Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 14 matches played on the 15th matchday of the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday, May 18.
Real Salt Lake Wins Back-and-forth Battle in the Rocky Mountain Cup
In a thrilling, back-and-forth affair on Saturday night, Real Salt Lake scored three goals after the 84th minute of play to secure a 5-3 victory over Rocky Mountain Cup rival, the Colorado Rapids. The eight goals were the most scored in a match between the two clubs, surpassing the previous high of six (twice, Sept. 19, 2014, and Aug. 25, 2018).
The late-game scoring barrage was led by the trio of Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango (85’, Watch Here), Andrés Gómez (88’, Watch Here), and Anderson Julio (96’, Watch Here), who helped propel the club from a one-goal deficit to a two-goal victory in just 11 minutes of action.
The Colombian duo of Arango and Gómez each registered a brace in the match and became just the second pair in Real Salt Lake history to score two-or-more goals each in a single game. The feat was previously accomplished by Damir Kreilach (three goals) and Albert Rusnák (two goals) against the LA Galaxy on Sept. 1, 2018.
Real Salt Lake (28 points, 8-2-4) is unbeaten across their last 10 matches and maintains their lead atop the Western Conference through Matchday 15.
Toronto, Bernardeschi Burst Out of the Gate, Beat Montréal 5-1
Fireworks were flying at BMO Field on Saturday night as Federico Bernardeschi recorded his first MLS hat trick and Toronto FC scored a season-best five goals in a 5-1 victory over CF Montréal. The four-goal margin of victory was the largest in the history of the Canadian Classique.
Behind goals from Matty Longstaff (6’, Watch Here), Bernardeschi (12’, Watch Here), and Prince Owusu (19’, Watch Here), Toronto grabbed ahold of the match early, scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes of a match for the first time in club history.
Bernardeschi took full control of the match in the second half, registering his second and third goals of the match within a three-minute span to secure the victory (Watch His Third Goal Here). The Italian’s hat trick was only the second in the history of the Canadian Classique, joining Toronto’s Ayo Akinola on July 16, 2020, and the first for Toronto FC in any MLS match since Akinola’s aforementioned hat trick.
After scoring just six goals in their first seven games of the season, Toronto has tallied 15 goals in their last seven matches and climbed to fifth place in the Eastern Conference (22 points, 7-6-1).
Lucho Eclipses 150 Career Goal Contributions
In a showdown of last year’s top seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences, reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP winner Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta and FC Cincinnati knocked off St. Louis CITY SC, 3-1, at TQL Stadium. Acosta recorded contributed to all three goals in the match, scoring on his first penalty-kick attempt of the season in the 26th minute (Watch Here) before assisting on the club’s two second-half goals.
With his goal, Acosta recorded his 150th career regular-season goal contribution, becoming the second active player (LAFC’s Kei Kamara) and 15th player in MLS history to reach the milestone. Acosta continued to climb up the all-time contributions leaderboard during the match, tying Bradley Wright-Phillips (151) for 14th place all-time with his first assist of the match (Watch Here) before eclipsing the MLS great with his second helper (Watch Here).
FC Cincinnati has won six consecutive matches for just the second time in club history (May 6 to June 3, 2023) and sits just one point behind Inter Miami CF in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 30 points (9-2-3).
Dynamic Duo of Gazdag & Carranza Power Union to 3-0 Road Win
The Philadelphia Union duo of Julián Carranza and Dániel Gazdag combined forces yet again on Matchday 15, with each finding the back of the net in the club’s 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. Carranza opened the scoring in the 38th minute (Watch Here) before Gazdag helped the club pull away with a pair of goals in the second half (Watch His First and Second Goals Here).
The duo of Carranza and Gazdag scored in the same match for the 16th time in regular-season play, the most by any pair of teammates in MLS history, breaking a tie with Sebastian Giovinco & Jozy Altidore, who scored in the same match 15 times for Toronto FC. Carranza and Gazdag have been one of the most impactful scoring attacks since joining forces for the Union in 2022, combining for 116 goal contributions over the span.
The victory also extended Philadelphia’s road unbeaten streak to seven games to start the 2024 campaign. The Union tied the 2009 Chicago Fire (seven) for the second-longest road unbeaten streak to start a season in MLS history. The 2013 Portland Timbers hold the record, going undefeated across their first nine road games of the season while on the path to a finish atop the Western Conference that season.
Q2 Stadium Again a Fortress for Austin FC
Announced earlier this week as the site of the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, Q2 Stadium has once again become a fortress for Austin FC, who claimed their fifth consecutive home victory with a 3-2 over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
On his birthday, Jáder Obrian got the party started for Austin with a pair of goals in the 28th and 39th minutes to give the club a 2-1 lead entering the second half. Midfielder Sebastián Driussi scored the decisive goal in the first minute of the second half (Watch Here), marking the Argentine’s third consecutive regular-season game with a score.
The victory improved Austin’s home record to 5-1-2 on the season and established a new club record with their fifth consecutive home win, breaking a tie with a four-game streak that the club set across the 2021-22 seasons (Oct. 24, 2021 to March 6, 2022). The Verde and Black currently sit in third place in the Western Conference (22 points, 6-4-4) and will look to continue building on their resurgent year against San Jose next Saturday, May 25.
