Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 12 matches played on the 12th matchday of the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday, May 4.
Matchday 12 action continues later today when New York City FC hosts the Colorado Rapids at 4 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV followed by Seattle Sounders FC taking on the LA Galaxy to finish the weekend’s matches at 6:45 p.m. ET (MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / FS1 / FOX Deportes).
Messi Makes More History in Miami
Down a goal heading into half time, Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi walked back out onto the field looking to flip the script in the second half of Saturday’s match. Messi delivered a masterclass in the second 45 minutes, scoring a goal and providing five assists as Miami mounted a come-from-behind victory over the New York Red Bulls by a 6-2 scoreline (Watch Here).
Messi broke two records, setting new single-game records for assists with his five and goal contributions with six. The Argentinian magician also joined Clint Dempsey and Cobi Jones as the only players to record a goal and an assist in each of their first eight games to start a season. Luis Suárez’s 12-minute hat trick on the night was also the fastest in club history and the fastest in MLS since Jesús Ferreira’s hat trick in March 2022.
Miami will now look to extend their current regular season winning streak to a club-record five games next weekend on May 11 at CF Montréal (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Lucho Strikes Early for Cincinnati
Reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta was on the scoresheet yet again for FC Cincinnati, scoring the only goal of the night 17 seconds into the match (Watch Here).
The goal was the fastest scored in club history, surpassing Edgar Castillo who scored after 26 seconds in 2021, and was the ninth fastest goal scored in MLS history. Last weekend, Acosta became the all-time leading goal scorer in Cincinnati’s history with his 44th goal across all competition, and he continued to build on his lead after tonight’s win.
Acosta and FC Cincinnati will be back in action next weekend to kickoff MLS Rivalry Week presented by Continental Tire on May 11 when they travel to the Columbus Crew for their first meeting since last year’s Eastern Conference Final (7:45 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Minnesota Runs on Tani Time
2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas selection Tani Oluwaseyi continued to shine for Minnesota United FC on Saturday with a goal in his third straight game for the Loons.
Oluwaseyi joined some elite company with his streak, joining Kevin Molino (twice), Robin Lod, Darwin Quintero, and Teemu Pukki as the only players in club history to score in three consecutive matches. He is the youngest of the group to accomplish the feat, though, as he found the back of the net at 23 years and 354 days old, while helping his side secure an impressive 2-1 victory at Atlanta United and rise to second in the Western Conference (Watch Here).
Oluwaseyi now has his sights set on becoming the first player in club history to score in four consecutive games next weekend when Minnesota returns home to face the LA Galaxy on May 15 (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Toronto Continues to Make Noise in the East
Federico Bernardeschi was the star of the show in Toronto FC’s Matchday 12 victory, recording two goals and an assist in their 3-1 win over FC Dallas (Watch Here).
The win was their third straight regular-season victory, and it marked the first time the club has recorded three consecutive wins since October 2020. During the match, club icon Jonathan Osorio recorded his 50th career assist for Toronto on Bernardeschi’s second goal and joined Sebastian Giovinco as the only players to accomplish this feat in club history.
Toronto faces New York City FC next weekend on May 11 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), looking to maintain their place in the top three of the Eastern Conference standings.
Charlotte Hit Centennial Goal Mark
Matchday 12 saw Charlotte FC return to their winning ways at home against the Portland Timbers, with midfielder Nikola Petković providing the game-winning goal in the 54th minute.
Petković, a success story of the player pathway Charlotte has developed with Crown Legacy FC in MLS NEXT Pro, recorded his first career goal and the club’s 100th in MLS regular season action (Watch Here). Both Petković and Iuri Tavares have now gotten on the scoresheet for Charlotte this season in their first year in an MLS starting lineup.
Charlotte and Petković return to action on May 11 against Nashville SC in a southern soccer showdown to kickoff MLS Rivalry Week presented by Continental Tire (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
