Ibrahimovic approaches greatest goalscoring stretch - Week 8 News & Notes

IBRAHIMOVIC APPROACHES GREATEST SEASON-LONG GOALSCORING STRETCH
From the moment of his stunning debut with the LA Galaxy last season, Zlatan Ibrahimović has certainly left his mark on Major League Soccer. Now just after his one-year anniversary in the league, Ibrahimović is poised to create history yet again.
Ibrahimović set the stage in that opening match on March 31, 2017, when he scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in a 4-3 win against crosstown rivals Los Angeles Football Club, pulling the Galaxy all the way back from a 0-3 deficit. It was just the second time in MLS history a team had reversed a three-goal deficit for a victory, and Ibrahimović was just the third player in league annals to score both the game-tying and game-winning goals on his debut.
Now, after 31 games in Major League Soccer, Ibrahimović is on track to set the fastest goalscoring pace of any player from the start of their league career. Ibrahimović has 28 goals in those 31 games – which is already tied for sixth-most of any player in the first 34 games of their MLS career (the length of the MLS regular season).
Ibrahimović has three games remaining to surpass the total of Mamadou Diallo, who had 32 goals in his first 34 games in 2000-01. The Galaxy face the Houston Dynamo this Friday, then play at Minnesota United FC and vs. Real Salt Lake next week.
GOALS IN FIRST 34 GAMES OF MLS CAREER

* total after 31 games
LAFC CONTINUES MARCH TOWARD BEST-EVER START TO MLS SEASON
The Los Angeles Football Club continue their ascent up the league records for fastest start in league history, coming off of a 2-0 win against FC Cincinnati at Banc of California Stadium last Sunday.
LAFC is now 6-0-1 to open the 2019 campaign – now the 13th team in MLS history to open a season undefeated over seven games or more.
The record for an undefeated start to a season is 12 games, set on four different occasions through league history, the last coming in 2014 when Real Salt Lake started the season with six wins and six draws in their opening 12 matches.
Two other clubs could also join the list this season – one being Seattle Sounders FC, who are 5-0-1 on the season heading into their crunch match with LAFC on Sunday afternoon at Banc of California Stadium. The Houston Dynamo are also undefeated through five games this season, at 4-0-1 heading into the weekend.
LONGEST UNDEFEATED STREAK TO START SEASON

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau
LAFC have also equaled the third-most points of any team in MLS history through the opening seven games of the season, with 19 points on the year thus far. Two teams started with perfect records through the opening seven games – the 1996 LA Galaxy (who won their first eight games in regulation time), and Sporting Kansas City in 2012 (winners of their opening seven games).
BEST RECORD, FIRST SIX GAMES OF SEASON

SKC’S BUSIO BANGING IN THE GOALS – ALL BEFORE TURNING 17
Gianluca Busio of Sporting Kansas City continued to make his mark on the annals of the youngest goalscorers in MLS history, netting the game-tying goal in his club’s 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Children’s Mercy Park last weekend.
Already the youngest player in MLS to score in back-to-back games, Busio made it three in a row – netting the equalizing goal for a second game running.
The goal was Busio’s fourth of his Major League Soccer career – now the third-most goals of any player in league history before their 17th birthday. Busio still has more than a month to go before he turns 17 years of age. Busio also became the third-youngest player to score at least three goals in a single season.
In Major League Soccer history, 28 goals have been scored by players under the age of 17 (out of 15,895 league goals scored all-time).
MLS LEAGUE GOALS BEFORE 17TH BIRTHDAY

SOUNDERS FC ON NEARLY UNPRECEDENTED 25-GAME STRETCH
On June 30 of last season, following a 3-2 loss to archrivals Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field, Seattle Sounders FC had a 3-9-3 record and sat at the foot of the Western Conference table.
Since that game, over 25 league contests, Sounders FC have won 20 times and tied three, including a 5-0-1 start to this season heading into this weekend’s contest with the Los Angeles Football Club.
The 63 points over that span is the second-most of any team in MLS history over a 25-game regular season stretch, bettered only by the LA Galaxy, who won 22 of 25 games from the final six games of the 1997 season to the midway point of the 1998 season. In that run, the Galaxy won one game and lost one game in a shootout, meaning they would have had 65 points in the 25 games were matches ended in draws.
MOST POINTS, 25-GAME STRETCH

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau
MLS WEEK 8 – LOOK AHEAD
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC vs. LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #78)
BC Place, Vancouver, B.C.
7 p.m. PT (TSN; YouTube / KVMD)
REFEREE: Ramy Touchan. AR1 (bench): Frank Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Hanson; 4th: Joseph Dickerson; VAR: Allen Chapman; AVAR: Rene Parra
MLS Career: 4 games; FC/gm: 24.8; Y/gm: 1.8; R: 0; pens: 1
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Whitecaps FC 0 wins, 2 goals … LAFC 1 win, 4 goals … Ties 1
AT VANCOUVER: Whitecaps FC 0 wins, 0 goals … LAFC 1 win, 2 goals … Ties 0

• Whitecaps FC had their winless streak extended to six games in a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire at SeatGeek Stadium on Friday evening. It’ is the club’s longest winless run to open a season in its MLS history.
  
• LAFC extended their undefeated run to seven games to open the season – the longest such streak in their brief history – with a 2-0 win against FC Cincinnati at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday evening. LAFC are the 13th team in MLS history to have an undefeated streak of seven games or more to open a season.
  
• Carlos Vela scored his eighth goal of the season, sitting atop the MLS Golden Boot standings, now with goals in three consecutive games (with five goals in that span). LAFC have scored 13 consecutive goals without allowing one, the third-longest streak in league history.
  
• The teams met twice in LAFC’s inaugural season a year ago. LAFC won the first meeting, a 2-0 victory at BC Place on April 13; they then reached a 2-2 draw on Oct. 21 at Banc of California Stadium.
  

VAN:
Yordy Reyna
netted his first goal of the season in Whitecaps FC’s 1-1 draw at Chicago. … The goal was the club’s first since March 16, ending their goalless drought at 269 minutes, second-longest in the league this season.
LAFC:
Mark-Anthony Kaye
scored his second goal of the season; he scored two goals in 20 appearances in his first MLS year last season. …
Eduard Atuesta
collected his third assist of the season; he had two assists in 25 appearances last year in his first MLS campaign. … LAFC has scored 21 goals through their first seven games this season, the most of any team in that span to start a season in MLS history.
FC CINCINNATI vs. REAL SALT LAKE
Friday, April 19, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #79)
Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. ET (WSTR – Star 64; KMYU-12)
REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Brian Poeschel; AR2 (opposite): Cory Richardson; 4th: Farhad Dadkho; VAR: Hilario Grajeda; AVAR: Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein
MLS Career: 79 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 17; pens: 26
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: First meeting

• FC Cincinnati had their winless run extended to three games with a second loss in that time, falling 2-0 to the Los Angeles Football Club at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Real Salt Lake put an end to a four-game losing slide, holding out for a 2-1 win against Orlando City SC at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening. Sam Johnson netted his first career MLS goal to send RSL on their way.
  
• The teams are meeting for the first time in their history.
  

CIN:
FC Cincinnati have had eight players score one goal this season – tied with Toronto FC for most goalscorers in a single team.
RSL:
Damir Kreilach
netted his second goal of the season, his first coming March 23. …
Jefferson Savarino
collected his first assist of the season; he had 11 assists last year, his second MLS campaign. …
Aaron Herrera
recorded his first career assist in MLS, in his 23rd career appearance.
TORONTO FC vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
Friday, April 19, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #80)
BMO Field, Toronto, Ont.
8 p.m. ET (TSN; FS-North)
REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Kyle Atkins; AR2 (opposite): Corey Parker; 4th: Ted Unkel; VAR: Geoff Gamble; AVAR: Robert Schaap
MLS Career: 132 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 34; pens: 39
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto FC 1 win, 6 goals … MNUFC 1 win, 6 goals … Ties 0
AT TORONTO: Toronto FC 1 win, 3 goals … MNUFC 0 wins, 2 goals … Ties 0

• Jozy Altidore scored a pair of goals – now with goals in four consecutive games this season, and five in a row dating back to last year – but Toronto FC saw their undefeated start to the season put to an end in a 3-2 loss to Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Minnesota United FC made the opening of their Allianz Field wonder a day to remember, gaining a 3-3 draw with New York City FC on Saturday afternoon. Osvaldo Alonso scored the first goal in Allianz Field history, his first in an MLS game since April 29. 2017, when he was with Seattle Sounders FC.
  
• The teams have met twice in their history, each winning once, on their home ground. Minnesota United took a 4-3 win last year on July 4 at TCF Bank Stadium; TFC won 3-2 on May 13, 2017, in MNUFC’s inaugural MLS season.
  

TOR:
Alejandro Pozuelo
collected a pair of assists, now with four in his first MLS season. Pozuelo has recorded an assist in each of his three appearances for TFC. …
Laurent Ciman
notched his first assist of the season, his first in MLS since July 5, 2017, when he was with the Montréal Impact. …
Quentin Westberg
made his MLS debut between the posts for TFC.
MIN:
Ángelo Rodríguez
scored his second goal of the season, his first coming March 16. …
Ethan Finlay
collected his first assist of the season, his first in more than a year, the last coming March 17, 2017 with MNUFC. …
Jan Gregus
recorded his first assist in MLS, in his sixth appearance. … Teams opening newly-constructed stadiums built completely from the ground up have now won 13 games and tied five in the 18 contests over MLS history.
LA GALAXY vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
Friday, April 19, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #81)
Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.
8 p.m. PT (UniMás)
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Jeffrey Greeson; AR2 (opposite): Chris Elliott; 4th: Guido Gonzales Jr.; VAR: Alex Chilowicz; AVAR: Cameron Blanchard
MLS Career: 244 games; FC/gm: 23.1; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 41; pens: 74
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Galaxy 10 wins, 35 goals … Dynamo 11 wins, 37 goals … Ties 7
AT GALAXY: Galaxy 5 wins, 17 goals … Dynamo 4 wins, 15 goals … Ties 4

• Zlatan Ibrahimović scored a pair of goals – his second two-goal game of the season, and his third consecutive game with a goal (with five in that span) – as the Galaxy won their fourth game in a row in a 2-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union at Dignity Health Sports Park.
  
• The Dynamo won for a fourth consecutive game, remaining undefeated for the season, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Alberth Elis scored in his third consecutive game, while Mauro Manotas assisted on both goals, now with four assists over the last three games.
  
• The teams met twice a season ago, and the Dynamo won both, each by a 3-2 scoreline, winning May 5 at BBVA Compass Stadium, and also on Decision Day (Oct. 28) in Carson.
  
• The Dynamo have a four-game undefeated streak alive in the series, over the last two seasons. The last Galaxy win came Oct. 16, 2016, a 1-0 win at BBVA Compass Stadium; it was the second win for LA that year in Houston, their first wins ever at BBVA Compass Stadium.
  
• The Dynamo’s win last year in Carson was their first at the Galaxy since 2013. The Galaxy had won two of the four meetings in between, with two draws.
  

LA:
Romain Alessandrini
collected his first assist of the season; he had 21 assists combined over his first two MLS seasons. …
Jorgen Skjelvik
recorded his first assist of the year; he had two assists in his first MLS season last year.
HOU:
Tomás Martínez
netted his first goal of the season; he had five goals in 32 appearances a year ago. …
Mauro Manotas
had the second two-assist game of his MLS career (first: July 5, 2017 vs. Montréal). … The Dynamo club-record winning streak is five games, set three times previously (last in 2012).
PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. MONTREAL IMPACT
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #82)
Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.
1 p.m. ET (TVA Sports; TSN; PHL 17)
REFEREE: Robert Sibiga. AR1 (bench): Adam Garner; AR2 (opposite): Felisha Mariscal; 4th: Marcos de Oliveira; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Gjovalin Bori
MLS Career: 79 games; FC/gm: 22.5; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 19; pens: 21
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Union 4 wins, 22 goals … Impact 8 wins, 34 goals … Ties 6
AT PHILADELPHIA: Union 2 wins, 12 goals … Impact 2 wins, 16 goals … Ties 5

• The Union saw their winning streak put to an end after three games, falling 2-0 to the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday evening.
  
• The Impact made their Stade Saputo home opener and extended their undefeated streak to three games, defeating Columbus Crew SC 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. Harry Novillo scored his first MLS goal for the game-winner, putting an end to the Impact goalless streak after 236 minutes.
  
• The teams met twice a season ago, and the away team won each. The Union claimed a 2-0 win on May 12 at Stade Saputo, then the Impact won 4-1 on Sept. 15 at Talen Energy Stadium.
  

• The visiting team has won the past three meetings – after the away team won just once over the first 15 meetings, covering the first six years of the series. The Union have won two of the nine matchups in Chester, with five draws. The Impact have won six of the nine meetings all-time at Stade Saputo.
  

PHI:
The Union had their winning streak snapped one game short of the club record, set twice previously (last achieved last Aug. 11-29).
MTL:
Evan Bush
was credited with five saves in recording a third consecutive shutout, the second time in his MLS career he has posted clean sheets in three games in a row (also: June 13-20, 2018). Bush and the Impact extended their shutout streak to 276 minutes, tied for the fourth-longest in the club’s MLS history. …
Maximiliano Urruti
returned from injury and recorded his third assist of the season, in his sixth appearance.
CHICAGO FIRE vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #83)
SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Ill.
12 noon p.m. CT (ESPN+; Altitude)
REFEREE: David Gantar. AR1 (bench): Apolinar Mariscal; AR2 (opposite): Chris Wattam; 4th: Timothy Ford; VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.; AVAR: Peter Manikowski
MLS Career: 73 games; FC/gm: 24.4; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 27; pens: 15
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Fire 19 wins (0 shootout), 68 goals … Rapids 14 wins (1 shootout), 54 goals … Ties 10
AT CHICAGO: Fire 16 wins (0 shootout), 45 goals … Rapids 4 wins (0 shootout), 20 goals … Ties 2

• The Fire extended their undefeated streak to three games with a second consecutive draw, reaching a 1-1 result with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at SeatGeek Stadium on Friday evening.
  
• The Rapids saw their winless start to the season continue, suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in a 3-2 loss to D.C. United at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Benny Feilhaber scored a goal, his second of the season, and added his second assist of the season.
  
• The teams met once a season ago, reaching a 2-2 draw on June 13 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids are now unbeaten in their past six home encounters with the Fire, with two wins and four draws, dating back to 2010.
  
• The Fire won the last meeting between the teams in Bridgeview, a 3-0 victory on May 17, 2017. Colorado had won on their last visit to SeatGeek Stadium, a 1-0 win on Aug. 22, 2015 – their first win ever in Bridgeview, and first at the Fire since 2004, at Soldier Field.
  

CHI:
Nemanja Nikolic
scored for a second consecutive game, converting from the penalty spot.
COL:
Benny Feilhaber
scored at least one goal and added at least one assist in the same game for the 10th time in his nine MLS seasons. …
Nicolás Mezquida
collected his first assist of the season, his first since coming to the Rapids; he has recorded one assist in each of his last five seasons.
ORLANDO CITY SC vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (updated)
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #84)
Orlando City Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
3 p.m. ET (CTV / TSN; YouTube [ORL]; My65)
REFEREE: Alan Kelly. AR1 (bench): Adam Wienckowski; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Kieso; 4th: Yusri Rudolf; VAR: Caleb Mendez; AVAR: Kevin Klinger
MLS Career: 107 games; FC/gm: 24.4; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 17; pens: 39
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Orlando City 0 wins, 5 goals … Whitecaps FC 3 wins, 10 goals … Ties 1
AT ORLANDO: Orlando City 0 wins, 1 goal … Whitecaps FC 2 wins, 3 goals … Ties 0

• Orlando City SC weren’t able to make it consecutive wins, falling 2-1 to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening.
• Nani scored directly from a free kick for his third goal in MLS – all coming over the past two games. Nani now has three goals and four assists for the season, playing a part in seven of Orlando City’s 11 goals.
• Whitecaps FC won for the first time in the 2019 season at midweek, defeating Los Angeles Football Club 1-0 at BC Place. Hwang Inbeom scored the game’s lone goal, his first in MLS.
• Whitecaps FC have never lost to Orlando City in their MLS history, in four meetings all-time (3-0-1). The ‘Caps won the lone meeting between the teams a year ago, a 5-2 victory on June 9 at BC Place.
• Whitecaps FC have won twice on two visits to Orlando, last a 2-1 win there on Aug. 26, 2017.

ORL:
Nani’s goal was the second free kick goal for Orlando City SC this season; they had two total over the first four seasons of their MLS history.
VAN:
The win vs. LAFC put an end to the Whitecaps FC winless streak after six games, the club’s longest since 2016. The six-game run was the longest start to a season without a victory in the club’s MLS history.
ATLANTA UNITED vs. FC DALLAS
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #85)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
4 p.m. ET (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)
REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): Jason White; AR2 (opposite): Jose da Silva; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal; VAR: Jorge Gonzalez; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
MLS Career: 120 games; FC/gm: 22.4; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 26; pens: 28
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: ATLUTD 1 win, 5 goals … FC Dallas 1 win, 3 goals … Ties 0
AT ATLANTA: ATLUTD 1 win, 3 goals … FC Dallas 0 wins, 0 goals … Ties 0

• Atlanta United won their first league match in defense of their MLS Cup title, defeating the New England Revolution 2-0 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening. Ezequiel Barco scored a pair of goals, now with three goals for the season, his first two-goal game in his MLS career.
  
• FC Dallas won for a fourth time in six matches, holding out for a 2-1 win against the Portland Timbers at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• The teams have met twice in their history, each winning once, on their home ground. Atlanta United won the first meeting between the teams, a 3-0 win on Sept. 10, 2017, in the grand opening of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. FC Dallas claimed a 3-2 victory last July 4 at Toyota Stadium.
  

ATL:
Hector Villalba
collected a pair of assists, his first two assists this season, the fourth two-assist game of his MLS career (in 66 appearances). …
Brad Guzan
was credited with one save in recording his first shutout of the season.
DAL:
David Ferreira
scored his second goal of the season, both coming in the last three games. …
Reto Ziegler
scored for a second consecutive match, now with three goals on the season. Two have come from penalty kicks, and the third directly from a free kick.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #86)
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
7:30 p.m. ET (NBCS-Bos; MSG)
REFEREE: Drew Fischer. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Ramy Touchan; VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero; AVAR: Claudiu Badea
MLS Career: 105 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 16; pens: 28
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Revolution 30 wins (3 shootout), 117 goals … Red Bulls 27 wins (2 shootout), 120 goals … Ties 15
AT NEW ENGLAND: Revolution 22 wins (1 shootout), 68 goals … Red Bulls 6 wins (2 shootout), 43 goals … Ties 7

• The Revolution suffered a second consecutive defeat, their fifth in the past six games, falling 2-0 to Atlanta United at Gillette Stadium.
  
• The Red Bulls put an end to a three-game league losing run but saw their winless streak extended, reaching a 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday evening.
  
• The teams met twice a year ago, each winning on their home ground. The Revolution came from behind for a 2-1 win on June 2 at Gillette Stadium, then the Red Bulls took a 2-0 win on July 21 at Red Bull Arena.
  
• The visiting team has won just twice in the series over the past 11 seasons in league play. The Red Bulls won 3-2 on July 5, 2017 in Foxborough, their second win there in four seasons. When the Red Bulls won 2-0 at Gillette Stadium on June 8, 2014, it was the first for New York in New England since 2002. The Revolution had won 13 of 19 meetings in league and MLS Cup play since that previous New York win.
  
• The Revolution have never won at Red Bull Arena in league play. Since the stadium opened in 2010, the Red Bulls have won 10 of 11 regular-season games there, with one draw. When the Revolution won 2-1 in Harrison in the first leg of the 2014 Eastern Conference Championship, it was their first win of any sort in New Jersey since 2007, ending a 10-game winless streak there in all competitions.
  

NE:
The Revolution saw their shutout streak extended to 198 minutes. It was their fourth attacking shutout of the season, tied for most in MLS through Week 8 (with Vancouver).
NY:
Cristian Casseres
collected an assist, the first of his MLS career; he had a goal and an assist in the last two games. …
Bradley Wright-Phillips
recorded his first assist of the season; he had an MLS career-high eight assists last season. …
Daniel Royer
scored his second goal of the season, his first coming March 16. …
Brian White
scored his second career goal in MLS, his first coming last Aug. 29. …
Kaku
collected his first assist of the season; he was tied for seventh in the MLS standings with 14 assists last season. …
Aaron Long
collected his first assist of the season; he had the first two of his MLS career last year.
COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #87)
Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
7:30 p.m. ET (FS-Ohio; KPDX)
REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Kathryn Nesbitt; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Longville; 4th: Lorant Varga; VAR: Hilario Grajeda; AVAR: Peter Balciunas
MLS Career: 148 games; FC/gm: 23.9; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 44; pens: 54
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Crew SC 3 wins, 12 goals … Timbers 4 wins, 13 goals … Ties 2
AT COLUMBUS: Crew SC 3 wins, 6 goals … Timbers 1 win, 4 goals … Ties 0

• Crew SC saw their two-game winning run put to an end, falling 1-0 to the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon.
  
• The Timbers suffered a fifth consecutive defeat – matching the club’s MLS record set in 2012 – in a 2-1 defeat by FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• The Timbers won the lone meeting between the teams a year ago, a 3-2 victory on Sept. 29 at Providence Park. Crew SC have never won in Portland, in five trips there all-time, the Timbers now with three home wins in the series.
  
• Crew SC won the last meeting between the teams in Columbus, a 3-2 victory on March 25, 2017, which was the first victory overall for Crew SC vs. the Timbers since 2013.
  
• The teams also met in MLS Cup 2015, a 2-1 Timbers victory at Mapfre Stadium. Diego Valeri and Rodney Wallace gave the Timbers a 2-0 lead after just seven minutes; Kei Kamara pulled a goal back on 18 minutes, but the Timbers held on for their first MLS title.
  

CLB:
Zack Steffen
had his personal shutout streak put to an end after 499 minutes, the second-longest streak in Crew SC club history.
POR:
Cristhian Paredes
scored his first goal of the season. …
Sebastian Blanco
collected his first assist of the season; he recorded 11 assists a year ago. …
Diego Chara
recorded his first assist of the season, his first in an MLS game since Sept. 24, 2017.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs. SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Saturday, April 20, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #88)
Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
7 p.m. PT (NBCS-CA; FS-KC)
REFEREE: Rubiel Vazquez. AR1 (bench): Eduardo Mariscal; AR2 (opposite): TJ Zablocki; 4th: Joseph Dickerson; VAR: Kevin Stott; AVAR: Fabio Tovar
MLS Career: 12 games; FC/gm: 20.7; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 5; pens: 3
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Earthquakes 24 wins (3 shootout), 70 goals … Sporting 26 wins (4 shootout), 73 goals … Ties 8
AT SAN JOSE: Earthquakes 16 wins (1 shootout), 39 goals … Sporting 6 wins (2 shootout), 26 goals … Ties 7

• The Quakes weren’t able to build upon a first win in five matches this season, suffering a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday evening. Jackson Yueill scored his first career MLS goal in the loss.
  
• Sporting extended their league undefeated streak to five games with a second consecutive draw, coming back for a 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday evening. Gianluca Busio scored for a third consecutive game, the youngest player in MLS history to score in consecutive games, netting the 88th-minute game-winner.
  
• The teams met twice a season ago, and Sporting won both, taking a 3-2 win on March 17 at Children’s Mercy Park, and a 5-1 victory on Sept. 15 at Avaya Stadium.
  
• Sporting have a six-game undefeated streak alive in the series, winning three consecutive matchups before the clubs reached a goalless draw on June 17, 2017 at Avaya Stadium. The Quakes last win in the series came April 24, 2016, at home.
  
• Sporting have won the past three meetings in Kansas City, the last San Jose win at Children’s Mercy Park coming in 2015, a 5-0 victory which is the largest in the all-time series.
  

SJ:
Shea Salinas
collected his first assist of the season, his last coming last Sept. 19; he has a goal and an assist in the last two games. … The Quakes had their road losing streak extended to seven games, dating back to last Aug. 11, one game shy of the club’s MLS record (set May 30-Sept. 5, 1998).
SKC:
Johnny Russell
scored his fourth goal of the season, all coming over the last four games. …
Graham Zusi
collected his first assist of the season. …
Krisztian Németh
recorded his first assist of the season, his second in his return to SKC (the last coming last Aug. 18).
D.C. UNITED vs. NEW YORK CITY FC
Sunday, April 21, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #89)
Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
4 p.m. ET (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Jeremy Hanson; AR2 (opposite): Nick Uranga; 4th: Marcos de Oliveira; VAR: Daniel Radford; AVAR: Jeff Muschik
MLS Career: 140 games; FC/gm: 22.5; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 32; pens: 63
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: D.C. United 4 wins, 14 goals … NYCFC 4 wins, 17 goals … Ties 2
AT D.C.: D.C. United 4 wins, 10 goals … NYCFC 1 win, 6 goals … Ties 0

• D.C. United put an end to a brief two-game winless run, defeating the Colorado Rapids 3-2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening. Chris Durkin scored his first professional goal and Lucas Rodríguez netted his second goal of the season as United scored three goals in an eight-minute span.
  
• NYCFC had their winless streak to open the season extended to six games, reaching a fifth draw over that span, in a 3-3 result with Minnesota United FC in the opening of Allianz Field. Ismael Tajouri-Shradi scored a pair of goals – one directly from a free kick – the fourth two-goal game of his MLS career (in 31 appearances).
  
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They reached a scoreless draw March 10 at Yankee Stadium.
  
• D.C. United now have a four-game undefeated streak alive in the series, with two wins and two draws, NYCFC’s last win coming March 12, 2017, a 4-0 triumph at Yankee Stadium. D.C. United have now taken points from their last two trips to Yankee Stadium, their first results there; NYCFC had won the first three encounters in the Bronx.
  
• D.C. United has won the last three meetings between the teams in Washington, the last a 2-1 win last Oct. 21 at Audi Field in the first meeting there. NYCFC’s 2-0 triumph May 8, 2016 at RFK Stadium is the only win by the road team in the series.
  

DC:
Luciano Acosta
scored his second goal of the season, his first coming in the season opener March 3. …
Lucas Rodríguez
also collected an assist, his second in MLS. …
Steven Birnbaum
recorded his first assist of the season, the third of his MLS career, his last coming Aug. 27, 2016. …
Donovan Pines
recorded an assist in making his professional debut.
NYC:
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi
also added an assist, the three goals he was involved in his most in his MLS career, equaling the NYCFC club record (set 12 times previously). …
Valentin Castellanos
scored his second goal in MLS, in his 13th appearance over two seasons.
LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB vs. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (updated)
Sunday, April 21, 2019 (Week 8, MLS Game #90)
Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
4 p.m. PT (FS1 / FOX Deportes)
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Mike Rottersman; AR2 (opposite): Ian Anderson; 4th: Timothy Ford; VAR: Alex Chilowicz; AVAR: Cameron Blanchard
MLS Career: 273 games; FC/gm: 25.2; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 98; pens: 104
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: LAFC 2 wins, 2 goals … Sounders FC 0 wins, 0 goals … Ties 0
AT BANC OF CALIFORNIA STADIUM: LAFC 1 win, 1 goal … Sounders FC 0 wins, 0 goals … Ties 0

• Sounders FC extended their undefeated streak to five games to open the season with a fourth win in that time, defeating Toronto FC 3-2 at CenturyLink Field on Saturday afternoon. Will Bruin scored a pair of goals, his first of the 2019 season, the 11th multiple-goal game of his MLS career.
• Los Angeles Football Club had their undefeated start to the campaign put to an end at midweek, falling by the game’s only goal to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place.
• The teams met twice in LAFC’s inaugural season a year ago, and the first-year side won both, each by a 1-0 scoreline. The first win came in LAFC’s first MLS match ever, March 4 at CenturyLink Field; they also were victorious April 29 at Banc of California Stadium.
• The game is the front end of a home-and-home series over consecutive weekends; the teams also face each other April 28 at CenturyLink Field (Sounders FC have a game in between, vs. San Jose at midweek).

LAFC:
The LAFC seven-game undefeated streak was the longest in the club’s history, and equaled the longest from the start of a season in MLS history. … LAFC were shut out at the attacking end for the first time this season, and the first time since last Aug. 11 (0-2 vs. Sporting KC). … The Whitecaps FC goal snapped a streak of 13 uninterrupted goals scored by LAFC, their first conceded since March 23 vs. Real Salt Lake, the third-longest such streak in MLS history. … The LAFC shutout streak was put to an end after 352 minutes, the longest streak in MLS this season and the longest in club history.
SEA:
Nicolas Lodeiro
recorded his fourth assist of the season, one of four players tied for second in the MLS assist standings (leader: Carlos Vela, LAFC, 5). …
Brad Smith
collected his second assist of the season, both coming in the last three games. …
Gustav Svensson
recorded his first assist of the season, the sixth of his MLS career (over three seasons).