Nashville SC will be out to build on their Eastern Conference lead when they play host to Los Angeles FC on Sunday night.

Nashville SC (8-1-3, 27 points) entered the weekend atop the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Inter Miami. One of the stingiest sides around, the club has conceded only eight goals, tied with Seattle for fewest in MLS at the start of Saturday’s play.

Like elite teams do, Nashville is getting contributions from everywhere. With central midfielders Eddi Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek sidelined due to injury Wednesday at New England, replacement Bryan Acosta stepped in and delivered two goals during a 3-0 victory.

Both goals Acosta were assisted by Cristian Espinoza, whose acquisition from the San Jose Earthquakes in the offseason provided another dangerous player to go along with Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar and Warren Madrigal. The foursome has combined for 20 goals and 15 assists.

Nashville SC coach B.J. Callaghan said Mukhtar, who’s been with the club since its first match in 2020, continues to lead the way.

“He’s just been so selfless in doing a lot of work to open up the opportunities for other guys,” Callaghan said.

LAFC (6-4-3, 21 points) fell 2-1 at St. Louis City SC on Wednesday for their first loss to the four-year old franchise. LAFC owned an 18-7 advantage in shots but got only four toward net and marked poorly in key situations, allowing defenders to log both St. Louis City goals.

First-year LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos said his team is worn down physically from playing twice a week since the season started in late February because of CONCACAF Champions Cup commitments.

“None of our players right now are at 100% and it’s just a reality that we’re facing,” said Dos Santos, whose team is winless over its last four matches across all competitions. “Sometimes, there are moments that are just difficult for a team and don’t go your way. Right now, we’re in a moment like that.”

LAFC forward Hueng-Min Son remains without a goal in 11 league matches (10 starts) this season but does have eight assists.

–Field Level Media

The Seattle Storm are having troubles on the offensive end, with a chance to find the bottom of the net more often when they face the Indiana Fever on Sunday night in Indianapolis.

The Fever continue to be concerned about their defense.

“We’ve got to be able to defend all the time,” Fever guard Caitlin Clark said. “When things aren’t going well, we’ve still got to find a way to defend. There’s an opportunity for us to improve in that area.”

The Storm (1-2) are wrapping up a three-game road stretch that most recently included Wednesday’s 86-73 loss to the expansion Toronto Tempo.

After 19 turnovers, Seattle is addressing ball security.

“Cleaning up some of our spacing,” Storm coach Sonia Raman said. “There’s a lot of work to be done there, but I think this is a group that is ready to tackle that.”

Center Dominique Malonga has led Seattle in scoring in two of its three games. Malonga combined with center Stefanie Dolson for 15 of the team’s 27 made baskets against the Tempo.

“I think Dom and I just found openings where we could,” Dolson said. “We did our best to get (people) open. … We just have to build that chemistry together. It’s a young group. We don’t know how to play with each other completely yet.”

Storm starting forward Jordan Horston did not take a shot in 18 minutes during Wednesday’s game.

“She’s still trying to find her spots and where that offense is going to come from for her,” Raman said.

Indiana coach Stephanie White said there are times the Fever appear to be resting on defense, and that was a concern following Friday’s 104-102 overtime loss at home to the Washington Mystics.

“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect when we don’t consistently defend,” White said. “The energy has to be dictated at that end of the floor and that’s a mindset.”

The Fever rolled on offense in the fourth quarter by shooting 61.1% from the floor and getting a game-tying 3-pointer from Clark with 3.1 seconds remaining in regulation.

“We showed the ability to make tough shots,” White said. “We just have to have more of it consistently.”

Indiana’s Aliyah Boston had no field goals for the first time in her career on 0-for-3 shooting Wednesday at Los Angeles and then departed from Friday night’s game with a lower leg injury after nine points in 21 minutes.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy are two of 34 coaches and executives scheduled to participate in the NFL’s revamped accelerator program, ESPN reported on Saturday.

The NFL began holding accelerator events at its spring meetings starting in 2022 after league officials perceived that owners were passing over highly qualified individuals of color for vacant positions. They did not hold the event in 2025, however.

Among the 16 coaches slated to participate is McDaniel, who served as the Miami Dolphins head coach from 2022-25.

McDaniel achieved back-to-back playoff appearances with the Dolphins in his first two seasons. Over four seasons there, McDaniel posted a 35-33 record in the regular season and an 0-2 record in the postseason.

Bieniemy, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde and Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich are among those that have received head coaching interviews in recent years.

Eighteen executives also are scheduled to participate in the program, including Glenn Cook and Catherine Hickman (Cleveland Browns), James Liipfert (Houston Texans), Mike Bradway (Chiefs), Brandon Brown (New York Giants), Josh Williams (San Francisco 49ers), Mike Greenberg (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Lance Newmark (Washington Commanders).

–Field Level Media