By Ian Laird
@UneducatedU on Twitter
This is a weekly run through of all of the MLS games from the previous week where I will do a quick review of each game and then pick a top performer, top goal, top save, top disappointment, and a young player to watch.
Montreal Impact at D.C. United
Score: 0-0
Both teams looked understandably sluggish throughout the game after playing just three days earlier on Saturday. Both teams were also without one of their top players as well with Wayne Rooney for D.C. and Maximiliano Urruti for Montreal missing the game due to red cards they had earned in the previous game. The first big chance of the game came in the 55th minute when Zachary Brault-Guillard drove from midfield down the right wing after working his way in behind D.C. left-back Chris McCann on an overlapping run. Once in the box he fired a low shot towards the bottom left corner and Bill Hamid had to get down to his right quickly to push the ball past the post. D.C. meanwhile would have to wait even longer for their first significant chance as it would come in the 95th minute. Luciano Acosta took a free kick from just within the halfway line, and Frederic Brillant climbed the ladder to reach it winning a knockdown towards Quincy Amarikwa. Amarikwa received the ball with his back to goal so he went for an audacious overhead kick flicking the ball to pop it up to himself and then taking the acrobatic shot and sending it inches wide of the post. For Montreal the offensive struggles without Urruti aren’t too much of a surprise as they have scored more than one goal in just two games so far this season including games he was involved in. For D.C. on the other hand, this team is built on offensive firepower, and with players like Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola, Lucas Rodriguez, and even Zoltan Stieber the absence of Rooney shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did. The inability to produce anything offensively because one player is missing is worrying as it shows how reliant they are on Rooney at times. They sit atop the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, but there are clearly some issues that they need to sort out offensively.
Vancouver Whitecaps at Chicago Fire
Score: 1-1
It took both teams a while to heat up as there was only one major chance in the first half and it came in the 31st minute for Chicago. Mo Adams sprayed a long ball out to Aleksandar Katai on the right wing, and Katai cut in shaking his defender and rifling a shot that required a fingertip save from Maxime Crepeau who tipped it over the bar. The first goal though would come from the Whitecaps in the 54th minute when Jon Erice’s cross went long towards the edge of the box. David Ousted for some reason decided to come for the ball, and just as it reached the edge of the eighteen Ousted let go of the ball so he wouldn’t be called for a hand ball. He spilled it for Yordy Reyna, who had an open net to shoot at, but still did well to score given the tight angle he had. They nearly tabbed an equalizer in the 75th minute when Marcelo turned the ball over near midfield to Felipe Martins who found Joaquin Ardaiz who turned Bastian Schweinsteiger inside out before smashing a shot off the crossbar. The Fire would get their equalizer though in the 84th minute when Katai’s overhead kick in the box was blocked by Doneil Henry’s hand allowing a penalty to be awarded by VAR. Nemanja Nikolics took the ensuing penalty and roofed it in the top left hand corner which would’ve given Crepeau no chance even if he had guessed correctly and dove the right way. The 1-1 draw does little to help either team as both are struggling near the bottom of their respective conferences, and are desperately in need of a win to jumpstart their seasons after anemic starts to the year.
Columbus Crew at Montreal Impact
Score: 0-1
Montreal fared much better in their second game this week and third in eight days scoring the only goal of the game while limiting the front line of Columbus of Gyasi Zardes, Pedro Santos, and Federico Higuain. The Crew still managed to generate a few chances though with their first coming when Hector Jimenez worked in behind the Impact back line and then slid the ball back to Higuain who weaved between defenders to get off a shot but it was kick saved by Evan Bush. Their next chance would once again come from a forward finding their way in behind the back line with F.W.B. Lisboa getting the chance, but once again Evan Bush wouldn’t be beaten keeping the game scoreless. Perhaps the best chance for the Crew though would come minutes later with Pedro Santos cutting back a cross from the left wing to Gyasi Zardes who virtually had an open net, but he could only manage to push the ball wide of the post. The one goal of the game came early in the first half when a Bush clearance was misplayed by both Joshua Williams and Jonathan Mensah allowing Maximiliano Urruti to nick the ball off of them and then lay the ball off to Harry Novillo who scored on a low shot at the near post. The final chance for Columbus to get a goal came in the 70th minute with Higuain’s inswinging corner being put on target forcing Samuel Piette on the near post to get his foot on it, but he couldn’t connect cleanly allowing the ball to continue on to the back post. There a crashing Justin Meram forced Daniel Lovitz to head the ball off his own crossbar, and the Bush took two wild swings at the ball, finally punching it clear on the second swing. The win is Montreal’s third of the season, and they find themselves in the surprising position of sitting in third in the Eastern Conference despite having a -3 goal differential on the season, while Columbus let a chance to take the Eastern Conference lead slip away.
San Jose Earthquakes at Houston Dynamo
Score: 1-2
In an action packed game the climax came around the hour mark during an eight minute period from the 52nd minute to the 60th when all three goals in the game were scored. Houston almost got the actions started within the first twenty minutes though when Maynor Figueroa was given space to dribble and his bullet of a shot from 30 yards beat Mario Daniel Vega, but ricocheted off the left upper V. They had another great chance later in the half when Tomas Martinez was dragged down in the box by Anibal Godoy. Mauro Manotas’ spot kick once again hit the woodwork though, and while he was able to finish off the rebound he did so without anyone else touching the ball meaning the goal was disallowed. The frame of the goal would be rattled for a third time in the first half, though this time it would be San Jose with the shot as Cristian Espinoza’s long range effort was barely tipped by Joe Willis before clanging off the crossbar. The breakthrough would finally come in the 52nd minute as Alberth Elis would combine with Manotas down the right wing freeing him up in the center of the box allowing him to slot the ball home with virtually no pressure. The response from the Earthquakes came quick though as in the 56th minute Shea Salinas laid the ball off to Jackson Yueill who unleashed a wicked curling effort past Willis in the Dynamo net. The game wouldn’t remain level for long though as a blocked Manotas shot settled nicely for Martinez who curled a shot of his own into the far post just before the hour mark to reestablish the Dynamo lead for good. Their lead was almost widened in the 78th minute as Elis and Manotas once again showed some nice combination play to turn Elis loose on goal, and his saved shot bounced up to Manotas for a free header, but he was unable to convert the easy chance heading the ball onto the crossbar. Any chance of a Earthquakes comeback was ended in the 87th minute when Marcos Lopez lunged into a tackle on Boniek Garcia from behind earning himself a red card and sealing Houston’s fourth win in five games.
Toronto FC at Seattle Sounders
Score: 2-3
Two of the four remaining undefeated teams in the MLS met in Seattle this weekend, and initially it looked like Toronto would be one of the three teams remaining with that honor as they jumped on Seattle early. The combination of Alejandro Pozuelo and Jozy Altidore had already produced three goals for Toronto heading into the game with the Spanish playmaker getting two goals and two assists in two starts with both of his assists going to Altidore goals and one of his goals coming on an Altidore assist. They would once again link up in the eleventh minute with Pozuelo chipping a cross to the back post where Altidore managed to free himself from Chad Marshall to head the ball home. Seattle grew into the game from there though getting a response in the 24th minute when a floated cross from Brad Smith was finished off by a Will Bruin diving header to equalize. Things would really ramp up in the second half though as in the 66th minute Seattle would take the lead with Brad Smith once again connecting with Bruin on a cross and then they would extend their lead with Kelvin Leerdam slipping in Cristian Roldan who fired a shot past Quentin Westberg who earned his first start this season. Then just another two minutes later Toronto would get their second goal with Pozuelo once again finding Altidore, this time on an incisive through pass that cut out several Seattle defenders allowing Altidore to work one on one against Marshall before once again putting the ball past Stefan Frei. A slew of injuries to attacking players forced Seattle to sub on several defensive players, and they were unable to keep possession of the ball inviting pressure from Toronto who got multiple chances late. In stoppage time Seattle’s inability to clear the ball off a corner allowed Pozuelo to curl a shot from just outside the eighteen, but a diving Stefan Frei kept the ball off target pushing it just wide. On the ensuing corner Seattle once again were unable to clear the ball allowing Laurent Ciman to fire a shot that beat everything but the post which deflected it just wide. Seattle now sit three points behind LAFC in the west with a game in hand while Toronto sit four points behind D.C. in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.
NYCFC at Minnesota United
Score: 3-3
Minnesota United fans got an exciting game to christen their new stadium, but they were unable to pick up a valuable three points which could’ve put even more distance between themselves and the playoff line. The game got off to an eventful start with four goals coming in a seven minute span from the thirteenth minute to the twentieth minute. Minnesota opened the scoring with Osvaldo Alonso volleying home a shot from inside the box after NYCFC were unable to fully clear a cross in the thirteenth minute. Just three minutes later though NYCFC got an equalizer when Michael Boxall turned the ball over trying to play out of the back allowing Ismael Tajouri to find Valentin Castellanos who chested the ball down and then hit a volley past Vito Mannone. Two minutes later they would take the lead when Tajouri got a goal of his own when Maximiliano Moralez cut in and played the ball to Castellanos who neatly flicked the ball to Tajouri with his heel. Tajouri’s inital shot was blocked by Alonso, but there was nothing anyone could do about his follow up effort which found the back of the net. Minnesota wouldn’t stay behind for long though as a Jan Gregus ball over the top found a streaking Ethan Finlay, and the NYCFC defense was slow to rotate over allowing Angelo Rodriguez to break into the box wide open, and he tucked away Finlay’s cross in the twentieth minute. They would assume the lead heading into halftime on a horrendous error by Sean Johnson in the 32nd minute as he attempted to open up his body by controlling the ball with the outside of his foot on an Ebenezer Ofori back pass, but instead turned the ball into his own net. NYCFC thought they had equalized in the 59th minute when a seventy yard ball from Moralez found Castellanos in behind the defense who touched the ball around Mannone and scored into an empty net. It was ruled though through VAR that the touch Castellanos used to get around Mannone came from his upper arm and it was ruled out for a handball. They wouldn’t have to wait much longer for an equalizer though as in the 64th minute Tajouri got his second after his free kick from a sharp angle went across the face of goal and Mannone expecting a touch didn’t come for it, but it ended up curling just inside of the post. For NYCFC this is their fifth draw in six games, and they are still searching for their first win, while Minnesota will be hoping they can build off the momentum of having their new stadium to make the playoffs in their third season.
Atlanta United at New England Revolution
Score: 2-0
Ezequiel Barco scored both goals for Atlanta, and the five stripes army will be hoping that this will serve as a breakout game for him after a disappointing 2018 season. Josef Martinez’ frustrating start to the season continued though as he was set clean in one on one with Revolution goalkeeper Cody Cropper and after rounding him he dragged his shot well wide of the goal. Josef Martinez once again got in behind the back line in the fifteenth minute, and this time he elected to slide the ball to Julian Gressel who also got around Cropper, but his shot was cleared off the line by Andrew Farrell. They would finally get their opening goal when Hector Villalba cut in on the left endline and drove towards the goal before cutting the ball back to Ezequiel Barco for an easy tap in from just outside of six yards. The Revolution thought they had gotten an equalizer in the 38th minute when Juan Fernando Caicedo received a long throw in and played in DeJuan Jones who slotted the ball home nicely going five-hole on Brad Guzan, but it was ruled that Jones was offsides restoring Atlanta’s one goal advantage. Barco’s second goal came after the break, and it was an absolute golazo when Villalba’s cross found no one and ran long to the other side of the box where Barco picked it up, cut in, picked his head up, and curled a shot into the top right corner giving Cropper no chance. Atlanta created numerous chances after that point too with players breaking through the porous Revolution back line, but they were unable to come up with the killer third goal to put the game away. They would get their first win on the season, though the frustrations for the defending champions are very much real as Josef Martinez still sits on just one goal after his golden boot season, while Pity Martinez hasn’t been particularly impressive either. For the Revolution at this point it seems like just a matter of time before Brad Friedel is fired as he has failed to produce any results as their manager and the historic franchise continues to slide down the standings.
Portland Timbers at FC Dallas
Score: 1-2
With Portland struggling to keep the ball out of their own net allowing fifteen goals in the first five games of the season, head coach Giovanni Savarese opted for a much more defensive system playing a 5-3-2 with two of the midfielders, Cristhian Paredes and Diego Chara being much more defensive minded. Diego Valeri also didn’t start for the Timbers instead coming off the bench well into the second half. Despite their defensive setup they allowed a quick goal with Dallas scoring in just the ninth minute. Sloppy play at the back from Portland culminated in Michael Barrios attempted to control the ball, and Diego Chara who as tracking back hit the ball with his knee releasing Jesus Ferreira in behind the back line allowing for an easy finish. The relentless pressure from Dallas continued as they generated chances for Ferreira and Pablo Aranguiz but were unable to extend their lead in the first half. The would eventually get their second goal on the hour mark when during a goal mouth scramble Jorge Moreira dove into a tackle on Aranguiz fouling him and giving Dallas a penalty which Reto Ziegler promptly converted. Portland quickly pulled within one though with Sebastian Blanco chipping in a cross to the back post for Paredes to finish off. Portland continue to sit last in the Western Conference with only one point through the first six games of the season and a negative eleven goal differential. Dallas meanwhile are right in the midst of the playoff race though they have played more games than most other teams in the west.
D.C. United at Colorado Rapids
Score: 3-2
After their disappointment midweek D.C. United rebounded with a victory despite conceding twenty shots to the Rapids. Things didn’t start off great either as they conceded an early goal in the tenth minute with Benny Feilhaber chesting down a wayward Tommy Smith header and pivoting to fire a shot past Bill Hamid. The rest of the first half was dominated by D.C. though as they would go on to score three unanswered goals. The first of which came off a Wayne Rooney corner that drifted long and was headed back across by Steve Birnbaum and flicked on by Donovan Pines allowing Luciano Acosta to settle and shoot across his body. Three minutes later in the 38th minute they got their second with Lucas Rodriguez slipping in Chris Durkin whose low driven shot found the bottom left corner to give D.C. the lead. Five minutes later Rodriguez would get a goal of his own taking advantage of a poor turnover to cut through three defenders and cap off a brilliant solo goal with a neat flick around Tim Howard. In the second half it would be a reversal of momentum as United would bunker in to try and weather the Rapids onslaught. They conceded a goal just past the hour mark with Kei Kamara working his way free in the box to head the ball home and get the Rapids within one goal of D.C. They nearly equalized in the 70th minute when Diego Rubio’s cross was palmed along by Hamid straight to Nicolas Mezquida whose header was on target, but cleared off the line by Birnbaum’s shoulder after it came down off the crossbar. The Rapids are now one of only four teams remaining without a win on the season while D.C. took themselves to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 4-2-1.
Orlando City at Real Salt Lake
Score: 1-2
Sam Johnson’s goal to open the scoring came in the seventeenth minute and took an incredible individual effort to put the ball in the net. Initially he was played in by Albert Rusnak, but he slipped when running onto the ball, but Ruan Gregorio Teixeira misplayed it allowing Johnson to get back up and cut past a defender to beat Brian Rowe at the near post. The rest of the first half passed fairly anonymously with neither team generating an noteworthy chances after the goal. RSL then got a second goal in the 55th minute when Jefferson Savarino cut the ball back from the right endline to Damir Kreilach at the top of the box who put a bullet past Rowe before he had time to react. Orlando pressed for a goal over the last half hour and change, but they would be stymied by RSL until the 81st minute when Nani perfectly placed a free kick up and over the wall away from Nick Rimando’s outstretched gloves. The win breaks a four game losing streak for RSL while the loss prevents Orlando from rising as high as third in the Eastern Conference.
FC Cincinnati at LAFC
Score: 0-2
In the first match between the two most recent expansion sides it is hard to argue that the better team didn’t prevail. LAFC took command of the game early with Diego Rossi finding himself all alone behind the back line after Latif Blessing’s shot was stopped by Nick Hagglund at the top of the six yard box, but he couldn’t beat Spencer Richey who made a quick follow up reaction save. They had to wait until the 32nd minute for their first goal with Mark-Anthony Kaye heading home a Carlos Vela corner. Cincinnati almost got a response just before the half when Walker Zimmerman failed to deal with a ball over the top allowing Darren Mattocks to nick the ball off him to Kenny Saief who cut it back to Mattocks who curled a shot towards the far corner pulling a diving fingertip save out of Tyler Miller. LAFC kept up constant pressure in the second half with various players getting a crack at giving doubling their lead, but it took until the 93rd minute for them to get their second when Vela latching onto an Eduard Atuesta pass and then threading the needle to score past Richey and around multiple defenders from an acute angle. The win continues LAFC’s current reign atop the Western Conference as they are one of three teams to remain undefeated while Cincinnati have now gone three straight games without a win after starting the season 2-1-1.
Philadelphia Union at Los Angeles Galaxy
Score: 0-2
An early first half brace for Zlatan Ibrahimovic essentially sealed away the result of this game as the Galaxy were able to comfortably control the game. Zlatan’s first goal came in the 27th minute when he rose high to win a header and finish off a move that he started which culminated in a Jorgen Skjelvik cross from the left side. His second goal came from nearly the exact same play though this time Uriel Antuna was providing the cross and as Zlatan was going up to win the header he was undercut by Kai Wagner giving the Galaxy a spot kick in the 36th minute. Zlatan stepped up to take the penalty and coolly converted it sending Andre Blake the wrong way. The Union hit the woodwork once early in the second half, but otherwise they were frustrated for much of the game, and their frustrations became more evident when 20-year-old center-back Auston Trusty lunged in on Sebastian Lletget to earn his second yellow card and an early shower. With the win the Galaxy remain hot having won five of their six games this season losing only once against Dallas when they were without Romain Alessandrini and Zlatan. The Union meanwhile failed to build on the momentum they had created by winning three games in a row dropping to 3-1-3 on the season.
New York Red Bulls at Sporting Kansas City
Score: 2-2
This game marked only the second time so far this season that the trio of Bradley Wright-Phillips, Daniel Royer, and Kaku have played together, and just like that previous game, a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire, it ended in disappointment for the Red Bulls. After allowing a 24th minute goal on a well worked Sporting Kansas City goal, with Graham Zusi throwing the ball in to Krisztian Nemeth who laid it off to Johnny Russell who was driving the end line allowing him to rifle a low finish past Luis Robles from a tight angle, the Red Bulls fought back to draw level and then take the lead. Their first goal would come just after halftime with some nice buildup play allowing Royer to get in behind the SKC backline to settle a Cristhian Casseres Jr. ball over the top and then carry the ball around Tim Melia and finish into an open net. They would establish the lead for the first time in the 75th minute with Brian White scoring on a diving header off a Kaku cross. The joy would be short-lived for the Red Bulls though as they would concede an 88th minute equalizer to Gianluca Busio, the third goal on the season for the sixteen-year-old, who tapped home a shot through traffic following a poor clearance from a corner. SKC almost took the lead just minutes after with Daniel Salloi’s shot from just inside of the box rattling the crossbar. Things got worse for New York though as Kaku would be shown a straight red after he grew frustrated with the inability of the Red Bulls to get the ball clear of their defensive third and blasted a ball into the front row of the stands hitting a fan from point blank range. The hope for the Red bulls was that once their star players were healthy they would be able to rebound from a slow start, but so far the results have been disappointing with the trio of Royer, BWP, and Kaku on the field and Kaku’s suspension will mean they will have to wait yet another week before they can work on building more chemistry between the three.
Player of the Week
Ismael Tajouri
With two goals and an assist Ismael Tajouri single handedly earned a draw for NYCFC against Minnesota United spoiling their home opener in their new stadium with one finish from in tight and another more difficult goal on a free kick that he lashed across the face of goal. His assist was arguably the best moment of the game for him though as it came on an overhead kick to Valentin Castellanos who was streaking in behind the defense.
Goal of the Week
Ezequiel Barco
This week’s award has to go to Barco who scored an absolute stunner for his second goal of the game curling the ball from well outside of the post into the side netting. After a difficult start to life in the MLS last season Barco and Atlanta will be hoping that 2019 can be a rebound year for the youngster who showed so much promise prior to his move to Atlanta.
Save of the Week
Tyler Miller
Tyler Miller’s save came at a crucial moment in the game as he had to go full extension on a dive to his left to deny Darren Mattocks first half stoppage time effort and keep LAFC’s one goal advantage intact heading into the half. A goal for Cincinnati likely would’ve swung momentum their way heading into the half, and LAFC might’ve struggled to restore their lead.
Young Player to Watch
Valentin Castellanos
Valentin Castellanos has played significant minutes so far for NYCFC appearing in four of their five matches including four starts, but he only got his first goal of the season this past weekend. The twenty-year-old Argentinian striker doesn’t project as much at the international level, but as he continues to carve out a role with NYCFC he could turn into a decent club player who eventually makes the jump to Europe in the future if he continues along this upwards trajectory.
Further Reading
How Each Team in the Champions League Quarterfinals can Advance to the Semifinals
Contact me at uneducatedandunqualified@gmail.com if you have any questions.
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