MLS Round-up: Toronto surprise Orlando as Kansas go top
Toronto FC 2-1 Orlando City
Toronto beat top of the Eastern Conference Orlando City 2-1 with Sebastian Giovinco in fantastic form.
Toronto opened the scoring on 8 minutes. Raheem Edwards produced some excellent wing play before drive into the box and squaring his pass to Jozy Altidore who played it back to Giovinco who’s great first touch and shot nestled in the back of the net from the edge of the area. The Canadian team went 2-0 ahead on 38 minutes, Steven Beitashour found plenty of space on the right hand side and picked his cross which was met by Victor Vazquez. He in turn found Giovinco who scored from six yards out.
Seven minutes later and on the verge of half time, Orlando reduced the lead by one. Carlos Rivas received the ball from a short corner and curled in a deep cross that was headed back across goal by Cyle Larin for Kaka to find the back of the net and score his second in two games after returning from injury.
Alex Bono came to the rescue in the second half pulling off a goal-line save after Larin looked destined to score on the hour mark. Larin was again denied by Bono on 66, to secure the points and the win for Toronto.
Orlando City stay top despite the loss, with Toronto moving up to third in the Eastern Conference.
Sporting Kansas City 2-0 New York Red Bulls
Sporting KC pulled off a good 2-0 win against the Red Bulls to go top of the Western Conference although The Timbers play at the weekend.
It was the Red Bulls who went closest first on 28 minutes as Fredrik Gulbrandsen forced a good save from Tim Melia after racing through on goal. Kansas hit back on 34 minutes but were denied by a wonderful point blank save by Luis Robles. Benny Feilhaber crossed on the right for Dom Dwyer to head towards goal, only for Robles to save.
With the scores level at half time, Sporting looked the team most likely to score first and with a minute of the second half gone they did exactly that. A shot from Graham Zusi hit a defender in front of Robles but fell to Dom Dwyer who knocked in the rebound.
The lead was doubled on 68 minutes after a good cross from Feilhaber found Dwyer in the area who’s shot went in off the crossbar to give Sporting Kansas City a 2-0 win. The Red Bulls stay level on points with FC Toronto in the Eastern Conference.
Colorado Rapids 0-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps beat Colorado Rapids to leave the Rapids languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference.
With a non-descript first half, it took until the 55th minute for some real excitement. But what excitement it was, as Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey almost put in his own net, only for the ball to hit the post and then David Ousted to make a fantastic save to stop the ball going into the goal.
Vancouver found the breakthrough in the 84 minute. A through ball found Brek Shea who sprinted towards goal and finished well to secure the points for the Whitecaps. Mekeil Williams was sent off with two minutes remaining for the Rapids following a two footed challenge. Vancouver are now mid table in the Western Conference.
D.C. United 0-1 Montreal Impact
The Impact secured a vital away win against D.C. United with both teams struggling down the wrong end of the Eastern Conference.
The deadlock was broken on 13 minutes. Ballou Jean Yves Tabla picked up the ball with his back to goal about 35 yards out. Tabla beat his man before striding towards goal and hitting a low right footed shot into the corner of the net from just outside the area. Montreal continued to attack and only for Travis Worra in the United goal did the score stay 1-0 at half time.
The second half improved for United as Luciano Acosta hit the bar on 58 minutes. D.C. United had a goal disallowed in the final ten minutes, for the score to remain a 1-0 victory for the Impact.
Seattle Sounders 0-1 Toronto FC
It was Toronto’s second game in three days, as they beat a struggling Sounders team away from home which saw Toronto move to the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Sounders thought they had gone 1-0 up in the fifth minute only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. It was Toronto who got the goal from the penalty spot. Jozy Altidore was bundled to the ground in the area leaving the referee with no hesitation but to point at the spot. Altidore converted from 12 yards to silence the home crowd. Altidore was close again on 40 minutes as his thunderous shot was expertly palmed over the bar by Stefan Frei.
The second half was a mixture of half chances and long shots as Toronto FC held on to take the win.
Philadelphia Union 3-0 New York Red Bulls
Philadelphia pulled off a spectacular and surprising 3-0 victory against the Red Bulls who were playing their second match in three days.
It was the Red Bulls who came closest first as Andre Blake pulled off a point blank save on his goal-line from a deflected cross by Daniel Royer. With the first half dominated by the Red Bulls, the second half continued in the same spirit. It seemed only a matter of time before the New York side scored.
However in the 70th minute CJ Sapong called Luis Robles into action as the Red Bull keeper pulled off a great save from a header which looked destined for the top corner. Sapong would not be denied however and on 74 minutes, his deflected shot looped over Robles into the net to give the Union a 1-0 lead.
Blake continued to keep the Red Bulls at bay who hit back immediately but again against the run of play the Union went 2-0 up. Sapong headed in from close range after a lucky header found him in the six yard box with nine minutes remaining. The match was secured for Philadelphia three minutes later. Damien Perrinelle handling the ball in the box gave Sapong a chance to score from the spot, which he duly did to win the match and secure his hattrick.
The Union got their first win of the season but remain bottom of the Eastern Conference with New York Red Bulls in fifth.
Houston Dynamo 4-0 Orlando City
Orlando, playing their second match in three days, suffered a heavy defeat away to Houston Dynamo.
The Dynamo were awarded a penalty after 11 minutes but forward Mauro Manotas put the ball well wide from 12 yards. Alberth Elis did find the net on 23 minutes after AJ DelaGarza found the front man wide on the right. Elis still had plenty to do and drove in from the right and unleashed a ferocious shot which the keeper should have done better with.
The second half continued much like the first and Houston grabbed their second on 51 minutes. Alex’s cross from the right found Manotas in the middle, who guided the ball into the back of the net. The third goal came on 65 minutes. Romell Quioto sent a great ball in to the area for Manotas to squeeze the ball past the keeper in off the post.
With Houston dominating, their final goal came 14 minutes later. Quioto firing in over the keeper to win the match 4-0. The Dynamo are now forth in the Western Conference while Orlando dropped from top spot to second in the Eastern Conference.
LA Galaxy v Chicago Fire 2-2
The Galaxy and The Fire played out an entertaining score draw as LA continued to struggle.
It was the Fire who opened the scoring from the spot after Jelle Van Damne brought down Nemanja Nikolic. David Accam coolly slotted home from 12 yards past Brian Rowe, only for the referee to order the kick to be retaken. Accam kept his composure, slotting in the opposite corner to his first penalty to score. The Fire went 2-0 up on 16 minutes with a great calm finish by Nikolic, beating the offside trap after being played through on goal.
The Galaxy had it all to do in the second half and reduced the deficit on 56 minutes following a corner which was headed in by Daniel Steres flick on. The equaliser came nine minutes later. Another corner, flicked on by Dave Romney and put into the net from close range by Giovani Dos Santos.
The Fire thought they had won the match when Luis Solignac header beat the keeper but cannoned back off the bar on 75 minutes to leave both sides to settle for the point.
Minnesota United v Sporting Kansas City 2-0
Minnesota took advantage of Sporting KC’s second game in three days to win 2-0 as Kansas dropped to second in the Western Conference.
The Loons took the lead after Miguel Ibarra’s cross found the rushing Abu Danladi who fired home for his first MLS goal.
Ibarra was provider for the second goal as his cross was met by the head of Christian Ramirez. United went in at half time with the lead despite Kansas’ possession.
The second half saw Bobby Shuttleworth in inspired form for Minnesota as he managed to keep Sporting at bay almost on his own.
It was a fantastic effort from the keeper who saved eight shots as well as enduring a broken nose after a boot to the face. The win puts Minnesota mid table in the Western Conference.
Columbus Crew 2-0 New England Revolution
The Crew beat The Revolution 2-0 at home producing a solid performance.
Ola Kamara opened the scoring with a delightful finish on 13 minutes after being played in by Justin Meram. Kamara curling the ball into the net. The Revolution hit back but were denied by the bar from a rasping drive from Lee Nguyen.
With the second half in full swing The Crew got their second. Kamara picked up the ball on the right side of the area and waited for the onrushing Federico Higuain who buried the ball into the net with a stunning finish.
Zack Steffen pulled off a great double save on 81 minutes to deny Nguyen and a deflected shot to ensure the 2-0 win the Columbus Crew.
Real Salt Lake 0-3 FC Dallas
FC Dallas went top of the Western Conference with a comprehensive victory away to RSL.
Dallas went one up from a penalty from Maximiliano Urruti following a hand ball in the third minute. The lead should have been doubled before half time only for Chris Wingert to clear a shot off the line.
Both sides had good chances to score but Dallas got their second from a corner that was met by the head of Matt Hedges on 67 minutes.
Their third goal came in injury time, Urruti running onto a through ball to chip over the keeper and then touch the ball into the empty goal. RSL remain second from bottom in the Western Conference.
San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 Portland Timbers
The Earthquakes recorded a great result against the Timbers to move fifth in the Western Conference while Portland lie third.
Jahmir Hyka opened the scoring for the Earthquakes in the eighth minute after a goal mouth scramble led to the midfielder slotting home. San Jose always looked the most likely team to score and their second came from Chris Wondolowski who curled the ball round the keeper into the net on 31 and take a 2-0 lead at half time.
The second half was barely ten minutes old when Wondolowski grabbed his second and The Earthquakes’ third, as he latched onto a through ball from Florian Jungwirth to slot home.
With the Timbers offering nothing in return, the Earthquakes ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.
NYC FC 3-1 Atlanta United
NYC FC’s convincing 3-1 win pushed them to third with Atlanta United in seventh in the Eastern Conference.
David Villa opened the scoring with another great goal as he burst through on goal in the 17th minute and curled his shot past the goal keeper onto the post and in to put NYC one up. Despite NYC domination, Atlanta hit back on 38 minutes, Carlos Carmona hitting a volley into the roof of the net to draw level at half time.
NYC came out the blocks firing in the second half and were unfortunate not to score straight after half time, Alec Kann tipping over after a scramble in the area. The inevitable goal came for New York on 60 minutes. Ethan White crossing well for Rodney Wallace to tap in.
Two minutes later it was game over, as Wallace flicked the ball into the path of Maxi Moralez who finished well as the keeper came out to rush the shot to give NYC FC a comprehensive win.