Piatti Moves into Rare Company as he Reaches 100 Goals Plus Assists

MLS MEDIA RESOURCES: WEEK 4 NEWS & NOTES

News and notes and statistical trends from around Major League Soccer

PIATTI MOVES INTO RARE COMPANY AS HE REACHES 100 GOALS PLUS ASSISTS

Ignacio Piatti of the Montréal Impact scored a pair of goals Saturday afternoon in his club’s 3-1 win against Orlando City SC. The goals were the 65th and 66th of his MLS league career, which began in 2014 – and combined with his 34 assists, gave him 100 combined goals and assists in the league.

Piatti became the 44th player in MLS history to reach the century mark in combined goals and assists; the all-time leader is Landon Donovan, who scored 145 goals and added 136 assists, for a combined total of 281.

Piatti achieved his 100 goals plus assists in 127 league appearances – the ninth-fastest in MLS history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The all-time fastest was Sebastian Giovinco, who hit for 100 goals and assists in just 95 games when he reached the century mark on June 2, 2018, one of only two players in MLS annals to record the total in less than 100 games.

FASTEST TO 100 GOALS + ASSISTS (MLS HISTORY)

	DATE	GAMES	G+A
Sebastian Giovinco	6/2/2018	95	100
Robbie Keane	7/17/2015	96	101
Preki	8/29/1999	109	100
Jaime Moreno	5/5/2001	112	101
David Villa	9/26/2018	115	101
Roy Lassiter	3/26/2000	116	100
Carlos Valderrama	8/12/2000	118	100
Marco Etcheverry	4/7/2001	120	100
Ignacio Piatti	3/16/2019	127	100
Ante Razov	6/21/2003	130	100

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau

WONDOLOWSKI, BARRIOS CONTINUE MOVING UP IRONMAN RANKINGS

Two ironman streaks of the same length were continued last weekend, when Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes and Michael Barrios of FC Dallas appeared in their teams’ matches.

For both Wondolowski and Barrios, the appearances were the 89th consecutive league match played without interruption, their streaks starting midway through the 2016 season. Barrios has been in the lineup continuously since June 19, 2016, while Wondolowski has not missed a match since July 1, 2016.

The Wondolowski and Barrios streaks are tied for the eighth-longest streak of consecutive games played in MLS league history, and tied for the third-longest among outfield players. The all-time leader is goalkeeper Luis Robles of the New York Red Bulls, who last year on May 20 finally saw his streak of 183 consecutive appearances come to an end, his run beginning Sept. 29, 2012.

UNINTERRUPTED APPEARANCES (MLS LEAGUE MATCHES ONLY)

183	2012-2018	Luis Robles (GK)
141	2005-2009	Chris Klein
113	2013-2016	David Ousted (GK)
112	2006-2009	Kevin Hartman (GK)
93	2002-2005	Kevin Hartman (GK)
91	2010-2013	Joel Lindpere
91	2011-2013	Troy Perkins (GK)
89	2016-2019	Chris Wondolowski
89	2016-2019	Michael Barrios
88	2005-2008	Matt Reis (GK)

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau

RECORD NUMBER OF GOALS SCORED OVER LAST WEEKEND’S FIXTURES

When 47 goals were scored over the 12 MLS matches last weekend, it was the most over a single matchround in the league’s history.

The previous record was 46 goals scored in the 11 matches on Decision Day in 2017 (Oct. 22) – still the most goals scored in one single day in MLS history.

The record weekend also raised the season-long goals-per-game average in 2019 to 3.20 goals per game – continuing the trend shown last year, when 3.19 goals per game were scored, which equaled the fifth-highest average in a season in MLS history.

MOST GOALS, SINGLE MATCHROUND

GOALS	GAMES	DATE
47	12	3/16-17/2019
46	11	10/22/2017
41	10	8/1-2/2015
36	11	3/18-19/2017
34	10	10/25/2015
33	10	3/6/2016
33	10	10/23/2016

A FIRST: ALLOWING THREE GOALS OVER THE OPENING THREE GAMES

The Portland Timbers set history of a dubious nature last weekend, following their 3-0 loss to FC Cincinnati in the expansion club’s first-ever MLS home match.

The Timbers have conceded three goals or more in each of their three matches this season – the first team in MLS history to allow three-plus goals in their opening three games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Timbers have allowed 10 goals this year; the all-time record for most goals allowed in three consecutive games is 13, set five times.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC also set history over the weekend when they allowed a penalty kick for a third consecutive game in their 3-2 loss at the Houston Dynamo, becoming the first team in league history to concede penalties in the opening three contests of a season.

MOST GOALS CONCEDED, FIRST FOUR GAMES OF SEASON

18	2017	Minnesota United FC
11	2010	D.C. United
11	2005	Chivas USA
11	2000	Chicago Fire
11	2000	D.C. United
11	1999	Miami Fusion
11	1999	Tampa Bay Mutiny

MLS WEEK 4 – LOOK AHEAD

FC DALLAS vs. COLORADO RAPIDS

Saturday, March 23, 2019 (Week 4, MLS Game #36)

Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas

4:30 p.m. CT (UniMás)

REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Jeff Hosking; AR2 (opposite): Cory Richardson; 4th: Rubiel Vazquez; VAR: Tim Ford; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson

MLS Career: 144 games; FC/gm: 24.0; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 44; pens: 53

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: FC Dallas 32 wins (2 shootout), 111 goals … Rapids 23 wins (1 shootout), 88 goals … Ties 17

AT DALLAS: FC Dallas 23 wins (2 shootout), 65 goals … Rapids 8 wins (1 shootout), 39 goals … Ties 6

• FC Dallas suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 1-0 to Columbus Crew SC at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

• The Rapids are still looking for a first win of 2019, reaching a second draw in three matches with a 1-1 result against Sporting Kansas City at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday evening. Diego Rubio scored his first goal since coming to Colorado over the offseason, coming against his former club.

• The Rapids won the last meeting between the teams, a 2-1 victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the season finale on Decision Day (Oct. 28). It was their first home win in the series since 2013, a five-game home winless run; the teams had reached four consecutive 1-1 draws in Commerce City, Colo.

• FC Dallas won the last meeting in Frisco, a 1-0 victory on April 7, and have now won the two meetings at Toyota Stadium, ending a three-game winless streak in the series in Frisco, Texas. The Rapids’ last win there came in 2016.

FCD: According to Opta, FC Dallas have held 61.9 percent of possession this season, the second-most in MLS. Colorado has held just 39.2 percent of possession, the second-lowest in the league. … The game is a matchup of the two youngest coaches in MLS. FCD’s Luchi Gonzalez and the Rapids’ Anthony Hudson are the only MLS coaches under the age of 40. Both are 38 years old.

RAPIDS: Diego Rubio netted his first goal for the Rapids in his third game with the club; his last in league play came last Sept. 1 with Sporting Kansas City (he had two goals during the MLS Cup Playoffs).

NEW YORK RED BULLS vs. ORLANDO CITY SC

Saturday, March 23, 2019 (Week 4, MLS Game #37)

Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.

7:30 p.m. ET (MSG+; YouTube TV [ORL] / My65)

REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho; AR2 (opposite): Mike Rottersman; 4th: Nima Saghafi; VAR: Alejandro Mariscal; AVAR: Logan Brown

MLS Career: 137 games; FC/gm: 22.5; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 32; pens: 62

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Red Bulls 5 wins, 17 goals … Orlando City 3 wins, 14 goals … Ties 1

AT ORLANDO: Red Bulls 4 wins, 11 goals … Orlando City 1 win, 8 goals … Ties 0

• The Red Bulls returned to league play after a weekend away and won for the first time, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 4-1 at Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon. Alex Muyl scored two goals, his first career multiple-goal game as a professional.

• Orlando City suffered their first defeat of the season following a pair of draws, falling 3-1 to the Montréal Impact at Orlando City Stadium.

• The teams split their season series a year ago, each winning on their home ground. Orlando City took a 4-3 win on March 31 at Orlando City Stadium, then the Red Bulls claimed a 1-0 victory in the season finale on Decision Day (Oct. 28) at Red Bull Arena. It was the second consecutive season the teams split the two-game series, each winning on their home ground.

• The visiting team has not won in the series since 2015 – Orlando City’s first year in MLS – when each team won at the other’s ground. The Red Bulls have won the last four meetings at Red Bull Arena, since a 5-2 OCSC win in Harrison in 2015.

RED BULLS: Danny Royer scored a goal and added an assist, the third time in his MLS career he’s had a goal and an assist in the same game, the last coming Sept. 30, 2017 vs. Toronto FC. … Bradley Wright-Phillips netted his first goal of the league season, the 107th of his MLS league career. … Michael Amir Murillo recorded an assist for a second consecutive game. … After two games, Alex Muyl is one goal away from his single-season career-high in MLS, after scoring three goals in both 2017 and 2018.

OCSC: Dom Dwyer scored for a second consecutive week, his first time netting in consecutive games since last July 29-Aug. 12. … Orlando City snapped their 14-game road losing streak with their 1-1 draw at the Chicago Fire on March 9, ending the second-longest away losing skid in league history. OCSC is in the midst of a club-record 15-game road winless streak.

PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. COLUMBUS CREW SC

Saturday, March 23, 2019 (Week 4, MLS Game #38)

Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.

7:30 p.m. ET (PHL 17; FS-Ohio)

REFEREE: Ramy Touchan. AR1 (bench): Kyle Atkins; AR2 (opposite): Adam Wienckowski; 4th: Armando Villarreal; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Kathryn Nesbitt

MLS Career: 2 games; FC/gm: 27.5; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 0; pens: 1

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Union 8 wins, 31 goals … Crew SC 12 wins, 32 goals … Ties 3

AT UNION: Union 6 wins, 19 goals … Crew SC 4 wins, 11 goals … Ties 1

• The Union took their first point of the season after a pair of draws, reaching a 1-1 result with Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday evening. Brenden Aaronson scored his first career goal; aged 18 years, 146 days, he’s the youngest player to score in MLS this season.

• Crew SC remained undefeated for the season with a second consecutive victory, defeating FC Dallas 1-0 at Mapfre Stadium at Saturday afternoon. Gaston Sauro netted his second goal of the season, his first two goals in his five seasons in MLS.

• Crew SC took the only victory by either team in the series last year, a 1-0 win on May 9 at Mapfre Stadium. The teams also reached a pair of goalless draws, one at each ground, March 17 at Talen Energy Stadium, and Sept. 29 in Columbus.

• There has a been a shutout in each of the past five meetings between the teams. The Union won in 2017 in Chester, Pa., a 3-0 victory, and Crew SC also won that year in Columbus, 1-0.

UNION: Kai Wagner recorded his first career assist in MLS, in his third appearance. … The Union saw their winless run extended to five games dating back to the end of last season. … Brenden Aaronson is the fourth-youngest player to score in Union club history.

CREW SC: Zack Steffen was credited with two saves in recording a second consecutive shutout, extending his shutout streak to 264 minutes this season. … Pedro Santos collected an assist for a second consecutive game

LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB vs. REAL SALT LAKE

Saturday, March 23, 2019 (Week 4, MLS Game #39)

Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.

7:30 p.m. PT (YouTube TV [LA] / KVMD; KMYU-12)

REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Jeffrey Greeson; AR2 (opposite): Felisha Mariscal; 4th: Baldomero Toledo; VAR: Alex Chilowicz; AVAR: Cameron Blanchard

MLS Career: 130 games; FC/gm: 25.4; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 33; pens: 37

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: LAFC 2 wins, 7 goals … Real 0 wins, 1 goal … Ties 0

AT BANC OF CALIFORNIA STADIUM: LAFC 1 win, 2 goals … Real 0 wins, 0 goals … Ties 0

• The Los Angeles Football Club remained undefeated on the season, reaching a 2-2 draw with New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Carlos Vela scored a pair of goals, his fourth multiple-goal game in MLS; he has three goals and two assists on the season.

• Real Salt Lake suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 5-0 to D.C. United at Audi Field on Saturday evening.

• The teams met twice in LAFC’s inaugural league season, with the expansion club winning both. LAFC won 5-1 on March 10 at Rio Tinto Stadium, as Diego Rossi tied an MLS record by playing a part in all five goals, with two goals and three assists, then LAFC won 2-0 on Aug. 15 at Banc of California Stadium.

• The teams also met in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, with Real pulling off an upset with a 3-2 win at Banc of California Stadium.

LAFC: Latif Blessing collected an assist for a second consecutive game. … According to Opta, Carlos Vela had six shots and five chances created against NYCFC last week. It was the fourth time since the start last season that Vela has taken 5+ shots and created 5+ chances in a single game, the most in the league.

REAL: RSL conceded at least five goals for the 10th time in their history. Three of those occasions have come at D.C. United, including a club-record tying 6-4 loss at RFK Stadium in 2015.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs. FC CINCINNATI

Sunday, March 24, 2019 (Week 4, MLS Game #40)

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

4 p.m. ET (NBCS-Bos; WSTR Star 64)

REFEREE: Joseph Dickerson. AR1 (bench): Nick Uranga; AR2 (opposite): Claudiu Badea; 4th: Robert Sibiga; VAR: Jorge Gonzalez; AVAR: Thomas Supple

MLS Career: 11 games; FC/gm: 27.1; Y/gm: 4.2; R: 3; pens: 4

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: First meeting

• The Revolution remained winless on the new season, suffering a second consecutive loss in a 3-2 defeat to Toronto FC at BMO Field on Sunday evening. Carles Gil netted both goals for the Revolution; he has scored all three New England goals this season.

• FC Cincinnati made their MLS home opener one to remember, rolling to a 3-0 win against the Portland Timbers at Nippert Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The game drew a sellout crowd of 32,250, the largest crowd in FC Cincinnati’s club history. Expansion clubs are now 9-6-2 in their MLS home openers.

REVOLUTION: The Revs saw their road winless streak extended to six games, dating back to last Sept. 15. … According to Opta, Carles Gil has won possession in the final third eight times this season. Only one other player has done so more than five times.

FCC: Leonardo Bertone collected his first career assist in MLS; he netted the club’s first MLS goal in the season opener. … Kendall Waston scored his first goal for FCC, his first in MLS since netting a brace last Aug. 18 for Vancouver. … Spencer Richey was credited with three saves in recording his first career shutout in MLS, in his third league start. … Darren Mattocks collected his first assist of the season, his first in an MLS match since Sept. 9, 2017, for the Portland Timbers. … According to Opta, Mattocks came off the bench to create five chances on Sunday, tied for the second-most by any substitute since 2010.