Seattle perfect during the week
The Sounders shut out the Colorado Rapids 1-0 on Wednesday. After a cross deflected into the path of Marco Pappa, the former Fire player made no mistake, putting the ball onto his right foot and sending into the far top corner for the games lone goal. Colorado would drop their Saturday match as well and are bottom of the western conference with thirteen points.
Sunday night saw Seattle host tougher opposition in the New York Red Bulls. Lloyd Sam started off the scoring for the energy drinks in the 36th minute. Bradley Wright-Phillip’s shot took a deflection which Sam easily headed in from close distance. Marco Pappa would come through again for Seattle, this time via left foot to level the score. In stoppage time, Clint Dempsey’s crafty chip was met by Chad Barrett for the easy tap in for the victory. Seattle remains top of the MLS with twenty-six points.
Despite split, D.C. remains atop the east
A trip to Providence Park is a tough task for even the leaders of the eastern conference. It took only five minutes for Portland to get Timber Joey’s chainsaw going. That goal was all they needed. Possession was split down the middle between the two teams, but D.C. United could only muster two shots on goal. As previously mentioned, Portland also won their matchup in Colorado 2-1, and now sit in sixth place in the west on nineteen points.
Fortune favored United on Saturday evening. Initially it seemed like déjà vu as the visiting Philadelphia Union – much like Portland had done earlier in the week – scored in the fifth minute. That was the wake-up call D.C. needed. The defense clamped down, and Chris Pontius levelled the score just before the half. None other than Chris Rolfe bagged the winner from the spot in the 85th minute. Four points separate D.C. United from second placed New England in the east.
Sporting Kansas City 4, FC Dallas 0
Some weeks, FC Dallas look like world beaters, but this past week they looked like a Frisco, Texas High School team taking on FC Dallas. Krisztian Nemeth opened up the scoring for SKC in the 19th minute. Approaching half time, the deficit seemed manageable until the 43rd minute when Dallas defender Zach Lloyd received a second yellow and subsequent red card. Up a man, it took only six minutes into the second half for Nemeth to find Benny Feilhaber for his fourth goal of the season. SKC would score twice more in fourteen minutes courtesy of Kevin Ellis and Graham Zusi. Both teams are now at twenty-one points with FC Dallas ahead in the standings at third place with one more win than SKC.
Real Salt Lake take a tumble
Similar to the D.C.-Portland matchup, this one was done and dusted quickly. A Juninho penalty kick for the LA Galaxy, seven minutes into the game would be the deciding factor. In the 90th minute, salt was poured in the RSL wound when Jamison Olave was shown a questionable red card. He appeared to have thrown an elbow at Robbie Keane, but not before some instigating by the wily veteran.
Thunder bolts of lightning sparked from the right foot of Gershon Koffie at BC Place in Vancouver, thirty-six minutes in. The Whitecaps midfielder had struck the game’s first goal from well out of the box with great pace and placement. One minute before the half, visiting RSL would even things up on an equally impressive Javier Morales free kick that had dip so tasty, it was begging for chips. Victory was ensured for Vancouver in the 79th minute after a poor RSL clearance attempt and quick instincts and pace by Cristian Nechera. The caps sit in second place in the west with 23 points. RSL, after consecutive losses, lie in ninth with seventeen points.
Bi-coastal battle
LA Galaxy were entering their second game of the weekend and looking for maximum points against the New England Revolution. The fifth minute would be significant in this matchup as well, with Teal Bunbury starting the scoring for the Revs. Ignacio Maganto and Gyasi Zardes scored twice for LA in less than ten minutes. The lead would be short lived after a curling Diego Fagundez free kick found the back of the net in the 37th minute. With a depleted lineup and a pesky Alan Gordon in LA’s starting eleven, it was a well-deserved draw for the Revs.
Other scores:
Toronto 3, San Jose Earthquakes 1
New York City 1, Houston 1