This Week in MLS - June 11, 2018

This Week in MLS – June 11, 2018

• Three Mexican MLS players face reigning champion Germany in first week of World Cup action
• Three ways to vote for MLS All-Star Team
• United Bid 2026 vote renews excitement of USA’s highly touted 1994 World Cup
• Sporting-FC Dallas fixture features past three Open Cup winners
• MLS Week 16: Match Notes

Three Mexican MLS players face reigning champion Germany in first week of World Cup action
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday with 19 MLS players set to represent their countries on the world’s biggest stage. Among the biggest matchups in the first week of action is Mexico’s match against Germany on Sunday in Moscow (11 a.m. ET, FS1 / Telemundo), where three MLS players will take on the reigning World Cup champions. LA Galaxy midfielder
Giovani dos Santos
will play in his third World Cup for Mexico (2010, 2014, 2018), and is joined by his brother
Jonathan dos Santos
and LAFC forward
Carlos Vela
, who is participating in his second World Cup (2010, 2018).
Giovani dos Santos lifted Mexico to victory scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Scotland earlier this month. He will look to continue his track record of strong performances in the World Cup, scoring a long-range strike in Mexico’s final match at the 2014 World Cup and being voted as runner-up for the FIFA Young Player of the Tournament at the 2010 World Cup. Vela, meanwhile has had a strong season for LAFC, scoring seven goals and adding five assists in his debut MLS season.
Below are listing to watch MLS players competing in the World Cup this week.
Friday, June 15
Egypt v. Uruguay (8 a.m. ET, FS1 / Telemundo)

• Egyptian defender Omar Gaber (LAFC) is the first player in the league to kick off World Cup play
  

Saturday, June 16
Peru v. Denmark (12 p.m. ET, FS1 / Telemundo)

• Yoshimar Yotún (Orlando City SC) and Andy Polo (Portland Timbers) will take the field in Peru’s first World Cup appearance since 1982.
  

Sunday, June 17
Costa Rica v. Serbia (8 a.m. ET, FOX / Telemundo)

• Marco Ureña (LAFC) is playing in his second World Cup, and will look to help Costa Rica make consecutive quarterfinals appearances. Ureña previously scored a goal in a 2014 World Cup victory over Uruguay in Brazil.
  
• Costa Rica is tied for the most MLS players in the World Cup with six.
  

Mexico v. Germany (11 a.m. ET, FS1 / Telemundo)

• Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy) makes his third World Cup appearance, most of any MLS player in this year’s tournament.
  

Monday, June 18
Sweden v. South Korea (8 a.m. ET, FS1 / Telemundo)

• Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders FC) will be suiting up for Sweden, helping the team return to the World Cup for the first time since 2006.
  

Panama v. Belgium (11 a.m. ET, FS1 / Telemundo).

• Led by Román Torres, the Panamanians are participating in their country’s first ever World Cup and could face off against fellow MLS player Laurent Ciman should the LAFC defender fill in for an injured Vincent Kompany. 
  
• Panama features six MLS players
  

Three ways to vote for MLS All-Star Team
Fan voting is in full swing to nominate the top 11 players that will comprise the MLS All-Star Fan XI presented by Target. A total of 24 MLS players will be named to the All-Star team per the collective bargaining agreement, with media, fans, players, All-Star coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino of Atlanta United, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber all contributing to the All-Star selection process.
Fans can vote three ways:

• Android and iOS devices through the MLS app
  
• Online ballot available HERE
  
• EA SPORTS™ “More Than a Vote” Challenge by scoring goals in EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The forward with the most votes – one goal equals one vote – will occupy the final forward spot in the Fan XI.
  

The MLS All-Stars will face Juventus – the most decorated club in Italian soccer history – in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on August 1 in Atlanta. Tickets are available through
Ticketmaster.com
.
Fan voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday, June 20.
United Bid 2026 vote renews excitement of USA’s highly touted 1994 World Cup
This Wednesday, the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow will vote on the location of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, providing an opportunity for the biggest stage to return to the United States for the first time since the highly touted 1994 World Cup. The United Bid 2026 is a joint hosting bid that features the soccer federations from the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and the rise of the sport in North America has put the three nations in a supreme spot to feature one of the best events in tournament history.
“I remember the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup, I actually went to a couple of games,” said LA Galaxy legend and Miami MLS owner
David Beckham
. “It was incredible, the excitement that ran through the whole country, the excitement that ran through everyone involved in football. Now the infrastructure is more there, the excitement is more there, and there are more people throughout the U.S. who understand the game and get excited about the game.”

• United Bid 2026:David Beckham Soundbytes
  

The bid decision will be broadcast live on FIFA.com, FS1 and Univision on Wednesday.
“Football competition as big as the World Cup deserves to be in great places, and if the U.S., Canada and Mexico get that, it will be very special,” Beckham said. “To have played in L.A. for six years in the U.S., and obviously when we traveled to Canada and some of the teams that we played there, I’ve seen that passion.”
Sporting-FC Dallas fixture features past three Open Cup winners
The Round of 16 of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup features two of the hottest teams in MLS’s Western Conference. Sporting Kansas City, the defending Open Cup champs and current frontrunners in the West, host second-place FC Dallas on Saturday (9 p.m. ET). Open Cup matches can be watched via U.S. Soccer’s
U.S. Open Cup home
.
The fixture is a unique one in that the two sides have garnered the past three Dewar Cup trophies – Sporting last year, FC Dallas in 2016 and Sporting in 2015. SKC is hoping to become the first MLS team to win five Open Cup crowns. Dallas has won two, including the 1997 title as the Dallas Burn.
FC Dallas have won their past four MLS regular-season matches, led by 27-year-old Argentine midfielder
Mauro Diaz
, who is second in the league this season with eight assists. Dallas will have a difficult task against one of the stouter defenses in MLS. Sporting have earned four clean sheets in their past six games. Homegrown defender
Jaylin Lindsey
, 18, is coming off his first MLS start during a scoreless road draw against the Portland Timbers on Saturday.
The last meeting in non-league play certainly carried some late drama. Sporting outlasted FC Dallas for a 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on July 11, scoring three goals in the two 15-minute overtime sessions. Sporting’s defense maintained a clean sheet that day, while playing without the services of
Matt Besler
, who was on U.S. National Team duty.
Three Open Cup games featuring MLS sides take place at the end of this week, with the remainder next Monday and Wednesday.
Friday, June 15
Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy, 11 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 16
Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. ET
Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas, 9 p.m. ET
MLS Week 16: Match Notes
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Montreal Impact vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m. (TVA Sports; ESPN+)

• The Impact weren’t able to build upon a first win in five matches, dropping a 2-0 decision to FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. It was a sixth consecutive loss on the road for the Impact, the second-longest away losing slide in the club’s MLS history.
  
• Orlando City SC lost their club-record fifth game in a row, falling 5-2 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Josué Colman assisted on both OCSC goals at Vancouver, now with four assists on the season – having assisted on each one of Orlando City’s past four goals.
  
• The Impact won the lone meeting in Montréal last season, a 2-1 victory on Aug. 5 at Stade Saputo, their first home win against Orlando City since 2015. OCSC had won at Stade Saputo in the last game in Montréal, in 2016.
  
• The Impact have now come away with points on their past two visits to Orlando, after the teams reached a 3-3 draw last June 17 at Orlando City Stadium in the only meeting there. OCSC had won the first two encounters all-time in Orlando.
  

Columbus Crew SC vs. Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

• Crew SC extended their undefeated streak to nine games – equaling the third-longest unbeaten run in the club’s 23-year history – with their 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Gyasi Zardes scored his 10th goal of the season, sitting in second place in the MLS Golden Boot standings. It’s the second time in his six MLS seasons Zardes has reached double figures in goals (he scored a career-high 16 for the LA Galaxy in 2014).
  
• Atlanta United extended their away undefeated run to six games, gaining a 1-1 draw at New York City FC on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Josef Martínez scored his 13th goal of the season, putting him atop the MLS Golden Boot standings by three goals ahead of Crew SC’s Zardes. Martínez scored for a third consecutive game, with five goals in that span.
  
• The teams met twice in league play in Atlanta United’s inaugural season, the games coming two weeks apart, and the expansion side won both, taking a 3-1 win on June 17 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, and a 2-0 victory on July 1 at Mapfre Stadium.
  
• The teams also met in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, Crew SC advancing via a dramatic penalty kick shootout after the teams played to a scoreless draw over 120 minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
  

Toronto FC vs. D.C. United, 8 p.m. (TSN 1/4/5, ESPN+)

• Toronto FC ended a two-game winless run with a 2-0 win against the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium on Friday evening. Jonathan Osorio scored both TFC goals, the first multiple-goal game of his six-year MLS career.
  

• D.C. United saw their brief two-game undefeated run put to an end, falling 2-1 to Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field on Saturday evening.
  

• Darren Mattocks scored his sixth goal of the season, his third consecutive game with a goal, matching his career-long goalscoring streak in his seven MLS seasons (set previously in 2014 while with Vancouver).
  
• TFC ended their history at RFK Stadium by coming away with points on four of their final five visits there, including each of the past three seasons. The teams reached a 1-1 draw there last Aug. 5 in the only matchup in D.C.
  
• United have come away with points on three of their last five trips to BMO Field, over the past four seasons, including two victories. TFC won the lone meeting in Toronto last year, a 2-0 win on June 17.
  

New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)

• The Red Bulls had their winless run extended to three games with a second draw in that time, reaching a 1-1 result with Columbus Crew SC at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Sounders FC put an end to their losing skid after three games, coming back for a 2-1 win against D.C. United at CenturyLink Field on Saturday evening.
  
• Nicolas Lodeiro scored the opening goal for Sounders FC in the win vs. D.C., the club’s first goal in exactly one month (since May 9), putting an end to the club’s scoreless streak after 362 minutes – one minute shy of the Sounders FC’s record drought for their MLS history.
  
• Sounders FC have a four-game home undefeated streak in the series, with three wins in that time, including a 3-1 win last March 19 in the only meeting between the teams.
  
• The Red Bulls have a four-game home undefeated streak in the series, with three wins in that time, including a 2-0 victory on June 19, 2016 in the last meeting at Red Bull Arena.
  

Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire, 9 p.m. (ESPN+)

• The Rapids suffered their eighth consecutive league defeat, a club record in their 23-year history, falling 2-0 to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday evening. The streak is tied for the seventh-longest losing streak in MLS history, the longest in the league since 2014.
  
• The Fire gained a result for a second consecutive game, reaching a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution at Toyota Park on Saturday evening. Bastian Schweinsteiger scored his second goal of the season, the fifth goal of his MLS career (in 37 appearances).
  
• The Fire won the lone meeting between the teams a year ago, a 3-0 victory on May 17 at Toyota Park, their first victory in the series since 2013, ending a three-game undefeated run for the Rapids. Colorado had won on their last visit to Toyota Park, a 1-0 win on Aug. 22, 2015 – their first win ever in Bridgeview, and first at the Fire since 2004, at Soldier Field.
  
• The Rapids are unbeaten in their past five home encounters with the Fire, with two wins and three draws, including a 2-1 win on June 18, 2016, in Commerce City in the last meeting there. Colorado’s 2-0 win in 2012 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park snapped a three-game winless streak in home games vs. the Fire, their first win there since 2008.
  

San Jose Earthquakes vs. New England Revolution, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

• The Quakes suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, with Los Angeles Football Club scoring twice after the 90th minute to come back for a 4-3 win at Avaya Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• Chris Wondolowski scored a pair of goals and is now with 138 for his league career, seven behind Landon Donovan for the all-time MLS record. It was the 19th multiple-goal game of his MLS league career, sixth-most all-time.
  
• The Revolution extended their undefeated run to four games with a third draw in that time, gaining a 1-1 result with the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on Saturday evening.
  
• Teal Bunbury scored for a fourth consecutive game, the longest goalscoring streak of his MLS career, now with nine goals on the season, tied for third in the MLS Golden Boot standings. Bunbury has scored all nine of his goals over the last 12 games.
  
• The teams have reached scoreless draws in each of their last two meetings, on April 19 of last year at Gillette Stadium, and Aug. 24, 2016 at Avaya Stadium.
  
• The Revolution have a five-game undefeated streak alive in the series, winning three consecutive matchups before the draws over the past two seasons. The Quakes last won in the series March 10, 2012, a 1-0 win at Buck Shaw Stadium.