Rivalry Week Returns From May 13-20
Rivalry Week will present four days of the league’s fiercest rivalry matchups from May 13-20. Kicking off Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET will be a Southern showdown, featuring Atlanta United hosting Charlotte FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while at the same time, the New York Red Bulls take on Hudson River rivals NYCFC at Red Bull Arena.
The California Clásico will pit the LA Galaxy against the San Jose Earthquakes at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday, May 14 at 9:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass and FS1, before a thrilling slate of nine matches brings Rivalry Week to a close on Saturday, May 20.
Earthquakes Eying the California Crown in Cali Clásico
After becoming the first team to knock off the defending MLS Cup champion LAFC on Matchday 11, the San Jose Earthquakes, under the direction of first-year head coach Luchi Gonzalez, turn their attention towards earning state-wide bragging rights as they travel to face the LA Galaxy on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass / FS1). Riding a 3-1-3 record across the past seven matches, San Jose currently sits in fourth place in the Western Conference with 18 points (5-3-3) and are hoping to continue their strong start to the season as they seek just their third playoff berth in the last 10 seasons.
Sunday marks the 80th regular season playing of the California Clásico between the two MLS originals, and only seven other matchups in MLS history have been played 80 or more times. Led by Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Cristian Espinoza, who has seven goals in his last six matches, the Earthquakes aim to win their third consecutive match at Dignity Health Sports Park. The MLS Player of the Month for April, Espinoza has already set a career-high in goals (eight) and is tied for the league lead in both goals scored and goal contributions (11). The 28-year-old Argentine made his presence felt in two matches against the Galaxy last year, scoring twice and adding an assist.
Gonzalez, Espinoza, and the Earthquakes will look to complete an early-season California twofer as they set their sights on the top of the Western Conference table.
Opportunity Awaits on the Hudson River Horizon for Both New York Clubs
The Hudson River Derby premieres for the first time in 2023 when the New York Red Bulls host New York City FC for their 12th all-time MLS regular season meeting on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). The Red Bulls have historically dominated their rivals in blue at Red Bull Arena (7-2-2), but last season saw NYCFC complete the first-ever series sweep that included a 1-0 win in Harrison.
This rivalry has featured legacy-defining performances from MLS greats like Bradley Wright-Phillips and David Villa as well as rising stars in Tyler Adams and Valentín “Taty” Castellanos, and NYCFC is now leaning on yet another starlet to begin carving his name in the rivalry’s history: Santiago Rodríguez.
Rodríguez, who leads NYCFC with four goals, provided game-winning assists in both wins over the Red Bulls in 2022. Now in his third season with the club, the 23-year-old is leading the lines for a young offense and taking on the creative responsibilities that once belonged to club legend Maximiliano Moralez. NYCFC has memorable wins over the Red Bulls at Yankee Stadium, but they are winless on the road in 2023, and a Rodríguez-led victory could inspire a signature win at their fiercest rival’s home stadium.
The red side of New York is looking to springboard up the Eastern Conference standings after a tough stretch through the first 11 games of the season. This rivalry game will be interim head coach Troy Lesesne’s first of the regular season in charge of the club and a test of his ability to inject new ideas into the Red Bulls’ offense. With a win, Lesesne could follow in suit of NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing in earning the full-time role after stepping in as an interim and begin his own Hudson River Derby legacy.
Fresh Expansion Foes Kick-Off Rivalry Week
The start of Rivalry Week features a fresh twist as recent expansion clubs look to establish early bragging rights in several regional matchups.
In the Midwest, St. Louis CITY SC boasts plenty of historic expansion milestones – however, this week, they get their first taste of a rivalry matchup when they square off against the Chicago Fire. St. Louis gets not just one, but two cracks at the Fire this week, both in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday and on Matchday 12 on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Next up, two of the best fanbases in the league will pack Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday when Atlanta United hosts Charlotte FC (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). In three matches between the two clubs, Atlanta has had the upper hand with two victories. The matchup will also feature a duo of phenomenal Argentine playmakers in World Cup winner Thiago Almada and Charlotte forward Enzo Copetti.
In the Lone Star State, FC Dallas have owned Austin FC in regular season play since Los Verde entered MLS in 2021, but a rocking Q2 Stadium atmosphere on Saturday could change that (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). Dallas has not suffered a defeat against Austin (3-0-2) in the regular season, thanks to the play of Jesús Ferreira, who has four goals and an assist against their Texan rival.
With these three exciting new rivalries picking up steam, bragging rights are up for grabs across MLS’ newest fanbases on Matchday 12.
The Canadian Classique Battle Continues Between CF Montréal and Toronto FC
CF Montréal and Toronto FC’s MLS rivalry began with their first regular season meeting on April 7, 2012. Since that first MLS match over a decade ago, both clubs continue to vie for bragging rights in the Canadian Classique.
This week, they’ll face off for the first time this year in a doubleheader of sorts with the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship taking place on Tuesday, May 9, at BMO Field and in MLS action on Saturday, May 13 at Stade Saputo (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). Toronto FC holds the slight lead all-time in head-to-head MLS action at 14-12-5, but Montréal has won two of the last three games between these sides across all competitions.
Montréal also enter the week on a four-game win streak across all competitions in which they have shut out each of their opponents. Forward Romell Quioto returned from injury and scored his team-leading third goal of the season off the bench last time out against Orlando City. It was his first goal since his sensational game winner over the Philadelphia Union on March 18, which secured the club’s first victory under new head coach Hernán Losada. Quioto will now look to provide the goals needed to extend Montréal’s four-match win streak across all competitions with a pair of wins over Toronto.
Toronto forward Federico Bernardeschi has scored three goals and tallied three assists in 11 starts this season and will be a key offensive piece to break down a stubborn Montréal defense. In total, the forward has 11 goals and six assists in 24 appearances since joining the Reds last summer, and Bernardeschi will be looking to add more to his tally as Toronto aims to earn back-to-back wins over their rivals.
AAPI Month Spotlight: New England Revolution Forward Bobby Wood
In only nine games of action this year, New England Revolution forward Bobby Wood has already tied his MLS season-high goal total and leads the club with three goals. After being sidelined most of 2022 due to injury, the striker signed a one-year deal after being selected in the 2022 Re-Entry Draft and has proven to be an instant spark for a New England club that currently sits atop the Supporters’ Shields standings with a nine-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (6-0-3).
Wood spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Real Salt Lake and for the last decade prior to MLS competition, he played across Germany’s top two divisions for 1860 Munich, Union Berlin, and Hamburger SV, among others. In international competitions, Wood was a member of the 2016 Copa America Team and a runner-up for the 2016 U.S. Men’s National Team Player of the Year accolade.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to an African American father and Japanese mother, Wood has spoken previously about his responsibility as a role model for young Asian/Pacific Islander (API) athletes who may look to him for inspiration. “… But what I learned is just being proud of who you are and loving yourself. I think that's the most important [thing], just accepting who you are. I think once you embrace that, then nothing will bother you."
By The Numbers
Below is a sampling of notable stats and figures entering Matchday 12, including star-studded goal scorers in Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar and LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga and hot starters in the Eastern Conference in New England and FC Cincinnati.
- 3: Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar recorded his third career MLS hat trick on Matchday 11 and has a hat trick in each of the last three seasons. Mukhtar is one of only two players in MLS history to record a hat trick in three consecutive seasons, joining Mamadou Diallo who accomplished the feat from 2000-02.
- 8: LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga leads the club and is tied atop the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi with eight goals entering Matchday 12. Bouanga, whose eight goals have come in just nine matches, trails only Carlos Vela (10 goals in 2019) and Diego Rossi (nine in 2020) for the most goals in LAFC history through nine matches. Both Vela and Rossi won the Golden Boot in those respective seasons.
- 8: The New England Revolution (5-0-3) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (3-0-5) currently boast the longest active unbeaten streaks in MLS entering Matchday 12. Vancouver has only had one longer unbeaten streak in club history – a 10-match undefeated run from July 17 to September 4, 2021.
- 13: Austin FC forward Will Bruin scored the game-tying goal in second-half extra time on Saturday to help Los Verdes earn a late point against the Portland Timbers. Bruin has now scored a goal in 13 different seasons (2011-23), becoming the fourth active player and 19th in league history to hit that mark. Among the 19 players to score in 13 different MLS seasons – Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff (1998-2006; 2008-11).
- 24: Both FC Cincinnati (7-1-3) and the New England Revolution (7-1-3) are tied atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with 24 points through the first 11 games. It is the first time since 2005 (FC Dallas and New England) that two teams have had at least 24 points through the first 11 matches of a season.
Tap-ins: Matchday 12
A look at other headlines and activity around Major League Soccer ahead of Matchday 12:
- Josef Martínez: The King becomes fastest to 100 MLS goals (MLSsoccer.com)
- Who were the best young-player performers in MLS Matchday 11? (MLSsoccer.com)
How to Cover MLS in 2023
To assist in your coverage of the 2023 MLS season, the MLS Communications staff has provided the following media resources, all of which are available on MLSSoccer.com/Media-Resources.
- 2023 MLS Fact and Record Book | Link
- 2023 MLS Statistics and Standings | Link
- Weekly Club Game Notes | Link
- MLS PR on Twitter | Link
