Season trivia for MLS 2023
It's not all about becoming the top scorer or winning matches - there's also a wealth of fascinating information related to goalscorers and other remarkable records. Below, you'll find trivia and interesting facts from the 2023 MLS season in United States.
Best scoring couple
The top goal-scoring pair, in other words two players where one scored the goal and the other player assisted to it, were Brian White and Ryan Gauld. Together they were behind 8 goals for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the 2023 season.
Fastest goalscorer
These players all scored goals in the first minute of a match during the 2023 season:
Fastest hat-trick
Cucho Hernández, playing for Columbus Crew SC, was the player who scored the fastest hat-trick. In the space of 15 minutes, he scored three goals in the match between Columbus Crew SC-Chicago Fire.
Top goalscorer by calendar month
In October 2023, Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC) scored 8 goals, which was the most goals in a calendar month of the 2023 season.
Most braces by player
Denis Bouanga in Los Angeles FC scored (at least) two goals in a match 6 times and was thus the player who scored the most braces in matches during the 2023 season.
Most first goals in a match
The player who scored the first goal in a match the most times during the 2023 season was Cristian Espinoza in San Jose Earthquakes, in total he did it 9 times.
Most last goals in a match
The last goal of the match was scored the most times by Hany Mukhtar in Nashville SC during the 2023 season, in total he did this 8 times.
Most penalty goals by player
The best penalty taker in the league during the 2023 season was Daniel Gazdag, in total he scored 12 penalties for his Philadelphia Union.
Most penalty goals by team
FC Cincinnati was the most effective team of all when it came to penalty goals during the 2023 season, in total they scored 16 of their goals from penalties.
Most stoppage time goals by player
Hany Mukhtar was the player who scored the most stoppage time goals during the 2023 season, in total he scored 4 stoppage time goals for his Nashville SC.
Most stoppage time goals by team
When it comes to stoppage time goals, Columbus Crew SC was the best team, in total they scored 8 goals in the final minutes of the match.
Most own goals by player
The unluckiest scorer during the 2023 season was Andrés Reyes, as he held the somewhat dubious honour of scoring the most own goals of any player in MLS, which he did 2 times.
Most own goals by team
FC Dallas scored 4 own goals in all their matches, making them the best at it in the entire league during the 2023 season.
Players with goals in most consecutive matches
There were 2 players who scored in 5 consecutive matches during the 2023 season, and the players who achieved this were Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC) and Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake).
Players with goals or assists in most consecutive matches
The players who were involved in goals in the most consecutive matches during the 2023 season were Cristian Espinoza (San Jose Earthquakes) and Cucho Hernández (Columbus Crew SC), with a streak of 6 matches in a row with at least one goal and/or assist.
Players with most goals in the first half
It was Denis Bouanga in Los Angeles FC who scored the most goals in the first half, with a total of 16 goals in the first half of the match.
Players with most goals in the second half
Luciano Acosta in FC Cincinnati scored a total of 12 goals in the second half, including stoppage time, which was the best in MLS during the 2023 season.
Most consecutive wins
There were 2 teams that had 6 consecutive wins in the 2023 season, and those teams were FC Cincinnati and Orlando City SC.
Most matches in a row without losing
The longest unbeaten streak belonged to Nashville SC, FC Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders FC, who had 10 consecutive matches without losing.
Most consecutive losses
Toronto FC had a streak of 8 consecutive losses, something no other team surpassed in MLS during the 2023 season.
Most matches in a row without a win
The longest winless run in the 2023 season was 11 matches in a row, and it was Inter Miami, New York City FC and Toronto FC who managed that dubious achievement.
Most comebacks from behind to win
The teams that were best at trailing and then eventually winning the match were Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union and FC Dallas, and these teams turned the game around 4 times in total.
Most blown leads resulting in losses
Taking the lead in matches only to lose is no admirable feat, but Vancouver Whitecaps FC have managed this in 5 matches during the 2023 season, more than any other team in MLS.
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