LA Galaxy 0, Colorado Rapids 1 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

It took until their 12th match of 2019, but the Colorado Rapids have their first win. The club went to SoCal on Sunday evening and beat the LA Galaxy 1-0 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Andre Shinyashiki was the late-game hero again, just like he was in a dramatic opening-weekend draw, firing a rebound inside the post in the 82nd minute after David Bingham initially made a solid save on Kei Kamara following a terrific counter attack to give the Rapids all three points.

Prior to Shinyashiki's breakthrough, both teams had chances.

Diego Polenta, who started at left back, rattled the post in the 60th minute with a vicious half volley from close range minutes after Kei Kamara pushed a shot from the corner of the six-yard box over the crossbar. Later, Giancarlo Gonzalez cleared a Sam Nicholson chip just before it crossed the goal line before Kamara hit the post with a header in the 76th minute. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unavailable due to suspension, though Jonathan dos Santos returned from injury and played 86 minutes. Favio Alvarez made his Galaxy debut as well. 

Goals

• 82' – COL – Andre Shinyashiki | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: Losing 1-0 to Colorado won't do much to deter the perception that the Galaxy are overly-reliant on Ibrahimovic, while the Rapids are finally off the mark in the win column.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Shinyashiki!
• MAN OF THE MATCH: It was a vintage Tim Howard performance, as the Rapids' goalkeeper made six saves including a few from close range to give his side a chance at victory.

Up next

• LA: Friday, May 24 at Orlando City SC (7 pm ET | UniMás in US, on DAZN in Canada)
• COL: Saturday, May 25 vs. Columbus Crew SC (9 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)

FC Dallas 1, LAFC 1 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

Just three days after LAFC secured a home win against FC Dallas, they rallied to secure a 1-1 road draw against the same opponent — after playing with a man advantage for most of the second half — at Toyota Stadium on Sunday evening.

FC Dallas opened the scoring in the 29th minute, when Dominique Badji made a run down the left flank and found a charging Ryan Hollingshead to put in the finish. Badji had engineered a similar goal just two minutes prior, but he was called offside only after the ball found the back of the net. (LAFC defender Steven Beitashour pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury as Badji readied to shoot, forcing LAFC to sub on ex-US youth international Josh Perez.)

It appeared LAFC found their equalizer chance late in the half when Carlos Vela went down on a Bressan challenge in front of goal. On the ensuing PK, though, FCD 'keeper Jesse Gonzalezguessed right, dove right, and kept Vela off the scoresheet.

Less than five minutes into the second half, Matt Hedges tripped Vela just outside the box as he was bearing down on goal with the ball. Hedges was immediately given a red card. Then, 10 minutes later, Jesus Ferreira got LAFC 'keeper Tyler Miller in isolation outside the box; Miller wrapped an arm around Ferreira to slow him, but only received a yellow card.

After weathering an LAFC onslaught made more potent by coach Bob Bradley subbing on Adama Diomande and Christian Ramirez, FC Dallas finally succumbed thanks to Bressan committing a handball in the box. Though Gonzalez again guessed correctly on Vela's PK and got his fingers to the ball, it wasn't enough to deny the Golden Boot leader the tying goal and the subsequent result.

Goals

• 29' – DAL – Ryan Hollingshead | WATCH
• 80' – LAFC – Carlos Vela (PK) | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: While LAFC likely feel fortunate to get out of Frisco with a result — their sixth straight — they were a man up for nearly a half and lost out on an opportunity for three points. FC Dallas halted a three-match losing streak with the draw, but played well enough to win in enough key stretches of the match, even with the disadvantage in numbers.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The red card on Hedges tipped the scales LAFC's way; FC Dallas did their best to deal with the loss of their key center back, but it eventually caught up with them.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Gonzalez saved a PK, nearly saved a second, and had five saves in all, including a highlight-reel tip-to-the-crossbar on a Diego Rossi shot to temporarily preserve the shutout. While he couldn't deliver the win, he did everything he could in a difficult spot.

Next Up

• DAL: Saturday, May 25 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, TSN in Canada, Texas 21)
• LAFC: Friday, May 24 vs. Montreal Impact (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, TSN, TVAS in Canada, YouTube TV in LA region only, KVMD)

New York Red Bulls 1, Atlanta United 0 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

Eleven days after being signed from USL Championship, Tom Barlow scored his first MLS goal to lead a 10-man New York Red Bulls to a dramatic 1-0 win over Atlanta United at Red Bull Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Red Bulls snapped Atlanta's five-game win streak and a 520-minute shutout streak in the process.

An incredibly lively first half ended without a goal but with plenty of narrative. The Red Bulls got the first and arguably best chance of the half in the third minute, when Kaku led a final-third break by stealing the ball from Pity Martinez; it finished with Marc Rzatkowski pinging a shot off the crossbar.

Josef Martinez had two particularly notable scoring opportunities in the first half. The first, in the 29th minute, started with a near-full-field pass from Julian Gressel; Martinez beat Red Bulls defender Amro Tarek and left him on the ground, but Tarek managed to poke the ball away while still lying on the ground just as Martinez was about to strike. Then, in the 35th minute, Tim Parker knocked Martinez off-balance as he raced with the ball toward goal; Martinez was allowed to get the shot off, then referee Robert Sibiga awarded a free kick just outside the box and hit Parker with a DOGSO red card, leaving the home side with 10 men.

Both teams tried to position themselves with second-half subs, but it was Barlow going in for Brian White in the 55th minute that proved the ultimate difference maker. Ten minutes after entering the match, he got on the end of an audacious Daniel Royer cross, changing direction to head past Brad Guzan for the lead and the end of the ATLUTD scoreless streak. Atlanta threatened through the remainder of the half, finishing with 12 shots and 10 corners, but couldn't find the equalizer.

Goals

• 65' – RBNY – Tom Barlow | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: For Atlanta, the loss breaks a win streak and an impressive shutout streak, plus it continues RBNY's role as Atlanta's prime Eastern Conference nemesis (in the regular season, at least). But the match itself doesn't alter Atlanta's playoff trajectory too much — provided they can bounce back from this one. If the Red Bulls continue to turn their '19 season around, they can point to this match as a positive, though the tenacity they showed in grinding out a result while a man down isn't so new for them.
  At any rate, the end-of-match extracurriculars between Kemar Lawrence and Hector Villalba further guarantee that the teams' July 7 rematch in Atlanta will be fully lit.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Though there's a case to be made for the red card, the goal was a thing of beauty, in front of the South Ward, and the first MLS score for a player who has spent the first part of 2019 with Red Bulls II. That's a good moment (unless you're an Atlanta fan).
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Tarek's tackle to deny Martinez a first-half goal was huge, and became even more significant as the match's events unfolded. As the lone RBNY center back to play the full 90, he anchored a heroic defensive effort to preserve the win.

Next Up

• RBNY: Saturday, May 25 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, DAZN in Canada, Star64, FloFC in Cincinnati region only, MSG)
• ATL: Friday, May 24 at Real Salt Lake (9 pm ET | UniMas, Twitter, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)

Orlando City 5, FC Cincinnati 1 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

Nani and Tesho Akindele each scored twice, and Dom Dwyer added a goal as a substitute, part of five unanswered scored by Orlando City in their 5-1 romp past FC Cincinnati on a steamy Sunday afternoon at Orlando City Stadium.

The Lions' goals all came after Darren Mattocks gave the visitors an early 1-0 lead, and helped Orlando snap a three-game losing skid.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, will have more concerns than the result after seeing fullback Greg Garzadepart early with an apparent non-contact injury.

Nani's brace is his second in MLS, and the former Manchester United and Portugal national team star now has six goals in his last six appearances. Akindele's was his fourth multi-goal performance of his MLS career, his last coming on July 4 of last year when he found the net twice in the a 15-minute supersub cameo to help Dallas to a 3-2 win over Atlanta.

Goals

• 24' - CIN - Darren Mattocks | WATCH
• 37' - ORL - Tesho Akindele | WATCH
• 50' - ORL - Nani | WATCH
• 59' - ORL - Nani | WATCH
• 64' - ORL - Tesho Akindele | WATCH
• 82' - ORL - Dom Dwyer | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: Cincinnati interim coach Yoann Damet may be able to write off his side's second-half wilting as just one of those bad days that happens in adverse, steamy conditions. More worrisome could be the injury to Garza, who appeared in considerable pain before he left the playing surface on a stretcher. For Orlando, the only frustration was the yellow card Dwyer picked up during his 24-minute shift. It's his fifth of the year, meaning he'll be suspended next weekend.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: In live action, it went unnoticed by the officiating crew as well as broadcasters. But after Video Review, Kendall Waston clearly and recklessly hauled down Lamine Sane on a corner kick in a play that would eventually gift Orlando the lead. Spencer Richey saved Nani's penalty, but the rebound fell perfectly back to him for an easy tap-in.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Tesho Akindele. After battling injuries through most of March, Akindele has returned to become a more consistent fixture in coach James O'Connor's XI than some might have expected. After scoring only twice in all of 2018 — yep, with that July 4 brace — he's sitting on four this campaign, his most since 2016. 

Up Next

• ORL: Friday, May 24 vs. LA Galaxy (7 pm ET | UniMas, Twitter, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
• CIN: Saturday, May 25 vs. New York Red Bulls (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)

Houston Dynamo 2, DC United 1 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

Two quick goals from the Houston Dynamo negated a Wayne Rooney strike, as the home side got the best of D.C. United in a 2-1 game Saturday night at BBVA Compass Stadium.

After a first half in which quality chances were hard to come by, Rooney gave the Black-and-Red the breakthrough in the 46th minute. The Designated Player ghosted to the back post and got on the end of a Ulises Segura cross, with the entire sequence ending 23 ticks after head referee Rubiel Vazquez resumed play.

But the Dynamo sprung to life midway through the second half, starting with a Memo Rodriguez scoring his fifth of the year in the 67th minute. He dribbled in from the left wing and rifled home from 20 yards out past Bill Hamid. A minute later, Tommy McNamara scored his first goal in nearly two years and his first in a Dynamo shirt to give Houston a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish. 

Any D.C. hopes for a comeback were nipped in the bud when Paul Arriola, playing in a deep-lying role, was shown a straight red card. The call, upon consulting Video Review, was changed from a yellow to red for stomping on Adam Lundkvist.

Another point of contention came less than 30 seconds in, as D.C. center back Steven Birnbaumand Houston forward Alberth Elis clashed heads. Birnbaum eventually returned bandaged up, but Elis was forced to exit as a precaution.

Goals

• 46' – DC – Wayne Rooney | WATCH
• 67' – HOU – Memo Rodriguez | WATCH
• 68' – HOU – Tommy McNamara | WATCH

Three Things 

• THE BIG PICTURE: After a two-game winless skid, Houston earned three points for the seventh time of the season. Meanwhile, D.C. couldn’t dip into their road form, which has already produced three wins away from Audi Field. More than anything, this match between two teams above the playoff line in their respective conferences showed how slim the margin for error often is. 
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: When Wilmer Cabrera brought on Tommy McNamara in the 66th minute, Houston trailed 1-0. Two minutes later, the Dynamo were up 2-1, with the American midfielder scoring the game-winning goal after pushing home a cross at the back post. It was his first goal since a Sept. 16, 2017 match against the Colorado Rapids.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: While he didn’t find the scoresheet, Matias Vera was immense in a two-way role for the Dynamo’s midfield. With D.C.’s fluid movement in the attacking third, he broke up attacks and linked play going forward. The 23-year-old Argentine, signed this past offseason from San Lorenzo, is slowly becoming a 90-minute staple.

Next Up

• HOU: Saturday, May 25 at Minnesota United FC (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
• DC: Saturday, May 25 at New England Revolution (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)

Sporting Kansas City 1, Vancouver Whitecaps 1 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

A 94th-minute volley from substitute center back Derek Cornelius gave the Vancouver Whitecaps a stunning 1-1 tie at Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night in a game that saw both teams finish with 10 players.

Trailing 1-0 to a Krisztian Nemeth goal, Vancouver were given a one-man advantage when Nemeth himself was sent off in the 51st minute for a high tackle on Felipe. But with shorthanded Sporting holding on desperately in search of a first win since March 30, they caught a break when Vancouver, just seconds after using their final substitution, saw center back Doneil Henry leave the game injured.

Vancouver then found enough time to get players into the box, and Ali Adnan's cross came across invitingly for the 21-year-old Cornelius, a halftime sub as part of a formation switch, who took it out of the air and smashed it into the corner just before the final whistle.

Vancouver (3W-6L-4D) improve to 2-1-2 in their last five games and remain just three points behind Real Salt Lake for seventh place in the Western Conference, albeit with one additional game played. The Kansas City (2W-4L-5D) winless streak stands at 7 regular-season games and 9 in all competitions.

Goals

• 37' – KC – Krisztian Nemeth | WATCH
• 94' – VAN – Derek Cornelius | WATCH

Three Things 

• THE BIG PICTURE: A belief-builder of a result for Vancouver and Marc Dos Santos. He switched to a 5-3-2 at halftime, brought on attacking subs after the red card, and somehow managed to get away with being caught out of substitutions. It's not pretty right now, but character, cohesion and a Dos Santos favorite — culture — come from this kind of night. On the flip side, Kansas City's misery at the result should not dent their confidence that they remain fully capable of making a postseason run once healthy.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Playing as Kansas City's lone forward three minutes into stoppage time, Yohan Croizet was severely outnumbered as he approached midfield. Rather than look for support or head for the corner, he took aim at a 60-yard chip of Vancouver goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. The young Canadian goalkeeper had enough time to recover and chest-trap the lob somewhere around the penalty spot, then started the possession that resulted in Cornelius heroics.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Benny Feilhaber. With all due respect to the biggest night in the young career of Derek Cornelius, Feilhaber won a tackle and immediately hit an inch-perfect 40-yard diagonal to Johnny Russell to set up Sporting's opening goal and was essential in Sporting's midfield.

Next Up

• SKC: Sun., May 26 vs. Seattle Sounders (6 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports GO in US; DAZN in Canada)
• VAN: Sat., May 25 vs. FC Dallas (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN in Canada)

Minnesota United FC 1, Columbus Crew SC 0 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

Ethan Finlay got his wish.

The Minnesota United winger burned his former club on Saturday night, scoring the game-winner in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Columbus Crew SC at a chilly but raucous Allianz Field. 

A few days after admitting that "I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't want to beat up on them pretty bad," Finlay was the man on the spot at the far post when his fellow Minnesota native Brent Kallman leaped headlong to head a Romain Metanire delivery across the face of goal for an empty-net finish in the 70th minute. 

It was the decisive moment in a match brimming with intensity but short on finishing, with each side entering the night with only one win in their past month's slate.

Goals

• 70' – MIN – Ethan Finlay | WATCH

Three Things 

• THE BIG PICTURE: This one had the crisp, edgy feel of a playoff game, while also showcasing the attacking concerns that could jeopardize both sides' postseason prospects. Slumping Crew SC have now scored just 12 goals across their 14 matches, the third-lowest total in the league, and have netted just five times during their current 1-7 skid.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: When Kallman and Finlay linked up, both euphoria and relief washed across Allianz Field...
• MAN OF THE MATCH: No surprises here. Ethan Finlay earns the nod not only for his goal but his work rate and intensity along the Loons' right flank.

Next Up

• MIN: Saturday, May 25 vs. Houston Dynamo (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE — Full TV & streaming info)
• CLB: Saturday, May 25 at Colorado Rapids (9 pm ET | TSN, MLS LIVE — Full TV & streaming info)