Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 12 matches played thus far on Matchday 5 of the 2024 MLS season. A total of 42 goals were scored across the 12 matches played on Saturday, including five that featured four-or-more scores.
Action continues later today as the New England Revolution host FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium (2 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) and a southeastern rivalry is reborn as Atlanta United welcomes Orlando City SC to Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). All matches from Matchday 5 are available for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish.
Wild Finish in the Windy City
What looked to be a tough loss turned into a wild victory for the Chicago Fire, as the club erased a two-goal deficit with goals in the 84th, 95th, and 99th minutes to secure a 4-3 win over CF Montréal at Soldier Field (Watch Highlights Here). The game was sealed by a 62.1-yard sweeping shot from Kellyn Acosta in the 99th minute (Watch Here), the latest goal scored in regulation in Fire history.
Trailing by a 3-1 margin entering the 84th minute of play, the Fire became the first team in MLS history to win in regulation after trailing by two-or-more goals in the 84th minute or later. More history was made on the club’s final two goals of the match, as Hugo Cuypers’ game-tying goal in the 95th minute and Acosta’s game-winning goal in the 99th minute made the Fire the first team in MLS history to score both a game-tying and game-winning goal in the 95th minute or later. The game-tying goal was the first of Cuypers’ MLS career (Watch Here).
Montréal roared out to a strong start in the match with Matías Cóccaro scoring two goals from the penalty spot in the opening 12 minutes of play. The club became just the third in MLS history to score multiple penalty-kick goals in the first 15 minutes of a match, joining 1998 D.C. United (Sept. 16) and the 2014 Chiago Fire (May 18).
Suárez Shines in the Nation’s Capital
A legend on the international stage, Inter Miami CF forward Luis Suárez wasted no time adding to his strong early-season form with a pair of goals in the club’s 3-1 victory over D.C. United on Saturday.
With his brace, Suárez is tied atop the MLS’ scoring leaderboard through Saturday with four goals and became the first player in club history to record four or more goals through the team’s first five games of a season. The Uruguayan international gave Miami a 2-1 lead in the 72nd minute as a perfect cross from forward Leonardo Campana found the sliding Suárez for a quick score (Watch Here). Thirteen minutes later, Suárez gathered a loose ball and, from the edge of the 18-yard box, chipped an arcing shot over the D.C. goalkeeper for a 3-1 advantage (Watch Here). Suárez became just the 12th player in league history to score multiple goals in two of his first five career MLS games and the first since Sporting Kansas City’s Willy Agada in 2022.
In seven games across all competitions in 2024, the striker has totaled six goals and five assists, while helping Miami to a 3-1-1 start in MLS regular-season play and a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals.
O’Toole, New York City FC Break Through in the Big Apple
Facing a Toronto FC team that had yet to concede a goal in 2024, New York City FC broke through with a pair of scores in a 2-1 victory, their first of the season.
After falling behind 1-0 in the seventh minute, New York City FC leveled the score with a golazo from Santi Rodríguez in the 24th minute, who went over the wall and perfectly pinpointed a free kick beyond an outstretched Toronto ‘keeper (Watch Here). For Rodríguez, it marked his 36th goal contribution (14 goals, 22 assists) with the club, moving him past Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (35) for the fifth-most in team history.
New York City FC captured all three points, as forward Kevin O’Toole picked the perfect time for his first career score, finishing with a powerful header off of a Julián Fernández cross for the game winner (Watch Here). O’Toole became the first New York City FC player since Gabriel Pereira on April 24, 2022, to score a game-winning goal as their first career goal and the 10th overall player in club history to accomplish the feat.
Eric Ramsay Wins Debut With Minnesota United FC
Head coach Eric Ramsay had a debut to remember, as Minnesota United FC knocked off LAFC, 2-0, at Allianz Field behind goals from Robin Lod and Bongi Hlongwane.
Ramsay, who arrives in Minnesota from Manchester United of the English Premier League, is the youngest active head coach in MLS at 32 years, 227 days old as of Saturday. With the victory, the Englishman became the second-youngest head coach in MLS history at the time of their first victory, trailing only FC Cincinnati’s Yoann Damet, who was 29 years, 53 days old at the time of his first victory.
The Loons currently sit atop the Western Conference with 10 points (3-0-1) through their first four matches of the season, tied for the best four-game start in club history (2020). They are one of only three MLS teams through Matchday 5 that have earned 10 points, joining the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew (10 points, 3-0-1) and Inter Miami CF (3-1-1).
Joveljić Continues Season-Starting Scoring Streak in High-Scoring Draw
There was no shortage of excitement in the late-night 3-3 draw between the LA Galaxy and St. Louis CITY SC, as a back-and-forth affair featured four second-half scores, including two after the 85th minute of play. The man who started all of the scoring was Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljić, who opened with a goal in the third minute of action (Watch Here).
With his score, Joveljić became the eighth player in league history and the first since Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos (four consecutive games, 2021) to score in at least four consecutive games to start a season. Brian McBride of the Columbus Crew is the only player to score in five straight games to open a season, accomplishing the feat in 1998.
Both the LA Galaxy (6 points, 1-0-3) and St. Louis CITY SC (6 points, 1-0-3) remain unbeaten on the year and sit first and tied for second, respectively, in scoring in the Western Conference at the conclusion of Matchday 5.
