Week 20 MLS Game Capsules

A Snapshot Look at Each of Wednesday and Thursday's Nine Total Matchups

Tuesday, July 12

Austin FC (11-4-4) vs. Houston Dynamo FC (6-9-4)

(9 p.m. ET, UniMás / TUDN / Twitter - English audio)

• Austin FC and the Houston Dynamo meet for the fifth time in the interstate rivalry’s history, with the Verde and Black holding a 3-1-0 series advantage. Austin won two of the three meetings against the Dynamo in their inaugural season in 2021, including both matches played at Q2 Stadium. Austin was also victorious earlier this season, winning 2-1 on April 30 behind goals from Daniel Perreira and Sebastián Driussi. 
• Austin FC’s 11 wins and 37 points this season both rank second in MLS, trailing only LAFC, and both are the most in club history. The club is also tied for second in MLS with a plus-16 goal differential, also behind only LAFC.
• Last week, Austin FC defeated Atlanta United FC, 3-0, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, marking the club’s fourth consecutive road victory. Austin has scored at least three goals in consecutive games and has six games this season in which they’ve scored at least three goals, tied for the second-most such games in the league.
• Austin FC midfielder Sebastián Driussi has scored in consecutive games and three of his last four overall, while leading the club and ranking second in MLS with 11 goals this season. Since joining the club in August 2021, Driussi has 16 goals and nine assists in 36 matches for the Verde and Black. Earlier today, Driussi was named a 2022 MLS All-Star, making him the first honoree in club history.
• The Dynamo earned a point in a 2-2 draw with FC Dallas thanks to the latest open play regulation goal in MLS history, scored by Teenage Hadebe at 90’+10:28. The only later goal in league history was a Patryk Klimala penalty for the Red Bulls against NYCFC (90’+11:24) last September.
• Héctor Herrera made his long-awaited MLS debut in Houston’s 2–2 draw against Dallas on Saturday. Herrera is one of 16 players to make at least 100 appearances for the Mexican national team and the ninth of those 16 to play in MLS.
• Houston winger Fafà Picault has scored three goals in four career matches against Austin FC.

Wednesday, July 13

Atlanta United FC (5-8-5) vs. Real Salt Lake (8-5-6)

(7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Real Salt Lake travel to Atlanta United for the first time since September 22, 2018, but this is the first game between these sides since a 2-1 RSL win on May 24, 2019. That was the first and only win the club had in this series while Atlanta won the first two meetings between these sides in 2017 and 2018.
• The visitors have been a fan favorite this year with a club-record nine consecutive home sellouts this season, and their form has inspired the impeccable turn out. Real Salt Lake are unbeaten in their last 15 regular season games when leading at half-time (9-0-5) dating back to May 8, 2021, when they lost 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes.
• Jefferson Savarino scored his third goal of the season last time out in a 2-2 draw against Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Colorado Rapids. Savarino is now tied with Bobby Wood, Justin Meram, Justen Glad, and Sergio Córdova for most goals among RSL players despite only playing in six games.
• Caleb Wiley made his seventh start and 11th regular season appearance of the season at left back for Atlanta United last time. At 17 years and 202 days old, Wiley is the sixth-youngest player to play in MLS this season and is one of three 17-year-olds to play over 500 minutes this season alongside Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Obed Vargas and Austin FC midfielder Owen Wolff.

Chicago Fire FC (4-10-5) vs. Toronto FC (5-10-4)

(8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Chicago Fire FC host the 35th all-time regular season meeting against Toronto FC on Wednesday, but they trail Toronto 9-14-11 in their all-time series record. Toronto is also riding a 14-game unbeaten run against the Fire (11-0-3) dating back to September 26, 2015, when both Jonathan Osorio and Michael Bradley were on the scoresheet in a 3-2 win at BMO Field.
• Fire forward Chris Mueller recorded a goal and an assist in the same game for the first time since September 19, 2020, when he did so against the Fire while playing for Orlando City SC. Should he do so again against Toronto, it would be the first time since he recorded back-to-back games with a goal and assist since he did so against Nashville SC (Aug. 26, 2020) and Atlanta United FC (Aug. 29, 2020).
• Mueller and Rafael Czichos scored the Fire’s two goals in their last game against the Columbus Crew in the first half. It was the first time since October 20, 2021, a 4-3 win at FC Cincinnati, that the Fire scored two goals in the first half of an MLS regular season game. It was the first home game that they scored two first half goals in since August 8, 2021, which was a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls.
• Osorio scored his fifth goal of the season last time out against the San Jose Earthquakes, tying his 2013 and 2019 goal-scoring output for the second-most in a single season during his MLS career. He has only exceeded five goals during a regular season once when he scored 10 goals during the 2018 MLS regular season.
• Toronto FC have recorded the second-most points from losing positions this season with 13, including their 2-2 draw with San Jose having conceded the first goal of the game. CF Montréal only just beat them out for most points won from losing positions with 14 so far in the 2022 regular season.

FC Cincinnati (7-7-5) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7-9-3)

(8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• FC Cincinnati and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will meet for the second time in MLS history, with Vancouver winning the first-ever matchup 2-1 on August 3, 2019. This match will also be the first at TQL Stadium after the 2019 meeting took place at Nippert Stadium.
• Cincinnati has drawn four of their last five games, including each of their last three after a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. The club is unbeaten in those five games, which is tied for the second-longest active streak in MLS and the longest in club history.
• With his goal against the Red Bulls, Cincinnati’s Brandon Vázquez scored his ninth goal of the season, eclipsing Brenner’s eight goals in 2021 for the club record. Vázquez previously scored nine career MLS goals in 82 games and has already matched that total in just 18 in 2022. In his last seven games at TQL Stadium, the forward has added a goal contribution in six of those.
• After scoring his sixth goal of the season against Minnesota United FC on Friday evening, Vancouver’s Lucas Cavallini equalled his single-season career high of six goals. The Canadian international has scored in five of his last seven matches, including in consecutive road games. With a goal, Cavallini would be the first Whitecap to score in three-straight road games since Kekuta Manneh from May 14 - June 25, 2016.

D.C. United (5-10-2) vs. Columbus Crew (6-5-7)

(8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• D.C. United and the Columbus Crew meet for the 72nd time in a series that is all even at 31-31-11. The two clubs faced one another earlier this year when the Crew won 3-0 at Lower.com Field on April 30. Columbus will try to win three-straight games in the series for the first time since 2017-18.
• After turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win on Saturday night against Chicago Fire FC, Columbus is now unbeaten in their last six matches (3W, 3D). The win was the Crew’s first in a match in which they trailed by two goals since a 3-2 victory at Philadelphia in October 2014.
• Columbus’ Derrick Etienne Jr. scored two goals in the comeback victory over the Fire on Saturday, which was his first career brace. Etienne Jr. has now tied his career high in goals (five in 2018) and assists (five in 2021) in just 17 appearances this season.His five goals lead all Crew players in 2022.
• New designated player Juan “Cucho” Hernández opened his MLS scoring account quickly when he came off the bench and scored the game-winner against the Fire in the 83rd minute. Hernández became the second player in Crew history to score the game-winning goal as a substitute in his MLS debut, joining Niko Hansen (3/25/2017 vs. Portland). He was also the first player in MLS to do so since Omar Browne did it for Montréal on April 28, 2019 (vs. Chicago).
• Former Crew forward and current D.C. striker Ola Kamara has had success against his old club, scoring four times in his six appearances against Columbus. Kamara played 59 times for the Crew in his career and scored 34 goals during his two seasons with the club. Kamara’s 18 goals for the club in 2017 was tied for the fourth-most in a season.

Inter Miami CF (6-8-4) vs. Philadelphia Union (8-2-9)

(8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Inter Miami CF and the Philadelphia Union meet for the second time this season, with the two teams playing to a scoreless draw on May 18 at Subaru Park. The two clubs have played five times in the series history with the Union holding a slight 2-1-2 advantage. Of the five games, only one has been played in Miami – a 1-1 draw on July 26, 2021.
• Philadelphia enters the match coming off of a historic 7-0 win over D.C. United that kicked off Heineken Rivalry Week. The seven goals scored were the most in Union history and the margin of victory was tied for the largest margin in MLS history. Of the seven goals, five were scored in the first half, which was the fifth time in MLS history this happened.
• The Union became just the fifth team in MLS history to have three different players –  Alejandro Bedoya, Julián Carranza and Mikael Uhre – score multiple goals in the same match. The last team to do this was also the Union on October 22, 2017 (CJ Sapong, Ilsinho and Fafa Picault). Bedoya’s brace was the first of his MLS career in 174 matches.
• With his first career hat trick against D.C., Julián Carranza was voted MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire for the first time in his career. Carranza now has seven goals in 2022, which is the most by a Union player in their first season with the club since Kacper Przybyłko (15) in 2019. His seven goals are tied for the fourth-most by a Union player in their first 16 games with the club and are tied for the sixth most in MLS by a player in their first season with their club.
• Miami returns to DRV PNK Stadium where they have accumulated 17 of their 22 points in 2022 (5-2-2 record). The Herons have won three-straight at home and have scored at least two goals at DRV PNK Stadium in each of the last six matches. Miami last won four games in a row at home from July 31 - September 11, 2021, when they won five games straight in front of their home crowd.

Minnesota United FC (8-8-3) vs. Sporting Kansas City (5-11-4)

(8 p.m. ET, ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

• Minnesota United FC and Sporting Kansas City have met 14 times in series history, with Sporting holding a 7-4-3 advantage in the “Nicest Rivalry in Sports.” Sporting Kansas City has won three of their last five meetings, although Minnesota United emerged victorious, 2-1, in the last meeting between the two clubs on Oct. 31, 2021, behind goals from Franco Fragapane and Emanuel Reynoso.
• Minnesota United, the host of the 2022 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, saw two of its players named All-Stars on Tuesday – midfielder Emanuel Reynoso and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. Reynoso leads the club in both goals (seven) and assists (five) and has been a key contributor to Minnesota United’s current three-game winning streak, recording four goals and two assists during the stretch. St. Clair, who was selected to the All-Star team for the first time in his career, ranks third in MLS with 63 saves. 
• The Loons have won three consecutive games for the first time this season and will look to match club history with a win this weekend, as they have just one four-match winning streak in club history (June 29 - July 13, 2019).
• Following a 2-1 victory at CF Montréal last week, Sporting Kansas City will look to win consecutive games for the first time this season. The club will turn to Johnny Russell, who has had the Loons number during his career, registering eight assists and two goals in 10 career games vs. Minnesota United.

Nashville SC (7-6-6) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (8-8-2)

(8:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Nashville SC and Seattle Sounders FC met for the very first time earlier this season when Nashville secured a surprising 1-0 away victory over their Western Conference rivals. Aníbal Godoy provided the game-winning goal in the 80th minute.
• Hany Mukhtar scored his 10th goal of the 2022 regular season, reaching double digits in goals scored in two fewer appearances (19) than he did in 2021 (21). Through two-and-a-half seasons with Nashville SC, Mukhtar has either scored or assisted 49 percent of Nashville’s 104 goals since their inaugural MLS season in 2020.
• At 36 years old, Stefan Frei is still proving to be one of the most elite goalkeepers in MLS during the 2022 regular season. Despite only having three clean sheets on the season, he has prevented nearly five goals (4.92) according to his advanced metrics, having conceded 18 goals compared to his expected goals against (xGA) of 22.92.
• Since May 1, conference standings on both sides of MLS have shifted as teams return to full fitness and acquire new star signings to bolster their squads. The Sounders have won the fourth-most points of any MLS team since then with 19, and Nashville have only taken 10 points from seven home games since May for the 11th best mark in MLS this season.
• CJ Sapong is just 12 goals away from joining 11 other MLS players in the centennial club as the American striker currently sits on 88 career goals in 328 regular season appearances. Sapong’s career-best season was back in 2017 when he scored 16 goals for the Philadelphia Union, and he currently sits at five goals in the 2022 regular season.

Colorado Rapids (5-8-5) vs. Orlando City SC (8-7-4)

(9 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• Orlando City SC travel to the Colorado Rapids with a 3-2-1 record against their Western Conference opponents since they first met in regular season play back in 2015. Neither of these sides has recorded consecutive wins against one another, but the Rapids have an opportunity to do so having won their last encounter 2-1 on March 7, 2020.
• Keegan Rosenberry made his 179th career MLS regular season appearance and 99th for the Colorado Rapids last time out in a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake. He is the only player on the Rapid’s roster to play all 1,620 minutes of the 18 games they have played so far this season. He last missed a game for the Rapids due to a non-injury related issue on July 13, 2020, in a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake at the MLS is Back Tournament.
• Orlando shut out Inter Miami CF in a 1-0 win last time out, with Pedro Gallese keeping his seventh clean sheet of the season for tied-second most with Real Salt Lake’s Zac MacMath and the Chicago Fire FC’s Gabriel Slonina this season. He also recorded his second-highest pass completion rate (94.1 percent) against Miami, with his highest completion being 100 percent against Los Angeles FC on April 2.
• The last time 38-year-old Drew Moor scored for the Rapids was the eventual game-winning goal for the Rapids last time these sides met in 2020. It was Moor’s 25th career MLS regular season goal. 

FC Dallas (7-5-7) vs. New York City FC (9-4-5)

(9 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)

• New York City FC travel down to Texas to face FC Dallas in search of their first ever win at Toyota Stadium. In the six matchups, each team has won one game with the other four ending in draws. The last time the two clubs played one another was a thrilling 3-3 draw on September 14, 2021.
• In the recent 3-3 draw between the teams, FC Dallas’ Jáder Obrian produced his first career brace after scoring the opening goal of the match as well as the game-tying goal in the 73rd minute. Obrian followed that performance up with another brace in the following matchup against Houston Dynamo FC.
• After scoring his 11th goal of the season in the Texas Derby on Saturday, Jesús Ferreira is now just three goals and assists shy of surpassing his career-high 17 goal contributions in 2021. Ferreira’s 11 goals in his first 19 appearances this season is the most by an FC Dallas player since Kenny Cooper (13) in 2008. With seven more goals, Ferreira would tie Cooper (18 in 2008) and Jason Kreis (18 in 1999) for the most single-season goals in club history.
• Valentín “Taty” Castellanos scored two of NYCFC’s four goals against New England on Saturday. The performance was his sixth multi-goal game at home since the start of the 2021 season, which is twice as many as any other player in the league during that time. The forward needs one goal to reach 50 in his career and join David Villa as the only NYCFC players in history to hit this mark.
• NYCFC forward Talles Magno scored his first career MLS goal against FC Dallas on September 14, 2021. Magno has been one of the best creators in his second MLS season, contributing eight assists, which is tied for the fourth most in the league. Magno (five goals, eight assists), FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta (six goals, 10 assists) and LAFC’s Carlos Vela (six goals, eight assists) are the only players in MLS with at least five goals and eight assists in 2022.

LA Galaxy (8-7-3) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (4-7-7)

(10 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes)

• The LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes have met 77 times in the long rivalry between the two MLS originals, with the Galaxy holding a 34-27-16 series advantage. The Galaxy have won two of the past three, though the Earthquakes took the last meeting between the clubs 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park on August 20, 2021.
• The Galaxy will look to rebound following a 3-2 loss to its other in-state rival, LAFC, in Week 19. Rayan Raveloson recorded a goal and an assist in last week’s match and has scored three goals in his past two matches. 
• Joining Raveloson on the attack is Dejan Joveljic, who has scored in four of his last five MLS matches, with five goals over that span. Joveljic has nine goals across all competitions this season, including three in U.S. Open Cup play.
• The Galaxy had two players selected to the 2022 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target – defender Julián Araujo and forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.
• San Jose forward Jeremy Ebobisse scored his 10th goal of the season in the club’s 2-2 draw vs. Toronto FC last week, and is currently tied for third in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race. Ebobisse is one off of his career high in goals (11 for the 2019 Portland Timbers) and looks to match his personal best against a Galaxy team that has traditionally served him well. Ebobisse has seven goals in seven career MLS starts against the Galaxy and he has failed to score only once in his seven starts against the club.