MLS Game Capsules (Week 27)

Friday, August 26

Austin FC (14-6-6) vs. LAFC (18-5-3)

(8 p.m. ET, ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

• The top two teams in the Western Conference - Austin FC and LAFC – face off at Q2 Stadium in their second meeting of the season and fifth overall between the two clubs. On May 18, Austin FC emerged victorious in a 2-1 win at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium behind goals from Ruben Gabrielsen and Diego Fagúndez. The win was Austin FC’s first in its short history vs. LAFC, with the latter club having taken all three contests between the two clubs in 2021.
• Austin FC (48 points, 14-6-6) enters the week sitting in second place in the Western Conference and third overall in the Supporters’ Shield Standings, behind only LAFC (57 points, 18-5-3) and Philadelphia (51 points, 14-4-9). Austin and LAFC are tied for the most goals scored in 2022 (55 each) and sit 12 goals ahead of their next closest Western Conference foe (Portland, 43). 
• A frontrunner for the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, Austin’s Sebastián Driussi leads Major League Soccer with 18 goals this season and has scored in five consecutive regular season games, totaling seven goals over the span. Driussi continues to guide a dynamic Austin offense, and is tied for the league lead in combined goals and assists (25) with Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (16 goals, 9 assists).
• Austin FC defender Julio Cascante has scored in two of his last three games and has a career-best three goals this season.
• Last week, LAFC became the first club in MLS to secure a position in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. LAFC clinched a position in just 25 matches, tying their own MLS record set in 2019 for the fewest games played prior to clinching a playoff berth. With eight games remaining, LAFC remains on pace to surpass the single-season points record of 73, set by the 2021 New England Revolution. 
• LAFC’s Cristian “Chicho” Arango, Carlos Vela, and 21-year-old Kwadwo Opoku have combined for 27 goals and 17 assists during the 2022 season. Opoku has scored in consecutive matches and has 10 combined goals and assists this season (seven goals, three assists). With 10 goals in his last 13 matches, Arango is one of the hottest players in the league and has a club-high 12 goals this season.

Portland Timbers (7-8-12) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (10-13-3)

(10 p.m. ET, ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

• The spirited derby in the Northwest takes center stage on Friday evening when the Portland Timbers host Seattle Sounders FC. Both teams enter the match fighting for a place in the Western Conference playoffs with each club equal on 33 points and just one behind the final playoff spot. The two teams met earlier this season in Seattle during Heineken Rivalry Week, in which Portland came out victorious, 3-0.
• Despite the incredible home support that both teams possess, the road teams have been the more dominant in the matchup. Of the previous 10 home meetings since 2019, eight of those have been won by the road team. No other MLS fixture has seen the visiting team record more than five wins in that span.  
• Portland has had goals this season come from a wide range of players as they are one of two teams (New York Red Bulls) to have five different players (Dairon Asprilla, Sebastián Blanco, Santiago Moreno, Jaroslaw Niezgoda, and Bill Tuiloma) score at least five goals. Those five players have combined for 30 goals this season, yet only one of those have been scored from outside of the 18-yard-box, which was by Tuiloma.
• Sounders forward Raúl Ruidíaz was yet to score after coming off of his injury in August, but turned that around last Friday against the LA Galaxy when he bagged a goal and an assist. With the goal, Ruidíaz tied Fredy Montero (56) for the most goals in club history. The Peruvian has always been dangerous on the road and needs one game-winning goal to tie Edson Buddle (13) for the fifth-most game-winning goals on the road in MLS history. 

Saturday, August 27

Minnesota United FC (12-9-5) vs. Houston Dynamo FC (7-14-5)

(3:30 p.m. ET, Univision / TUDN / Twitter)

• Minnesota United FC and Houston Dynamo FC meet for the 15th time in series history with the Loons holding a 6-4-4 series advantage as winners of the last four matchups between the two teams. Minnesota United earned a 2-1 victory over Houston on July 23, 2022, with goals from Franco Fragapane and Bongokuhle Hlongwane.
• Minnesota has won both of its last two matches and has lost just only game since June 29, going 7-1-2 over the stretch. The Loons have played their way into the playoff picture, and currently sit at fourth in the Western Conference with 41 points.
• The Loons have been paced by midfielder Emanuel Reynoso, who leads the club with 10 goals and eight assists. He is one of only three players in MLS with at least 10 goals and eight assists this season, joining Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (16 goals, nine assists) and Philadelphia’s Dániel Gazdag (13 goals, eight assists).
• Minnesota’s Franco Fragapane has scored four times in the past five games, including goals in each of his past two matches. He has a career-best six goals this season.
• Houston forward Sebastián Ferreira has goals in consecutive matches and leads Houston with nine goals scored this season. Ferreira and teammate Darwin Quintero (seven goals) have combined to score 16 goals this season – half of Houston’s overall goal total in 2022.

Charlotte FC (10-15-2) vs. Toronto FC (8-13-6)

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

• Charlotte FC and Toronto FC meet for the second time, but this will be the first-ever matchup at Bank of America Stadium. Toronto won the first matchup between the clubs in a 4-0 victory at BMO Field on July 23.
• In the first matchup of the two teams, Toronto’s Federico Bernardeschi scored a goal and assisted another in the first half of his MLS debut. He became just the second player in league history to do so in the first half of his MLS debut, joining Fredy Montero who did it on March 19, 2009.
• Toronto star Lorenzo Insigne produced his third goal of the season in spectacular fashion against Inter Miami CF on Saturday with a perfectly hit volley from outside of the box. In his first six MLS games, Insigne has produced three goals and one assist. The Italian added the first assist of his MLS career against Charlotte on July 23.
• After a downturn of form during the middle of the season, Charlotte FC’s Karol Świderski has started to regain his early season productivity with four goals and two assists in his last eight games. The Polish international forward played a key role in Charlotte’s 3-1 win at New York City FC on August 17, producing the first goal of the match and assisting on the game-winning goal.
• Charlotte FC midfielder McKinze Gaines has stepped into a prominent role for the side in recent weeks. The commitment to Gaines paid off on Sunday against Orlando City SC when he scored his first goal for the club in the 66th minute. His goal came at the end of a 24-pass move for Charlotte, which was the second-longest move in MLS this season since a 25-pass move from the club on July 9. 

New York Red Bulls (11-8-8) vs. Inter Miami CF (10-10-6)

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

• On Saturday, the New York Red Bulls will host Inter Miami CF in a matchup that has never seen a draw, with the Red Bulls leading 3-2-0. The previous meeting at Red Bull Arena took place on October 9, 2021, which New York won 1-0.
• New York has been terrific on the road this season (8-3-3), in comparison to their form at Red Bull Arena (3-5-5). Their eight wins away from home are tied for the most in club history and are also tied with Austin FC for the most by a team in 2022.
• In their 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati, the Red Bulls’ lone goal-scorer was Patryk Klimala who picked up his fifth of the season. New York will look to Klimala to score more goals down the stretch and hopefully match his 2021 total of eight. Klimala has been successful against Inter Miami in his career, producing goals in two of his three all-time appearances versus the Herons.
• With a win against Toronto FC last weekend, Inter Miami extended their unbeaten run to five games (3-0-2). During their five-game run, Miami has not been afraid to score with 12 total goals and multiple goals in four of the five matches. The club has only had a six-game unbeaten run once from August 18 – September 14, 2021, and will look to win three-in-a-row for the third time ever. 
• During their unbeaten run, Miami has relied on their two main creators in Gonzalo Higuaín and Alejandro Pozuelo. Higuaín (one goal, two assists) and Pozuelo (two goals, three assists) have each recorded at least one goal contribution in three-straight games. The only player in club history with a goal contribution in four straight games was current Red Bulls top-scorer Lewis Morgan (three goals, two assists) from October 3 - 14, 2020.

FC Cincinnati (8-8-10) vs. Columbus Crew (8-6-11)

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

• The second edition of Hell is Real between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew will be a true six-pointer as the teams are decided by one point in the Eastern Conference standings. The Crew won the first chapter of the derby this year with a 2-0 victory at Lower.com Field on July 17. Cincinnati looks to gain their second win in club history against Columbus, with the other being a 2-1 victory on October 14, 2020.
• Crew forward Juan ‘Cucho’ Hernández scored the game-winning goal between the two clubs earlier this season. In his first eight career MLS Games, the Colombian has scored the same number of goals, becoming the fifth player in league history to do so, joining, Adama Diomande (9 in 2019), Didier Drogba (2015) Juan Pablo Ángel (9 in 2007), and Giovanni Savarese (1996).
• Columbus has not lost in six-straight road games (3W, 3D), which is their longest single-season unbeaten run away from home since going nine without a defeat in 2004. In their last 13 games overall, the Crew have only suffered one defeat – a 2-1 loss at home to CF Montréal with both goals coming in the 88th minute or later.
• Although they have not lost in five-straight games, FC Cincinnati has only won one of those matches, which came against Eastern Conference-leaders Philadelphia on August 6. The Orange and Blue aim for their second six-game unbeaten run of the year, last doing so from June 18 to July 13 this season.
• With the 2022 World Cup approaching, Brandon Vázquez continues to make a push for the U.S. Men’s National Team roster with his 15 goals on the season, which is tied for the third-most in the league. The forward has scored in each of his last five matches at TQL Stadium, becoming the first player in club history to do so. His nine home goals this season are four more than any player scored at home for Cincinnati in its first three MLS seasons combined (Allan Cruz with five). 

Philadelphia Union (14-4-9) vs. Colorado Rapids (8-10-8)

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

• The Philadelphia Union look to continue their scintillating form when they host the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening. Philadelphia has won seven of their past nine games with 29 goals in those matches. The two clubs have met 12 times and Colorado has held the advantage with a 4-2-6 record. The last meeting came on May 29, 2019 in Philadelphia, which played out to a 1-1 draw.
• Union forward Julián Carranza made MLS history on Saturday when he scored his second hat trick of the season against D.C. United in the club’s 6-0 victory. Carranza joined Cobi Jones as the only players in league history to score multiple hat tricks against the same club in the same year. Ironically, Jones completed the feat in 1998 against the Rapids.
• As part of Philadelphia’s 6-0 win, Dániel Gazdag contributed a goal and two assists to bring his goal contributions tally to 21 on the season. The Hungarian international became just the fourth player in club history to produce at least 20 goal contributions in a single season and was the first since Borek Dockal (23) in 2018 to do so. Gazdag is four goal contributions shy of tying Sebastien Le Toux (25 in 2010) for the most in a season in Philadelphia’s 13-year history.
• After producing five goals in his first 94 career MLS games, Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar has scored four in his 25 appearances this season. His four goals are the most he has ever scored in a season and are tied for the third most on the team. The Ghanaian scored in Colorado’s 1-1 draw against Houston Dynamo FC last Saturday.
• Former Union defender Keegan Rosenberry will face off against his old club for the second time in his career after playing the full 90 minutes in the 2019 matchup. Rosenberry played his first three MLS seasons with Philadelphia, appearing in 70 matches and scoring three goals. Among Colorado’s outfield players, he leads the team in minutes played (2,241) and games played (26).

Chicago Fire FC (8-12-6) vs. CF Montréal (14-8-4)

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

• The Chicago Fire and CF Montréal meet for the 24th time in series history, with Montréal holding a 10-7-6 advantage. Montréal has won four of the last six meetings between the two teams, including victories in both of the 2021 matches between the clubs.
• Chicago (30 points, 8-12-6) continues to fight to get back into the race to the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, but will look to snap a two-game winning streak to fully insert themselves back in the postseason hunt. For the third consecutive week, the Fire will face a team sitting in the top three of the Eastern Conference, having faced New York City FC and Philadelphia Union over the past two weeks.
• The Fire lost for just the second time in their last seven home matches (4-2-1) on Sunday, falling 2-0 to New York City FC. Chicago has suffered consecutive home defeats only once since July 2021, losing to the Red Bulls and Cincinnati in April-May of this year. Additionally, the Fire will look to avoid their first three-game scoreless stretch at home since the 2009 season.
• Last week, CF Montréal’s Romell Quioto scored a brace and recorded an assist last week, while extending his career-high goal total to 14 on the season. Quioto has scored in three consecutive games, including a pair of braces, and has totaled five goals over the span. His four multi-score games this season are tied for the most in MLS this season, alongside San Jose’s Jeremy Ebobisse and FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira.
• Montréal forward Kei Kamara scored his 135th career goal in last week’s match against New England, eclipsing Jeff Cunningham (134) for the third-most goals in Major League Soccer history. Only Chris Wondolowski (171) and Landon Donovan (145) have more career goals in the history of the league.

Sporting Kansas City (7-15-5) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (6-11-9)

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

• Saturday night marks the 64th meeting between Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes, with Sporting holding the slight series advantage, 28-25-10. Sporting Kansas City is unbeaten in their past four matches vs. the Earthquakes and have lost just one of the previous 11 meetings between the clubs.
• The two teams played to a 1-1 draw on May 22, 2022, with Johnny Russell of SKC and Jackson Yueill of the Earthquakes providing the scores.
• After scoring just three goals across their previous seven matches, Sporting has exploded on the offensive front, scoring at least three goals in each of their last three matches – totaling 11 goals over the span. Sporting Kansas City is the first team in MLS history to score at least three goals in the first half of three consecutive matches.
• Last week, 22-year-old forward William Agada registered his second MLS brace in three weeks and has five goals over the last three weeks. Agada debuted in MLS on July 23, 2022, and is tied for third in the league with five goals over the span, trailing only Montréal’s Romell Quioto and Austin’s Sebastián Driussi.
• Tommy Thompson assisted on both of San Jose’s goals against LAFC in the club’s 2-1 victory last week. It was Thompson’s second multi-assist game in MLS after recording two assists against Vancouver in October 2020. Outside of those two games, Thompson has seven assists in his other 175 MLS matches.

FC Dallas (11-8-9) vs. Real Salt Lake (10-8-8)

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

• In a Saturday night Western Conference matchup, FC Dallas host Real Salt Lake, which will be the 46th all-time meeting between the two clubs. Interestingly, Dallas has not won at Toyota Stadium against Real Salt Lake since a 6-2 win on June 3, 2017. Dallas won the previous matchup between the two teams earlier this season on July 23, thanks to the lone goal in the match from Jesús Ferreira.
• After winning consecutive matches at home versus the San Jose Earthquakes and Philadelphia Union, Dallas fell 4-0 on the road at Nashville SC without Ferreira. However, Dallas has done a great job this season of bouncing back after defeats. Only once in 2022 have they lost consecutive games (May 18-22) and are currently 8-3-3 at home this season.
• Getting Ferreira back from suspension will be a big boost for the Texas side. After scoring the game-winning goal against Philadelphia, Ferreira is closing in on Kenny Cooper (18 in 2008) and Jason Kreis (18 in 1999) for the most goals in a single season in club history. Additionally, if Ferreira were to get to 18 goals on the season, he would become just the third player 21-or-younger to do so in MLS history, joining Stern John (26 in 1998) and Mamadou Diallo (22 goals prior to turning 22 years old in 2000).
• The Claret and Cobalt aim to win consecutive road games for the first time since October 27 – November 7, 2021. This was the only instance RSL had won consecutive road games since the start of the 2019 season. Salt Lake is coming off a 2-1 win at Seattle which saw Sergio Córdova and Andrew Brody both score in the win.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9-11-7) vs. Nashville SC (9-9-9)

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

• Vancouver Whitecaps FC host Nashville SC for the first time in series history at BC Place. The two clubs have only met once, which was a 1-1 draw that came at GEODIS Park on July 30 of this year.
• Midfielder Ryan Gauld has been in blistering form for the Whitecaps in the month of August, producing three goals and one assist in his last three matches. Of Gauld’s 13 goal contributions on the season (six goals, seven assists), nine of those (four goals, five assists) have come in the previous eight matches. The Scottish midfielder added the game-tying assist in the first matchup between the two teams.
• Vancouver has shown resilience when down late in matches as their 87th-minute goal against Real Salt Lake over the weekend was their ninth game-tying or game-winning goal in the 86th minute or later this season. In those positions, the Whitecaps have taken 14 points in the final five minutes of games this season, which is the most in the league.
• With four goals and three assists in his past three games, Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar is making a late push for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. Mukhtar now has 16 goals and nine assists on the season and recently became the first player to record consecutive 15-goal seasons since Zlatan Ibrahimović and Josef Martínez in 2018-19. With a goal against Vancouver, the German would break his own club record of 16 goals in a single season.
• After going winless in their last six games, Nashville came out and blanked FC Dallas, 4-0, on Sunday. The club has only won consecutive games once in its brief history when they beat the Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City in April of this season.

Sunday, August 28

Atlanta United FC (7-10-9) vs. D.C. United (6-16-4)

(4 p.m. ET, Univision / TUDN / Twitter)

• Atlanta United and D.C. United have meet 13 previous times, with Atlanta holding a 7-6-0 series advantage. None of the previous meetings between the two clubs has ended in a draw, and Atlanta has won five of the last six meetings overall. In an April 2, 2022 meeting, Atlanta midfielder Marcelino Moreno scored a game-winner in the 94th minute of the club’s 1-0 victory.
• Atlanta United has lost just one of their last five matches, going 1-1-3 over the span. The club has scored two goals in three of their last four matches.
• Josef Martínez has scored seven goals against D.C. United in his MLS career, with six of those coming at home. Since his first home game against D.C. in March 2018, no player has scored more home goals against a single opponent than Martínez has against D.C. (tied with 3 others).
• D.C. United has dropped three consecutive matches and are winless in their last five. They will look to forward Taxiarchis “Taxi” Fountas to help their offense breakthrough, as he leads the club with 11 goals and 14 goal contributions this season.

Orlando City SC (10-10-6) vs. New York City FC (13-7-6)

(7:30 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes)

• In 18 all-time meetings between Orlando City SC and New York City SC, the clubs have played to an even 6-6-6 stalemate. Sunday marks the first meeting between the two clubs this season, who have played to a draw in four of their last six meetings.
• Orlando City’s 2-1 win at Charlotte last week was its fifth road victory of the season, equaling a single-season club record while setting a club record with 21 away points. Orlando currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 36 points (10-10-6).
• Orlando City’s Ercan Kara leads the club with eight goals this season, including a score in the club’s 2-1 victory over Charlotte last week. Mauricio Pereyra paces the team with nine assists this season and is one of four players on Orlando City with at least six assists this season, joined by Facundo Torres (seven), Júnior Urso (six), and Alexandre Pato (six).
• New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson leads Major League Soccer with a career-best 13 clean sheets this season and sits at 89 clean sheets in his MLS career. NYCFC has allowed just 30 goals in 26 matches, the fourth-lowest total in MLS this season, and are one of just four clubs with a goal differential of plus-15 or better this season, currently sitting at plus-18.
• Maxi Moralez has scored four regular season goals against Orlando City, his most goals scored against any opponent in his MLS career. Moralez has contributed to nine goals against Orlando (4 goals, 5 assists), only recording more against FC Cincinnati (10 – 1 goal, 9 assists).

New England Revolution (8-8-10) vs. LA Galaxy (10-11-4)

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

• Two of the original 10 MLS clubs go head-to-head in the final game of the weekend when the New England Revolution host the LA Galaxy at Gillette Stadium. In the last eight regular season meetings since 2012, there have been at least three goals scored in each of the matches between the clubs. Overall, the Galaxy lead the series 19-17-7.
• Despite falling to Montréal 4-0 on Saturday, Revolution academy product Esmir Bajraktarevic made his first career start and played all 90 minutes for the club. Bajraktarevic became the first MLS NEXT All-Star to start in an MLS game. Additionally, the Homegrown was the third-youngest player to make his Revolution debut, behind only Diego Fagúndez in 2011 and Noel Buck on August 13 this season.
• After joining the Revolution earlier this summer, goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic leads the league in penalty kicks faced with eight, even though he has only played in 13 games. Additionally, Petrovic’s two saves on penalty kicks are tied for the most by a goalkeeper in MLS this season. The 22-year-old net-minder has been impressive to start his MLS career, recording at least three saves in 11 of his first 13 matches.
• The Galaxy earned a late draw in their last match against Seattle Sounders FC when Dejan Joveljic scored a penalty kick in the 90’+2’ to earn a point. Joveljic’s goal was his seventh as a substitute, which passed Jeff Cunningham (six in 2010) for the second most goals by a substitute in a single season in MLS history. The Serbian trails Wolde Harris (10 in 1998) for the most in a season in league history.
• Since the start of August, Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández has found his form, scoring four goals and adding one assist during the month. The Mexican has scored in three-straight games and will look to do so in four-in-a-row for the second time in his MLS Career (October 23, 2021 – February 27, 2022).