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Saturday MLS Scoreboard: Fire win in Orlando, Timbers keep rolling, and more

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It was a good Saturday for road teams in Major League Soccer, with Minnesota United the only home team that took all three points.

The Portland Timbers pushed their winning streak to six matches in Colorado, the Philadelphia Union earned a hard-fought draw at Red Bull Arena, Real Salt Lake added to Seattle’s woes by winning at CenturyLink Field, and the Chicago Fire rode an Alan Gordon winner to take all three points in Orlando.

Here’s a closer look at Saturday’s action:

Minnesota United 2, Impact 0 (Final)

Minnesota United badly needed a win on Saturday, and they got one thanks to two of their most familiar faces.

The Loons earned a 2-0 win over the Montreal Impact on Saturday, snapping a three-game winless run. The win is Minnesota United’s first since May 5 and fifth win overall on the season.

The second half exploded with goals from Minnesota United’s two NASL stars. It started with Christian Ramirez, who scored on an Ibson assist in the 52nd minute.

Miguel Ibarra then popped up in the 58th minute with the Loons’ second. Ibarra’s shot picked out the top corner, leaving Evan Bush no chance to make a save as the score moved to 2-0.

Man of the Match: Miguel Ibarra was dangerous on Saturday, scoring a goal while making several dangerous passes on the day.

Moment of the Match: Ibarra’s goal all but put the game away, sealing the Loons win.

Match to Forget: The Impact attack struggled on the day as Ignacio Piatti and Matteo Mancosu failed to really get going.

Orlando City 1, Fire 2 (Final)

Alan Gordon has made a career on scoring late goals, and he provided another on Saturday.

Gordon scored an 82nd-minute stunner, firing from long range to earn the Fire a 2-1 win over Orlando City in Orlando.

The two sides exchanged goals in the first half to go into the half level at one apiece. Aleksander Katai provided the opener in the 13th minute with a stunning free kick goal. Cristian Higuita provided the equalizing goal, finishing an assist from rookie Chris Mueller in the 28th minute.

With time running out, Gordon does what he does best: score a late goal. The veteran striker fired in the 82nd minute, scoring a stunning go-ahead goal to win the match for the Fire.

Man of the Match: Bastian Schweinsteiger put in a complete performance while also earning an assist on the game-winner.

Moment of the Match: Gordon’s late-game stunner earned the Fire a valuable road win.

Match to Forget: Starting up top, Josue Colman struggled to find his shooting form before being taken off in the game’s waning moments.

Red Bulls 0, Union 0 (Final)

After a scoreless first half, the Union were given an opportunity to open the scoring, as they were awarded a penalty after a Kemar Lawrence handball. CJ Sapong’s shot didn’t make it into the back of the net, though, as the ball ended up wide of the net in the 52nd minute.

Whatever sharpness specific attackers boasted in the first half, where both sides could have recorded goals, was not to be found in the second half. In addition to Sapong’s missed penalty, the two teams were having difficultly threatening the goalkeepers, who had strong nights.

Ultimately, the match was a chippy 0-0 draw that lacked energy. Though the Union come out of Red Bull Arena with a point, they did not leave unscathed.

Fafa Picault, after fouling Tyler Adams and picking up a yellow, walked off the pitch with the assistance of a member of the medical team after 70 minutes.

Man of the Match: Andre Blake’s four saves allowed him to demonstrate his well-known skillset and keep out a dynamic Red Bulls attack.

Moment of the Match: It was a day for defenders and goalkeepers at Red Bull Arena, and Tim Parker proved that after stopping a Marcus Epps shot with his head on the goal line in the 17th minute.

Match to Forget: Sapong did not have a great day in front of goal, sending a penalty wide for what could have been the game’s lone goal.

Sounders 0, RSL 1 (Final)

Real Salt Lake certainly wasn’t dominant on Saturday, but a stunning goal proved just enough for a 1-0 road win over the Seattle Sounders.

The first half was highly contentious, featuring five yellow cards in the opening 45. The amount of cards was equal to the amount of shots, with the Sounders firing five to RSL’s zero. Nick Rimando was forced to save two of those five, preserving the draw heading into the half.

In the second half, RSL broke through on a screamer from Sebastian Saucedo. The goal was Saucedo’s first with RSL, and it was a long-range curler that tipped off Stefan Frei’s outstretched hand and into the back of the net.

Man of the Match: Saturday was a great day for the RSL defense, including Marcelo Silva, who was the most active defensive presence on the day.

Moment of the Match: Saucedo’s magnificent curler was an obvious Goal of the Week candidate.

Match to Forget: Clint Dempsey was held completely quiet on Saturday, mustering just one shot in a match where the Sounders attack just didn’t have it.

Whitecaps 3, Revs 3 (Final)

The Vancouver Whitecaps repeatedly fell behind on Saturday, but a Cristian Techera hat-trick helped earn a 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution.

The Revs took the lead in the 26th minute through an unfortunate Whitecaps own goal. A Cristian Penilla cross into the box created a bit of danger before Aly Ghazal’s sliding attempt at a clearance went flying into the Whitecaps’ net.

Just moments into the second half, Penilla added the Revs’ second but the 2-0 lead only lasted a few minutes. One minute later, Techera pulled the score to 2-1 before the midfielder added another two minutes after that to level the match in quickfire fashion.

In the 59th minute, though, the Revs jumped back into the lead as Teal Bunbury finished off an assist from Diego Fagundez to jump ahead, 3-2.

Techera completed his hat-trick in the 74th minute, sealing a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Man of the Match: There’s no doubt of Saturday’s Man of the Match as Cristian Techera earned honors for his hat-trick.

Moment of the Match: Techera’s late goal sealed the draw, capping a big comeback performance for the Whitecaps.

Match to Forget: It wasn’t the best day for Sean Franklin, who struggled in defense for a Whitecaps team that repeatedly had to chase.

Rapids 2, Timbers 3 (Final)

The Timbers kept their winning streak going with a big road win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, with Samuel Armanteros delivering a double in a 3-2 triumph.

Armenteros opened the scoring in the 29th minute when he pulled off a nifty move to slip past Declan Wilson and curl a left-footed shot past Tim Howard.

The Rapids answered right back in the form of  Julio Cascante own goal, but Armanteros gave Portland the lead right back just six minutes later when he bundled home a poor Howard clearance to give the Timbers a lead they never relinquished.

Diego Valeri tallied an insurance goal in the 56th minute, a tally that wound up being the game-winner when Yannick Boli notched a late penalty kick to pull the Rapids within a goal just before the final whistle.

The victory was Portland’s sixth in a row, while the Rapids are now on a six-match losing slide

Man of the Match: Armenteros was a handful starting in place of Fanendo Adi, scoring the opener with a clever move before finishing off another in the first half.

Moment of the Match: The flick and turn on Armenteros’ opening goal was an unexpected skill check for the big forward.

Match to Forget: Bismarck Boateng committed turnovers that directly led to two of Portland’s three goals.

LAFC 1, D.C. United 1 (Final)

Darren Mattocks’ 84th-minute equalizer helped D.C. United earn a road point in Los Angeles against 10-man LAFC.

Mattocks’ goal canceled out a 39th-minute finish by Diego Rossi to help the visitors grab a draw at Banc of California stadium.

LAFC looked on the way to a comfortable victory after Rossi’s goal, but a Dejan Jakovic red card just before halftime complicated things for the home team.

LAFC had the last good chance for a winner in the 90th minute, only to have David Ousted deny a blast from Eduard Atuesta.

D.C. United’s road trip continues with a visit to Seattle next week, while LAFC hits the road to face FC Dallas on Saturday.

Man of the Match: Laurent Ciman was immense for LAFC, but the nod goes to David Ousted, who made five saves to

Moment of the Match: Diego Rossi finished off a beautiful passing sequence to give LAFC a lead it never gave up.

Match to Forget: Dejan Jakovic’s terrible challenge earned a deserve red card, and cost LAFC what should have been a comfortable victory.

Comments

  1. i love mls. it’s interesting every week. since when is alan gordon playing in chicago? wow, philly made a statement by not losing at rba, yeah? so the revs traded lee nguyen so does that mean big summer signing coming up for ne in the next transfer window? wow, dcu didn’t lose at lafc. sounders: this should have been another big break out year for jordan morris, instead what a mess.

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