Diego Fagúndez enters rarified MLS air with milestone goal  | OneFootball

By Alex Calabrese

Diego Fagúndez has become a staple in Major League Soccer over the last 15 seasons. On Wednesday, he joined the league’s statistical elite.

With the last-place LA Galaxy leading on the road against the Philadelphia Union, German playmaker Marco Reus fed a simple bouncing pass into the path of Fagúndez, who netted his 75th MLS goal.

Although Fagúndez sent his side into the locker room with a 2-0 halftime lead, the Galaxy were unable to hang on to their advantage, dropping a heartbreaking 3-2 scoreline at Subaru Park.

The goal makes him just the eighth player in league history to reach the 75-goal, 75-assist landmark. That distinction places him in a tier among MLS’s true greats, alongside Landon Donovan, Jaime Moreno, Dwayne De Rosario, Diego Valeri, Preki, Steve Ralston, and Lucho Acosta.

WATCH: Diego Fagúndez enters the record books!

Diego Fagúndez

Midfielder · LA Galaxy

It’s a night of milestones for Fagúndez, who also made his 300th career MLS start across stints with LA, Austin FC, and the New England Revolution. The Uruguayan is quickly climbing up the MLS all-time appearance charts, currently sitting in 14th place with 405 total matches played.

Still just 30 years old, Fagúndez seems on course to crack the top 10 by the end of the season, as he’s just eight games behind Chris Wondolowski.

For the struggling Galaxy, their start in Philadelphia initially provided a breath of fresh air as Reus recorded his first two assists of the season. But their inability to close out their first win of the season leaves plenty of questions ahead of a massive El Tráfico clash against LAFC on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire (9 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).

"We just need that one win and it hurts," said the Galaxy midfielder postgame. "Like, as much as I am happy about the goal and being able to have 75 goals and 75 assists, it just is not the same. I would take a win any day.

"But at the same time, it's something so cool to accomplish, but like I said, I trade that for a win every day."