Fastest to 25: Messi on Pace for MLS History
After securing three MLS Player of the Matchday awards in the last four weeks, Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi is well on his way to one of the best seasons in MLS history. The Argentine legend leads the league with 22 goal contributions, including 10 goals and 12 assists, through his first eight games of the 2024 season and is on pace to shatter the MLS single-season record for combined goals and assists.
No player in MLS history has reached 25 goal contributions in fewer than 16 games during a single season, a record currently held by Carlos Vela during his MVP campaign of 2019. Only five players in league history have reached 25 combined goals and assists in 20 or fewer games.
With three contributions – a mark he has reached in each of his last three MLS matches – against CF Montréal on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), Messi would reach the 25-contribution mark in just his ninth game of the season.
The players to reach 25 goal contributions in the fewest games in a single season:
Ruidíaz Eyes Scoring Mark vs. Rival Timbers
MLS Rivalry Week presented by Continental Tire takes center stage on Matchday 13 and one of the fiercest and most storied rivalries in MLS history will add another chapter as the Portland Timbers welcome Seattle Sounders FC to Providence Park on Sunday (4:45 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / FOX). With bragging rights on the line, Seattle will turn to star striker Raúl Ruidíaz, a noted thorn in the Timbers’ side with nine career goals against Portland.
With a goal on Sunday, Ruidíaz would become the second player to reach 10 career regular-season goals against the Portland Timbers in MLS play, joining long-time Earthquakes midfielder Chris Wondolowski (11 goals in 24 games vs. Portland). He would also register the most goals by a Sounder against their Pacific Northwest rival, breaking a tie with Clint Dempsey (nine goals in 12 career games vs. Portland).
The players with the most regular-season goals against Portland in MLS history:
Toronto FC Aims to Keep Streaking
After a challenging 2023 season, Toronto FC has been one of the early-season surprises in MLS under the direction of first-year head coach John Herdman. Currently in third place in the Eastern Conference table with 19 points (6-4-1), Toronto has won three consecutive matches, allowing just two goals over the span, and will look to continue their winning ways against New York City FC on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
With a win against New York City, Toronto would record the sixth winning streak of four-or-more games in a single season in their MLS history and the first since winning five consecutive matches from Sept. 23 through Oct. 11, 2020, en route to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
The longest single-season winning streaks in Toronto FC history:
Miami Takes Scoring Show North of the Border
Behind sensational play from the league’s top two leading scorers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Inter Miami CF leads MLS with 32 goals scored this season, 11 more than the next-closest team (LA Galaxy, 21). The Herons’ run of goal-scoring success has reached new heights across the last two matches, as the club has outscored their opponents 10-3, including a 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Matchday 12.
Miami will look to join elite scoring company against CF Montréal on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), as they can become the third team in MLS history to record 15-or-more goals over a three-game span. Only the 2022 Philadelphia Union (16 goals from Aug. 20-31) and the 1998 LA Galaxy (15 goals, June 4-18) have accomplished the feat, with both teams finishing atop their respective conferences in those seasons.
The most goals scored by a club over a three-game regular-season span in MLS history:
Austin’s Ascension Led by Stuver
Unbeaten across their last three matches, Austin FC’s recent run of form has been powered by a stalwart in goalkeeper Brad Stuver, who has notched clean sheets in each of the last three games. Stuver, who also has 18 saves across Austin’s last three, has held his opponents scoreless for the last 303 minutes, the longest active streak in MLS and 22 minutes shy of the longest shutout streak by a ‘keeper during the 2024 campaign.
With a strong showing against in-state rival FC Dallas on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), Stuver would surpass Seattle’s Stefan Frei (324 minutes, March 30 – April 20) for the longest scoreless streak by a goalkeeper in MLS in 2024. This would also mark the first time in Austin FC history that the club recorded a shutout in four consecutive matches.
The longest shoutout streaks by a goalkeeper during the 2024 regular season:
