After a hard-earned hiatus for the group stage of the Gold Cup, MLS action returned with a bang – well, quite a few bangs – on four matchdays over the past week. Here’s a quick primer.
Fire’s string is broken
The rejuvenated Chicago Fire entered Yankee Stadium on an 11-game league unbeaten run Saturday – they hadn’t tasted defeat in MLS play since April – and it looked like they’d keep it going after New York City FC’s Yangel Herrera was ejected barely 12 minutes into the game. City dug deep to pull out a 2-1 victory, however, to bring the Supporters’ Shield-chasing Fire down a notch:
Rough road swing for San Jose
The San Jose Earthquakes had been feeling pretty good about themselves, with good reason, under new head coach Chris Leitch. But they got torn apart this week. The Quakes leaked five goals in a 5-1 New York Red Bulls rout on Wednesday, then conceded another three in a 3-0 loss at the Seattle Sounders on Sunday to raise some troubling defensive questions.
Sounders insanity
The aforementioned Rave Green had a dream week, reeling in six points over two home matches. But Wednesday’s win over D.C. United was truly historic, as they set a new MLS comeback record by reeling off four unanswered goals in a thrilling 4-3 win:
Villalba lays down the hammer
Fans of Atlanta United and Orlando City appear to have embraced the concept of a fledgling Southern rivalry as they met for the first time, and on national television, Friday night. Though both coaches sensibly pumped the brakes on the hype, there was no slowing down the absolute piledriver that won this tight 1-0 match. Hector Villalba struck his dramatic late finish about as hard as is physically possible...but was it the AT&T MLS Goal of the Week?
Houston finally break their hex
The Houston Dynamo’s 2017 resurgence has turned heads around the league, yet their winless woes away from BBVA Compass Stadium tempered the wow factor a bit. On Saturday night they broke through at last, confidently dispatching D.C. 3-1 at rainy RFK Stadium for their first road win of the season – even without several stars away on Gold Cup duty.
Petke pipes up
After some painful results in May and June, Real Salt Lake rallied with two emphatic road wins this month. But head coach Mike Petke was still fuming during and after Saturday’s contentious 1-1 draw with Sporting KC, where he was ejected in the second half. Let’s just say he had some officiating thoughts to get off his chest:
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bfvQZerJ4G
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) July 23, 2017
Loons shoot blanks
It’s the warmest time of year in the Twin Cities, but Minnesota United’s attack has gone ice-cold. The Loons have scored just one goal in their last four games, three of which were at home, including this week’s 0-0 draw with Houston and 3-0 loss to the Red Bulls. MNUFC conjured up just six shots on target over the course of those 180 minutes.
No love in LA
It was an even worse week for the LA Galaxy. A home loss to Vancouver and a wild 4-3 shootout defeat at New England leaves the five-time MLS Cup champions mired in a five-game losing streak. Their record at home is now a shocking 1-6-3.
A rookie rises in Cascadia
All three Pac-Northwest sides enjoyed good results this week, but it’s the Portland Timbers who find themselves positioned highest in both the Cascadia Cup and Western Conference standings, thanks to Sunday’s 2-1 road win at the Vancouver Whitecaps. PTFC rookie Jeremy Ebobisse bagged a goal and an assist – both his first as a professional – to inspire his shorthanded side:
Roldan roars
Cristian Roldan has been one of the league’s breakout stars over the past year or so, only to see his Gold Cup adventure with the US national team cut short as coach Bruce Arena elected to make him one of the six roster changes allowed after the tournament’s group stage. Roldan has hit the ground running on his return to Seattle, though, with three goals in his club’s two wins this week – the most dramatic of which was that historic winner on Wednesday.
