26Sep/110
Sporting Kansas City vs. Philadelphia Union: Watch All the Goals and Highlights
Two MLS Eastern Conference rivals, Sporting Kansas City and Philadelphia Union, went head-to-head on Friday as both sides battled to keep their playoff hopes alive with the season end drawing dangerously near.Prior to the match at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, the two sides were separated by only one point in the standings, with Kansas City maintaining the third-best record in the conference and the automatic playoff position that comes with it.Philadelphia hoped to take that position for themselves on the road, after falling to fourth in the conference, despite enjoying immense success and spectacular results early on in the 2011 campaign.The opening period of the match was full of opportunities for both clubs, though neither side managed to capitalize on their chances. Philadelphia came close to opening their account early, however, when Sebastien Le Toux found space in the box, but sent his shot wide of the net.Later in the half, a powerful header from Sporting midfielder Kei Kamara was skillfully put on frame, if just a bit high. The header bounced off the crossbar to preserve the 0-0 scoreline well into the second 45 minutes.In the 56th minute, the home side struck first when Kamara's cross found Omar ...26Sep/110
New York Red Bulls vs. Portland Timbers: Watch All the Goals and Highlights
It was a battle for a spot in the playoff race on Saturday at Red Bull Arena, as the New York Red Bulls hosted the Portland Timbers, with both sides closely eyeing the postseason as the end of Major League Soccer's regular season looms in sight.Prior to the match, Portland was holding on to the final MLS wild-card position, which goes automatically to the fourth-best club in the league that doesn't already hold a Top Three spot in their respective division.New York was chasing closely behind and hoped to overtake Portland in their hunt for playoff action when the West Coast side visited for an exciting weekend fixture.New York midfielder Dane Richards opened the scoring in the 21st minute, rounding Portland's Diego Chara to carry the ball all on his own into the box, and slipping the shot past the keeper from a difficult angle.Portland came heart-wrenchingly close to scoring the equalizer in the 57th minute, when Kalif Alhassan took a long shot that bounced off the bar and fell to Kenny Cooper, who hit the woodwork for Portland for the second time in a matter of seconds.The equalizing goal would never come for the Timbers, as Alhassan was ruled just ...26Sep/110
D.C. United 4-1 Real Salt Lake: Watch All the Goals and Highlights Here
Ben Olsen’s D.C. United hosted a Real Salt Lake side that was on a ruthless winning streak on Saturday at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. United snapped the streak in fitting fashion with a 4-1 victory in front of a crowd of over 16,000. Dwayne De Rosario played a decisive role in the victory, garnering a hat trick for D.C.However, it was Andy Najar who opened up the scoring. In the 13th minute, a delivery from De Rosario found a streaking Najar, who made no mistake in netting his fourth goal of the season. In the 22nd minute, the Dwayne "DeRo" Show began in earnest. Najar’s cross found De Rosario, who headed it past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando to make it 2-0 D.C. De Rosario’s 12th goal of the season came in the 27th minute off a Josh Wolff deflection. The follow-through made it 3-0 D.C., and United never looked back. De Rosario would complete his hat trick in the 31st minute with a 35-yard screamer in the upper left corner in what was a rollicking first half chock-full of goals.De Rosario is now the league’s leading goalscorer with 13 on the year. Alvaro Saborio ...26Sep/110
Chivas USA 3-0 Toronto FC: Watch All Goals and Highlights Here
Robin Fraser’s Chivas USA methodically dismantled Toronto FC to the tune of 3-0 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. And a key player in the whole scoring festival for the Goats was former Galaxy scoring ace Juan Pablo Angel. In the 12th minute, Ante Jazic’s delivery to Juan Pablo Angel gave the Colombian national his eighth goal of the season. In the 77th minute, a through ball from Ben Zemanski found Juan Pablo Angel, who delivered a blistering shot past Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Ángel’s brace halted Toronto FC’s two-game winning streak and gives the Colombian five goals in his last three games for a total of six since he joined Chivas USA on August 17th. The victory gives Chivas USA their first win at home since a 3-0 victory on July 23 while Toronto FC finish the season winless in the Pacific Time Zone. With the victory, Chivas improve to 8.12.11 (35 points) and remain in the race for the last MLS Cup Playoffs spot, currently occupied by the New York Red Bulls. As for Toronto, they will focus their attention to the CONCACAF Champions League as the winners of the Voyageurs Cup, their playoff ...26Sep/110
2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 28
Last week was not one to remember if you were a fan of Major League Soccer. All of the American-based teams dropped matches against CONCACAF Champions League opponents, while Canadian champions Toronto FC prevented a catastrophic sweep.However, returning to league action, the Los Angeles Galaxy moved up the rankings with a hard-fought victory over Eastern Conference power Columbus Crew, while Seattle remains in the hunt for the Supporters' Shield after hoisting the Cascadia Cup.Movers, shakers and action galore. Here's this week's MLS Power Rankings on Bleacher Report.Begin Slideshow25Sep/110
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Monarcas Morelia: Payback or Futility Awaits LA
Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are on a quest for payback when they take on Monarcas Morelia on Wednesday night in the CONCACAF Champions League. The Galaxy are coming off a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer action. Robbie Keane and David Beckham were not in action over the weekend as a precaution. Both are expected to leave everything out on the line, as well as Landon Donovan, who did see some time off the bench in their victory over the Crew. “We were fortunate to get that goal at the end, and I give Landon [Donovan] and [Chad] Barrett a lot of credit for teaming up on that," Arena told reporters on Saturday. "That last 10 minutes got crazy. We hit the wall physically and the Crew created some chances, making Saunders come up big, but I think on the night we played well. We got a real good effort out of a bunch of players.” “This is not an easy place to win, I know that for sure," said defender Frankie Hejduk, a former Crew standout who donned the captain's armband on Saturday. "To battle back with the week we had, and get ...25Sep/110
MLS: LA Galaxy’s Chad Barrett, Josh Saunders Shut Out Columbus Crew 1-0
Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders may not cut it when it comes to making saves in the CONCACAF Champions League. However, place the Puerto Rican international in a Major League Soccer match, and it’s a whole different story. Saunders’s four saves, combined with a 93rd minute last-gasp volley from Chad Barrett, gave Bruce Arena’s Galaxy a 1-0 victory over Robert Warzycha’s Columbus Crew on Saturday night at Crew Stadium. Barrett’s goal came off a save by William Hesmer on Landon Donovan, who made no mistake in tapping the volley home. It was a night of full-fledged firepower, as Columbus had 14 attempts on goal, while Los Angeles had 17 attempts. What makes this victory all the sweeter is that David Beckham was not available, Robbie Keane was watching from the sidelines and both Landon Donovan and Mike Magee came off the bench. You talk about a side that wants to make amends for a disastrous display against Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, and you talk about tearing the hearts out of the Crew supporters and putting it in the biggest blender imaginable. The victory gives Los Angeles some much-needed momentum, with a couple of key matches on the way this week. ...24Sep/110
Sporting KC: Battle Between Playoff Contenders Ends in 1-1 Draw
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union played to a 1-1 draw in front of 18,778 fans at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Friday night.With the point, Kansas City moved into a tie with the Columbus Crew atop the Eastern Conference. By virtue of goal difference, Kansas City wins the first tiebreaker.Sporting KC (10-9-11, 41 pts.) got on the scoreboard first in the 56th minute. Kei Kamara put in a cross from the left and Omar Bravo got onto the end of it, putting a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Zac MacMath.Three minutes later, Jack McInerney put in a low shot on goal for the Union, but Jimmy Nielsen made a kick save that sent the ball just over the crossbar.Philadelphia (9-7-13, 40 pts.) equalized in the 62nd minute on a goal by Sebastian Le Toux. The ball almost went out of bounds, but Michael Farfan saved it and got it to Le Toux, who put the ball in past Nielsen.It was Le Toux's seventh goal in his last seven games and eighth overall.Sporting KC had a chance to take the lead back in the 67th minute. C.J. Sapong broke free from his defender on the left wing ...23Sep/110
MLS: Why Have the New York Red Bulls Been a Failure This Season?
Going into the 2011 season, hopes were high for the New York Red Bulls. After falling out in a shocking matter to the San Jose Earthquakes the year before in the playoffs, hopes were high that the team would perform well this season.For just over the first two months of the season, New York was the best side in the league and with the acquisition of Dwayne de Rosario, it looked like the Red Bulls were going to be a hard win for any side to defeat.However, once the weather started to heat up in Harrison, the Red Bulls became cold. Over a four-month stretch, the Red Bulls were only able to win three times while drawing 12 times.Due to their poor play, the Red Bulls found themselves on the outside looking in for the MLS playoffs.After a 1-0 win against FC Dallas last Saturday, the Red Bulls looked like they could take a giant step towards the playoffs in their home contest against Real Salt Lake.On a Wednesday night game that was going to be crucial for the Red Bulls, New York put together a microcosm of its season on display at Red Bull Arena.The Red Bulls lost 3-1 ...23Sep/110