SEATTLE -- The old adage says there is no such thing as a bad goal. This is usually said after the ball goes in off someone’s shin or the back of a player's head.
And though that might be true, there are definitely good goals. And important goals. Milestone goals.
MLS is on the verge of another milestone goal: The 8,000th goal ever scored in the league.
Right now, the all-time number stands at 7,997, which means that there’s a chance Fredy Montero or Landon Donovan could hit the milestone goal during Tuesday’s season-opening match between the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy (ESPN, 9:30 pm ET).
Or maybe it’ll be someone less heralded, someone who hasn’t made his name yet. After all, Chris Wondolowski scored the 7,000th goal in MLS the year before he had his breakout season and won the 2010 Golden Boot.
No matter who it is, MLS fans will have the chance to become intimately acquainted with the goalscorer. That’s because the league will auction off the game ball and the game-worn jersey of the player who scores the 8,000th goal. The proceeds from the auction will then be donated to the goalscorer’s favorite charity.
There is some other interesting info about the previous milestone goals.
Goalkeeper Scott Garlick, who played 248 games in MLS, was in the net when three of the previous milestone goals were scored. He conceded the 2,000th and 3,000th goals while playing for the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and though he didn’t allow the 4,000th goal, he was the starting keeper for Colorado when his teammate Mark Chung scored it against the LA Galaxy.
The 2,000th goal was scored by Alex Bunbury in 1999. Unfortunately, an injury will mean his son, Teal, who is with Sporting Kansas City, won’t get the chance to score the 8,000th.
So who will?
MLS GOAL MILESTONES:
No. 1000: Sept. 14, 1997 – Columbus’s Thomas Dooley vs. Kansas City
No. 2000: July 3, 1999 – Kansas City’s Alex Bunbury vs. Tampa Bay
No. 3000: May 9, 2001 – Los Angeles’s Sasha Victorine vs. Tampa Bay
No. 4000: June 25, 2003 – Colorado’s Mark Chung vs. Los Angeles
No. 5000: Aug. 6, 2005 – Real Salt Lake's Andy Williams vs. Chivas USA
No. 6000: July 27, 2007 – Houston’s Brian Ching vs. New England Revolution
No. 7000: May 16, 2009 – Houston’s Chris Wondolowski vs. New York Red Bulls
