Can St. Louis CITY SC Make It Five for Five?
It started as club history, then expansion history, and now, St. Louis CITY SC has its sights set on MLS history.
With a 3-0 victory at home over the San Jose Earthquakes on Matchday 4, St. Louis became the first expansion club in MLS history to win each of their first four games. Only one club in MLS history has won at least five games to start a season (excluding the shootout era): 2012 Sporting Kansas City, who rattled off seven consecutive wins to start the year.
St. Louis looks to join SKC in MLS annals on Saturday night when they hit the road to take on Real Salt Lake (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
The most consecutive wins by a club to start an MLS season (excluding the shootout era):
St. Louis Scorers Look to Continue Record-Setting Pace
Behind a league-high seven different goal scorers, St. Louis CITY SC is tied with Atlanta United atop Major League Soccer with 11 goals this season, including multiple scores in each of their first four victories of the season.
The upstart expansion club will look to become just the sixth team in MLS history to open a season with multiple goals in each of the first five games of a season, and the first to do so since 2019 LAFC and 2019 Toronto FC. Each of the previous five teams to accomplish the feat advanced to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and two of the five advanced to MLS Cup – 1996 LA Galaxy and 2019 Toronto FC.
The 1996 LA Galaxy hold the record for the longest multiple-goal streak to start a season, doing so in 12 consecutive games in MLS’ inaugural season.
The most consecutive games with multiple goals by a club to start a season:
Philadelphia’s Subaru Park Winning Streak on Heels of MLS Record
Subaru Park has become a fortress for the Philadelphia Union, winning game after game in their home stadium. The Union extended their home winning streak to 11 games on March 11 in thrilling fashion when super-sub Joaquín Torres scored a winner in the 90th minute to steal a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire.
With Dániel Gazdag on international duty with the Hungarian National Team, Torres will play a key role again as Philadelphia looks to tie the longest regular season home winning streak in MLS history – 12 games by the San Jose Earthquakes (8/25/2001 – 7/24/2002). Philadelphia hosts Orlando City SC on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), a club they have beaten in each of their last three meetings.
The longest regular season home winning streaks in MLS history:
Cincinnati Proving to Be Stern Test When Away from Home
Since the start of the 2022 season, the team with the fewest losses on the road in MLS has been FC Cincinnati, who has avoided defeat in 15 of their last 19 matches away from home. As part of those 19 games, the Orange and Blue have gone unbeaten in their last eight since July 30, 2022.
With a win or draw at Nashville SC on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), Cincinnati would become the eighth team in MLS history to go nine consecutive games without a defeat on the road.
The longest regular season road unbeaten streaks in MLS history:
Red Bulls Stingy Defense Limiting Shots at Record Pace
Through their first four matches of the 2023 season, the New York Red Bulls stingy defense has allowed just six shots on target, the fewest through four matches of an MLS season since the LA Galaxy (six) in 2010. Paced by the dynamic center back duo of Sean Nealis and Andrés Reyes, who have combined to play all but one minute for the club this year, the Red Bulls (three goals allowed) are one of only nine teams in MLS to allow three or fewer goals through Matchday 4.
New York has the opportunity to continue stymieing opponents at a record pace as they travel to face Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). Only five teams in MLS history have allowed 11 or fewer shots on target through their first five games of a season, and four of the previous five teams to accomplish the feat advanced to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs that year.
The fewest shots on goal allowed by a club in their first five games of a season:
