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Saturday MLS Scoreboard: LAFC tops Crew, Red Bulls rout FC Dallas, and more

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Following a 10-day hiatus, Major League Soccer action resumed on Saturday with an eight-game slate that produced plenty of goals and late drama.

Last-ditch comebacks were the special of the evening, with Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids rallying for late wins.

There were also some surprising blowouts, with the New York Red Bulls ripping apart FC Dallas’ normally-stingy defense and the Philadelphia Union demolishing the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Here’s a closer look at all of Saturday’s MLS action:

LAFC 2, Crew 0 (Final) 

LAFC jumped all over the visitors early on and never gave the Columbus Crew a chance to catch up on a 2-0 win at Banc of California Stadium.

Laurent Ciman opened the scoring in the fourth minute when he blasted a 30-yard free kick past Jon Kempin to give LAFC the early lead.

Adama Diomande finished off a nice team buildup around the box in the eighth minute, as he finished into the right side of the net after barely getting back onside.
LAFC put more pressure on Jon Kempin, who was starting in place for Zack Steffen, but the expansion side wasn’t able to finish the rest of its chances.
Columbus struggled to create a consistent attack all night, and it only recorded a single shot on goal over 90 minutes.
Man of the Match: Diomande was the most active of the LAFC attackers, as he recorded five of the team’s 16 shots.
Moment of the Match: Ciman’s magnificent free kick was one of the best goals of the weekend, and it set the tone for LAFC’s dominance.
Match to Forget: Gyasi Zardes struggled in the final third, as he produced one shot which went off target.

Sounders 1, Fire 1 (Final) 

Clint Dempsey’s team-record 47th regular season goal helped the Sounders erase an early deficit in a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire at CenturyLink Field on Saturday.

The Fire drew first blood in the 10th minute when Aleksandar Katai raced onto a clever Brandt Bronico back-heel pass and blasted a 20-yard shot past Stefan Frei.

Dempsey equalized for Seattle in the 22nd minute, racing onto a Will Bruin pass to tie things up. The goal helped Dempsey tie Fredy Montero for most regular season goals with Seattle at 47.

Man of the Match: Katai was a threat for much of the match, following up his excellent goal with several threatening moments.

Moment of the Match: Katai’s goal was a perfectly-struck finish worthy of the highlight-reel pass from Bronico that set him up.

Match to Forget: Nemanja Nikolic wasted some golden chances to give the Fire the victory.

Rapids 3, Minnesota United 2 (Final)

Miguel Ibarra gave the Loons the 20th minute lead when a Darwin Quintero shot slipped through the legs of Tim Howard and rolled right in front of the goal line, where Ibarra raced in and bundled it home.

The Rapids came back as Edgar Castillo scored a 50th-minute equalizer. The finish was a beautiful right-footed blast from the top of the box to the far top corner, pushing the score to one apiece.

Minnesota United took the 2-1 lead in the 65th minute on a Christian Ramirez goal courtesy of a lightning fast counterattack. Quintero sprang Ibarra on the right wing, and he centered to a wide-open Ramirez on a sequence that drew complaints of offside, but VAR deemed the goal legit.

It didn’t take long for the Rapids to come back as Joe Mason scored in the 74th minute to restore the deadlock. Three minutes later, the Loons were reduced to 10 as Miguel Ibarra earned a straight red card.

Seven minutes into stoppage time, the Rapids got their payoff as Tommy Smyth scored a stunning winner to steal the three points.

Man of the Match: Shkëlzen Gashi assisted the Rapids’ final two goals to overcome a slow start.

Moment of the Match: Smyth’s winner saw the Rapids erase the deficit and rally for three points.

Match to Forget: Alexi Gomez struggled in a big way for a Minneosta United team that couldn’t protect a lead.

Sporting Kansas City 3, Dynamo 2 (Final)

Ike Opara turned the ball over in his own third and the Dynamo pounced, with Mauro Manotas converting to give the visitors the lead at Children’s Mercy Park.

A lightning fast Dynamo counter saw Romell Quioto spring DaMarcus Beasley down the left flank, where he sent a perfect ball to the back-post for Manotas to slot him in the 45th minute.

Daniel Salloi pulled one back after he pounced on a loose ball in front of goal and slipped a low shot past Joe Willis.

Sporting KC then equalized in the 85th minute when Diego Rubio ran onto a perfect Salloi pass and slotted home a close-range finish. The Dynamo proceeded to go down to 10 men after Eric Alexander drew his second yellow card in the 86th minute.

Second-half substitute Khiry Shelton gave KC the lead when he finished off an excellent cross from Salloi.

Man of the Match: Daniel Salloi was outstanding, scoring SKC’s first before setting up the next two goals with top-shelf passes.

Moment of the Match: Salloi’s perfect cross met Shelton’s well-timed run to complete Sporting KC’s comeback.

Match to Forget: Eric Alexander was already in the midst of a forgettable night, but his second yellow card left the Dynamo down a man with Sporting KC pushing for a winner.

Orlando City 0, Impact 2 (Final)

Orlando City’s new era is off to a frustrating start.

In the first game since Jason Kreis’ firing, the Lions struggled to do much of anything in a 1-0 home loss to the Montreal Impact on Saturday. The loss is Orlando’s seventh consecutive defeat.

The visitors jumped right into the lead early on an own goal as a deflection of Lamine Sane saw the Lions open their first match following Kreis’ firing in disastrous fashion.

From there, the Impact continued to have the better of the play, firing six shots on target compared to Orlando’s one. One of those shots, an 83rd-minute effort from Ignacio Piatti, found the back of the net, locking up a second consecutive win for the Montreal Impact.

Man of the Match: In need of an insurance goal, Ignacio Piatti stepped in and scored to cap another aggressive performance.

Moment of the Match: Just several minutes into the team’s first match under an interim coach, Sane’s own goal sucked the life out of Orlando City.

Match to Forget: Dom Dwyer was held absolutely silent on Saturday, firing zero shots while getting into no sort of rhythm in the attack.

Red Bulls 3,  FC Dallas 0 (Final)

The Red Bulls opened the socring after 22 minutes, as Tyler Adams pounced on a loose ball and sent it straight to Bradley Wright-Phillips in front of goal. It was an easy finish from there for the frequent goalscorer.

Four minutes later, Daniel Royer was sent off after stomping on Jacori Hayes’s foot.

Matters got worse for FC Dallas in the 33rd minute, as Kellyn Acosta came off with an undisclosed injury. The midfielder spent several weeks out after having hernia surgery earlier this year.

The Red Bulls doubled their lead after 38 minutes, as Aaron Long finished from close range while falling to the ground.

The home side picked up from where they left off in the second half, as Kemar Lawrence scored from an angle in the 48th minute.

The match came to a close with another red card, as FC Dallas’s Reto Ziegler picked up a second yellow card after a studs-up tackle on Lawrence.

Man of the Match: Once again, Wright-Phillips put on a strong performance at the center of the Red Bulls’ attack, scoring his 97th regular season goal in the process.

Moment of the Match: A couple of the Red Bulls’ starts were involved in the team’s first, which saw Adams hustle for the ball in the penalty area and create a chance out of nothing, allowing Wright-Phillips an easy finish.

Match to Forget: Ziegler’s defensive efforts were inadequate as he was part of a Dallas defense that struggled to contain the Red Bulls attack, picking up a red card in the process

Union 4, Whitecaps 0 (Final)

The Philadelphia Union picked up a big win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday thanks to a standout game from their primary playmaker.

Borek Dockal provided a brace for the Union, leading the way in a 4-0 win. The win halts a two-game losing streak for the Union while the Whitecaps fall for the first time in six matches.

The Union jumped into the lead midway through the first half thanks to a goal from Dockal. Assisted by Ilsinho, Dockal cut in to fire the Union to a 1-0 advantage in the 24th minute.

Dockal continued his hot streak with another goal in the 71st minute, effectively icing the game for the Union. The finish was his fifth since joining the Union at the start of the season.

The Whitecaps conceded a penalty just moments later as Jose Aja was called for a foul that earned a straight red card. Ilsinho buried the ensuing spot kick to increase the Union lead to three. Following a Yordy Reyna dismissal, Fabrice Picault added a second penalty kick to seal the blowing.

Man of the Match: There’s little doubt Saturday’s star was Dockal, who continues to lead the way for the Union.

Moment of the Match: Dockal’s second effectively sealed the win, and the goal was an important one for the inconsistent Union.

Match to Forget: The Whitecaps defense was certainly far from good, but Jose Aja’s red card only added further problems on a bad day.

Real Salt Lake 1, San Jose 1 (Final) 

Danny Hoesen’s 64th minute equalizer helped the San Jose Earthquakes grab a road point in this Western Conference clash at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Damir Kreilach opened the scoring in the 54th minute. The midfielder pounced when Sebastian Saucedo’s header off an RSL corner found a wide-open Kreilach, who headed home from point-blank range.

Albert Rusnak nearly made it 2-0 RSL in the 60th minute when he blasted a long-range shot off the crossbar. The ball bounced on the goal-line, but didn’t go over the line.

Hoesen equalized just four minutes later when a spilled Nick Rimando save of a Vako shot fell to him for his 10th goal of the season.

RSL came close in the final minutes of the match, but Luis Silva’s chance struck the crossbar in stoppage time, ending the match at 1-1.

Man of the Match: Vako was a handful all match long for the Earthquakes, and it was his hard shot that led to San Jose’s equalizer.

Moment of the Match: Andrew Tarbell’s late diving save in the final minute of stoppage time helped keep Jefferson Savarino from scoring a late winner.

Match to Forget: Nick Rimando will kick himself for the spilled rebound that led to San Jose’s equalizer.

Comments

  1. Literally no one cares about MLS during the world cup?? How can this league expect itself not to be seen as a complete joke? un effing believable!

    Reply
    • i think you have it backwards, my friend. mls was CREATED BY the 1994 world cup. it’s the ’94 wc’s baby. the ties that bind the two run deep. don’t you know?

      Reply
    • are you new around here? check out a good match such as tonight’s atlanta united (top of the east, unbeaten in four) versus the portland timbers (#6 in the west, in good form, unbeaten in 8). i think you’ll find the level to be comparable to the english championship and yet the crowds and atmosphere will compare to the premier league.

      Reply
  2. “LAFC 2, Crew 0 (Final)” oh snap! and they don’t even have andre horta in their line up yet!

    Reply

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