Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 13 matches played on Saturday, March 23, Matchday 6 of the 2024 MLS season.
Morgan’s Hat Trick Builds Momentum on His 2024 Comeback Campaign
After a 14-goal and four-assist season in 2022 for the New York Red Bulls, Lewis Morgan was hoping to lead the club to big things in 2023 before his season was derailed by injuries. Morgan only played in five games last year, but the Scottish midfielder has already flipped the script in the same number of matches in 2024, sitting in a tie for the league-lead with five goals including a hat trick in Saturday’s 4-0 win against Inter Miami CF (Watch All Three Goals Here).
With his hat trick – the second of his Red Bulls’ career – Morgan joined Bradley Wright-Phillips (five), Amado Guevara (three), and Clint Mathis (two) as the only players in club history to record multiple hat tricks.
All four Red Bull goals were assisted by Dante Vanzeir, who became the eighth player in MLS history to tally four assists in a single game and the first to do so since Seattle’s Léo Chú on March 25, 2023. One of Red Bulls’ Designated Players, Vanzeir now has five assists in 2024 and has helped the club reach 10 points (3-1-1) in just five matches under first-year head coach Sandro Schwarz.
Joveljić Ties MLS Season-Starting Scoring Mark in Galaxy’s Comeback Win
Trailing 2-0 into the 72nd minute, the LA Galaxy scored a trio of goals in an eight-minute span – including scores from Eriq Zavaleta, Dejan Joveljić, and Mark Delgado – to erase the deficit and earn a hard-fought 3-2 road victory against Sporting Kansas City.
With his game-tying score (Watch Here), Joveljić recorded a goal in his fifth straight game to start the 2024 season, tying Brian McBride (five in 1998) for the most consecutive games with a goal to start a season. The Serbian striker will have a chance to eclipse McBride’s long-stranding record against Seattle Sounders FC next Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
For the Galaxy, Saturday marked the third time in club history that the team overcame a two-goal deficit in the 70th minute or later and won a match in regulation and the first since March 31, 2018 against LAFC. The club’s 12 goals are the most in the Western Conference through Matchday 6 and sit just one goal behind Inter Miami CF (13 goals) for the MLS lead.
Lucho Etches His Name in MLS Record Book
The 2023 Landon Donvan MLS MVP Lucho Acosta continues to etch his name into the MLS record book and joined an elite list of players with his score in FC Cincinnati’s 1-0 victory over New York City FC. Acosta’s goal, his second of the season, was the 60th regular-season score of his MLS career (Watch Here).
The 29-year-old Argentine became the seventh player in MLS history to reach 60 career goals and 80 career assists, joining Landon Donovan (145 goals, 136 assists), Jaime Moreno (133, 102), Diego Valeri (86, 91), Preki (79, 112), Steve Ralston (76, 135), and Cobi Jones (70, 91). Acosta accomplished the feat in just his 224th career game, reaching the mark in the fourth-fewest games behind Preki (174 games), Valeri (203), and Donovan (214).
Through Matchday 6, the defending Supporters’ Shield winners sit atop the Eastern Conference with 11 points and an unbeaten 3-0-2 record.
Breakout from Barajas Leads Real Salt Lake to Victory
In just his fourth career MLS game, 17-year-old standout Fidel Barajas provided the game-tying and game-winning assists in Real Salt Lake’s 2-1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. Salt Lake erased a one-goal deficit late in the second half behind a 70th minute goal from Anderson Julio and the first career MLS goal from defender Alexandros Katranis.
A highly decorated prospect that has represented both the Mexican and United States youth national teams, Barajas (17 years, 353 days old) became the sixth player in MLS history to record a multi-assist game at 17 years old or younger. He joined Bobby Convey (17 years, 347 days), Alphonso Davies (17 years, 219 days), Santino Quaranta (17 years, 216 days), Cade Cowell (17 years, 199 days), and Freddy Adu (15 years, 137 days) as the players to accomplish the feat.
No. 1 SuperDraft Selection Tyrese Spicer Strikes for Toronto
Making his first career start, the No. 1 overall selection in MLS SuperDraft 2024 presented by adidas Tyrese Spicer made a quick first impression with Toronto FC’s starting lineup, scoring his first MLS goal in the club’s 2-0 victory over Atlanta United (Watch Here). After a challenging 2023 campaign, Toronto has 10 points (3-1-1) in their first five matches of the season and sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference through Matchday 6.
A product of Lipscomb University, Spicer becomes the sixth No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick to score in his first career MLS start and the first to accomplish the feat since Abu Danaldi (2017 SuperDraft). Toronto’s second goal was scored by forward Prince Owusu, who also opened his MLS account in the match.
First-Time MLS Scorers Highlight Action-Packed Night
It was a night of firsts for many players across Major League Soccer, as eight players scored their first career goals in MLS: Nacho Gil (New England Revolution), Alexandros Katranis (Real Salt Lake), Prince Owusu and Tyrese Spicer (Toronto FC), Jack Lynn (Orlando City SC), Joshua Yaro (St. Louis CITY SC), Nemanja Radoja (Sporting Kansas City), and Jonathan Rodríguez (Portland Timbers).
In his first career MLS start, Lynn showcased his scoring prowess with the game-winning goal for the club in the 42nd minute (Watch the MLS 360 Reaction to His Goal Here). Lynn was the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Most Valuable Player presented by adidas and is the top scorer in the history of the league with 34 goals in MLS NEXT Pro from 2022-23.
“It feels amazing. We waited a long time for it,” said Lynn after the game. “We've had some really good teams here and some really good players, especially the striker position, so I had to bide my time a little bit. I was really happy to score tonight and help the team out. We've been playing really well and just haven't gotten the results for whatever reason, so it was really good to right the ship tonight.”
Rodríguez, who officially signed with the Timbers as a Designated Player on Wednesday, started his first contest with Portland and scored in the 80th minute (Watch Here). Rodríguez tallied 21 goals and seven assists in 65 appearances with Club América after arriving in 2022 and will look to bring another scoring threat to the Timbers offense.
