MLS Game Capsules (Week 31)

Tuesday, September 13

CF Montréal (16-9-5) vs. Chicago Fire FC (9-13-8)

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

• Tuesday night’s game between CF Montréal and Chicago Fire FC will be the 25th all-time regular season meeting between these Eastern Conference sides. Historically, Montréal is 11-7-6 against the Chicago Fire and have won each of the last three meetings between these sides while maintaining shutouts, including a 2-0 in Chicago at the end of August.
• Montréal have benefitted in attack from the career-year of Romell Quioto, who has 15 goals on the season. With another goal, he would be tied for the fourth-most goals in club history alongside Ignacio Piatti. Marco Di Vaio holds the club’s single-season record with 20 goals, set in 2013.
• After overcoming a two-goal deficit with goals in the 89th and 94th minutes last time out, Montréal became the 12th team in MLS history to earn a point in a match where they trailed by multiple goals entering the 89th minute and the first since Real Salt Lake against the Portland Timbers in August 2020.
• Kei Kamara has been a thorn in the side of the Fire since he began his MLS career in 2006, scoring 11 goals against the club. Only Taylor Twellman (12) and Jeff Cunningham (20) have scored more goals against the Fire in MLS action.
• With his goal against Inter Miami CF last time out, Xherdan Shaqiri brought his season total up to five for the Fire and elevated his goal contributions to 16 on the season. Only Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada (16) has that number of direct goal contributions as the Swiss international among all first-year MLS players in 2022.

Inter Miami CF (10-13-6) vs. Columbus Crew (9-6-14)

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

• This will be just the fourth all-time meeting between Inter Miami CF and the Columbus Crew, and the Crew come into this one having outscored Miami 5-1 over their previous three meetings. One of Columbus’ two wins over Miami came at the end of August in a 1-0 home win.
• Miami has put together an impeccable 8-3-3 home record in 2022, which is fifth-best mark in the Eastern Conference. The Herons are 3-0-1 in their last four games at home and have outscored their opponents 12-9 over that stretch with each game including at least three goals scored by either team.
• The Crew have done well to shut opponents out over recent months and have even put together an eight-game unbeaten run away from home (2-0-6). Eloy Room currently has 10 clean sheets on the season and is one away from tying William Hesmer’s 11 clean sheets for the Crew back in 2010 for most in a single season for the club.
• Lucas Zelarayán scored his ninth goal of 2022 last time out against Montréal to go along with 10 assists on the season. With another goal, he would be just the second player this season to reach the 10-goal, 10-assist landmark and the third in Crew history after Jeff Cunningham in 2000 (10 goals, 13 assists) and Ethan Finlay in 2015 (12 goals, 13 assists) to do so.
• Miami is two wins and six points away from tying their single-season club records for wins (12) and points (41) with five games remaining in the regular season.

Minnesota United FC (13-12-5) vs. LAFC (19-8-3)

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

• LAFC travel to face Minnesota United FC on Tuesday evening and look to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a victory. The two teams have met seven previous times with the series knotted up at 2-2-3. LAFC won the previous meeting this season on May 1, thanks to two goals in the final eight minutes of the match.
• Minnesota aims to snap a three-match losing streak in which they did not score a goal in any of those games. The Loons will hope that Luis Amarilla can get back to form after previously scoring four goals in a five-game span from July 30 to August 27. With one goal, Amarilla and teammate Emmanuel Reynoso would become the first duo in club history to score double-digit goals in the same season.
• For the visitors, Cristian Arango scored his 16th goal of the season in the club’s 2-1 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday evening. Arango’s 16 goals are tied for the fifth most in the league; however, he and Romell Quioto are the only players to score at least 15 goals without making more than 25 starts this season. Arango’s 30 goals since the start of 2021 are the fourth most behind Hany Mukhtar (38), Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos (32), and Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (31).
• In the previous meeting between the two sides, José Cifuentes scored his second goal of the season to wrap up all three points for the team. In the 11 games that Cifuentes has either scored or assisted this season, LAFC’s has a 10-0-1 record.
• The last time LAFC’s stars made the trip to Allianz Field, three of them – Ilie Sánchez, Diego Palacios and Carlos Vela – were playing for the MLS All-Star team. In fact, Palacios assisted Vela in the third minute for the opening goal of the match in front of the Minnesotans.

 Houston Dynamo FC (8-16-6) vs. New England Revolution (9-10-11)

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

• The Houston Dynamo and New England Revolution meet for the 26th time in series history, with the Revolution leading the series, 13-5-7. New England is unbeaten in their last seven against the Dynamo, going 6-0-1 over the span, including three consecutive wins dating back to 2017.
• The Dynamo (30 points, 8-16-6) are one of two teams to be eliminated from playoff contention this season, joining D.C. United. 
• Last week, Houston played to a scoreless draw against Sporting Kansas City, marking the first time in seven games that the club had been shutout and just the second time in its last 17 matches.  
• New England (38 points, 9-10-11) currently sits in eighth position in the Eastern Conference, just three points behind Columbus for the seventh and final playoff position. The club will look to rebound following a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls last week. New England’s lone goal in that game was scored by Tommy McNamara, his fourth of the season. 
• Revolution midfielder Carles Gil leads the club and ranks third in MLS with 13 assists this season. Since the start of the 2021 season, Gil (31 assists) and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (30) are the only players with at least 30 assists. Carles’ brother, Nacho Gil, made his MLS debut last week against the Red Bulls, coming on as a reserve in the 83rd minute.

Sporting Kansas City (8-15-7) vs. D.C. United (7-17-6)

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

• Two of MLS’ original clubs, Sporting Kansas City and D.C. United meet for the 57th time with D.C. holding a slight series edge, 22-21-13. The two clubs last met on May 12, 2019, with then-United forward Paul Arriola scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 D.C. victory.
• Sporting Kansas City (31 points, 8-15-7) looks to stay alive in the race to the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs and will need to record a victory and receive help from other clubs to do so. Sporting is unbeaten in their past four matches, including a 0-0 draw vs. Houston last week, and has recorded at least one four-match unbeaten streak in every season since 2000.
• Since August 6, the club has scored 14 goals and are led by newcomer William Agada’s five goals over the stretch. Agada has recorded at least a goal or an assist in four of his last six matches overall. 
• D.C. United (27 points, 7-17-6) is one of two MLS clubs that has been eliminated from playoff contention this season, joining the Houston Dynamo. 
• D.C. United has played two straight scoreless draws following a 0-0 at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. This is the 44th time a team has played two straight scoreless regular season games, but only once, Colorado in its first three games of the 2015 season, has a team played three straight goalless matches.

Wednesday, September 14

Orlando City SC (12-11-6) vs. Atlanta United FC (9-12-9)

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

• The 17th all-time meeting between these Southeast rivals takes place in Orlando, where the Lions have not lost in their last four games against Atlanta (2-0-2). However, Atlanta won and drew the last two meetings between these sides with the draw coming in July courtesy of Juan José Purata’s first-career MLS goal. Atlanta is also 7-3-6 all-time against Orlando.
• With a win over Atlanta, Orlando would have three consecutive home wins for the first time since a stretch of games that saw them beat Inter Miami CF, Chicago Fire FC, and the New York Red Bulls by a 9-3 aggregate score line between September and October 2020.
• Purata scored a hat trick of headers in Atlanta’s 4-2 win over Toronto on Saturday, becoming the first player since 2010 to score three headed goals in a single MLS match.
• Mauricio Pereyra has nine goals on the season, which is tied for the most on the team with 22-year-old winger Facundo Torres. A tenth assist of the season from Pereyra would make the Brazilian playmaker the first player in club history to record multiple double-digit assist seasons following the 10 assists he provided during the 2021 season.
• Orlando City have the sixth-fewest draws of any MLS side this season with six and the second fewest in the Eastern Conference only to Charlotte FC (two). Orlando and Charlotte are also the only teams not to draw a game at home this season, while Orlando is the only team in MLS to have won seven and lost seven at home this season.

Austin FC (15-9-6) vs. Real Salt Lake (11-9-10)

(9:15 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Austin FC and Real Salt Lake meet for the fourth time in series history at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday. In the previous three matchups, the home team has won each of them by a one-goal margin. RSL won the season’s first contest with a 2-1 victory on May 14.
• The Verde will look to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in club history by recording either a win or draw against the Claret and Cobalt. By doing so, Austin would become the 13th different expansion team to make the playoffs in their first two seasons.
• After two games on the road, Austin will hope a return to Q2 stadium will bring them back to winning ways. Additionally, a return home should suit their 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Sebastián Driussi, who has produced 18 of his 27 goal contributions at home. Driussi needs three combined goals and assists to become the 18th player in league history with at least 30 goal contributions in a season.
• In the first meeting between the teams, RSL defender Andrew Brody scored his first-career goal in the 88th minute to win the match. With the goal, Brody became the second Salt Lake player in 2022 to score his first MLS goal as a game-winner in the 85th minute or later (Tate Schmitt).

Colorado Rapids (9-12-9) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (7-13-9)

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

• The San Jose Earthquakes head to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to face the Colorado Rapids and have not won any of their last 10 visits to Colorado since 2014 (0-5-5). San Jose won the first matchup between the clubs, 1-0, on May 7 at PayPal Park.
• Colorado will look to extend their six-game unbeaten run (3-0-3) at home after they defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday. Since May 2021, the Rapids have only lost two of their previous 31 regular season home games.
• In the 3-1 win over Vancouver, Gyasi Zardes scored his 97th career goal, tying Josef Martínez for the 12th most in MLS history. Zardes is three goals shy of joining Kei Kamara as the only active players with at least 100 career regular season goals. Additionally, the goal was his 10th of the season, marking his fifth double-digit season goal. Zardes is the 14th different player in MLS history to accomplish this feat.
• 18-year-old Cade Cowell has started each of the last two matches for San Jose and has a goal or an assist in two of his previous four appearances. If Cowell scores two goals before the end of the season, he will become the seventh player in MLS history to total double-digit goals before turning 19 years old.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9-14-7) vs. LA Galaxy (11-11-7)

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

• This is the 30th all-time meeting between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the LA Galaxy with the Galaxy holding a 14-9-6 series advantage. The Galaxy won the previous meeting between the two clubs this season, 5-2, with Samuel Grandsir recording his first career brace on August 13.
• Vancouver (34 points, 9-14-7) is hoping to remain in the postseason race for another week and can do so with a victory. The Whitecaps have dropped three consecutive matches, including last week’s 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids.
• Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld has set career highs in both goals (six) and assists (seven) and he leads the club with 13 goal contributions this season. He has three goals and an assist in his last five matches.
• The Galaxy (40 points, 11-11-7) currently sit in eight place in the Western Conference standings, just three points behind Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot in the West. The Galaxy have played to a draw in three consecutive matches and are unbeaten in their past six overall. 
• Last week, Galaxy newcomer Riqui Puig scored a game-tying penalty-kick goal in the 99th minute tonight, the latest game-tying goal in Galaxy history and just the second game-tying goal in the 95th minute or later in the club's 27-year history. Puig has contributed to a goal (two goals, two assists) in each of his first four MLS starts, becoming the second Galaxy player to do so, joining Carlos Ruiz in 2002.
• Galaxy forward Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández leads the club with 14 goals this season, including seven goals across his last seven matches. Since the start of the 2021 season, Chicharito (31 goals) is one of just four players in MLS to record at least 30 goals, joining Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (38), former NYCFC forward Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos (32), and LAFC’s Cristian Arango (30).