It is a busier-than-usual Sunday night in Major League Soccer, where three matches are on tap, including a pair of key Eastern Conference showdowns.
D.C. United is looking to avoid a late-season slide like they suffered at the end of last season, and will need a victory against the Philadelphia Union today at RFK Stadium (5pm, NBC Sports) to move back ahead of the surging Montreal Impact for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
For Philadelphia, today's match is pretty much a must-win for a team still holding onto some faint hopes of a playoff run. Newly-acquired midfielder Danny Cruz will make the start in his debut, and will be facing the player he was traded for, Lionard Pajoy is starting for D.C. United.
In Houston, the Dynamo look to keep their unbeaten home record intact when they take on the Columbus Crew (9pm). The Crew are still recovering from the tragic loss of midfielder Kirk Urso and showed well in a mid-week draw against the LA Galaxy.
At Red Bull Arena, the New York Red Bulls take on struggling Portland (7pm, Telefutura) in a match the Red Bulls need to stay within striking distance of Sporting Kansas City for first place in the Eastern Conference. For the Timbers, Sunday's match is just another chance for players to audition for their jobs in 2013.
If you will be watching today's MLS action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.
Geiger twice during the game stepped in to intercept DC United passes and deflect to the other team. He removed two goals that should have counted. He tossed two players who shouldn’t have been. Man of the match for Philadelphia.
I guess the tossing of a Philadelphia player who shouldn’t have been stopped him from being named man of the match. But, he did allow another Philadelphia player to have 4 or 5 yellow card offenses.
Pontius encroached FAR more than Adu did. Adu was maybe a step inside. Pontius was several steps inside. Refs often give players leeway for a step or two, but Pontius was way over the line. Stupid decision by him really.
As a neutral fan, IMO Mark Geiger ruined the game.
Dude you are blind. He got the ball first of all and futhermore its no worst that all the garbage Lahoud was pulling all game long. Hey by the way if you are a deer hunter maybe you should try hunting with a deer costume next time you go out
Absolutely. That was the very definition of a red card foul.
You clearly don’t understand the rule or its application. Has nothing to do with interfering with the take or the stop. Educate yourself.
Absolutely bonkers finish. Ref ruined it all both sides. But DC let it get to them. Fighting each other? Haha.
No, they don’t. And no, they shouldn’t. You don’t have to like it but it IS illegal and the call is legitimate.
Players from BOTH teams encroached. No call should have been made as neither interfered with the take or stop.
The pk was obviously not a legitimate goal. Pontius encroached. The evidence was right there on video. What part of that are you arguing against?
Players from both teams encroached. Referees ALWAYS let that go as they should.
I mean come on. DC had a goal disallowed because Geiger called a foul for a Philly player kicking the ball out of his own keeper’s hands.
What an embarrassment.
1. It wasn’t a legitimate goal. A player encroached. You know that is a foul that requires a retake, right?
2. The red card to Dudar was also 100 percent the right call. Studs up foul, from behind, nowhere near the ball. You are aware that is a red-card offense, right?
No idea what just happened. The ref lost control of the match. Then he panicked and stopped right at five minutes of stoppage even tho they had only played a minute or two.
How to ruin a game,a memoir by Mark Geiger.
Studs up, from behind, nowhere near the ball. That is the very definition of a red-card offense. What could be your argument AGAINST it?
I did and players from both clubs did encroach. Fair point. Also fair to say that the call certainly *appears* biased as the act of encroachment is rarely called. That said, DCU (and Philly) could’ve put it away.
Yeah, that was insane. What a thing to happen. Glad the cardware didn’t come out until the end. Of course the other screwups were notable, too.
They had TWO legitimate goals disallowed. They should have won the game by a lot.
Of course they can blame the referee, they did what they had to and he took it away.
dC robbed at rfk. Should have been 4-1.
Cannot imagine this guy sees the pitch as anything more than a ball boy for the rest of the season. Awful officiating.
HAHAH WOW
D.C. just lost the plot. They can blame the ref all they want, but if they keep their heads, they win the game and don’t have two players suspended for upcoming games.
Wow. DCU looks like it needs family therapy intervention.
Sheanon Williams ejected for a perfect tackle and is now refusing to leave the pitch. Ejected for a perfect tackle.
This official is completely incompetent. Completely incompetent. Disallows two DC goals that were legitimate. Red cards two DC players, one a straight red for barely a yellow card tackle and another for pushing someone. Ejects a Philly player for a perfectly legal tackle. Doesn’t eject another Philly player after 3 ridiculous tackles AFTER he was given his first yellow.
Wow…total madness at the end of this game.
Both teams encroached. Watch again. Doesn’t change it, but watch again without the rose colored glasses.
You know why the second red was fair. Even Pontius yelled at his own player as he was being sent off. Dudar just lost his mind.
What an awesome display.
Wow. Nuts at RFK. This is getting out of hand. Jesus.
A second red card?
This man is either bought off or completely incompetent.
Wow, this is fun. DC has lost their collective minds.
The ref is not actually wrong on anything from the penalty award forward. Before that things were a bit random.
But wow, what a dramatic last 20 minutes.
This is a joke. F Mark Geiger. F this joke.
Mark Geiger needs to take his mof8*&FD Philadelphia jersey off and leave this league.
Straight red for Duda. Wow. This is coming from a Philly fan. People, this referee is absolutely nuts.
This referee should be banned from MLS. This is just an utter embarrassment for the league. That’s TWO legitimate goals disallowed for DC United. TWO.
OMFG HE RED CARDED A SECOND DC UNITED PLAYER
So, the Union player commits encroachment and DeRo’s penalty is called off??? And now DeRo blows the retake. Just horrid all around.
Wow this guy should never see another match as a referee again. This is simply embarrassing. And now a random red card to a DC player after disallowing the penalty goal with both teams encroaching?!?!
This man should never officiate again in his freaking life. Never again. You have to be freaking kidding me. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME.
Yeah, and Lahoud has been given 2 different final warnings after his first yellow.
Boskovich with a free kick that curls through the Union D into the net. Here we go!
He cut in front of the defender at the goal line as the ball got there, so that’s frankly not possible.
Geiger has just been terrible this whole match. That was obviously a bad call, and the yellows have been flying out inconsistently all night, both ways.
Awful from the referee. That was just pathetic.
WOW
DC United just have a goal stolen from them. STOLEN. Philly defender kicks the ball out of his own keeper’s hands to a wide open DeLeon and referee calls a foul on a DC player for… being near the keeper?
wtf is that bs
Hahaha freddy adu the one man team. What would they ever do without him? Win games
Freddy Adu even has to save the team on defense. This guy is treated like such trash in Philly and my god they might never win a game without him. He sets up the goals and saves them.
DeRo should’ve done better there. Set up with a calm touch by Pajoy and skies it.
Philadelphia players are acting like 10 year old childs, this is ridiculous.
Phew! DCU avoids going down 2-0 courtesy of Adu flubbin’ one. Both teams creating chances but Philly looking more fluid in attack so far.
Nice free kick by adu into box. Carroll to clean it up
Brian Carrol looked a few feet offside.