Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 12 matches played on the 16th matchday of the 2023 MLS season, Wednesday, May 31.
FC Cincinnati Produces Historic Start
The sensational start for FC Cincinnati continued to get better after a 3-1 victory at New York City FC on Matchday 16. Not only was it the club’s first-ever regular season win against NYCFC, but it moved them to an MLS-best 36 points on the season. Cincinnati’s 36 points are tied for the most through the first 15 games of a season in MLS history, excluding the shootout era. Only the 1998 LA Galaxy (37) had more points than Cincinnati at this stage of the season.
Cincinnati’s win was buoyed by goals from Luciano Acosta, Álvaro Barreal, and Brandon Vázquez. For Barreal (10 goals, 17 assists), he joined Acosta and Vázquez as the only players in club history with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in the regular season. The dynamic Argentine has had a terrific season at left back with two goals and five assists in 15 appearances.
Gil and Vite on the Scoresheet in Under a Minute
Matchday 16 started with a bang as New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil scored the opening goal against Atlanta United just 23 seconds into the game. At the time, it was the fastest goal of the season and tied for the second-fastest goal in the club’s history, equaling Kei Kamara’s goal against CF Montréal on September 17, 2016. Gil then went on to salvage a point for the Revolution with a goal in the 93rd minute to level the score at 3-3.
Gil would only hold onto the title of fastest goal scored in 2023 for a few hours, though, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Pedro Vite got his side running after just 15 seconds against Houston Dynamo FC. The 21-year-old Ecuadorian forward received a pass from forward Brian White at the corner of the box before curling his shot into the top left corner of the net. Vite’s goal was the fastest scored in Whitecaps history and tied for the sixth-fastest goal in MLS history alongside Conor Casey’s score against the LA Galaxy on April 4, 2009.
This is just the fourth time in league history that two players have scored within the first minute of their respective matches on the same day. The feat was previously accomplished on May 1, 2021, behind first-minute goals from Orlando City’s Tesho Akindele (0:31) and San Jose Earthquake’s Eduardo López (0:55).
Both teams return to action on Saturday, June 3, for Matchday 17 action as the Revolution travel to New York City FC (3:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and the Whitecaps host a resurgent Sporting Kansas City side at BC Place (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Cometh the Hour, Cometh Sunusi Ibrahim
CF Montréal needed a hero when they were down 2-0 at D.C. United, and that hero arrived when 20-year-old forward Sunusi Ibrahim came off the bench just after the hour mark.
Ibrahim was an immediate sparkplug in attack for Montréal, and he’d eventually get himself on the scoresheet after putting a cross into the back of the net with a header in the 80th minute. The Nigerian did not stop there, though, as he then turned creator with a cross to the back post for Ariel Lassiter to tap into the back of the net, tying the game 2-2 in the 82nd minute.
His contributions off the bench marked the second time in Montréal’s history that a substitute recorded both a goal and an assist entering the match, and it was the first time in club history that the substitute’s two goal contributions earned them a point from a losing position.
Montréal and Ibrahim return to the field on Saturday, June 3 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass), for Matchday 17 action at the Philadelphia Union, who currently sit in third in the Eastern Conference and were defeated by Montréal earlier in the season in come-from-behind fashion.
Sporting Kansas City Run Rampant in May
Sporting Kansas City earned their fourth win of the month with a 2-1 victory over FC Dallas on Matchday 16, concluding the month of May with a 4-1-1 record in MLS regular season action. Kansas City’s 13 points won over the course of the calendar month was the most team in the Western Conference, with an MLS Rivalry Week win over Minnesota United and a victory at Seattle Sounders FC highlighting the feat.
Dániel Sallói led the team in goal contributions with three goals and two assists during the month while Gadi Kinda (one goal, two assists), Alan Pulido (one goal, two assists), and Erik Thommy (two goals, one assist) were tied for second on the squad with three goal contributions each. Kansas City’s 13-point month featured seven different goal scorers, which was the first time since September 2022 that the club has had at least seven players get on the scoresheet in a single month.
Kansas City will look to kick off their June schedule with a road win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Matchday 17 this Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Wild Whitecaps Victory Results in MLS History
Entering tonight, only five times in MLS history had two teams combined for four goals in the first 18 minutes of a match. Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Houston Dynamo FC made it six after a back and forth start to their contest on Matchday 16.
With the scoreline at 2-2 coming out of halftime, Vancouver’s Brian White scored just 10 seconds into the second half, tying for the fastest goal out of halftime in MLS since 2011 (Shea Salinas on April 20, 2019). White, alongside Pedro Vite who scored just 15 seconds in the match, helped the Whitecaps make MLS history, as they became the first team in league annals to score within the first 30 seconds of both halves in a single match.
After four second-half goals from White, Julian Gressel, Sebastian Berhalter, and Ryan Gauld, Vancouver also set a club record with six goals in a regular season match.
