It was a wonderful night at Allianz Field for the Loons’ last home game of the regular season, with the Black and Blue earning a resounding 3-0 victory against SKC. The home side played with an attacking intent that produced plenty of chances, with the finishing touches coming mostly at the hands of Anthony Markanich and Joaquín Pereyra. The MNUFC duo earned their spots on this week’s TOTM after their standout performances, putting them among some of the league’s most in-form players.

For the defender who’s always in the right spot at the right time, one goal simply wasn’t enough on Saturday night. Markanich followed up his 25th-minute opener with the cherry on top in the 63rd minute, bringing his side up to three goals on the night and firmly putting the game to bed. Both goals saw the left back get his head on the end of some fantastic service, first from Pereyra and later from Nectarios Triantis. Markanich’s 12 goals in all competitions lead all MLS defenders and make him just the fourth defender in league history to score at least eight goals in regular-season play.

But Markanich wasn’t the only one raising the standard on Saturday. Playing in a slightly more advanced position, Pereyra found himself pulling the strings even more than usual this weekend, assisting the first goal of the night and firing home the second to double the lead in the 59th minute. His first-half assist was his 16th of the season, setting a new single-season club record for MNUFC across all competitions.

With just one game remaining in the regular season and a noticeable, marked shift in the Loons’ approach to the match against SKC, the attacking talents of both of these players will be crucial in the coming postseason. Their understanding of where they need to position themselves — paired with their undeniable quality on the ball when it finds them — is what separates good from great, and their teammates will be hoping to see them extend this flurry of attacking excellence to the very end of the year.

F: Anders Dreyer (SD), Mikael Uhre (PHI), Tadeo Allende (MIA)

M: Lionel Messi (MIA), Sebastian Berhalter (VAN), Marcel Hartel (STL), Thomas Müller (VAN)

D: Jordi Alba (MIA), Jack Elliott (CHI), Anthony Markanich (MIN)

GK: Rafael Cabral (RSL)

Coach: Bradley Carnell (PHI)

Bench: Chris Brady (CHI), Andrés Herrera (CLB), Patrickson Delgado (DAL), Joaquín Pereyra (MIN), Philip Zinckernagel (CHI), Pedro de la Vega (SEA), Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Amahl Pellegrino (SD), Kévin Denkey (CIN)