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Washington, Mar 22 (EFE).- Nashville SC and Charlotte FC delivered dominant wins in Major League Soccer on Saturday, thrashing Orlando City SC and New York Red Bulls respectively in a high-scoring fifth round.
Nashville thrashed Orlando City 5-0, with standout performances from Cristian Espinoza and Sam Surridge, while Charlotte crushed the New York Red Bulls 6-1, powered by goals from Kerwin Vargas and Pep Biel.
The Eastern Conference is currently led by Nashville, while Los Angeles FC tops the Western Conference, with both teams on 13 points.
Nashville extended their strong run of form following their midweek qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals, after eliminating Inter Miami, by dismantling Orlando in what was their second match since the departure of coach Óscar Pareja.
Espinoza opened the scoring, while Surridge netted a hat-trick to move to the top of the MLS scoring charts with seven goals. Costa Rican Warren Madrigal completed the rout.
Charlotte defeated the Red Bulls 6-1 after the visitors were reduced to 10 men early in the second half.
Vargas struck just 29 seconds after the restart to make it 2-1, and Biel added a third with a well-taken free kick from outside the penalty area.
Texas derby thriller
In the Western Conference, FC Dallas edged the Houston Dynamo 4-3 in a dramatic Texas derby.
Dallas raced into a 2-0 lead, but Houston responded with three goals in four minutes, between the 29th and 33rd, led by a hat-trick from Brazil’s Guilherme. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Dallas rallied in the second half to secure the win.
Other results
Toronto FC came from behind to beat the Columbus Crew 2-1, with Ecuador’s José Cifuentes scoring the equalizer.
The Colorado Rapids won 4-1 away to Sporting Kansas City, highlighted by a goal from Rafael Navarro.
Los Angeles FC and Austin FC played out a goalless draw, as did Atlanta United and D.C. United.
St. Louis City defeated the New England Revolution 3-1, while the Chicago Fire beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1.
Five matches remain to be played on Sunday, including New York City FC vs. Inter Miami and Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders. EFE
at-sk
