This Week in MLS - May 21, 2018

This Week in MLS – May 21, 2018

• All eyes on Galaxy’s Jonathan dos Santos before 23-man World Cup rosters revealed
• World Cup hopeful MLS players in final week of play before reporting to camp
• Crew SC’s Zardes finds attacking groove, on pace for career season
• Zimmerman called into U.S. Camp after strong LAFC start
• MLS Week 13: Match Notes

All eyes on Galaxy’s Jonathan dos Santos before 23-man World Cup rosters revealed
With hopes that his lasting MLS impressions will result in a World Cup opportunity, LA Galaxy midfielder
Jonathan dos Santos
is taking full advantage of his most valuable chances to shine before players report to national teams after the weekend. A mainstay for El Tri in major international competitions last year, the persistent playmaker has a goal and assist for the Galaxy this season, and is poised for peak performances on Monday against the Montreal Impact and on Friday against the San Jose Earthquakes in 83
^rd
all-time Cali Clasico.  
With 34 caps and a proven difference-maker under pressure, the younger dos Santos brother who joined MLS last season has already translated valuable LA Galaxy experience into World Cup Qualifier appearances and an influential role in Mexico’s run to the semifinals of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. During the Confederations Cup, he sent in the game-tying assist against Portugal in the Group Stage and earned Best XI honors in the competition.
Named to Mexico’s provisional roster with older brother and Galaxy teammate Gio dos Santos, the two will be channeling strong performances for the Galaxy this week to solidify their spots among El Tri’s final 23 heading to Russia.
World Cup hopeful MLS players in final week of play before reporting to camp
MLS players are making final preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as over 20 standouts across the league will play in their final club matches before reporting to national team camp next week. Before traveling to Russia, a number of players are battling for final spots on their countries’ 23-man roster, using MLS play as a final opportunity to impress their national team coaches.
Among those heading to the World Cup include Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain and defender
Kendall Waston
. One of six active MLS players named to Costa Rica’s final 23-man roster, Waston will play on Saturday against New England before departing for national team camp with the rest of his fellow countrymen. Additional players reporting to camp after this week’s matches include seven MLS-based Panama players, two Peru National Team players and three Mexico National Teamers.
A full list of MLS players called into preliminary or final rosters can be found
here
.
Crew SC’s Zardes finds attacking groove, on pace for career season
Columbus Crew SC striker
Gyasi Zardes
is on pace for a career campaign through just 12 weeks of the 2018 season, having already generated more scoring chances than his previous two seasons. Zardes will once again lead Crew SC this weekend when they visit Western Conference-leading Sporting Kansas City on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (6 p.m. ET / FS1).
After spending five seasons with the LA Galaxy, Zardes was traded to Columbus during the offseason, and the move has paid dividends both individually and collectively. Zardes is tied for the league lead with eight goals in 13 matches, sitting alongside Atlanta United forward
Josef Martínez
and the New York Red Bulls’
Bradley Wright-Phillips
in the MLS Golden Boot race. Zardes and Columbus are tied for second in the Eastern Conference with 24 points alongside New York City FC with a 7-3-3 record.
The 26-year-old forward already is halfway to matching his career high of 16 goals during the 2014 season. Zardes has created 39 shots this year, already a massive leap from the 29 shots in 2017 and 24 shots in 2016. Zardes’ most recent standout effort was a brace during Columbus’ 3-0 win against the Chicago Fire on May 12.
As Zardes continues to add to his MLS resume, the goal is also to carry over that play into the U.S. Men’s National Team realm. Zardes was last called into the U.S. MNT’s January camp earlier this year, but it has been nearly two years since his last goal during the Copa América Centenario, scoring the game-winning goal during a 2-1 victory against Ecuador. One of Zardes’ best international performances took place at Children’s Mercy Park, where he recorded a brace to lead the USA to a 4-0 win against Bolivia on May 28, 2016.
GYASI ZARDES MLS GOALSCORING

Zimmerman called into U.S. Men’s National Team after strong LAFC start
Following a tremendous start with the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), defender
Walker Zimmerman
received his second call up in 2018 to represent the U.S. Men’s National Team for a friendly match against Bolivia on May 28 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa. (6:30 p.m. ET). The 25-year-old has played in the last eight matches for LAFC with the club compiling an impressive 4-2-2 record in those contests, sitting second in the Western Conference under head coach
Bob Bradley
.
While Zimmerman has shined under Bradley’s tutelage this season, he will now look to impress U.S. interim coach
Dave Sarachan
in camp. While the two managers have never coached on the same staff, their careers have taken many similar stops, with Sarachan taking over the Chicago Fire head coach position in 2002 from Bradley. Sarachan also took over as an assistant coach following Bradley departues from the University of Virginia in 1984 and at D.C. United in 1997.
Along with Zimmerman, Sarachan also called in Toronto FC goalkeeper
Alex Bono
to face Bolivia. The 24-year-old also earns his second call to represent the U.S. after a historic 2017 where he captured a treble with Toronto before finishing as runner-up in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League.
MLS Week 13: Match Notes
Friday, May 25, 2018
Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas, 8 p.m. ET (TSN, ESPN+)

• Toronto FC put an end to a two-game losing slide, getting a late goal for a 2-1 win against Orlando City SC at BMO Field on Friday evening. Ryan Telfer scored his first career MLS goal for the match-winner.
  
• FC Dallas remained undefeated at home this season, extending their current undefeated run to three games, gaining a 2-2 draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. Reggie Cannon scored his first career MLS goal; Mauro Diaz collected his fourth assist in the past two games.
  
• Toronto FC won the last meeting between the teams at BMO Field, a 1-0 victory on May 7, 2016 – their first win against FC Dallas since the 2007 season. FCD won eight of the 13 regular-season encounters in between, with five draws.
  
• FC Dallas have never lost to TFC in Frisco in league play, holding a 7-0-2 record there, with victories in the past three meetings at Toyota Stadium, including a 3-1 win last July 1 in the lone meeting between the teams. TFC did win 3-0 in the Concacaf Champions League group stage in 2011.
  

Houston Dynamo vs. New York City FC, 8:55 p.m. ET (UniMás, UDN)

• The Dynamo extended their undefeated run to three matches, getting a pair of goals from Alberth Elis for a come-from-behind 3-2 win against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on Sunday afternoon.
  
• NYCFC remained perfect at home this season, with a fifth win in five home games, after a 4-0 victory against the Colorado Rapids at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Maxi Moralez scored a goal and added two assists, the second time in his MLS career (in 41 appearances) he was involved in three goals in a single game.
  
• David Villa scored a pair of goals, the 17th multiple-goal game of his MLS career, tied for seventh-most in league history (in just 103 regular-season appearances).
  
• NYCFC have never lost to the Dynamo in their time in Major League Soccer, in three meetings. The teams played to a 1-1 draw last Sept. 23, at the University of Connecticut’s Rentschler Field, in the lone matchup between the teams – the second 1-1 draw in NYCFC’s home games in the all-time series.
  
• The lone victory in the series came Sept. 30, 2016 at BBVA Compass Stadium, a 2-0 NYCFC triumph.
  

LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 11 p.m. ET (UniMás, UDN)

• Danny Hoesen scored for a third consecutive match, now with six goals on the season, but the Quakes saw their home winless streak stretched to four games (with a second loss in a row) in a 3-1 defeat to D.C. United at Avaya Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• The teams met three times a year ago, and the Quakes won twice. San Jose claimed a 3-0 win in the last meeting, Aug. 27 at StubHub Center – its first win in Carson since 2012. The Quakes also took a 2-1 win on July 1 at Stanford Stadium.
  
• The Galaxy claimed a 4-2 win on May 27 at Avaya Stadium, just their second victory in the past 16 regular season games in northern California, across four stadiums.
  
• Known as the California Clásico, the Galaxy and Earthquakes have met 82 times in all competitions. In regular season play, the Galaxy have won 30 times and the Quakes 22, with 14 draws, since their first meeting on April 28, 1996.
  

Saturday, May 26, 2018
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• Sounders FC return to action after a week off, suffering a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on May 13, the 100th meeting all-time between the clubs, the longest-running rivalry in U.S. soccer history.
  
• Real Salt Lake remained winless on the road this season, suffering a fifth consecutive away defeat, falling 4-1 to the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Real Salt Lake snapped a three-game Sounders FC winning streak in the series in their second meeting last season, a 2-0 win on Sept. 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real have won their past five home games vs. Seattle; Sounders FC last won in league play in Sandy on May 28, 2011, a span of seven games (they did win there in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2012).
  
• Sounders FC won the matchup between the teams at CenturyLink Field, winning by the game’s lone goal on May 20. Sounders FC have won the past seven meetings between the teams in Seattle. RSL’s lone win there came May 12, 2012, a 1-0 victory.
  

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. New England Revolution, 5:30 p.m. ET (TSN, ESPN+)

• Whitecaps FC reached a third consecutive draw, coming back from two goals down for a late 2-2 result with FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Kei Kamara scored the equalizing goal from the penalty spot in the 10th minute of added time in the second half, the 100th-minute goal matching the latest ever score in regulation time in an MLS game.
  
• Kamara’s 102nd career goal moved him into sole possession of eighth place all-time in MLS history, passing Revolution great Taylor Twellman (101).
  
• The Revolution fell to their second home defeat of the season, losing by the game’s only goal to Columbus Crew SC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• The Revolution won the lone meeting between the clubs a year ago, a 1-0 win on Aug. 12 at Gillette Stadium. It was the first home win for either team in the series since 2013, when Whitecaps FC won 4-3 at BC Place.
  
• The ‘Caps have won once in three home meetings with the Revolution. The Revolution won 2-1 on June 18, 2016 in the last match in Vancouver, a second consecutive win for the road team in the series, after Whitecaps FC won 2-1 in Foxborough in 2015.
  

New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• The Red Bulls won their fourth game on the trot – a third in a row away from home – in their 3-1 win against Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday evening. Kaku recorded a pair of assists, a fourth consecutive game with an assist, his third two-assist game in that span; he now leads MLS with nine assists on the season.
  
• Bradley Wright-Phillips scored a pair of goals, moving into a tie for the lead in the MLS Golden Boot standings with eight goals for the year with Josef Martínez (ATL) and Gyasi Zardes (CLB). It was the 20th multiple-goal game of Wright-Phillips’ MLS career (his second two-goal game this season), now tied for fourth-most in MLS history.
  
• The teams evenly split their three league matchups a year ago. The Union claimed a 3-0 win on May 6 at Talen Energy Stadium behind a CJ Sapong hat trick, then the Red Bulls won 2-0 in Chester on June 18 as Wright-Phillips then netted both goals. The teams reached a goalless draw in the lone meeting at Red Bull Arena on Sept. 17.
  
• The Red Bulls are undefeated in the past three meetings at Red Bull Arena, winning two in a row before last year’s draw. When the Union won 2-0 there on May 24, 2015, it was their first-ever win in Harrison; the Red Bulls had gone 5-0-1 in their first six home games vs. Philadelphia.
  
• The Union have won once in the past six meetings at Talen Energy Stadium, the victory in last year’s first meeting. The Red Bulls have won three times in that span, dating back to 2014.
  

Orlando City SC vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• Orlando City SC suffered a second consecutive defeat on the heels of a club-record six-game winning streak, falling 2-1 to Toronto FC at BMO Field on Friday evening.
  
• The Fire suffered a second consecutive loss, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park on Sunday afternoon. Nemanja Nikolic scored his sixth goal of the season, while rookie Diego Campos scored his first career professional goal.
  
• The Fire won for the first time ever in league play against Orlando City SC in the second meeting a year ago, a 4-0 victory June 24 at Toyota Park. OCSC had won two of the first six meetings between the teams, with four draws, the victories coming on the club’s first two visits to Toyota Park, both in its inaugural season.
  
• All three meetings in Orlando have ended in draws, including a goalless draw last June 4, when Orlando City SC played two men down for the final 24 minutes.
  

Minnesota United FC vs. Montreal Impact, 8 p.m. ET (TVA Sports, ESPN+)

• Minnesota United FC put an end to a two-game losing skid, gaining a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
  
• Darwin Quintero scored his third goal in six appearances since coming to MLS and MNUFC, his first since April 28.
  
• The Impact play the LA Galaxy at Stade Saputo on Monday afternoon in the 25th anniversary of the club’s first home game (which was as part of the APSL). It is the 14th league game played on a Monday in MLS history.
  
• The teams met once in Minnesota United’s inaugural season, as the expansion outfit came from behind to claim a 3-2 win at Stade Saputo on Sept. 16.
  

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• The Rapids suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, falling 4-0 to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
  
• The Timbers set a club record for their MLS history with a fifth consecutive victory, defeating Los Angeles FC 2-1 at Providence Park on Saturday afternoon. Cristhian Paredes scored his first MLS goal, and also added an assist on the game-winner from Samuel Armenteros.
  
• The teams met twice a season ago, each winning by a 2-1 scoreline on their home grounds, the Rapids on June 17 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and the Timbers on Aug. 23 at Providence Park.
  
• The Rapids have won twice in the past nine meetings between the teams, dating back to the 2015 season, both coming in the last four encounters. The Timbers have won four games over that stretch, with two draws.
  
• The Timbers have a seven-game home winning streak alive vs. Colorado, while the Rapids have won the last two meetings at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The visiting team has won just twice in the all-time series, the Rapids winning in Portland on June 11, 2011 before a Timbers victory in Commerce City on May 30, 2015.
  

Los Angeles Football Club vs. D.C. United, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• LAFC had their six-game undefeated run put to an end – losing for just the third time – falling 2-1 to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Carlos Vela scored a goal for a second consecutive game, a fourth game in a row with either a goal or an assist (with two goals and two assists in that span). Vela has seven goals and five assists, involved in 12 of LAFC’s 23 goals scored this season.
  
• D.C. United snapped a two-game losing slide and won on the road for the first time this season, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 at Avaya Stadium on Saturday evening. The win put an end to United’s away winless run after 10 games, their first triumph on the road since last Aug. 19, matching the third-longest away losing streak in the club’s 23-year history.
  
• D.C. United have lost just three times when facing an expansion team for the first time over their 23-year history. The third came last year in a 4-0 defeat by Minnesota United (D.C. had defeated Atlanta United 3-1 in their initial encounter). D.C. United have also lost to Philadelphia in 2010 and New York City FC in 2015; all-time, United are 10-3-2 in first encounters.
  

Sunday, May 27, 2018
Sporting Kansas City vs. Columbus Crew SC, 6 p.m. (FS1 / FOX Deportes)

• Sporting saw their two-game winning run put to an end but still extended their undefeated streak, gaining a 1-1 draw with Minnesota United FC at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
  
• Crew SC won a third game in a row and extended their undefeated run to six games, getting the game’s lone goal from Lalas Abubakar for a win against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Zack Steffen made six saves in recording a fourth consecutive shutout. Crew SC have now not allowed a goal in their last 405 minutes – nine minutes away from the longest shutout streak in the club’s 23-year history.
  
• The teams reached a 1-1 draw in their lone meeting a season ago, Sept. 10 at Mapfre Stadium. Crew SC have won once at home in the last six meetings between the teams in Columbus, a 3-2 win on Aug. 22, 2015, which snapped a five-game Sporting winning streak (and six-game undefeated streak) in the all-time series.
  
• Sporting have won the last four meetings in Kansas City, including a 3-2 win on July 3, 2016 in the last matchup at Children’s Mercy Park. The last Columbus victory in Kansas City came July 28, 2012.