Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 13 matches played on Matchday 8 of the 2023 MLS season, Saturday, April 15.
Matchday 8 action concludes this afternoon with El Tráfico as the LA Galaxy host crosstown rivals LAFC at Dignity Health Sports Park (4:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass / FOX).
St. Louis CITY SC Regains Pole Position in Supporters’ Shield with 5-1 Victory
After opening the year with the strongest start by an expansion side in MLS history, St. Louis CITY SC returned home after dropping their previous two contests and regained their stellar form with a dominant 5-1 victory over FC Cincinnati, who entered the match atop the Eastern Conference.
Four different players scored for St. Louis CITY – Jared Stroud (3’), Eduard Löwen (39’), Kyle Hiebert (45’+2’), and Nicholas Gioacchini (53’) -- as the club scored three or more goals for the fifth time in their first eight games of existence. Five different players have scored multiple goals for St. Louis – including all four goal scorers from Matchday 8 – the highest total in MLS through eight weeks.
Powered by their sensational performance, St. Louis CITY regained their top position in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 18 points, and lead all of the Major League Soccer in wins (six), goals scored (20) and goal differential (plus-11) through Matchday 8.
Late Goals Propel Portland to Cascadia Cup Record
After falling behind 1-0, the Portland Timbers stormed back for a convincing 4-1 victory over their Pacific Northwest rivals, Seattle Sounders FC, at Providence Park. The win was Portland’s fourth consecutive victory in the regular season against Seattle, and the Timbers became the first team in the storied Cascadia Cup rivalry to win four or more consecutive games. Over the four-match winning streak, the Timbers have outscored the Sounders by a resounding 11-2 margin.
Portland’s four-goal flurry in the second half started after with a sensational bicycle kick from Dairon Asprilla in the 71st minute (Watch Here). Overall, the Timbers scored four times after the 70th minute, which was just the 16th time in MLS history that a team recorded a quartet of goals in the 70th minute or later.
Twice is Nice for San Jose’s Jeremy Ebobisse
In a 3-0 win over Sporting Kansas City, the dynamic San Jose duo of Cristian Espinoza and Jeremy Ebobisse once again proved to be difference makers for the Earthquakes. Espinoza opened up the scoring in the 9th minute, marking his third consecutive game with a goal, before Ebobisse added two additional scores – the first from the penalty spot in the 40th minute and the second off a sharp cross from Paul Marie in the 51st minute.
Ebobisse, who has 21 goals since the start of the 2022 season, recorded his fifth multi-score match during that span. He is one of only five players with five multi-goal games since the start of 2022, joining FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira (six), Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (six), CF Montréal’s Romell Quioto (five), and FC Cincinnati’s Brenner (five).
Ebobisse (four goals) and Espinoza (five goals) are one of two pairs of MLS teammates with at least five goals each this season, joining Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada (four goals) and Giorgos Giakoumakis (four goals).
Giorgos Giakoumakis Looking Like Golden Boot Contender
Atlanta United brought in Designated Player Giorgos Giakoumakis this offseason to solidify their No. 9 position, and four starts into his MLS career, Giakoumakis has done just that. The Greek forward scored in the fourth minute against Toronto, which marked his fourth consecutive start with a goal.
Giakoumakis became the seventh player in MLS history to score in each of his first four MLS starts, joining Amine Bassi (Houston Dynamo FC) as the second player to accomplish the feat this season. The dynamic Greek striker also made club history with his early-match score on Saturday, as he joined Josef Martínez (four times) as the only players in club history to score in four consecutive games.
Dániel Gazdag Saves a Point for Philly
With Philadelphia trailing 2-0 in the second half at Chicago, the Union’s Dániel Gazdag helped to rescue a point for the club by providing a goal and an assist in the span of three minutes. After Mikael Uhre was fouled in the box, Gazdag slotted home his penalty kick in the 62nd minute before assisting on Julián Carranza’s equalizer just three minutes later in the 65th minute.
Since the start of 2022, Gazdag has produced seven games with at least one goal and one assist – two more than any other player in MLS over the span. The Hungarian now has three goals and five assists in MLS play in 2023.
