MLS Wrapup - Week 7

HOUSTON 4 DC UNITED 1

If you didn't know who Will Bruin was before Friday night, you should know the name now. The 21 year old 11th overall pick in the draft netted a hat trick against DC United propelling the Dynamo to a 4-1. After scoring 18 goals as a junior at Indiana last season, Bruin had gotten off to something of a slow start scoring just once in his first 6 starts, but all that's in the past now. Bruin opened the scoring in the 4th minute when Geoff Cameron fed him a through ball and he beat Bill Hamid to the near post. DC United would equalize the game later in the half off a set piece. Some trickery on the restart caused the wall to collapse and Marc Burch slammed the shot past a screened Tally Hall for his first goal of the year. The tie wouldn't last long though as Bruin once again beat Hamid, this time heading home a cross from Brad Davis just a few minutes later. Davis and Bruin would combine again a little over ten minutes into the second half, this time off a free kick with Bruin heading another one past a helpless Hamid. Davis now has 6 assists on the year. The Dynamo would add to their lead 5 minutes later, when nobody got back to mark Cam Weaver on a throw-in giving him a free run at the goal. DC's defense tried to close him down, but it was too late, and he blasted a shot top netting for his 3rd goal of the season. The Dynamo now are unbeaten in their last six matches with their last loss coming in their opener against Philadelphia back on March 19th. Meanwhile DC United has conceded 8 goals in their last two matches. DC will host Seattle on Wednesday while Houston will host Colorado.


PHILADELPHIA 1 SAN JOSE 0

Philadelphia saw Jordan Harvey get sent off in the 41st minute with a controversial red card, but still outplayed the Quakes and eventually were rewarded with a penalty kick late in the second half. Sebastien Le Toux converted the PK past Jon Busch for his first goal of the 2011 season and the only goal of the match as the Union got their 4th win of the season. Harvey and San Jose's Chris Leitch got tangled up on a play where Leitch went to the ground and the referee ruled Harvey kicked him, but replays proved inconclusive. But the Union kept battling and their hard work paid off. Amobi Okugo took a ball down to the endline and his cross was ruled to have been handled by Jason Hernandez. Le Toux converted and the rest is history. With the loss San Jose falls to 1-4-2 and currently are in last place in the Western Conference. The Union meanwhile have only conceded 2 goals in their first 6 games thanks in large part to the addition of Faryd Mondragon in goal. The Union look to stay hot on Friday night when they travel to Portland while San Jose has some time to regroup following their third straight loss. The Quakes do not play again until May 11th in Vancouver.


NEW YORK 1 KANSAS CITY 0

The Red Bulls continue to roll posting their 3rd straight shutout victory in the wake of their 1-0 loss to the Union on April 9th. New York had a chance to take the lead early when Dwayne De Rosario was taken down in the box for a penalty kick, but Rafa Marquez's PK was saved by Jimmy Nielsen, but ten minutes later the Red Bulls would break through with a beautiful bit of soccer. Rafa Marquez took a quick restart after a foul and his pass found Thierry Henry who one touched it to De Rosario. De Rosario's first touch got him in behind the defense and then he fired a cross into the middle to a wide open Luke Rodgers who delivered the game winner. Nielsen would otherwise play great in goal making some terrific saves against De Rosario and Tim Ream in the first half. He would finish with 5 saves in the game, but it wouldn't be enough as Sporting saw their winless streak extend to 5 games and their losing streak to 3. Kansas City has some time off, but the road doesn't get any easier for them as they still have 4 games left on their season opening 10 game road trip. Next up is a trip to Los Angeles on the 14th of May. Meanwhile the Red Bulls look to make it 4 wins in a row against the same Galaxy on Saturday.



COLUMBUS 2 VANCOUVER 1

Emilio Renteria scored a pair of goals ten minutes apart in the second half as the Crew extended their unbeaten streak to six game. Renteria was taken out in the box by Vancouver goalie Jay Nolly to set up the first goal. Renteria took the penalty himself and coolly slipped it past Nolly who guessed wrong on the play. Renteria's second goal came when Dejan Rusmir found him at the penalty spot and he beat Nolly with a left footed shot to the far corner giving him 3 goals on the season. Vancouver would get one back 10 minutes later when 17 year old Omar Salgado would head in a Terry Dunfield cross for his first MLS goal. The Whitecaps nearly equalized a little while later but Nizar Khalfan's shot was tackled off the goal line by Crew defender Josh Gardner to preserve the lead. A little while later it was Will Hesmer denying Salgado from point blank range. The Crew defense has allowed just 2 goals now in their last 6 matches after their 3-1 loss to DC United on opening weekend. They are 3-0-3 during that stretch. Next up for the Crew is a home game with the Seattle Sounders on Saturday while the Whitecaps go on the road to take on the Fire.


COLORADO 1 CHICAGO 1

The Rapids finally saw their 3 games losing streak come to and end thanks to a goal from Andre Akpan early in the second half. The defending champs still have not won a game since April 3rd against DC United, but they picked up a much needed point against the struggling Fire who still have just one win this season. Both teams had chances early in the first half, but both Colorado's Matt Pickens and Chicago's Jon Conway were up to the task keeping the score knotted at zero. Chicago broke through first late in the first half when Marco Pappa got on the end of a cross from Dominic Oduro. Akpan would equalize in the first five minutes of the second half though. Omar Cummings split a couple of defenders with his pass and Akpan did the rest blasting his shot into the top of the net for his first MLS goal. Both teams had opportunities down the stretch, but neither side could break through as Pickens finished with 5 saves and Conway had 3 of his own to preserve the tie. It was the third straight match between these two teams that has failed to yield a winner. Colorado has a pair of road games this week as they look to snap their skid taking on Houston on Wednesday and New England on Saturday while the Fire will host Vancouver as they're still in search of win #2.


SEATTLE 3 TORONTO 0

The Sounders started off the post Steve Zakuani era on the right foot pounding Toronto FC 3-0 behind a pair of goals and an assist from Brad Evans. With O'Brian White out with an injury as well, the Sounders started Evans and Alvaro Fernandez instead and boy did the move pay off. Fernandez opened the scoring less than 10 minutes into the match as Evans cross found him wide open at the back post where he was easily able to head it past Stefan Frei. Frei would make a couple big saves on Fredy Montero and Brad Evans in the first five minutes of the second half, but he could only keep the Sounders at bay for so long. Fredy Montero's through ball found Evans and Evans ripped it past Frei in the 52nd minute. And then Evans made it a brace about 20 minutes later when there was a hand ball in the box and he stepped up to take the PK and got Frei guessing wrong for his second goal of the match and third goal of the season. Frei finished with 6 saves overall, but Toronto went winless for their 6th consecutive match. Toronto's last win came on March 26th against the Timbers. Toronto will look to break out of their funk on Saturday when the host the Dynamo while Seattle, now unbeaten in their last 6 after opening the season with 2 straight losses, travels to DC Wednesday and then Columbus on Saturday.


CHIVAS USA 3 NEW ENGLAND 0

After losing their first two games of the season, Chivas USA now find themselves winners of their last two and unbeaten in their last 5. Nick LaBrocca opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Ben Zemanski delivered a cross just before it crossed the endline and LaBrocca was able to redirect the header past an outstretched Bobby Shuttleworth. Zemanski nearly made it 2-0 but his free header from the six was headed right at the goalie. The Goats would break though just before halftime though doubling their lead when Alejandro Moreno delivered a cross into the box where Marcos Mondaini delivered a flying volley past Shuttleworth for his first goal of the season. Moreno was involved in the final goal as well when New England made a bad turnover in their own box and Moreno pounced on the loose ball blasting it past Shuttleworth from close range. Chivas nearly added a 4th but Moreno and Jorge Flores were both denied from close range. Shuttleworth ended up with 5 saves on the night while Dan Kennedy made 4 of his own to preserve the shutout. The Goats have their work cut out for them this weekend if they hope to extend their winning streak as they travel to Utah to take on Real Salt Lake. The Revs meanwhile head home to take on the defending champion Rapids.


PORTLAND 1 REAL SALT LAKE 0

It was a rough week for RSL as they lost the CONCACAF Champions League Final to Monterrey 1-0 at home midweek and then saw their season long 4 game unbeaten streak snapped by the expansion Timbers on Saturday night. Kenny Cooper's 3rd goal of the season would be the only scoring of the match as Troy Perkins and the Timber defense stifled the RSL attack. Cooper volleyed in a cross from Kalif Alhassan in the 22nd minute, just the 2nd goal scored all year against RSL. Portland meanwhile has quietly won 3 of their last 4 games and have crept up into 6th place in the Western Conference. Next up for the expansion Timbers, a Friday night home game against the Union while RSL tries to get back on track against Chivas USA on Saturday afternoon.


DALLAS 2 LOS ANGELES 1

Lightning may not have struck the pitch, but Brek Shea did giving FC Dallas a hard earned 2-1 win over the Galaxy on a rainy night in Texas. Playing without the league's reigning MVP David Ferreira, Dallas still put together a solid attack led by Fabian Castillo and Marvin Chavez up front. Castillo opened the scoring early in the second half when he hit a looping volley just dipped in behind Donovan Ricketts for his first MLS goal. LA would come right back though with Landon Donovan getting at the end of a cross from Juninho hitting a sliding volley home at the back post. Donovan actually ended up wrapped around the post on the play, but still managed his 3rd goal in his last two matches. The two sides traded opportunities in the second half before the game was stopped on account of lighting in the 83rd minute. 5 minutes later it was Shea who delivered on what looked to be a badly aimed cross that soared over Ricketts and into the goal for his second goal of the season and the game winner. Dallas has now won two straight and three of four after failing to win any of their three opening matches. They will look to continue their winning streak on Saturday when they travel to the nation's capital to take on DC United while the Galaxy have a big showdown with the red hot Red Bulls in LA.