MLS Game Capsules (Week 34)

MLS Communications

Sunday, October 9

Atlanta United FC (10-13-10) vs. New York City FC (15-11-7)

(2:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Sunday’s Decision Day match between Atlanta United FC and New York City FC will be the 10th all-time meeting between these sides during the regular season. NYCFC holds a slight historical edge with a 3-2-4 record against Atlanta, but the last meeting between these sides back on July 3 ended in a 2-2 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
With an assist this weekend, Talles Magno will join Andrea Pirlo, Maximiliano Moralez, and Santiago Rodríguez, who has 13 assists this season, as the only NYCFC players to record 10 assists in a single season. NYCFC would also become the second club to have two players reach the 10-assist milestone in 2022 after Orlando City (Facundo Torres and Mauricio Pereyra both with 10).
Eight of Rodríguez’s 13 assists in 2022 have set up game-winning goals for NYCFC. With another game-winning assist this weekend, Rodríguez would surpass Carles Gil (2021), Nicolas Lodeiro (2018), Steve Ralston (2000), and Mauricio Cienfuegos (1999) for most in a single season.
Josef Martínez has scored off the bench for Atlanta United in each of their last two games, bringing his MLS regular season goal tally up to 98 in 133 appearances. With a brace this weekend, Martínez would become the fastest player to reach 100 regular season goals, beating Bradley Wright-Phillips’ current record by 25 games.
With a win this weekend, NYCFC could draw level with the Seattle Sounders for most wins by an MLS club since NYCFC’s inaugural 2015 season. Over that eight-season stretch, no team has scored more goals than NYCFC’s 437, with the next closest team being Toronto FC with 420.

Chicago Fire FC (10-15-8) vs. New England Revolution (10-12-11)

(2:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Chicago Fire FC hosts the New England Revolution this weekend in the 69th regular season meeting between these sides since they first met in 1998. The Fire lead the all-time series, 27-24-17, despite being winless in their last six matches against the Revolution (0-2-4).
Jhon Durán has stepped up for the Fire over recent weeks as the 18-year-old now sits on eight goals for the 2022 season. With a brace this weekend, Durán would join Ricardo Pepi (2021) and Diego Fagúndez (2013) as the only players aged 18 or younger to score 10 goals in a season.
Djordje Petrovic has saved four penalty kicks this season, which is tied with Nick Rimando for most by an MLS goalkeeper during a regular season. With another penalty kick save this weekend, Petrovic would set a record for most penalty kick saves in one season.
Carles Gil is two assists short of reaching the 50-assist milestone for the Revolution. If Gil reaches that landmark this weekend, he will be the second player after Steve Ralston to do so for the Revolution and the 16th player in league history to record 50 regular season assists.
Over the Fire’s last two games, 19-year-old Brian Gutiérrez has recorded one goal and three assists to bring his goal contribution tally up to nine in 2022. With another goal contribution this weekend, the Fire will be the only team in MLS this season to have two teenagers reach the 10-goal contribution milestone (Durán, 18 years and 279 days old, has 11).

D.C. United (7-20-6) vs. FC Cincinnati (11-9-13)

(2:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

FC Cincinnati has the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs in their sights and can clinch a spot with a win or draw at D.C. United on Decision Day. However, to qualify for the playoffs, they will have to beat D.C. for the first time in club history as they are winless in the last seven meetings (three draws, four losses).
Cincinnati has yet to make the postseason in their three previous seasons and will secure their position with a win. Pat Noonan would join LAFC’s Steve Cherundulo and FC Dallas’ Nico Estévez as first-year head coaches to make the postseason in 2022 (excluding interim head coaches).
The Orange and Blue’s three-headed attack of Brandon Vázquez, Brenner, and Luciano Acosta have helped produce a club-record 59 goals in 2022. In fact, Vázquez (17 goals), Brenner (15 goals), and Acosta (18 assists) are the sixth trio of teammates to have two players score at least 15 goals with another adding 15 assists in the same season. The last group to do so was Adam Buksa, Gustavo Bou, and Carles Gil for the 2021 New England Revolution.
Cincinnati needs three points to pass the San Jose Earthquakes (28 from 2011-12) for the fifth-largest points jump in MLS history. After producing 20 points in 2021, the club has been revitalized and can record one of the best points growths from year to year in MLS play.
In the earlier meeting this season, D.C.’s Ola Kamara scored the lone goal in the match in the 98th minute from the penalty spot. Kamara scored while coming off the bench and he has six goals as a substitute this season, which is tied for the third most in a season in MLS history.

Inter Miami CF (14-13-6) vs. CF Montréal (19-9-5)

(2:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Montréal head down to DRV PNK Stadium to take on Inter Miami CF as they sit on the cusp of MLS history in their second season under head coach Wilfried Nancy. Montréal have taken 32 points on the road in 2022, and with a win, they would surpass the 2021 New England Revolution (34) for the most away points in a season (excluding shootouts). Additionally, a win would be their seventh in a row away from Stade Saputo – another MLS record that excludes the shootout era.
If the Canadian side records a victory, they would become the eighth team in MLS history to win at least 20 games in a single season, excluding the shootout era.
Comeback Player of the Year candidate Kei Kamara has produced 15 combined goals and assists after totaling just six in 2020. Kamara can also join legendary MLS players Chris Wondolowski (10) and Landon Donovan (eight) for the most seasons with double-digit goals if adds two in the season finale.
Inter Miami CF punched their ticket to the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs with an emphatic 4-1 win over Orlando City SC on Wednesday evening. It marked their second postseason berth in the three-year history of the club. With a match to go, Inter Miami has already set the club record in wins (14) and points (48).
Leonardo Campana scored after just 37 seconds in the 4-1 victory over Orlando, which was the fastest goal in club history. The Ecuadorian now has 11 goals in 2022, good for the third most by a Miami player in a single season.
Ahead of the final regular season match of his career, Gonzalo Higuaín scored in his fifth-straight game with a brace versus Orlando. He became just the sixth player in MLS this season to score in five-consecutive matches. Higuaín’s brace moved him to 16 goals on the year, which is the first time a Heron player has eclipsed 15. With a goal against Montréal, the Argentine forward would join Sebastián Driussi (seven) and Adam Buksa as the only players in MLS this season to score in six contests in-a-row.

New York Red Bulls (14-11-8) vs. Charlotte FC (13-17-3)

(2:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

Charlotte FC travel to Red Bull Arena for their first-ever Decision Day match to face the New York Red Bulls for the second time in their inaugural season. Charlotte won their first game against the Red Bulls 2-0 behind goals from No. 1 overall 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick Ben Bender and midfielder Derrick Jones.
With a goal this weekend, Lewis Morgan would be the first New York Red Bulls player to score 15 goals in a single season since Bradley Wright-Phillips (20) in 2018. Morgan would also become the sixth player in the club’s history to score at least 15 goals in one season.
With a win this weekend, Charlotte would become the sixth MLS expansion team to earn at least 45 points in their inaugural season after the Chicago Fire (1998), Houston Dynamo (2006), Seattle Sounders (2009), Atlanta United (2017), and Los Angeles Football Club (2018).
With a win this weekend, the Red Bulls would ensure they finish in the top four of the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2018 regular season when they finished in first.
If Daniel Ríos scores this weekend, it will be the first time the Mexican forward has scored in three consecutive games since he did so between Sept. 23 – Oct. 20 during the 2020 regular season with Nashville SC.

Orlando City SC (13-14-6) vs. Columbus Crew (10-7-16)

(2:30 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes)

This win-and-you’re-in matchup between Orlando City SC and the Columbus Crew is the 17th all-time regular season meeting between the two clubs. Orlando leads the series historically with a 7-6-3 record that includes six wins in their last eight meetings with the Crew.
Eloy Room needs one clean sheet to tie William Hesmer (11 in 2010) for the most in a single season in Crew history.
Facundo Torres has scored or assisted in each of his last three games for Orlando, bringing his total tally to eight goals and 10 assists in his first season for the club. With two goal contributions this weekend, Torres would join Nani (22 in 2019) as the only players with at least 20 goal contributions in a season for Orlando City.
Going into Decision Day, Orlando is the only team in MLS yet to draw a match at home (8-8-0) while the Columbus Crew have drawn the most games away from in 2022 (10). The next closest teams to draws away from home this season are FC Dallas, FC Cincinnati, and the Portland Timbers with seven each.
With a clean sheet this season, Pedro Gallese will become the first goalkeeper in Orlando’s history to reach 10 clean sheets in a single season.

Philadelphia Union (18-5-10) vs. Toronto FC (9-17-7)

(2:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

The Philadelphia Union aim to become the first club in MLS history to go unbeaten at home in two separate seasons when they take on Toronto FC. With a win, Philadelphia would clinch the top seed overall in the Eastern Conference and earn home field advantage throughout the Conference playoffs. Toronto won the matchup earlier this season 2-1 on April 16.
Philadelphia have plenty of single-season MLS records in their sights with a strong performance on Decision Day. If the Union keep a clean sheet, they would post the second best defensive season in MLS history (0.76 goals per game), behind only Real Salt Lake in 2010 (0.67 goals per game). If they do accomplish this, Andre Blake would tie for the second most clean sheets in a single season in league history with 15.
The club also enters with a +42 goal differential this season that currently ranks as the second best season in MLS history. Only LAFC in 2019 has a better single-season goal differential at +48.
Among the 26 goals Philadelphia has conceded this season, none of them have come in the first 15 minutes of a match. If they maintain this against Toronto, it would be the fifth time a team had done so in a season.
Julián Carranza has had a standout first season alongside Dániel Gazdag under head coach Jim Curtin. With two goal contributions in the season finale, Carranza and Gazdag would become the first pair of teammates with at least 25 goal contributions since Josef Martínez and Miguel Almirón in 2018.
Toronto’s most consistent player has been Michael Bradley, who has started all 33 games for the club in 2022. Toronto has never had a player start all 34 games in their 16-year history – something Bradley can do on Sunday.

Austin FC (16-10-7) vs. Colorado Rapids (11-13-9)

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

Austin FC and Colorado Rapids will meet for the fifth time in series history, with the two clubs split at two wins apiece. This is the second meeting between the two clubs this season, with Austin winning a July 4th meeting between the clubs, 3-2, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. Maxi Urruti scored the game-winner for Austin FC in the 59th minute.
Austin FC (55 points, 16-10-7) has secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference postseason picture after a tremendous turnaround from their inaugural season in 2021. Austin FC needs three points to produce the third most by an expansion team in their first two seasons since 2005, and with two points, can produce the largest point improvement from an expansion team’s first season to second season in MLS history (Chivas USA, 25 point improvement).
Austin FC is led by Sebastián Driussi, who remains in the thick of the race for the Golden Boot presented by Audi and the Landon Donovan MLS MVP after a stellar campaign. Driussi leads the club and ranks second to only Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (23 goals) with 21 goals this season. Driussi’s sensational sophomore campaign leaves him on the verge of MLS history, as he needs two goal contributions to become the 18th player in MLS history with 30 or more goal contributions in a season.
Colorado (42 points, 11-13-9) has been eliminated from contention for the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Rapids have won three of their last four matches, including a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas on October 1. Colorado forward Diego Rubio scored the game-winning goal in the contest and leads the club with a career-best 15 goals this season. Rubio has scored in each of the Rapids’ last three wins and has 10 goals and three assists in matches that Colorado has won this season.

FC Dallas (13-9-11) vs. Sporting Kansas City (11-15-7)

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

Two MLS originals, FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City, meet for the 70th time in series history with FC Dallas holding a slight series advantage, 28-27-14. The clubs played to a 2-2 draw on April 30, 2022, with Johnny Russell and Dániel Sallói scoring for Kansas City and Jesús Ferreira and Alan Velasco providing goals for Dallas.
FC Dallas (50 points, 13-9-11) currently sits third in the Western Conference and will be looking to secure home-field advantage for Round One of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a win or draw on Sunday.
Standout forward Jesús Ferreira has a career-best 18 goals this season, including three goals in his past four games and six across his past seven in MLS play. Ferreira is tied for the club’s regular season record of 18 goals set by Jason Kreis in 1999 and equaled by Kenny Cooper in 2008. Ferreira needs two goals to join Stern John (26 in 1998) and Mamadou Diallo (22 in 2000) as the only players in MLS history to score at least 20 goals in a single season at the age of 21 years old or younger.
Sporting Kansas City has not lost during the months of September and October and have been led by newcomer William Agada who has eight goals and two assists in 11 career MLS matches. Sporting Kansas City is unbeaten in their last seven matches, including three consecutive wins. Their seven game unbeaten run is the longest current streak in MLS.

Houston Dynamo FC (10-17-6) vs. LA Galaxy (13-12-8)

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

The Dynamo and Galaxy meet for the 36th time since their series began in 2006, with Houston holding a slight series advantage at 13-12-10. Houston won an early-season meeting between the two clubs on May 22, behind goals from Sebastián Ferreira, Tyler Pasher, and Thor Ulfarsson.
Houston (36 points, 10-17-6) has been eliminated from contention for the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, but have won two of their past three matches, including a 2-1 victory over Nashville SC on October 2.
In his first year in MLS, Sebastián Ferreira leads the club with 12 goals, including a brace in last week’s win over Nashville SC. The pair of goals were the forward’s first scoring strikes since August. Ferreira has six goals and three assists in matches that the Dynamo have won this season.
The Galaxy (47 points, 13-12-8) have clinched a berth in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs and will be looking to secure home-field advantage in Round One of the postseason. With a win, the Galaxy would record their 13th season with at least 50 points, which would be the most in MLS history.
LA has been led by the scoring efforts of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (17 goals) and Dejan Joveljic (10 goals) this season. Chicharito’s 17 goals tie his MLS-best total set last season and the dynamic Mexican forward has three scores in his last three MLS matches. Joveljic’s damage has mostly been done off the bench, as the 23-year-old forward ranks second on the club with 10 goals despite starting just seven games this season.

LAFC (21-8-4) vs. Nashville SC (12-10-11)

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

Newly crowned Supporters’ Shield-winners LAFC look to end their regular season with a win when they host Nashville SC at Banc of California Stadium. The two teams recently met for the first time in their histories on July 17 with LAFC recording a 2-1 win at GEODIS Park.
One of LAFC’s unsung heroes in their run to the Supporters’ Shield title has been goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau. The Canadian Men’s National Team goalkeeper has an opportunity to make MLS history by earning a win on Decision Day, as he would join Kevin Hartman (1998 LA Galaxy) as the only goalkeepers to total 22 wins in a single MLS season.
With a win over Nashville, LAFC would set several single-season MLS records. The club would produce the most points at home in a single season (44), tie the 2018 New York Red Bulls (22) and 2021 New England Revolution (22) for the most wins in a non-shootout season, and also become the fourth different team in MLS history to produce at least 70 points in a single season.
Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar enters Decision Day with the 2022 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi in his sights. Mukhtar carries a two-goal lead over Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi but also maintains a four-assist advantage in the first tiebreaker. Mukhtar has the opportunity to become the first Nashville player to win the award.
The German midfielder can cap off a historic season by producing two goals to join LAFC’s Carlos Vela (34 goals and 15 assists in 2019) as the only players in league history with 25 goals and 10 assists. Since the start of 2021, Mukhtar has 62 goal contributions, while no other player has more than 45.

Minnesota United FC (13-14-6) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (12-14-7)

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

Sunday marks the 11th overall meeting between the two clubs, with Minnesota United leading the series, 4-3-3. On July 8, the Loons defeated the Whitecaps, 3-1, with all three goals scored after the 70th minute.
This match is one of two true win-and-you’re-in matches in the Western Conference on Decision Day. Minnesota United (45 points, 13-14-6) currently sit in the seventh position in the Western Conference, with Vancouver (43 points, 12-14-7) occupying the ninth spot. A win or a draw by Minnesota United FC will secure their place in the postseason, while a Vancouver win would secure the Whitecaps a berth in the playoffs.
Minnesota will look to rebound following a recent rough stretch, in which the club has dropped five of its last six matches. The Loons are led by Emanuel Reynoso and his club-leading 10 goals this season. He is joined in the attack by Luis Amarilla (nine goals), who, along with Reynoso, could become the first pair of teammates in club history to score double-digit goals in a single season.
Conversely, the Whitecaps are riding a run of success as winners of their last three matches. Over that three-game winning streak, five different players have scored goals for Vancouver, led by two apiece from Ryan Gauld and Pedro Vite. In full, 15 different players have scored for the Whitecaps this season. Gauld leads the club with a career-best 17 goal contributions (eight goals, nine assists) this season and he is one of nine players with at least eight goals and eight assists this season.

Real Salt Lake (11-11-11) vs. Portland Timbers (11-9-13)

(5 p.m. ET, ESPN2 / ESPN3)

Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers meet on Decision Day with the winner going to the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. If Portland were to earn a draw, they would also secure a spot in the postseason. In the past 10 matchups, RSL have only won one of those, which came on October 14, 2020.
The two teams have only met once on Decision Day which came in 2011 when they played to a 1-1 draw on October 22, which clinched RSL’s berth in the 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals. RSL pulled out a dramatic 95th minute winner on Decision Day last season to earn the seventh and final postseason spot in the Western Conference.
The Claret and Cobalt have predominantly scored goals in the second half of games in 2022. Of Real Salt Lake’s 40 goals, 62.5% have been in the second half, which is tied for the fourth highest percentage in MLS.
It is that time of the year for Timbers forward Dairon Asprilla, who scored in Portland’s 2-1 defeat to LAFC last Sunday at Providence Park. Of Asprilla’s 38 goals and assists since joining Portland in 2015, 15 of those have come in the months of September and October, which is almost 40 percent of his career total.
A positive result would see the Timbers make the postseason for the sixth straight season, which would be the the third longest active streak in MLS, behind the New York Red Bulls (13) and New York City FC (seven). Portland aims to become the fourth team in MLS history to go from the runners-up in MLS Cup in one season to the winners of it in the next. The last team to do this was Toronto FC in 2016-17.

Seattle Sounders FC (12-17-4) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (8-15-10)

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

The Sounders and Earthquakes meet for the 36th time in series history, with Seattle holding a 15-12-8 advantage. The two clubs engaged in a high-scoring affair on April 23, in which San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza completed his first-career hat trick with a game-winning penalty-kick goal in the 94th minute of a 4-3 victory.
Both Seattle (40 points 12-17-4) and San Jose (34 points, 8-15-10) have been eliminated from contention from the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs.
For the Sounders, this is the first time in their 14-year MLS history that they will not advance to the postseason, snapping a streak of the 13 consecutive appearances that is tied for the longest in league history (New York Red Bulls, 13).
Fredy Montero (58 career goals with Seattle) and teammate Raúl Ruidíaz (59 career goals with Seattle) are the two leading scorers in the history of the club.
Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse leads the club and is tied for seventh in Major League Soccer with a career-best 16 goals this season, while midfielder Cristian Espinoza is tied for fourth in the league with a career-high 14 assists. With a goal or assist from Ebobisse, San Jose would be the fifth club in MLS this season to have two players with at least 20 goal contributions (Ebobisse, 19, and Espinoza, 21), joining Austin FC, FC Cincinnati, LAFC, and the Philadelphia Union.