Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 13 matches played on the third matchday of the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday, March 2.
Matchday 3 action continues on Sunday, March 3, when the New England Revolution host Toronto FC at 2 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass.
Inter Miami Turns Florida Pink in Resounding Rivalry Win
In his Florida Derby debut, Inter Miami CF forward Luis Suárez dominated proceedings with a pair of assists to accompany a brace in the first half of their win over Orlando City SC.
With two goals in the opening 11 minutes of the match, the Uruguayan international recorded the fastest brace in club history. He would then assist the third goal of the game by setting up Robert Taylor in the 29th minute, which was the first assist of his MLS career.
Suárez then became the first player in club history to record multiple goals and multiple assists in a single regular season game when he set up none other than Lionel Messi for the fifth and final goal of the night. Messi’s two goals also made him the first player in club history to record a goal contribution in each of the first three games to start a regular season.
Andrés Gómez Shines Through Snowy Conditions for Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake tends to thrive in snowy conditions and that was no different this time around as they earned a definitive 3-0 win over LAFC on Matchday 3.
Leading the charge for RSL was 21-year-old Colombian midfielder Andrés Gómez, who provided two goals and an assist in the opening 45 minutes of the game. With the three goal contributions, Gómez became the youngest player in club history to accomplish the feat at 21 years and 172 days.
Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango scored off his countryman’s assist in added time of the first half, marking a second consecutive MLS regular season game with a goal against LAFC since joining RSL last season. Arango has now scored in all five appearances he’s made in this series, both for LAFC and RSL.
MLS Pipeline Spotlighted with Iuri Tavares’ First Charlotte FC Goal
Ahead of this season, Charlotte FC signed Iuri Tavares to a first-team contract after a stellar season with Crown Legacy FC during their inaugural year in the league, in which he recorded 12 goals and four assists as they finished atop the Eastern Conference standings in MLS NEXT Pro.
Now, he’s taking MLS by storm with a solid performance in their season-opening win over New York City FC and a first-ever MLS goal for Charlotte against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Matchday 3. Tavares, who signed with Crown Legacy on an MLS NEXT Pro contract last season, became the first alumnus of Crown Legacy FC to score for Charlotte FC with the goal.
Paintsil Takes Over in Cali Clásico Debut
The newest Galáctico to arrive in MLS scored his first goal for the LA Galaxy this past weekend as Joseph Paintsil netted the first of three goals against the San Jose Earthquakes in the first Cali Clásico of 2024. Paintsil became the 38th player to score in their debut of this rivalry match, and his assist to Dejan Joveljic’s goal put him in an even more exclusive group of players.
With the assist in addition to his goal, the Ghanian forward became just the fourth player in LA Galaxy history and sixth player between both clubs to record two goal contributions in their Cali Clásico debut. He is the first Galaxy player to accomplish the feat since Steven Gerrard in July 2015.
Diego Chará Continues to Climb Appearance Ladder for Timbers
Diego Chará has become an icon of MLS and within the Portland Timbers, and his start against D.C. United on Matchday 3 was his 369th regular season game played for the club since making his debut in 2011.
With the start, Chará tied Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) for the second-most games played by a player for one club. Now, the Colombian midfielder needs to feature in just eight more games this season to surpass another MLS icon in Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) for the all-time record (376).
