The 2018 Major League Soccer regular season concluded today with plenty of shuffling in the league standings.
The New York Red Bulls clinched their third Supporters Shield over the past six seasons with a 1-0 win over Orlando City. Derrick Etienne’s goal was enough to help Chris Armas’ side grab the No. 1 in the East. Atlanta United was steamrolled by Toronto FC, having to settle with a second-place finish.
10-men Sporting KC held on to claim the No. 1 out west with a 2-1 win over Los Angeles FC. FC Dallas’ defeat to Colorado paired with the Sounders win over San Jose also saw shuffling in the top four places. The LA Galaxy saw a two-goal lead disappear against the Houston Dynamo, clinching sixth place out west for Real Salt Lake.
New York City FC dropped the Philadelphia Union to sixth in the East with their 3-1 triumph at Yankee Stadium. D.C. United’s scoreless draw in Chicago was enough to see Ben Olsen’s side finish fourth in the East while the Impact fell 1-0 to New England, ending their playoff dreams.
The Columbus Crew avoided a sixth place finish as they edged Minnesota United 3-2 behind a Gyasi Zardes hat trick.
Here’s a look back at all of Sunday’s action:
Toronto FC 4, Atlanta United 1- Final
Defending MLS champs Toronto FC may not be back in the postseason in 2018, but they did have the final say in the East standings.
TFC rolled past Atlanta United 4-1 at BMO Field, signing off on a high note to what has been a disappointing season. Lucas Janson scored a pair of goals while Marky Delgado and Sebastian Giovinco also got in on the act.
Greg Vanney’s side led 2-0 at halftime thanks to tallies from Janson and Delgado. Janson rifled home a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner after nine minutes, before Delgado scored from a similar effort in the 21st.
Josef Martinez scored from the penalty spot after 77 minutes to cut the deficit in half for Atlanta.
Again it was TFC’s fast break which caught Atlanta sleeping again as Janson scored his second of the match. Giovinco capped the perfect day for TFC, scoring his 13th goal of the season.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Janson has provided a spark numerous times this season, and the Argentine did just that on Sunday.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Janson’s second goal summed up the afternoon for Atlanta before Giovinco added insult to injury not long after.
MATCH TO FORGET: Playmakers Julian Gressel and Ezequiel Barco were shut down by TFC.
Red Bulls 1, Orlando City 0 – Final
The New York Red Bulls wrapped up the 2018 MLS regular season with its third Supporters Shield in five years, while also setting a season record for points and wins as they defeated Orlando City 1-0 at Red Bulla Arena.
After Orlando dominated the game’s early minutes, the Red Bulls had a chance to take an early lead. Mohamed El-Munir fouled Bradley Wright-Phillips in the box and gave away a penalty, which eventually saw Derrick Etienne’s effort saved by Adam Grinwis.
Despite having six shots in total through the opening 45 minutes, the Red Bulls could not take a lead into halftime.
Etienne’s individual effort in the 53rd minute broke the deadlock as he picked up a loose ball at midfield before racing past several Orlando defenders and slotting home past Grinwis.
Orlando tried for an equalizer later in the half but it would never come as the Red Bulls hung on for a slim victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Etienne made amends for his earlier PK miss but scoring the lone goal in the match.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: A great play by Etienne broke the deadlock as the Red Bulls grabbed a needed win.
MATCH TO FORGET: The entire Orlando City attack was quiet, failing to record a single shot on goal in the defeat.
NYCFC 3, Union 1 – Final
Needing a win to secure the third-seed and home-field in this week’s knockout round match, NYCFC grabbed a clutch 3-1 win in the Bronx.
Maxime Chanot opened the scoring, in the eighth minute heading home a corner past Andre Blake to put NYCFC up 1-0 on his first goal of the season. NYCFC got a surprising boost just minutes after when Philadelphia’s Auston Trusty misfired a back-pass to Blake, putting it past his own keeper and into the back of his net to double NYCFC’s score to 2-0 in the 10th minute.
The wild beginning to the match continued when the Union pulled one back on a goal by Cory Burke in the 14th minute.
NYCFC extended their lead back to two goals when David Villa slotted one to the far post past Blake in the 34th minute to make it 3-1.
The Union had a chance in the second half to pull back within one when C.J. Sapong drew a penalty inside the box after Sean Johnson dove into Sapong’s legs going for a loose ball. However, Johnson made the diving save to his right to keep NYCFC’s two-goal lead for good.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Johnson made four key saves, including a big stop on Fafa Picault’s penalty kick, to preserve the two-goal win.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Johnson’s penalty save in the 60th minute kept NYCFC ahead by two heading into the final 30 minutes.
MATCH TO FORGET: Trusty’s own-goal put NYCFC ahead 2-0 in the 10th minute, just two minutes after NYCFC opened the scoring.
Galaxy 2, Dynamo 3 – Final
The LA Galaxy saw a two-goal lead disappear on Sunday as their playoff dreams ended at Stubhub Center.
Despite holding a 2-0 halftime lead, the Houston Dynamo rolled to a 3-2 win thanks to a pair of late goals from Mauro Manotas.
Ola Kamara was the Galaxy’s best player in the opening half, scoring in the 27th and 34th minutes respectively to give the hosts a healthy advantage going into halftime.
Romell Quioto bagged his sixth goal of the season after 57 minutes, which helped start the comeback for Houston. Manotas converted a penalty kick in the 73rd minute which leveled the score at 2-2 before the Colombian finished from close range after 79 minutes to seal the win.
It was a disappointing end of the season for LA, who picked up three wins in four matches prior to today’s loss.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Manotas came up with a pair of goals late to help the Dynamo spoil the party out west.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: After leveling the match from the penalty spot, Manotas slammed the door shut for the host Galaxy.
MATCH TO FORGET: Usually expected to come up big on must-win games, Zlatan Ibrahimovic only had two shots on goal and failed to score for LA.
Sporting KC 2, LAFC 1 – Final
Peter Vermes’ side fought their tails off on Sunday, defeating LAFC 2-1 to clinch the No. 1 spot in the West.
After having a 1-0 lead thanks to Roger Espinoza’s first-half goal, SKC was themselves reduced to 10 men after the hour mark. Seth Sinovic was given a straight red card for a handball inside of the box, which eventually saw Carlos Vela level the score from the penalty spot.
Daniel Salloi’s composed finish after 72 minutes put SKC back in front for a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It was Salloi’s 11th goal of the season in 29 matches.
The strong performance by SKC sees them edge LAFC for the top spot, while Bob Bradley’s team now gets set to face RSL in the Knockout Stage.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Salloi has had an incredible season, tripling his goal output from a season ago. He added to those stats on Sunday with a game winner.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Sinovic’s dismissal was figured to hurt SKC’s chances of winning but in fact the team went for it all and got a winner because of it.
MATCH TO FORGET: Diego Rossi and Adama Diomande were ineffective offensively, failing to get any of their combined four shots on goal.
Fire 0, D.C. United 0 – Final
It was a quiet affair at Toyota Park on Sunday but D.C. United got what they needed to make the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Limited offensive opportunities highlighted the match, but neither side could get a winner in a 0-0 draw.
Aleksandar Katai’s long-range strike after 17 minutes saw Bill Hamid forced into his first action before Niko Hasler was also kept out before halftime.
Wayne Rooney’s right-footed effort in the 68th minute was the best look offensively for D.C.
Neither side could find a winner and had to settle for a point apiece.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Hamid was the busier of the keepers and deserves recognition for what has been a strong return to D.C.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Rooney had the final chance to score but missed from close-range in the 93rd minute of stoppage time.
MATCH TO FORGET: Nemanja Nikolic was ineffective offensively, summing up what has been an inconsistent season for the Hungarian.
Rapids 2, FC Dallas 1 – Final
The Colorado Rapids came into Sunday’s contest looking to play spoiler against FC Dallas and that’s just what Anthony Hudson’s side did.
Two goals separated by four minutes allowed the Rapids to down FC Dallas 2-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Maxi Urruti’s 14th minute goal gave Dallas a deserved lead and one they would have until the final 10+ minutes.
Cole Bassett’s left-footed shot leveled the score in the 80th minute, before Tommy Smyth headed home a winner for Colorado. Kellyn Acosta’s perfectly placed cross from the New Zealand international’s head who did the rest in the 84th minute.
Tim Howard made a trio of saves as Colorado ended the season on a three-match unbeaten run.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Smyth has been the villain on numerous occasions for the Rapids, but the defender played the hero on Sunday.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: A dramatic finale in Colorado saw the Rapids score a pair late to put Dallas in the knockout round this week.
MATCH TO FORGET: Captain Matt Hedges will certainly be aggravated with his teammates finish to the match, being caught out on two occasions.
Crew 3, Minnesota United 2 – Final
Gyasi Zardes has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Columbus Crew this season and the U.S. Men’s National Team forward continued that trend on Sunday.
Zardes scored a hat trick and helped the Crew to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference as Columbus edged Minnesota United 3-2 on Decision Day.
The forward opened things after 11 minutes as he headed home Milton Valenzuela’s cross past Matt Lampson. Zardes continued his impressive afternoon in the 49th minute, scoring from close range to double the Crew’s lead.
Francisco Calvo began a comeback for Minnesota in the 68th minute, finishing nicely from a set piece. The Costa Rican international pulled Minnesota level in the 77th minute, scoring his second goal of the season.
Zardes capped off his performance with the winning goal after 83 minutes. A pass from Niko Hansen found Zardes who finished from close range to seal the home victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Zardes easily deserved man of the match honors, scoring a trio of goals to hep Columbus avoid a trip to NYCFC midweek.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: After it looked like the Loons would walk away with a point, Zardes did what he does best and scored the winning goal.
MATCH TO FORGET: Michael Boxall and Wyatt Omsberg did a poor job tracking Zardes late in the match, which led to the forward scoring the winner.
Sounders 2, Earthquakes 1 – Final
The Seattle Sounders made sure to head into the MLS Cup Playoffs on a winning note as they fought back for a 2-1 win over San Jose.
After a scoreless first-half, it was the visitors who got some luck first. An own goal from Chad Marshall gave the Earthquakes a surprising 1-0 lead at CenturyLink Field.
Raul Ruidiaz leveled the score in the 79th minute, getting on the end of Cristian Roldan’s cross and tapping past James Marcinowski. The Peruvian international sealed the win in the 93rd minute, stroking a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner which made it a 2-1 final score.
The win moved Seattle up to second in the West standings, while San Jose concluded the season in last place.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ruidiaz has been a huge pickup for the Sounders this season and the Peruvian continued to come up with goals for his new team.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Ruidiaz sent the home fans bonkers as he capped off the comeback win in style.
MATCH TO FORGET: The entire San Jose backline was responsible for the loss, allowing a pair of late goals to Seattle.
Whitecaps 2, Timbers 1 – Final
Alphonso Davies may be on his way to Bayern Munich but the Canadian international left on a high note in his final match with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday.
Davies scored a first-half brace to help the Whitecaps edge the Portland Timbers 2-1 at BC Place. His first goal came 28 minutes in as he rifled home from long-range and beat Jeff Attinella to the bottom-right corner.
It took only three minutes for Davies to double Vancouver’s advantage as the midfielder beat Attinella to the bottom-left corner.
Andres Flores’ 90th-minute finish pulled a goal back for Portland but it was the closest they would come to a comeback.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Davies signed off with two goals as he now prepares to join Bayern Munich.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Not long after breaking the scoreless deadlock, Davies was at it again as he again got the better of Attinella.
MATCH TO FORGET: Samuel Armenteros failed to do much offensively for Portland and will need to show a quick memory come playoff time.
Revolution 1, Impact 0 – Final
Although the seventh-place Montreal Impact’s playoff hopes were still alive entering Decision Day, it was the New England Revolution who ended on a high note on the match day of the regular season.
After Diego Fagundez’s father hinted on Twitter earlier on Sunday that it could be his son’s final game in a Revolution uniform, Fagundez scored the 75th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory over the Impact at Gillette Stadium.
Cristian Penilla centered the ball across the top of the box to Fagundez, who opened up and finished across goal inside the left post from 20 yards out.
The goal was eight-year veteran’s 50th of his career and makes Fagundez the youngest player in MLS history to reach that milestone at 23 years, 8 months and 14 days old. He finishes with nine goals and ten assists in 2018.
Making his first start in eight matches, Revs goalkeeper Matt Turner made four saves to shut out the Impact and end their playoff hopes.
Montreal entered Sunday two points behind the Columbus Crew for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Revolution finish a disappointing second half of the season in eighth place in the East.
One thing (among many) that is absolutely awesome about MLS is how teams always give it 100% till the end. Toronto, Houston, Colorado, New England all had nothing to play for and all had wins that hurt their seemingly stronger opponents big time (didn’t matter at the and for Montreal). I think in most other leagues the outcome of these games would be “known”.
So, two anti-MLS myths broken on the same day:
1. Everyone makes playoffs (tell that to Zlatan and Bastiaan)
2. We need relegation because teams and players do not try hard at the end.
It was failed argument by people that wanted MLS to fail. Crazy exciting finishes not seen in any other part of soccer, except MLS.
Go Sounders
An absolute epic fail by the Galaxy. Even before the Dynamo scored, you could sense trouble. As soon as the Galaxy went into a defensive posture you could see the level of intensity drop considerably. They showed why a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in soccer. Lots of blame to go around, but the defensive lapses were inexcusable, especially given the situation.
Yeah that was pretty terrible. Like you said, you could basically see what was about to happen…. painful. Still, I’d would’ve hated for management find a way to trick themselves (and attempt to trick the fanbase) into thinking this was a successful season. The team is so poorly constructed that it’s hard to believe there is really even a valid short-term solution.
Tata. Allergic to trophies.
Red Bulls winning the 3rd Supporters’ shield in 6 years is a pretty big deal. That they did it with a host of home-grown players and players under 23 (plus BWP) while shedding old stars is really notable.
Justin Morrow plays up top as a forward in a 4-3-3 formation……wow