MLS PREVIEW 9 Sep 2026: Toronto's six-game unbeaten run meets runaway leaders Nashville on a five-game midweek card

The midweek slate's sharpest edge is in Toronto, where an unlikely surge meets the league's pacesetters. Waking The Red sets it up: "Toronto FC are riding a six-game unbeaten streak and on the cusp of a playoff spot after their 4-4 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday", while Nashville SC — "The Supporters Shield frontrunners — 10 points clear of Inter Miami and the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps — have only lost twice in 23 MLS matches this season." Robin Fraser is not dressing it up: "We need to get ourselves physically ready, do everything we can to be physically ready for Wednesday. We have to be able to stop teams and obviously this is a very, very good team that's coming up and we have to be able to stop them." The urgency is structural — "With this being the first of just 11 remaining matches for the Reds in the regular season — with only four at home — the time is now to get them before it's too late" — and there is a fitness watch: "Djordje Mihailovic's status is unknown after he left Saturday's game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury."

Elsewhere, a Florida derby without the geography: "A game after shutting out San Diego FC 1-0, Orlando City faces Atlanta United", per the AP's preview, which notes "Antoine Griezmann has scored five goals over the last 10 games" for the visitors and "Aleksey Miranchuk has five goals and five assists" for the hosts; Orlando's absentees are Nolan Miller and Braian Ojeda. Philadelphia Union host FC Cincinnati in a meeting of the conference's heavyweights — the Union "a game after shutting out CF Montreal 2-0", with "Milan Iloski has 11 goals and three assists" against a visitor built around its talisman: "Evander has scored 13 goals with 11 assists for Cincinnati." Neither club listed an absence. Columbus Crew visit D.C. United "a game after shutting out the Colorado Rapids 3-0", though without their top scorer — the AP lists "Crew: Wessam Abou Ali (injured)" — while for the hosts "Thai Baribo has six goals over the last 10 games." And CF Montréal host Charlotte with the form lines pulling apart: per APWin, "CF Montréal are winless in 3 matches in the competition" while "Charlotte are unbeaten in 5 matches in the league."