Sounders FC's Leyva continues MLS youth trend - Week 16 News & Notes

MLS MEDIA RESOURCES: WEEK 16 NEWS & NOTES
News and notes and statistical trends from around Major League Soccer
SOUNDERS FC’S DANNY LEYVA CONTINUES MLS YOUTH TREND
The Major League Soccer youth movement was again on full display on June 5, when Danny Leyva made his league debut for Seattle Sounders FC.
Leyva came on as a substitute in the 82nd minute of his club’s 2-1 loss to the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo, barely a month after he was eligible to obtain a driver’s license. At age 16 years, 31 days, Leyva became the third-youngest player to appear in a Major League Soccer game.
Signed as a Homegrown Player on April 9, the Sounders FC academy product is the 15th-youngest player to sign a Major League Soccer contract.
Leyva was the 13th player at the age of 16 years or younger to play in an MLS game. Here are the youngest players to appear in a league match, with the dates of their debuts:
YOUNGEST TO PLAY A GAME IN MLS HISTORY (years.days)

ATUAHENE MAKES A SPLASH ON MLS AND FC DALLAS DEBUT
In the 64th minute of the FC Dallas 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on June 8, Francis Atuahene came on the field for his MLS debut. Not even a minute later, Atuahene collected a pass on the right side of the penalty area and curled home the equalizing goal inside the far post.
The goal officially came just 42 seconds after Atuahene came into his first MLS contest. It was the second-fastest goal scored by an MLS player after making his debut, all three after coming on as a substitute.
No player has scored in the first minute of a start in their MLS debut – the only to have scored in the second minute of his first MLS start was C.J. Sapong, for Sporting Kansas City vs. Chivas USA on March 19, 2011.
Here are the four fastest goals scored by players making their MLS debuts:
FASTEST GOAL AFTER MAKING MLS DEBUT

HÉBER CREATES HISTORY WITH A HAT TRICK … OF A DIFFERENT SORT
New York City FC striker Héber hit for a “hat trick” of a decidedly different nature in his club’s 5-2 win against FC Cincinnati at Yankee Stadium on June 5.
Héber doubled his club’s first-half lead with a goal in the 17th minute, and completed his brace for NYCFC with a second goal four minutes into the second half. But in between, Héber also turned a ball into his goal for FC Cincinnati’s opener.
It was the first time in MLS history a player scored two goals in a game and also scored an own goal. Overall, it was the 14th time a player scored a goal and an own goal in the same game – but first with two goals scored on the attacking end.
NYCFC later saw the second FC Cincinnati goal scored through an own goal – the seventh time in MLS history there were two OGs by the same team in a match. It was the third such occasion this season – and the second time it happened in five days, after Seattle Sounders FC did it in a 2-1 loss to FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on June 1. With NYCFC’s victory, they became the first team to win while conceding two own goals.
SCORING A GOAL – AND AN OWN GOAL – IN SAME GAME

CHICAGO FIRE CHASING THEIR OWN RECORD ON THE ROAD
The Chicago Fire are chasing their own history, following their 2-0 loss to Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 1.
The Fire have now not won on the road for more than a calendar year, since a 2-1 victory at Orlando City SC on May 26, 2018. The loss to Atlanta United extended the Fire’s away winless streak to 20 games, now tied for the fifth-longest in MLS history.
The Fire already hold the record for the longest winless run away from home in MLS annals, going more than two full years without a win on the road, from late July in 2014 before putting it to an end in August 2016.
ROAD WINLESS STREAK (ALL-TIME)

MLS WEEK 16 – LOOK AHEAD
FC CINCINNATI vs. LA GALAXY
Saturday, June 22, 2019 (Week 16, MLS Game #189)
Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 p.m. ET (WSTR – Star 64; SpecSN)
REFEREE: Marcos de Oliveira. AR1 (bench): Jeffrey Greeson; AR2 (opposite): Jose da Silva; 4th: David Gantar; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Cory Richardson
MLS Career: 22 games; FC/gm: 25.9; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 3; pens: 7
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: First meeting.

• FC Cincinnati suffered a fourth consecutive loss in league play last time out, falling 5-2 to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on June 6. FCC have lost nine of their past 10 games, with one win over their last 12 dating back to March 30.
  
• Both FCC goals came through own goals, the seventh time in MLS history (and third time this season) a team received two goals through own goals in the same match.
  
• The Galaxy return to league play after having their two-game winning run put to an end in a 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on June 2.
  
• Zlatan Ibrahimović scored for a second consecutive match after missing two games through suspension, now with 11 goals for the season, second in the MLS Golden Boot standings.
  
• The teams are meeting for the first time in their histories, the only league meeting this season.
  

FCC:
FC Cincinnati saw their away losing streak reach seven games with the loss at NYCFC, the fourth-longest road losing run for an expansion team. The record is 14 games, set by Real Salt Lake in 2005.
GALAXY:
Zlatan Ibrahimović
has been involved in each of the Galaxy’s last three goals, with two goals and one assist, over the last two games. …
Joe Corona
collected his first career assist in MLS, in his 15th appearance of the season. …
Chris Pontius
recorded his third assist of the season; his first two came in back-to-back games April 28-May 4.
CHICAGO FIRE vs. REAL SALT LAKE
Saturday, June 22, 2019 (Week 16, MLS Game #190)
SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Ill.
7 p.m. CT (ESPN+; KMYU-12)
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Philippe Briere; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Longville; 4th: Joseph Dickerson; VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero; AVAR: Peter Manikowski
MLS Career: 279 games; FC/gm: 25.2; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 100; pens: 107
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Fire 7 wins, 25 goals … Real 7 wins, 20 goals … Ties 7
AT CHICAGO: Fire 4 wins, 11 goals … Real 3 wins, 8 goals … Ties 4

• The Fire return to league play after their winless streak was extended to four matches with a second loss in that time last time out, suffering a 2-0 loss to Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 1.
  
• Real suffered a second consecutive defeat on the heels of a three-game winning run in their last league contest, falling 4-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on June 1. RSL was blanked at the attacking end for the first time since April 6.
  
• Real won the lone meeting between the teams last year, a 2-1 win on Aug. 4 at Rio Tinto Stadium. It was their second consecutive home win in the series, after a two-game winless streak vs. the Fire in Sandy, Utah.
  
• The Fire won the last meeting between the teams in Bridgeview, Ill., a 2-0 victory on March 11, 2017. It was their first win overall vs. Real Salt Lake since 2011, ending a five-game winless streak in the series. The win also ended a three-game home winless streak for the Fire.
  

FIRE:
The Fire saw their away winless streak extended to 20 games with the loss at Atlanta United, dating back to May 30, 2018. It’s now tied for the fifth-longest in MLS history; the Fire hold the all-time record with 36 consecutive away matches without victory, from June 23, 2014-Aug 6, 2016.
REAL:
All of Real’s defeats have come in consecutive matches this season, with a pair of two-loss streaks, and a season-long four-game losing slide from March 16 to April 6.
FC DALLAS vs. TORONTO FC
Saturday, June 22, 2019 (Week 16, MLS Game #191)
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
7 p.m. CT (TSN; FCDTV)
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. AR1 (bench): Adam Wienckowski; AR2 (opposite): Gjovalin Bori; 4th: Nima Saghafi; VAR: Malik Badawi; AVAR: Kevin Klinger
MLS Career: 337 games; FC/gm: 24.7; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 79; pens: 90
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: FC Dallas 10 wins, 26 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 18 goals … Ties 5
AT DALLAS: FC Dallas 7 wins, 18 goals … Toronto FC 0 wins, 9 goals … Ties 2

• FC Dallas gained a second result in a row last time out, reaching a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Toyota Stadium on June 8.
  
• Francis Atuahene scored just 42 seconds after coming on for his first MLS game, the second-fastest goal by a player making his league debut in league history. FC Dallas also gained a goal from an own goal, their third in two games.
  
• Toronto FC reached a second consecutive draw but still saw their winless run reach seven games, playing to a 2-2 result with the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Field. It’s the club’s longest winless streak since the 2013 season.
  
• FC Dallas have won the past two meetings between the teams, including a 1-0 win last May 25 at BMO Field in their lone matchup. TFC has won twice in 17 matches in the all-time series – just once over the last 16 meetings – the last victory coming on May 7, 2016, a 1-0 win at BMO Field.
  
• FC Dallas have never lost to TFC in Frisco in league play, holding a 7-0-2 record there, with victories in the past three meetings at Toyota Stadium, including a 3-1 win on July 1, 2017, in the last matchup. TFC did win 3-0 in Frisco in the Concacaf Champions League group stage in 2011.
  

FCD:
FC Dallas are the first team in MLS history to receive three goals via own goals over a two-game span. Just once in MLS history has a team received goals from own goals in three consecutive games: Seattle Sounders FC, last Aug. 18-Sept. 1. …
Jacori Hayes
collected his second assist of the season, both coming over the last six games; he has three assists for his MLS career.
TFC:
Nick DeLeon
scored for a second consecutive game, his third of the season, his first goal coming in the season opener March 2. …
Alejandro Pozuelo
collected a pair of assists, now with eight assists for the season, tied for third in the MLS assist standings. It was his second two-assist game this season (the first coming April 13 at Seattle), his first assist overall since May 4 (five appearances). …
Justin Morrow
collected his third assist of the season, one shy of his single-season career-high (set in 2012 with San Jose and 2016 with Toronto FC). …
Ryan Telfer
collected an assist in his first league appearance of the campaign, the second of his MLS career (in 16 games played).
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
Saturday, June 22, 2019 (Week 16, MLS Game #192)
BC Place, Vancouver, B.C.
7 p.m. PT (TSN; Altitude)
REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Brian Poeschel; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Ramy Touchan; VAR: Ricardo Salazar; AVAR: Rene Parra
MLS Career: 85 games; FC/gm: 26.3; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 17; pens: 30
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Whitecaps FC 9 wins, 31 goals … Rapids 10 wins, 32 goals … Ties 4
AT VANCOUVER: Rapids 5 wins, 18 goals … Whitecaps FC 3 wins, 13 goals … Ties 3

• Whitecaps FC return to league play following a three-week break after extending their undefeated run to four games with a third draw in that span, reaching a 1-1 result with Toronto FC at BC Place on May 31. Fredy Montero scored the Whitecaps FC goal, his second in the last three games.
  
• The Rapids extended their undefeated streak to five games on the heels of an 11-game winless run to start the season – winning their fourth over that span – defeating Minnesota United FC by the game’s only goal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on June 8.
  
• Kei Kamara scored his eighth goal of the season, now tied for fourth place in the MLS Golden Boot standings. It was his 120th career league goal, fifth-most in MLS history.
  
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Andy Rose netted the game-winner three minutes from full time to lead Whitecaps FC to a 3-2 win on May 3 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
  
• The Rapids won the last meeting at BC Place, a 1-0 victory there last July 1. It was their first win over their past six trips to Vancouver, their previous win there coming on April 5, 2014.
  
• Whitecaps FC have come away with points on each of their last four trips to Commerce City, Colo., winning twice (in both 2017 and 2018) – just their second and third wins ever at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The only other Whitecaps FC win in Commerce City came in 2012.
  

WHITECAPS FC:
Fredy Montero
has a goal or an assist in three consecutive games, with two goals and one assist in that span. … Montero has scored three goals from penalty kicks this season (from three attempts), the most in a season from his six MLS campaigns.
RAPIDS:
The Rapids’ five-game undefeated streak is their longest since a six-game run without loss in 2016. …
Jack Price
recorded his fourth assist of the season, his second in as many games and his third in the last four matches. …
Tim Howard
was credited with two saves in recording his second shutout of the season, both coming over his last four matches. Both have come in 1-0 victories (also at LA Galaxy, May 19).
PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
Saturday, June 22, 2019 (Week 16, MLS Game #193)
Providence Park, Portland, Ore.
8 p.m. PT (ROOT-NW; KUBE 57)
REFEREE: Alan Kelly. AR1 (bench): Mike Rottersman; AR2 (opposite): Logan Brown; 4th: Rosendo Mendoza; VAR: Jorge Gonzalez; AVAR: Chris Elliott
MLS Career: 111 games; FC/gm: 24.4; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 17; pens: 40
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Timbers 5 wins, 23 goals … Dynamo 5 wins, 25 goals … Ties 5
AT PORTLAND: Timbers 5 wins, 15 goals … Dynamo 1 win, 9 goals … Ties 1

• The Timbers finally made their long-awaited season debut at Providence Park in their last league match, suffering a hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Football Club on June 1. The defeat came after the 12-game road swing to open the season (where the Timbers went 4-6-2).
  
• Brian Fernández scored his fourth goal in three games since coming to MLS and the Timbers in the loss to LAFC.
  
• The Dynamo remained undefeated on their home ground for the season in their last league match, reaching a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City at BBVA Compass Stadium on June 1.
  
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Mauro Manotas gave the Dynamo a first-half lead, but Brian Fernández netted the second-half equalizer on his Timbers and MLS debut, leaving the teams in a 1-1 draw on May 15 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
  
• The Timbers have a six-game undefeated streak at Providence Park alive in the series, winning the past three, including a 2-1 win there last July 28 in the lone matchup in Portland. The Dynamo’s lone league win there came in the first meeting between the teams in Portland in 2011.
  
• The Dynamo have never lost to the Timbers at home. The Dynamo have won three of the seven meetings all-time in Houston, with four draws, with the first meeting this year ending a two-game home winning streak in the series.
  

TIMBERS:
Cristhian Paredes
scored his second goal of the season, his third in two seasons in MLS (in 27 appearances). …
Jeremy Ebobisse
collected his first assist of the season, his sixth in three MLS campaigns. …
Jorge Villafaña
recorded his first assist in league play; he now has at least one assist in each of his last seven MLS seasons.
DYNAMO:
Alberth Elis
netted his fifth goal of the season in the Sporting KC match, his first since April 19. …
A.J. DeLaGarza
recorded his first assist of the season, his first in an MLS match since Sept. 27, 2017. …
Maynor Figueroa
collected his second assist of the season, a single-season career-high in his five MLS campaigns.
COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Sunday, June 23, 2019 (Week 16, MLS Game #194)
Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
5:30 p.m. ET (FS-Ohio; FS-KC+)
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Nick Uranga; 4th: David Gantar; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
MLS Career: 148 games; FC/gm: 22.3; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 32; pens: 66
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Crew SC 22 wins (0 shootout), 84 goals … Sporting 25 wins (2 shootout), 85 goals … Ties 8
AT COLUMBUS: Crew SC 13 wins (0 shootout), 44 goals … Sporting 11 wins (1 shootout), 41 goals … Ties 5

• Crew SC return to league play after putting an end to a three-game losing skid in their last match, a 2-2 draw with New York City FC at Mapfre Stadium on June 1.
  
• Gyasi Zardes and Pedro Santos each scored for a second consecutive match, Zardes now with six on the season and Santos with four.
  
• Sporting KC reached a second draw in a row as their winless run hit three games, playing to a 2-2 result with Toronto FC at BMO Field on June 7.
  
• Felipe Gutíerrez scored both SKC goals, both from penalty kicks, the third two-goal game of his MLS career and the second this season (also April 27 vs. New England, his last goals scored).
  
• The teams have reached draws in their two meetings over the last two seasons, once at each ground. They played to a scoreless draw last May 27 at Children’s Mercy Park.
  
• Crew SC have won once at home in the last six meetings between the teams in Columbus, a 3-2 win on Aug. 22, 2015, which snapped a five-game Sporting winning streak (and six-game undefeated streak) in the all-time series. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their last meeting at Mapfre Stadium on Sept. 10, 2017.
  
• Sporting are undefeated in the past five meetings at Children’s Mercy Park, with four consecutive wins before last year’s draw. The last Columbus victory in Kansas City came on July 28, 2012.
  

CREW SC:
David Accam
collected his first assist since his arrival from Philadelphia Union via trade, in his fourth appearance with Crew SC; he had two assists in eight games with Philadelphia. … Crew SC have one win in the last 10 league games, dating back to April 13.
SPORTING:
Sporting won two penalty kicks in a game for the seventh time in club history (and the second time this season), but scored goals from both attempts for just the third time (previously 7/4/2012 vs. MTL, 8/16/2014 vs. TOR). SKC also had two penalties this season on April 20 vs. San Jose (Krisztian Németh H; Felipe Gutíerrez G).