A lot has changed within Major League Soccer over the last decade, from more expansion sides and beautiful new stadiums to new stars and a rising quality of play.
One thing remains the same, though: Chris Wondolowski scoring goals. So many goals, in fact, that he is just one away from tying Landon Donovan's all-time record for career regular season goals in MLS (145). He's two goals away from breaking it.
Wondo, who sits on 144 goals, goes for the record on Saturday in Week 1 of the new 2019 season. The Montreal Impact will visit Avaya Stadium (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in USA; TVAS in Canada) and in case you're wondering, Wondolowski has three goals in seven all-time matches against the Canadian side.
The 36-year-old has claimed his place as one of the league's greatest ever scorers and his list of accolades over 14 seasons is extensive: Two-time Golden Boot presented by Audi winner (2010, 2012), Landon Donovan 2012 MLS MVP winner, three-time Best XI selection and four-time All-Star. Not bad for a player selected 41st in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft.
Wondo has scored at least 10 goals in each of the last nine seasons for the San Jose Earthquakes, a luminescent figure synonymous with the club through a handful of head coaches.
This season he has another new boss, with Matias Almeyda taking over for 2019. After finishing with the league's fewest points in 2018, Wondo and the Quakes hope to improve in 2019 and his goals will be vital to the club picking up points – as has been the case over the last decade.
Once the record is broken, Wondo will just be happy all the furor will be over with and he can return to normalcy.
“I wish it was done so I didn’t have to think about it all offseason,” Wondolowski said in January. “It’s the elephant in the room, but that being said I just want to do everything I can to help us win.”
San Jose start their season with four home games out of their first five on the fixture list: Can Wondolowski do it at Avaya Stadium in front of his fans?
