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LAFC Adds to Landmark Campaign with Earliest Postseason Clinch: Week 25 MLS News & Notes

August 21, 2019 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


As the Los Angeles Football Club continue their relentless march toward one of the greatest seasons in MLS history, another milestone was passed when the club clinched a berth in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs last weekend - the first team to gain a postseason spot this season.

LAFC clinched their berth in the Western Conference on Saturday night with a 2-0 win at Real Salt Lake, booking their ticket after just 25 games, with nine games still to be played this year - the fastest of any team since the regular-season schedule length was expanded to 34 games beginning with the 2011 season.

Before LAFC, three teams had clinched places with seven games remaining (after 27 games). Included in that group is Atlanta United, which last year also clinched their berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs with eight weeks still to be played in the regular season, still the earliest in terms of calendar length of the league campaign.

No teams come into Week 25 this season with a chance to book a place in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs. Since the start of the expansion era in 2005, the tightest postseason race occurred in 2013, when 13 of 19 teams went down to the final two weeks of the season still with a chance to book a place. Of those, seven saw their fates on the final day of the season, with four teams clinching spots and three eliminated.

FIRST TEAM TO CLINCH BERTH IN MLS CUP PLAYOFFS (BY YEAR)

GP W L T

2019 Los Angeles Football Club 25 18 3 4 Week 24 of 31

2018 Atlanta United 27 16 6 5 Week 27 of 35

2017 Toronto FC 28 17 3 8 Week 27 of 33

2016 FC Dallas 30 15 8 7 Week 28 of 34

2015 New York Red Bulls 28 14 8 6 Week 29 of 34

2014 Seattle Sounders FC 27 17 7 3 Week 27 of 33

2013 New York Red Bulls 32 15 9 8 Week 32 of 35

2012 San Jose Earthquakes 27 16 6 5 Week 27 of 33

2011 LA Galaxy 28 15 3 10 Week 26 of 32

Schedule length: 34 games

CARLOS VELA'S RECORD GOAL MOVING HIM UP THE CHARTS

With his 24th goal of the season last Saturday evening vs. Real Salt Lake, Carlos Vela set the MLS record for most combined goals and assists in a single MLS season. Along with his 15 assists on the season, Vela's 39 combined goals and assists is now one ahead of the total set by Sebastian Giovinco of Toronto FC in 2015, when he first set the mark with 38 total goals and assists (22 goals, 16 assists).

With nine games still to be played this season, Vela is already tied for the seventh-most goals in a single season in MLS history, now seven goals behind the total of Josef Martínez of Atlanta United, who set the all-time record with his 31 goals last season.

MOST GOALS, SINGLE SEASON

Year Player Team Games Goals

2018 Josef Martinez ATL 34 31

1996 Roy Lassiter TB 30 27

2012 Chris Wondolowski SJ 32 27

2014 Bradley Wright-Phillips NYR 32 27

1998 Stern John CLB 27 26

2000 Mamadou Diallo TB 28 26

2002 Carlos Ruiz LA 26 24

2016 Bradley Wright-Phillips NYR 34 24

2017 Nemanja Nikolic CHI 34 24

2019 Carlos Vela LFC 24 24

At about the same time as Vela scored his 24th goal last Saturday, Zlatan Ibrahimovi? netted his second goal of the game in the LA Galaxy's 2-2 draw with Seattle Sounders FC. The goals were No. 19 and No. 20 this season for Ibrahimovi?, following his 22-goal season a year ago in his first MLS campaign.

Ibrahimovi? became the third player in MLS history to record 20 goals or more in consecutive seasons, and the second to achieve it this year, after Josef Martínez reached the 20-goal mark a week ago, following his 31-goal campaign last year.

It's the sixth time in MLS history there have been a trio of 20-goal scorers in a single season - the third consecutive year, and fourth time in the last five seasons. After seeing three 20-goal men in the inaugural season of 1996, MLS went another 18 seasons before it happened again, in 2013.

20-GOAL SCORERS IN SEASON

2019 Carlos Vela 24 Josef Martinez 21 Zlatan Ibrahimovi? 20

2018 Josef Martinez 31 Zlatan Ibrahimovi? 22 Bradley Wright-Phillips 20

2017 Nemanja Nikolic 24 David Villa 22 Diego Valeri 21

2015 Sebastian Giovinco 22 Kei Kamara 22 Robbie Keane 20

2013 Camilo Sanvezzo 22 Mike Magee 21 Marco Di Vaio 20

1996 Roy Lassiter 27 Raul Diaz Arce 23 Eduardo Hurtado 21

Minimum: Three 20-goal scorers

ATLANTA UNITED HIT HALF-CENTURY IN WINS IN RECORD TIME

With their victory against the Portland Timbers on Sunday evening, Atlanta United reached 50 wins for the club's history (in regular season league play) after its inception in 2017.

The win came in the club's 94th league match - the fastest of any team in MLS in the expansion era. The first to reach 50 wins which gained a club three points (including regulation-time victories in the shootout era from 1996-99) was the Los Angeles Galaxy, which recorded their 50th regulation time win in their third season in 1998, in their 93rd game played.

Including all shootout victories, the Galaxy are tied with D.C. United as the fastest to reach 50 wins overall, both doing in their third seasons in 1998 after 81 games played. The Chicago Fire reached 50 wins in 89 games played, also in their third season, including wins in the shootout in their first two campaigns of 1998-99.

GAMES TO REACH 50 WINS (3-POINT WINS)

GP W

Los Angeles Galaxy 93 50

Atlanta United 94 50

D.C. United 99 50

GAMES TO REACH 50 WINS (OVERALL)

GP W

D.C. United 81 50

Los Angeles Galaxy 81 50

Chicago Fire 89 50

WONDOLOWSKI LANDS ANOTHER MILESTONE IN HISTORIC GOALSCORING RECORD

Chris Wondolowski scored his 10th goal of the season for the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening in their 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park. It was the 10th season where he has scored in double figures, over each of the past 10 seasons - both of which are all-time MLS records.

Wondolowski has now hit for double digits in goals in two more seasons than did Landon Donovan, whom Wondolowski passed earlier this year as the league's all-time leading goalscorer. No other player in league history has scored in double figures more than five consecutive seasons, a total Wondolowski has already doubled.

MOST SEASONS WITH 10+ GOALS

GOALS GAMES 10+ G SEASONS

Chris Wondolowski 154 351 10

Landon Donovan 145 340 8

Jeff Cunningham 134 365 7

Jaime Moreno 133 340 7

Ante Razov 114 262 7

Kei Kamara 123 338 7

CONSECUTIVE SEASONS WITH 10+ GOALS

SEASONS FROM TO

10 Chris Wondolowski 2010 2019

5 Juan Pablo Angel 2007 2011

5 Robbie Keane 2012 2016

5 Carlos Ruiz 2002 2006

5 Bradley Wright-Phillips 2014 2018

MLS WEEK 25 - LOOK AHEAD

NEW YORK CITY FC vs. COLUMBUS CREW SC

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #316)

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.

7 p.m. ET (YES; FS-OH)

REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Brian Dunn; AR2 (opposite): Nick Uranga; 4th: Lorant Varga; VAR: Geoff Gamble; AVAR: Gjovalin Bori

MLS Career: 153 games; FC/gm: 22.2; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 37; pens: 67

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: NYCFC 3 wins, 22 goals ... Crew SC 3 wins, 19 goals ... Ties 4

AT NYCFC: NYCFC 2 wins, 9 goals ... Crew SC 1 win, 5 goals ... Ties 1

NYCFC recorded a fourth win in their past six outings, defeating FC Cincinnati 4-1 at Nippert Stadium on Saturday evening. Héber and Valentin Castellanos each scored a pair of goals for NYCFC; Héber now has 12 goals for the season, with three in the last two games, while Castellanos has four goals and two assists in his last two games.

Crew SC extended their undefeated streak to six matches with a third consecutive draw, playing to a 2-2 result with Toronto FC at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening. Pedro Santos scored his ninth goal of the season, his fourth goal in the last four games.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Gyasi Zardes and Santos gave Crew SC a pair of leads, but goals from Héber and Castellanos pegged them back each time for NYCFC, leaving the teams in a 2-2 draw June 1 at Mapfre Stadium.

The teams evenly split their league series over the first four seasons NYCFC was in the league, each winning three times, with three draws. NYCFC have won three of the four league meetings all-time at Yankee Stadium; they also met in 2017 at Citi Field in Queens in NYCFC's home fixture, reaching a 2-2 draw. The lone road win in the series came at Mapfre Stadium, a 3-2 NYCFC victory there in 2016.

The teams also met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2017, with Crew SC taking the series 4-3 on aggregate, winning the first leg at home 4-1, before NYCFC took the return match 2-0 in the Bronx.

NYCFC: Maximiliano Moralez recorded a pair of assists, now with 16 assists for the season, leading MLS (one ahead of both Carlos Vela and Diego Valeri). Moralez has three assists in his last two games; the 16 assists match his MLS single-season career-high set last year.

CREW SC: David Accam scored his sixth goal of the season, his second since coming to Crew SC from Philadelphia via trade. ... Wil Trapp collected his fourth assist, his second in as many games. ... Harrison Afful collected his first assist of the season, his last coming on Decision Day (Oct. 28) last year, the final of his MLS single-season career-high six assists.

D.C. UNITED vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #317)

Audi Field, Washington, D.C.

8 p.m. ET (UniMás)

REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Frank Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Corey Rockwell; 4th: Matt Franz; VAR: Hilario Grajeda; AVAR: Ian McKay

MLS Career: 138 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 36; pens: 43

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: D.C. United 34 wins (1 shootout), 135 goals ... Red Bulls 29 wins (1 shootout), 115 goals ... Ties 14

AT D.C.: D.C. United 21 wins (1 shootout), 80 goals ... Red Bulls 12 wins (1 shootout), 61 goals ... Ties 7

D.C. United weren't able to make it back-to-back wins from a quick cross-country trip, falling 1-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Saturday evening.

The Red Bulls again rebounded swiftly from a defeat with a result, gaining a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution at Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening.

The Red Bulls have an eight-game undefeated streak alive in the series, with United's last win overall coming on May 13, 2016, at RFK Stadium.

The teams met twice a year ago at Audi Field, and the Red Bulls came away with points from both.Bradley Wright-Phillips scored the game's lone goal July 25. Then they reached a 3-3 draw on Sept. 16.

The Red Bulls have a nine-game undefeated streak going in regular season matches at Red Bull Arena, having won five of the past seven meetings in Harrison, N.J., including a 1-0 win last year on Aug. 26 in the lone meeting there. United's last win at the Red Bulls came in 2011.

The teams have met 93 times in all competitions over the years - the most of any two clubs in MLS history. New York has won 34 and United have won 43, including a 7-4-2 record in the postseason. They play for the Atlantic Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series by supporters' groups from both clubs.

UNITED: Following the Red Bulls match, D.C. United have a three-game road swing, the next two matches vs. Eastern Conference opposition (at Philadelphia and Montréal). Four of United's final six games are away from home. ... D.C. United were kept off the scoresheet for a third consecutive away match at Vancouver, now 287 minutes since their last road goal.

RED BULLS: Marc Rzatkowski scored his second goal of the season, his first coming May 4. Rzatkowski has a goal and four assists over his last 10 games.

LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #318)

Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.

7:30 p.m. PT (UniMás)

REFEREE: Kevin Stott. AR1 (bench): Chris Wattam; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Hanson; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal; VAR: Ricardo Salazar; AVAR: Apolinar Mariscal

MLS Career: 345 games; FC/gm: 24.6; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 81; pens: 93

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: LAFC 3 wins, 11 goals ... Earthquakes 0 wins, 3 goals ... Ties 0

AT BANC OF CALIFORNIA STADIUM: LAFC 1 win, 2 goals ... Earthquakes 0 wins, 0 goals ... Ties 0

LAFC became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, following their 2-0 win against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening.

Carlos Vela scored his 24th goal of the season, tied for seventh-most in a single season in MLS history. With his 15 assists on the year, his 39 combined goals and assists is now the single-most in a season in MLS history.

The Quakes fell to a second loss in a row following a five-game undefeated run, dropping a 2-1 decision to Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park on Saturday evening.

Chris Wondolowski scored his 10th goal of the season. It's the 10th season in his MLS career - all over the last 10 years consecutively - where Wondolowski has scored in double-digits in goals, both all-time MLS records.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Vela scored a hat trick and set up a fourth goal as LAFC cruised to a 5-0 win on March 30 at Avaya Stadium.

LAFC have won all three meetings between the clubs, winning both meetings between the teams in their expansion campaign last year, taking a 4-3 win on June 9 at Avaya Stadium, then a 3-0 victory on Sept. 22 at Banc of California Stadium.

LAFC: Adama Diomande scored his eighth goal of the season, his fifth goal over his last seven appearances (since July 6) ... Lee Nguyen recorded his fourth assist of the season, all coming over the last eight games (since July 3).

QUAKES: Cristian Espinoza recorded his 10th assist of the season in the loss to Sporting Kansas City. He's the first San Jose player to reach double digits in assists since Marvín Chávez in 2012.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #319)

Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kan.

8:30 p.m. CT (ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

REFEREE: Rubiel Vazquez. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Atkins; 4th: Sergii Demianchuk; VAR: Sorin Stoica; AVAR: Fabio Tovar

MLS Career: 23 games; FC/gm: 20.8; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 6; pens: 5

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sporting 3 wins, 11 goals ... MNUFC 1 win, 5 goals ... Ties 2

AT KC: Sporting 3 wins, 9 goals ... MNUFC 0 wins, 1 goal ... Ties 0

Sporting put an end to a swift two-game losing run, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 at Children's Mercy Park on Saturday evening. Graham Smith scored the match-winner in the 76th minute, his first goal in his two MLS seasons.

Minnesota United FC extended their undefeated streak at Allianz Field to seven matches, reaching a 1-1 result with Orlando City SC on Saturday evening. Abu Danladi scored the equalizer in second-half stoppage time, his second goal of the season.

The teams have met six times in league play in MNUFC's two seasons in MLS, and Sporting have won three - all coming at Children's Mercy Park. SKC took two wins there a year ago, a 4-1 win on June 3 and a 2-0 win on Aug. 25.

The teams have played to draws in the last two matchups in Minnesota, including a 1-1 deadlock last May 20 at TCF Bank Stadium in the only encounter there a year ago. MNUFC won the first matchup between the clubs, a 2-0 win on May 7, 2017, in Minneapolis.

The teams have also met twice in three years in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Minnesota United this year taking a 4-1 win on June 12 at Allianz Field. Sporting won by a 4-0 decision in a fourth-round match in 2017.

SPORTING: Benny Feilhaber scored his third goal of the season, his first since his return to Sporting KC via trade from the Los Angeles Football Club. It was his first goal for the club since Aug. 6, 2017, when he scored in three consecutive games. ... Johnny Russell recorded his sixth assist of the season; he has a goal and three assists over the last seven games. ... Jimmy Medranda collected his first assist of the season, his last coming April 15, 2018.

MNUFC: The seven-game home undefeated streak is the longest in MNUFC's MLS history, surpassing a six-game run from April 13-May 25 of this season.

ORLANDO CITY SC vs. ATLANTA UNITED

Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #320)

Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Fla.

8 p.m. ET (ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

REFEREE: Nima Saghafi. AR1 (bench): Kathryn Nesbitt; AR2 (opposite): Corey Parker; 4th: Kevin Broadley; VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero; AVAR: Jozef Batko

MLS Career: 55 games; FC/gm: 26.9; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 7; pens: 21

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Orlando City 0 wins, 6 goals ... ATLUTD 5 wins, 14 goals ... Ties 2

AT ORLANDO: Orlando City 0 wins, 2 goals ... ATLUTD 3 wins, 5 goals ... Ties 0

Orlando City SC extended their undefeated run to four games, playing to a 1-1 draw with Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field on Saturday evening. Nani scored his ninth goal of the season for the OCSC tally.

Atlanta United won their third game on the trot, defeating the Portland Timbers 2-0 at Providence Park on Sunday evening. Josef Martínez scored for an MLS-record 11th consecutive game, his 21st goal of the season. He is second in the MLS Golden Boot standings.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season in league play. Pity Martínez scored the game's only goal in the 14th minute to give Atlanta United the win May 12 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Two of the newest clubs in the league have already set the South on fire with their rivalry - and it's been one completely owned by Atlanta United. In seven league meetings all-time, Atlanta has not lost to its neighbor to the south - including wins in each of the last four meetings in league play.

The teams also met in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal this year - and again ATLUTD took the victory, a 2-0 triumph behind goals from Eric Remedi and Emerson Hyndman on Aug. 6 at Exploria Stadium.

OCSC: Orlando City's four-game undefeated streak is the club's longest of the season, the longest since a six-game run last March 31-May 6.

ATLUTD: Leandro González Pirez scored his first goal of the season, the third of his MLS career. He has scored exactly one goal in each of his three league campaigns, his last Aug. 24, 2018, vs. Orlando City. ...Brad Guzan was credited with five saves in recording his league-leading 12th shutout of the season, one shy of his MLS single-season career-high set in 2007 with Chivas USA.

PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #321)

Providence Park, Portland, Ore.

7 p.m. PT (ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Jeff Hosking; AR2 (opposite): Jose Da Silva; 4th: Lukasz Szpala; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Joshua Patlak

MLS Career: 252 games; FC/gm: 23.1; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 42; pens: 81

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Timbers 8 wins, 36 goals ... Sounders FC 10 wins, 39 goals ... Ties 6

AT PORTLAND: Timbers 6 wins, 26 goals ... Sounders FC 3 wins, 20 goals ... Ties 3

The Timbers saw their two-game winning streak put to an end in a 2-0 loss to Atlanta United on Sunday evening, their first loss at Providence Park following a seven-game home undefeated run.

Sounders FC saw their winless run reach four matches, coming back for a late 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday evening.

The teams are meeting for the second time in league play this season. Brian Fernandez scored goals on either side of halftime, leading the Timbers to a dramatic 2-1 win on July 21 at CenturyLink Field.

The last three league meetings in the series have been won by the away team. Sounders FC won the last regular-season matchup at Providence Park, last Aug. 26, their first win in Portland since 2014. When the Timbers took a 4-1 win on June 28, 2015, the three-goal victory equaled Portland's largest margin of victory against the Sounders since 1977.

The Timbers have won the last two meetings at CenturyLink Field - their only wins ever in Seattle in MLS regular season games (Sounders FC were 7-0-3 leading up to that match), though the Timbers won at home in the MLS Cup Playoffs meeting between the clubs.

The Timbers also won a fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match between the clubs this season, a 2-1 win on June 12 at CenturyLink Field, as Fernandez netted both Portland goals.

The teams also met last year in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Timbers winning in a dramatic penalty shootout in the Western Conference Quarterfinals after ending 4-4 on aggregate. The Timbers won the first leg 2-1 at Providence Park, then Sounders FC won 3-2 in extra time, sending the tie to the decider. It was a second win in a playoff series for the Timbers, also winning the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals.

The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers have met 106 times in all competitions, the most between two U.S.-based clubs, the second-most in U.S./Canadian soccer history. Since their first meeting in 1975 in the old North American Soccer League, Seattle has won 52 times and Portland has won 40, with 14 draws. In MLS league play, Sounders FC have won 10 matches, the Timbers have won eight, and six have been draws.

TIMBERS: The Timbers seven-game home undefeated streak matched the fourth-longest in the club's MLS history, the longest since a 16-game run without defeat at Providence Park that stretched nearly a year, Aug 6, 2017-Aug. 4, 2018.

SOUNDERS FC: Raúl Ruidíaz scored his ninth goal of the season, his third over his last five appearances, since July 14, when he returned from Copa América duty with Peru. ... Harry Shipp collected his third assist of the season; he has two goals and an assist over the last two games.

NEW YORK CITY FC vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #322)

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.

7 p.m. ET (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)

REFEREE: Kevin Stott. AR1 (bench): Eric Boria; AR2 (opposite): Andrew Bigelow; 4th: Silviu Petrescu; VAR: Tim Ford; AVAR: Peter Balciunas

MLS Career: 345 games; FC/gm: 24.6; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 81; pens: 93

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: NYCFC 4 wins, 14 goals ... Red Bulls 7 wins, 28 goals ... Ties 2

AT YANKEE STADIUM: NYCFC 3 wins, 8 goals ... Red Bulls 2 wins, 13 goals ... Ties 1

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Daniel Royer scored goals on either side of halftime as the Red Bulls took a 2-1 win on July 14 at Red Bull Arena.

The Red Bulls have won seven of the 13 meetings all-time in league play, with a 28-14 goal differential. Included in that was a 7-0 Red Bulls win on May 21, 2016, at Yankee Stadium, the victory matching the largest margin of victory in MLS history (and the seven goals by the Red Bulls their club record). In all competitions, the Red Bulls have won nine of 15 matches, with two draws, with a 32-14 goal differential.

Two of NYCFC's four wins vs. the Red Bulls came in 2017, a 2-0 victory on June 24 in the club's first win ever at Red Bull Arena, and a 3-2 victory at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 6. NYCFC have won three of the last seven league meetings, with one draw, over the last three years.

NYCFC: Play Columbus Crew SC at Yankee Stadium at midweek.

RED BULLS: Play D.C. United at Audi Field at midweek.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs. CHICAGO FIRE

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #323)

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

7:30 p.m. ET (NBCS-Bos; ESPN+)

REFEREE: Alex Chilowicz. AR1 (bench): Cory Richardson; AR2 (opposite): CJ Morgante; 4th: Marcos de Oliveira; VAR: Alan Kelly; AVAR: Claudiu Badea

MLS Career: 21 games; FC/gm: 24.5; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 4; pens: 7

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Revolution 21 wins, 80 goals ... Fire 27 wins, 90 goals ... Ties 13

AT NEW ENGLAND: Revolution 16 wins, 44 goals ... Fire 10 wins, 30 goals ... Ties 4

The Revolution reached a second consecutive draw, playing to a 1-1 result with the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening. Carles Gil collected his 11th assist of the season, tied for fifth place in the MLS assist standings; Gil has five goals and seven assists over the last eight games.

The Fire won for a third time in the last four games, defeating the Philadelphia Union 2-0 at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday evening. Nemanja Nikolic scored a pair of goals, now with 11 goals this season, a fourth consecutive game with a goal, with five goals in the span.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Nikolic scored two goals before halftime andNicolás Gaitán scored a goal and added two assists, as the Fire rolled to a 5-0 win on May 8 at SeatGeek Stadium.

The Fire now have a seven-game undefeated streak alive in the series, with five wins and two draws over that time. The Revolution's last win vs. the Fire came on July 23, 2016, a 1-0 win in Foxborough.

The Fire have come away with points on their last two trips to Foxborough, Mass., following a four-game Revolution winning streak in league play between the teams at Gillette Stadium. The Fire now have a nine-game undefeated streak alive in the series in Bridgeview, Ill., winning five of the past six meetings there.

REVOLUTION: Gustavo Bou scored for a second consecutive game, now with four goals (and one assist) in his six appearances since coming to the Revolution. ... Juan Agudelo collected his second assist of the season, his first coming April 27.

FIRE: Nemanja Nikolic scored the 10th multiple-goal game of his MLS career, reaching the 50-goal mark in MLS league goals, the 67th player in league history to hit the half-century mark. ... Przemyslaw Frankowskicollected his seventh assist of the season, his second consecutive game with an assist. ... Johan Kappelhofrecorded his second assist of the season, his first coming May 11.

PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. D.C. UNITED

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #324)

Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.

7:30 p.m. ET (PHL 17; FloSports)

REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Philippe Briere; AR2 (opposite): Gianni Facchini; 4th: Elijio Arreguin; VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero; AVAR: Thomas Supple

MLS Career: 163 games; FC/gm: 23.7; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 49; pens: 62

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Union 12 wins, 41 goals ... D.C. United 8 wins, 28 goals ... Ties 4

AT UNION: Union 8 wins, 17 goals ... D.C. United 3 wins, 9 goals ... Ties 0

The Union saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, falling 2-0 to the Chicago Fire at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday evening.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Marco Fabian netted a pair of goals and added an assist, as the Union cruised to a 5-1 win on Aug. 4 at Audi Field.

The Union have won the last five league meetings between the teams, over the past three seasons, winning both meetings all-time at Audi Field.

The Union have won the past five meetings in Chester, Pa., over the last four seasons. United's goal in the first meeting last year, a 3-2 Union win on April 28, was their first at Talen Energy Stadium since 2014, ending a 451-minute scoreless drought.

The teams also met this season in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with D.C. United winning 2-1 in dramatic fashion. Down a goal late, United leveled terms in the 118th minute, then Wayne Rooney converted a penalty kick two minutes later to give the D.C. the victory.

UNION: Haris Medunjanin had a two-game assist streak put to an end at Chicago, with three assists over the span, including a pair in the Aug. 4 win vs. D.C. United. ... Kacper Przybylko also had a two-game goalscoring streak snapped, which included a goal vs. D.C. United.

UNITED: Play New York Red Bulls at Audi Field at midweek.

TORONTO FC vs. MONTREAL IMPACT 

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #325)

BMO Field, Toronto, Ont.

7:30 p.m. ET (TSN; TVA Sports)

REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Frank Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Eric Weisbrod; 4th: Robert Sibiga; VAR: Jorge Gonzalez; AVAR: Jeff Muschik

MLS Career: 285 games; FC/gm: 25.3; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 100; pens: 111

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto FC 10 wins, 34 goals ... Impact 7 wins, 25 goals ... Ties 4

AT BMO FIELD: Toronto FC 5 wins, 17 goals ... Impact 2 wins, 13 goals ... Ties 3

Toronto FC reached a draw for a second consecutive game, playing to a 2-2 result with Columbus Crew SC at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening. Jozy Altidore scored his 10th goal of the season, his fourth goal over the last six games, reaching double figures in goals for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

The Impact were pulled back into a 3-3 draw with FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening, ending a two-game losing run. Lassi Lappalainen scored a pair of goals, his second two-goal game in four MLS appearances, also adding his first assist in MLS.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Alejandro Pozuelo and Altidore netted second-half goals as TFC took a 2-0 win on July 13 at Stade Saputo.

The Impact have won just once in Montréal since 2015 vs. TFC in all competitions. TFC have won three of four league meetings, with one draw; there were also two draws in the Canadian Championship.

The Impact had won two league games in a row at BMO Field before TFC won the past two, last a 3-1 win last Aug. 25. They were the first two wins ever for the Impact in Toronto, going 0-6-4 in the first 10 meetings in all competitions at BMO Field.

Before the 2018 season, the teams had met in every season they have been together in MLS in the Canadian Championship, with each team defeating the other once for the title - TFC winning the second of their three titles in a row in 2017, while the Impact won the title in 2014. They will meet again in this year's final, with the home-and-home series set for Sept. 18 (in Montréal) and Sept. 25 (in Toronto).

TFC: Jonathan Osorio scored his fourth goal of the season, his last coming in back-to-back games April 27-May 4. ... Auro Jr. collected his third assist of the season, his last coming March 29. ... Marco Delgadorecorded his fourth assist of the season, his second in the last seven games. ... Jozy Altidore also recorded an assist, his fourth of the season, the seventh time in his MLS career he's had a goal and an assist in the same game.

IMPACT: Saphir Taïder collected his fifth assist of the season, now with a goal or an assist in three consecutive games (with two goals and one assist in that span). Taïder has six goals and four assists over his last 13 games, since May 24. ... Orji Okwonkwo scored his seventh goal of the season; six of those have come since May 11.

REAL SALT LAKE vs. COLORADO RAPIDS

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #327)

Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah

8 p.m. MT (KMYU-12; Altitude)

REFEREE: Ted Unkel. AR1 (bench): Jeremy Hanson; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal; VAR: David Gantar; AVAR: Craig Lowry

MLS Career: 92 games; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 31; pens: 50

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Real 20 wins, 63 goals ... Rapids 13 wins, 42 goals ... Ties 11

AT SALT LAKE: Real 13 wins, 36 goals ... Rapids 3 wins, 15 goals ... Ties 6

Real Salt Lake saw their three-game winning run come to a halt, falling 2-0 to the Los Angeles Football Club at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Rapids gained a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Stadium on Saturday evening, their third result in the last four games. Diego Rubio scored both Colorado goals, now with nine on the season, his third goal in the last three games.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Sam Johnson broke a 2-2 tie just before the hour mark, giving Real the 3-2 victory May 11 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. It was RSL's second consecutive win in Commerce City, Colo.; they have come away with points on seven of their past 10 trips there (five wins, two draws, dating back to 2013).

Real have a 16-game home undefeated streak alive vs. Colorado, last a 3-0 victory last April 21 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Since the Rapids' last win in Utah, a 2-0 victory on April 30, 2007, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Real have won 12 games with four draws. Colorado has never won at Rio Tinto Stadium (0-10-4 all-time in league play).

The rivals play for the Rocky Mountain Cup, a trophy awarded by the supporters' groups of both teams.

REAL: Real had their undefeated streak at Rio Tinto Stadium put to an end after eight games, dating back to May 4, equaling the seventh-longest home undefeated run in the club's history.

RAPIDS: Sam Nicholson collected his third assist, matching his season total from a year ago which was split between Minnesota and Colorado, the most among his three MLS campaigns.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #328)

Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.

7 p.m. PT (TSN; Telemundo KSTS 48)

REFEREE: Ramy Touchan. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Chris Elliott; 4th: Michael Radchuk; VAR: Hilario Grajeda; AVAR: Fabio Tovar

MLS Career: 18 games; FC/gm: 25.2; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 0; pens: 2

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Earthquakes 5 wins, 28 goals ... Whitecaps FC 8 wins, 32 goals ... Ties 9

AT SAN JOSE: Earthquakes 3 wins, 13 goals ... Whitecaps FC 1 win, 10 goals ... Ties 6

Whitecaps FC won for a second time in three games, defeating D.C. United by the game's only goal at BC Place on Saturday evening. Yordy Reyna netted his fifth goal of the season, his last coming on July 6.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Chris Wondolowski scored a goal and added an assist, leading the Quakes to a 3-1 win on July 20 at BC Place.

The Quakes win ended a five-game Whitecaps FC undefeated streak in the series in league and MLS Cup play, their first win vs. Vancouver since March 11, 2017.

The Quakes have come away with points on four of their last five trips to Vancouver in league play; their win on Aug. 12, 2016 to start the streak was the first ever for the away team in the all-time series. The Quakes had lost on each of their six previous visits to Vancouver.

Whitecaps FC won the last meeting at Avaya Stadium, a 3-2 win last Aug. 25, the first Whitecaps FC win at San Jose, in 11 meetings there all-time.

QUAKES: Play Los Angeles Football Club at midweek at Banc of California Stadium.

WHITECAPS FC: Russell Teibert collected his third assist of the season, his second over the last three games. ... Maxime Crèpeau was credited with two saves in recording his fifth shutout of the season.

FC CINCINNATI vs. COLUMBUS CREW SC

Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #329)

Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

6 p.m. ET (FS1 / FOX Deportes)

REFEREE: Joseph Dickerson. AR1 (bench): Adam Wienckowski; AR2 (opposite): Kevin Klinger; 4th: Elvis Osmanovic; VAR: Sorin Stoica; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson

MLS Career: 23 games; FC/gm: 26.3; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 5; pens: 7

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: FC Cincinnati 0 wins, 2 goals ... Crew SC 0 wins, 2 goals ... Ties 1

AT CINCINNATI: First meeting.

FC Cincinnati fell to a 4-1 loss to New York City FC at Nippert Stadium on Saturday evening, now six games without a triumph. Allan Cruz scored his fifth goal of the season, his second goal in the last three games.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season and in their MLS histories, the back end of a home-and-home set over two weeks. FC Cincinnati was two goals up after 23 minutes through goals from Darren Mattocks and Emmanuel Ledesma, but Gyasi Zardes and Pedro Santos scored on either side of halftime to pull Crew SC back for a 2-2 draw on Aug. 10 at Mapfre Stadium.

FCC: Andrew Gutman collected his first career assist in MLS, making his second appearance since joining FC Cincinnati. ... Victor Ulloa recorded his second assist of the season, equaling his single-season career-high in his nine MLS seasons (established each of the last two years, while with FC Dallas).

CREW SC: Play New York City FC at Yankee Stadium at midweek.

FC DALLAS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO

Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #326)

Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas

7 p.m. CT (FS1 / FOX Deportes)

REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Eduardo Mariscal; 4th: Rubiel Vazquez; VAR: Ricardo Salazar; AVAR: Adam Garner

MLS Career: 131 games; FC/gm: 22.2; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 27; pens: 31

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: FC Dallas 10 wins, 51 goals ... Dynamo 11 wins, 50 goals ... Ties 13

AT FRISCO: FC Dallas 6 wins, 24 goals ... Dynamo 3 wins, 20 goals ... Ties 7

FC Dallas became the 15th team in MLS history to overturn a three-goal deficit to gain a result, coming back from 3-0 down for a 3-3 draw with the Montréal Impact at Toyota Stadium. Ryan Hollingsheadscored the equalizer in the 90th minute, capping three goals in a 31-minute span.

The Dynamo snapped a four-game losing slide in Davy Arnaud's coaching debut, coming back from two goals down for a 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids at BBVA Stadium on Saturday evening. Mauro Manotas scored both Dynamo goals, now with 11 for the season, tied for sixth in the MLS Golden Boot standings.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Manotas netted both Dynamo goals, on either side of halftime, as they took a 2-1 win on May 4 at BBVA Stadium.

The win was just the second for the Dynamo in the series over the last seven seasons. Since the start of 2013, FC Dallas are 7-2-6 in league play against Houston, and have won the three meetings between the teams in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The Dynamo haven't won in Frisco since 2011, but the FCD win in the final meeting last year (a 4-2 victory on Sept. 1) was their first at home in the series since 2015. Dallas has won five of the 11 matches (with three draws) between the teams over all competitions at BBVA Stadium.

The clubs play for "El Capitán," the 19th-century Mountain Howitzer cannon to be awarded to the winner of the season series by supporters' groups for both clubs.

FCD: Zdenek Ondrasek scored his first MLS and FC Dallas goal, making his 11th appearance. ... Reto Ziegler converted a penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season, his third from the spot. ... Michael Barriosrecorded his 12th assist of the season, now fourth in the MLS assist standings, his fifth assist over the last six games.

DYNAMO: Tommy McNamara recorded his third assist of the season, all three coming over the last six matches, his second assist in the last three. ... Adam Lundkvist collected his fourth assist of the season, his second in the last six matches.

LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB vs. LA GALAXY

Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 (Week 25, MLS Game #326)

Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.

7:30 p.m. PT (FS1 / FOX Deportes)

REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Brian Poeschel; AR2 (opposite): Nick Uranga; 4th: Michael Radchuk; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Cameron Blanchard

MLS Career: 153 games; FC/gm: 22.2; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 37; pens: 67

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: LAFC 0 wins, 8 goals ... Galaxy 2 wins, 10 goals ... Ties 2

AT BANC OF CALIFORNIA STADIUM: LAFC 0 wins, 5 goals ... Galaxy 1 win, 6 goals ... Ties 1

The Galaxy gained a third consecutive home result, reaching a 2-2 draw with Seattle Sounders FC at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday evening.

Zlatan Ibrahimovi? scored a pair of goals for a second consecutive game, now with 20 for the season, becoming the third player in MLS history to reach the 20-goal plateau in back-to-back seasons.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Ibrahimovi? did it again, scoring a hat trick to cancel out a brace from Carlos Vela, as the Galaxy took a 3-2 win on July 19 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

The teams met three times in LAFC's inaugural campaign. The Galaxy took a dramatic 4-3 victory in the first ever LA derby, coming back from a three-goal deficit behind a pair of goals from Ibrahimovi?, playing in his first MLS game, on March 31 at Banc of California Stadium.

The teams played to draws in their final two meetings, a 2-2 result on July 26 at Banc of California Stadium, and a 1-1 match Aug. 24 in Carson, Calif.

GALAXY: Sebastian Lletget collected his third assist of the season, his last coming May 8. ... The Galaxy saw their Leagues Cup campaign come to an end Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to Cruz Azul of Liga MX at Dignity Health Sports Park. Emil Cuello scored the Galaxy goal.

LAFC: Play the San Jose Earthquakes at Banc of California Stadium at midweek.

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 21, 2019


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