Luis Suarez scored from the penalty spot and registered two assists as Inter Miami defeated Pumas 3-1 without injured Lionel Messi on Matchday 3 of Leagues Cup opening-phase play on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The result made Miami (2-0-1, 8 points) the first MLS side to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals, despite seeing Messi depart with a hamstring issue in a 2-2 draw against Necaxa on Saturday. The top four teams from MLS and the top four teams from Liga MX will earn quarterfinal berths.

The Herons are guaranteed the second MLS spot after the Seattle Sounders’ win later Wednesday, and they will face the third-place Liga MX finisher.

Rodrigo de Paul produced his first goal in a Miami jersey to pull the Herons level just before halftime, and Tadeo Allende followed Suarez’s 59th-minute penalty kick with a 69th-minute strike that effectively sealed the outcome.

Jorge Ruvalcaba scored in the 34th minute for Pumas (1-1-1, 5 points), which needed a win in regulation or penalty kicks to stay alive.

Sounders 2, Club Tijuana 1

Danny Musovski’s 87th-minute header lifted host Seattle to the top of the MLS standings and into the quarterfinals as the only team to complete a perfect league phase.

Osaze De Rosario leveled with another header for the Sounders 31 minutes earlier, his second goal of the tournament. That was enough to ensure a deserved win after Seattle (3-0-0, 9 points) outshot Tijuana 26-11 overall and 10-5 in efforts on target.

The Sounders will face the fourth-place Liga MX finisher later this month.

Kevin Castaneda scored at the end of the first half on a powerful half-volley from the edge of the penalty for Tijuana (1-2-0, 3 points), which was eliminated with the defeat. The visitors finished with 10 men after Ramiro Franco’s dismissal for a very late foul that denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Club America 1 (5), Timbers 1 (3)

Visiting Club America converted all five of their spot kicks after coming from behind to split the points and put 10-man Portland’s quarterfinal hopes in question.

The Timbers’ Kamal Miller missed the target, leaving Portland (2-0-1, 7 points) in fourth among MLS teams at the end of the night. Three teams playing on Thursday could tie Portland’s point total, but they would also have to overcome deficits on the goal-difference tiebreak. The Timbers finished with a plus-5 differential.

Ariel Lassiter put Portland in front in the seventh minute, but the Timbers saw their ranks reduced when Jimer Fory received his second yellow card in the 51st minute.

America (0-0-3, 5 points) leveled only two minutes later on Ramon Juarez’s header off a corner kick. However, they lacked urgency in seeking a winner, having been eliminated before the match began.

Atletico de San Luis 2, Minnesota United 0

Joao Pedro scored his second of the tournament on a header off a corner kick just before halftime as already eliminated San Luis dumped the Loons out of contention in Saint Paul, Minn.

Substitute Sebastian Perez Bouquet added a second in the 89th minute to seal the victory for Atletico de San Luis (1-1-1, 5 points), their first in any competition since a 1-0 win over Club Leon to open the Liga MX Apertura on July 13.

Andres Sanchez made three stops to keep a first clean sheet of the tournament, blanking Minnesota (1-1-1, 4 points), a team that scored seven times in its first two tournament matches.

The Loons were eliminated despite outshooting San Luis 20-9 overall.

Orlando City 5, Necaxa 1

Luis Muriel scored a hat trick to snap a 14-match scoreless streak in all competitions and the host Lions moved into third place on the MLS side of the tournament standings.

Martin Ojeda added his second and third goals of the competition for Orlando (2-0-1, 7 points), who used the rout to build a plus-6 goal differential through three matches.

Total regulation wins is the first tiebreak in deciding the tournament’s quarterfinalists, with goal differential utilized second.

Alexis Pena scored a late consolation goal for Necaxa (1-1-1, 4 points), which was eliminated with the defeat.

Real Salt Lake 1, Queretaro 0

Braian Ojeda scored on an excellent long-range effort and Salt Lake earned a consolation victory to close their tournament campaign.

Salt Lake (1-0-2, 6 points) outshot already eliminated Queretaro (0-3-0, 0 points) on a night that began with the Claret and Cobalt still holding a slim chance of advancing. That possibility ended when Portland forced its match to a penalty shootout.

Rafael Cabral needed only one save to keep the clean sheet and preserve RSL’s third 1-0 victory in all competitions since July 12.

Queretaro finished the tournament still looking for its first win or draw in six matches since the start of the Liga MX Apertura.

Atlanta United 4, Atlas 1

Atlanta produced its most lopsided win in any match this season during a meeting of teams that had already been eliminated.

Jamal Thiare opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute. Aleksei Miranchuk added his second of the tournament, and Saba Lobjanidze made it 3-0 in the 38th minute.

Cayman Togashi completed the scoring after halftime for Atlanta (1-2-0, 3 points), which snapped a 10-match winless run in all competitions.

Diego Gonzalez’s late free kick goal helped Atlas (0-3-0, 0 points) avoid being shut out for the first time in six matches since the start of Liga MX Apertura play last month.

–Field Level Media

Son Heung-min arrived in Los Angeles to a hero’s welcome on both Tuesday and Wednesday as the former Tottenham star forward and team captain finalized a deal to compete with LAFC.

On Tuesday evening, the Korean superstar observed his future squad’s Leagues Cup game vs. Tigres (a 2-1 LAFC win) from a suite at BMO Stadium. Fans roared their approval when he was introduced and acknowledged the supporters.

On Wednesday, he was formally introduced and met with the media after Tottenham and LAFC announced the record transfer. The deal is for three years, but with options for 2028 and the first half of 2029. Sources report the value as $26.5 million, which would be an MLS record for a player transfer.

“LA,” Son said, “what a city.”

Many factors swung Son’s decision to sign with the MLS squad. At the news conference, he credited LAFC general manager John Thorrington for convincing him that Los Angeles should be the next stop on his soccer journey.

“He changed my heart, he changed my brain,” Son said. “He showed me the destination where I should be.”

Son cited the thriving Korean community (around 320,000) in Los Angeles as another factor in his decision.

“As a Korean, to know that Koreatown here in Los Angeles has so many Koreans, here in this country, I’m very proud to be a part of the club and the city,” he said through the interpreter. “And I’ll make them proud with my performance.”

He also credited former Tottenham teammate and current LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who made a recruiting pitch.

“Hugo was helping and advising about how great Los Angeles is,” Son said.

In ten seasons with the London-based Premier League club Tottenham, Son scored 173 goals in all competitions and was the first Asian player to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot award in the 2021-22 season. He previously played with Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga (2013-15).

After receiving his P-1 visa, the 33-year-old should be eligible to debut in Chicago on Saturday.

“I think we can say I’m old,” Son said. “But I still have good physicality, good legs, and still I have good quality.”

I’m here to win … I will perform, and I will definitely show you something exciting. And we definitely will have success.”

–Field Level Media

Real Salt Lake acquired Nigerian striker Victor Olatunji from Czech top-flight side Sparta Prague on Wednesday.

Olatunji, 25, arrives for a reported $2.5 million transfer fee and is under contract through June 2028 with options for the rest of 2028 and all of 2029.

To complete the deal, Real Salt Lake is sending $125,000 in 2026 general allocation money to D.C. United to obtain Olatunji’s discovery priority.

“We are excited to welcome Victor to Utah, another move we’ve been working on for some time,” RSL chief soccer officer Kurt Schmid said. “Victor’s speed, strength and intelligence in the box should allow him to fit into our attack.”

Olatunji has racked up 42 goals and 11 assists in 192 club appearances in Austria, Cyprus, Slovakia and the Czech Republic since 2017.

–Field Level Media

Thomas Muller signed a contract on Wednesday that will keep the former Bayern Munich star with the Vancouver Whitecaps through the 2026 season.

Muller, 35, will play under a standard deal through the remainder of this season and transition to a designated player slot in 2026. The Whitecaps acquired his discovery rights from FC Cincinnati for up to $400,000 in general allocation money ($300,000 guaranteed in 2025-26 and $100,000 conditional in 2026).

“Thomas is a world-class player — the ultimate Raumdeuter ‘interpreter of space’ — known for his elite chance creation, unmatched spatial awareness, and relentless off-the-ball movement,” Whitecaps technical director Axel Schuster said in a statement.

“He not only brings a winning pedigree and exceptional football intelligence, but also a tireless work ethic that will elevate the entire team. Thomas is a natural leader whose passion for the game is infectious. This is a statement signing by our club and our ownership — a transformative moment for our club and our city. We are proud to welcome Thomas to Vancouver.”

Muller played 17 seasons for Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga. He recorded 250 goals and 238 assists in 756 career matches across all competitions while winning 33 titles.

The attacking midfielder and forward also notched 45 goals and 131 caps for Germany, highlighted by a FIFA World Cup championship in 2014.

“I’m looking forward to coming to Vancouver to help this team win a championship,” Muller said in a statement. “I’ve heard great things about the city, but first and foremost I’m coming to win. I’ve had great conversations with Axel Schuster and Jesper Sorensen, and now I can’t wait to play in front of the supporters and to see all of the fans come out to BC Place as we head towards the playoffs.”

–Field Level Media

San Diego FC acquired forward Corey Baird from FC Cincinnati on Wednesday in exchange for up to $100,000 in general allocation money.

Cincinnati will retain a portion of Baird’s 2025 salary budget charge as part of the trade. Cincinnati will receive $50,000 guaranteed in 2025 GAM plus a conditional $50,000.

Baird, 29, has been held off the scoresheet in 18 MLS matches (three starts) this season.

He has recorded 31 goals and two assists in 201 career matches (133 starts) with Real Salt Lake (2018-20), Los Angeles FC (2021), Houston Dynamo (2021-23) and FC Cincinnati.

–Field Level Media