Daniel Gazdag’s first-half penalty kick and Patrick Schulte’s four saves led the host Columbus Crew to a 2-1 comeback win over FC Cincinnati in the latest Hell Is Real derby on Saturday.

The Crew (5-8-4, 19 points) had one win in their previous six matches while Cincinnati (6-6-5, 23 points) had a three-match point streak end.

The rivalry got heated in the final minute and Cincinnati’s Gerado Valenzuela was red-carded after a scuffle broke out and the melee continued post-match in the Cincinnati tunnel.

Kevin Denkey staked Cincinnati a ninth-minute lead before the Crew rallied on scores from Jamal Thiare in the 42nd and a penalty kick by Gazdag in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.

Columbus overcame an early deficit to take the 2-1 halftime lead on Gazdag’s second penalty kick in as many matches.

The Crew settled down after the Denkey score and Thiare found the equalizer off a corner kick by Dylan Chambost.

Thiare made a run to the middle of the box, got position on Miles Robinson and used a header for his first Crew goal after being acquired in a trade in February from Atlanta United, where he played the past three seasons.

At the 45-minute mark, Schulte made a critical stop with his right arm on a shot by Evander at the left post. The Crew followed with Max Arfsten drawing a foul at the end line from Matt Miazga that was upheld after a review.

Gazdag calmly scored from the spot for the 27th time in 28 tries in his MLS career with the Crew and the Philadelphia Union.

Cincinnati has allowed 42 goals after giving up 40 last season in 34 regular-season matches.

Denkey broke a tie with Evander for the club goal lead with his 11th but he couldn’t have done it with Evander and some poor defending by Mo Farsi.

Pavel Bucha attacked the right flank before sending a cross to the 6-yard box. Farsi tried to high kick the pass but whiffed and the ball went to Evander for a slick centering pass to Denkey, who did not miss.

Evander has a seven-match goal contribution streak (eight goals, seven assists).

This was the first meeting since Cincinnati won a best-of-three series in the 2025 playoffs.

– Field Level Media

Milan Iloski scored the match’s only goal just past the half-hour mark, and the Philadelphia Union defeated the visiting Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday night in Chester, Pa.

Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre added assists as the Union (3-10-4, 13 points) won back-to-back matches for the first time this season.

The Sounders (7-6-3, 24 points) tied a club record with their fifth straight loss, matching a mark set in 2015.

Iloski opened the scoring for the Union in the 31st minute. He caught up to a pass from Frankie Westfield and, with Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas pulled off his line, chipped it into an open net to make it 1-0. It was Iloski’s team-high ninth goal of the season.

In the 64th minute, Iloski thought he’d made it a brace as he caught Thomas off his line once more on a one-versus-one opportunity, but the entry pass from Cavan Sullivan found the striker a hair offside.

But the Union’s first-half goal ended up standing up as the match winner as the Sounders managed just one shot on goal, a weakly-headed attempt from Hassani Dotson in the 66th minute that was stopped easily by Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.

Blake kept his third clean sheet of the season thanks to his lone save of the night. Thomas stopped five of the six Philadelphia shots he faced.

The Union claimed consecutive wins for the first time since a three-match winning streak from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4, 2025.

Pierre, making his first MLS start, recorded his second goal contribution in as many matches. He scored his first career goal against the New York Red Bulls during the Union’s 3-1 win on Wednesday night.

Westfield’s assist was his team-leading fifth of the season.

Seattle has been shut out three times and outscored 12-2 during its losing streak.

–Field Level Media

Pete Crow-Armstrong filled the box score, going 4-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, a two-run home run, three RBIs and a stolen base to power the Chicago Cubs to an 11-0 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Dansby Swanson added two hits, two runs and an RBI, while Miguel Amaya scored twice and drove in two runs. Michael Busch went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, and Seiya Suzuki also drove in two runs in the Cubs’ 16-hit attack.

Shota Imanaga (7-8) threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits while walking one and striking out four. Javier Assad earned his first save with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit while walking none and striking out three.

The Cubs took a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning. Swanson and Amaya singled with one out before Crow-Armstrong ripped an RBI double into the right-center gap to open the scoring. Suzuki followed with a line drive over the glove of a leaping Ryan O’Hearn at first, driving in Amaya and Crow-Armstrong.

An inning later, Chicago sent 11 batters to the plate and stretched its advantage to 8-0. Ian Happ opened the inning by grounding out. But Nico Hoerner singled, Pedro Ramirez walked, and Isaac Mattson relieved Pirates starter Paul Skenes.

Swanson greeted Mattson with an RBI double to left for a 4-0 lead. Amaya’s single drove in Ramirez and Swanson. Crow-Armstrong laced a double to right and Amaya advanced to third.

Suzuki struck out looking, but Busch knocked in Amaya and Crow-Armstrong with a two-out single, giving the Cubs an 8-0 lead. After Alex Bregman walked, Pittsburgh again went to the bullpen and Ron Marinaccio walked Happ, but Hoerner lined out to left with the bases loaded.

Crow-Armstrong launched his 23rd home run, a two-run shot to right, and the Cubs’ lead grew to 10-0 in the seventh. Pinch hitter James Triantos collected his first major league hit, a single, in the eighth and scored from first on Ramirez’s double.

Skenes (9-9) gave up five runs on six hits, walked two and struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media