Top Things to Watch in MLS this Week
Orlando City SC Look to Lift First Trophy in their MLS History: Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final this Wednesday
Orlando City SC enters the finale of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with one goal in mind: hoisting the first trophy in the club’s MLS history. The Lions host Sacramento Republic FC of the USL Championship at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 7 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
The Lions have played all five of their 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches at Exploria Stadium and come Wednesday, they will be looking to send a sellout crowd home happy.
Orlando City earned their first-ever spot in the U.S. Open Cup final, etching their position in the finale following a 5-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in the semifinals. In that victory, Orlando City was led by a breakout performance from 21-year-old midfielder César Araújo, who recorded the first multi-goal game of his career with the Lions. Araújo has started 25 games in his first season with the club.
With so much on the line, Orlando City will look to their offensive standouts – first-year midfielder Facundo Torres (six goals, nine assists in MLS play) and forward Ercan Kara (nine goals, two assists in MLS play) – to lead their charge against Sacramento.
Orlando currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, 10th in the Supporters’ Shield ranks, and enters Wednesday’s Open Cup final on a winning spree across MLS play, with four wins in their last four outings.
No stranger to Open Cup play, Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja will be coaching in the final for the second time – having previously led FC Dallas to an Open Cup championship in 2016.
Media interested in participating in virtual availabilities with both clubs ahead of Wednesday’s title match can register for virtual access below. For registration information, please reach out to Berenice Silva of U.S. Soccer (bsilva@ussoccer.org).
Time (ET) |
Activity |
|---|---|
1 p.m. |
MD-1 videoconference with Orlando City SC head coach Oscar Pareja and midfielder Mauricio Pereyra |
2 p.m. |
MD-1 videoconference with Sacramento Republic FC head coach Mark Briggs and midfielder Rodrigo Lopez |
Time (ET) |
Activity |
Location |
|---|---|---|
8 p.m. |
Orlando City SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC on ESPN+ |
Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla. |
Postgame |
Hybrid press conference with head coaches and a player from Orlando City SC and Sacramento Republic FC – in-person and virtual |
The Galaxy Look to Quiet Nashville and Hany Mukhtar’s Western Conference Rampage
Western Conference action on Saturday kicks off with a red-hot Nashville SC side hosting the LA Galaxy, with both clubs jockeying for positioning in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs (3:30 p.m. ET, Univision / TUDN).
Nashville has won each of their last four games by at least three goals with MVP hopeful Hany Mukhtar scoring or assisting on 10 of the club’s 14 goals scored during that stretch. After finishing runner-up for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award in 2021, the German midfielder has reentered the conversation after his brace against Austin FC, his third multi-score game in his last four matches. Mukhtar is just the fifth player in league history to record a 20-goal, 10-assist season, and with 21 goals and 11 assists so far this season, he also leads the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi, sitting one goal ahead of Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi (20 goals).
The Galaxy have their own free-scoring forward in Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who also recorded a brace last time out and has five goals across his last five games, leading LA to an unbeaten record over that stretch (2-0-3). In addition, 23-year-old newcomer Riqui Puig has also added world-class quality to their midfield since arriving from FC Barcelona, providing a beautiful assist to Chicharito in his first start for the club (WATCH HERE) and assisting another Chicharito goal on Sunday. With the Galaxy three points out of a playoff position, the pressure is on for their stars to rise to the occasion in these final do-or-die regular season matches.
Can the Galaxy get the job done on the road in Nashville, or will Mukhtar steamroll his way through another Western Conference opponent in his pursuit for individual and club success?
MLS on Verge of Hat-Trick History
As the 2022 MLS season enters the home stretch, a bit of hat-trick history is on the horizon. There have been 15 hat tricks scored in Major League Soccer in 2022, tied for the most in a single season in league history alongside the 2017 and 2018 campaigns.
In Week 28, Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar, who leads MLS with 21 goals this year and sits in the thick of the race for Landon Donovan MLS MVP, scored the 15th hat trick of the season en route to breaking the club’s single season scoring record of 16 goals, a record he established in 2021.
The 15 hats have been scored by a league-record 14 different players across MLS, with Philadelphia standout Julián Carranza the lone player with multiple hat tricks in 2022. The Union (Dániel Gazdag and Carranza) and Inter Miami CF (Leonardo Campana and Gonzalo Higuaín) are the only clubs to feature multiple players with hat tricks this season. Three of the record-setting 15 hats have been scored by players age 22 or younger, including FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira, FC Cincinnati’s Brenner, and Inter Miami’s Campana, and players from nine different nations have recorded a trio of goals this season, with five of the 15 hats coming from Argentines.
With 15 MLS matches this week, history is on the verge of being made in what has already been a season of spectacular scoring up and down the standings.
Kick Childhood Cancer Campaign Enters Ninth Year
MLS, MLS WORKS, and Continental Tire have teamed up to support Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with the ninth annual “Kick Childhood Cancer” (KCC) campaign to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer, including research efforts by the Children's Oncology Group (COG).
This year’s campaign will also introduce the Continental KCC Challenge. Throughout September, fans have an opportunity to donate to a local KCC charity on behalf of their favorite MLS club with Continental Tire matching each donation made on www.TheContinentalKCCChallenge.com up to $50,000. A KCC auction consisting of game-used, autographed jerseys from September matches will provide additional fundraising opportunities from October 31 through November 14.
Highlighted by the internationally recognized gold color for childhood cancer, MLS Kick Childhood Cancer matches will feature:
- A commemorative edition adidas 2022 MLS WORKS Kick Childhood Cancer Official Match Ball will be used in match play.
- 2022 MLS Kick Childhood Cancer adidas Pre-Match Tops will be worn by players during pregame warmups, training, and community outreach efforts.
- Gold corner flags, goal nets, captain’s armbands, and ribbon jersey patches.
- PRO referees will sport wristbands featuring a Kick Childhood Cancer ribbon.
Fans can purchase 2022 MLS KCC adidas Pre-Match Tops and New Era KCC caps on MLSstore.com. MLS will donate all royalties received from the KCC adidas Pre-Match Tops sold into official retail partners to COG through December 31, 2022.
