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Expected Goals: Upcoming Milestones for Matchday 3

March 9, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


St. Louis CITY SC Look to Make it Three for Three

St. Louis CITY SC has taken MLS by storm, recording comeback wins in each of the first two matches of their inaugural MLS campaign. En route to those wins, the club has scored at least three goals in each game, becoming the first club in league history to reach that mark in each of the first two games in club history.

Only one other expansion club in MLS history has won each of their first three MLS games - the 2009 Seattle Sounders FC, who recorded a sterling 7-0 cumulative score against their first three opponents. If St. Louis were to emerge victorious in Portland on Saturday night (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), they would be the first expansion club to win their first three matches with two of them coming away from home.

Philadelphia's Subaru Park Winning Streak Put to the Test

Since June 26, 2022, no team has been able to travel to Subaru Park and manage even a draw against the Philadelphia Union - a streak lasting 10 matches. During that 10-game winning streak, Philadelphia's victories have rarely been close as they sport an astounding 44-6 goal differential, scoring at least four goals in each of their last seven home matches.

This Saturday against Chicago Fire FC (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), the Union can join the 2001-02 San Jose Earthquakes (12 matches) as the only teams in MLS history to win at least 11 straight regular season home games. Additionally, Philadelphia will look to keep their 23-game home unbeaten run alive, which is currently tied for the fourth-longest streak in league history.

Inter Miami CF Looks to Run Through Eastern Conference Gauntlet

Since the league moved to two conferences in 2002, only two teams have opened the season playing each of the top three finishers from its own conference from the previous year. The 2007 LA Galaxy went 1-1-1 when facing FC Dallas (No. 1 in 2006), Houston Dynamo FC (No. 2), and Chivas (No. 3) to open the season.

In 2023, Inter Miami CF can not only open the season 3-0-0 for the first time in club history, but can also become the first team in league history to beat each of the top-three finishing teams in their conference from the previous year in the first three Matchdays of the current season.

The Herons opened 2023 with consecutive 2-0 home victories against CF Montréal (Eastern Conference No. 2 seed in 2022) and the Philadelphia Union (Eastern Conference No. 1 seed), and look to take down New York City FC (Eastern Conference No. 3 seed) at Yankee Stadium this Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).

Goalkeepers Aim to Shut Down Attacks for the Third-Straight Game

Five teams - Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC, New England Revolution, Orlando City SC, and Seattle Sounders FC - have all kept clean sheets in each of their first two matches this season. Only eight teams in MLS history have maintained a clean scoresheet through their first three matches of a season, with the last being Chicago Fire FC in 2022.

Of those five clubs, each have had the same starting goalkeeper in net for the opening two contests. Since 2015, only three goalkeepers have kept three consecutive clean sheets to start a campaign, and this has happened just six times in league annals. Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF), Joe Willis (Nashville SC), Djordje Petrović (New England Revolution), Pedro Gallese (Orlando City SC), and Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC) have the opportunity to add their names to this list with clean sheets this weekend.

Jordan Morris Continues to Climb Sounders All-Time Ranks

Seattle Sounders FC forward Jordan Morris is atop the goal-scoring charts in MLS this season with three scores in his first two games. The U.S. international has also creeped up the club's all-time goal-scoring ranks (45) and is closing in on Clint Dempsey (47) for the third-most goals in club history.

Additionally, Morris needs five more goals to become just the third Homegrown player in MLS history to reach at least 50 career goals, joining Gyasi Zardes (97) and Diego Fagúndez (66).

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