MLS Game Capsules (Week 33)

MLS Communications

Friday, September 30

Toronto FC (9-16-7) vs. Inter Miami CF (12-13-6)

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

This weekend’s MLS action kicks off with a Friday night game between Toronto FC and Inter Miami CF, the sixth all-time meeting between these sides. They met once earlier this season with Miami winning 2-1 at home in July, improving their record against Toronto to 4-1-0.
Toronto is the only Eastern Conference team in MLS this season to have five different players register a brace, with Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley, Lorenzo Insigne, Alejandro Pozuelo, and Jesús Jiménez each registering one two-goal game for Toronto in 2022. The LA Galaxy is the only other team to have five different players register a two-goal game this season.
Gonzalo Higuaín has scored six goals over the last two months of matches, setting a new career-high of 13 goals in a single season since he joined Miami in 2020. This season, only the Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic (31.25 percent) has a better conversion rate than Higuaín’s 30.23 percent among MLS forwards to have played at least 900 minutes and made at least 10 appearances this season.
Christopher McVey’s 2,770 minutes played this season is second only to Lewis Morgan’s 2,828 minutes played in 2021 for most by a Miami player in a single season. Should McVey play the full 90 minutes of Miami’s last three regular season games, he would be the first player in club history to play every minute in a single season.
Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley has played all but 10 minutes of the club’s 2022 MLS regular season so far with two games remaining. Since Bradley returned to MLS in 2014, only three field players – Andrew Farrell (23,799 minutes), Darlington Nagbe (21,944 minutes), and Diego Chara (21,939 minutes) – have logged more minutes than his 21,156 in nine seasons.

Saturday, October 1

New England Revolution (9-12-11) vs. Atlanta United FC (10-12-10)

(1:30 p.m. ET, UniMás / TUDN / Twitter)

The New England Revolution hosts Atlanta United FC for the 10th all-time regular season meeting between these Eastern Conference rivals. Atlanta has had the Revolution’s number in this matchup, boasting a 4-2-3 record against them, with the third draw between these sides happening back in May.
Thiago Almada’s been an instrumental part of Atlanta’s end-of-season push for a playoff spot, scoring two goals and assisting another in his last three games. The 21-year-old midfielder is tied with Chicago Fire FC midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri for most assists by a first-year MLS player (11) and is one of five first-year players with at least five goals and five assists in 2022.
Alongside Almada in the creative department has been Luiz Araújo. Almada (68.42 percent) and Araújo (60.29 percent) rank third and fourth, respectively, in dribble completion rate among MLS players to attempt at least 50 dribbles this season. Atlanta is the only team in the league with two players on their team to complete at least 60 percent of their dribbles this season.
Djordje Petrovic has quickly established himself as one of the top shot-stoppers in MLS in just 19 games in 2022. The Serbian goalkeeper has conceded just 25 goals from 34.57 expected goals against (xGA) across those 19 appearances, which is good enough for second best in the league this season. Only Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake, who has conceded 22 goals from 35.53 xGA, has a better expected goals against to goals conceded ratio this season.
Carles Gil remains as the league’s most elite chance creator this season despite the Revolution’s dip in form with and 13 assists a league-leading 98 key passes in 2022. Since the Spaniard signed with the Revolution in 2019, no other player has created more chances from open play than Gil’s 238. In fact, no other player has even hit 200 chances created from open play during that stretch as Inter Miami CF’s Alejandro Pozuelo has created the second-most with 196 since 2019.

Colorado Rapids (10-13-9) vs. FC Dallas (13-8-11)

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

Two of the original MLS clubs, the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas meet for the 80th time in series history, with FC Dallas holding a 35-26-18 advantage. Colorado has won two of the past three meetings between the two clubs; however, Dallas recorded a victory in the lone 2022 meeting, securing a 3-1 win behind a Jesús Ferreira brace on April 9.
The Rapids (39 points, 10-13-9) have been eliminated from playoff contention in the Western Conference for the first time in three years. Colorado has won two of their last three matches, with the club’s leading scorer Diego Rubio recording goals in each of the victories.
Rubio has a career-best 14 goals and seven assists this season and is one of 17 MLS players this season with at least 20 goal contributions. With two goals, Rubio (48 goals, 30 assists) would become the 10th active player in MLS to record 50 career goals and 30 career assists.
FC Dallas (50 points, 13-8-11) currently sits in third place in the Western Conference and has secured a berth in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. The club is making their 19th postseason appearance in the 27-year history of the club and have earned their fourth playoff berth in the past five years.
Standout forward Jesús Ferreira has a career-best 18 goals this season, including three goals in his past three games and six across his past six in MLS play. Ferreira is tied for the club’s regular season record of 18 goals set by Jason Kreis in 1999 and equaled by Kenny Cooper in 2008. Ferreira needs two goals to join Stern John (26 in 1998) and Mamadou Diallo (22 in 2000) as the only players in MLS history to score at least 20 goals in a single season at the age of 21 years old or younger.

Charlotte FC (12-17-2) vs. Philadelphia Union (18-4-10)

(5:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

In the second-ever meeting between the two clubs, Charlotte FC welcome the Philadelphia Union to Bank of America for the first time. Philadelphia won the first contest against Charlotte by a score of 2-0 on April 2 at Subaru Park.
With a win at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte would become the third expansion team since 2005 to win double-digit games at home in their inaugural season, joining Atlanta United FC and CF Montréal. Only two other clubs in 2022 have won 10 games at home – LAFC and the Union.
Charlotte forward Karol Świderski is coming off a two-goal performance that saw him earn MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire for Week 32. Świderski became the first player since 2018 to score 10 goals for an expansion club in their first season of play (LAFC’s Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi, and Adama Diomande). He has three multi-goal games this season, which is the most by a Charlotte player and tied for the sixth most in the league in 2022.
The Union continued their stellar defensive season with a 0-0 draw against Atlanta United FC on September 17. Philadelphia’s 22 goals conceded through 32 games are three fewer than any team has allowed at this stage in a season. Goalkeeper Andre Blake added his 14th clean sheet and needs one more to tie Jimmy Nielsen (15 in 2012) for the second most in a single season in MLS history.
As the Landon Donovan MLS MVP race continues to heat up, Dániel Gazdag looks to solidify his case against Charlotte. Gazdag scored versus Charlotte on April 2 and is one goal and one assist shy from becoming the sixth player in MLS history with at least 20 goals and 10 assists in a single season.

FC Cincinnati (11-8-13) vs. Chicago Fire FC (9-15-8)

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

FC Cincinnati and Chicago Fire FC meet for the second time this season and the eighth all-time during the regular season on Saturday. Cincinnati took the lead in the all-time series record (3-2-2) back in May with a 2-1 win in Chicago courtesy of an 85th minute winner from Luciano Acosta on the day.
Cincinnati forward Brenner has been a revelation for the club in his sophomore MLS season, including a hat trick and brace against the San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake, respectively, in his last two games. Since August 1, only three players – Dániel Gazdag (8), Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (10), and Hany Mukhtar (11) – have scored more goals than Brenner in MLS.
Chicago will look to Jhon Durán for goals as his six rank as the second most on the team. The Colombian recently made his debut for the National Team over the September International Window at just 18 years old. If Durán scores two goals, he would become the sixth player in MLS history to score at least eight goals in a single season while 18 or younger.
With four goal contributions from Brandon Vázquez, he and Luciano Acosta would become the first pair of teammates with at least 25 goal contributions since Atlanta United duo Josef Martínez and Miguel Almirón in 2018.

Columbus Crew (9-7-15) vs. New York Red Bulls (14-10-8)

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

This clash of MLS originals will be the 80th all-time regular season meeting between the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls. These sides drew 1-1 at Red Bull Arena earlier in the season, but Red Bulls have a slight 32-31-13 advantage in the all-time series record and won their last trip to Lower.com Field through an 87th minute goal from Sean Nealis.
Twenty-year-old John Tolkin leads MLS in interceptions (68) this season and is the only player under the age of 22 to rank within the top 10 this season. The next highest-ranking player under the age of 22 is Philadelphia Union midfielder Leon Flach who sits 11th among all MLS players with 49 interceptions in 2022.
Only 15 players have registered at least five expected goals (xG) and five expected assists (xA), and the Crew’s Lucas Zelarayán is among them. The Armenian international has scored nine goals from 5.48 xG this season while also providing 11 assists from 7.22 xA created in 2022.
With one goal, Zelarayán would become the third player in Crew history with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a single regular season after Jeff Cunningham in 2000 (10 goals, 13 assists) and Ethan Finlay in 2015 (12 goals, 13 assists).
With one goal, Lewis Morgan would become the first Red Bulls player to score 15 goals in a season since Bradley Wright-Phillips (20) in 2018 and the sixth player in franchise history to do so.

CF Montréal (18-9-5) vs. D.C. United (7-19-6)

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

CF Montréal aim to record at least 60 points in a season for the first time in club history when they host D.C. United on Saturday evening. With 24 meetings between the two teams, the series is currently deadlocked at 8-8-8 after Montréal secured a 2-1 win on July 23 earlier this season.
The Canadian side is coming off a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on September 17 at Gillette Stadium. With the win, the club became the third team in MLS history, excluding the shootout era, to win at least 10 games on the road in a single season. Montréal and the New York Red Bulls are the only teams to have more away wins than home wins in 2022.
Montréal’s goal scorer in the 1-0 win against New England was Canadian Men’s National Team defender Alistair Johnston. After being acquired in the offseason in a trade with Nashville SC, Johnston has set career highs in goals (four), assists (five), games played (31) and minutes played (2,535) in 2022. Johnston is the only defender in MLS this season with at least four goals and five assists.
D.C. United’s Christian Benteke scored his first goal for the club in his fourth MLS start against Inter Miami CF on September 18. Benteke’s goal was the 145th of his international career.
The assist on Benteke’s goal was from Chris Durkin, which was his career-high sixth in 2022. Durkin’s six assists are the second most on the team.

San Jose Earthquakes (7-15-10) vs. Minnesota United FC (13-13-6)

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

Saturday night marks the 11th overall meeting between the two clubs, with the all-time series knotted at 4-4-2. Minnesota United FC won the last meeting between the teams, 1-0, on March 19, 2022 behind a goal from Luis Amarilla.
The Earthquakes (31 points, 7-15-10) have been eliminated from postseason contention.
Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse leads the club with 16 goals this season and is one of just five different players in club history to reach 15 goals in a single season, joining Chris Wondolowski (five times), Landon Donovan, Ariel Graziani, and Ronald Cerritos.
San Jose midfielder Cristian Espinoza ranks second in the Western Conference with a career-best 14 assists this season. Espinoza (46 career assists) has eclipsed eight assists in each of his first four seasons in MLS and is one of only three players with at least 45 assists since the start of the 2019 season, joining Carles Gil (52) and Maximiliano Moralez (47).
Minnesota United FC midfielder Emanuel Reynoso leads the club with 10 goals and 10 assists this season, and he is one of only three players this season with at least double-digits in both categories, joining Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (23 goals, 11 assists) and LAFC’s Carlos Vela (11 goals, 11 assists).
With his next goal, Luis Amarilla (nine goals) would join Reynoso (10 goals) as the first pair of teammates in club history to score double-digit goals in a single season.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-14-7) vs. Austin FC (16-9-7)

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

Austin FC travel to BC Stadium to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the fourth time in their two seasons. Overall, Vancouver leads the series 2-1-0, with both wins coming in 2021. Austin claimed victory in the first matchup of 2022 by a score of 3-0, thanks to a Maximiliano Urruti brace.
The Verde’s leading man has been Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Sebastián Driussi who scored his 21st goal of the season in their Week 32 draw versus Nashville SC. Driussi is just two goal contributions shy of becoming the 18th player in MLS history to total at least 30 goals and assists in a single season.
Diego Fagúndez became the first Austin player to record at least 15 assists in a single season when he provided the helper on Driussi’s goal against Nashville. The Uruguayan’s 15 assists are a career high and tied for the second most in MLS with Philadelphia Union defender Kai Wagner. Fagúndez has produced at least 20 goal contributions in a season for just the second time in his career (2013).
The Whitecaps have won consecutive games for the second time this season and have not won three games in a row since August 18 – September 4, 2021 (four games). In that four-game stretch in 2021, two of those wins came against Austin FC with each by a 2-1 score line.
Vancouver’s U-22 Initiative signing Pedro Vite has produced a goal in consecutive games for the first time in his MLS career. Each of Vite’s goals have been assisted by Luis Martins, which are also the first two of his 2022 season.

LA Galaxy (13-12-7) vs. Real Salt Lake (11-11-10)

(10:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

The LA Galaxy aim to clinch an Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs position when they host Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening. The two sides have met 46 times in their history with LA holding a slight 19-17-10. RSL have won each of the last two games against the Galaxy and will try to win three in a row for the first time in the matchup’s history.
One of only four teams to play during the FIFA international window, the Galaxy traveled to Stanford Stadium and came out with a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. It marked the first time since 1997-98 in which the Galaxy had won consecutive road games in the California Clasico.
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández produced his fourth multi-goal game of the season in the Galaxy’s 3-2 win over San Jose. Chicharito has now matched his career high of 17 goals, which he totaled in 2021. Overall, he ranks fifth in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race and needs three goals to become the fifth different player in Galaxy history to produce 20 goals in a season.
With a win, RSL would tie the Galaxy on points heading into Decision Day next weekend. Interestingly, last season Salt Lake dashed the Galaxy’s postseason hopes when they finished above them for the seventh and final Western Conference seed in the 2021 postseason.
The Claret and Cobalt’s Maikel Chang continued his breakout 2022 season by scoring his second goal of the year against FC Cincinnati on September 17. Chang has tied his career high in both goals (two in 2021) and assists (six in 2020) this year.

Sunday, October 2

New York City FC (14-11-7) vs. Orlando City SC (13-12-6)

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

Two of the top six clubs in the Eastern Conference face off when Orlando City SC travel to face New York City FC at Red Bull Arena. Orlando won the first meeting in 2022 when Tesho Akindele scored in the 96th minute on August 28. The Lions have not won consecutive games against NYCFC since March 5 – April 23, 2017.
Orlando City is coming off a 4-0 victory over Toronto FC on September 17, which was their first time scoring four goals in a match since June 22, 2021 (five goals). The Lions sit on 13 total wins in 2022 and need one more to set their single-season club record, surpassing the 13 they produced last season.
In the four-goal win, Ercan Kara scored his 10th goal of the season, which leads all Orlando City players. Kara’s 10 goals are tied for the third most by a first-year player in MLS. Additionally, Orlando City became the first team in MLS history to have at least one double-digit goal scorer in each of the club’s first eight seasons.
NYCFC is on the verge of clinching an Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs berth and can do so with a win against Orlando. With a win, the club would clinch their seventh-straight postseason appearance. NYCFC is looking to become the fourth club to win consecutive MLS Cup titles (2011-12 LA Galaxy, 2006-07 Houston Dynamo FC and 1996-97 D.C. United).
One of the best creators in MLS has been Santiago Rodríguez who has 13 assists in 2022, which is tied for the fifth most in the league. Of the previous five years, Rodríguez joins Djordje Mihailovic (16 in 2021) as the only players with at least 13 assists in a single one prior to turning 23 years old. Of his 13 assists, eight have been game-winners, tying for the most in a single season in MLS history.

Portland Timbers (11-8-13) vs. LAFC (20-8-4)

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

The Portland Timbers and LAFC meet for the 13th time in series history and the second time in 2022, with the Timbers holding a 4-3-5 series advantage. The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw on March 6, 2022 at Banc of California Stadium.
Portland (46 points, 11-8-13) enters Sunday’s action sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference and looks to extend their postseason streak to six consecutive seasons.
The Timbers are the only team in MLS this season to have four players with at least eight assists: Yimmi Chara (nine), Sebastián Blanco (eight), Santiago Moreno (eight), and Eryk Williamson (eight).
LAFC (64 points, 20-8-4) enter Sunday’s match having secured the top seed in the Western Conference and looking to secure the club’s second Supporters’ Shield title in five years. LAFC will win the Supporters’ Shield with a victory over Portland combined with a Philadelphia Union loss to Charlotte FC. If they were to secure the title, they would be the first expansion team to win two Supporters’ Shields in their first five years of existence.
LAFC (20 wins) needs two wins to tie the 2018 New York Red Bulls and 2021 New England Revolution for the most wins (22) in a non-shoot-out season in MLS history.
LAFC forward Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango leads the club with 16 goals this season and has 30 goals across the last two seasons. He is one of only four players to reach that mark since the start of the 2021 season, joining Hany Mukhtar (39), Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (34), and Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos (32).

Sporting Kansas City (10-15-7) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (12-16-4)

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

Sunday marks the 25th meeting between Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders FC, with Seattle holding an 11-9-4 advantage. Seattle has won two of the last three matches between the two clubs, including a June 25th meeting this season in which they won 3-0 behind goals from Will Bruin, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan.
Sporting Kansas City (37 points, 10-15-7) has been eliminated from playoff contention in the Western Conference.
Kansas City is unbeaten in their last six matches, having won four games and playing to two draws while scoring 14 goals over the span. In 10 games since joining the team, forward William Agada has been an offensive revelation, scoring seven goals and adding two assists over the span. Since August 1, Agada (seven) is tied for the fifth-most goals in MLS, behind only Hany Mukhtar (11), Chicharito (10), Brenner (eight), and Dániel Gazdag (eight).
Seattle (40 points, 12-16-4) has advanced to the postseason in each of their first 13 seasons of MLS play, tied with the New York Red Bulls for the longest current streak in MLS. The Sounders will need a victory and some help to stay alive for Decision Day.
The Sounders stayed alive in the postseason picture with a 1-1 draw over FC Cincinnati on Tuesday evening, courtesy of a second-half equalizer from Fredy Montero. Montero (58 career goals with Seattle) and teammate Raúl Ruidíaz (59 career goals with Seattle) are the two leading scorers in the history of the club.

Nashville SC (12-9-11) vs. Houston Dynamo FC (9-17-6)

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

Nashville SC and the Houston Dynamo meet for the fourth time in series history, with the clubs each having recorded a win, a loss and a draw in series history. Houston defeated Nashville 2-0 earlier this season behind goals from Adalberto Carrasquilla and Darwin Quintero.
Nashville SC has won four of their last six games and is unbeaten over the stretch. The club is led by Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar, who has seven goals in his last four starts and leads the league with 23 goals this season. Mukhtar (23 goals, 11 assists) continues to make his push for both the MLS MVP award, as well as the Golden Boot presented by Audi, and with two goals, he would join Carlos Vela (34 and 15 in 2019) as the only players in MLS history with at least 25 goals and 10 assists in a single season.
With a goal contribution this week, Mukhtar would become the first player to produce a goal contribution in 11-straight home matches since Stern John did so in 12 matches (April 18 - September 24, 1998). His next goal or assist would also move him past Chris Wondolowski (34 in 2012) for the fifth-most goal contributions in a single season.
The Dynamo (33 points, 9-17-6) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
First-year forward and Paraguayan international Sebastián Ferreira leads Houston with 10 goals in 29 games this season. With his next goal, Ferreira would tie Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario (11 in 2006) for the most goals by a Dynamo player in their first season with the team.