Whitecaps Winning at Record Clip
Winners of four consecutive matches to start the season, Vancouver Whitecaps FC officially claim the title of MLS’ hottest team entering Matchday 5. A balanced attack has been the key to success through four weeks, as the Whitecaps have seen an MLS-best eight players find the back of the net so far – including a pair of scores from Sam Adekugbe.
Vancouver will look to continue its strong start on Saturday night, as the welcome surging Chicago Fire FC to BC Place (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+). A victory for the Whitecaps would move them another step closer to history, as only three teams in MLS history have started a season with at least five consecutive wins in regulation. Each previous team to accomplish the feat – the 1996 LA Galaxy (eight consecutive regulation wins), 2012 Sporting Kansas City (seven consecutive wins), and 2023 St. Louis CITY SC (five consecutive wins) – finished atop their conferences after their respective strong starts. The 1996 LA Galaxy won their first 12 matches of the season; however, only the first eight came in regulation.
The longest winning streaks (in regulation) to start a season in MLS history:
St. Louis is Shutout City
Under the direction of first-year head coach and Swedish national team legend Olof Mellberg, St. Louis CITY SC has quickly cemented its identify as a defensive force in 2025 and has held each of its first four opponents scoreless entering Matchday 5. St. Louis became just the third team in MLS history to record four consecutive shutouts to open a season, joining 2012 Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the 2007 New York Red Bulls, as they are one of seven remaining unbeatens in league play.
By keeping their opponent scoreless for another 68 minutes, St. Louis would own the longest shutout streak (by minutes) to start a season in league history, surpassing the 2012 Whitecaps mark of 427 minutes. No team in MLS history has held its opponents scoreless in each of the first five games of the season – a mark that St. Louis will be looking to set as they take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Saturday night (730 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+).
The longest shutouts streak to start a season (by minutes) in MLS history:
Mukhtar Reaches 150 Game Milestone
Since arriving in Major League Soccer as Nashville SC’s first-ever Designated Player in 2020, midfielder Hany Mukhtar has made a major impact on the league – earning three MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire honors, three MLS All-Star selections, the 2022 Golden Boot presented by Audi, and the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.
On Saturday, the 29-year-old will appear in his 150th career MLS regular season match, having recorded 67 career goals and 48 career assists in over 12,000 minutes. With a goal contribution against CF Montréal on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+), Mukhtar would tie MLS legend Landon Donovan (116 goal contributions) for the eighth-most goal contributions through 150 games in league history. Sitting just ahead of Donovan are Roy Lassiter (117 goal contributions) and former league MVPs Josef Martínez (119), Sebastian Giovinco (120), and Preki (120).
The most goal contributions through a player’s first 150 MLS games:
Mora Climbs Up Timbers Scoring List
Portland Timbers forward Felipe Mora opened his 2025 account with a goal in the club’s 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy on Matchday 4, marking the 40th goal of his MLS career. Mora became only the fourth player in Timbers history to join the 40-goal club, joining Diego Valeri (86), Fanendo Adi (54), and Sebastián Blanco (41).
With a goal against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), Mora would tie Blanco for the third-most goals in club history and accomplish the feat in 72 fewer matches with the club. The Timbers will travel to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as they look to pick up their first road win of the season.
The players with the most goals in Portland Timbers history:
Benteke Reigns Supreme as Aerial King
One of the most dominant MLS players since arriving in the league in the summer of 2022, D.C. United striker Christian Benteke has regularly proven himself as an elite aerial threat on the D.C. attack. The reigning Golden Boot presented by Audi winner, Benteke leads Major League Soccer with 13 goals via header since the start of the 2023 season.
Scoring from the air is not the only area where Benteke is succeeding, as he has won a league-best 29 aerial challenges through Matchday 4, the most in the league and nine more than the next-closest player, his teammate Lucas Bartlett (20). Atlanta’s Bartosz Slisz (16), Minnesota’s Morris Duggan (15), and Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson (14) round out the top five of aerial challenges won through the first four weeks.
The most aerial challenges won through Matchday 4:
