This Week in MLS - June 25, 2018

MLS Communications

This Week in MLS – June 25, 2018

Mexico’s MLS trio to face Sweden’s Svensson in final World Cup group stage match
MLS Cascadia clash to follow World Cup Group Stage on FOX
Timbers Goalkeeper Publishing "Nursery Rhymes with a Sports Emphasis"
2018 MLS All-Star Fan XI heavy on World Cup, National Team talent, League award winners
MLS Referees shining in World Cup competition
MLS Week 18: Match Notes

Mexico’s MLS trio to face Sweden’s Svensson in final World Cup group stage match
Mexico and Sweden have produced two of the most dramatic moments at the 2018 FIFA World Cup with MLS players featuring for both sides in the tournament’s thrilling play. The two nations will face off in a decisive final match of group play on Wednesday (10 a.m. ET, FOX / Telemundo), with both sides needing a positive result to secure advancement into the Round of 16. An MLS player from either country is guaranteed to advance into the next round, while both countries could advance pending results of Germany’s match against South Korea kicking off simultaneously.
Los Angeles Football Club midfielder
Carlos Vela
has shined in the World Cup, starting both of Mexico’s matches and scoring the first goal in a 2-1 victory over South Korea with a penalty kick in the 26
^th
minute. Vela subbed out in the 77
^th
minute in favor of LA Galaxy midfielder
Giovani dos Santos
, who appeared in his third World Cup and helped Mexico close out South Korea to remain perfect in the tournament. LA Galaxy midfielder
Jonathan dos Santos
, meanwhile, could see his first World Cup action against Sweden.
The Mexican MLS trio will face off against Seattle Sounders FC midfielder
Gustav Svensson
, who came off the bench to help secure a 1-0 victory over South Korea in the team’s opening match. Sweden narrowly upset Germany on Saturday only for the reigning World Cup champions to strike back with a stoppage-time winner.
Svensson’s Sweden squad will have to hold off a Mexico attack that has been spearheaded by Vela, leading to consecutive World Cup wins for the first time since 2002. A win or draw would guarantee first place in the group for Mexico, while a multi-goal win would place Sweden in prime position to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2006 World Cup, its last time in the tournament.
MLS Cascadia clash to follow World Cup Group Stage on FOX
World Cup action precedes one of the most storied rivalries in MLS with the 101
^st
all-time meeting between Cascadia foes Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on the FOX broadcast network.
Dating back to 1975, this rivalry has had seen some thrillers, and notably some recent magic from Sounders FC forward
Clint Dempsey
, who last week tied
Fredy Montero
for the club's MLS goal-scoring record. Currently sitting on 47 Seattle finishes, Dempsey’s rivalry magic began with a 2014 hat-trick that produced a 4-4 draw off of a down-to-the-wire, 87th-minute finish that sealed the dramatic comeback. Dempsey has a knack for scoring in the rivalry, with his nine goals against Portland over the last four seasons (2014-2017) accounting for more goals than against any other club in his MLS career.
Sounders FC hold an all-time 9-6-6 advantage in addition to an undefeated 7-0-3 home record over the Timbers in MLS heads-to-heads. However, Portland is on a hot streak of 11 games unbeaten in all competitions and nine in MLS regular season action. For a matchup that has drawn four of the five largest home crowds in Sounders FC club history, will Dempsey fuel the resurgence for Sounders FC, or could the Timbers extend their league-leading unbeaten streak?
Timbers Goalkeeper Publishing "Nursery Rhymes with a Sports Emphasis"
Affectionately known as ‘Dadttinella’ to the Timbers Army, Timbers Goalkeeper Jeff Attinella, who has served as the starting goalkeeper for the last eight of Portland’s nine-game MLS unbeaten streak, is expressing his love for sports off the field as well… as an author of children’s books.
The passionate sports fan was looking for a way to capture top sports moments in a format that would resonate with his 18-month-old daughter Remy Rose and as a result,
It Had to Be Told
was launched.
"I wanted to create an avenue to share what I thought were sports stories that shouldn't be forgotten,” told
The Oregonian
in a recent interview. "I'm just trying to tie it all together so that when I'm reading to my daughter, it's stuff that hopefully we can both connect with. These are stories that I really love and hopefully she really loves in the future."
And if this story sounds familiar, former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kevin Hartman also penned a children’s book during his playing career called “Boots Saves the Day” to use while he worked with children’s literacy programs in Los Angeles.
As Attinella continues to write his ‘nursery rhymes with a sports emphasis’ his focus on the field has led to a career-high four clean sheets this season while posting 31 saves, eight in last night’s match against Atlanta United alone.
Will the Timbers winning streak continue this week against Cascadia rival Seattle Sounders FC? With Attinella and the Timbers traveling to Seattle to face a Sounders side that is desperate for points it will be a tough task… maybe one he’ll write a book about after.
2018 MLS All-Star Fan XI heavy on World Cup talent, League award winners
Major League Soccer announced the 2018 MLS All-Star Fan XI presented by Target on Monday, with the 11 players holding considerable World Cup experience in an impressive array of national team experience among the group. Among the standouts set to face Juventus on August 1 in Atlanta include 10 players with national team experience, five of whom have played at a FIFA World Cup. Los Angeles Football Club boasts Mexico’s
Carlos Vela
(2010, 2018 World Cup) along with Belgium’s
Laurent Ciman
(2010). Across town, LA Galaxy’s
Zlatan Ibrahimović
preps to face his former Juventus team with two World Cups under his belt (2002, 2006), while Sporting Kansas City’s
Graham Zusi
(2014) and Atlanta United’s
Brad Guzan
(2010, 2014) both represented the U.S. Men’s National Team on the world’s biggest stage.
Along with the World Cup veterans are current national team players
Miguel Almirón
(Paraguay),
Josef Martínez
(Venezuela) and
Darlington Nagbe
(United States).
Ezequiel Barco
is the only player in the Fan XI to not have national team experience, but the 19-year-old Atlanta United midfielder has eight caps for Argentina’s U-20 squad.
While the Fan XI players have shined for their national teams, it’s what they’ve done with their MLS clubs that garnered the honor to play in the All-Star Game. Among the many accolades accomplished by the group include the reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP
Diego Valeri
, the 2017 MLS Newcomer of the Year in Almirón and the current Golden Boot leader in Martínez. Ciman, meanwhile, has scored three direct free kick goals this season, fourth-most in a single MLS season and the most ever in one season by a defender.
MLS Referees shining in World Cup competition
With more FIFA World Cup officials than any other league world-wide, MLS and Professional Referee Organization (PRO) have five officials achieving the global standard on the world’s biggest stage.
Mark Geiger leads the group with seven World Cup assignments in Russia, including his first call from the middle during Portugal v. Morocco on June 20. His eighth appearance will come from the center on Wednesday during the Group F match between South Korea and Germany, where he will be joined by MLS Assistant Referees Joe Fletcher and Frank Anderson on the sidelines.
MLS Referee Jair Marrufo also served as the man in the middle, leading the officiating team during the Belgium v. Tunisia match on June 23 that featured MLS Assistant Referees Fletcher, Corey Rockwell, and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Geiger.
Since the start of the tournament, MLS officials have overseen 11 games in various roles, and six games have featured two or more MLS officials. A list of all World Cup assignments for MLS officials can be found
here
.
MLS Week 18: Match Notes
Friday, June 29, 2018
Minnesota United FC vs. FC Dallas, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Minnesota United suffered a second consecutive defeat, falling 3-2 to the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening. Christian Ramírez scored his fourth goal of the season and his third in the past five matches.
FC Dallas saw their four-game winning streak, and seven-game undefeated run, come to a crashing halt, falling 3-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening.
The teams met twice in Minnesota United FC’s inaugural campaign, each winning on their home ground. FC Dallas won 2-0 when the clubs first met on April 8 at Toyota Stadium; MNUFC returned the favor with a 4-1 victory on Sept. 23 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Saturday, June 30, 2018
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Sebastian Blanco scored the game’s lone goal as the Timbers ground out a 1-0 victory on May 13 at Providence Park, in the 100th meeting all-time between the clubs.
Clint Dempsey scored his first goal of the season as Sounders FC reached a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening at CenturyLink Field. It was Dempsey’s 47th goal for Sounders FC, tying him with Fredy Montero for the club’s all-time lead in its MLS history.
The Timbers extended their league undefeated streak to nine games with a third consecutive draw, reaching a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Since their first meeting in 1975 in the old North American Soccer League, Seattle has won 50 times and Portland has won 36, with 14 draws. In Major League Soccer league play, Sounders FC have won nine matches, the Timbers have won six, and six have been draws. The Timbers won both meetings in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Sounders FC are now 7-0-3 all-time at home in regular season games against Portland – though the Timbers did win there in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Timbers have won four of the past five league meetings in Portland, with one draw, over the last two seasons. Sounders FC last won in Portland in 2014. When the Timbers took a 4-1 win on June 28, 2015, the three-goal victory equaled Portland’s largest margin of victory against the Sounders since 1977.

Atlanta United vs. Orlando City SC, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Atlanta United extended their undefeated streak to five games with a third draw in that time, reaching a 1-1 result with the Portland Timbers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Orlando City SC saw their MLS club-record losing streak extended to seven games, falling 2-0 to the Montréal Impact in the back end of their home-and-home series Saturday evening at Orlando City Stadium.
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Josef Martínez and Ezequiel Barco each scored goals in the first half as Atlanta United took a 2-1 win on May 13 at Orlando City Stadium, putting an end to Orlando City’s six-game winning streak.

The teams met three times a year ago in Atlanta United’s inaugural campaign – and the expansion side did not lose to their neighbors to the south. ATLUTD claimed one victory – a 1-0 win in the first meeting between the teams, July 21 at Orlando City Stadium.
The teams played to a pair of draws, both in Atlanta – a 1-1 result on July 29 at Bobby Dodd Stadium, then a 3-3 deadlock on Sept. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Montreal Impact vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. ET (TVA Sports, TSN, ESPN+)

The Impact won their second consecutive game against Orlando City, winning both sides of their home-and-home series around the World Cup recess, claiming a 2-0 victory at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday evening.
Ignacio Piatti scored his eighth goal of the season, his third in the past two games. The Impact have scored 14 goals since April 21; Piatti has netted seven of those. Montréal scored five goals in the two wins vs. Orlando City – three from Piatti, and two via own goals.
Sporting extended their undefeated streak to seven games, coming back from two goals down for a 3-2 win against the Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday evening. Sporting extended their home undefeated streak to eight games.
Daniel Salloí scored a goal and added a pair of assists; of the past 10 goals Sporting have scored, since May 5, Salloí has played a part in six (four goals, two assists).
Sporting have a six-game undefeated streak alive in the series. The teams have reached draws each of the past two seasons, including a 1-1 result in last year’s lone meeting, June 10 at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting having won the previous four games.
SKC has won three of the five games all-time in the series in Montréal. The last victories in the series by the Impact both came in 2013, winning once at each ground.

Columbus Crew SC vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Crew SC suffered a second consecutive defeat on the heels of an eight-game undefeated run, falling 2-0 to the Los Angeles Football Club at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday evening. Crew SC have been shut out at the attacking end in consecutive games for the first time this season.
RSL had their six-game home winning streak put to an end, but still stretched their undefeated run at Rio Tinto Stadium to seven games, following their 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening.
The teams met once a year ago, a 2-2 draw on July 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium. It was the second consecutive draw between the teams in Sandy, with Real undefeated in the past three meetings between the clubs on their home ground.
RSL have not won in Columbus in league play since 2006, the Crew having won seven of the past eight regular-season meetings there, including a wild 4-3 victory on May 28, 2016, in the last meeting at Mapfre Stadium. Real did win the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series between the teams in 2009 in Columbus, on their way to an MLS Cup title.

New England Revolution vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Revolution return to action after more than two weeks away from league play, extending their undefeated streak to five games in their last match, a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium on June 13. Diego Fagundez scored a goal and added an assist; he has two goals and three assists in the last five matches.
D.C. United also return to play after more than two weeks away in MLS action, seeing their league winless run extended to three games with a second draw in that time last time out, playing to a wild 4-4 draw with Toronto FC on June 13 at BMO Field.
The teams have reached draws in each of the past three seasons in the lone matchups at Gillette Stadium, including a 2-2 result last April 22 in the only game in Foxborough. The Revolution have a six-game undefeated streak alive at home in the series in league play (2-0-4); United’s last win there came in 2012.
United won the final five league meetings at RFK Stadium between the MLS Original clubs, including a 1-0 win last Aug. 26 in the final matchup on East Capitol Street.
The teams have also met four times in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with United winning three of the four series all-time, last a 2-1 win at RFK Stadium in the Knockout Round in 2015.

Los Angeles Football Club vs. Philadelphia Union, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

LAFC won for a second consecutive match following a four-game winless run, getting two goals in the opening eight minutes on their way to a 2-0 win against Columbus Crew SC at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday evening.
Adama Diomandé scored for a third consecutive match, his fourth goal over that span, while Laurent Ciman scored his third goal this season – all directly from free kicks, the most direct free kick goals by a defender in one season in MLS history (since records available in 2003).
The Union snapped their two-game losing slide in emphatic fashion, rolling to a 4-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Talen Energy Stadium on Saturday evening. Borek Dockal netted a pair of goals, his first multiple-goal game in MLS.
The teams are meeting for the first time in LAFC’s inaugural MLS season.

Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Fire extended their undefeated streak to four games with a third consecutive draw, reaching a 1-1 result with Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field on Saturday evening.
Aleksandar Katai scored his sixth goal of the season, his seventh consecutive game with either a goal and/or an assist, tying the Fire club record (Ante Razov, 2000).
NYCFC extended their undefeated streak to three games with a second win in that time, remaining undefeated at Yankee Stadium this season following a come-from-behind 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC on Sunday afternoon. Jo Inge Berget scored both NYCFC goals.
NYCFC are undefeated in the past six meetings between the teams, since the Fire won 1-0 on April 24, 2015 in their first ever encounter. NYCFC have won three of those six matches, with three draws.
The teams have split their three meetings at Toyota Park. The Fire won there in the first meeting in 2015, NYCFC took a victory there in the 2016 season opener, then the teams reached a 1-1 last Sept. 30 in the lone matchup in Bridgeview.
The Fire have never won at Yankee Stadium. NYCFC have won the past two meetings between the teams in the Bronx, their first home wins in the series after the first two meetings ended in draws.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy, 10 p.m. ET (UniMás)

The Quakes saw their winless streak extended to seven games with a second consecutive draw, reaching a 1-1 result with Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening. Danny Hoesen scored his 10th goal of the season, his third goal in the last two games, and his eighth goal in the last 10 contests (since April 28).
The Galaxy return to action after two weeks away from league play, their last match a 3-0 win against Real Salt Lake at StubHub Center on June 9. Zlatan Ibrahimović scored a pair of goals, his third multiple-goal game in MLS (in 11 appearances); he has seven goals on the year.
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Romain Alessandrini scored the game’s only goal as the Galaxy claimed the victory May 25 at StubHub Center.

The Quakes have won once in Carson since 2012 – a 3-0 win on Aug. 27, 2017. The Galaxy won 4-2 last May 27 at Avaya Stadium in the last match at San Jose – just their second victory in the last 16 regular season games in northern California, across four stadiums.
Known as the California Clásico, the Galaxy and Earthquakes have met 83 times in all competitions. In regular season play, the Galaxy have won 31 times and the Quakes 22, with 14 draws, since their first meeting April 28, 1996.

The teams have met each of the last six years at Stanford Stadium, and the game has drawn crowds in excess of 50,000 fans on each occasion, drawing 50,617 last year, with an average of 50,371 for the six contests.

Sunday, July 1, 2018
Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX, TSN)

TFC had their three-game undefeated streak put to an end, falling 2-1 to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Victor Vásquez scored his fifth goal of the season, his third in the past five games.
The Red Bulls won their second match on the trot after a three-game winless run, easing to a 3-0 win against FC Dallas at Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening. Bradley Wright-Phillips netted his 11th goal of the season, the 97th of his MLS league career, while Kaku collected his league-leading 10th assist.
TFC are undefeated in their past five home league matches vs. the Red Bulls, including a 4-2 win last Sept. 30 at BMO Field in the last meeting between the teams. The Red Bulls last won in Toronto in 2013.

The Red Bulls are now 10-2-2 all-time in home matches vs. Toronto FC. When TFC took a 2-0 win on March 6, 2016, it was the first win ever for Toronto FC at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls were 5-0-1 all-time in Harrison before the TFC win; the triumph also snapped an eight-game home undefeated streak for the Red Bulls vs. TFC (7-0-1), which began Oct. 25, 2009.
The teams also met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last year, with TFC winning on away goals after the teams tied 2-2 on aggregate. Each team won away – TFC winning 2-1 at Red Bull Arena, before the Red Bulls took a 1-0 win in Toronto in a fractious encounter.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids, 7 p.m. ET (TSN, ESPN+)

Whitecaps FC saw their six-game undefeated streak put to a sudden end, falling 4-0 to the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Rapids came from behind to put an end to their club-record losing streak after eight games, getting the game-winner from Tommy Smith seven minutes deep into second-half stoppage time for a 3-2 win against Minnesota United FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening.
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Cristian Techera and Yordy Reyna each scored first-half goals as Whitecaps FC claimed a 2-1 win on June 1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Whitecaps FC have come away with points on each of their three trips to Commerce City, winning twice (in both 2017 and 2018) – just their second and third wins ever at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The only other Whitecaps FC win in Commerce City came in 2012.
The Rapids have not won on their past five trips to Vancouver; their last win there, April 5, 2014, was their second victory ever at BC Place, now in 10 visits all-time.

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