Another busy midweek slate of MLS action is in the books and Wednesday’s Cali Clasico headlined the action as the San Jose Earthquakes continued their recent dominance over rivals L.A. Galaxy.
A trio of first-half goals helped the Earthquakes defeat the Galaxy 3-2 at Dignity Health Sports Park, handing San Jose its fourth win in the past six meetings with its in-state rivals. Jeremy Ebobisse continued his strong goalscoring run this season while Cristian Espinoza and Marcos Lopez also celebrated goals of their own.
Despite a comeback from the Galaxy, Greg Vanney’s men had to settle for a fourth defeat in their past five matches in all competitions.
Nashville SC claimed only its third home win at Geodis Park on Wednesday, edging the Seattle Sounders 1-0 thanks to a Hany Mukhtar winner. The German celebrated his 11th league goal of the season, playing the hero for Gary Smith’s side once again this season.
Brian Schmetzer’s squad struggled for offensive opportunities, forcing only two saves out of Nashville SC goalkeeper Joe Willis.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Union claimed three points in Florida by defeating Inter Miami 2-1 at DRV PNK Stadium. Daniel Gazdag and Cory Burke both celebrated goals for Jim Curtin’s side, which returned to first place in the Eastern Conference with the result.
New York City FC defeated FC Dallas 1-0 on the road thanks to Heber’s first-half goal while Cucho Hernandez scored twice off the bench to give the Columbus Crew a 2-2 draw with D.C. United.
Here is a closer look at this week’s MLS results:
Wednesday
Atlanta United 2, Real Salt Lake 1
(Ronaldo Cisneros 7′, 33′) – (Johan Kappelhof 37′)
Man of the Match: Ronaldo Cisneros stepped into Atlanta United’s starting lineup on Wednesday and delivered two goals to propel the hosts to a needed home win.
Moment of the Match: Zac MacMath came close to playing the hero in the attacking end for Real Salt Lake, but his stoppage-time effort missed wide of the Atlanta United goal.
Match to Forget: Rubio Rubin was quiet in the loss for RSL, losing nine duels and only registering one shot on goal.
Fire 2, Toronto FC 0
(Jhon Duran 4′, 16′)
Man of the Match: Jhon Duran propelled the Fire to an important three points, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of the match.
Moment of the Match: Duran’s second goal in quick succession gave the Fire some needed breathing room and paved the way for a comfortable second half.
Match to Forget: Chris Mavinga had trouble dealing with Duran in the early stages of the match before eventually being replaced after only 32 minutes.
D.C. United 2, Crew 2
(Taxi Fountas 80′, Ola Kamara 90+2′) – (Cucho Hernandez 62′, 81′)
Man of the Match: Cucho Hernandez’s wonder start to life in MLS continued as the Colombian came off the bench and scored twice to help the Crew leave the Nation’s Capital with one point.
Moment of the Match: Ola Kamara’s stoppage-time equalizer helped D.C. United escape with one point, providing a frantic ending to the match.
Match to Forget: Erik Hurtado was poor in the draw, failing to register a shot on goal. Hurtado might be forced to the bench going forward with Cucho Hernandez’s recent goalscoring form.
FC Cincinnati 2, Whitecaps 2
(Alvaro Barreal 3′, Brandon Vazquez 23′) – (Ryan Gauld 5′, Cristian Dajome 82′)
Man of the Match: Cristian Dajome assisted on Vancouver’s opening goal before calling his own number to help the Canadian club leave TQL Stadium with one point. Dajome also won the most duels in the match (11) and drew the most fouls (3).
Moment of the Match: Dajome’s late equalizer helped the Whitecaps steal one point at the death against FC Cincinnati.
Match to Forget: It was a forgettable night for Cody Cropper as the Whitecaps goalkeeper conceded two goals in the first half before leaving the match with an apparent injury.
Inter Miami 1, Union 2
(Gonzalo Higuain 82′, Daniel Gazdag 26′ pk’, Cory Burke 66′)
Man of the Match: Kai Wagner was dangerous for the Union, assisting once in the match, and delivering a strong defensive performance.
Moment of the Match: Cory Burke’s fourth league goal of 2022 proved to be the difference between the two clubs as the Jamaican came up clutch for the Union.
Match to Forget: Aime Mabika played 45 minutes for Inter Miami, but conceded one penalty kick opportunity which eventually got the Union attack going in Fort Lauderdale.
Loons 1, Sporting KC 1
(John Pulskamp 43′ OG’) – (Johnny Russell 63′)
Man of the Match: 19-year-old Kayden Pierre impressed at right back for Sporting KC, assisting on Johnny Russell’s goal and also winning four of his seven duels.
Moment of the Match: Robin Lod came closest to stealing a winning goal for Minnesota United, but the Finnish forward was repelled by John Pulskamp in the 84th minute.
Match to Forget: Andreu Fontas had a forgettable night in defense for Sporting KC as his error led to Minnesota United’s only goal of the match.
Nashville SC 1, Sounders 0
(Hany Mukhtar 44′)
Man of the Match: Hany Mukhtar continued his MVP-like campaign by scoring his 11th goal of the season to propel Gary Smith’s side past the Sounders for a second time in 2022. Mukhtar also created the most chances (3), drew the most fouls (4), and completed the most dribbles (2).
Moment of the Match: Heroic defending helped Nashville SC cling to a 1-0 win at home as the Sounders late attack was denied by key blocks down the stretch.
Match to Forget: Jordan Morris and the rest of the Sounders attack struggled in the loss as the visitors only forced two saves from Joe Willis in the 90 minutes.
Rapids 1, Orlando City 1
(Gyasi Zardes 65′) – (Facundo Torres 22′)
Man of the Match: Gyasi Zardes netted his first goal for the Rapids from open play, which helped Robin Fraser’s squad fight back to claim one point at home.
Moment of the Match: Zardes’ confident finish helped turn things around for the Rapids, who were held in check in the opening 45 minutes of the match.
Match to Forget: It was a tough night for Rapids midfielder Sam Nicholson, who was ineffective in attack for the hosts.
FC Dallas 0, NYCFC 1
(Heber 29′)
Man of the Match: Tayvon Gray was strong all around for NYCFC, winning six duels and helping the visitors register a clean sheet on the road.
Moment of the Match: FC Dallas kept its foot on the gas late in Wednesday’s match, but NYCFC did enough to get over the line by delivering some strong defensive plays.
Match to Forget: It’s not often you see Jesus Ferreira held in check, but NYCFC’s backline did just that by reducing the USMNT forward to only one shot on goal.
Galaxy 2, Earthquakes 3
(Dejan Joveljic 48′, 88′) – (Cristian Espinoza 13′ pk’, Jeremy Ebobisse 14′, Marcos Lopez 40′)
Man of the Match: J.T. Marcinkowski was phenomenal for the Earthquakes, delivering eight saves in an important Cali Clasico win.
Moment of the Match: Marcos Lopez’s first-half goal proved to be the deciding finish between the two teams despite the Galaxy’s comeback attempt.
Match to Forget: Samuel Grandsir offered little for the Galaxy in his 45 minutes, receiving one yellow card before being replaced at halftime.
Tuesday
Austin FC 3, Dynamo 1
(Diego Fagundez 15′, Maxi Urruti 57′, Alex Ring 70′) – (Adalberto Carrasquilla 11′)
Man of the Match: Ethan Finlay assisted once in Austin FC’s win and also created the most chances from his right wing position.
Moment of the Match: Alex Ring’s goal truly iced the victory for Josh Wolff’s side as Austin FC continued to excel in Western Conference play.
Match to Forget: Teenage Hadebe played the hero against FC Dallas last Saturday, but was poor in dealing with Austin FC’s dynamic attack in Tuesday’s Texas Derby defeat.