Sports stats



MLS Major League Soccer

The Kids Can Play: Youngsters Making History Across MLS - MLS Week 20 News & Notes

October 21, 2020 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Youngsters have made their mark on Major League Soccer in the 2020 season as never before. From the youngest to appear in a match, to the youngest to score a goal and combine on a goal, the 2020 season has been unprecedented in the contribution from players who still aren't able to vote.

When Christian Torres netted the late equalizer for Los Angeles Football Club in their 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers last weekend, he became the fifth-youngest player to score a goal in MLS history, aged 16 years, 186 days.

Yet of the 20 youngest players to score goals in MLS history, four of those have come this season - from FC Dallas' Ricardo Pepi (No. 14; 17 years, 58 days) on March 7, to Cade Cowell of the San Jose Earthquakes (No. 11; 16 years, 320 days) on Aug. 29, to the New York Red Bulls' Caden Clark (No. 19; 17 years, 136 days), who became the youngest player in league history to score in his first two games when he hit the back of the net Oct. 10 vs. Atlanta then Oct. 14 vs. Toronto FC.

YOUNGEST TO SCORE A GOAL IN MLS HISTORY

1 Freddy Adu DC 14 years, 320 days

2 Gianluca Busio KC 16 years, 142 days

3 Jesus Ferreira DAL 16 years, 161 days

4 Diego Fagundez NE 16 years, 173 days

5 Christian Torres LFC 16 years, 186 days 10/18/2020 LFC at POR

6 Santino Quaranta DC 16 years, 217 days

7 Eddie Gaven MET 16 years, 253 days

8 George Bello ATL 16 years, 257 days

9 Jack McBean LA 16 years, 312 days

10 Jozy Altidore NYR 16 years, 314 days

11 Cade Cowell SJ 16 years, 320 days 08/29/2020 SJ at LA

14 Ricardo Pepi DAL 17 years, 58 days 03/07/2020 DAL vs MTL

19 Caden Clark NYR 17 years, 136 days 10/10/2020 NYR at ATL

On Oct. 14, Erik Dueñas of Los Angeles Football Club became the third-youngest player to appear in a Major League Soccer match, when he came on for the final 19 minutes of his club's match vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC. At age 15 years, 362 days, Dueñas is just the third player ever to play in a league match before reaching his 16th birthday.

But of the 10 youngest players ever to see action in an MLS game, three of those have come this season - Christian Torres of LAFC the sixth-youngest, with his debut on Aug. 30, and Cade Cowell of San Jose the seventh-youngest when he made his debut March 7. With the addition of Danny Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC) and Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), five of the youngest players in MLS annals have started their careers in the last 16 months.

YOUNGEST TO PLAY A GAME IN MLS HISTORY (years.days)

14.306 Freddy Adu 4/3/2004 DC vs SJ

15.257 Alphonso Davies 7/16/2016 VAN vs ORL

15.362 Erik Dueñas 10/14/2020 LFC at VAN

16.031 Danny Leyva 6/5/2019 SEA at MTL

16.061 Gianluca Busio 7/28/2018 KC vs DAL

16.137 Christian Torres 8/30/2020 LFC at SEA

16.145 Cade Cowell 3/7/2020 SJ vs MIN

16.161 Jesus Ferreira 6/3/2017 DAL vs RSL

16.164 Ricardo Pepi 6/22/2019 DAL vs TOR

16.173 Diego Fagundez 8/6/2011 NE vs CHV

The goal from Christian Torres was assisted by Mahala Opoku - who was making just his third league appearance after signing with the club barely two weeks earlier. With Torres aged 16 years, 186 days, and Opoku aged 19 years, 97 days, the pair is the youngest in combined age ever to combine on a goal in MLS history (with one player scoring and another assisting).

YOUNGEST IN COMBINED AGE TO SCORE/ASSIST ON GOAL

DATE GOAL AGE ASSIST AGE

10/18/2020 Christian Torres 16.186 Mahala Opoku 19.097

5/28/2005 Eddie Gaven 18.215 Michael Bradley 17.301

5/12/2002 Santino Quaranta 17.21 Bobby Convey 18.35

5/21/2005 Eddie Gaven 18.208 Tim Ward 18.082

9/9/2020 Ricardo Pepi 17.244 Bryan Reynolds 19.073

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau

MLS WEEK 20 - LOOK AHEAD

NASHVILLE SC vs. FC DALLAS

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #246)

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

7:30 p.m. CT (FS1 / FOX Deportes; TSN)

REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. AR1 (bench): Kathryn Nesbitt; AR2 (opposite): Walter Heatherly; 4th: David Gantar; VAR: Drew Fischer; AVAR: Brooke Mayo

MLS Career: 164 games; FC/gm: 27.7; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 25; pens: 40

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Nashville SC 1 win, 1 goal ... FC Dallas 0 wins, 0 goals ... Ties 1

AT NASHVILLE: First meeting.

Nashville SC gained a fifth result in the last six matches, rolling to a 3-1 win against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Stadium on Oct. 14.

Hany Mukhtar netted a pair of goals, the first two-goal game in the club's MLS history, one coming directly from an immaculate free kick, as Nashville scored three goals in the opening 23 minutes.

FC Dallas returned to victory for the first time in five matches, getting the game's only goal for a win against Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 14 at Toyota Stadium.

Ryan Hollingshead scored the lone goal just before the halftime interval, his second of the season.

The teams are meeting for the third time this season. David Accam scored the game's only goal to give Nashville SC the club's first win in its MLS history on Aug. 12, then the teams reached a goalless draw on Aug. 16, as the teams met twice in four days at Toyota Stadium in the first matches in the continuation of play in the 2020 MLS season.

NASHVILLE SC: Abu Danladi scored his second goal of the season, the first coming Sept. 12. Danladi also recorded his first assist of the year, the second time in his MLS career he's had a goal and an assist in the same game (also: May 7, 2017 while with Minnesota United FC). ... Taylor Washington collected an assist, the first of his MLS career (in his 11th appearance).

FCD: Jimmy Maurer was credited with three saves in recording his fourth shutout of the season; the four shutouts equal his single-season career-high in MLS, set in 2018 (in 13 appearances). ... Brian Reynolds collected his second assist of the season, the third in his MLS career.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #257)

CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.

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

REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Corey Parker; AR2 (opposite): Cory Richardson; 4th: Farhad Dadkho; VAR: Chris Penso; AVAR: Joshua Patlak

MLS Career: 157 games; FC/gm: 25.7; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 44; pens: 50

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sounders FC 12 wins, 45 goals ... Timbers 9 wins, 40 goals ... Ties 6

AT SEATTLE: Sounders FC 7 wins, 20 goals ... Timbers 3 wins, 12 goals ... Ties 3

Sounders FC rebounded from a first loss in four games, playing to a goalless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Earthquakes Stadium on Sunday evening.

The Timbers bounced back from a first loss in seven games, reaching a 1-1 draw with Los Angeles Football Club on Sunday evening. Jeremy Ebobisse netted his eighth goal of the season, now tied for fourth place in the MLS Golden Boot standings.

The teams are meeting for the fourth time this season. Yimmi Chará scored the game's only goal as the Timbers won the last meeting, Sept. 23 at Providence Park. Eryk Williamson scored the opener and set up the late winner as the Timbers took a 2-1 win at CenturyLink Field on Sept. 6; Raúl Ruidíaz scored two goals and set up a third as Sounders FC hit for a late three-goal blitz in 14 minutes on their way to a 3-0 win Aug. 23 at Providence Park.

The Timbers win in the last meeting ended a six-game winning streak by the visiting team in the series. Sounders FC had won the previous three regular-season matchups at Providence Park, the win in 2018 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 three 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 teams met in 2018 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 110 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 54 times and Portland has won 42, with 14 draws. In MLS league play, Sounders FC have won 12 matches, the Timbers have won 10, and six have been draws.

SOUNDERS FC: Stefan Frei was credited with one save in recording his fifth shutout of the season, his last coming Sept. 18. ... The appearance was Frei's 215th for Sounders FC, equaling the sixth-most by a goalkeeper for a single club in MLS history.

TIMBERS: Felipe Mora recorded his second assist of the season; he has four goals and an assist in his last five appearances.

NASHVILLE SC vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #254)

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

7:30 p.m. CT (MyTV 30; NBCS-Bos)

REFEREE: Robert Sibiga. AR1 (bench): Brian Poeschel; AR2 (opposite): Brooke Mayo; 4th: Tori Penso; VAR: David Gantar; AVAR: Jozef Batko

MLS Career: 112 games; FC/gm: 21.8; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 24; pens: 32

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Nashville SC 0 wins, 0 goals ... Revolution 0 wins, 0 goals ... Ties 1

AT NASHVILLE: First meeting.

Nashville SC won a second game in a row with three goals scored, defeating FC Dallas 3-0 at Nissan Stadium on Tuesday evening. The win extended Nashville SC's home undefeated streak to seven games, with a fourth win in that span, all coming since the restart of play in local markets.

Joe Willis was credited with two saves in adding to his single-season career-high with his eighth shutout, now leading Major League Soccer.

Jhonder Cadiz scored his first MLS goal, in his second appearance for the club, both as a substitute.

The Revolution had their two-game winning streak put to an end to open the week, falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium on Monday evening. Tajon Buchanan scored the Revs' goal, his second of the season and the second of his MLS career.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season and in their histories. They reached a goalless draw Oct. 3 at Gillette Stadium.

NASHVILLE SC: Randall Leal scored a goal, his second of the season, his first coming Sept. 2. Leal also added an assist, also his second of the year, both coming in the last three games. ... Daniel Ríos moved into a tie for the team lead with his third goal of the season, a third consecutive appearance with a goal after scoring in back-to-back games Sept. 23-26. ... Derrick Jones contributed his second assist of the season, the first coming Sept. 26.

REVOLUTION: Matt Polster recorded his second assist of the season, both coming in the last two games.

INTER MIAMI CF vs. ORLANDO CITY SC

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #247)

Inter Miami CF Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

3:30 p.m. ET (Univision / TUDN)

REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Jeffrey Greeson; AR2 (opposite): Claudiu Badea; 4th: Elvis Osmanovic; VAR: David Gantar; AVAR: Jozef Batko

MLS Career: 173 games; FC/gm: 22.0; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 44; pens: 74

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Inter Miami 1 win, 5 goals ... OCSC 2 wins, 6 goals ... Ties 0

AT INTER MIAMI: Inter Miami 1 win, 3 goals ... OCSC 0 wins, 2 goals ... Ties 0

Inter Miami saw their three-game undefeated run come to an end, falling 2-1 to the Montréal Impact at Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening. Brek Shea scored his fourth goal of the season, a second consecutive game with a goal.

Orlando City SC qualified for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history, playing to a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Sunday evening.

The teams are meeting for the fourth time in Inter Miami's inaugural season. In the last meeting, Orlando City won for the second time as Mauricio Pereyra scored the second-half game-winner for a 2-1 win Sept. 12 at Exploria Stadium. They kicked off the MLS is Back Tournament against each other at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on July 8, as Nani netted the game-winner well into stoppage time to give OCSC the 2-1 win. Then on Aug. 22 at Inter Miami CF Stadium, Julian Carranza netted a pair of goals in the first half and Inter Miami held out for the first win in the club's history, a 3-2 decision.

IMCF: Leandro González Pirez recorded his first assist of the season, his first in MLS since June 29, 2019 while with Atlanta United.

OCSC: Orlando City extended the club's undefeated streak to 12 games, tied for the 22nd-longest in MLS history. Orlando City's last defeat came Aug. 22, in the first match back in the continuation of the 2020 season.

ATLANTA UNITED vs. D.C. UNITED

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #248)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.

4 p.m. ET (FS-SE; WJLA 24/7 News)

REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): TJ Zablocki; AR2 (opposite): Jose da Silva; 4th: Sergii Demianchuk; VAR: Chris Penso; AVAR: Craig Lowry

MLS Career: 149 games; FC/gm: 22.4; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 28; pens: 34

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: ATLUTD 4 wins, 15 goals ... D.C. United 5 wins, 13 goals ...Ties 0

AT ATLANTA: ATLUTD 3 wins, 9 goals ... D.C. United 1 win, 5 goals ... Ties 0

Atlanta United went down to a loss by the game's only goal vs. Toronto FC at Rentschler Field on Sunday evening.

D.C. United put an end to a nine-game winless run with their first victory since Sept. 2, defeating FC Cincinnati 2-1 at Nippert Stadium on Sunday evening. Four days after scoring his first MLS goal, Donovan Pines netted a second to send United on their way; Chris Odoi-Atsem scored the game-winner for his first goal in his fourth MLS season.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Jon Gallagher scored a pair of goals and Brooks Lennon hit for another and added two assists as Atlanta United rolled to a 4-0 win Oct. 3 at Audi Field.

Home form had ruled in the last two seasons, each winning 2-0 on their home ground last season, and winning by 3-1 scorelines on their own ground in 2018 in three meetings overall (two in Atlanta). D.C. United took all three meetings in ATLUTD's expansion season, winning 3-1 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on April 30 before taking the next two at RFK Stadium.

ATLUTD: Miles Robinson made his 50th career MLS league start. He is the sixth player from the 2017 SuperDraft (81 players selected) to reach 50 MLS starts.

D.C. UNITED: Interim head coach Chad Ashton was credited with his first career coaching victory.

NEW YORK CITY FC vs. MONTREAL IMPACT

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #249)

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.

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

REFEREE: Ramy Touchan. AR1 (bench): Eric Weisbrod; AR2 (opposite): Adam Garner; 4th: Adam Kilpatrick; VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr.; AVAR: Gjovalin Bori

MLS Career: 33 games; FC/gm: 26.4; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 5; pens: 4

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: NYCFC 6 wins, 19 goals ... Impact 1 win, 9 goals ... Ties 4

AT NEW YORK: NYCFC 2 wins, 10 goals ... Impact 1 win, 6 goals ... Ties 3

NYCFC went down to defeat on the road, falling 3-1 to Columbus Crew SC at Mapfre Stadium on Sunday evening. Valentin Castellanos netted his second goal in four games.

The Impact put an end to a two-game losing skid, coming back for a late 2-1 win against Inter Miami CF at Red Bull Arena. Bojan Krkić scored his third goal of the season - all coming in the last six games - and also added an assist on Maximiliano Urruti's game-winner.

NYCFC has a four-year and eight-game undefeated streak alive in the series, with four wins and four draws over that time. The lone Impact victory in 11 meetings all-time between the teams came Aug. 1, 2015, a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium.

NYCFC has won just once in the series in The Bronx over the last four seasons. The teams reached a draw there last April 6. NYCFC won 2-0 at Stade Saputo in the last meeting between the clubs, last May 4; the Impact have never won at home in the series.

NYCFC: Jesús Medina collected his first assist of the season, his last coming last July 3 vs. Seattle.

IMPACT: Romell Quioto recorded his fifth assist of the season, a third consecutive game with an assist, with four assists in that time. Quioto now has a goal or an assist in six consecutive appearances, dating back to Sept. 13, with three goals and four assists in that time.

PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. TORONTO FC

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #250)

Subaru Park, Chester, Pa.

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

REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Brian Dunn; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Atkins; 4th: Luis Arroyo; VAR: Daniel Radford; AVAR: Thomas Supple

MLS Career: 270 games; FC/gm: 23.0; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 43; pens: 86

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Union 7 wins, 30 goals ... Toronto FC 11 wins, 36 goals ... Ties 6

AT UNION: Union 4 wins, 13 goals ... Toronto FC 4 wins, 14 goals ... Ties 3

The Union extended their undefeated streak to four games with a third win in that time, defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 at Gillette Stadium on Monday evening. Anthony Fontana scored the decider, his second consecutive game with a goal and his sixth goal of the season, all coming in the last nine games (since Sept. 12).

Toronto FC extended the club's undefeated streak to nine games, defeating Atlanta United by the game's only goal at Rentschler Field on Sunday evening. Pablo Piatti hit for the game-winner in the 89th minute.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Ayo Akinola and Alejandro Pozuelo scored second-half goals to overcome an early Sergio Santos strike as TFC took a 2-1 win at Rentschler Field on Oct. 3.

The Union had won the previous meeting between the teams, a 2-1 win May 11, 2019 at BMO Field, which ended a five-year long TFC undefeated streak in the league series, also snapping a four-game Toronto FC winning streak. The last Union victory vs. Toronto FC had come on Sept. 6, 2014, a 2-0 win at BMO Field. TFC won eight of the 10 matches in between, with two draws. The Union's goal in the last meeting in Chester, a 3-1 win last March 2, also ended a 360-minute goalless streak vs. Toronto FC.

UNION: Jamiro Monteiro collected his fifth assist of the season, his fourth assist in the last eight games.

TFC: Quentin Westberg was credited with one save in recording his sixth shutout of the season, his second in the last three games.

FC CINCINNATI vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #251)

Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

7:30 p.m. ET (WSTR - Star 64; FS-North)

REFEREE: Malik Badawi. AR1 (bench): Cameron Blanchard; AR2 (opposite): Peter Balciunas; 4th: Silviu Petrescu; VAR: Alan Kelly; AVAR: TBD

MLS Career: 1 game; FC/gm: 27.0; Y/gm: 5.0; R: 0; pens: 1

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: FCC 0 wins, 1 goal ... MNUFC 2 wins, 9 goals ... Ties 0

AT CINCINNATI: First meeting.

FC Cincinnati weren't able to build upon a first victory in six matches, falling 2-1 to D.C. United at Nippert Stadium on Sunday evening.

Minnesota United FC made it four games without loss, reaching a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo at Allianz Field on Sunday evening. Ethan Finlay scored both MNUFC goals, the eighth two-goal game of his MLS career.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Kei Kamara scored his first goal after joining MNUFC and Kevin Molino added one late as the Loons claimed a 2-0 win Oct. 3 at Allianz Field.

The teams met once during FC Cincinnati's inaugural season. Ike Opara scored a pair of goals, while Jan Gregus collected three assists, one shy of the MLS all-time single-game record, as Minnesota United FC became the then-seventh team in MLS history to score seven goals or more in an MLS league game in a 7-1 win June 29 at Allianz Field.

FCC: Brandon Vazquez scored his second goal of the season, his first coming Sept. 12 vs. NYCFC.

MNUFC: Robin Lod collected his second assist of the season, his first coming Sept. 9. ... Kei Kamara recorded his first assist since coming to Minnesota United via trade from Colorado, his second assist of the season. ... Jacori Hayes was credited with his first assist of the season, his last coming last June 8 while with FC Dallas.

CHICAGO FIRE FC vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #252)

Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.

6:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+ / WGN-TV; MSG)

REFEREE: Ismir Pekmic. AR1 (bench): Frank Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Ted Unkel; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Eric Boria

MLS Career: First game.

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Fire 28 wins, 94 goals ... Red Bulls 19 wins, 77 goals ... Ties 12

AT FIRE: Fire 16 wins, 50 goals ... Red Bulls 5 wins, 29 goals ... Ties 9

Fire FC gained a second result in a row, playing to a 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City at Soldier Field on Saturday afternoon. Robert Berić scored his eighth goal of the season, tied for fourth place in the MLS Golden Boot standings, and Djordje Mihailović hit for the equalizer five minutes into second-half stoppage time for his second goal.

The Red Bulls extended their undefeated run to three games, reaching a 1-1 draw with Orlando City SC at Red Bull Arena on Sunday evening. Brian White scored the equalizer five minutes into second-half stoppage time for his second goal of the year.

The home team won both matchups when the clubs met a year ago. An own goal was the only score as the Fire took the victory, March 30 at SeatGeek Stadium; the Red Bulls returned the favor with a 3-1 win at Red Bull Arena on June 28.

The Fire win in the first meeting last year ended a four-game winless streak in the series on their home ground (0-2-2). When the Red Bulls started the streak with a win Oct. 25, 2015, it was their first win ever in Bridgeview. The Red Bulls' last away win against Chicago had come May 14, 2005, a 3-0 win at Soldier Field; in between, the Fire were unbeaten in 14 home games in the league series (9-0-5).

The Red Bulls have won four of the last five meetings in Harrison, the Fire win in that span coming April 21, 2018 in a 2-1 win, their first victory overall vs. the Red Bulls since Aug. 26, 2015

FIRE FC: Wyatt Omsberg recorded the first assist of his MLS career, in his third season (12 career appearances).

RED BULLS: Jason Pendant was credited with his second assist in MLS, the first coming Sept. 12.

HOUSTON DYNAMO vs. COLUMBUS CREW SC

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #253)

BBVA Stadium, Houston, Texas

7:30 p.m. CT (QuestTEXAS Ch. 55; ST-Ohio)

REFEREE: Joseph Dickerson. AR1 (bench): Chris Elliott; AR2 (opposite): Kevin Lock; 4th: Elijio Arreguin; VAR: Jorge Gonzalez; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson

MLS Career: 36 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 7; pens: 11

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Dynamo 7 wins, 28 goals ... Crew SC 8 wins, 31 goals ... Ties 10

AT HOUSTON: Dynamo 6 wins, 19 goals ... Crew SC 1 win, 11 goals ... Ties 6

The Dynamo snapped a two-game losing slide, reaching a 2-2 draw with Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field on Sunday evening. Niko Hansen netted the late equalizer for his second goal of the season; Darwin Quintero gained his ninth assist, second-most in MLS, one behind Toronto's Alejandro Pozuelo.

Crew SC secured their place in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, defeating New York City FC 3-1 at Mapfre Stadium. Artur scored the first goal of his MLS career, in his 104th career league appearance; Gyasi Zardes sealed the win with his 11th goal of the season, one behind LAFC's Diego Rossi for the lead in the MLS Golden Boot standings.

The Dynamo won the lone meeting between the teams a season ago, a 2-0 victory on April 27 at BBVA Stadium.

The road team has not won in the series since 2011, when Crew SC claimed a 2-0 victory at Robertson Stadium in Houston. It is one of just two wins for the away team all-time in 25 meetings between the clubs.

Crew SC have not lost to the Dynamo in Columbus since June 10, 2007, a 2-1 Houston victory. Since then, Crew SC have won seven of the 10 meetings at home, with three draws. The Dynamo have won five of the past seven meetings in Houston, with two draws.

DYNAMO: Darwin Quintero has a goal or an assist in six of his last eight games, with three goals and three assists in that span. ... Memo Rodríguez scored his fourth goal of the season, his last coming Sept. 12. ... Darwin Cerén collected his fourth assist of the season, a single-season career-high in his sixth MLS season, his first since gaining assists in three consecutive games Aug. 25-Sept. 5.

CREW SC: Pedro Santos scored his sixth goal of the season, a second consecutive game with a goal; all six goals have come in the last nine games, since Sept. 6, when he also has four assists.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. COLORADO RAPIDS

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #255)

Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kan.

7:30 p.m. CT (FS-KC; Altitude)

REFEREE: Drew Fischer. AR1 (bench): Ian McKay; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Victor Rivas; VAR: Sorin Stoica; AVAR: Tom Felice

MLS Career: 134 games; FC/gm: 25.2; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 19; pens: 39

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sporting 25 wins (1 shootout), 104 goals ... Rapids 24 wins (3 shootout), 87 goals ... Ties 16

AT KC: Sporting 20 wins (0 shootout), 64 goals ... Rapids 6 wins (1 shootout), 33 goals ... Ties 5

Sporting rebounded from a first defeat in four matches, playing to a 2-2 draw with Chicago Fire FC at Soldier Field on Saturday evening. Gadi Kinda set up one goal then netted Sporting's second late.

In their last game, on Sept. 23, the Rapids won a second consecutive game and a third in the last four in another big offensive explosion, rolling to a 5-0 win against the San Jose Earthquakes at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The five-goal victory was the second in four games for the Rapids, after defeating Real Salt Lake 5-0 on Sept. 12 - the largest margin of victory in the club's 25-year history, coming twice in four matches after 773 league games.

The teams are meeting for the third time this season. A pair of teenagers, Colorado's Cole Bassett and KC's Gianluca Busio, netted the goals as the teams reached a 1-1 draw Aug. 29 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The teams also met during group play in the MLS is Back Tournament, Graham Zusi scoring the game-winner in second-half stoppage time to give Sporting a dramatic 3-2 win on July 17.

The Rapids have a seven-game undefeated streak at home in the series, Sporting's last win in Commerce City coming in 2014 in the lone meeting between the teams. The Rapids win in the last meeting at Children's Mercy Park last Sept. 21, was their first in the series overall since May 27, 2017, a span of three matches (two of those draws).

SPORTING: Ilie Sánchez collected his first assist of the season, his last coming last Aug. 22 vs. Minnesota. ... Erik Hurtado scored his fourth goal of the season, his second in the last three games. His four goals are the most since netting five goals in 2014 with Vancouver, his single-season career-high.

RAPIDS: Cole Bassett scored his fourth goal of the season, a second in as many matches and a third in the last four games. Bassett had three goals combined over his first two MLS seasons. Bassett also added an assist, his fourth of the season, the third time in his MLS career he's had a goal and an assist in the same game, the second this season (also Sept. 12). ... Jonathan Lewis scored for a second match in a row, his fifth goal of the season, equaling his single-season career-high set last year (all following his move to Colorado from NYCFC via trade). ... Jack Price collected a pair of assists, the third multiple-assist game of his MLS career. ... William Yarbrough was credited with four saves in recording his third consecutive shutout, his first three in MLS. He has not conceded a goal in his last 314 minutes.

REAL SALT LAKE vs. FC DALLAS

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #256)

Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah

7:30 p.m. MT (KMYU-12; TXA21 / FCDTV)

REFEREE: Alex Chilowicz. AR1 (bench): Jeremy Hanson; AR2 (opposite): Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein; 4th: Michael Radchuk; VAR: Alejandro Mariscal; AVAR: TBD

MLS Career: 38 games; FC/gm: 24.6; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 6; pens: 13

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Real 12 wins, 46 goals ... FC Dallas 20 wins, 60 goals ... Ties 8

AT SALT LAKE: Real 11 wins, 33 goals ... FC Dallas 7 wins, 26 goals ... Ties 4

Real put an end to a four-game winless slide last time out, defeating the Portland Timbers 2-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium on Oct. 14. Douglas Martínez scored the first goal of his MLS career; Damir Kreilach netted his eighth goal of the year for the game-winner, now tied for fourth place in the MLS Golden Boot standings.

FC Dallas weren't able to build upon a first win in five games, dropping a 3-0 decision to Nashville SC on Tuesday evening at Nissan Stadium.

The teams met twice a season ago. Paxton Pomykal netted a pair of goals and Michael Barrios set up the other two as FC Dallas took a 4-2 win on March 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium; the teams reached a goalless draw July 27 at Toyota Stadium.

FC Dallas have won three of the last six meetings in Sandy, with one draw, dating back to 2015. The teams have played to draws the last two meetings at Toyota Stadium. RSL is 1-13-4 at FC Dallas all-time in league games between the clubs, FCD undefeated in the last six meetings there. FC Dallas has also won a home game in the MLS Cup Playoffs (in 2010) and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal (in 2011). The lone RSL win in Frisco came on July 13, 2013, a 3-0 victory.

REAL: Pablo Ruíz recorded his first career assist in MLS, in his 26th appearance.

FC DALLAS: Ewa Twumasi made his first appearance of the season, his fourth in the last three years.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #258)

Providence Park, Portland, Ore.

7 p.m. PT (TSN; NBCS-CA)

REFEREE: Marcos de Oliveira. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Mike Rottersman; 4th: Rosendo Mendoza; VAR: Younes Marrakchi; AVAR: Joshua Patlak

MLS Career: 40 games; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 4; pens: 13

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Whitecaps FC 8 wins, 36 goals ... Earthquakes 8 wins, 38 goals ... Ties 9

VANCOUVER HOME GAME: Whitecaps FC 7 wins, 22 goals ... Earthquakes 2 wins, 15 goals ... Ties 3

Whitecaps FC saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, falling by the game's only goal to the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday evening.

The Quakes gained a result for the fifth time in the last six matches, reaching a goalless draw with Seattle Sounders FC at Earthquakes Stadium on Sunday evening.

The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Cristián Espinoza, Andrés Ríos and Paul Marie all scored second-half goals as the Quakes took a 3-0 win Oct. 7 at Earthquakes Stadium. Earlier, Shea Salinas scored the game-winner eight minutes into second-half stoppage time, giving the Quakes a wild 4-3 win during group play at the MLS is Back Tournament on July 15.

The Quakes have won the last four meetings in the series, winning both a season ago, each by a 3-1 scoreline. Chris Wondolowski scored a goal and added an assist in each match, first on July 20 at BC Place, then Aug. 24 at Avaya Stadium.

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

WHITECAPS FC: Russell Teibert made his 180th MLS league appearance for Whitecaps FC, setting the club record, surpassing Jordan Harvey.

QUAKES: JT Marcinkowski was credited with one save in recording his fourth shutout of the season. It was a second consecutive game with a shutout, his third in the last four games, his shutout streak now at 184 minutes.

LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB vs. LA GALAXY

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 (Week 20, MLS Game #259)

Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.

12:30 p.m. PT (ABC / ESPN Deportes; TSN)

REFEREE: Kevin Stott. AR1 (bench): Andrew Bigelow; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: Timothy Ford; VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr.; AVAR: Gjovalin Bori

MLS Career: 358 games; FC/gm: 24.5; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 83; pens: 96

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: LAFC 1 win, 17 goals ... Galaxy 4 wins, 20 goals ... Ties 3

AT LAFC: LAFC 0 wins, 5 goals ... Galaxy 1 win, 7 goals ... Ties 2

LAFC gained a third result in four matches, playing to a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Sunday evening. Christian Torres netted the equalizer in stoppage time for LAFC; at age 16 years, 186 days, he is the fifth-youngest to score a goal in MLS history.

The Galaxy put an end to their seven-game stretch without a victory, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC by the game's only goal at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday evening. Kai Koreniuk scored his first career goal in MLS, the 90th-minute game-winner.

The teams are meeting for the fourth time this season. Sebastian Lletget netted a pair of goals and Cristián Pavón had a goal and an assist as the Galaxy cruised to a 3-0 win at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sept. 6.

Earlier, Ethan Zubak and Sebastian Lletget each scored on either side of halftime, giving the Galaxy a 2-0 win Aug. 22 at Banc of California Stadium. The Galaxy have come away with points on all three visits to downtown LA during league play, with a win and two draws.

The teams met in group play in the MLS is Back Tournament - and it was another historic meeting. Diego Rossi scored four goals - the 13th player in league history to net that many in a game - and combined for five goals and assists, as LAFC won 6-2 on July 18. It was the eighth time in MLS history a player had five goals plus assists in a game, Rossi the first player to do it twice. The win marked the first time in league play LAFC defeated the Galaxy. There have been 45 goals scored in the nine meetings in all competitions between the clubs.

The teams also met last year in the Western Conference Semifinals - and LAFC came away victors, claiming a wild 5-3 victory at Banc of California Stadium on Oct. 24, as Carlos Vela scored two goals and added an assist.

LAFC: The Christian Torres goal was assisted by Edward Opoku, aged 19 years, 97 days, for his first professional assist; the pair are the two youngest to combine on a goal in MLS history by combined age. ... Eddie Segura also collected an assist, his first in two MLS seasons (coming in his 52nd career appearance).

GALAXY: Cristian Pavón collected his seventh assist of the season, his third assist in the last five games. ... Julián Araujo recorded his third assist of the season, his first since gaining two Aug. 22 vs. LAFC. ... Jonathan Klinsmann was credited with four saves in recording his first career shutout, in his second MLS start.

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from October 21, 2020


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central