MLS Roundup: New York Red Bulls are MLS' last undefeated team

New York Red Bulls 2, San Jose 0

The Red Bulls would need just one half to go atop the Eastern Conference and remain the lone undefeated team in all of MLS. Sacha Kljestan began the scoring in the 29^th minute. Bradley Wright-Phillips fed Felipe down the right, and appeared to be getting the ball right back. The pass just trickled out of BWP’s path and straight into Kljestan’s who knocked it home. Six minutes later, Lloyd Sam proved that when he isn’t scoring goals, he’s setting them up. The little man from Leeds sent a left footed cross from the right straight to Mike Grella who struck in the goal from roughly the same spot as Kljestan. Nineteen year old HGP Matt Miazga got the start in defense for Red Bull. The subject of Miazga was a hot button topic at the offseason town-hall. With his production in the clean sheet, MLS fans can expect to see more of him. New York is level on points with D.C. United at eleven, but are in first place with a +5 goal differential. San Jose is in fifth place with nine points.

D.C. United 1, Houston Dynamo 1

It’s almost hard to believe that Chris Rolfe is already 32 years old. It feels like just yesterday that he was netting goals for the men in red. Over the weekend he did just that for the men in black of D.C. United. In the 36^th minute, Rolfe sent in a rocket free kick into the upper 90, without a chance for Tyler Deric to make a save. Nearly thirty minutes of game time would pass before Houston would respond, but the response came in clinical fashion. Brad Davis sent in a cross which was headed by Will Bruin straight at D.C. keeper Andrew Dykstra. His block would send the ball straight into the path of Ricaro Clark, who had the simple task of tapping it in. The point would send the Dynamo into sixth place on nine points, ahead of RSL, Portland and SKC. United are at eleven points, ahead of New England but behind NYRB.

Columbus Crew 3, Orlando City 0

Growing pains are usually easier to deal with on the road. But when that yellow team in Columbus beats you soundly 3-0, it’s tough. Federico Higuain scored – what could be considered his cheekiest – goal in an MLS shirt in the 32^nd minute. I won’t even begin to describe it. Just watch the highlight. Two mintues later Orlando defender Rafael Ramos was shown a red card for an incredibly late and dangerous sliding tackle. In the second half Columbus would put their icing on the cake, with two goals in five minutes. The first came in the 55^th minute courtesy of Justin Meram. Kei Kamara stole the ball in Orlando’s own box and laid it off for the Iraqi national team member to sky into the roof of the net. Meram and Kamara then had a brief synchronized "dance" in celebration. Kamara would be rewarded for his hard work five minutes later. Donovan Rickett’s immediately had his goal kick intercepted by Higuain at midfield, and the Argentine floated a pass ahead to Kamara who dribbled into the box and chipped Ricketts to score the team’s third goal. Columbus improves to fourth place on eight points. Orlando stay’s put in fifth place on eight points as well.

FC Dallas 3, Toronto 2

FC Dallas saw themselves slipping in consecutive weeks. For the first eighty minutes of this game it appeared they returned to the Dallas team we all saw the first four weeks of the season. Fabian Castillo scored in the first minute of the game, and then again nine minutes later. The first was pure class from Moises Hernandez sending in a gorgeous pass to a racing Castillo, but was pure embarrassment by the TFC defense. Blas Perez set up the second goal with a lovely through ball from the center to Castillo on his left. The Columbian made no mistake, hooking in his shot to the far post. Perez would score Dallas’s third goal in the 27^th minute. Damien Perquis should be blamed for insulting defense as he was stripped of the ball by Perez, with the ensuing shot going right between the legs of keeper Joe Bendik. Toronto would control most of the possession going forward and made things interesting in the final ten minutes. In the 83^rd minute Sebastian Giovinco received a long ball down the left, dribbled into the box, and absolutely embarrassed Chris Seitz with a close range chip. Less than two minutes later the former Juventus playmaker curled a shot just wide of the post. In the 89^th minute Giovinco would get another shot. This time it was a free kick, just about dead center and inches outside the box. As soon as the referee blew his whistle Giovinco once again embarrassed Seitz and the entire Dallas defense by taking one step, and sending the ball straight into goal on a beautiful shot. Unfortunately for Toronto, the comeback attempt ended there. FC Dallas is back in second place on thirteen points, while the neighbors are stuck on three points and one point ahead of Montreal in the MLS basement.

Colorado Rapids 1, Seattle Sounders 3

Good news for the Rapids: they scored a goal again; Bad news for the Rapids: they dropped points for the fifth time in six games. Lamar Neagle scored the first goal of the game in the 5^th minute on a sensational curler. Gabriel Torres equalized in the 22^nd minute after a solid Dillon Powers through ball. Three minutes later Lamar Neagle would bag his brace after getting on the end of a Marco Pappa pass, and fighting off keeper Clint Irwin. The crown jewel of the match came in the 73^rd minute. Obafemi Martins latched onto a long ball, spun through two defenders and slotted home Seattle’s third goal. The win puts the Sounders in fourth place on ten points. Colorado remains in last place in the west on six points.

Real Salt Lake 0, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

RSL lost their first game on the season in front of 20,000+ fans at Rio Tinto Stadium. It wasn’t just the loss itself, but the method in which they lost. Vancouver has been the best attacking team in MLS this season. To hold them to just one goal – a late one at that – was dampened by the fact that RSL couldn’t get on the board themselves. Their best chance came in the 63^rd minute when Alvaro Saborio headed straight at Caps keeper David Ousted. Thirteen minutes after subbing in, RSL midfielder Sebastian Saucedo picked up a red card for a studs-up tackle on Mauro Rosales. Up a man, Vancouver made use of the space in the 80^th minute when left back Russell Teibert found Darren Mattocks with a cross. The young Jamaican put a head to it and sent it far post for the goal. In the 89^th minute, Jamison Olave picked up his second yellow and subsequent red card, and that was all she wrote for RSL.

LA Galaxy 2, Sporting Kansas City 1

This weekend felt like a very productive weekend for former Fire players. LA has one of the best of the bunch in Baggio Husidic. In the 9^th minute, he found himself in the perfect position to tap in a rebound off of a Stefan Ishizaki shot. SKC tied things up in the 22^nd minute after some great ball movement between Dom Dwyer and Benny Feilhaber. Krisztian Nemeth may have been just offside when he received Feilhaber’s pass, but the flag stayed down and the Hungarian scored the tying goal. Despite taking the lion’s share of possession and shots on goal, it wasn’t until stoppage time after 90 minutes when LA scored the winner. Omar Gonzalez found himself in the game late as a substitute and his length was exactly what the Galaxy needed. He poked in a Juninho corner kick and sent the 20,018 fans at StubHub Center into a frenzy. Sporting are stuck on nine points and are second from bottom in the western conference. The win puts LA in third place on 11 points.

Philadelphia Union 1, New England Revolution 2

Things don’t get any easier for the Philadelphia Union. They took the lead in the 42^nd minute when Cristian Maidana’s free kick just glanced off the post and went in. Confidence was indubitably at a high going into the locker room at the half. In the 64^th minute Charlie Davies would equalize for the Revs, sliding in to meet Teal Bunbury’s cross and revealing a "Happy Birthday Nina" shirt underneath his jersey. Twelve minutes later Bunbury scored his own goal, finishing of a Diego Fagundez cross with smooth ease. The win keeps New England in third place on eleven points, while Philadelphia stays rooted in eighth place on six points.

New York City 0, Portland Timbers 1

NYCFC kept their streak of 20,000 or more in attendance at Yankee Stadium. They maintained possession throughout the game, and even had more shots on goal. The only shot on goal that mattered was the one that went in, and it was scored by the Visiting Portland Timbers. It took until the 79^th minute but a deflected Dairon Asprilla shot floated over the head of a laid out Josh Saunders. NYC had their final golden chance in the 89^th minute but Adam Kwarasey did well to save a point blank shot attempt by rookie Khiry Shelton. Portland is even on nine points with four other teams in the west but are in eighth place on goal differential. Despite the loss, NYCFC still have six points which puts them just behind the Fire for the sixth and final playoff spot.