The Pitch (Matchday 28): Top Things to Watch in MLS This Week

History on the Horizon in Cincinnati's Return to TQL Stadium

MLS regular season action returns to TQL Stadium this weekend as Supporters’ Shield-leading FC Cincinnati look to extend their unbeaten record at home (11-0-1) against New York City FC on Saturday, August 26 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) with a milestone victory.

Cincinnati’s tremendously improved home record under head coach Pat Noonan’s leadership has been a trademark of the club’s two-year transformation. Another feat the Orange and Blue could accomplish during their historic 2023 season is earning a 12th win at home, which would surpass the 11 home victories the team earned in its first four seasons as an MLS club. Additionally, Cincinnati would become just the 10th team to earn 12 home wins in a season since MLS instituted a 34-game regular season in 2011.

It's no secret that club captain and 2023 MLS All-Star midfielder Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta has been the driving force behind Cincinnati’s impenetrable home form, contributing eight goals and six assists in front of the home crowd. His home production is among the best competing for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award as only Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (eight goals, seven assists) and New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil (four goals, 11 assists) have more goal contributions at home in 2023.

A win over NYCFC on Saturday would also keep Cincinnati on course to one of the best single-season home records in MLS history. The 2018 New York Red Bulls currently hold the record for the most points won at home in a season with 43 (14-2-1), but with four home games remaining after this weekend, a win would put Cincinnati within seven points of surpassing that milestone.

Can Miami Replicate Previous MLS Late-Season Revivals?

The Pitch Week 28_Miami Postseason Chase

Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi have already proven that they can accomplish the impossible. However, the Herons sit on 18 points with just 12 games remaining and will need one of the greatest post-All-Star Game runs to make the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Luckily for Miami, there is MLS precedent with incredible second-half turnarounds.

In the post shootout-era, there have been five MLS teams to make the postseason by producing at least a 1.0 points per game increase. Interestingly, of the five teams to do so, three of those went on to progress all the way to MLS Cup.

The biggest post-All-Star jump was by the 2018 Seattle Sounders, who started 7-9-5 before closing the season on an 11-2-0 run. Interestingly, the Sounders also made a key signing in the Summer – forward Raúl Ruidíaz – to spurt that run. Perhaps the most similar situation for Miami is D.C. United in the same season, who had just 17 points prior to the All-Star break and then produced 34 from their final 16 matches to earn a postseason berth.

What will it take for Miami in 2023? The team will likely need at least 25 points or eight or more wins to earn a berth into the Wild-card round. With 12 games left, each match is vital for Messi and Miami, starting this Saturday against the New York Red Bulls (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).

Four MLS Club Set to Face U.S. Open Cup Semifinal Test

On Wednesday evening, four MLS clubs vie for a berth in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final with a spot on the Concacaf Champions Cup on the line, as Supporters’ Shield leaders FC Cincinnati welcome Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to TQL Stadium (7 p.m. ET) and Héctor Herrera, Amine Bassi, and Houston Dynamo FC welcome road warrior Real Salt Lake to Shell Energy Stadium (9:30 p.m. ET). Each of the four MLS clubs remaining are all fighting for a piece of history in the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world's third-longest continuously run national cup tournament.

FC Cincinnati Eyes First-Ever Trophy: Sitting atop the Supporters’ Shield standings by seven points, FC Cincinnati (51 points, 15-3-6) will look to shake off a regular-season loss to the Columbus Crew on Sunday as they hone in on becoming the first team to knock off Inter Miami since the arrival of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba in mid-July. In its brief four-and-a-half-year history, Cincinnati has not captured a trophy and has their eyes set on winning their first piece of hardware and earning their debut berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Miami Looks to Ride Momentum: After capturing their first title in club history with a thrilling victory in penalty kicks over Nashville SC in the inaugural Leagues Cup, Miami will look to ride their momentum to a second consecutive cup final. Messi has scored in each of his first seven matches in an Inter Miami uniform and will look to extend that run against one of MLS’ top squads.
Houston’s Ben Olsen Looks to Join Elite Company: Only two MLS coaches have won U.S. Open Cup titles with multiple teams: the namesake of MLS’ annual coaching award, Sigi Schmid (2001 LA Galaxy, 2009-11 and 2014 Seattle Sounders), and last year’s victor, Óscar Pareja (2016 FC Dallas and 2022 Orlando City SC). Olsen, who was at the helm of the 2013 D.C. United squad that took home the U.S. Open Cup, will look to join this elite company and can take one-step closer to history with a victory over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Road Warriors Real Salt Lake Look to End Drought: One of MLS’ strongest teams away from home, Real Salt Lake enters the semifinals with a goal of ending a 14-year trophy drought. The club has gone eight consecutive MLS matches away home without a loss and hopes that this is the final U.S. Open Cup match they will have to travel for, as a victory against Houston would guarantee that RSL hosts the Open Cup final on September 27.

Real Salt Lake Host Houston With Unbeaten Streak on the Line

After a midweek U.S. Open Cup match against one another, Real Salt Lake returns to action at home this Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) in MLS play against Houston Dynamo FC. RSL maintains a nine-game unbeaten streak in league play and will look to extend the mark to 10, which if accomplished would tie for third in the Club’s record books. Their longest MLS unbeaten streak to date is 18 games (July 24, 2010 – April 13, 2011).

Real Salt Lake, who sit in third place in the Western Conference, have already tallied a 10-match unbeaten streak in MLS and Open Cup matches this season (May 31, 2023 - July 26, 2023). In their most recent MLS matchup against the New York Red Bulls, midfielders Jefferson Savarino and Diego Luna partnered with an assist and goal in the first two minutes of play setting the tone early in a 3-1 win. Forward Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango has also begun to reestablish himself as one of the league’s most productive goal scorers, netting three goals in his first seven appearances across all competitions with the club.

Houston returned to MLS play last weekend with a convincing 5-0 win over the Portland Timbers that catapulted them from ninth to sixth place in the current Western Conference standings. Behind the dynamic play of Corey Baird, Amine Bassi, and stellar goalkeeping from Steve Clark (9^th clean sheet), the Dynamo were firing on all cylinders en route to a home romp over Portland, including four goals scored ahead of the half-time intermission.

Saturday’s MLS action will be a battle for both teams who will face each other for the second time in four days. Win streaks and a steady ranking among the top nine in the race to the playoffs are on the line.

By The Numbers

Below is a breakdown of several of the league’s standout teams and players entering Matchday 28, including the high-scoring exploits of St. Louis CITY SC and the Columbus Crew, FC Dallas’ home goals, the strong start of Giorgos Giakoumakis, and the career of Stefan Frei.

4: Four MLS clubs have already earned qualification into the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup: Inter Miami CF (Leagues Cup champion), Nashville SC (Leagues Cup runner-up), the Philadelphia Union (Leagues Cup third-place finisher), and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Canadian Championship winner). With their Leagues Cup win, Miami advances directly to the CCC Round of 16.
12: Atlanta United forward Giorgos Giakoumakis is currently tied for second in the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi with 12 goals this season and has done so in just 1,063 minutes. Giakoumakis is one of only nine players with at least 12 goals in their first 1,100 career MLS minutes and trails only Josef Martínez (17) and Mamadou Diallo (13).
50: The two highest scoring teams in MLS this season – St. Louis CITY SC (49 goals) and the Columbus Crew (48 goals) – are on the verge of 50 goals scored in their first 25 games this season. Only four teams since 2002 have reached 50 goals in their first 25 games of a season – 2022 Austin FC, 2022 LAFC, 2019 LAFC, and 2018 Atlanta United. Both 2019 and 2022 LAFC captured the Supporters’ Shield in those seasons.
340: Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who leads MLS with 11 clean sheets this season, made his 340th career appearance in a Seattle uniform on Sunday night, setting the club’s MLS-era record for the most appearances across all competitions.
500: Entering their home match against Austin FC on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), FC Dallas has scored 498 regular-season goals at Toyota Stadium and sit just two shy away of reaching 500 scores in their home stadium.