By the Numbers: MLS regular season tells a story
Putting the spotlight on the league following Decision Day
Decision Day this past Saturday was once again an exciting and dramatic way for the MLS regular season to conclude. The race for the playoffs was so tight that it made you forget this is a league that doesn’t have promotion/relegation.
The MLS Cup Playoffs begin on Wednesday with two Wildcard matches, before the first round (a best-of-three series) is played starting this Saturday.
Here’s a recap of the regular season by highlighting three different stats:
67 — Total goals scored by Columbus Crew SC
FC Cincinnati may have won the Supporters’ Shield after recording the best record in the league, but it was another Ohio team who scored more goals than any club this season. Columbus Crew SC, who finished third in the Eastern Conference, closed the regular season with a 2-1 win against CF Montreal on Decision Day.
In total, the Crew scored 67 goals — for an average of 1.9 goals-per-game — and led by team top scorer Cucho’s 16. By securing the No. 3 seed, the Crew have home-field advantage in their series against Atlanta United FC. The win against Montreal allowed the Crew to score a single-season record for goals, matching the team’s total from the 1997 season.
20 — Goals by top scorer Denis Bouanga
Los Angeles FC striker Denis Bouanga captured the Golden Boot after tallying a league-high 20 goals in a race that came down to the final day of the season. In doing so, Bouanga became the second LAFC player to score 20 goals in a single season (Carlos Vela notched 34 in 2019), finishing ahead of FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta (17 goals) and Atlanta United FC’s Giorgos Giakoumakis (17 goals).
Bouanga scored LAFC’s lone goal in their 1-1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC and closed his season with six goals in his final three games. That streak is the second-highest by a Golden Boot winner in his last three matches of a season and just one behind Alex Pineda Chacón, who scored seven in his final three games for the Miami Fusion in 2001.
14 — Consecutive playoff berths by the New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls recorded a 1-0 Decision Day win against Nashville SC to clinch a 14th consecutive playoff spot. The marked the 14th straight time the team has made the postseason — a record for any team across all sports in North America — surpassing Seattle Sounders FC MLS streak.
The Red Bulls have also made the playoffs in 24 of their 28 seasons in the league. The last time RBNY missed the playoffs was all the way back in 2009. The team, however, has not fared well once in the playoffs. The team has never won an MLS Cup and only once reached the final.
RBNY has a chance to change all that when they host Charlotte FC on Wednesday in the one-off Wildcard game at Red Bull Arena.