This Week in MLS - April 23, 2018

This Week in MLS – April 23, 2018

• LAFC to play inaugural match at Banc of California Stadium on Sunday   
• Osorio, Toronto FC in must-win state to capture Concacaf Champions League Final crown
• MLS players prepare for 2018 FIFA World Cup with tournament 50 days away
• 100 Days until MLS All-Stars face Juventus in Atlanta
• FC Dallas, stalwart defense look to maintain unbeaten start at East-leading NYCFC
• MLS equals all-time record for goals scored in a weekend
• MLS Week 9: Match Notes

LAFC to play inaugural match at $350 million Banc of California Stadium on Sunday
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) last week unveiled its $350 million Banc of California Stadium and will take on Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday for the first ever match at the state-of-the-art facility (9 p.m. ET, FS1). Banc of California Stadium will be the 15
^th
stadium built from the ground up in MLS and the 19
^th
built with soccer in mind. Following the opening of D.C. United’s Audi Field in July 2018 and Minnesota United FC’s Allianz Field in 2019, 21 of 23 MLS clubs will play in venues built with soccer in mind.

• Click here for aerial drone videos of Banc of California Stadium
  
• Click here for photographs of Banc of California Stadium
  

LAFC also opened its new $30 million training facility earlier this month that serves as home for the first team, academy, and club staff. The LAFC Performance Center is the fifth world class MLS training site to open since 2017 catering to both the first team and academy players with New York City FC opening later this season.
With an already announced sellout of its 22,000-seat stadium for its inaugural home match, LAFC expects raucous support for its match against Seattle. Mexico National Team star
Carlos Vela
and 20-year-old Uruguayan
Diego Rossi
are both tied for the league-lead in combined goals and assists with eight. The duo have led LAFC to an impressive start to the season, winning four of its first six matches on the road to power the highest scoring team in the league in goals per game (2.67 goals per game).

Osorio, Toronto FC in must-win state to capture Concacaf Champions League Final crown
Toronto FC travels down to Guadalajara, Mexico, with the hopes of achieving a first in MLS history – to earn a trip to the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup this December in the United Arab Emirates. To accomplish this feat, Toronto needs to overcome a 2-1 aggregate deficit against famed Liga MX side Chivas de Guadalajara in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League Final on Wednesday at Estadio Akron (9:30 p.m. ET / UDN, TSN, go90.com).
Toronto’s 25-year-old midfielder
Jonathan Osorio
has been a breakout player contributing to the club’s CCL success. Following a 2017 MLS season in which he was utilized more frequently off the bench, Osorio has firmly established himself as an attacking stalwart in the CCL as the frontrunner for the Golden Boot race with four tallies, including Toronto’s 19th-minute goal in the opening 2-1 loss to Chivas on April 17 at BMO Field. With Osorio, free kick specialist
Sebastian Giovinco
(3 goals in CCL) and striker
Jozy Altidore
(2 goals in CCL) among Toronto’s arsenal, the club will attempt to defeat a third Liga MX side after advancing past Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals and Club América in the semifinal stage.
Jonathan Osorio: Clutch in the CCL

Toronto FC established themselves as one of the best clubs in MLS history after earning the treble in 2017 – the Supporters’ Shield, Canadian Championship and MLS Cup. Winning the CCL Final would further etch Toronto’s name in MLS lure.
How to Watch:

• Leg 2: Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Toronto FC (Wednesday, April 25, 9:30 p.m. ET) – Watch live on UDN or TSN, or live stream via go90.com or the go90 app
  

Leg 2 Scenarios:

• Toronto FC: TFC can win the CCL Final with a two-goal victory (or greater) to win on aggregate; Toronto can also win the final with a one-goal victory provided it can overtake Chivas’ road goals tiebreaker advantage (Chivas leads 2-0).
  
• Chivas de Guadalajara: Chivas can win the CCL Final with a win or draw; Chivas can also win with a one-goal loss if they maintain their current road goals tiebreaker advantage of 2-0.
  
• Shootout scenario: If Leg 2 ends in a 2-1 Toronto FC win, the series will be decided in a penalty kick shootout.
  

MLS players prepare for 2018 FIFA World Cup with tournament 50 days away
This Wednesday marks the 50-day countdown to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and a number of MLS players are battling to be included in their respective nation’s roster for the world’s biggest sporting event. Among the standouts expected in Russia this summer include Los Angeles Football Club’s
Carlos Vela
(Mexico), Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s
Kendall Waston
(Costa Rica) and Orlando City SC’s
Yoshimar Yotún
(Peru).
Players across the league are also using strong MLS league play to prove they deserve inclusion on their country’s 25-man World Cup roster.
Gustav Svensson
(Seattle Sounders FC) started for Sweden in World Cup qualifiers and could be joined by New York City FC defender
Anton Tinnerholm
and LA Galaxy forward
Zlatan Ibrahimović
. Tinnerholm has scored
two incredible goals
for league-leading NYCFC while Ibrahimović’s well known antics have

with three goals scored in four appearances.
With Mexico set to face Sweden in Group F play, plenty of MLS star power could be on display as Vela could join MLS rivals
Jonathan and Giovani dos Santos
(LA Galaxy) on the world’s biggest stage.
100 Days until MLS All-Stars face Juventus in Atlanta
The best in MLS are 100 days out from facing Italy’s finest, Juventus, in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on August 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. As the opposing Italian giants are in deep pursuit of another Serie A title-clinching season after already securing a spot in the Coppa Italia Final set for next month.
Juventus midfielder
Sami Khedira
, with eight goals this year including a hat trick against Udinese and two goals against Sassuolo, took notice of the global spotlight shining on Atlanta’s record-breaking attendance and supporters culture:
“As you can see, if they are coming with 70,000 people, and also we played there last year, so the fans there like ‘soccer’ as they said, I think it will be an amazing experience to play there against the MLS All-Star Team.”
(
Download Video
)
Tickets to the 2018 MLS All-Star Game are on sale now through
Ticketmaster.com
. The annual midsummer showcase will feature a week of events in Atlanta surrounding the game, including concerts, community service initiatives, player appearances, as well as an additional showcase match featuring the best young players from across the league. More information on the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target can be found at 
MLSsoccer.com/AllStar
.
FC Dallas, stalwart defense look to maintain unbeaten start at East-leading NYCFC
Entering Week 9 of the 2018 season, only one unbeaten club remains as FC Dallas (3-0-3, 12 points) travel to face Eastern Conference-leading New York City FC (5-1-2, 16 points) on Sunday in Frisco, Texas (6 p.m. ET / ESPN+). FC Dallas are third in the Western Conference and sport a mix of top youth prospects and a sturdy defense to compensate for the absences of key figures such as U.S. Men’s National Team and Homegrown Players
Kellyn Acosta
and
Jesse Gonzalez
.
Homegrown 19-year-old defender
Reggie Cannon
has been a significant piece in solidifying FC Dallas’ defense, having started in all six matches in his first full season with the club. Dallas has conceded an MLS-low three goals in six games, anchored by goalkeeper
Jimmy Maurer
who leads MLS with a 0.50 goals-against average and is tied for the league lead with three shutouts.
Several young players from last year’s FCD squad have played an elevated part in 2018, such as 22-year-old midfielder
Jacori Hayes
. The first-round selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft has already logged nearly six times as much playing time as his rookie season, starting in all six matches (518 minutes), while scoring the game-winning goal at the New England Revolution on April 14 and assisting the lone Dallas goal during a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers on March 24. Paraguayan forward
Cristian Colman
, 24, has earned back-to-back starts the past two weeks, and his 89th-minute equalizer off the bench against the Colorado Rapids on April 7 kept Dallas’ unbeaten start intact.
MLS equals all-time record for goals scored in a weekend
With 46 goals scored last Friday through Sunday across an 11-game slate, MLS matched the all-time record for goals scored over a single weekend. That total equaled the 46 goals from last season’s high-stakes
MLS Decision Day 2017 presented by AT&T
(also scored among 11 matches), when postseason hopes were on the line in Week 33. Sporting Kansas City led the way with a 6-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Friday, which equaled a club single-game record set three times previously. Sporting midfielder
Johnny Russell
and Montreal Impact playmaker
Ignacio Piatti
each recorded a hat trick, with Piatti surpassing the 50-goal career milestone (currently has 51 goals). (
Watch all 46 goals from Week 8
).
MLS Week 9: Match Notes
Friday, April 27, 2018
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m. ET (TSN, ESPN+)

• Whitecaps FC suffered the heaviest defeat of their MLS history, falling 6-0 to Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Friday evening. The previous club record for goals allowed in an MLS game was four, set on eight occasions.
  
• Real Salt Lake won for a third consecutive match – all at Rio Tinto Stadium – with a 3-0 win against Rocky Mountain rivals Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening. Albert Rusnák scored a goal and added an assist – already the sixth time in his MLS career he’s had a goal and an assist in the same game – while Nick Rimando posted his 139th career league shutout, his second in 2018.
  
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Luis Silva and Jefferson Savarino scored to lead Real Salt Lake to a 2-0 win on April 7 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
  
• The ‘Caps have won the past five meetings at BC Place, dating back to 2014, winning 3-2 there last Sept. 9 in the last encounter in Vancouver. RSL have won the last three meetings at Rio Tinto Stadium.
  

Saturday, April 28, 2018
Atlanta United vs. Montreal Impact, 1 p.m. ET (TVA Sports, ESPN+)

• Atlanta United extended their undefeated run to six games – the second-longest in the club’s MLS history – with a 2-0 win against the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center on Saturday evening.
  
• Josef Martínez scored his sixth goal of the season – now leading the MLS Golden Boot standings – while Miguel Almirón converted a penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season, one of two players in MLS this season with at least four goals and four assists.
  
• The Impact suffered their third consecutive defeat, falling 5-3 to the Los Angeles Football Club at Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Ignacio Piatti scored a hat trick – with all three goals coming before halftime – the first hat trick of his MLS career and the fifth in the Impact’s MLS history. Piatti became the 61st player in MLS history to reach 50 goals in his league career (now with 51).
  
• The teams split their two meetings a year ago in Atlanta United’s inaugural season in MLS. The Impact took a 2-1 win on April 15 at Stade Saputo; Atlanta United returned the favor with a 2-0 victory on Sept. 24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
  

Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 3 p.m. ET (CTV, ESPN+)

• Toronto FC suffered their fourth defeat in five matches, falling 5-1 to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Mitchell Taintor – signed on loan the day before the match – scored the TFC goal on his MLS debut.
  
• The Fire won their second match on the season, over the past three games, defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 at Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon. Nemanja Nikolic scored his fifth goal of the season, sitting second in the MLS Golden Boot standings.
  
• Toronto FC have won the past six meetings between the teams, including both matchups a year ago, both by a 3-1 scoreline – the first coming April 21 at BMO Field, the second Aug. 19 at Toyota Park.
  
• The Fire’s last victory in the series came April 4, 2015, a 3-2 win at Toyota Park, which ended a 12-game Fire undefeated streak in the series (6-0-6), dating back to 2010.
  
• TFC have won the last two meetings at Toyota Park, their only wins ever there. The Fire had come away with five wins and five draws in the first 10 meetings all-time in Bridgeview. TFC have won the past four encounters at BMO Field.
  

Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 3:30 p.m. ET (UniMás, UDN)

• The Union suffered a second consecutive defeat while seeing their winless streak stretched to five matches, falling 2-0 to FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. The Union saw their current goalless streak extended to 206 minutes.
  
• D.C. United return to action after a week off, their last match a 1-0 win against Columbus Crew SC at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Ulises Segura scored the game’s lone goal after 43 seconds – the third-longest in MLS history a team has held on for a 1-0 win.
  
• The teams met three times a season ago, and the Union won twice. D.C. United took a 2-1 win on April 1 at RFK Stadium in the first matchup between the clubs, but the Union won the next two, once at each ground, a 4-0 victory on May 13 in the nation’s capital, then a 1-0 win on June 24 at Talen Energy Stadium.
  
• The Union win in the second meeting last year ended a six-game United undefeated streak in the series at RFK Stadium. The Union’s last victory on East Capitol Street had come April 21, 2013.
  
• The Union have won the past four meetings in Chester, over the last three seasons, without conceding a goal. United have now not scored a goal in the past 444 minutes played at Talen Energy Stadium.
  

Columbus Crew SC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• Crew SC put an end to a three-game losing skid but saw their winless streak extended to four games, reaching a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening. Gyasi Zardes scored his fifth goal of the season, sitting in a tie for second place in the MLS Golden Boot standings.
  
• The Quakes had their winless streak stretched to five matches, falling 3-2 to Orlando City SC at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday evening. Florian Jungwirth scored both San Jose goals, his first two goals this season (he had two in 30 appearances last year).
  
• The Quakes won the lone meeting between the teams a year ago, a 2-1 win on Aug. 5 at Avaya Stadium, extending their home undefeated streak in the series to six matches (3-0-3).
  
• Crew SC have won once in the past 10 meetings between the teams – the last meeting at Mapfre Stadium, a 2-0 victory on Aug. 27, 2016. The last Crew SC win had been Aug. 8, 2009, a 3-0 victory at Candlestick Park in San Francisco – the Quakes won two of the next eight meetings, with six draws.
  

New England Revolution vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• The Revolution gained their second consecutive result on their travels, reaching a 2-2 draw with Columbus Crew SC at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening. Alex Bunbury scored his third goal of the season, all coming over the past four games.
  
• Sporting extended their undefeated streak to seven matches, matching their largest margin of victory in the club’s 23-year history, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC 6-0 at Children’s Mercy Park on Friday evening. The win equaled a 6-0 win against the MetroStars on June 20, 1999.
  
• Johnny Russell scored a hat trick, the eighth in SKC club history, now sitting in a tie for second place in the MLS Golden Boot standings with five goals for the season.
  
• Sporting won the lone meeting between the teams a year ago, a 3-1 victory on Sept. 16 at Children’s Mercy Park. The Revolution have won once on their past 11 trips to Kansas City, since 2008, a 3-2 victory on Sept. 26, 2014, which ended an eight-game winless streak there in the series.
  
• The Revolution have won the past three meetings in Foxborough. The Revolution’s 2-0 win at Gillette Stadium on April 26, 2014, snapped a six-game Sporting undefeated streak in league play in the series, scoring their first goals vs. SKC since July 30, 2011, snapping a 592-minute shutout streak.
  

Minnesota United FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• Minnesota United suffered their fourth consecutive loss – the longest losing run of their MLS history – in a 3-1 defeat by Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field on Sunday afternoon.
  
• The Dynamo put an end to their four-game winless run, defeating Toronto FC 5-1 on Saturday afternoon at BBVA Compass Stadium. The five goals matched the club’s record in MLS league play, set four times previously.
  
• The teams met three times a year ago in Minnesota United’s inaugural MLS season, and the Dynamo were undefeated. The Dynamo claimed the only win in the series, a 2-1 victory on Sept. 30 at Houston.
  
• The teams played to draws in the first two meetings, once at each ground – a 2-2 result on April 15 at BBVA Compass Stadium, and a goalless match on July 19 at TCF Bank Stadium.
  

LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• The Galaxy suffered a second consecutive defeat at StubHub Center, falling 2-0 to Atlanta United on Saturday evening.
  
• The Red Bulls followed a victory with a loss for a third consecutive league match this season, falling 2-1 to the Chicago Fire at Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon.
  
• The Galaxy won the only meeting between the teams a year ago, a 3-1 victory on May 14 at Red Bull Arena, the first win by either side in the series since 2014. The teams had played to draws in each of the previous two meetings, one at each ground.
  
• The win last year was the second by the Galaxy in the past nine meetings, dating back to 2010. Last year’s win also ended a three-game winning streak at Red Bull Arena for New York.
  
• The Galaxy have won once in the past five meetings between the teams at StubHub Center, a 4-0 victory on Sept. 28, 2014.
  

Sunday, April 29, 2018
Colorado Rapids vs. Orlando City SC, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• The Rapids had their four-game undefeated streak put to an end, falling 3-0 to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Orlando City SC won their fourth consecutive match – one game shy of the club’s record in MLS – defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Dom Dwyer scored for a fourth consecutive game – now with five goals on the season, tied for second place in the MLS Golden Boot standings – while rookie Chris Mueller scored for a third consecutive season, one game shy of the MLS record for consecutive games with a goal by a rookie.
  
• The Rapids have yet to win – and score a goal – in the all-time series vs. Orlando City. Orlando City have won twice, both times by 2-0 scorelines, both times at home – June 24, 2015 at the Citrus Bowl, and last April 29 at Orlando City Stadium in the only meeting between the teams.
  
• The teams played to a goalless draw in their only meeting ever at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Aug. 20, 2016.
  

New York City FC vs. FC Dallas, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

• New York City FC saw their undefeated start to the season put to an end, falling 3-0 to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon. The defeat snapped an overall eight-game undefeated streak in league play, dating back to the end of last season.
  
• FC Dallas are the only team remaining in MLS without a loss this season, following their 2-0 win against the Philadelphia Union at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. It was a second consecutive win for FCD, both by shutout, now 208 minutes since last conceding a goal.
  
• FC Dallas have yet to lose to NYCFC in their all-time series. FCD claimed a victory in the first meeting ever between the clubs, a 2-1 win on Sept. 12, 2015 at Toyota Stadium.
  
• The teams have reached draws in each of the past two seasons, once at each ground – a 2-2 result Sept. 17, 2016 at Yankee Stadium, then a 1-1 draw in last year’s only encounter, May 14 at Toyota Stadium.
  

Los Angeles Football Club vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 9 p.m. ET (FS1)

• The teams are meeting for the second time ever. Diego Rossi scored in the 11th minute as LAFC opened their MLS history with a 1-0 win against Sounders FC on March 4 at CenturyLink Field, the fourth expansion team in league annals to start with a victory.
  
• LAFC concluded their six-match road trip to start their MLS history with a fourth victory, storming back from two goals down for a 5-3 win against the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Carlos Vela scored his fifth goal of the season, now tied for second in the MLS Golden Boot standings, while Marco Ureña collected his fifth assist of the season, sitting in a tie for the league lead.
  
• Sounders FC won their first match of the season, ending a four-game winless run to start the year, defeating Minnesota United 3-1 at CenturyLink Field on Sunday afternoon.
  
• Cristian Roldan collected a pair of assists – the first multiple-assist game of his MLS career – as Will Bruin scored his second goal of the season.