What MLS records have been put on notice by 2019’s rising (and not so rising) stars? Here are five records that are on pace to be broken so far this season.
Over Major League Soccer’s 23 years of existence, we have witnessed some outstanding performances.
From Carlos Valderrama’s record of 26 assists in a season, set in 2000 with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, that still stands today, to Chris Wondolowski’s breaking of the all-time goals record earlier this season, it’s starting to feel like we’ve seen it all.
Well, I’m here to tell you that we haven’t. Here are five MLS records that are on pace to be broken in 2019.
5. Goals scored in a season (team)
Surprise, surprise. We start with Los Angeles FC. On the back of Carlos Vela’s incredible goal-scoring pace (more on him later), LAFC as a whole have scored 59 goals through 22 matches. That’s 2.68 per game. That’s insane. That’s also good enough to get LAFC well on their way to smashing a record held for 21 years by their most bitter rival. Yup, that’s right, the 1998 Galaxy.
In 1998, the Galaxy put 85 soccer balls past helpless keepers on their way to setting a record that looked unbreakable. Second place is a tie between the1998 D.C. United and 2017 Toronto FC, both with a lowly (by comparison) 74.
LAFC are on pace for 91 goals this season. That’s right, nine-one. It will take a lot for Vela to keep up his a-goal-a-game pace, but this record seems to be squarely in punching distance for what may go down as one of the best MLS teams of all time.