Below is a roundup of MLS matches from this weekend, and it was quite the entertaining stretch of games.
Seattle Sounders 3-2 Real Salt Lake: Real Salt Lake defender Nat Borchers was penalized with a red card in the 68th minute, and Andy Rose netted the stoppage-time strike to give the Sounders three points. Here’s the MLS Snapshot of the contest.
Chivas USA 0-4 Sporting Kansas City: Once again, Chivas USA found themselves on the losing end of a match, and Sporting Kansas City, namely Dom Dwyer notching his 19th goal of the season that broke a club record, flexed their muscles. The game was fairly even until Dwyer buried his goal in the 40th minute. Then, two scores came in succession. Benny Feilhaber tapped in Soony Saad’s shot that bounced off the far post during extra time before halftime, and in the 52nd minute, Graham Zusi cut into the box and patiently waited for an open lane to rocket a low shot past Dan Kennedy. Claudio Bieler added the final goal in the 87th minute.
Philadelphia Union 2-2 New York Red Bulls: For those who know the Philadelphia Union, it was no surprise to see clutch veteran Sebastien Le Toux score the PK goal in the dying moments of the match to preserve a point for Philadelphia. Peguy Luyindula buried the game opening goal on a penalty kick, but he was the culprit (soft foul or not) who brought down Pedro Ribeiro that caused Le Toux’s 92nd minute score. Philadelphia is separated from the Red Bulls by one point in the East. Richard Farley has the recap.
[RELATED: Latest MLS standings]
New England Revolution 2-1 Montreal Impact: The Revolution continue to exercise their excellent run of form, beating the Montreal Impact off two nicely-executed goals. The Impact, without star players Marco Di Vaio and Ignacio Piatti, were able to strike first, but New England answered 10 minutes later when midfielder Kelyn Rowe beamed a long shot that fiercely dipped prior to bouncing into the back of the net. In the 25th minute, Lee Nguyen, coming off near perfect buildup, deftly chipped goalie Troy Perkins to clinch the scoreline. New England has somewhat separated themselves in the third place spot of the East, four points ahead of the New York Red Bulls, while Montreal has the lowest point total in MLS.
Chicago Fire 1-1 Toronto FC: This match was not short of drama despite the low scoring finish. Goalkeeper Joe Bendik fouled Fire midfielder Grant Ward to spark the penalty kick in the 56th minute, and Jeff Larentowicz hit the PK in the bottom left corner of the net only for Bendik to stop the attempt in the very vital point of the match. Lovel Palmer scored earlier to give Chicago the early lead, and in the 89th minute, Dwayne De Rosario notched the loose ball off the corner kick that was directed inside the five-yard box. Then, Gilberto’s stoppage-time goal was disallowed because he over-aggressively muscled his way toward the near post, each team having chances to possibly net the winner. Chicago sits at ninth place in the East, and Toronto FC is a couple spots ahead.
[RELATED: MLS stats]
FC Dallas 2-1 Vancouver Whitecaps: Blas Perez struck twice, one of his goals at an extremely odd angle, as he arched his cross up from the wing that snuck into the side of the net at the far iron. Erik Hurtado tied the match in the 67th minute. Access the full debriefing right here.
Houston Dynamo 2-2 Columbus Crew: For the Columbus Crew, this contest revolved around fighting back from a two-goal deficit given up in the first half. Aaron Schoenfeld conceded the own goal in the 11th minute, and in the 39th minute, the gap grew deeper when Giles Barnes dinked the goalkeeper breaking free from Omar Cummings’ through ball. Promising youngster Will Trapp then smacked a long range effort that sizzled by goalkeeper Tyler Deric to halve the score in the 48th minute. Six minutes passed before Crew drew level on Ethan Finlay’s header, the midfielder unmarked in front of goal. Columbus could snipe a playoff position for the first time since 2011, at fifth place in the Eastern Conference currently. The Dynamo find themselves on the outside looking in standing at eight place. Nonetheless, they’re only five points off the Crew.
Colorado Rapids 2-2 Portland Timbers: The Timbers were in danger of damaging their postseason hopes as they are battling others in the Western Conference’s tight playoff race, but Gaston Fernandez brought Portland back to even playing in the 76th minute. He tracked an uncleared ball in the Rapids’ box and slotted the goal home. Of course, Diego Valeri scored for the Timbers as well, and well-struck left-footed volley that one comes to expect out of the star forward. Dillon Power converted on a penalty kick to level the score, 1-1, and Deshorn Brown knocked a wonderful header on the run in the 66th minute to increase the Rapids lead to one goal.
San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 LA Galaxy: A.J. DeLaGarza was back in the lineup for the first time since the passing of his infant son, and unfortunately, the top-rated Galaxy didn’t get the winning result they certainly desired. LA did, however, extend their unbeaten run to seven matches. U.S. international Omar Gonzalez scored the header in the 28th minute to propel his squad into the advantage, but in the 66th minute, San Jose’s goalscorer Chris Wondolowski rocketed the ball into the upper netting as it was about to dribble out of bounds. The Galaxy remain as the second-best team in the West behind the Seattle Sounders, who have already clinched a playoff berth, and San Jose still lingers in the bottom of the table.