Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 12 matches played on the 30th matchday of the 2023 MLS season, Saturday, September 2.
Matchday 30 concludes on Sunday evening, as the New York Red Bulls travel to the Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and the Los Angeles Football Club host Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) to close out the matchday.
Road Warriors Orlando Snap Cincy’s Home Unbeaten Streak
Matchday 30 pitted an unstoppable force in Supporters’ Shield-leading FC Cincinnati against an immovable object in Orlando City SC.
FC Cincinnati entered Matchday 30 unbeaten in MLS play at home in 2023, while Orlando boasts the best road record of any MLS club this season.
Orlando came out on top and sit in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference standings, tied on 47 points with No. 2 New England. The win extends their league-leading away record to 7-4-3 on the season. Midfielder Facundo Torres scored his 10th game-winning goal in his Orlando career, climbing into sixth place in the club’s all-time goal scorer rankings.
Orlando return to action on Saturday, September 16 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) hosting a red-hot Columbus Crew team in a match that could shake up the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining in each team’s regular season schedule.
Thiago Almada Joins Atlanta Elites with 14th Assist of 2023
Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada has been nothing short of brilliant for the Five Stripes this season, having contributed nine goals and 14 assists in 2023. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner recorded his 14th assist of the season on Atlanta’s first goal of the match as Atlanta tied FC Dallas 2-2. The 14 assists by Almada ties Miguel Almirón (2017, 2018) and Julian Gressel (2018) for most assists in a season by an Atlanta player.
Almada continues to add to his resume as 2023 MLS Year-End Awards approach, with the 22-year-old eligible for Young Player of the Year, and making his case to be in conversations for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, Atlanta’s standout will have another opportunity to add to his 2023 resume when he faces fellow Argentine Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF on Saturday, September 16 (5 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Christian Benteke Powers D.C. to Four-Goal Win
D.C. United entered Matchday 30 with an opportunity to leap into a playoff position, and forward Christian Benteke rose to the occasion to lead his team to victory with a two-goal, one-assist performance in a 4-0 win over Chicago Fire FC.
Benteke opened the scoring in the ninth minute after bringing a pinpoint long ball from Mateusz Klich down with his chest before beating a defender and curling a shot past the goalkeeper (Watch Here). Benteke also assisted on Theodore Ku-DiPietro’s goal and scored the second goal in the match, marking the first time a D.C. player has contributed to three goals in a single game since July 2022. The win was the first time D.C. has won by four or more goals since 2021.
The win saw D.C. leapfrog Chicago in the standings, with D.C. now sitting above the playoff line in ninth. With seven games remaining in their season, D.C. next take the field on Saturday, September 9 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) hosting the San Jose Earthquakes in East vs. West clash.
Cade Cowell Hits Double Digit Goal Numbers
Cade Cowell broke his 2023 scoring drought on Saturday with the San Jose Earthquakes’ only goal in a 1-1 draw with Minnesota United FC. The goal was Cowell’s 10th in MLS regular season play, making him just the 11th teenager in MLS history to record 10 career goals.
The goal helped the Earthquakes preserve a point at home against the Loons, as the two teams sit neck-in-neck in the standings at 36 points, occupying the 7th and 8th spots based on MLS tiebreakers.
The Earthquakes will now travel to D.C. United for their next game looking to pick up a big three points and look to stay in the playoff picture.
Columbus Climb the East Behind a Cucho Hat Trick
Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy's return to his former club CF Montréal was the lead storyline heading into Saturday's game, but Juan 'Cucho' Hernández's hat trick was the talk of the town after the final whistle.
The Colombia international forward recorded his first MLS hat trick in Saturday's 4-2 win over Montréal. With nine goals this season, Hernández has now contributed 31 goals and assists in his first 36 MLS regular season games for the Crew, becoming the first player to do so in MLS since Alejandro Pozuelo between 2019-2020.
The win places the Crew in fourth in the Eastern Conference as the Crew turn their attention to third-place Orlando City SC for next Saturday’s battle of Eastern Conference juggernauts (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
