MLS REVIEW 5 Sep 2026: three from six for the model on a Saturday the loud games got away

A middling Saturday for our model: three of its six calls landed, and the misses were the loud ones. It backed Inter Miami at home against Atlanta and got a 2-2 draw built on penalties. Casemiro put Miami ahead in the 32nd, combining with Lionel Messi; Miguel Almiron levelled in the 35th after goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair spilled the ball; and Luis Suarez restored the lead in first-half stoppage time. Almiron had a 73rd-minute penalty saved by St. Clair, but Atlanta won another late on and Breel Embolo converted it on his debut in the 86th to steal the point.

Toronto 4, Chicago 4 was the wildest miss, the model having leaned to Chicago on the road. The headline belonged to Joshua Sargent, whose goals in the 27th, 38th and 54th brought his first career hat-trick. Chicago kept answering: Maren Haile-Selassie scored in the 13th and 58th, Walker Zimmerman turned the ball into his own net in the 49th, and Robert Lewandowski put Chicago 4-3 up in the 64th on his first appearance in Canada, before Derrick Etienne settled it for Toronto in the second minute of stoppage time.

The model's home calls came good elsewhere. Columbus beat Colorado 3-0, a debut goal from Santi Rodriguez in the 22nd followed by Gonzalo Tapia off the bench in the 82nd and Taha Habroune in stoppage time. Philadelphia beat CF Montréal 2-0: Montréal had an early goal ruled out for offside and Prince-Osei Owusu missed a 68th-minute penalty, either side of Danley Jean Jacques's opener in the 58th and Cavan Sullivan's third goal in three games in the 75th. And Orlando, another home call that landed, beat San Diego 1-0 through Antoine Griezmann's 28th-minute goal, set up by the rookie Justin Ellis and Daryl Dike.

The last of the misses was at Charlotte, backed at home and held goalless by Houston; the afternoon soured for the hosts when captain Ashley Westwood was sent off in the 72nd for two quick yellow cards, Kristijan Kahlina made five saves, and Houston's goal drought stretched on.

The seventh fixture never happened: Cincinnati against D.C. United was delayed by lightning and then postponed entirely over pitch conditions and player safety, with no new date yet announced.