Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 14 matches played on the 16th matchday of the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday, May 25.
LAFC Shutouts Atlanta United to Earn 100th MLS Regular Season Win
In a tightly-contested battle, Los Angeles Football Club earned a 1-0 win over Atlanta United on Saturday evening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. With the victory, LAFC recorded the club's 100th win in their 206th MLS regular season game, tying Seattle Sounders FC for the fastest club in MLS history to reach that milestone.
After a scoreless first half, LAFC received a free kick in the 60th minute following a play that saw Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan be presented a red card. LAFC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz took the free kick shot (63’, Watch Here), which slightly bounced off a defender and found the net to give LAFC the game-winning goal.
Rossi Brace Leads Columbus Crew to Victory at INTER&Co Stadium
Entering the match with two goals and five assists this season, Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi scored two goals to help the Crew earn three points with a 2-0 victory over Orlando City SC at INTER&Co Stadium en route to their third straight victory on the road.
Rossi scored his first goal of the night via penalty kick in the final moments of the first half (45+1’, Watch Here). It didn’t take long following halftime for Rossi to tally his second goal, when Darlington Nagbe sent a through pass to Rossi, who chipped it over Orlando City SC goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and into the net (61’, Watch Here).
Dating back to the start of 2023, the Columbus Crew have recorded a league-leading 28 multi-goal MLS matches (21 in 2023, seven in 2024).
Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte also earned his fourth clean sheet of the year for Columbus.
The Crew will take their winning momentum to Mexico as they prepare to face Club Pachuca in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final next Saturday, June 1 in Pachuca, Hidalgo. The winner of the Concacaf Champions Cup will secure a ticket to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
FC Cincinnati Outlasts Toronto FC on the Road in 4-3 Thriller
In a scintillating back-and-forth seven-goal match, FC Cincinnati scored four goals to defeat Toronto FC at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. With the win, Cincinnati extended their winning streak to seven matches, marking the longest single-regular season streak in club history. Cincinnati also became the fourth team in MLS history to win seven-straight games in a single season, excluding the shootout era.
Deybi Flores took the early 1-0 lead for Toronto, on a corner kick goal assisted by Lorenzo Insigne. (25’, Watch Here). After trailing Toronto in the first half, Cincinnati would level the match at one-all on a goal by Luca Orellano (53’, Watch Here), before taking the lead two minutes later with a goal from Kevin Kelsy (55’, Watch Here).
Toronto would go back and forth with the reigning Supporters’ Shield champions as they tied the match on an own goal in the 63rd minute (Watch Here) before Cincinnati’s Orellano retook the lead in the 79th minute (Watch Here). Insigne leveled the match once again in the 85th minute ( Watch Here), before Cincinnati ultimately connected on the game-winning goal by Sergio Santos in stoppage time (90+3, Watch Here).
Reigning Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player Lucho Acosta tallied two assists and is now tied for second in assists (10) in the league this season, only two behind Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi. Acosta became the first player in FC Cincinnati history to produce a goal contribution in nine-straight regular season matches and the eighth player in MLS history with at least 10 assists in four-straight seasons.
Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson became the second active MLS goalkeeper to make 400 or more appearances in regular season and postseason games combined (Stefan Frei - 420 games).
Morris’ Game-Winner Extends Seattle’s Perfect Mark Against St. Louis CITY SC
Seattle Sounders FC are returning home with three points after defeating St. Louis CITY SC, 2-1, at CITYPARK in St. Louis, Mo. With the victory, the Sounders climbed into a playoff position in the Western Conference, sitting in ninth place in the standings (17 points, 4-6-5), and improved to a 3-0-0 record when facing St. Louis.
Following a scoreless first half, Seattle jumped to a 1-0 lead after an own goal by Kyle Hiebert (61’, Watch Here), before doubling the scoring in a counterattacking run that saw Jordan Morris finish past Roman Bürki for a 2-0 advantaget (69’, Watch Here). St. Louis would score a late goal in the second half (85’, Watch Here) on a deflection by Tomas Totland, but were not able to find the equalizer.
Morris’ game-winner tied Clint Dempsey (17) for the third-most game-winning goals in Sounders history.
LA Galaxy Unstoppable at Home in 2024
The LA Galaxy hosted Houston Dynamo FC on Saturday night and captured a 2-1 home win at Dignity Health Sports Park. Led by goals from designated player Gabriel Pec and midfielder Riqui Puig, the Galaxy now hold a six-match undefeated run at home (3-0-3), dating back to the start of the 2024 MLS season.
In his 200th career MLS appearance, Houston’s Latif Blessing rolled the ball into a wide-open net to score his first goal of the season for the club and take the 1-0 lead (18’, Watch Here).
Pec leveled the score just before halftime (44’, Watch Here) for his fourth goal of the season. The Galaxy continued building on that momentum with Puig breaking the tie on a powerful game-winning shot from just inside the 18-yard box (59’, Watch Here). Puig now has 12 goal contributions (four goals, eight assists) in league play this season.
With the win, the Galaxy have won 10 points after trailing teams this season, with only Inter Miami CF (20) and Austin FC (11) recovering more points from losing positions.
For real-time notes and information, follow the MLS Communications department @MLS_PR on Twitter/X and visit MLSsoccer.com/Media-Resources.
