MLS Roundup: Toronto continue their winning streak as the Red Bull’s finally lose at home
Columbus Crew 1-2 Toronto FC
Toronto FC left it late as they beat Columbus Crew, scoring two goals in the last nine minutes.
It was the Crew who opened the scoring on 28 minutes from the penalty spot after Ola Kamara was bundled to the ground. Federico Higuain stepped up to score a cheeky panenka from 12 yards.
Toronto were awarded a penalty of their own on 37 minutes when Jozy Altidore was tripped by Zack Steffen in the Columbus penalty area. However Steffen saved well as he pushed away Altidore’s soft penalty. The Crew had chances to increase their lead but found Alex Bono in good form in the Toronto goal.
With Toronto struggling to find a breakthrough, Tosaint Ricketts was brought on to make a difference. It was an inspired substitution as he managed on the end of a cross to glance home and bring the scores level.
The away side had their tails in the air and with a minute left a Raheem Edwards cross found its way to Ricketts who slotted home to give Toronto a 2-1 win.
Houston Dynamo 2-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
The Dynamo beat a Vancouver side brimming with confidence 2-1 to go top of the Western Conference.
It was Houston who took the lead after 15 minutes. Romell Quioto crossing for Alberth Elis to head home. The lead was almost doubled on 50 minutes, but Mauro Manotas managed to knock the ball over the bar from close range when scoring seemed the easiest thing to do.
The second goal came on 68 minutes after Kendall Waston was adjudged to have fouled Manotas in the box. Erick Torres scored comfortably from the spot.
Vancouver grabbed a consolation goal with five minutes remaining after Brek Shea headed home but it was too little too late as the Dynamo saw out the match to win 2-1.
Colorado Rapids 3-0 San Jose Earthquakes
The Rapids pulled off a surprising win against the Earthquakes as they ended their run of seven games without a win.
The first goal came after half an hour from a fantastic cross from Mohammed Saeid which was finished by Shkelshen Gashi.
The Rapids doubled their lead on 35 minutes. Dominique Badji won the ball in midfield and attacked the Earthquakes defence before firing past David Bingham.
Badji then put pressure on the Earthquakes defence forcing them into a mistake and found Gashi who finished well to give the Rapids a 3-0 win. Colorado Rapids are now one point off Real Salt Lake but stay bottom of the Western Conference.
Toronto FC 3-2 Minnesota United
Toronto continued their impressive form as they beat Minnesota in a close game.
Toronto took the lead after Edwards had been clumsily fouled on the edge of the box, leaving Sebastian Giovinco to score, hitting his penalty straight down the middle after 20 minutes.
It took United until the second half to draw level and on 52 minutes after some good build up play, Kevin Molino fired home.
Two minutes later Toronto retook the lead. A free kick by Michael Bradley drifted to the back post only for Christian Ramirez to score an own goal.
Eight minutes later the scores were level once more. A corner kick resulted in a hand ball by Edwards and a penalty being given by the referee. Molino scored from the rebound after his initial shot was saved.
The winner came with 13 minutes of the game remaining, after some bullish work an Altidore cross fell to that man Ricketts again to score the winner.
Toronto now have a six point lead on top of the Eastern Conference.
Montreal Impact 2-3 Columbus Crew
Justin Meram was the hero as his hat trick helped the Crew to an away win.
It was Meram who opened the scoring on 14 minutes running onto a deflected pass to fire home. He was on hand again as he latched onto a deflected clearance to score and give the Crew a 2-0 lead at half time.
Seven minutes into the second half Montreal Impact fought back. They reduced the deficit when Ignacio Piatti scored and on 77 minutes the home faithful were ecstatic as the equaliser came from Anthony Jackson Hamel.
But right at the death a counter attack by the Crew found Meram with a chance to win the match which he duly took to win the game 3-2 and complete his hat trick.
D.C. United 0-4 Philadelphia Union
The Union won again as they comprehensively beat D.C. United 4-0 away.
It took until the 39th minute for the deadlock to be broken as midfielder Haris Medunjanin opened the scoring.
With both sides looking fairly even the game was thrown wide open when Luciano Acosta was sent off 10 minutes after the break. The match became a struggle for United from then on.
Goal number two was scored by Oguchi Onyewu on just after the hour mark and 14 minutes later Fafa Picault scored the Union’s third goal.
The final goal was certainly the best, as Fabian Herbers’ fantastic finish settled the match and a second win of the season for the Union.
New England Revolution 4-0 Real Salt Lake
The Revolution hammered a struggling RSL side at home to stay mid table in the Eastern Conference.
The game was only four minutes old before Scott Caldwell opened the scoring for the Revolution after some tricky wing play from Diego Fagundez. The Revolution went 2-0 up 13 minutes later from the head of Kei Kamara following a corner.
Fagundez found the net himself after an unselfish pass from Kelyn Rowe to put New England firmly in the driving seat. The fourth and final goal came just before halftime. Kamara found Lee Nguyen on the edge of the box the slot home into the corner of the net.
The Revolution had further chances in the second half but failed to increase the score line any further as they ran out 4-0 winners.
Portland Timbers 1-1 Atlanta United
Atlanta grabbed a good point in a tough match away to the Timbers.
The first half saw neither side score although the Timbers looked the better team as Atlanta sat back and looked to hit on the break. However, it was United who went 1-0 up seconds into the second half as Julian Gressel scored his first ever goal with a great low finish from outside the box.
The lead only lasted five minutes before the Timbers found an equaliser through Liam Ridgewell. The Timbers won a free kick and floated in a cross that drifted into the six yard box for Ridgewell to head home from close range.
United almost found a winner right at the death, but Gressel was denied by the keeper for his second goal of the night, leaving the scores level at full time.
Orlando City 2-2 Sporting Kansas City
Latif Blessing scored two as Sporting came away with a spirited score draw.
It was Blessing who put Sporting 1-0 up after nine minutes of action as he tapped in from close range after Orlando had failed to clear.
Orlando hit back seven minutes later, Carlos Rivas sending over a great cross for Cyle Larin to volley home, six yards out. Their second came on 26 minutes from Kaka. A deep cross was chested down by the Brazilian before finding the corner of the net with a low shot and a 2-1 lead at half time.
Sporting levelled the scores on 74 minutes. Good work down the right, forced Joe Bendik into a save but the ball fell kindly to Blessing who tapped in for his second to secure a 2-2 draw.
Orlando lie third in the Eastern Conference while Sporting Kansas lie joint top with the Dynamo in the Western Conference.
Chicago Fire 4-1 Seattle Sounders
Chicago Fire saw off a struggling Sounders side 4-1 amid some controversial refereeing.
The first goal came from a penalty on 25 minutes. Nemanja Nikolic was brought down in the area but it seemed to be a slightly harsh decision on the Sounders. However more controversy followed as the initial tame penalty by David Accam was saved, only for the referee to order a retake for some dubious encroachment. This time Nikolic stepped up to slot home from 12 yards.
Seattle grabbed an equaliser three minutes later from a great strike from Clint Dempsey, hitting a shot from outside the area into the net.
With the second half in full flow, Accam made up for his dreadful penalty to put the Fire 2-1 up with good control and a nice finish. Thirteen minutes later the lead was increased after Luis Solignac tapped home after a deflected shot found him six yards out to put the Fire 3-1 up. Finally three minutes later Nikolic grabbed his second and Chicago’s fourth after finding himself unmarked just outside the six yard box.
With the match almost over things got worse for the Sounders as Joevin Jones was sent off for two bookable offenses.
New York Red Bulls 1-3 LA Galaxy
The Red Bulls thirteen month unbeaten home record finally came to an end as LA Galaxy came away with a precious win.
The Galaxy scored early with Romain Alessandrini scoring after eight minutes directly from a free kick out wide which found its way into the goal. A minute later Alessandrini had his second after his shot span into the net after Luis Robles had saved well to give the Galaxy a shock 2-0 lead at half time. The match was dead and buried after 78 minutes, when Alessandrini was fouled just inside the area. Giovani dos Santos stepped up to score the penalty.
Bradley Diallo was sent off for a second bookable offense for the Galaxy before Nathan Royer scored a late consolation for the Bulls in injury time.
The Galaxy move mid table in the Western Conference.
FC Dallas v NYCFC 1-1
FC Dallas remain unbeaten this season as they drew 1-1 with NYCFC.
It was Dallas who took the lead after Kellyn Acosta scored on 20 minutes to give Dallas a 1-0 lead at half time. The goal was scored after some excellent work for Michael Barrios on the right side who jinked left and right before finding space for his cross which was met by Acosta after a deflection. Dallas almost went two ahead early in the second half with Barrios again providing the cross to the edge of the area for Maximiliano Urruti who’s shot hit the bar.
NYC FC were slowly coming back into the game and after a couple of half chances eventually found a way through. After winning a free kick about 25 yards out on 68 minutes, David Villa stood over the ball. His strike hit the crossbar and bounced down nicely for Thomas McNamara to head the ball home.
Dallas went on the offensive but NYC keeper Sean Johnson kept the scores level with two excellent saves to leave both sides with a point apiece and Dallas joint top of the Western Conference.