MLS Roundup Week 6

A quick look at MLS week 6

F.C. Dallas 0 – Colorado Rapids 4

It’s hard to believe that you can go six games without a goal but the Rapids had entered their game on the road at Dallas without having scored in their last 600 minutes of play. But just two minutes into the game, the floodgates were opened and the Rapids connected on their first of four on the night at Dallas.

Zac MacMath must be wondering what he has to do to get in a game as Clint Irwin recorded his league leading forth shut out of the season. Rookie forward Dominique Badji, Dillon Powers, Gabriel Torres and substitute Dillon Serna recorded their first goal of the season. Colorado collected their first win of the season on the road, which snaps a road losing streak that dates back to April 12, 2014.

New England Revolution 0 – Columbus Crew S.C. 0

On Saturday the Revolution saw the return of US international Jermaine Jones for his first action of the season but neither team could find the back of the net on a windy day at Gillette Stadium. The match finished in a scoreless draw as both teams that are favored in the East still search for their rhythm early in the season.

Philadelphia Union 2 – N.Y.C.F.C. 1

Well Jim Curtin had enough and sent Algerian international Rais Mbolhi on a walkabout. His whereabouts are still unknown but Curtin had nice things to say about him as I’m sure Chris Albright was on the phone trying to unload him to anybody.

With Number two goalie Andre Blake still recovering from knee surgery, Curtin turned to local Philadelphian John McCarthy, 22, who was the USL Pro Rookie of the Year and USL Pro’s Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014 after a strong showing with Rochester Rhinos. With the change in-goal, Philadelphia came out and dominated for the first 27 minutes of the game and were rewarded with a goal by Zac Pfeffer as he got a deflection off a Eric Ayuk Mbu shot on net. Ayuk thought he scored and put on a celebration that thrilled the crowd, only later to find out it was for an assist.

After the goal Philadelphia slipped back into what they’ve been doing all season and that’s trying to win a game without attacking anymore. Somehow Curtin has to get the team to stay on the attack as sitting back and trying to win is taking away all their rhythm that they establish.

New York City found an equalizer early in the 55th minute with Villa netting his second of the season to tie the game. The game was looking like it had turned in N.Y.C.F.C. favor but in the closing minutes fate smiled on the Union as Vincent Nogueira scored the stoppage-time winner to lift the Union to a dramatic 2-1 victory.

D.C. United 2 – New York Red Bulls 2

So you’re up 2-0 in the 67th minute at home to your biggest rival and the stadium is rocking. Flags are waving, the stands are bouncing and the last thing you want to do is give up a goal a minute later. Then off a set piece along comes Damien Perrinelle to ruin all that. Damien who? The Red Bulls used two set piece opportunities to escape D.C. with a tie as Perrinelle headed one past Bill Hamid and a Lloyd Sam equalizer salvaged a 2-2 draw for the Red Bulls in the 90th minute.

It had to feel like a loss for D.C. as they would have opened a four point lead in the East with a win. But with the tie the Red Bulls remain just two points out with a game in hand.

More from MLS

• Coming to America – a game-changer by the name of Lionel Messi
• Lionel Messi set to join MLS side Inter Miami
• Canadian MLS clubs split points in Matchweek 5
• Herrera aims to erase memories of injury-prone debut season
• Matchday 4 Canadian MLS recap

Houston Dynamo 3 – Montreal Impact 0

Playing in front of almost 19,000 fans in Houston….Yea right, the Dynamo got their second win of the season. Montreal’s defeat comes on the heels of their advancing to the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final on Tuesday night. They seem to be a bit distracted in league play as they have only scored two goals  this year.

Giles Barnes the newly minted Jamaican international cut across the box redirecting Brad Davis’ effort to the far post, leaving Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush to watch as the Dynamo took an early lead.

Barnes is now the fifth Jamaican international playing in MLS. It seems the league is helping to grow CONCACAF as more players stay in the region.

Even though Montreal owned almost every stat in the boxscore, the only one that mattered  at the end of the day was 3-0.

Sporting Kansas City 0 – Real Salt Lake 0

The only thing that mattered about this game was announced on Monday that Sporting Kansas City defender Ike Opara has been diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left ankle. He leads Sporting KC and all MLS defenders with two goals in 2015, while also anchoring a defense that has three shutouts and has conceded the fewest shots per game (9.83) of any team in the league this season. A huge blow for Sporting as they struggle to find goals as the now need to replace one of the standout player of MLS early in the season.

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San Jose Earthquakes 1 – Vancouver Whitecaps 0

That new stadium smell must have distracted the Whitecaps as they let the Earthquakes walk away with a win on a  Sanna Nyassi goal in the 75th minute. The inaugural night game at the Quakes’ new venue saw both teams playing the end of the match a man down after Pedro Morales and Adam Jahn were each given red cards after tangling in the 86th minute.

Marvell Wynne a  2014 MLS Re-Entry Draft stage two selection by San Jose had a very good game against the Whitecaps. He seemed to be the answer to neutralizing the speed of Kekuta Manneh as he broke up quite a few plays and helped the defense hold Vancouver to just five shots and none on target.

Portland Timbers 0 – Orlando City S.C. 2

The No. 1 overall pick in January’s SuperDraft, Cyle Larin, scored his first career MLS goal to help end Orlando City’s three-game winless streak. Kaká added a penalty kick in the 85th minute that sealed the victory against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Sunday.

Alvas Powell nearly pulled one back in the 90th minute, making a dangerous run into the box to try to ruin the shutout for  former Portland Goalkeeper, Donovan Ricketts. Portland, meanwhile, failed to build on the momentum of their first win of the season last weekend after the “Tissue-gate” incident.

LA Galaxy 1 – Seattle Sounders 0

Although the game was played with a few stars missing from the lineup, the results didn’t change much from last years Western Conference final as the Galaxy walked away with all three points.

Stop me if you heard this one before but Alan Gordon tallied on a set-piece header midway through the first half to give the Galaxy the only goal they would need. The Galaxy started the day in the Western Conference cellar but bounced back from back-to-back shutout defeats to post their first victory since opening day and move to seventh in the West.

By the way there was a David Beckham spotting at the game as he sat and watched with his old team-mate Robbie Keane.