MLS Roundup: Toronto stay top while Minnesota lose again to stay bottom
NYC FC 2-1 Seattle Sounders
David Villa scored twice as NYC battled back from a goal down to win 2-1 and move up to third in the Eastern Conference.
Seattle opened the scoring through Cristian Roldan on 40 minutes with a well worked goal that left Roldan to burst through and slot low past Sean Johnson in the NYC goal.
It took until the second half for NYC to find an equaliser. Villa was bundled over in the area on 52 minutes which the referee adjudged a foul. The Spanish striker stepped up and scored, straight down the middle. It was Villa’s 50th goal in 78 matches as he became the fifth fastest player to reach 50 goals in MLS history.
With NYC on the attack, the goal was inevitable and on 77 minutes it came. Jack Harrison’s cross from the right was met on the far post by Villa who volleyed home to give NYC the win.
Atlanta United 3-1 Columbus Crew
Atlanta comfortably beat the Crew at home as their three designated players all found the net.
The first goal came on 16 minutes as Hector Villalba pounced on a defensive error to fire into the net to give United the lead. Ten minutes later it was all square, Federico Higuain scoring after Ola Kamara had knocked the ball into his path in the area.
Atlanta re took the lead in the second half on 67 minutes. The move started after a crunching challenging on the edge of their own box led to United breaking at speed. Miguel Almiron ran half the length of the pitch before firing low into the corner of the net just inside the area. The game was sealed two minutes before full time. Another defensive error lead to Kevin Kratz feeding Josef Martinez to score into the roof of the net to give Atlanta all three points.
New England Revolution 1-2 Chicago Fire
The Fire grabbed a 2-1 win away to the Revolution in an evenly contested match.
Nemanja Nikolic opened the scoring for the Fire on 18 minutes after a great through ball set the striker through on goal. His initial shot was well saved by Cody Cropper but the rebound fell back to Nikolic who tapped in. Both sides had chances to score but it was the Fire who increased their lead on 61 minutes. Michael de Leeuw’s great touch put Nikolic through on goal who finished well.
Nine minutes later the Revolution had cut the lead after a scramble in the area led to Antonio Mlinar Delamea heading home. Despite the Revolution’s best efforts they were unable to find an equaliser.
Chicago Fire now lie second in the Eastern Conference with New England in eighth place.
Orlando City 3-3 Montreal Impact
Orlando led twice in the game but needed an injury time equaliser to grab a share of the spoils against Impact.
Orlando took the lead as early as the eighth minute. Matias Perez Garcia scoring from close range after a good cross from the left. Eight minutes later the scores were level, after Ignacio Piatti dispossessed Jose Aja, he laid the ball off to Blerim Dzemaili who’s low drive found the net. Orlando retook the lead on 23 minutes as Carlos Rivas scored after Will Johnson’s initial shot was blocked to give Orlando a 2-1 lead at half time.
The Impact grabbed another equaliser in the 58th minute with Piatti’s great control and shot on the edge of the box finding the net. Piatti then put the Impact in front for the first time in the match a minute later. A great one two with Matteo Mancosu put Piatti through who scored at the second attempt. With the game deep in injury time, Orlando won a corner. The ball was floated into the box and onto the head of Jonathan Spector who flicked home and grab a point for Orlando at the death.
Toronto FC 2-0 D.C. United
Toronto won again as they stay top of the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win against D.C. United.
D.C. United restricted Toronto to long range efforts and half chances in the first half as Toronto piled on the pressure. The inevitable goal came on 60 minutes however, Giovinco finding Jozy Altidore who fired home to give Toronto the lead. They doubled the lead with five minutes left following a corner which was flicked in at the near post by Jordan Hamilton to give Toronto all three points.
San Jose Earthquakes 0-0 Sporting Kansas City
Despite Sporting have majority of the possession they were unable to find a way past the Earthquakes dogged defence.
Amazingly Sporting had 10 shots to none from the Earthquakes in the first half and should have gone ahead. David Bingham did his utmost to put the Earthquakes under more pressure when he failed to gather the ball after coming off his line. Sporting could consider themselves unlucky as Benny Feilhaber hit the post and Roger Espinoza’s header was cleared off the line. Bingham made a great save in the dying minutes from Graham Zusi to ensure the points were shared. Sporting Kansas stay top of the Western Conference with the Earthquakes mid table.
Colorado Rapids 2-1 Portland Timbers
The Rapids grabbed a late goal to take all three points and move off the bottom of the Western Conference.
The Timbers took the lead on 18 minutes through Sebastian Blanco after his excellent run and finish. With the first half all the Timber’s, Tim Howard pulled off a great save to deny Blanco again and keep the score 1-0 at the break.
The Rapids drew level on 51 minutes with fantastic chip over the keeper by Dominique Badji after being put through on goal. The Rapids looked the most likely to score next and with a minute left they did just that. Alan Gordon heading in a cross from Mohammed Saeid to secure all three points at the death.
Real Salt Lake 1-0 Minnesota United
In a game dominated by RSL it took until the 84th minute for them to find a break through as they move closer to the playoffs.
United can be thankful that the scoreline was respectable with Bobby Shuttleworth making save after save as RSL had 29 shots and nine on target.
The goal finally came in the 84th minute from a corner kick. A floated cross was met at the far post by Justen Glad who headed towards goal. Shuttleworth however, failed to gather up the ball after it hit the hand of a defender. With majority of the players appealing and the defence all looking at the referee, Yura Movsisyan played to the whistle and tapped the ball home to take the win and points.
Minnesota now are bottom of the Western Conference having lost 4 matches in their last five.
Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 FC Dallas
The Whitecaps grabbed a deserved draw from a fantastic free kick by Cristian Techera.
A fairly uneventful first half meant the score was goalless at half time. It was FC Dallas who went one up in the 52nd minute though, with a goal from Maximiliano Urruti. Urruti won possession in the Whitecaps half and burst forward into the area before shooting low into the goal to give Dallas the lead. Dallas tried to find a second but to no avail before Techera stepped up on 74 minutes to curl his fantastic free kick into the net to draw level and take a point.
FC Dallas are joint forth in the Western Conference with the Whitecaps just below them in fifth.
LA Galaxy 2-2 Houston Dynamo
The Galaxy scored in injury time to take a share of the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw against the Dynamo.
The Dynamo went one up on 22 minutes after a DaMarcus Beasley long range effort was parried out only at the feet of Mauro Manotas who tapped in from close range. But the lead was short lived and Emmanuel Boateng drew the scores level with a good run and finish ten minutes before the break.
Dynamo went 2-1 ahead on 74 minutes from Alberth Elis’ lifted shot which found the net. With Dynamo thinking they had won the match, up popped Romain Alessandrini to slide home the equaliser, despite being offside. Even Alessandrini looked surprised that the goal was allowed to stand.
The Galaxy are a point off the playoff places in the Western Conference with the Dynamo second place.
Philadelphia Union 0-2 New York Red Bulls
The Red Bulls left it late as two late goals won the match after the Union had Derrick Jones sent off.
It was the Union who were the better side in the first half with Chris Pontius going close with two great chances. But with the sending off of Jones on 53 minutes, it left Union with a mountain to climb. It took the Red Bulls until three minutes from time to make their numerical advantage count. Bradley Wright-Philips scoring after an assist from Gonzalo Veron. It was the same combination again as the Red Bulls doubled their lead deep in injury time to win 2-0 and take the points.
The Red Bulls are just outside the playoffs in the Eastern Conference with the Union second from bottom.