelphia's eight.

Montreal CF and Columbus Crew kept within touching distance after respective wins over Atlanta and DC United meanwhile, and in Saturday's other Eastern Conference matchup, Cincinnati beat Toronto 2-1.

New England Revolution joined Inter Miami as one of the six teams on 10 points in the East, with Damian River and Adam Buksa giving them a 2-0 victory.

In the West meanwhile, Austin FC also came from behind to go top of the conference, beating Texan rival Houston Dynamo 2-1 but in much less dramatic circumstances than NYRB.

Sebastian Ferreira put the Dynamo ahead in only the fifth minute, but Daniel Pereira was able to equalise before the interval.

Sebastian Driussi kept up his recent goal-scoring form and provided the eventual winner for Austin in the 66th minute, finding a pocket of space in the penalty are before rifling into the top corner.

Los Angeles Galaxy lost ground despite dominating the game, losing 1-0 to Real Salt Lake after Marcelo Silva's goal in the 49th minute.

A Mark-Anthony Kaye goal on the counter in injury time secured a 2-0 win for the Colorado Rapids over the Portland Timbers, while Sporting KC and FC Dallas played out a 2-2 draw.

Inter Miami kept in touch with the mid-table in the tightly packed Eastern Conference after beating Atlanta United 2-1 on Sunday.

The home side had to come back from an early deficit after Atlanta's Ronaldo Cisneros broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, but a well-directed DeAndre Yedlin cross found Leonardo Campana for the equaliser 15 minutes later.

Campana then turned provider for the second goal, setting up Bryce Duke for the eventual winner in the 64th minute.

The hosts survived their second VAR review as Atlanta pleaded for a penalty in the closing stages, but it was not to be.

It was a gutsy effort from the Miami side, with just 37 per cent possession – including just 28 per cent in the second half – and seven shots, compared to Atlanta's 20.

Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman kept his side in the contest with six saves, while it was a very different game at the opposite end for Atlanta's Bobby Shuttelworth, who was not credited with a save.

It was an absolute barn-burner when New York City FC hosted Toronto FC, with the home side holding on for a 5-4 win.

Incredibly, Toronto scored the first two goals of the game to lead 2-0 in the 27th minute thanks to a Jesus Jimenez brace, before a Valentin Castellanos reply kept New York in the game, trailing 2-1 at half-time.

In a remarkable start to the second half, New York added three goals in 13 minutes after Keaton Parks' finish made it 4-2 in the 58th.

When Gabriel Pereira made it 5-2 after 75 minutes, it seemed like icing on the cake, but it turned out to be crucial as Toronto snatched back two late goals in the 87th and 91st, ultimately running out of time.

It was much smoother sailing for New York Red Bulls, beating Orlando City 3-0 away from home to move up to second in the Eastern Conference.

Luquinhas delivered the only goal in the first half, before Cristian Casseres doubled the advantage shortly after play resumed, and Lewis Morgan put the finishing touches on with a late penalty.

Meanwhile, an Acosta scored for both teams in Los Angeles FC's 2-1 win against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta broke the deadlock deep into first-half stoppage time, before Los Angeles' Kellyn Acosta equalised in the 59th minute.

Carlos Vela put Danny Musovski in to net the winner for Los Angeles in the 79th minute, holding onto top spot in the Western Conference.

Gonzalo Higuain will hang up his boots at the end of the Major League Soccer season, according to his father.

Higuain joined Inter Miami in September 2020, and has scored 15 goals in 44 MLS games for the team co-owned by David Beckham.

The 34-year-old is out of contract in December, and reports had suggested the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker was planning to move back to Argentina at the end of the campaign.

However, speaking to TNT Sports, his father, Jorge, said his son has told him he intends to end his career after he is finished in Miami.

"He is not going back to Argentina," his father, a former River Plate and Boca Juniors player, confirmed. "He told me that he is retiring at the end of the year. He is ending this year and is retiring from football.

"I would love for him to continue to be linked to football after playing. He is a boy who knows a lot, who has played in several places, he has everything to succeed. For me, it would be an insult if he does not continue in football."

After moving from River Plate to Madrid in December 2006, Higuain made a name for himself at Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 107 goals in 190 LaLiga appearances before moving to Napoli, where he famously broke the all-time Serie A record for goals in a single campaign (36 in 2015-16).

A big-money move to rivals Juventus saw him spend two seasons with the Bianconeri before loan moves to Milan and Chelsea. He spent one more year with Juve before heading to the United States in 2020.

He scored 31 goals in 75 games for Argentina.

Los Angeles FC maintained top spot of the Western Conference in the MLS on Sunday, claiming a gutsy 4-2 win away to Orlando City.

LAFC led twice in the first half at Exploria Stadium but were pegged back on both occasions, first by a finely taken goal from Alexandre Pato in the 36th minute.

Sensing where the ball would drop following Mauricio Peyeyra's delivery into the penalty area, Pato set himself and calmly volleyed past Maxime Crepeau.

But Ilie Sanchez rifled in a third LAFC goal six minutes into the second half and the visitors were able to absorb Orlando pressure thereafter.

After some important saves from Crepeau, substitute Kwadwo Opoku sealed victory in stoppage time, moving Steve Cherundolo's side to 13 points from five games after four wins and a draw.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union were also able to keep their place atop the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win at home to Charlotte FC.

The Union took the lead in uncomplicated fashion after only four minutes, with Sergio Santos running onto a ball over the top and crossing for Julian Carranza from the byline.

Daniel Gazdag doubled the lead a minute into the second half, with that two-goal margin enough for the Union to see out the win and themselves move to 13 points.

New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United stayed within three points of Philadelphia in the East with respective 1-0 victories over New England Revolution and DC United. Columbus Crew lost at home to Nashville, with Alex Muyl's lone goal the difference.

A Gonzalo Higuain penalty counted for little for Inter Miami, who remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder in the East after Phil Neville's side lost 3-1 to Houston Dynamo. Chicago Fire and FC Dallas played out a goalless draw, while Toronto FC beat reigning MLS Cup champions New York City 2-1.

CF Montreal edged FC Cincinnati in a seven-goal thriller, trailing twice in the first half before recovering to win 4-3.

In the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake fell two points behind with a 1-1 draw away to Colorado Rapids, while Austin FC conceded two goals in as many minutes to draw 2-2 against San Jose Earthquakes.

Ryan Raposo's 73rd-minute winner was enough for Vancouver Whitecaps at home to Sporting Kansas City, while Brent Kallman's own goal ultimately condemned Minnesota United to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to Seattle Sounders.  

LAFC maintained top spot of the Western Conference in the MLS on Sunday, claiming a gutsy 4-2 win away to Orlando City.

Though the visitors hit the lead twice in the first half at Exploria Stadium, the Lions equalised as many times, including a finely taken goal from Alexandre Pato in the 36th minute.

Sensing where the ball would drop following Mauricio Peyeyra's ball over and into the penalty area, Pato set himself and calmly volleyed past Maxime Crepeau.

Ilie Sanchez rifled home a mere six minutes into the second half and from there, LAFC were able to sit and absorb Orlando pressure.

After some important saves from Crepeau to deny a third equaliser, substitute Kwadwo Opoku was able to score an injury-time sealer in transition, moving Steve Cherundolo's side to four wins and a draw from five games.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union were able to keep their place atop the Eastern Conference, with a 2-0 win at home to Charlotte FC.

The Union took the lead after only four minutes and in uncomplicated fashion, with Sergio Santos running on to a ball over the top and assisting for Julian Carranza from the byline.

Daniel Gazdag doubled the margin a minute within the restart, and similarly to LAFC, absorbed pressure in their defensive half to see out the win to move to 13 points from five games.

NY Red Bulls and Atlanta stayed within three points of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference with respective 1-0 victories over New England Revolution and DC United. Columbus Crew dropped points at home to Nashville, with Alex Muyl's lone goal the difference.

A Gonzalo Higuain penalty would not suffice for Inter Miami, who remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder in the East, after Phil Neville's side losing 3-1 to Houston Dynamo. Chicago Fire and FC Dallas played out a goalless draw, while Toronto FC beat reigning MLS Cup champions New York City 2-1.

In the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake fell two points behind with a 1-1 draw away to Colorado, Austin FC conceded two goals in as many minutes to eventually play out a 2-2 draw against San Jose Earthquakes.

Ryan Raposo's 73rd-minute winner was enough for Vancouver Whitecaps at home to Sporting KC, while Brent Kallman's own goal eventually condemned Minnesota to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders.  

Gonzalo Higuain is happy to have enjoyed a fruitful international career with Argentina, despite never getting his hands on a trophy for his country.

The attacker, who was a member of the Albiceleste team that finished second at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, retired from the national setup in 2019, missing out on the Copa America triumph last year.

Higuain, now playing for Inter Miami in MLS, is delighted for old team-mate Lionel Messi's long-awaited international success, but remains proud of his own career for his country.

"With my national team, I gave everything and I will never blame myself for that," Higuain told Stats Perform. "Unfortunately I couldn't get anything.

"But I'm happy for those who could because we've shared so many bad times, but nobody takes what we've lived through.

"We were a wonderful group and we played great football, but some of us stepped aside and those who followed made it."

Higuain also believes trophies must come secondary to how a player acts both on and off the pitch.

"I want to congratulate [Messi] for keeping trying, that's what life is all about," he added.

"I think that having won a Copa America or a World Cup doesn't make you a better person. The most important thing in life is the values one has and being a good person.

 "Unfortunately, people value you for what you win or what you lose, but I prefer to be remembered for being good people and having left something in each club I played.

"I was champion in each club, I scored goals and played in the best clubs, then whoever wants can evaluate you for one or two plays.

"I respect opinions, but my happiness does not change whether or not I have achieved something with my national team. If you are happy with yourself, then that's it.

"I congratulate them, but we continue our lives in the same way, I don't feel like a better or worse person for that."

Higuain will look to help Miami to a first win of the new MLS season against Houston Dynamo in their next outing.

The former Juventus, Real Madrid and Napoli forward scored 12 times in MLS last season but has only netted once so far this term, with Miami having lost three of their four games.

Early Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union made a statement with a 2-0 win away to reigning MLS Cup champions New York City on Saturday.

Union scored first-half goals from Alejandro Bedoya and Daniel Gazdag, while Sergio Santos had a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time, as Philadelphia got some revenge after last season's Eastern Conference final defeat to City.

Bedoya put Philadelphia ahead in the 12th minute, but City thought they had an avenue back into the game when referee Ted Unkel awarded them a penalty and sent off Jack Elliott for a 28th-minute last-man push on Santiago Rodriguez.

However, VAR intervened and determined that Rodriguez had illegally used his hand in the lead-up, meaning the penalty and red card were overturned.

The win was Philadephia's first at Yankee Stadium and came despite City bossing the possession count with 74 percent.

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich attacker Xherdan Shaqiri netted his first MLS goal as Chicago Fire won 3-1 over Sporting KC.

Shaqiri scored from the spot in the 50th minute to make it 2-0 as Chicago extended its unbeaten start to the new season with Kacper Przybylko hitting a double.

Jesus Ferreira scored a first-half hat-trick as Dallas defeated Portland Timbers 4-1 in a sign of intent for the forward ahead of USA's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

All three of Ferreira's goals came in a 10-minute span, marking his first-ever MLS hat-trick.

Gonzalo Higuain scored, but Inter Miami remain winless this term after a 3-1 loss away to last season's strugglers Cincinnati.

The result leaves Phil Neville's side with an MLS-worst record of one point from four games, having conceded 10 goals and only scored two.

Karol Swiderski netted a double as Charlotte upset New England Revolution 3-1, while Luis Amarilla's 32nd-minute strike lifted Western Conference leaders Minnesota United past San Jose Earthquakes 1-0.

Tyler Pasher's 90th minute goal salvaged a 1-1 home draw for Houston Dynamo against Colorado Rapids, while 10-man Atlanta United scored twice in the final five minutes to rescue a 3-3 draw with Montreal.

Facundo Torres' early goal got Orlando City past LA Galaxy 1-0, Bob Bradley's Toronto knocked off DC United 2-1 and Real Salt Lake edge 10-man Nashville 2-1.

New York City FC kickstarted their MLS Cup defence with a 4-1 win over CF Montreal at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

After failing to score in their opening two games – a 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy and a goalless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps – City hit the lead after only seven minutes, with Alexander Callens rifling home after Montreal failed to clear their lines from a corner.

Santiago Rodriguez spectacularly chipped Sebastian Breza to double the margin on 20, but only after Montreal gifted City possession in an attempt to play out from their own half.

Zachary Brault-Guillard pulled one back for CFM, but following further City goals from Telles Magno and Thiago Andrade, the scoreline arguably belied the performance.

Douglas Costa opened his account in the MLS later on Saturday, scoring the equaliser in LA Galaxy's 3-2 loss away to Seattle Sounders.

Javier Hernandez gave the Galaxy a shock lead in the sixth minute, after fine link-up play between Raheem Edwards and Kevin Cabral, but the Sounders fought back to lead before the interval – with goals from Jordan Morris and Fredy Montero.

Costa drew the visitors level from the dead ball after 48 minutes, wrong-footing Stefan Frei, but Xavier Arreaga headed home in the 72nd to give the Sounders their first win of the season.

Los Angeles FC continued their unbeaten start to the season, meanwhile, grinding out a 2-0 win against a 10-man Inter Miami at DRV PNK Stadium.

A deflected Carlos Vela pass put Kwadwo Opoku through on the stroke of the interval, and the 20-year-old Ghanaian finished with composure. That didn't spell the end of events in the first half, though, as Brek Shea was given a straight red card in injury time.

LAFC had six shots for the match compared Inter's seven, despite 53 per cent possession and an extra man. However, an Ismael Tajouri free-kick crept inside Inters back post in the 82nd minute to secure the win.

Steve Cherundolo's side are equal top in the Western Conference with Real Salt Lake, who defeated New England Revolution 3-2. Austin FC couldn't keep pace in the final Saturday game, however, going down 1-0 away to Portland Timbers through a Bill Tuiloma goal.

Columbus Crew share the lead in the Eastern Conference, following their 2-1 win over Toronto FC. They are joined by Philadelphia Union, who defeated San Jose Earthquakes 2-0.

A Darwin Quintero brace handed Houston Dynamo a 2-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps, while Brandon Vazquez scored a double of his own in FC Cincinnati's 2-1 win at Orlando City.

FC Dallas, Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids respectively secured 2-0 victories over Nashville, DC United and Sporting Kansas City in Saturday's other games.

Yimmi Chara scored a spectacular bicycle kick goal for the second game running as 10-man Portland Timbers drew 1-1 with LAFC in the MLS on Sunday.

Chara, whose acrobatic strike earned a 2-2 draw with reigning Supporters' Shield winners New England Revolution last week, netted in the 18th minute.

Christhian Paredes' effort was blocked by LAFC defender Mamadou Fall, with the loose ball falling towards Chara with his back to goal, with his bicycle strike looping over goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.

Carlos Vela came closest to a first-half equalizer with a stinging left-foot strike which was well saved by Timbers goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic with his outstretched right hand.

Portland lost Claudio Bravo in the 62nd minute after receiving his second booking and Fall made them pay with a 93rd-minute equaliser tapping in Brian Rodriguez' ball across goal,

Inter Miami were hammered 5-1 by Austin with doubles to Sebastian Driussi and substitute Ethan Finlay.

Austin raced to a 2-0 lead inside half an hour with strikes from Driussi and Julio Cascante, before Driussi tapped home a third early in the second half.

Gonzalo Higuain set up half-time substitute Leonardo Campana to pull one back before Finlay's late double rounded out an emphatic win.

Gonzalo Higuain is hopeful his former Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi will one day join him in Major League Soccer.

Higuain is preparing for his second full season in MLS with Inter Miami, having joined from Juventus in September 2020.

Although the striker's goalscoring exploits had regressed slightly towards the end of his time in Europe, Higuain was still regarded as a major coup for both Inter and MLS, where his older brother Federico has plied his trade since 2012.

MLS has previously been considered a competition where fading stars from Europe went to see out the remainder of their careers, with the likes of Thierry Henry, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and Steven Gerrard all doing just that.

But the perception is changing slightly – it is becoming a proving ground for young talent, a viable stepping stone to Europe for South American players and even a place for established European stars who are still at the height of their powers.

Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne highlighted the shift last month by agreeing an end-of-season move to Toronto despite being virtually in his prime. While any MLS switch for Messi, already 34, would look a little more like a final pre-retirement move, Higuain reckons he would enjoy himself.

"It is a very important league and it is growing a lot," Higuain told Stats Perform.

"Important players are coming and I think that in the future it will continue to grow much more.

"I hope [Messi goes to MLS] because it would be a benefit for MLS and for the country, and if he so wishes he would have fun and be happy here."

Inter begin their 2022 MLS campaign at home to Chicago Fire on Saturday, with the David Beckham-backed franchise hoping to enjoy a major improvement from last season.

Phil Neville's side finished 11th in the 14-team Eastern Conference in 2021, a place above Saturday's opponents, while their points total of 41 was better than only six teams across the two MLS divisions.

It would seem Inter may have struggled even more were it not for Higuain, who scored 12 times. His haul of nine non-penalty (np) goals matched up well with his np-xG (expected goals) of 8.7, suggesting the team could really profit from dependable finishing if the service to him improves.

And bettering that return in front of goal is high on Higuain's list of priorities.

"We are fine, looking forward to [the start of the season] and very excited," he said. "It's so close now, let's hope it goes better than last year and we learn from the mistakes made so that this year it doesn't happen again. We are excited to have a good year.

"I want to improve my numbers, which I did my whole career, improve year after year. I hope that this year I can do better to help the team qualify [for the playoffs] and be able to compete for MLS.

"I hope I can improve my numbers, that's my goal and that's what I've prepared this pre-season."

Supporters' Shield winners New England have made more history with Wednesday's 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids breaking the MLS record for most points in a single season.

Bruce Arena's side, who clinched their first-ever Supporters' Shield on Saturday, won thanks to Tajon Buchanan's 74th-minute strike.

The result took Revolution's season tally to 73 points from 33 games, eclipsing the previous record mark held by LAFC with 72 points in 2019.

New England have one more regular season match to extend their record, playing Inter Miami at home on November 7.

Canada international Buchanan came up with the winner, showing fast feet to make space for a low shot that beat Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough, who had sensationally kept out Henry Kessler from close range minutes earlier.

New York Red Bulls slipped out of the Eastern Conference play-offs spots after a 1-0 defeat to DC United who moved above them into seventh place.

United snapped a four-game winless skid, while also ending the Red Bulls' four-game running run and eight-game unbeaten streak in the process. Kevin Paredes side-footed home the ninth-minute winner for United.

Sporting KC moved into top spot in the Western Conference and dented LA Galaxy's play-offs aspirations with a 2-0 win.

Johnny Russell extended his scoring run to eight straight games with both goals for KC who clinched a top-four seeding as well.

Randall Leal scored two goals and grabbed an assist as Nashville came from two goals down twice to win 6-3 at Cincinnati.

Portland Timbers moved in the west's top four with a 2-0 home victory over San Jose Earthquakes, while Vancouver Whitecaps climbed up to fifth with a 2-1 triumph over Minnesota United.

New York City boosted their Eastern Conference top-four seed hopes with a 1-0 home win over Chicago Fire, while Josef Martinez's winner helped Atlanta United past Inter Miami 2-1 after Gonzalo Higuain had opened the scoring from the spot.

Columbus Crew upset Orlando City 3-2, Toronto held Philadelphia Union 2-2 as Jozy Altidore netted while Real Salt Lake scored twice in the final 10 minutes to win 2-1 at Dallas.

LA Galaxy breathed life into their MLS play-off aspirations after securing back-to-back wins for the first time since August with a 3-0 victory at Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.

Galaxy, who had endured a nine-game winless skid, had beaten Portland Timbers 2-1 on the weekend before backing that up in Houston to reinforce their grip on sixth spot in the Western Conference midweek.

Greg Vanney's Galaxy went ahead in the 39th minute from veteran Sacha Kljestan's penalty, after Maynor Figueroa brought down Kevin Cabral inside the box.

Zarek Valentin's own goal on the stroke of half-time from Efrain Alvarez's cutback doubled Galaxy's advantage.

Two minutes into the second half, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez provided a well-weighted pass for Kevin Cabral to add a third, moving Galaxy up to 45 points and above Real Salt Lake into fifth in the west.

New England Revolution moved another step closer to clinching the Supporters' Shield with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at DC United.

Adam Buksa, Carles Gil and Gustavo Bou all scored within 18 minutes as the Revolution responded to Nigel Robertha's 51st-minute opener for DC United.

The result moved Eastern Conference pacesetters New England to 69 points from 31 games, with Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders closest behind them on 58 points after 30 games after they lost ground following a 1-1 draw with third-placed Colorado Rapids.

Elsewhere, Nashville – second behind New England in the east – drew for the fifth straight game in a 1-1 stalemate against defending MLS champions Columbus Crew and Cristian Arango's hat-trick guided Los Angeles FC past Dallas 3-2.

Inter Miami snapped their six-game losing skid and kept alive their faint play-off aspirations with a 3-0 home victory over Toronto.

Gudmundur Thorarinsson equalised late for New York City but their winless run extended to six games after a 1-1 draw at Atlanta United, Minnesota United were 3-2 winners against Philadelphia Union, Orlando City and Montreal played out a 1-1 draw.

Chicago Fire prevailed 4-3 over struggling FC Cincinnati, Vancouver Whitecaps came from two goals down to win 3-2 away to Portland Timbers, while San Jose Earthquakes eased past lowly Austin 4-0.