Cucho Looking to Keep Up Streak at NYCFC
In his second MLS season, Columbus Crew forward Juan ‘Cucho’ Hernández is rising up the record books once again. Bursting onto the scene last year, Hernández became the first player in league history to score his first four MLS goals in his first 90 minutes of game action. Since April 2023, the forward has scored or assisted in eight consecutive matches, tying the Crew record currently held by Lucas Zelarayán (2021-22) and Jeff Cunningham (2001).
The Crew travel to New York City FC on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), where Hernández can set the club record for the most consecutive games with a goal contribution. Additionally, across the past five seasons, only four other players have had a single-season goal contribution streak of at least nine games, including Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi last season (11 games).
The longest single-season goal contribution streaks since 2019:
More History on the Horizon for Hany
Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar rewrote club and league record books en route to capturing the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. With a league-leading 17 goal contributions (10 goals, seven assists) in 2023, the crafty midfielder has shown no signs of slowing as he begins to enter into the realm of the best three-year stretches by an individual player in MLS history.
Since the start of the 2021 season, Mukhtar leads Major League Soccer with 79 goal contributions (49 goals, 30 assists), a total that is 22 more than the next-closest player over the span (Luciano Acosta, 57). With his next goal or assist, the German will become just the 10th player in MLS history to record at least 80 goal contributions in a three-year span and will be well within striking distance of the record of 92, set by Sebastian Giovinco from 2015-17.
On Saturday night against St. Louis CITY SC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), Mukhtar can join more elite company. With his next goal, he will become just the third different player to record at least 50 goals and 30 assists in a three-year span, joining Giovinco (55 goals, 37 assists) from 2015-17 and Robbie Keane, who accomplished the feat twice from 2012-14 (51 goals, 34 assists) and 2013-15 (55 goals, 33 assists).
The players with at least 50 goals and 30 assists in a three-year span in MLS history:
Sporting Kansas City Surging Into the Playoff Picture
Despite a slow start to 2023, Sporting Kansas City has turned it on since the beginning of May, going 5-1-2. Over that span, Kansas City’s 17 points are tied for the third most in the league and are the most among all Western Conference clubs. The team has also done this by scoring plenty of goals, totaling 17 in just eight matches, an average of over two per game.
Kansas City opened the season without a victory in their first 10 matches before going on the road and winning at the Seattle Sounders on Matchday 11. The club currently sits in the ninth and final playoff position in the Western Conference after their strong months of May and June. In MLS history, just eight teams have started winless through at least their first eight games of a season and the only team to rebound and make the playoffs was the 2003 LA Galaxy. Sporting will look to join them by continuing their resurgence on Matchday 19 vs. LAFC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Most points since May 1, 2023:
Orlando City Aiming to Extend Unbeaten Run
Another club bouncing back into form over the busy months of May and June has been Orlando City SC, who have gone six games without a defeat (3-0-3) entering Matchday 19. As part of the stretch, the Lions have been strong on the road, winning two of their last three games in opposing territory. They will be away from home once again on Saturday when they travel to face the New England Revolution (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
With a result against the Revs, Orlando would tie for their second-longest unbeaten streak in club history – a seven-game mark from July 30 to September 4, 2021. Head coach Óscar Pareja will need to rely on some of his rotational players against New England as key standouts Wilder Cartagena (Peru), Pedro Gallese (Peru), and Facundo Torres (Uruguay) are all on international duty. Young first-year international players Ramiro Enrique and Martín Ojeda aim to step up in their absence for the Lions.
The longest regular season unbeaten streaks in Orlando City SC history:
Revolution Gaining Ground as Guardians of Gillette
Currently sitting in fourth place in both the Eastern Conference and the Supporters’ Shield standings, the New England Revolution (30 points, 8-3-6) have been the protectors of their palace in 2023.
The Revolution are riding an eight-game home unbeaten streak entering Saturday night’s matchup against Orlando City SC (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and can match the club record to begin a season with a result in that contest. The current record of nine consecutive matches was set by both the 2005 (April 9 – July 27) and the 2015 (March 21 – June 13) editions of the club, both of whom advanced to the postseason and registered at least 50 points in their respective seasons.
The longest home unbeaten streaks to begin a season in New England Revolution history:
