Cristian Espinoza and Abdul Shakur Mohammed each scored second-half goals – both assisted by Hany Mukhtar – for Nashville SC, who defeated host Atlanta United 2-0 on Saturday night.

Despite missing leading scorer Sam Surridge (seven goals) to a hamstring injury for the second straight match, Nashville (6-1-1, 19 points) extended its win streak to three matches across all competitions while maintaining its lead atop the Eastern Conference standings. It also improved to 3-1-1 on the road in MLS play.

Atlanta (1-6-1, 4 points) saw its winless streak in MLS play reach four matches (0-3-1).

Nashville pulled ahead in the 61st minute after Atlanta’s Emmanuel Latte Lath lost possession in the attacking half.

After the ball reached Mukhtar on the resulting counterattack, his pass near the scoring area found the foot of Espinoza, whose shot sailed past Lucas Hoyos and just inside the left post to make it 1-0. It was Espinoza’s third goal of the season.

Nashville grabbed an insurance goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time when Mohammed made it 2-0, his first goal in MLS.

Atlanta and Nashville played an even first half, though Nashville had a couple of opportunities to pull ahead late in the period.

In the 39th minute, Hoyos turned aside a header from Daniel Lovitz. Then, in the 41st minute, Mukhtar found himself one-on-one with Hoyos, but was denied by the goalkeeper for the go-ahead goal.

Ultimately, Nashville SC pulled away in the second half while keeping its fourth clean sheet in MLS play. Brian Schwake was credited with three saves in the win. Hoyos finished with six saves.

Atlanta United fell to 1-3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the loss. They also entered Saturday’s match without Miguel Almiron, who was dealing with a knee injury sustained during the team’s win over Chattanooga FC in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Round of 32.

–Field Level Media

Sean Johnson made four saves to keep his third clean sheet and D.C. United held on for a 0-0 draw at the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.

Rookie defender Nikola Markovic blocked three shots and was a consistent disruptor of Union attacks in his first start for D.C. (2-4-2, 8 points), which snapped a two-match league losing run but is now winless in its last four in MLS and last five overall.

The Black-and-Red, the last-place finishers in MLS in 2025, remain above a Philadelphia (1-6-1, 4 points) side that won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield in the 2026 Eastern Conference standings.

Andre Blake kept his first clean sheet without having to make a single save for the Union, who outshot D.C. 17-6 overall.

Philadelphia also led D.C. 13-1 in corner kicks, and failed to score for a second consecutive match against D.C. following a 1-0 away loss to open the season.

Former Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo started for D.C. in his first return to his former club after he was questionable with a thigh injury coming into the match.

But he had scant opportunities as the home side dominated the task of creating chances, particularly before halftime.

Jesus Bueno’s long-range effort from outside the box struck the near left post in the 12th minute.

In the 40th, Bueno connected well on a tricky volley inside the box, but Markovic sprawled to block it before it could test Johnson.

Then in the 42nd, Johnson reacted excellently to deny Bruno Damiani’s low, first-time effort off Milan Iloski’s feed from the right.

The hosts still enjoyed most of the ball after the break but were less threatening with it.

Iloski’s 76th-minute effort from long range nearly found the net, but only because Johnson mis-timed his dive and played it into a more difficult save.

Jovan Lukic and Damiani each missed the target in the 82nd minute. But otherwise, Johnson was comfortable during the dying stages.

–Field Level Media

Carles Gil converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute to give the New England Revolution a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.

Three minutes before Gil’s goal, Crew defender Rudy Camacho pulled Dor Turgeman to the ground in the box to draw the penalty. A video review confirmed the foul, and Gil then buried the shot for his first goal of the season and the 50th of his Revolution career.

Max Arfsten gave Columbus (1-4-3, 6 points) the early lead in the 25th minute, but Turgeman sparked New England’s comeback with an equalizer in the 54th minute.

The Revolution (4-3-0, 12 points) are 4-0-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents by a 12-2 margin in Foxborough.

The loss ended the Crew’s two-match (1-0-1) unbeaten streak in regular-season play, and a long stretch of road success against the Revs. The Crew hadn’t lost in their previous five visits to New England (3-0-2), dating back to the 2021 season.

In the 25th minute, Revs goaltender Matt Turner dove in an attempt to cut off Diego Rossi’s cross, but Arfsten corralled the loose ball at the other end of the box. Arfsten then held the ball while defender Andrew Farrell slid by, and converted the finish for his second goal of the season before Patrick Schulte could get back in position.

Turgeman responded with his second goal in the 54th minute, breaking open what had been a quiet game for New England’s attack. Luca Langoni’s free kick found Turgeman in the middle of the box for a header that snuck inside the near post.

After Gil’s go-ahead goal, Camacho just missed a chance to atone for his earlier mistake. Two minutes into the 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, Camacho had a close-range shot that deflected off the goalpost.

Revolution defender Brayan Ceballos left in the 17th minute with an apparent lower-body injury. Peyton Miller substituted into the match in Ceballos’ place.

–Field Level Media