D.C. United

Just six games were contested on Matchday 19 as many teams enjoyed a week off before having to do it all again this coming Wednesday. With 29 teams, the league schedule can easily become discombobulated, especially with rescheduled matches and bye weeks. To accommodate this, MLS Matchday 19 gave these teams a chance to catch up and re-level the playing field. While there may have been fewer games, the quality on display was as high as ever.

Pablo Ruiz scored a remarkable goal from just inside his own half of the field and visiting Real Salt Lake continued their strong away form with a 2-1 victory against 10-man D.C. United on Saturday night.

Early in the second half, Danny Musovski added what stood as the match-winning goal for Salt Lake (6-7-5, 23 points), which completed an MLS-best-tying fourth road win of the season.

Matchups at the top and bottom of the table make for some interesting reading. The two best teams in the East faced off in Foxborough, while Kansas City played host to both the NFL Draft and a struggling Montréal side to varying degrees of success. In the West, dropped points from Seattle, St. Louis, and San Jose only gave more life to LAFC on their week off. 

Christian Benteke scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season on a sensational bicycle kick and streaking D.C. United pulled away to a 3-0 victory over visiting Charlotte FC on Saturday night.

Taxiarchis Fountas also scored from the penalty spot for his second goal in as many games as D.C. (4-4-2, 14 points) won its third straight and its first at home since the opening weekend of the season.

A week on from international matches and MLS has returned to full strength. The superstars have reappeared, replacing the excuses that swam in their wake and results are once again indicative of each team’s true ability. 

5 takeaways from MLS Matchweek 6

#1. Columbus is scoring goals for fun

Life under new manager Wilfried Nancy left a bit to be desired for the Crew. The former CF Montréal boss saw his new side secure just four points from its first four matches, but back-to-back dominant displays have given this marriage a new outlook. 

The 2023 MLS season is finally underway and we've already learned a great deal from the league's opening fixtures. From the on-field play to the coverage and other adjacent news surrounding kick-off, MLS fans will certainly have lots to talk about before the match week has even finished. 

The Leagues Cup this summer featuring Liga MX and MLS teams will be a historic tournament and crossover between the two leagues. For the first time every team from both leagues will compete in the same tournament at the same time.

Usually, the only time an MLS and Liga MX team faced off was in the Concacaf Champions League for just a select few. Now every team is involved and guaranteed to play at least one opponent from the rival league.

Wondering who your favorite team will play? Let’s look at the Leagues Cup draw that happened on Friday.