MLS Game Capsules (Week 23)

Friday, July 29

LAFC (14-4-3) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (9-10-2)

(11 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes)

• Western Conference rivals LAFC and Seattle Sounders FC meet for the 12th time in regular-season series history, with LAFC holding a 5-3-3 series advantage. The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw in a previous 2022 meeting (June 18), with Seattle’s Albert Rusnak and LAFC’s Cristian Arango providing the goals for their respective clubs.
• LAFC enters Week 23 atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with 45 points (14-4-3) and tied with NYCFC for the best goal differential in the league (plus-20). LAFC is 8-1-2 in matches played at Banc of California Stadium this season, including wins in each of their past four at home. 
• With their 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City last week, LAFC won its 15th consecutive match in which it held a lead at any point dating back to the end of last season. Forward Cristian Arango provided the go-ahead goal in the match and assisted on the second. Arango has scored in three consecutive matches and in seven of his past eight league matches overall. His nine goals on the season are a club-high and since arriving in MLS on August 8, 2021, no player has scored in more matches than Arango (19).
• LAFC newcomer Gareth Bale will be making his home debut with the club after scoring his first MLS goal in the club’s 2-0 win last week. 
• Nicolás Lodeiro scored the Sounders’ second goal from the penalty spot in their win over Colorado in Week 22. Lodeiro is a perfect 17-for-17 on penalties in regular season play, the only player in MLS history to take more than 12 regular season penalties without ever missing.
• Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak with their Week 22 victory over Colorado. Midfielder Jordan Morris scored the club’s first goal last week, his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Morris has three goals in his past five matchups against LAFC. 

S_aturday, July 30_

Minnesota United FC (10-8-4) vs. Portland Timbers (7-6-9)

(3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes)

• Minnesota United FC and the Portland Timbers meet for the 10th time in series history, with the Loons holding a 6-2-1 series advantage. Minnesota United has won each of the past three games against Timbers and are unbeaten in their past six against their Pacific Northwest foe.
• The two clubs enter the match on significant unbeaten streaks, with Minnesota United undefeated across their past six matches (5-0-1) and the Timbers avoiding a loss in each of their past seven matches (4-0-3). 
• Minnesota sits in third place in the Western Conference after a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last week – a victory that saw Franco Fragapane and 22-year-old Bongokuhle Hlongwane get on scoresheet. Hlongwane provided an assist in the match, in addition to his first-career MLS score.
• Minnesota’s recent charge has been led by MLS All-Star Emanuel Reynoso, who leads the club with nine goals and five assists this season. Reynoso has registered a brace in three of his past five games overall, and has seven goals and two assists over his past seven games.
• For the Timbers, Jaroslaw Niezgoda has led the way with five goals during Portland’s own seven-game unbeaten run (4-0-3). The Polish striker’s form has brought a consistent level of production across the board for the Timbers as six different players have chipped in with goals over their last seven games. Eryk Williamson has also found his top gear since returning to the starting lineup with three assists in five games, while 22-year-old winger Santiago Moreno has blossomed over this stretch with three goals and two assists for the Timbers.
• Portland midfielder Diego Chara’s next appearance will be his 350th in MLS (regular season & playoffs). Chara will become the seventh player in MLS history to appear in 350 games for a single team, including postseason matches.

Chicago Fire FC (7-10-5) vs. Atlanta United FC (6-9-6)

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

• Saturday’s game between Chicago Fire FC and Atlanta United FC is the 11th all-time meeting between these sides and the second of the 2022 regular season. Atlanta won their earlier meeting this season 4-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and hold a slight advantage in the all-time series record at 6-0-5 against the Fire. The home team has won nine of the 10 games between these sides, with the sole road win belonging to Atlanta with a 2-1 win in 2018.
• Chicago goalkeeper Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina is tied for second in clean sheets this season with nine. The 18-year-old goalkeeper has kept two consecutive clean sheets at home heading into this game and has recorded 10 clean sheets in his last 14 home games for the Fire, dating back to a 0-0 draw against Nashville on September 26, 2021.
• The Fire have scored in six straight games, and Chris Mueller has been at the heart of their offense’s uptick in form. Since returning to MLS, Mueller has made six direct goal contributions with five of those (two goals, three assists) occurring during this stretch for the Fire. Eighteen-year-old Jhon Durán is second in goal contributions among Fire players over that stretch with four (two goals, two assists), while four different players are tied-third with three direct goal contributions.
• Atlanta’s Ronaldo Cisneros scored a hat trick when these clubs met back in May with all three goals coming within 36 minutes of kickoff. That is tied for the fastest hat trick from kickoff in 2022 with Jesús Ferreira’s 36-minute hat trick against the Portland Timbers back in March.
• Marcelo Moreno made his 16th start of the season last time out for Atlanta and maintained his status as the only player on their roster to feature in every single one of their regular season games so far. Alan Franco also started that game and played the full 90 minutes, maintaining his status as the player with the most minutes played (1,545) for Atlanta in 2022.

Charlotte FC (8-12-2) vs. Columbus Crew (7-5-9)

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

• Charlotte FC host the Columbus Crew at Bank of America Stadium in their second meeting this season, with the first on June 18 ending in a 1-1 draw. Columbus will be the fifth team to meet Charlotte for the second time in their inaugural season, joining Atlanta United FC, Inter Miami CF, CF Montréal and the New England Revolution.
• The Crew head to The Queen City on a nine-game unbeaten run (four wins, five draws) and aim to produce their first double-digit unbeaten streak since they went 14 games without a defeat from August 12, 2017 to March 14, 2018. Columbus has allowed the second-fewest goals (seven) since May 28 and have now only conceded 22 on the year, which is tied for the third-fewest in the league.
• Columbus’ dynamic creators Juan “Cucho” Hernández and Lucas Zelarayán have gotten plenty of accolades for their dynamic performances in recent weeks, but goalkeeper Eloy Room continues to shine in net. Room has played every minute for the club this year and ranks in the top five among MLS goalkeepers in clean sheets (seven) and goals against average (1.05). If he produces three more clean sheets in 2022, he will join Zack Steffen (2018) as the only Crew net minders with double-digit clean sheets since 2011.
• Charlotte will look to get back on track after suffering consecutive defeats on the road to Toronto FC (July 23) and Inter Miami CF (July 16). The Crown have been terrific in front of their home crowd, recording seven wins on the season, which only trails LAFC and New York City FC (eight) for the most home wins in MLS. Charlotte is the third expansion team in MLS history to win at least seven of its first 10 home matches, joining Chicago (eight) in 1998 and Atlanta (seven) in 2017.

CF Montréal (11-8-2) vs. New York City FC (12-4-5)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Two of the top-four teams in the Eastern Conference meet on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo when CF Montréal welcomes New York City FC. NYCFC have dominated the series between the two clubs, winning nine of the 15 matchups and sporting a 9-2-4 overall record. NYCFC won the earlier matchup this season with a 4-1 victory at Yankee Stadium on March 12.
• Montréal enters the contest with wins in consecutive matches over D.C. United and Toronto FC, conceding only one goal during the two games. With a win against NYCFC, Montréal would tie their win total from last season (12) and need just three more to equal their single-season record (15 in 2015).
• Honduran international Romell Quioto has stepped up and provided the goals this season for the Canadian side, which included his second brace of the season in their win against D.C. Quioto eclipsed his single-season career best with his second goal of the match (eight in 2020 and 2021). If the forward scores against NYCFC, he would become the first Montréal player to produce at least 10 goals in a season since Ignacio Piatti (16) in 2018.
• With Valentín “Taty” Castellanos’ departure, NYCFC will rely on forward Héber to provide the goals for the club. The Brazilian has scored four goals in his last five matches, including the match-clincher versus Inter Miami CF in the 75th minute last weekend.
• NYCFC’s Santiago Rodríguez has elevated his play in Year Two with the club, tallying a team-high nine assists in 2022. The 22-year-old midfielder needs one assist to join Maxi Moralez and Andrea Pirlo as the only players in club history with at least 10 assists in a single season. Rodríguez’ 45 key passes are the sixth most in MLS this year.

Philadelphia Union (11-2-9) vs. Houston Dynamo FC (7-11-4)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• The Philadelphia Union look to maintain the top spot in the Eastern Conference when they face Houston Dynamo FC for the first time since August 11, 2019. Philadelphia holds a slight 7-6-4 advantage in the all-time series but have won each of the last three contests against the Dynamo.
• Dynamo forward Fafa Picault will play against his former club for the second time in his career and the first time in a Dynamo shirt. Two of the last three times the clubs have met, Picault scored for the Union against Houston, which included the game-winner at Subaru Park on May 17, 2017. With a goal against Philadelphia, Picault will have scored for and against all three of the teams he has played for in his career (FC Dallas, Houston and Philadelphia).
• Despite only winning two of their last eight matches, Houston has not been held scoreless in any of those games. The eight-game run with at least one goal is the club’s longest since going 13 in a row from November 8, 2020 – July 3, 2021.
• Dániel Gazdag scored his 10th goal of the season in the club’s 1-0 victory at Orlando City last Saturday. Gazdag, who has scored in three-consecutive matches, became the ninth different player in club history to produce at least 10 goals in a single season. The Hungarian will look to produce a goal in four-straight games for the second time this season (March 5 – April 2).
• Philadelphia’s 16-game home unbeaten run (11 wins, five draws) will be put on the line when they welcome Houston on Saturday. The streak is both the longest active streak in MLS and in club history. In the 16-game streak, the Union have only conceded seven goals, which is fewer than one goal conceded every two matches.

Inter Miami CF (7-10-4) vs. FC Cincinnati (7-8-7) 

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

• Inter Miami CF hosts FC Cincinnati in the sixth all-time meeting between these clubs and boasts a 4-1-0 record over their conference competitors. However, the first meeting of 2022 between these two sides back in March ended with Cincinnati claiming their first-ever win over the Herons as they put three goals past them in a 3-1 win.
• Brandon Vázquez scored a brace and assisted the first of Cincinnati’s three goals in that 3-1 win over Miami. Vázquez has scored in three of Cincinnati’s last four games, including his 11th goal of the season last time out against Nashville SC to put him tied-fifth in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi standings.
• With 15 direct goal contributions (11 goals, four assists) in 2022, Vázquez is just one goal or assist away from equaling his career-total of 16 direct goal contributions (nine goals, seven assists) between 2017 and 2021.
• Inter Miami have lost just once in their last eight home games (6-1-1), outscoring their opponents 17-11 since this run started back in April. Over their six-game history, Miami have yet to drop points to Cincinnati at home.
• Álvaro Barreal provided the assist to Vázquez’s equalizer last time out against Nashville, bringing him up to three assists in 2022. The 21-year-old midfielder has stepped up for Cincinnati in the absence of Luciano Acosta, with that assist and the first of the team’s two goals against the Vancouver Whitecaps coming during this three-game run without their 2022 MLS All-star midfielder.

Nashville SC (8-7-7) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7-10-5)

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

• Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
• Nashville SC returns home after playing to a 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati. After starting the season with a five-match unbeaten run at home, Nashville SC has won just one of its last four matches at GEODIS Park. However, the club has never lost consecutive home matches in MLS play and will look to rebound this week. 
• Nashville’s Teal Bunbury scored his first goal of 2022 last week, his 12th different MLS season with a goal. Bunbury has scored six goals against the Whitecaps in his career, tied for his most against any opponent (Chicago Fire, D.C. United).
• Nashville is led by Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar, who has scored in each of his past five MLS matches, recording six goals over the span. Mukhtar has been on a tear across the past three months, scoring 10 of his 12 goals on the season since May 18. Mukhtar’s 17 goal contributions (12 goals, five assists) are tied with FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira for the second-most in MLS, behind only Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi (20). 
• On Tuesday, Vancouver captured the club’s second-ever Canadian Championship title – and their first since 2015 – defeating Toronto FC in penalties, 5-3, after playing to a 1-1 draw through 90 minutes of action. The Whitecaps converted all five of their shootout attempts, with defender Tristan Blackmon clinching 2022's Voyageurs Cup and a spot in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League in the fifth round. Brian White provided the club’s lone goal in regulation, heading in off the hands of Alex Bono in the 19th minute.
• The Whitecaps are unbeaten in three straight road contests and have lost only one of their last five on the road. 

New England Revolution (6-7-8) vs. Toronto FC (6-12-4)

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

• The New England Revolution hold a 14-10-11 record over Toronto FC since they first met during the 2007 regular season. Toronto have enjoyed their fair share of success at Gillette Stadium, though, winning their last two visits to Foxborough.
• Djordje Petrovic kept his second clean sheet of the season in a 0-0 draw against the Columbus Crew last time out. He recorded six saves against the Crew, which is the tied-second most saves Petrovic has made in one MLS game. Since making his league debut on June 12, no goalkeeper has made more saves than Petrovic’s 36. New York City FC’s Sean Johnson and the San Jose Earthquakes’ JT Marcinkowski are tied-second with 29 saves.
• Toronto’s 4-0 victory over Charlotte FC last time out was the third time they have scored more than two goals in a game this season. Federico Bernardeschi made his debut in that game, becoming the second player in MLS history to record a goal and assist in the first half of their debut.
• Michael Bradley scored a brace in Toronto’s 4-0 win over Charlotte last time out, marking the first time he scored more than one goal in a game since he did so in a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on March 2, 2019. It was also just the seventh time in Bradley’s career that he scored more than one goal in a game.
• Carles Gill has recorded three assists in his last three games for the Revolution. The Spanish midfielder needs four assists to become the fourth player since 2000 to record at least 15 assists in consecutive seasons, joining Maxi Moralez (2018-19), Sacha Kljestan (2016-17) and Sebastian Giovinco (2015-16).

Sporting Kansas City (5-13-5) vs. Austin FC (12-5-5)

(8:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Sporting Kansas City and Austin FC played to a 1-1-1 stalemate in three 2021 meetings. SKC was unbeaten in two matches played at Children’s Mercy Park last season. 
• Sporting forward Johnny Russell has a goal and two assists across the three previous meetings against Austin FC. Russell leads Sporting Kansas City with six goals this season 
• Sporting Kansas City is looking to snap a three-game winless streak in league play and a four-game home losing skid. The club, however, has never lost more than four consecutive home games in regulation in their long MLS history. 
• Austin FC has collected 23 points on the road this season, tied with the Red Bulls for the most in Major League Soccer in 2022. Austin is unbeaten in their last five on the road (4-0-1), the longest away unbeaten streak in club history and tied for the longest active streak in the league. 
• Austin midfielder Sebastián Driussi scored twice against the Red Bulls last week and sits tied atop the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi leaderboard with 13 goals. He leads all MLS players with 20 goal contributions (13 goals, seven assists). Driussi has recorded at least one goal or assist in each of his last five MLS matches, recording four goals and three assists over the span. 

FC Dallas (8-6-8) vs. LA Galaxy (9-9-3)

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

• FC Dallas welcomes the LA Galaxy to Toyota Stadium for the 79th all-time meeting between the teams. LA holds an advantage in the matchup 35-30-13, however, Dallas won the most recent contest this season 3-1 on May 14. Dallas has been victorious in each of the last five meetings at home against the Galaxy, and LA last won at Toyota Stadium on August 5, 2015.
• The Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic scored the game-clinching goal at home versus Atlanta United FC on Sunday, which marked his sixth-straight home game with a goal. Only Zlatan Ibrahimović has equaled that total in Galaxy history. Joveljic’s goal was his sixth as a substitute – the most goals off the bench by a player in club history.
• In the previous meeting between the teams, Sacha Kljestan provided the assist on LA’s lone goal in the match. Kljestan currently sits on 99 career assists and needs one more to become the eighth player in MLS history and the only active one with at least 100 assists. 
• With a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Dallas became the first team to defeat RSL at Rio Tinto Stadium in 2022, which snapped a seven-game stretch without a win. If Dallas beats LA, they will win consecutive games for the first time since May 7-14 when they defeated Seattle Sounders FC and the Galaxy.
• In the win at Salt Lake, forward Jesús Ferreira added his 12th goal of the season, which is one off the top of the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi standings. USMNT teammate Paul Arriola contributed the assist on the goal and the duo has combined for 21 goals in 2022. If Arriola and Ferreira score four more goals they will become the first set of Dallas teammates to combine for 25 goals in a single season since Jeff Cunningham (17) and David Ferreira (eight) in 2009.

San Jose Earthquakes (5-9-7) vs. Real Salt Lake (9-7-6)

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

• The San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake meet for the 39th time in league history, with San Jose holding a slight 14-13-11 series advantage. They have split the last four meetings, with each club recording two wins. Real Salt Lake won the matchup earlier this season, 2-0, on June 18 at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL forward Jefferson Savarino had a goal and an assist in the matchup, the first of his three games this season with both a score and a helper.
• San Jose has lost consecutive matches for the first time since a two-match losing streak in March. The first of those two losses, a 2-1 home defeat to Houston, is the Earthquakes’ only home defeat since opening the season with a 3-1 loss to the Red Bulls in February. 
• Earthquakes forward Benji Kikanovic has at least one goal or assist in four of his past five matches, recording three goals and two assists over the span. Kikanovic has been involved in five of the nine goals San Jose has scored in July, including the lone goal in the club’s loss last week. 
• Five of Real Salt Lake’s last seven MLS goals have been headers, including two of three in their last win, against Kansas City on July 17. RSL has scored nine headed goals this season, two more than any other team in the league.  
• Savarino has scored in three of his last four MLS matches and in four of his past six overall. He has contributed to a team-high seven goals since June 18.

S_unday, July 31_

D.C. United (5-12-3) vs. Orlando City SC (8-8-6)

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

• Orlando City SC and D.C. United have met 13 times before heading into this weekend’s game, and United hold a slight lead in their record at 7-6-1. They have already played each other this month, and United walked away 5-3 winners in Orlando off the back of Taxiarchis “Taxi’ Fountas’ first-ever MLS hat trick.
• If Fountas can repeat his three-goal performance from earlier in the month, he would become just the fifth player in MLS history to score multiple hat tricks against the same team.
• With one assist, Mauricio Pereyra – who currently has nine assists in 2022 – would become the first player in Orlando’s history to record multiple double-digit assist seasons in just his fourth season with the club. He is also just two assists off from Carles Gil’s league-leading 11 assists in 130 fewer minutes played.
• With another clean sheet, Pedro Gallese would surpass his seven clean sheets from the 2021 regular season and set a new club record for clean sheets kept by an individual goalkeeper.
• Eighteen-year-old Jackson Hopkins recorded his first assist in MLS last time out, becoming the second-youngest player to register an assist this season. Austin FC’s Owen Wolff is the youngest player with at least one assist in 2022.