With home-field importance in postseason, clubs push for road points

MLS MEDIA RESOURCES: WEEK 15 NEWS & NOTES
News and notes and statistical trends from around Major League Soccer
WITH HOME-FIELD IMPORTANCE IN POSTSEASON, CLUBS PUSH FOR ROAD POINTS
As the 2019 Major League Soccer season approaches the halfway point, the competition for points has become even more fierce. The new playoff format to be inaugurated this season will reward teams even more for finishing higher in the table – gaining the right to play host to the one-off knockout matches from the start of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
But the 2019 season has shown that teams are trying to make their move up the standings by taking advantage of gaining points on the road – which they are doing at a rate not seen in MLS in many seasons.
Through the first 14 weeks of the season, home teams are winning at a .616 percentage – the lowest in nearly a decade. From an all-time high home-winning percentage of .676 just two seasons ago, home teams are now winning 6 percent less.
At home this season, teams are gaining 1.73 points per match (with three points for a win, one point for a draw). That rate is nearly the lowest over the past two decades, since the shootout era came to an end – only 2014, which saw home teams gain 1.72 points per game, has been lower.
WONDOLOWSKI STREAKING TOWARD YET ANOTHER GOALSCORING RECORD
After starting his run with a remarkable four-goal match when he became the all-time MLS goalscoring leader, Chris Wondolowski is moving toward setting yet another league record – this time one he already holds.
Wondolowski has scored each of the last seven goals the Earthquakes have scored over the past three matches. It started with his four-goal game on May 18 in a 4-1 win vs. Chicago, the second goal that afternoon the one that put him atop the all-time MLS goals leaderboard. The streak then continued with Wondolowski scoring both goals in the 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC on May 26. Then he netted the Quakes’ lone goal in the 1-1 draw at D.C. United last Saturday afternoon.
The seven consecutive team goals tie for the fourth-longest such streak in MLS history. Wondolowski himself holds the mark, scoring each of the Earthquakes’ final 10 goals in the 2010 season.
CONSECUTIVE TEAM GOALS SCORED BY SAME PLAYER

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau
LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB TRACKING TOWARD BEST-EVER START
With a little more than half of their second season still to play, the Los Angeles Football Club are on track toward the best start ever for a club in MLS history.
Over the first 50 games of the club’s history, LAFC has taken 94 points, with 27 wins, 10 losses and 13 draws. The 94 points are already the sixth-most of any club from the start of their Major League Soccer existence.
Just four teams have gained more than 100 points over their first two seasons in MLS. The most was gained by Atlanta United, which garnered 124 points from their first two MLS campaigns, culminating in the MLS Cup title last season.
MOST STANDINGS POINTS, FIRST TWO SEASONS (ALL-TIME)

SOUNDERS FC JOIN RECORD-SETTING GROUP IN GIVING UNTO OPPONENTS
Seattle Sounders FC played a part in history of a different type in their 2-1 loss to FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium last Saturday evening.
Both FC Dallas goals were scored courtesy of own goals by Sounders FC – the 15th time in MLS history multiple own goals occurred in the same match.
But it was the sixth time in league annals one team put multiple goals into their own net. It was also the second time this season, after the Houston Dynamo received two goals courtesy of own goals by the Colorado Rapids on March 30 – the first time it’s ever happened multiple times in the same season.
Sounders FC became the fourth team to perform the feat of two own goals in the same game. Remarkably, of those six occasions, three have been performed by the Colorado Rapids, including the occurrence earlier this season.
MULTIPLE OWN GOALS, ONE TEAM (ONE GAME)

MLS WEEK 15 – LOOK AHEAD
MONTREAL IMPACT vs. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Wednesday, June 5, 2019 (Week 15, MLS Game #183)
Stade Saputo, Montréal, Qué.
7:30 p.m. ET (TSN / TVA Sports; JOEtv / YouTube TV [SEA])
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Impact 4 wins, 9 goals … Sounders FC 2 wins, 6 goals … Ties 1
AT MONTREAL: Impact 2 wins, 7 goals … Sounders FC 1 win, 5 goals … Ties 1
REFEREE: Nima Saghafi. AR1 (bench): Nick Uranga; AR2 (opposite): Chris Wattam; 4th: Lukasz Szpala; VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr.; AVAR: Robert Schaap
MLS Career: 48 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 6; pens: 17

• The Impact weren’t able to build upon a first win in four games, suffering a 3-0 loss to Orlando City SC at Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon.
  
• Sounders FC suffered a second consecutive defeat on the heels of a six-game undefeated run, falling to FC Dallas 2-1 at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. Both FCD goals came from own goals, the sixth time in MLS history one team has conceded two goals through own goals in the same match.
  
• The Impact won the lone meeting between the teams a season ago, a 1-0 win at CenturyLink Field on March 31. It was the second win for Montréal in three trips to Seattle, also winning there in 2013.
  
• The teams last played in Montréal on March 11, 2017, reaching a 2-2 draw at Olympic Stadium. Sounders FC have come away with a win and a draw in the two meetings at Olympic Stadium; the Impact have won both meetings all-time at Stade Saputo.
  

IMPACT:
The Impact have been shut out at the attacking end three of the last four games at Stade Saputo, suffering two losses in that span (after winning their first two home games of the season by 1-0 scorelines).
SOUNDERS FC:
Raúl Ruidíaz
scored for a second consecutive game, now with six goals on the season. He has three goals over the last four matches. …
Will Bruin
collected his first assist of the season, his last coming last July 29. …
Alex Roldan
recorded his second career assist in his 23rd career league appearance, the first of his MLS career coming last April 15.
NEW YORK CITY FC vs. FC CINCINNATI
Thursday, June 6, 2019 (Week 15, MLS Game #184)
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
7 p.m. ET (YES; WSTR – Star 64)
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho; AR2 (opposite): Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein; 4th: Robert Sibiga; VAR: Jorge Gonzalez; AVAR: Ian McKay
MLS Career: 147 games; FC/gm: 22.3; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 32; pens: 66
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: First meeting.

• NYCFC established a club record for their five-year history, extending their undefeated streak to nine games with a 2-2 draw with Columbus Crew SC at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday evening. NYCFC have four wins and five draws during the streak, with ties in the last two games.
  
• Héber netted his fourth goal of the season for NYCFC; he has four goals and two assists in MLS, all coming over his last seven games (he’s made nine appearances in all).
  
• FC Cincinnati suffered a third consecutive defeat and eighth in the past nine games, falling 3-1 to the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening.
  
• The teams are meeting for the first time in their histories. The return match between the clubs is set for Aug. 17 at Nippert Stadium.
  

NYCFC:
Valentin Castellanos
scored his third goal of the season, his first since April 24. …
Maximiliano Moralez
recorded an assist for a second consecutive game, now with six for the season. He has five assists over the last seven games, dating back to April 21; he now has a goal and/or an assist in each of the last four games (two goals, three assists). …
Alexander Ring
recorded his first assist of the season, his first since Oct. 15, 2017, when he had four in his first MLS season.
FCC:
Kekuta Manneh
scored his second goal for FCC, his first coming March 24 …
Roland Lamah
collected his second assist of the season, both coming in the last four games.
TORONTO FC vs. SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Friday, June 7, 2019 (Week 15, MLS Game #185)
BMO Field, Toronto, Ont.
8 p.m. ET (TSN; FS-KC)
REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Jason White; AR2 (opposite): Cory Richardson; 4th: David Barrie; VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero; AVAR: Gianni Facchini
MLS Career: 84 games; FC/gm: 26.3; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 17; pens: 28
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto FC 4 wins, 20 goals … Sporting 14 wins, 39 goals … Ties 7
AT TORONTO: Toronto FC 3 wins, 8 goals … Sporting 5 wins, 10 goals … Ties 4

• Toronto FC saw their winless streak extended to six games with a second draw in that time, coming back for a late 1-1 result with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Friday evening. Nick DeLeon hit for the equalizer in the 90th minute, his second goal in the 90th minute or later this season.
  
• Sporting reached a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday evening. It was SKC’s fifth draw in the past 10 games; they have one win over that span (since the start of April).
  
• The teams played to a 2-2 draw in their lone meeting a season ago, July 7 at Children’s Mercy Park, the second consecutive year the teams have reached a deadlock in their lone encounter.
  
• Sporting have a nine-game undefeated streak overall alive vs. Toronto FC. Sporting have taken points on their past four trips to BMO Field, the last TFC win in the series coming on Sept. 21, 2013 in Toronto.
  
• TFC have never won at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting are undefeated in their last nine home meetings vs. TFC, with seven wins and two draws in that time; Toronto FC’s lone win in Kansas City came in 2009 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
  

TFC:
Marky Delgado
collected his second assist of the season, both coming in the last two games. … The Toronto FC six-game winless streak matches the club’s longest since an eight-game streak without a win in 2013. TFC last year went six games without a win from June 13-July 14. … TFC come into the match with a four-game home winless run, the club’s longest since a five-game stretch in 2016.
SPORTING:
Yohan Croizet
scored his first goal of the season, his first since last Oct. 17, the fourth of his MLS career (in 45 league appearances). Croizet has a goal and two assists over his last three games. …
Ilie Sánchez
recorded his third assist of the season, his second in the last three games.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs. FC DALLAS
Saturday, June 8, 2019 (Week 15, MLS Game #186)
Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
12:30 p.m. PT (Univision)
REFEREE: Ted Unkel. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Corey Rockwell; 4th: Joseph Dickerson; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Fabio Tovar
MLS Career: 87 games; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 31; pens: 49
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Earthquakes 28 wins (4 shootout), 98 goals … FC Dallas 20 wins (3 shootout), 75 goals … Ties 16
AT SAN JOSE: Earthquakes 16 wins (4 shootout), 54 goals … FC Dallas 8 wins (2 shootout), 36 goals … Ties 8

• The Quakes saw their two-game winning streak come to an end but still extended their undefeated streak to three games, reaching a 1-1 draw with D.C. United at Audi Field on Saturday evening.
  
• Chris Wondolowski netted the Quakes goal, his seventh goal over the past three games, one shy of the MLS record over that span. Wondolowski has scored each of the Earthquakes’ last seven goals, the third-most consecutive team goals scored by one player in MLS history.
  
• FC Dallas put an end to their six-game winless run, defeating Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. FCD scored both goals through own goals, the sixth team to be aided through two own goals in the same game in MLS history.
  
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They reached a goalless draw on April 27 at Toyota Stadium.
  
• The Quakes now have a five-game undefeated streak alive in the series, since 2017, with three wins and two draws over that span. They have come away with points on their last four trips to Frisco, FCD’s last home win in the series coming in 2015.
  
• The Quakes won the last meeting in San Jose, a 4-3 victory last Aug. 29, their first win at home vs. FC Dallas since 2014, and their first ever vs. FCD at Avaya Stadium. FCD had come away with points on their previous five trips to northern California, with two wins and three draws.
  

QUAKES:
Nick Lima
recorded his first assist of the season, the fourth of his MLS career (over three seasons), his last coming last Sept. 19.
FCD:
Of the six occasions where a team has been the recipient of two own goals in a game, FC Dallas has seen it twice (also: June 16, 2001 vs. Colorado). The only other team with two occasions is San Jose (June 22, 2002 vs. Colorado; June 25, 2005 vs. LA Galaxy).
PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS
Saturday, June 8, 2019 (Week 15, MLS Game #187)
Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.
7:30 p.m. ET (PHL 17; MSG)
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. AR1 (bench): Andrew Bigelow; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Kieso; 4th: Eric Tattersall; VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr.; AVAR: Craig Lowry
MLS Career: 336 games; FC/gm: 24.7; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 79; pens: 89
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Union 6 wins, 27 goals … Red Bulls 13 wins, 36 goals … Ties 5
AT UNION: Union 5 wins, 19 goals … Red Bulls 6 wins, 20 goals … Ties 2

• The Union put an end to a three-game winless run, defeating Minnesota United FC 3-2 at Talen Energy Stadium on Saturday evening.
  
• The Red Bulls won a second consecutive game and extended their undefeated streak to five games (with four goals in that time), defeating Real Salt Lake 4-0 on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls have six wins over their past eight matches.
  
• The teams met twice a season ago. The Red Bulls took a 1-0 victory on Oct. 21 at Red Bull Arena in the second meeting; they reached a goalless draw on May 26 at Red Bull Arena.
  
• The Red Bulls have won the last two meetings at Talen Energy Stadium. The Union have won once in the past seven meetings in Chester, Pa.; the Red Bulls have won four times in that span, dating back to 2014.
  
• The Red Bulls are undefeated in the past four meetings at Red Bull Arena, winning two in a row before draws in the last two. When the Union won 2-0 there on May 24, 2015, it was their first-ever win in Harrison, N.J.; the Red Bulls had gone 5-0-1 in their first six home games vs. Philadelphia.
  

UNION:
Haris Medunjanin
scored directly from a free kick, the first by a Union player since May 20, 2017, when Medunjanin also performed the feat. …
Jamiro Monteiro
converted a penalty kick for his third goal of the season; he has a goal and an assist over the last two games. …
Auston Trusty
scored the second goal of his MLS career, the first coming last Sept. 15 vs. Montréal.
RED BULLS:
Daniel Royer
scored his third goal of the season, his first since April 24. …
Omir Fernandez
scored for a second consecutive game, his first two career goals in MLS, making his 10th league appearance. …
Kaku
collected his third assist of the season, his second in the last two games. …
Michael Amir Murillo
scored a goal, his first of the season, and added an assist. It was his first goal since last April 14, the first time he’s scored a goal and added an assist in the same game. … It was Murillo’s fifth assist of the season, his second in as many games, his third over the last five matches. The five assists are a single-season career-high in his three MLS seasons. …
Luis Robles
was credited with three saves in recording a second consecutive shutout, his third in the last four games, his fourth of the season.
COLORADO RAPIDS vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
Saturday, June 8, 2019 (Week 15, MLS Game #188)
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo.
7 p.m. MT (Altitude; FS-North)
REFEREE: Ramy Touchan. AR1 (bench): Adam Garner; AR2 (opposite): Claudiu Badea; 4th: Nima Saghafi; VAR: Victor Rivas; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
MLS Career: 11 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 0; pens: 2
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Rapids 2 wins, 7 goals … MNUFC 1 win, 5 goals … Ties 1
AT COLORADO: Rapids 1 win, 5 goals … MNUFC 0 wins, 4 goals … Ties 1

• The Rapids extended their undefeated streak to four games with a third win in that time, defeating FC Cincinnati 3-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening. Rookie Andre Shinyashiki scored his third goal of the season; he has two goals and an assist in the last four games.
  
• MNUFC suffered a second consecutive defeat, falling 3-2 to the Philadelphia Union at Allianz Field on Saturday evening. It was Minnesota United’s first defeat in their new home, their first consecutive losses since March 16-30.
  
• The teams met twice a season ago and the Rapids won both, coming back for a 3-2 win on June 23 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, then taking a 2-0 win on Oct. 13 at TCF Bank Stadium.
  
• The teams met twice in Minnesota United’s inaugural campaign. They reached a 2-2 draw in the first encounter on March 18 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; MNUFC then claimed a 1-0 win on April 18 at TCF Bank Stadium.
  

RAPIDS:
Nicolás Mezquida
scored his third goal of the season, his second in the last three games. The three goals match his total from a season ago. …
Diego Rubio
scored his second goal of the season, his first coming March 17, and added his second assist, both coming in the last two games. It was the fourth time in his MLS career he had a goal and an assist in the same game. …
Sam Nicholson
collected his second assist of the season, both coming in the last three games. …
Jack Price
recorded his third assist, his second in the last three games.
MNUFC:
Rookie
Hassani Dotson
scored his first professional goal, making his seventh appearance (third as a starter). …
Kevin Molino
scored his first goal of the season, his first since hitting for a brace on March 3, 2018, the first of two appearances last season before losing the rest of the year to injury. …
Romain Metanire
recorded his sixth assist, his second in the last four games. The six assists are tied for fourth-most in a season in Minnesota United’s MLS history. …
Abu Danladi
collected his first assist of the season, the fifth of his MLS career (in 55 appearances over three seasons).