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MLS Saturday Rewind: Union trounce Toronto FC, Inter Miami nets late winner, and more

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The Philadelphia Union sent a strong message to the rest of Major League Soccer on Saturday night that they are now the team to beat after trouncing Toronto FC in a clash between the top two teams in the league.

The Union rolled to a 5-0 demolition of TFC at Subaru Park on Saturday night, jumping into first place in the Supporters’ Shield standings in the process.

TFC saw its nine-match unbeaten run erased as Sergio Santos delivered a hat-trick to propel the Union into first place in the East.

Saturday’s early MLS action saw Leandro Gonzalez Pirez deliver a late winner for Inter Miami over Orlando City, handing the Lions their first loss since August, a loss that also came against Miami.

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

Inter Miami 2, Orlando City 1

(Jansson OG 45′, Gonzalez Pirez 89′)-(Dike 12′)

Man of the Match

Leandro Gonzalez Pirez not only did a good job of limiting Orlando City’s attackers to just two shots on target, but he came up with the big-time winner before the death.

Moment of the Match

Inter Miami nearly gave up a late winner in the 88th minute, but McCarthy made a game-saving stop while on the ground to keep the match on level terms and allow for Gonzalez Pirez to find a winner.

Match to Forget

Robin Jansson. The Swedish defender not only scored an own goal, but he also saw his chance for late-game redemption go begging as he had a chance to pounce on a loose ball for a late goal but couldn’t convert it.

Highlights


Atlanta United 1, D.C. United 2

(Gallagher 89′)-(Canouse 77′, Rivas 90+2′)

Man of the Match

Russell Canouse scored the opening goal with a fine header and was D.C.’s best defender on the afternoon.

Moment of the Match

Gevin Rivas found a late winner to steal a win for D.C. United just minutes after Jon Gallagher looked to rescue a point for Atlanta.

Match to Forget

Brad Guzan really should have done better with the Canouse goal. It was one of his few real tests of the night and he did not pass.

Highlights


Union 5, Toronto FC 0

(Santos 27′, 63′, 68′, McKenzie 33′, Monteiro 56′)

Man of the Match

Sergio Santos became the fourth player in Union history to record a hat trick, showing off his skills in the box on every goal he scored.

Moment of the Match

Jamiro Monteiro’s bar down finish truly sucked the air out of the Toronto FC defenders and put the Union in cruise control for the final 30+ minutes.

Match to Forget

The entire Toronto FC backline was horrid on the night, but veterans Laurent Ciman and Omar Gonzalez looked clueless at times against a feisty Union attack.

HIGHLIGHTS


NYCFC 3, Impact 1

(Medina 68′, Moralez 83′, Rocha 88′) – (Quioto 89′)

Man of the Match

Jesus Medina scored for NYCFC, but was also strong in possession in a 3-1 win. He won eight duels playing just underneath Maxi Moralez and put in a strong 90 minutes shift overall.

Moment of the Match

Moralez’s return to the NYCFC attack ended with a goal, which proved to be the winner against a struggling Impact side.

Match to Forget

Joel Waterman might have played 90 minutes in the Impact backline, but he failed to win a single duel and didn’t look convincing with the ball at his feet.

HIGHLIGHTS


Fire 2, Red Bulls 2

(Beric 51′, Frankowski 72′) – (Duncan 39′, White 90′)

Man of the Match

Robert Beric had a hand in both goals for the Fire, scoring the first while also sending in a dangerous cross that started the sequence that delivered the Fire’s second goal.

Moment of the Match

It looked like it was going to be a disappointing loss for the Red Bulls, but Brian White saved the day with a goal in stoppage time.

Match to Forget

Aaron Long needed to do better on both Fire goals. Kyle Duncan may have kept Robert Beric onside, Long needed to get into a better spot. Long was also caught ball-watching on the sequence leading to Przemyslaw Frankowski’s goal.

HIGHLIGHTS


FC Cincinnati 0, Minnesota United 1

(Schoenfeld 90′)

Man of the Match

Michael Boxall was steady defensively, providing nearly a dozen defensive interventions, and capped his night by winning the header on the corner kick that caromed off the post before finding Aaron Schoenfeld for the winner.

Moment of the Match

Aaron Schoenfeld scored off the bench in the dying stages to give the Loons an important three points on the road.

Match to Forget

Siem De Jong saw his share of chances, but wasted them all, managing to put just one of his five shots on goal, and missing a pair of golden scoring opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTS


Sporting Kansas City 4, Rapids 0

(Pulido 54′, Fontas 67′, Kinda 88′, Gerso 90+3′)

Man of the Match

Alan Pulido was lively all night, scoring Sporting KC’s opening goal with an excellent 20-yard strike and finishing with a game-high six shots on goal to go with four successful dribbles.

Moment of the Match

Andreu Fontas’ calm finish to volley home Sporting KC’s second goal of the night helped snatch full control for the home team.

Match to Forget

Lalas Abubakar was poor on each of Sporting Kansas City’s first two goals, and left the match in the 75th minute.

Highlights


Dynamo 1, Columbus Crew 1

(Rodriguez 37′) – (Cabrera OG 67′)

Man of the Match

Memo Rodriguez scored the lone goal for the Dynamo and was good in attack, completing 91% of his passes to go with three shots on goal.

Moment of the Match

Darwin Quintero had a golden opportunity for a late winner for the Dynamo, but skied his wide-open look in the 89th minute.

Match to Forget

Victor Cabrera did not have the most influential night for the Crew defensively, producing just one tackle and one interception, but he will want to forget putting the ball into his own net to give the Crew their only goal of the night.

HIGHLIGHTS


Real Salt Lake 0, FC Dallas 0

Man of the Match

Though he got a bunch of help from the goal frame, Jimmy Maurer made three big saves to keep Real Salt Lake off the scoreboard.

Moment of the Match

Maurer made two big saves on Kreilach just one minute apart late in the first half at a point when RSL looked like the breakthrough was coming.

Match to Forget

Douglas Martinez Jr. will have nightmares about the close-range miss he had early in this one, a shot that hit the post when it was easier to miss than make.

Highlights


Whitecaps 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1

(Adnan 51′, Ricketts 57′) – (Fierro 24′)

Man of the Match

Ali Adnan may have been beaten on San Jose’s opening goal, but he more than made up for it with a complete performance on both ends of the field, capped by his stunning goal.

Moment of the Match

Adnan’s free kick was beautiful and key to the Whitecaps turning the game around.

Match to Forget

Nick Lima will kick himself for

Highlights

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