Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi and LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig were at their vintage best in Matchday 32, leading the Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
Messi contributed 2g/1a in a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union, emphatically returning from a three-plus-month absence caused by injury and international duty. Luis Suárez (1g/1a) also shined for Inter Miami, who remain on pace for the 2024 Supporters' Shield title and the MLS single-season points record.
Puig supplied 1g/2a in LA's epic El Tráfico comeback, a 4-2 victory over arch-rivals LAFC. As the Galaxy clinched an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot, striker Dejan Joveljić bagged a brace during his first start in nearly two months. Head coach Greg Vanney made the right tactical adjustments at halftime, too.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Ryan Gauld, fresh off debuting for Scotland in UEFA Nations League matches, tallied two assists in a 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic dished out two assists in a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers, vaulting his team to third in the Western Conference.
CF Montréal midfielder Caden Clark, acquired in a midseason trade with Minnesota United FC, showed his potential with 1g/1a in a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC. New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese also produced a man-of-the-match performance, making six saves in a 1-1 draw at D.C. United.
All three TotM defenders scored: Rafael Santos (Orlando City SC), Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders FC) and Griffin Dorsey (Houston Dynamo FC). Santos' long-range golazo sparked a 3-0 rout of the New England Revolution, Ragen jump-started a 2-0 win vs. Sporting Kansas City and Dorsey scored the game-winner in Houston's 4-1 demolition of Real Salt Lake.
Team of the Matchday (3-4-3, left to right): Matt Freese (NYC) - Rafael Santos (ORL), Jackson Ragen (SEA), Griffin Dorsey (HOU) - Ryan Gauld (VAN), Riqui Puig (LA), Djordje Mihailovic (COL), Caden Clark (MTL) - Luis Suárez (MIA), Dejan Joveljić (LA), Lionel Messi (MIA)
Coach: Greg Vanney (LA)
Bench: Dayne St. Clair (MIN), Jalen Neal (LA), Jordi Alba (MIA), Jonathan Osorio (TOR), Amine Bassi (HOU), Paul Rothrock (SEA), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Facundo Torres (ORL), Georgios Koutsias (CHI)
Audi Goals Drive Progress
MLS Academies have been identified as one of the most important resources for building on-field talent in North America. Through the Audi Goals Drive Progress initiative, Audi has committed $1 million per season in an effort to advance academies league-wide, and to drive progress for the sport. For every goal scored in the regular season, Audi will contribute $200 into the Audi Goals Drive Progress fund to directly support each MLS Club Youth Academy.
