The L.A. Galaxy rebounded nicely on Sunday by moving one point behind Austin FC for second place in the Western Cofnerence and defeating the second-year club 1-0 at Q2 Stadium.
Marky Delgado’s sixth-minute goal was all Greg Vanney’s side needed to rebound from last weekend’s loss to Real Salt Lake. It was Delgado’s first goal of the season, which couldn’t have come at a better time with the Galaxy looking to keep pace with LAFC and Austin FC atop the Western Conference.
Jonathan Bond made two saves to preserve the clean sheet, setting the Galaxy up nicely for U.S. Open Cup action this week.
The Philadelphia Union were eight minutes away from a dramatic road win against Los Angeles FC, but Steve Cherundolo’s side responded with a late equalizer in Saturday’s marquee inter-conference clash.
Franco Escobar’s 82nd-minute equalizer helped LAFC earn a 2-2 draw at home, as LAFC hit the Union back twice in the match. Escobar’s finish came off of a set piece after Jose Cifuentes’ header was repelled by Andre Blake.
Daniel Gazdag and Julian Carranza each scored goals for the Union, continuing impressive individual campaigns for the attacking duo. Kwadwo Opoku pegged the Union back early in the second-half, adding his third goal of the season.
It was the third-consecutive draw between the two clubs in MLS play.
Ronaldo Cisneros led the way for the Five Stripes on Saturday, registering his first-career MLS hat trick in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Fire. Cisneros became the five Atlanta United player to score three goals in a match since Martinez did so in 2018. It was a dominant night for the Five Stripes, who were rarely troubled by the visiting Fire.
The only blemish on the night for Atlanta United was star defender Miles Robinson being substituted off in the opening 15 minutes due to a non-contact leg injury.
Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola propelled FC Dallas to its fifth league win of the season, as Nico Estevez’s side defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-0 at Toyota Park. Ferreira broke the deadlock in the 65th minute with his seventh league goal of the season. Arriola, who helped spark the opener by Ferreira, iced the victory with his second goal in his ninth appearance.
For the first time in club history, FC Cincinnati extended its league winning run to three matches after using a stoppage-time winner from Brandon Vazquez to defeat Minnesota United 1-0 at Allianz Field. Vazquez’s sixth league goal of the season was all Pat Noonan’s side needed to jump into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
CF Montreal extended its current unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions, rolling past visiting Orlando City 4-1 at Stade Saputo. Djordje Mihailovic’s strong start to the season continued as the USMNT hopeful set a new career-high with his fifth goal of the campaign. Joaquin Torres and Zachary Brault-Guillard both delivered one goal and one assist apiece.
Taxiarchis Fountas registered his second multi-goal performance for D.C. United, helping Chad Ashton’s squad defeat the Houston Dynamo 2-0. Fountas scored his goals eight minutes apart as D.C. United claimed a third victory out of its past four matches in all competitions.
Elsewhere, the Columbus Crew tied the New England Revolution on the road in Foxborough while NYCFC and Sporting KC played out a scoreless draw at Citi Field. Charlotte FC moved into the top-eight in the Eastern Conference by defeating Inter Miami at Bank of America Stadium.
Here is a closer look at Saturday’s MLS results:
Sunday
Austin FC 0, Galaxy 1
(Marky Delgado 6′)
Man of the Match: Marky Delgado scored the lone goal of the match and did well defensively in the shutout win. Delgado was tied for creating the most chances (2), while also making one tackle, and 11 recoveries.
Moment of the Match: Sebastian Driussi came close to stealing one point for Austin FC in front of its home supporters, but his free kick effort in the 89th minute rattled the right post.
Match to Forget: Diego Fagundez was quiet for his 79 minutes on the field, failing to register a shot on goal, and missing a point-blank header in the first half. Fagundez will hope for a bounce-back performance next week at RSL.
Whitecaps 1, Toronto FC 0
(Tosaint Ricketts 90′)
Man of the Match: Thomas Hasal made four saves for the Whitecaps, including a penalty save on Alejandro Pozuelo in the 35th minute. The 22-year-old goalkeeper was Man of the Match for his strong showing.
Moment of the Match: Tosaint Ricketts came off of the bench and delivered the winning goal for the Whitecaps prior to second-half stoppage time.
Match to Forget: Alejandro Pozeulo would be Toronto FC’s best option from the penalty spot but the Spanish playmaker was denied by Hasal prior to halftime.
Nashville SC 2, Real Salt Lake 0
(Dave Romney 63′, CJ Sapong 90+2′)
Man of the Match: C.J. Sapong was a constant threat for Nashville SC all match, scoring the insurance goal to go along with three created chances, nine won duels, and two successful dribbles.
Moment of the Match: Dave Romney’s second-half finish propelled Nashville SC in front and gave them the eventual winning goal against visiting RSL.
Match to Forget: Bobby Wood and Rubio Rubin both started in the RSL attack, but neither were impactful in the 2-0 loss. Both players failed to register a shot on goal.
Saturday
LAFC 2, Union 2
(Kwadwo Opoku 57′, Franco Escobar 82′) – (Daniel Gazdag 9′, Julian Carranza 67′)
Man of the Match: Daniel Gazdag scored once and assisted once, running the show once again from his No. 10 position for the Union. The Hungarian international completed 88% of his passes, won seven of nine duels, and overall continued a strong season.
Moment of the Match: Mamadou Fall’s effort in stoppage time looked destined to nestle in the corner of Andre Blake’s net, but Jakob Glesnes raced home in time to clear the defender’s chance.
Match to Forget: Kellyn Acosta was poor in his one-on-one battles, losing nine of 10 duels and failing to deliver much of an impact on both sides of the field.
Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami 0
(Andre Shinyashiki 68′)
Man of the Match: Kristijan Kahlina made six saves to preserve the clean sheet for Charlotte FC, continuing what has been a strong debut season in MLS for the Croatian.
Moment of the Match: Andre Shinyashiki opened his goalscoring account with Charlotte FC, coming off of the bench and roofing a second-half shot into the top corner of Drake Callender’s net.
Match to Forget: Kieran Gibbs has plenty of experience as a professional player, but the English left back failed to track back fully to keep Shinyashiki off of the scoreboard.
CF Montreal 4, Orlando City 1
(Joel Waterman 21′, Djordje Mihailovic 52′, Joaquin Torres 81′, Zachary Brault-Guillard 84′) – (Joao Moutinho 72′)
Man of the Match: Joaquin Torres was lively all day for CF Montreal, scoring once, assisting once, and being a constant thorn in Orlando City’s side. Torres won 10 duels, completed seven dribbles, and created three chances.
Moment of the Match: Torres’ finish in the 81st minute truly iced the victory for CF Montreal, coming just nine minutes after Orlando City cut the deficit to 2-1.
Match to Forget: Thomas Williams was the weak link in Orlando City’s backline on Saturday, losing 10 duels and also being yellow carded. The 17-year-old should have brighter days ahead though after making his first MLS start.
Atlanta United 4, Fire 1
(Ronaldo Cisneros 3′, 27′, 36′, Brooks Lennon 90+1′) – (Nnamdi Offor 11′)
Man of the Match: Ronaldo Cisneros became the first Atlanta United player to register an MLS hat trick since Josef Martinez did so in 2018. Cisneros’ off-the-ball running allowed him to wreak havoc on the Fire backline for majority of the first half.
Moment of the Match: Cisneros’ third and final goal of the match truly gave the Five Stripes some breathing room heading into halftime. The Fire tried to stay in the match in the second-half, but eventually conceded a fourth goal of the night.
Match to Forget: Veteran defender Wyatt Omsberg was caught out of position on several occasions, eventually watching as Cisneros delivered three first-half goals.
NYCFC 0, Sporting KC 0
Man of the Match: Thiago Martins put in a strong match at centerback. Sporting KC’s chances were few and far between, mainly thanks to Martins’ three tackles and eight duels won.
Moment of the Match: Sean Johnson kept out Sporting KC’s best chance of the night in the 40th minute, stopping a redirected cross at the near post from Daniel Salloi.
Match to Forget: Heber started with Valentin Castellanos out injured, but he was taken off after 68 minutes. Heber managed only one shot as NYCFC failed to capitalize on more than 70% of possession.
Red Bulls 1, Timbers 1
(Aaron Long 67′) – (Jaroslaw Niezgoda 53′)
Man of the Match: Aaron Long helped the New York Red Bulls earn one point at home, scoring his second league goal of the season. Long also won eight of 12 duels and made four interceptions, showing his importance on both sides of the field.
Moment of the Match: Cristian Casseres Jr. had a golden opportunity in stoppage time to win the match for the Red Bulls, but his shot skied into the stands and condemned the hosts to a five-straight home match without a victory.
Match to Forget: Tom Barlow had a great chance to boost his stock in the Red Bulls attack, but the forward did not deliver in the final third. He had one shot on goal, but ultimately could not find his third goal of the season before being substituted off in the 81st minute.
D.C. United 2, Dynamo 0
(Taxiarchis Fountas 35′, 43′)
Man of the Match: Taxi Fountas continued his strong start to life in MLS, scoring a brace in Saturday’s win. The Greek forward not only registered his second multi-goal performance with D.C. United, but also won six of his 12 duels and finished with five shots on goal.
Moment of the Match: Fountas’ first goal set the tone for D.C. United, as the forward picked up possession outside of the box before unleashing a missile into the top corner of Steve Clark’s net. Fountas added to his tally not long after, giving D.C. United a two-goal cushion for the remainder of the match.
Match to Forget: Griffin Dorsey moved higher upfield for the Dynamo, but was ineffective in his 67 minutes. Dorsey only completed four passes and failed to register a shot on goal before being replaced.
Revolution 2, Crew 2
(DeJuan Jones 71′, Adam Buksa 82′) – Miguel Berry 27′, Erik Hurtado 89′)
Man of the Match: Emmanuel Boateng kept the Revs dangerous for much of the game, with an excellent cross to the back post for DeJuan Jones’ goal in the 71st minute. Boateng had two key passes and an assist, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the Revs’ deficiencies on the defensive end.
Moment of the Match: Erik Hurtado saved the Crew a point, scoring a goal in the 89th minute as a substitute.
Match to Forget: Both Revs centerbacks struggled, despite the Crew’s lack of options in the box for much of the game. A lapse in marking from Omar Gonzalez allowed Hurtado to sneak on the end of a cross for the tying goal.
Minnesota United 0, FC Cincinnati 1
(Brandon Vazquez 90’+4)
USA Today Sports
Man of the Match: Both goalkeepers showed up and produced five saves in the nervy contest, but Cincinnati rookie Roman Celentano was the one who kept a clean sheet.
Moment of the Match: Brandon Vazquez’s game-winner in stoppage time made the difference and etched Cincinnati’s first-ever three-game winning streak in its MLS era.
Match to Forget: Minnesota United designated player Adrien Hunou has had a frustrating season and did not influence the game much before getting subbed off in the 57th minute.
FC Dallas 2, Sounders 0
(Jesus Ferreira 65′, Paul Arriola 88′)
Man of the Match: Paul Arriola iced the victory for FC Dallas, and also helped set up the opener scored by Jesus Ferreira. Arriola’s dummy in the box forced two Sounders defenders to follow the winger, allowing Ferreira the chance to score into the bottom corner.
Moment of the Match: With the Sounders pressuring for an equalizer, Arriola’s confident finish capped the final score at 2-0 and handed FC Dallas a fifth victory through 10 matches in league play.
Match to Forget: Veteran attackers Will Bruin and Fredy Montero were held in check by the FC Dallas defense, failing to register a shot on goal in their starts. Bruin played 63 minutes while Montero went the distance.
Earthquakes 1, Rapids 0
(Nathan 64′)
Man of the Match: Nathan played the hero for the San Jose Earthquakes, delivering the winning goal and also helping keep the Rapids attack at bay. He won one tackle, made five interceptions, and five recoveries in the clean sheet win.
Moment of the Match: Nicolas Mezquida came close to tying things up for the Colorado Rapids in stoppage time, but J.T. Marcinkowski dove to his right to repel the attacker’s effort.
Match to Forget: Max Alves was lively in attack for Colorado, but failed to defend San Jose’s free kick which allowed Nathan to score at the near post. Alves tried to head the cross away, but missed, giving the centerback an easy redirection towards goal.