MLS Game Capsules (Week 30)

MLS Communications

Friday, September 9

CF Montréal (16-9-4) vs. Columbus Crew (9-6-13)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

In the lone matchup on Friday evening, CF Montréal look to win both games against the Columbus Crew in a season for the first time since 2015. Montréal won the earlier contest this season with a late 2-1 comeback, as they scored goals in the 88th and 94th minute for the victory. The Crew hold an 11-9-4 advantage in the all-time series.
Montréal’s 4-3 win over Canadian rivals Toronto FC on Sunday was historic as they set single-season club records in wins (16), points (52), and goals scored (53). In Montreal’s 11-year MLS history, they have never finished higher than seventh in terms of the most points in the league (51 in 2015). Currently, the club sits third in MLS and can clinch a playoff spot this weekend.
After starting the season in terrific form with six goals and three assists in his first 11 games, Djordje Mihailovic got back on the score sheet against Toronto on Sunday. His game-tying goal in the 21st minute was his ninth this season and first since May 22. Mihailovic missed six games in the middle of the year due to an ankle injury.
Columbus heads north of the border on the heels of impressive road form and looking to maintain their sixth-place position in the Eastern Conference. The Crew are unbeaten in their previous seven road games (3-0-4) and will look to go undefeated in eight straight away from home for the first time since July-October 2004.
With a scoreless draw against Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room posted his 10th clean sheet of the season, which is the fourth most in MLS. Room’s terrific season has gone under the radar as he ranks in the top-five in MLS in clean sheets, goals against (31), and goals against average (1.09). He is the first Crew goalkeeper with double-digit clean sheets since Zack Steffen in 2018.

Saturday, September 10

Charlotte FC (10-17-2) vs. New York City FC (13-10-7)

(1 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Charlotte FC and New York City FC meet for the second time this season with Charlotte looking to sweep NYCFC after winning 3-1 at Yankee Stadium on August 17.
Talles Magno has been one of the standout young players in the league this season, recording six goals and eight assists for NYCFC. With two more assists, he will become just the fourth player in club history to record a 10-assist season. He and Santiago Rodríguez would also become the first duo to provide at least 10 assists in a single season for NYCFC.
Sean Johnson has kept 13 clean sheets in 2022, which is tied for the eighth most in a single season and just three behind Tony Meola’s league-record 16 clean sheets. Five players have previously kept 14 clean sheets during a regular season while Jimmy Nielsen is the sole holder of second place in these all-time rankings with 15 in 2012.
Including Saturday’s match against NYCFC, Charlotte has three home games remaining in 2022 to become the third expansion team since 2005 to win at least 10 games at home during their inaugural season. The last expansion team to do so was Atlanta United in 2017 with 11.
Charlotte’s No. 1 overall 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick Ben Bender needs one goal contribution to become the first MLS SuperDraft selection to record at least 10 goal contributions in their first season since Daryl Dike for Orlando City in 2020.

Nashville SC (12-9-9) vs. LA Galaxy (11-11-6)

(3:30 p.m. ET, Univision / TUDN / Twitter)

Nashville SC welcome the LA Galaxy to GEODIS Park on Saturday afternoon in a crucial Western Conference matchup. Nashville currently leads the Galaxy by six points heading into the weekend and with a win, could set up a potential playoff-clinching scenario next week. The two teams have met only once with LA winning the first meeting 1-0 in California on April 23.
Hany Mukhtar continued his Landon Donovan MLS MVP form by scoring five goals, winning two MLS Player of the Week and the August Player of the Month in the past week. Mukhtar leads the league with 21 goals on the season and his 32 goal contributions (21 goals, 11 assists) are also the most in MLS. Mukhtar’s 32 goal contributions are already tied for the eighth most in a single season in league history.
Mukhtar’s incredible month has also helped Nashville win four-straight games from August 21 to September 3. Nashville has never won five-straight matches in club history, and they would be the third team to do so this season (LAFC and Philadelphia Union).
The Galaxy’s Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández produced his third game of the season with multiple goals when he scored twice against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday. In his last six games, Chicharito has totaled seven goals and two assists. With 31 goals over the past two seasons, the Mexican joins Zlatan Ibrahimović, Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz as the only players with at least 30 goals in a two-year span in Galaxy history.
Of his first four MLS games, Riqui Puig has recorded a goal or an assist in three of them. On top of that, Puig has completed 221 passes with a 91.3 completion percentage to go along with four key passes.

New York Red Bulls (13-9-8) vs. New England Revolution (9-9-11)

(6 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

The New York Red Bulls host the 81st regular season meeting between them and the New England Revolution on Saturday with the Revolution going into this game with a 34-29-17 record in the all-time series. However, the Red Bulls won their earlier game against the Revolution this season 1-0 at Gillette Stadium.
Djordje Petrovic has faced the most penalty kicks (nine) in MLS this season but has saved three of them so far in 2022. If he saves another penalty kick before the end of the regular season, he will join Nick Rimando as the only two goalkeepers to deny four penalty kick takers from scoring in a single season.
With two assists, Carles Gil would join Sebastian Giovinco (2015-16), Sacha Kljestan (2016-17), and Maxi Moralez (2018-19) as the only players to record at least 15 assists in back-to-back seasons. Gil also needs just three assists to become the 16th player in league history to record 50 assists and the second in the Revolution’s history after Steve Ralston did so during the 2000 regular season.
The Red Bulls have won the most points on the road of any team in MLS this season, collecting 30 points with a 9-3-3 record. If they win four points from their final two away games this season, the Red Bulls will tie the record for most away points won in a single season (excluding the shootout era) that was set by the Revolution last season with 34.
With two goals, Lewis Morgan would become the sixth player in franchise history to score at least 15 goals in a single season and the first to do so since Bradley Wright-Phillips during the 2018 regular season.

Atlanta United FC (8-12-9) vs. Toronto FC (9-14-7)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

This will be the 12th all-time regular season meeting between Atlanta United and Toronto FC and the second of the 2022 season. Toronto leads the all-time series with a 4-3-4 record over Atlanta and won their last match in June by a 2-1 score line.
Toronto have scored 21 goals since Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne made their debuts for the club in a 4-0 win over Charlotte FC on July 23. The Italian duo have either scored or assisted 18 of those 21 goals, with Bernardeschi recording seven goals and three assists and Insigne providing six goals and two assists.
Last time out, Josef Martínez scored his eighth goal of the season and his 97th during MLS regular season play. The fastest player to ever reach 100 regular season goals was Bradley Wright-Phillips in 159, but Martínez could break that record this season as he’s played just 130 career regular season games since 2017.
Bernardeschi’s impressive scoring rate since debuting for Toronto has him on the cusp of joining a few players among the goal-scoring record books. Chief among them is the opportunity to become the third player in MLS history to score 10 goals in his first 10 games with a hat trick against Atlanta.
Bernardeschi and Insigne both scored for Toronto last time out against CF Montréal, the fourth time both have scored in the same MLS match. Only Dániel Gazdag and three Union teammates – Corey Burke, Julián Carranza, and Mikael Uhre - have each scored together in more games than Bernardeschi and Insigne.

FC Cincinnati (9-8-12) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (7-12-9)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

This is the second meeting between FC Cincinnati and the San Jose Earthquakes, with San Jose winning the first match between the two clubs, 1-0, on May 4, 2019.
FC Cincinnati is unbeaten since July 23; however, the club has won just two games over the span, totaling a 2-0-6 record. The club played to a 1-1 draw against NYCFC on Wednesday, their fourth draw in five matches.
Cincinnati’s Brandon Vázquez (16 goals, four assists) and Luciano Acosta (seven goals, 16 assists) are one of only two sets of teammates with at least 20 goal contributions this season, joining Philadelphia’s duo of Dániel Gazdag (18 goals, eight assists) and Julián Carranza (14 goals, nine assists).
The Earthquakes (30 points, 7-12-9) have won two of their last three matches to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff race. Last week, San Jose forward Jeremy Ebobisse scored his 15th goal of the season, extending his career-best goal total, and midfielder Cristian Espinoza recorded his 12th assist of 2022. Espinoza, who has three assists in his last three games, is tied for the fourth-most assists in the league, trailing only Luciano Acosta (16), Carles Gil (13), and Kai Wagner (13).
Ebobisse is the third player in Earthquakes history to score 15 goals in a single season, joining Chris Wondolowski (5 times) and Ronald Cerritos. Wondolowski is the only ‘Quakes player with more than 15 goals in a season.

Philadelphia Union (17-4-9) vs. Orlando City SC (12-10-6)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

The Philadelphia Union look to continue their quest for the Supporters’ Shield when they welcome Orlando City SC to Subaru Park on Saturday night. The two clubs have met 15 times in MLS history with the Union leading 6-4-5 and winners of the last two matchups. No team has won three-straight times in the series and Philadelphia will look to change that.
Philadelphia’s trio of Julián Carranza, Dániel Gazdag and Mikael Uhre became the 15th in MLS history to produce double-digit goals in the same season. Another Union trio of Gazdag, Carranza and Kai Wagner could become the 11th to produce double-digit assists if Gazdag adds two more, while Carranza is one shy. Finally, Cory Burke holds the key to MLS history – if he scores three more goals this season, the club would be the first ever to have four players score double-digit goals in a single season.
Andre Blake’s sensational season in net has resulted in him leading MLS in almost every major goalkeeping statistic. Entering this weekend’s matches, Blake holds the third-best goals-against-average (0.70), second-best save percentage (81.7) and tied for the eighth-most shutouts (14) in a single season in MLS history.
Orlando travel to Philadelphia fresh off Wednesday’s 3-0 victory in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final over Sacramento Republic FC. The win marked Orlando’s first trophy in their eight-year MLS history, and they became the 11th different MLS club to hoist the Open Cup.
After losing three matches in a row, Orlando City completed a strong month of August by winning each of their last four matches. With a win, Orlando would join LAFC and the Philadelphia Union as the only teams to win five-straight matches this season. The club last won five straight from March 31 to May 6, 2018, when they won six in a row.
Orlando’s winning-streak in August has seen Facundo Torres produce at least a goal or an assist in each of the four wins. In the club’s most recent 3-2 win against Seattle, Torres came off the bench at halftime, adding a goal and assist in just 45 minutes of game action. The Uruguayan leads the team with 15 goal contributions (six goals, nine assists) in 2022.

Chicago Fire FC (8-13-8) vs. Inter Miami CF (10-12-6)

(8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Saturday’s game between Chicago Fire FC and Inter Miami CF is the fourth all-time between the clubs and their second of the 2022 regular season. The all-time series record is evenly split at 1-1-1 with the draw coming earlier this season when they played out a goalless contest.
Chicago and Gabriel Slonina recorded their second consecutive clean sheet and their 12th of the season last time out against the Columbus Crew. Only Sean Johnson and Andre Blake (both 13) have kept more clean sheets than 18-year-old Slonina so far this season. He needs four more from Chicago’s last five regular season games to tie the all-time MLS single-season record of 16 set by Tony Meola in 2000.
If Slonina starts and plays the full 90 minutes of each of Chicago’s last five games of the 2022 season, he will become the youngest player in MLS history to play every single minute of a season and the only teenager to ever do so.
Slonina recorded his 16th career MLS clean sheet with a shutout against the Columbus Crew last time out, which is tied for the second most among goalkeepers under the age of 22 in MLS history. He needs three more clean sheets to surpass Zac MacMath’s 18 clean sheets before the age cut off to set a new league record.
Inter Miami are close to setting club records in points won and goals scored during a regular season. They need just six points to surpass their previous record for most points (41 in 2021) and two goals to surpass their previous record for goals scored (36 in 2021).

Seattle Sounders FC (11-15-3) vs. Austin FC (15-8-6)

(8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Seattle and Austin FC meet for the fourth time in series history, with Seattle unbeaten across the previous three meetings, recording one win and two draws. The Sounders and Austin FC played to a 1-1 draw on March 20, 2022, with Seattle’s Will Bruin and Austin’s Diego Fagúndez scoring the goals for their clubs. Austin FC has scored just one goal in the three previous meetings.
Last week, the Sounders snapped a five-match winless streak with a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo. Seattle (36 points, 11-15-3) currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, just six points behind Portland for the seventh position. Seattle has advanced to the postseason in every season since joining MLS in 2009.
Seattle defender Nouhou scored his first career MLS goal in his 149th match (including playoffs) in Seattle’s win over Houston on Sunday. Among players who scored at least once, only six played more games before scoring their first MLS goal.
Austin FC (51 points, 15-8-6) remain on the verge of clinching their first berth in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and sit in second place in the Western Conference and fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings. Led by Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Sebastián Driussi’s 20 goals, Austin FC (60 goals) is one of only two clubs to have scored at least 60 goals this season, joining the Philadelphia Union (63).
Austin’s 3-0 Week 29 loss to Nashville SC snapped an 18-game scoring streak for the club and a seven game scoring streak for Driussi. Driussi currently ranks second in Major League Soccer with 20 goals this season, trailing only Hany Mukhtar (21).

FC Dallas (12-8-10) vs. LAFC (19-7-3)

(8:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

On Saturday, FC Dallas and LAFC meet for the eighth time in series history and the second time this season, with LAFC having captured a 3-1 victory over Dallas on June 29. LAFC leads the all-time series, 4-1-2, and have won each of the last three meetings between the clubs.
FC Dallas (46 points, 12-8-10) has dropped just one of its last six matches, going 3-1-2 over the span and climbing to third place in the Western Conference standings.
FC Dallas is led by Jesús Ferreira, who scored his 16th goal of the season last week. Ferreira is two goals away from the club’s single regular season record of 18 set by Jason Kreis in 1999 and equaled by Kenny Cooper in 2008. Ferreira ranks fourth in the race for the Golden Boot presented by Audi and has four goals in his past four matches.
LAFC’s Cristian Arango has scored in three straight MLS matches and has scored 15 times this season. Arango is the third different LAFC player to score 15 goals in a single season, joining Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi in 2019. No other team has had three different players score at least 15 times in a single season since 2018. Arango has six goals in his last seven MLS matches.
Carlos Vela (eight goals, 61 key passes) is one of only four players in MLS this season with at least eight goals and 60 key passes, joining Hany Mukhtar (21 goals, 67 key passes), Lucas Zelarayán (eight, 64), and Emanuel Reynoso (10, 63). With two goals, Vela, who has 11 assists this season, would record his third MLS season with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

Houston Dynamo FC (8-16-5) vs. Sporting Kansas City (8-15-6)

(8:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

In 39 all-time matches between the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City, the two clubs are knotted at 13 wins, 13 losses, and 13 draws apiece. Kansas City has won each of the last three meetings between the clubs, including a 1-0 victory on March 5, 2022.
Houston Dynamo FC will be led by interim head coach Kenny Bundy on Saturday. Bundy has been with the Dynamo organization since 2016, working his way through the academy ranks before being named Houston Dynamo 2 coach before the side’s inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season.
First-year Dynamo forward Sebastián Ferreira leads the club with 10 goals and 13 goal contributions this season. Ferreira has scored in three of his last five games overall and in each of his last two matches played at PNC Stadium.
Sporting Kansas City is unbeaten in its last three matches, recording a 2-0-1 record over the span, including a 2-2 draw vs. the LA Galaxy last week. Kansas City’s goals were scored by forward Johnny Russell and midfielder Felipe Hernández, marking the club’s 13th and 14th goals scored across their last five matches. Sporting has recorded at least one four-match unbeaten streak every season since 2000 and will look to extend that streak with a win or draw against Houston.
SKC’s late season charge has been led by newcomer William Agada, who has five goals and two assists in his last five matches. Agada has recorded at least a goal or an assist in four of his last five matches overall, including a goal and an assist in two career MLS road matches.

Colorado Rapids (8-12-9) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9-13-7)

(9:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

The Rapids and Whitecaps meet for the 28th time in series history, with Colorado leading the all-time series 11-10-6. The clubs meet for the second time in the last month, with Vancouver having won the previous meeting, 2-1, on August 17, 2022. Midfielder Ryan Gauld recorded his first-career multi-goal game in the victory.
Goalkeeper William Yarbrough helped Colorado earn a point against D.C. United last week by saving Christian Benteke’s 66th-minute penalty. It was Yarbrough’s first penalty save in MLS. Yarbrough (85 saves) is one of nine goalkeepers in MLS this season with at least 85 saves.
Vancouver is unbeaten in five straight visits to Colorado (3-0-2) dating back to the start of the 2017 season. The five-match run matches the Whitecaps longest at any opponent in the club’s MLS history (5 straight at Dallas from 2017 – present).
Ryan Gauld has set career highs in both goals (six) and assists (seven) and he leads the club with 13 goal contributions this season. He has three goals and an assist in his last five matches.
In five career matches against Colorado, Whitecaps midfielder Julian Gressel has a goal and four assists, including at least one goal contribution in each of his last four against the Rapids.

Real Salt Lake (11-9-9) vs. D.C. United (7-17-5)

(9:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Real Salt Lake and D.C. United will meet for the first time since March 16, 2019 when D.C. won 5-0 at Audi Field. RSL leads the all-time series 9-8-5 with eight of those wins coming at Rio Tinto Stadium. In the last six matches between the two clubs, three of them have had a combined five-or-more goals.
D.C.’s struggles this season have been amplified by the fact that they have not been able to go on significant undefeated stretches. The club is yet to go three games without a defeat; however, they have an opportunity to do so against RSL after drawing and winning their previous two matches.
Under new head coach Wayne Rooney, Martín Rodriguez has been one of the first players on the team sheet for D.C. Martinez paid off Rooney’s trust in the win over NYCFC on August 31 when he produced two assists in just his ninth MLS match.
Despite just one win in the month of August, the Claret and Cobalt’s Sergio Córdova has been in hot goal-scoring form with four in his five appearances during the month. The Venezuelan now has eight on the season, which leads all RSL players.
Salt Lake’s Pablo Ruiz continues to boss the midfield and is one of three players in MLS with at least 40 tackles won and 30 key passes (Cristian Cásseres Jr. and John Tolkin). Ruiz has started all 25 matches he has played in this season, recording two goals and five assists.

Portland Timbers (10-8-12) vs. Minnesota United FC (13-11-5)

(10 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

The Portland Timbers host Minnesota United FC for the 11th all-time regular season meeting between these clubs. Minnesota leads the series with a 6-2-2 record over the Timbers and have not lost to the Timbers during the regular season since 2018 (5-0-2).
With one assist by Yimmi Chara, one by Sebastián Blanco and two by Eryk Williamson, the Timbers would become the 11th team in MLS history to have three different players with at least 10 assists in a season. The last team to do so was the 2018 Houston Dynamo.
Luis Amarilla and Blanco were the stars of the show when these sides played out to a 4-4 draw back in July. Both players recorded a brace in that match and Amarilla had an assist on Minnesota’s first goal, and they both come into this one as their clubs’ second leading goal scorers with nine and seven on the season, respectively.
With a goal or assist against the Timbers, Emanuel Reynoso (10 goals, nine assists) would become just the second player to record 20 goal contributions in a single season for the Loons after Darwin Quintero had 26 in 2018.