Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 13 matches played on the 20th matchday of the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday, June 16.
Acosta, Kubo Record Hat Tricks for Cincinnati
With FC Cincinnati down 2-1 at the 72nd minute, reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP Luciano Acosta and tenured midfielder Yuya Kubo found a new level to help push their side to an impressive 4-2 win at San Jose on Saturday night.
Kubo, who entered the match in the 64th minute, recorded his first-career hat trick in MLS regular season action, scoring all three goals over the span of nine minutes and 10 seconds (**WATCH HERE**). The Japanese midfielder’s hat trick was the fastest scored by an FC Cincinnati player in the club’s MLS era, and it was the second-fastest hat trick scored in MLS action in the last 20 years.
Acosta played a role in each of Kubo’s goals, providing a hat trick of helpers in a single MLS regular season match for the fourth time in his MLS career. The reigning MVP tied four players – Marco Etcheverry, Cobi Jones, Jaime Moreno, and Diego Valeri – for the third-most games with at least three assists and is tied with Lionel Messi for most assists on the season with 13.
Cincinnati returns to TQL Stadium on Wednesday, June 19 for Matchday 21 action against the Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Bassett Banger Makes History
In need of a victory heading into Matchday 20, the Colorado Rapids found a hero in Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett, who delivered the game-winning goal in their 2-0 win over Austin FC on Saturday night (**WATCH HERE**).
Bassett, who has been in recent U.S. Men’s Soccer Olympics training camps ahead of Summer Olympics in Paris next month, scored the 25th MLS regular season goal of his career and the 12th since he returned to the Rapids ahead of the 2023 season. At 22 years and 323 days old, Bassett became the youngest player to score 25 regular-season goals in club history and tied his career-high for goals in a single season (six) that he set in 2023.
Along with being the youngest player to reach the milestone for the Rapids, Bassett is also just the second player under the age of 28 to do so, joining Wolde Harris, who was 25 years old when he scored his 25th goal for the Rapids in 1999. Bassett and the Rapids return to play on Wednesday, June 19 at St. Louis CITY SC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Teen Titans Lift the Revs to Victory
The New England Revolution extended their current win streak to three in succession, with major goal contributions from Homegrown midfielders Noel Buck and Esmir Bajrakterovic proving to be crucial in securing the victory on Saturday.
Buck, fresh off his debut for the England U-20 Men’s National Team, opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-struck and well-placed shot from outside the 18-yard box (**WATCH HERE**) for his first goal of the season and the fifth of his MLS career. With the goal, the 19-year-old became the second-youngest player in club history to score five regular-season goals, trailing only Diego Fagúndez (18 years and 71 days old in 2013).
The game-winning goal would come from fellow teenager Bajrakterovic, whose initial shot took a deflection and looped over the goalkeeper before finding the back of the net (**WATCH HERE**). With both 19-year-olds getting on the scoresheet, Saturday’s game was just the second time in club history and the first time in 16 years that two teenagers scored in the same match.
Bajrakterovic and Buck will look to build on their standout performances when the Revs return to action for Matchday 22 on Saturday, June 22 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Guti & Cuypers Catch Fire for Chicago
Chicago Fire FC put four past Toronto FC on Saturday night, with Homegrown midfielder Brian Gutiérrez and Designated Player forward Hugo Cuypers taking center stage in the club’s four consecutive game without a loss (2-0-2) and second consecutive win.
Cuypers scored the Fire’s second goal of the night and sixth goal of his first MLS regular season, extending his streak of matches with a goal contribution to four (three goals, one assist). He is the first Chicago player to record at least four consecutive games with a goal contribution since Robert Beric’s run of five games between September and October of 2020.
Gutiérrez joined a star-studded crowd of players to reach 19-career MLS regular season assists prior to turning 21 years old with his assist to Chicago’s third goal. He tied Freddy Adu for the second-most assists and is just four assists off Eddie Gavan (23) for the most assists by a player under 21 years old.
Cuyper, Guti, and the Fire will all look to extend their streak and continue their fine run of form against Orlando City SC on Matchday 22 next Saturday, June 22 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
Sirois’ Shutout Silences RSL
After a six-save performance, CF Montréal Homegrown goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois kept a clean sheet against the Western Conference-leading Real Salt Lake and their scorching hot offense for his fourth clean sheet of the season and 15th of his MLS career.
The clean sheet saw Sirois become the youngest player in club history to record 15 MLS regular season clean sheets and, at 22 years and 324 days old, the Canadian international shot-stopper became the fourth-youngest goalkeeper to achieve the milestone in MLS history. The remainder of the top five includes:
- Gabriel Slonina, 18 years and 108 days old
- Zac MacMath, 21 years and 302 days old
- Bill Hamid, 21 years and 303 days old
- Jesse Gonzalez, 22 years and 125 days old
- Jonathan Sirois, 22 years and 324 days old
Sirois and Montréal host the New York Red Bulls in their next match on Wednesday, June 19 for Matchday 21 action (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
