As we head into Week 25 of the 2022 MLS season, teams will be focused on getting ahead in the red-hot Playoff race. However, there will be a number of players looking to achieve the honor of scoring the league’s 20,000th goal.
MLS currently stands at 19,982 goals scored in its history and its certainly come a long way since Eric Wynalda netted the very first back in April 1996 to give the San Jose Clash a 1-0 win over DC United.
With just 18 goals needed to hit the milestone, it’s going to take an unusually dull week to avoid hitting the mark this weekend. Especially considering last Saturday saw 57 goals go in across 13 matches – a record for a single day in MLS.
Yael Averbuch West hosted none other than Christian Fuchs for the latest episode ofFootball Americana. The Charlotte FC captain provided insight into the creation of Major League Soccer’s newest expansion team, and bringing European culture into the American side.
Golden Boot leader and Austin FC star Sebastian Driussi is a prime candidate for the landmark goal, scoring five in his last three appearances. The Verde and Black host a struggling Sporting Kansas City side on Saturday.
And you can’t forget fellow top scorer contenders like Brandon Vazquez of FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar. Cucho Hernandez has also been in red-hot form since joining the Columbus Crew from Watford.
Toronto FC legend Sebastian Giovinco scored the 12,000th MLS goal back in August 2015, so who’s to say one of their current Italians, Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi, and Domenico Criscito, can’t hit the all-important one this weekend?
However, as you’ll see from the list of other milestone goalscorers below, there’s every chance goal number 20,000 will come from an unexpected source; a center-back heading in a corner, an own-goal, or perhaps even a desperate last-minute attempt from a goalkeeper.
Watch the story of Charlotte FC’s journey to MLS in 90min’s The Making of Charlotte FC, presented by DoorDash, on 90min channels now. Subscribe to our new US YouTube channel.