MLS Week in Review – Round 14 - 24th Minute

The fourteenth and final round of MLS action before the league breaks for this summer’s World Cup took place over the weekend.

Leaving aside the two midweek fixtures, nine matches were played, resulting in four away wins and three draws, as the teams laid it all on the line in an effort to go into the rest on a positive note.

27 goals were scored – including five of six from the penalty spot – and a whopping 39 yellow cards were shown, as well as four reds – two straight, two accumulative.

It was a drama-filled, hard-fought weekend – decisive penalty kicks; unexpected results; derbies, both of the local and spiritual varieties; mysterious red cards; four multi-goal scorers; and at least one clip that will live long, haunting its creator.

Before the results, the goals of the round:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Up first, in chronological order, is Chicago’s rookie sensation Harrison Shipp with his slaloming run and low finish against Seattle:

His

- #holyshipp indeed.

Hot on his heels was Deshorn Brown, whose deft touch opened the scoring for Colorado in Dallas:

Pity it was wasted in a losing effort.

But that was in part thanks to Fabian Castillo, whose solo effort won the match for Dallas:

When he drives to goal, there are few who can stop him.

On to the results…

Midweek Results in a Sentence (or Two)

Federico Higuain had an off night upon his return from suspension, missing an eleventh-minute penalty kick and exiting the match before half-time with a recurrence of his hamstring concern, opening the door for Luis Gil to put the visitors ahead in the 56th minute with a low finish past Steve Clark; Ethan Finlay looped an 88th minute equalizer over Salt Lake’s Jeff Attinella to level late.

With the 1-1 draw, both sides rebound from tough results on the weekend – Columbus losing late in Toronto and Salt Lake getting thrashed in Seattle, ending their perfect start to the season.

In a match where both sides made several changes to their starting elevens, neither could find the necessary rhythm to find a breakthrough. The only newsworthy even was the debut of recently-signed John Neeskens for the Rapids; he of the famous father, Johan.

Results in Brief

Houston 0 – Kansas City 2

A tantalizing Friday night fixture pitted two hated foes head-to-head, as Houston and Kansas City, who have met in each of the last three playoffs in a series of physical encounters, have taken a strong dislike in each other.

It was a stop-start match that saw players drop like flies – KC used all three of their subs by half-time, losing Paulo Nagamura after four minutes and Houston, who entered with an already-shortened bench, lost centre-back, David Horst, after nine. KC were further hampered by a mysterious red card shown to Toni Dovale, who reportedly caught Houston’s Alexander Lopez with a sneaky elbow – video evidence left much to be desired.

KC would take the lead in the final minute of the first half, Benny Feilhaber pouncing on a loose Eric Brunner pass to play in Soony Saad who finished neatly – Feilhaber, who took a crunching challenge from Brunner in the process, would also exit the match shortly thereafter.

Down a man and forced into changes, KC maintained their solidity, preventing Houston from finding an equalizer and padding the lead from the penalty spot after AJ Cochan was harshly adjudged to have handled in the area.

With the 1-0 win, Peter Vermes’ Kansas City, who surprisingly transferred midfielder Uri Rosell to Portugal midweek, can enter the break on a positive note, one point off the top of the Eastern Conference, having ended a five-match winless streak.

Dominic Kinnear’s Houston, on the other hand, limp in to the pause, dropping a fourth-straight match, while leading the league in both goals against (29) and losses (nine); though they are among the leaders in matches played too.

Toronto 1 – San Jose 0

Saturday’s action began with an early kickoff in Toronto, where the home side, who conceded the Voyageurs Cup and its corresponding spot in the CONCACAF Champions League to Montreal midweek, rebounded with a 1-0 win over San Jose.

Jermain Defoe, who notched a stunning brace last weekend against Columbus, was again front and centre, converting the lone goal of the match from the penalty spot in the 27th minute after Alan Gordon pulled Nick Hagglund to the ground inside the area on a corner kick.

The late scratch of Yannick Djalo, who continues to be hampered by a nagging hamstring concern, as well as knocks to Khari Stephenson and Atiba Harris, who have been equally pivotal in their two-game winning streak, robbed the Quakes of any momentum, and they struggled to craft much, bar a few long balls, easily gobbled up by the TFC defense.

With the 1-0 win, Ryan Nelsen and his Reds enter the break on a high, unbeaten in their last four, including three-straight wins at home and comfortably above the red line with at least three-matches in hand on each of their nearest rivals.

San Jose and head coach Mark Watson, were undoubtedly unhappy with the result, but will use their solid form – winners of three of their last five – and the time to heal as preparation for an assault up the table when play resumes at the end of the month.

DC 0 – Columbus 0

A pair of Eastern Conference foes left unhappy in a slow match played at Fed Ex Field, home of the Washington ‘Those-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-for-Reasons-of-Racial-Insensitivity’, as the second act of a World Cup tune-up match that featured Spain and El Salvador – the defending world champions won 2-0.

Neither side could find much purchase on a stage designed more for throwing balls than kicking them, drawing complaints of its narrow dimensions and long, dry grass.

But an uneventful encounter nearly turned in the 94th minute, when Bernardo Anor was ruled to have handled Conor Doyle’s flicked pass on the edge of the area.

As the clock ticked into the 96th minute, Fabian Espindola, in the midst of a three-game scoring streak, stepped to the spot, only to see Steve Clark embarrassingly remain still in the middle to catch his ill-advised Panenka attempt, preserving the scoreless draw.

A win would have seen Ben Olsen’s side take sole possession of first-place in the East, depending on New England’s result on Sunday, but the draw extends their home unbeaten run to eight matches – nothing at which to snuff; they will have another chance, with a match on Wednesday in Montreal before the break.

For Gregg Berhalter’s Crew, they enter with just one win in their last twelve matches, having impressed thoroughly through the opening month of the season – though conversely, they can take heart in having lost just once in their last four outings against some tough opponents.

Philadelphia 3 – Vancouver 3

Up next was unexpected thriller, as two sides who had never seen more than one goal scored in an encounter before combined for a shifting, six-goal rollercoaster.

Red hot Vancouver, fresh off their first ever win over Portland in a seven-goal explosion, bolted out to a two-goal lead before half-time with Erik Hurtado notching his fourth in as many games (fifth, if his Voyageurs Cup goal against TFC is considered) after eighteen minutes by getting on the end of a Nigel Reo-Coker cross for a firm header and Nicolas Mezquida adding the second in the 41st after a good counter that saw a fine ankle-breaking move from Hurtado make space for the pull-back, leading to a low finish at the near-post.

But Philadelphia, who responded to a pair of heavy defeats with a breakout win at Chivas, found a response, scoring thrice inside of eight minutes, beginning in the 63rd when Conor Casey got on the end of a Cristian Maidana cross with a diving header at the back-post.

Five minutes later Maidana again play a crucial role in the buildup, playing in Vincent Nogueira, who squared to a wide open Sebastien Le Toux for a simple finish.

In the 71st minute, it was Casey again, after Maidana found him inside the arc and his skipping right-footer beat David Ousted to the bottom corner of the goal – it was a second brace in as many games from the big target forward, while Maidana, a designated player, who had yet to find his form, has now registered four assists and a goal in his last two matches.

The Whitecaps, who had suffered a potentially demoralizing blow earlier, when the well-respective Jay DeMerit, was forced off the pitch through injury after 24 minutes, found a way back into the match, when Darren Mattocks was fouled by Union keeper, Zac MacMath in the final ten minutes, handing Pedro Morales a chance from the penalty spot, which he duly converted – the Chilean has three goals and three assists in their last three matches.

The 3-3 draw was a fair enough result on the night, as the hosts can regroup, with manager, John Hackworth, safe in the knowledge that they have found their scoring boots with six goals in their last two matches – a flaw that had seen them drop far too many close games already this season.

Carl Robinson’s Vancouver stretch their unbeaten run to seven matches – a new club record – but must confront their propensity to concede, having allowed multiple goals in six of those seven matches; luckily, they sure know how to score.

Chicago 2 – Seattle 3

Obafemi Martins was front and centre of nearly all the action as the surging Sounders headed to Chicago, emerging with a hard-fought 2-3 win in a contentious match that featured five-goals, seven yellow cards, two red ones, and some 32 fouls.

Martins, who has been on fire since being left off the Nigerian World Cup squad, corralled a deflected Brad Evans cross in the 31st minute, finishing across Sean Johnson for his seventh goal of the season, and added his eighth in the 38th from the penalty spot after Jhon Kennedy Hurtado was dismissed for a lunging challenge on the Nigerian in the box – whether he received a straight red or a second yellow, against his former club no less, is unclear at the moment with contradictory reports.

Harry Shipp would notch the first of his brace, finishing low across the keeper after a fine slaloming run up the left, only for Martins to be shown a red card prior to the restart, for reportedly punching Benji Joya in the face as they scuffled over the ball – again, video replays of the incident left much to be desired.

With both sides reduced to ten, the match calmed, if only for a spell, and Lamar Neagle reinstated the Sounders’ two-goal lead with a cracking finish off his own, settling the ball at the back-post for a rocket to the top far-corner.

Shipp again responded for his club, with an equally classy finish four minutes later, but the Fire could not find an equalizer and a late flurry of yellow cards meant both were lucky to leave with only one dismissal apiece.

The 2-3 win sends Sigi Schmid’s Seattle into the break atop both the Western Conference and the league with 32 points from fifteen matches, having lost just once in their last eleven matches.

Frank Yallop’s Chicago, on the other hand, are mired near the bottom of the East, averaging a point per match from their fourteen outings; though they have taken points from four of their last six and ended a four-match goal-less drought from open play with Shipp’s quality.

Dallas 3 – Colorado 2

Saturday’s penultimate match saw a team in desperate need of a confidence boosting win snap an eight-match winless win, to enter the respite with a smile, as home side Dallas saw out a 3-2 victory over Colorado.

It was the visitors who opened the scoring, when Deshorn Brown got creative on the end of a Drew Moor knock down, looping a right-footed touch over Raul Fernandez in the Dallas goal after 25 minutes. But Dallas would respond eight minutes later when Jair Benitez’ free-kick skimmed off the knee of David Texeira to handcuff Clint Irwin in the Colorado goal.

Dallas would snatch a lead before half-time via another deflected strike, Zach Loyd’s long-range driven effort nicking off the toe of Colorado defender, Chris Klute to sneak through the clutches of Irwin in the second minute of stoppage-time.

The Rapids would be the ones to respond in short order this time, when Jose Mari got on the end of a deep Dillon Powers corner kick with a powerful header in the 52nd minute – Benitez tried to clear off the line, but could only slice into his own goal.

With the deadlocked match in need of a hero, it was soon-to-be-father, Fabian Castillo who stepped to the plate, weaving his way through half the Rapids team before lifting a tidy finish to the top corner for the winner.

Oscar Pareja’s Dallas finally saw that depressing winless run ended – and that it was against his former club most likely made it a touch sweeter; the win sees them firmly ensconced in the upper reaches of the West and Wednesday’s match in Portland will provide further chance to enter on a high – though they will have played the most matches in the league by then, with seventeen already under their belts.

Pablo Mastroeni’s Colorado saw their unbeaten and clean-sheet streaks – three and two matches, respectively – snapped, though they remain in good position (third in the West) to commence the second half of the year come July.

Salt Lake 1 – Portland 3

Saturday’s headline fixture was its last, as Salt Lake and Portland, fast-enemies, met for the second time this season.

It may only be Portland’s fourth season in MLS and they have only played Salt Lake nine times in the league, but given some feisty clashes, in the playoffs and the US Open Cup, as well as league play, not to mention a similar propensity for playing the game on the deck, these two have quickly become rivals.

It was, note was, very much a one-sided contest in recent encounters, with Salt Lake unbeaten in the last five meetings. Portland turned the tide in their favour, but not until after the hosts took the lead through Luke Mulholland after 23 minutes went a corner kick fell to him near the penalty spot for a quick turn and low finish past Donovan Ricketts.

The Timbers would level thirteen minutes later when Fanendo Adi got on the end of a Diego Valeri corner kick and take the lead on the stroke of half-time, again through Adi, blasting the rebound from a rasping Darlington Nagbe drive high into the net after a sharp counterattack.

Any hope of a Salt Lake comeback would be quelled when Tony Beltran was dismissed for a pair of yellow card infractions within a minute and a penalty kick, awarded when Chris Schuler handled a Nagbe pullback as he slide in with a challenge and converted by former Laker, Will Johnson, in the 73rd minute sealed the 1-3 victory for the resurgent Timbers.

With the win, their first ever at Salt Lake and their first in eleven meetings (in all competitions) over their foes, Caleb Porter’s Portland have surged back into the playoff picture in the West, turning around an eight-match winless start to lose just once in their last eight matches and Wednesday’s final match before the pause at home against Dallas could see them climb into the top five.

Conversely, Salt Lake, who began the season with a twelve-match unbeaten run have now gone winless through their last four matches, though Jeff Cassar will not be overly-concerned, aware that the return of their internationals and a break to catch their breath will see a rejuvenated side return for the resumption of league play.

New England 0 – New York 2

Sunday’s all Eastern affair between New England and New York saw two teams more-or-less headed in opposite directions.

Granted the loss in Montreal the previous weekend had snapped the Revolution’s five-game winning and seven-game unbeaten streaks, but still they sat atop the conference.

The Red Bulls, however, were mired in a four-match winless run – and without the services of four of their top players (Tim Cahill, Thierry Henry, Jamison Olave, and Dax McCarty). Still, they found a way to win their first match at New England in over ten years, a span of some twenty attempts.

In the 17th minute, a rare mistake from New England keeper, Bobby Shuttleworth, allowed Eric Alexander a free look at goal; the keeper rushed off his line for a Lloyd Sam free-kick that he had no business collecting, opening the space for a header deep at the back-post.

At the opposite end of the pitch, New York keeper, Luis Robles, was in fine form, denying Patrick Mullins inside the first minute, and nearly every other member of the side in turn, to make ten saves on the night – though the keeper’s best friend, the post, denied Fagundez moments before half-time after a slicing run.

Peguy Luyindula doubled the visitor’s advantage in the 76th minute to seal the surprise result, pouncing on a loose ball in the arc after a poorly-cleared free-kick bobbled around the box for a right-footed strike across Shuttleworth on the half-volley.

The 0-2 win not only snapped their winless run and ended their hex at Gillette Stadium, but also put the Mike Petke’s Red Bulls over the dividing line, into fifth-place in the East, by dint of having scored more goals that Columbus with whom they have an equal number of points, record, and goal-difference – that they did so without much of their high-priced talent bodes well for the second half of the campaign.

Jay Heaps and the Revolution, though still atop the East, flop into the break on the back of two shut-out losses, having also losing their first match at home since last September – nine matches, conceding twice as many goals as they had previously in their home fortress.

Los Angeles 1 – Chivas 1

And Sunday evening closed with an all-Western encounter; the second so-called SuperClasico of the season.

They may share a city and a stadium, but the one aspect missing from this derby has always been competition, due to the one-sided nature of the contest, with the Galaxy having won nineteen and drawn six of the 29 all-time meetings.

But it was the underdog Ameri-Goats, whose future still remains unclear, that took the lead after twenty minutes when Mauro Rosales and Martin Rivero combined to find Erick Torres in the LA box. The crafty striker, who has scored nine of Chivas’ fourteen goals this season, made space for a shot around Leonardo and beat Jaime Penedo with a right-footed finish to the left-side of goal.

The Galaxy would level fifteen minutes later when Gyasi Zardes got on the end of a looping Marcelo Sarvas cross for a strong header over Dan Kennedy, who made his club-record 124th appearance for the visitors, taking top spot on the all-time list.

The 1-1 draw snapped the Galaxy’s three-match winning streak in the series, though they remain unbeaten in seven meetings, stretching back to Chivas’ win in 2012.

It was second-consecutive draw for Bruce Arena’s LA, extending their unbeaten run to four matches – they enter the break well below expectations but with matches in hand on all their opponents.

Wilmer Cabrera and Chivas have not won in four matches and are propping up the table, with just eleven points from fourteen matches, one point ahead of Montreal for the worst in the league, though they have played two further matches.

CanCon

As usual the extended Canadian Content review will be posted tomorrow, featuring strong performances from Will Johnson, Russell Teibert, and Doneil Henry, as well as some notes from Montreal’s defense of their Amway Canadian Championship (obligatory mention of the kind sponsors) title.

Overheard

Plenty of interesting quotes from this round:

Columbus’ Steve Clark on reading the intentions of DC’s Fabian Espindola to deny his Panenka attempt, “We had pretty good intel from our goalkeeper trainer, Pat Onstad, he's done a great job all year. So I felt like I knew [Espindola] was going to go there. And I had my cues, so I just waited him out. I didn't care if he was going to score, I was going to wait up the middle.”

He continued, reportedly ending with a laugh, “When he hit it there, I was just like, 'Oh my God, he hit it up the middle,' and I caught it.”

It is always worthwhile to hear from the officials whenever they answer a pool reporter’s question about a contentious decision. Chris Penso, who sent off Obafemi Martins for a supposed punch, when asked why he had sent the forward off, replied, “Violent conduct. Martins was sent off after striking an opponent in the head.” About as robotic of a response as one could imagine – Viva La Robot-Refolution!

For his part, Benji Joya, the victim of the phantom strike, offered, “I had the ball and he reached over. I didn’t understand why, because we’re the ones losing. He reached to grab it, but his fist was closed, got my chin and then pulled the ball away.”

Fabian Castillo on his ball-under-shirt celebration, "I dedicated [the goal] to my wife because she’s pregnant, so it was for her and my baby that is coming."

Will Johnson, who has already won the quote of the year award, showed a lighter side to his fiery competitors’ nature, responding, when asked about how it felt to win in Salt Lake, “I am hesitant to do anything crazy here. We beat Salt Lake, and got a PK; the world might end tonight, I’m not sure. That’s how I felt.”

And finally, Dan Kennedy on reaching a milestone with Chivas, “I felt good coming to the stadium today, just about the team. I felt like we were going to get a response after the last week that we had that was a bit tough. The effort from everyone on the field was just great to get that result that we worked hard for and on top of that to be the leading appearance player for this club is something special to me. ” A class act all the way.

See It Live

One must look no further than Fabian Espindola’s shameful Panenka attempt:

Glorious when it works, horrid when it does not.

Federico Higuain’s midweek miss was not much better:

Controversy

There were a pair of mysterious red card decisions this round – Toni Dovale of KC and Obafemi Martins of Seattle – it is difficult to make a judgment on the decision when video evidence is so lacking.

But what about the intentional handball from Clarence Goodson that broke up a TFC counter that only drew a yellow card? No video available, of course – seems to happen far too often to be coincidence that the juicy bits are left on the editing floor.

Two of the more debatable penalties from the weekend were the one award to KC - a dicey handball call on Houston’s AJ Cochran and Zac MacMath’s upending of Darren Mattocks – it was definitely a foul in the end, but was Mattocks going to ground before contact was made?

Upcoming Fixtures

Two more matches will be squeezed in this Wednesday before breaking roughly three weeks for the World Cup:

Wednesday: Montreal-DC; Portland-Dallas.

Keep an eye out for the Fourth and Fifth Rounds of the US Open Cup which will take place during the pause.

The league will return for a single match on Wednesday, June 25, before resuming in earnest the following weekend:

Wednesday: Vancouver-Montreal. Friday: New York-Toronto; Portland-Kansas City. Saturday: DC-Seattle; New England-Philadelphia; Columbus-Dallas; Colorado-Vancouver; San Jose-Los Angeles; Chivas-Salt Lake. Sunday: Montreal-Houston.

All videos and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com

Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.

You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View

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