Top Things to Watch in MLS this Week
D.C. United Hail Taxi Fountas as DP Difference-Maker
The light is on for D.C. United forward Taxiarchis “Taxi” Fountas, who has sparked the club’s attack since making his Designated Player debut on April 16. Fountas was originally set to arrive in July 2022; however, D.C. United upped the ante, agreeing to new terms to bring the impact player in early.
The Greek international has certainly proven his worth, scoring or assisting on half (eight) of D.C. United’s 16 total goals this season in just five starts since arriving. With Fountas on the pitch, D.C. has averaged 1.6 goals per 90 minutes compared to 0.9 goals per 90 minutes without him. Earlier this month, he became the seventh player in league history to record two multi-goal outings in just his first four appearances.
Fountas’ flair on and off the pitch has already endeared him to fans and teammates alike, with the player gaining a loyal social media following by wearing taxi driver hats, signing autographs in the pouring rain or helping turtles cross the road to avoid traffic.
He learned German during his time in Austria and uses it to communicate with teammates Russell Canouse and Julian Gressel; however, others in the locker room have noted that he’s a jokester and uses a bit of English to maintain that reputation.
When D.C. United travel to face Eastern Conference rivals the New York Red Bulls on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, MLS Live on ESPN+), will Taxi’s production and personality create enough traffic to turn their results in D.C.’s favor?
Real Salt Lake Coach Credits Fans with Home Unbeaten Run
Consistency is the “secret sauce,” according to Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni, who credits the club’s 4-0-1 home unbeaten streak to a combined team effort and the strength of their fervent supporters. For the first time in club history, RSL have started the season with five consecutive home sellouts, creating a home-field advantage that’s propelling their five-game unbeaten run at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The RSL faithful are showing up in waves, including the more than 20,000 that were in attendance for last week’s crucial come-from-behind victory over Austin FC. With the atmosphere on their side and the game on the line, Salt Lake defender Andrew Brody scored his first career goal on an 88th-minute game winner that sent Rio Tinto into its self-proclaimed “RioT”.
Brody’s goal symbolized the collective efforts of RSL’s attack that has seen 10 different goal scorers this season – a figure that ranks among the top five in the league. Defensively, the club is backstopped by goalkeeper Zac MacMath, who ranks second in MLS in saves (52).
On Saturday, the Claret-and-Cobalt return to Rio Tinto, aiming to cook up more of that “secret sauce” with their supporters as a key ingredient, when they host Houston Dynamo FC (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Live on ESPN+).
Earthquakes Offense Continues to Shake Western Conference
The San Jose Earthquakes’ offense has erupted over the last month, with attacking talent up and down the roster producing 12 goals in six games, ranking second only to New York City FC’s 13 goals during that stretch.
Leading the way is San Jose midfielder and Designated Player Jamiro Monteiro, whose three goals and four assists have paced the club's attack, including the game-winner in their 3-2 victory over the Portland Timbers (WATCH).
The Quakes have built a 3-2-1 record and climbed three spots up the Western Conference standings since Cristian Espinoza’s hat trick sparked their scoring run in a 4-3 win over the Seattle Sounders FC on April 23. In addition, Espinoza has notched two goals against Vancouver (May 14) and an assist on Nathan’s game-winner against the Colorado Rapids (May 7).
Leaning on a trio of young Americans in the final third, San Jose’s Jeremy Ebobisse, Jackson Yueill, and Cade Cowell have combined for 11 goals and five assists this campaign. Ebobisse’s seven goals on the season tie for third among top scorers in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi standings, sitting behind only FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira (9) for most goals by an American in MLS this season.
With major momentum and a slew of attacking options, the Earthquakes will look to maintain their scoring touch against the Supporters’ Shield-leading Los Angeles Football Club at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, UniMas / TUDN / Twitter – English audio).
Austin’s League-Best Offense Angles to Avenge in Galaxy Rematch
With an opportunity to increase their league-best 27 goals, Austin FC travel to face a Western Conference rival in the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, Univision / TUDN / Twitter – English audio), looking to avenge a loss that snapped their seven-game unbeaten streak earlier this season.
After the first meeting between these sides on May 8 produced a 1-0 Galaxy road win, it marked just the second time this season that any club has held Austin FC scoreless. Since that fateful day, however, Austin has scored five goals in the three games that have followed, with midfielder Diego Fagúndez and forward Sebastián Driussi rebooting their Landon Donovan MLS MVP campaigns thanks to a combined two goals and two assists over the span. Fagúndez remains tied for the MLS lead with seven assists, and Driussi’s 12 combined goal contributions are the most by any player in the league this season.
Austin FC is reckoning for revenge, as they look to maintain their regular season dominance. However, the LA Galaxy will lean on the safe hands of goalkeeper Jonathan Bond and their staunch defense with sights set on a stinging second shutout of their Texas opposition.
Charlotte FC to Face Powerhouse Seattle Heading into FIFA break
As players are peaking into top form heading into national team duty, the last MLS match before the FIFA international window will feature two of the season’s most talked about clubs, when expansion side Charlotte FC travels to perennial powerhouse Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday night at Lumen Field (9:30 p.m. ET, FS1 / FOX Deportes).
For Charlotte, a pair of Poland internationals in Karol Świderski and Kamil Jóźwiak have joined forces with Ecuador internationals Jordy Alcívarand Alan Franco to become the keys to victory after combining for five goals and four assists in the club’s five wins this season.
Meanwhile for Seattle, the production of forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Cristian Roldan has helped them both earn a U.S. Men’s National Team call-up, as in all competitions, Morris has posted five goals and four assists, while club and countryman Roldan has provided a combined three goals and eight assists.
Playing lights out in Leg 2 of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League final, Peruvian forward Raúl Ruidíaz netted two goals to seal the title before following that up with goals in back-to-back MLS regular season games. With a World Cup qualifying intercontinental playoff coming up for Peru on June 16, he’ll be focused on finishing this weekend to stay in form.
With preparation for national team pride in full focus, will newcomers Charlotte FC or the strong and steady Seattle see their internationals rise to a whole new level?
MLS NEXT Pro-leading Columbus Features One of First U.S. Professional Soccer Players of Hmong Descent
Columbus Crew 2 continued its hot streak through MLS NEXT Pro on Sunday, winning its seventh straight match with a 4-2 victory over Toronto FC II. After dropping its first match of the season to Inter Miami II on March 26, no club has been able to stop Crew 2 since. Columbus currently has the best record in MLS NEXT Pro (21 points, 7-1-0) and sits atop the Eastern Conference while leading the league in wins and fewest goals against (five). Of its seven wins this season, five have been clean sheets.
One of the many players contributing to the club’s success is 22-year-old midfielder Michael Vang, one of the first professional soccer players of Hmong descent in the United States. The Hmong people are an ethnic group indigenous to China and Southeast Asia with their own language and culture. So far this season, Vang has appeared in six matches, starting three. But for him, playing professionally for Crew 2 is about more than just the game itself.
“It means a lot because there are a lot of kids that are looking up to me as an example of someone they want to be,” Vang said in a recent interview. “And it's just (about) inspiring them and motivating them to do whatever they want to do and to accomplish their goals.”
MLS NEXT Pro provides players from around the world the platform to play the global game of soccer here in the U.S. As Vang said, “It's been great. We just have so many different people from different countries and it's just beautiful what the game brings.”
CF Montréal and TFC Enter the 2022 Canadian Championship
The quarterfinal round of the 2022 Canadian Championship kicks off tonight, as two more MLS teams – CF Montréal and Toronto FC – enter the domestic cup competition. Vancouver Whitecaps FC advanced to this round after a 2-0 victory over Winnipeg Valour FC that featured goals from Russell Teibert and Ryan Raposo. Teibert has appeared in a record 11 editions of the competition and has played a tournament-high 26 matches in the Canadian Championship.
Inaugurated in 2008, the Canadian Championship is Canada Soccer’s highest professional soccer competition, with the victor earning the Voyageurs Cup and a place in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Last year, CF Montréal earned a berth in the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Toronto on November 21, 2021.
An MLS side has won the Canadian Championship every year since 2009, with Toronto FC holding the record of seven Voyageurs Cup wins, followed by Montreal with five, and Vancouver with one.
A full listing of Canadian Championship quarterfinal matches is listed below. All Canadian Championship matches will air live and exclusively on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV in Canada (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform.
Wednesday, May 24
HFX Wanderers FC vs. Toronto FC (6 p.m. ET)
Pacific FC vs. York United (10 p.m. ET)
Thursday, May 25
CF Montréal vs. Forge FC (7 p.m. ET)
Calvary FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9 p.m. ET)
Thirteen MLS Club Vie for Position in 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals
Four wins stand between the remaining 16 teams in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and a berth in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. With 13 MLS clubs still in contention for the coveted crown in the oldest national cup competition, all eight U.S. Open Cup matches on Wednesday night will feature MLS clubs, including five intraleague MLS matchups.
All matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ and a full schedule of this week’s matches can be found here.
Highlighting the slate of matches will be two intrastate matchups, as Orlando City SC host Inter Miami CF, and the LA Galaxy welcome cross-town rivals the Los Angeles Football Club in the first-ever U.S. Open Cup edition of El Tráfico. The three remaining lower division clubs include Louisville City (USL Championship), Sacramento Republic (USL Championship), and Union Omaha (USL League One), who will face off against MLS sides Nashville SC, San Jose and Minnesota United, respectively.
Of the 13 MLS clubs remaining, four have previously won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: Sporting Kansas City (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017), LA Galaxy (2001, 2005), Houston Dynamo FC (2018) and New England Revolution (2007). Sporting’s four U.S. Open Cup victories are tied with the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders FC for the most by an MLS club in the history of the tournament. 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.
The remaining Major League Soccer clubs will have an opportunity to secure an all-MLS quarterfinal for the first time since 2015 and just the fourth time since 2000. With a place in the Concacaf Champions League on the horizon, expect high-flying action across Wednesday’s full slate of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition.
Quick Hits & Key Stats
Big Things Happening in the Big Apple: After New York City FC’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire in Week 13, NYCFC set a club record fifth consecutive clean sheet, the longest shoutout streak in MLS since 2019 D.C. United (five matches, Aug. 31 to Oct. 6) and tied for the fourth-longest streak in league history. Since April 16, NYCFC has been dominant on both ends of the pitch, leading the league in both most goals scored (19) and fewest goals conceded (four) over the span. This run of success has directly resulted in a steady climb up the Supporters’ Shield standings, with the club going unbeaten with six wins over that seven-match period.
NYCFC looks to continue its defensive mastery on Saturday night, as they travel to Allianz Field to take on Minnesota United FC (8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
Colorado Continues Home Dominance: On the strength of a 50th-minute goal from Jonathan Lewis, the Colorado Rapids extended their historic home unbeaten streak to 23 consecutive regular season matches without a loss at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The streak is tied for the fourth-longest in MLS history, matching the 2014-15 LA Galaxy (23 matches from April 12, 2014, to May 27, 2015).
The Rapids will look to continue their ascent into the record books on Saturday night as they welcome Nashville SC to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (9 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+). Nashville, who own a 21-game home undefeated streak of their own, and Colorado are the first pair of MLS teams to hold a home unbeaten streak of at least 20 matches at the same time.
Lod Earns Place atop Loons Leaderboard: Minnesota United midfielder Robin Lod’s goal in the club’s 2-1 victory over FC Dallas - his third consecutive match with a score - was of the record-setting variety. With 22 career regular season goals for the Loons, Lod surpassed Christian Ramirez, Darwin Quintero and Kevin Molino for the most regular season goals scored by a player in club history.
Lod, who leads the club with six goals this season, is the only player in Minnesota United history to score in five different games over a six-game span and will look to continue his stellar run against a stingy NYCFC defense on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
Arriola’s Ascends in Dallas: With his sensational strike from distance last week, FC Dallas midfielder Paul Arriola extended his career-best scoring streak to four matches. He is just the second FC Dallas player in the last decade to score in four consecutive league matches, matching Maxi Urruti, who accomplished the feat three times during his Dallas tenure.
On Saturday, Arriola and FC Dallas travel to face a tough Orlando City SC squad at Exploria Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
