XG, etc. in MLS

By Anonymous (not verified), June 11, 2025

For Immediate Release
MLS Communications

Expected Goals: Upcoming Milestones for Matchday 19

Vancouver on Verge of MLS History

Unbeaten across their last 11 matches in MLS play, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (35 points, 10-1-5) sit atop the Supporters’ Shield standings through Matchday 18 with only one loss, which occurred on March 22 against Chicago Fire FC.

With a result against the Columbus Crew on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+), the Whitecaps would become the fifth team in MLS history to have one-or-fewer losses through their first 17 games of the season. Of the previous four teams to accomplish the feat, 2023 FC Cincinnati (40 points, 12-1-4 through 17 games) and 2006 D.C. United (38 points, 11-1-5 through 17 games) went on to capture the Supporters’ Shield in their respective seasons.

The clubs with one-or-fewer losses through their first 17 games of a season in MLS history:

Philadelphia Piling on the Results

The Philadelphia Union (34 points, 10-3-4) reside at the top of the Eastern Conference through Matchday 18 and are off to one of the best starts in club history. The Union are undefeated across its last nine matches, picking up six wins over the span.

With a result against Charlotte FC on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), the Union would extend their unbeaten run to a club-record 10 matches dating back to April 19, breaking a tie with the 2022 and 2023 Philadelphia squads, respectively, for the longest single-season undefeated streak in club history. Philadelphia is one of four MLS teams currently riding an unbeaten streak of at least nine matches, joining the Vancouver Whitecaps (11 games), LAFC (nine matches), and the New England Revolution (nine matches).

The longest single-season unbeaten streaks in Philadelphia Union history:

Joveljić Scoring in Bunches for Sporting KC

In his first season with the club, Serbian forward Dejan Joveljić has made a substantial impact on Sporting Kansas City’s attack and leads the club with 10 goals this season. Joveljić has scored five goals in his last four matches for the club, recording at least one goal in each of those matches.

With a goal against FC Dallas on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), the 25-year-old forward would become the third player in club history to record a goal-scoring streak of at least five matches, joining Johnny Russell (eight games from Sept. 11 – Oct. 27, 2021) and Preki (five games from June 1-20, 1996). Joveljić also scored in five consecutive games with the LA Galaxy last year, recording one goal in each of the club’s first five games of the season (Feb. 25 to March 23).

The most consecutive games with a goal in Sporting Kansas City history:

Choupo-Moting Shining in Debut Season with Red Bulls

On Matchday 17, New York Red Bulls forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting became the fifth different player in club history to record at least 10 goals in the club’s first 17 games of a season and the first to do so since Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2018 (11 goals). The German forward is making the most of his debut season with the Red Bulls and is one of only eight players with double-digit goals this season – a list that includes just one other MLS newcomer (Kévin Denkey, 10 goals).

With a goal at Austin FC on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), Choupo-Moting would become the fifth player in Red Bulls history to score at least 11 goals in his debut season with the club, joining Juan Pablo Ángel (19 goals in 2007), Adolfo Valencia (16 in 2000), Giovanni Savarese (13 in 1996), and Alex Comas (13 in 2000). Only one player in New York Red Bulls history – Bradley Wright-Phillips in both 2014 and 2016 – has won the Golden Boot presented by Audi.

The most goals by a New York Red Bulls player in his debut season with the club:

Speedsters Starring Across MLS

One of the most game-changing attributes that a soccer player can possess is speed. Through Matchday 18, three players have eclipsed 22.5 miles per hour in sprint speed – the LA Galaxy’s Emiro Garcés (23.54 mph on Feb. 23), Vancouver’s Jayden Nelson (22.73 mph on April 27), and New England’s Payton Miller (22.51 mph on May 17).

Only Garcés has eclipsed 23 miles per hour this season, record the season-best speed in the third minute of second-half added time in the club’s opener against San Diego FC on February 23.

The fastest sprint speeds in Major League Soccer in 2025: