Battle of the Unbeatens in Cleveland
The two remaining unbeatens in MLS enter the ring for a heavyweight bout on Saturday afternoon, as the Columbus Crew (18 points, 5-0-3) take on Inter Miami CF (15 points, 4-0-3) at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field, home of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. The match, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET and air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, is expected to shatter the record for the largest home crowd in the club’s history with more than 60,000 fans anticipated to be in attendance.
This marks the fourth time that unbeatens have squared off against each other after each playing at least five games, with the most recent coming in 2017 (Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas on April 22). Early-season Eastern Conference front-runner status is on the line in a showdown of the 2024 Leagues Cup champion Crew and the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield-winning Herons.
The latest matchups between unbeaten teams in a season in MLS history:
Whitecaps Look to Keep Early-Season Pace
Sitting atop the Supporters’ Shield standings through Matchday 8, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (19 points, 6-1-1) have gotten off to a sensational start to the 2025 season behind a well-balanced approach. The Whitecaps lead MLS with 17 goals scored and own a plus-11 goal differential, which is five better than the next-closest team (San Diego FC, plus-six).
Only eight teams in league history have recorded a goal differential of plus-13 or better through their first nine matches of a season, with the most recent being Austin FC (plus-14) and LAFC (plus-13) in 2022. Of the eight teams to accomplish this feat, five went on to capture the Supporters’ Shield in their respective seasons, including the 1998 and 2010 LA Galaxy, 2000 Kansas City Wizards, and the 2019 and 2022 LAFC squads.
The Whitecaps will look to become the ninth team to do so as they travel to Energizer Park to take on St. Louis CITY SC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
The best goal differentials through nine games in MLS history:
White Eyes Best Two-Game Stretch in MLS History
After taking home Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors following his four-goal performance on Matchday 8, Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Brian White sits in a tie atop the Golden Boot presented by Audi leaderboard with six scores this season and has at least one goal in three of his last four games across all competitions. White has been at the center of the Whitecaps strong start to the 2025 season and can add another feather to his cap with another strong performance against St. Louis on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
With a pair of goals on Saturday, the United States Men’s National Team forward can become the fifth player in league history, and the first since Chris Wondolowski in 2019, to score six goals over a two-game span. White would join Wondolowski (May 18-26, 2019), Josef MartĂnez (Sept. 13-16, 2017), Robbie Keane (July 4-17, 2016), and Eddie Johnson (May 26 - June 2, 2007) in accomplishing the feat.
The players with the most goals in a two-game span in MLS history:
Biel Ballin’ for Charlotte FC
Charlotte FC midfielder Pep Biel has been a key cog in the club’s hot start in 2025, contributing to eight of Charlotte’s 13 goals through Matchday 8. Biel has already eclipsed his 2024 totals in both goals (three) and assists (five) and has helped the club climb to second in the Eastern Conference standings with 16 points (5-2-1) through eight games.
With two goal contributions against San Diego FC on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+), Biel would be the fastest player in club history to reach 10 goal contributions in a season, surpassing the previous record of 19 matches set by Karol Swiderski in 2023 in fewer than half of the matches. Biel, who leads the league in goal contributions, has at least one contribution in six of the club’s eight matches to start the season.
The Charlotte FC players to reach 10 goal contributions in the fewest games in a single season:
