Top Things to Watch in MLS This Week
Now in its second season with hefty scoring margins and star power production, Austin FC is looking a lot like the 2018 Atlanta United team that won MLS Cup in year two of existence.
Austin’s success is headlined by Sebastián Driussi’s five goals through seven games, which ties him among the five players atop the Golden Boot leaderboard. Flash back to this point in 2018, and it was eventual Golden Boot winner Josef Martínez who had six goals in seven games that would lead to his MLS record-setting 31 goals by season’s end.
That 2018 Atlanta side posted two separate eight-game unbeaten streaks after starting its first seven games with only one loss and a 17-8 scoring margin over that span. Compare that to Austin FC blazing a similar trail in its sophomore season. Through Austin’s first seven games of this campaign, the club has only one loss and scoring advantage of 19-7.
The similarities are also strong where home field advantage is concerned. Through four home games in 2018, Atlanta was an unbeaten 3-0-1 with a 14-2 home scoring advantage. Austin’s parallel 3-0-1 home record this season features a 12-2 scoring margin over its visiting opponents.
With Austin FC hosting Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1-5-1) this week, will their eighth match keep them on championship caliber pace?
Landon Donovan vs. LA Galaxy as MLS Clubs Prep for U.S. Open Cup
It’s the long-awaited return of the oldest national cup competition in United States soccer, featuring amateur and professional teams to crown a champion. After cancellation of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, MLS clubs will enter in the third round of the competition with the winner of the single-elimination tournament earning an automatic berth into the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. All matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Tuesday’s enticing slate of matchups will feature the LA Galaxy going up against club icon Landon Donovan and the San Diego Loyal at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+). Donovan is now San Diego’s Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations & Team Manager. However, his MLS legend remains as the namesake of the league’s Most Valuable Player award after starring for the Galaxy for 11 seasons (2005-2014 and 2016) and winning a U.S. Open Cup title in 2005 among his many honors.
Wednesday’s must-watch games include a central Florida showdown between Orlando City SC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Exploria Stadium in Orlando (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), Louisville City hosting St. Louis City 2 of MLS NEXT Pro (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+), and the Los Angeles Football Club welcoming Orange County SC (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
This edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will feature a few new updates to the competition, including a revised format that has MLS clubs entering one round earlier in previous years to increase the number of Division I vs. lower division matchups. A non-MLS club hasn’t won since 1999 – the only time since MLS has been a part of the competition that the league hasn’t produced the champion. Additional updates are an expanded calendar providing two weeks between rounds and the largest field the tournament has ever seen.
Stacking Up the Stats Leaders Through Seven Weeks
Through the first seven weeks of the MLS season, stars on both ends are statistically pacing at strong rates across the league. Five players – Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi, San Jose’s Jeremy Ebobisse, FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira, LA Galaxy’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernández and FC Cincinnati’s Brandon Vázquez – are tied atop the Golden Boot presented by Audi leaderboard. All five of these players have multi-score games this season, including Ebobisse, who became just the third player in Earthquakes history with consecutive multi-score games with his two goals last week.
On the goalkeeping side, Chicago’s Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina and Orlando City’s Pedro Gallese are leading the league with five clean sheets each. Slonina, who has nine career clean sheets at just 17 years old, has recorded the most clean sheets in MLS history by a player 20 years old or younger and accomplished the feat in just 18 career matches. Slonina and Gallese are two of only 10 ‘keepers in MLS history to record five shutouts in their team’s first seven games of a season. With another shutout this week, each player could join Eloy Room (2020), Donovan Ricketts (2010) and Tony Meola (2000) as the only players with six clean sheets in their team’s first eight games of a season.
Texas Derby Headlines the Slate of Week 8 Matches
Battle of Two Strong Starters in the Lone Star State
Week 8 kicks off on Saturday with the 43rd edition of the Texas Derby, as FC Dallas welcomes Houston Dynamo FC to Toyota Stadium (3 p.m. ET, Univision / TUDN / Twitter – English audio). Located just under 300 miles apart, the series between the two teams is knotted 13-13-16. FC Dallas, led by Golden Boot presented by Audi co-leader Jesús Ferreira (5 goals), is undefeated in its past five matches (3-0-2) and currently sits tied for fourth in the Western Conference with 12 points (3-1-3) alongside Houston and Real Salt Lake. The Dynamo, winners of three of its past five matches and unbeaten over that span, won the last meeting between the two clubs behind goals from Griffin Dorsey, Fafà Picault and Darwin Quintero. Picault remains the only player to have scored for both clubs in the Texas Derby.
Chicago’s Dynamite Defense Travels to the Twin Cities
Following a scoreless draw with the LA Galaxy last week – the Fire’s fourth 0-0 result in seven games this season – Chicago travels to the Twin Cities to take on Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field (5 p.m. ET, ESPN / ESPN Deportes). The Loons returned to the winner’s circle in Week 7 after beating Colorado 3-1, behind two late goals Robin Lod and Abu Danladi. Behind All-Star hopefuls in midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri and goalkeeper Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina, Chicago will look to slow a suddenly surging Minnesota attack in the venue that will host the 2022 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.
Inter Miami CF Looks for Third Consecutive Win as It Welcomes Atlanta United
After waiting five weeks for its first victory of the 2022 season, Inter Miami CF had to wait just seven days for its second, defeating Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Herons welcome Atlanta United to DRV PNK Stadium (1 p.m. ET, ESPN / ESPN Deportes), with Atlanta seeking to get back in the win column for the first time since Week 5.
Strong Starters Orlando City and New York Red Bulls Battle for Early Position in the East
Sitting at second and third in the Eastern Conference, respectively, and separated by just a point, Orlando City SC welcomes the New York Red Bulls to Exploria Stadium on Sunday in the second game of an ESPN / ESPN Deportes doubleheader (3:30 p.m. ET). The Lions seek their third consecutive win after shutting out Columbus Crew last week – the club’s fifth clean sheet of the year. 21-year-old newcomer Facundo Torres assisted on both Orlando City goals last week and aims for his third in a row with an assist. The Red Bulls have been early season road warriors, sitting at 3-0-0 in their first three matches away from home this year.
Dynamic Scorers Vela and Vázquez Highlight Week 8 Schedule
In a battle of two of the league’s leading scorers, Golden Boot presented by Audi co-leader Brandon Vázquez and FC Cincinnati welcomes Carlos Vela and LAFC to TQL Stadium on Sunday (5 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes). Vázquez, who has scored a career-high five of Cincinnati’s seven goals this season, will look to help his club earn its first victory in three weeks and they will face stiff competition in the form of LAFC, who enters the contest atop the Western Conference table with 16 points (5-1-1). Dynamic goals from substitutes Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and José Cifuentes broke a halftime deadlock as LAFC rebounded from Week 6’s El Trafíco defeat to the LA Galaxy with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City last week.
MLS Academies Shine in 2022 Generation adidas Cup
In the largest edition of Generation adidas Cup to date, MLS academies made a lasting mark on the tournament, as the Seattle Sounders FC Under-17 side claimed its second consecutive GA Cup title and the Portland Timbers academy took home the U-15 title. The talent and infrastructure of these two academies have long powered first teams that have played for the last seven MLS Cups and have collectively advanced to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in five consecutive years.
On Sunday, Seattle’s U-17 side claimed its second consecutive Generation adidas Cup title, beating Tigres UANL 2-0 in the championship match. Two Sounders earned tournament honors, including center back Stuart Hawkins who was named the U-17 Generation adidas Cup Most Valuable Player and Wyatt Nelson, who was named the Generation adidas Cup Best Goalkeeper presented by Allstate in the U-17 division. In 2019, the Sounders U-17 squad became the first MLS team to win the event since its international expansion in 2014, defeating Valencia 1-0 in the Champions Division title game.
En route to its first title in the U-15 division, the Portland Timbers U-15 team defeated international clubs Porto, Manchester United and Valencia and added victories over standout academies from the New York Red Bulls and LAFC. Timbers standout Noah Santos was named the Generation adidas Cup Most Valuable Player of the U-15 division after scoring five goals and teammate Keenan VanPelt took home Generation adidas Cup Best Goalkeeper presented by Allstate after coming up with big saves in the final and throughout the tournament.
Battle of Texas Unbeatens Highlights Week Five of MLS NEXT Pro Action
Buckle up for a Texas showdown in MLS NEXT Pro this weekend, as two intrastate unbeaten clubs face off. The top two teams in the Western Conference will battle on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, mlsnextpro.com) when North Texas SC (3-0-1, 11 points) hosts Houston Dynamo 2 (4-0-0, 12 points) at Toyota Stadium.
North Texas SC is coming off a narrow 1-0 victory over Earthquakes II on Sunday, led by Bernard Kamungo’s third goal of the season (80’). Meanwhile Houston Dynamo 2 won its fourth straight on Saturday, defeating Timbers2 by a 4-1 score. The goal allowed in Saturday’s match was the first given up by Dynamo Dos this season.
Also on tap this weekend: MLS NEXT Pro’s lone independent club, Rochester New York FC, will play its first home match of the season. RNY FC (0-2-1, 2 points) will look for its first win when it hosts NYCFC II (1-1-2, 5 points) at Monroe Community College on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, mlsnextpro.com).
