MLS Roundup: Whitecaps Snap Timbers' 15-Match Unbeaten Streak With 2-1 Victory
PORTLAND, Ore. — Kei Kamara and Cristian Techera each scored for the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 2-1 Cascadia Cup victory over the Timbers on Saturday night, snapping a 15-match unbeaten streak for Portland.
The Timbers (10-3-8) had not dropped a league match since losing 3-2 at Orlando City on April 8. The 15-match streak was the longest in MLS this season and equaled a franchise record for Portland.
The Whitecaps (9-9-6) were without 17-year-old midfielder Alphonso Davies because of a groin injury. Bayern Munich acquired Davies last month for a transfer fee that could, with bonuses, total an MLS record of $22 million. He'll move to the German team after Vancouver's season.
Diego Valeri scored on a second-half penalty kick for the Timbers, who lost at home for the first time this season.
Kamara gave the Whitecaps the early lead with a header off a free kick in the 14th minute. He celebrated his team-leading 10th goal of the season by doing a little dance in front of the Timbers Army supporters' section with teammate Kendall Waston.
The Timbers had a good opportunity to pull even in the 41st minute, but Valeri's penalty kick went just wide. The reigning league MVP and Portland's top scorer buried his head in his hands after missing the shot.
In the 43rd minute, Techera scored from close range in his 100th MLS appearance to put the Whitecaps up 2-0.
Valeri got another chance in the 71st minute, this time scoring on a penalty kick against Stefan Marinovic for his ninth goal of the season. His free kick in the 89th minute was slapped away by Marinovic.
Portland was coming off a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union last weekend that gave the Timbers their longest MLS undefeated streak since they also went a record 15 games without a loss in 2013. Portland is the only team with two streaks that long. The longest unbeaten streak is 19 games, set in 2010 by Dallas.
The Timbers had not lost at home in 16 regular-season matches dating back to last season.
Earlier this week, the Timbers acquired defender Jorge Villafana from Santos Laguna of Liga MX. The team also saw the return of forward Lucas Melano from loan to Argentina club Estudiantes. Neither player was available for the match.
The Cascadia Cup is the three-way rivalry between the Timbers, Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders that was started by rivalry groups before the teams joined MLS. It was the first meeting between the Timbers and Whitecaps this season.
The Whitecaps were coming off a 2-2 road draw to NYCFC in MLS play. Vancouver played Toronto FC to a 2-2 draw for the first leg of the Canadian Championship final on Wednesday night. The final moves to Toronto next week.
NEW YORK RED BULLS 1, CHICAGO FIRE 0
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (AP) Bradley Wright-Phillips scored and Luis Robles had his eighth shutout of the season to help the New York Red Bulls beat the Chicago Fire 1-0 on Saturday night.
Robles finished with two saves, including a leaping, acrobatic stop of an arcing shot by Nemanja Nikolic in the 71st minute.
Wright-Phillips opened the scoring in the 55th minute. Daniel Royer stole a pass from Chicago's Dax McCarty at the top corner of the area and tapped it to Wright-Phillips for the finish with the outside of his right foot. He has 15 goals this season, tied with Zlatan Ibrahimovic of the Los Angeles Galaxy for second in MLS.
The Red Bulls (15-6-2) have won five of their last six games. Chicago (6-14-5) has lost seven in a row and has just one win since beating San Jose 2-1 on June 2.
COLUMBUS CREW SC 1, HOUSTAN DYNAMO 0
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gyasi Zardes scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time and the Columbus Crew beat the Houston Dynamo 1-0 on Saturday night.
Zardes chest-trapped Harrison Afful’s diagonal ball off the first bounce and volleyed it past goalkeeper Joe Willis for his 14th goal of the season.
Zack Steffen had five saves, including a pair diving to his right, for his eighth shutout of the season.
Columbus (11-7-6) has won three in a row. Houston (7-10-6) is winless in its last six matches, including four consecutive losses.
PHILADELPHIA UNION 3, NEW ENDLAND REVOLUTION 2
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Fabrice-Jean Picault scored on a penalty kick and Jack Elliott had his first multi-goal game to help the Philadelphia Union beat the New England Revolution 3-2 on Saturday night.
Picault converted from the spot in the 76th minute, after New England’s Antonio Delamea was called for a hand ball in the area, to give Philadelphia (9-11-3) a 3-2 lead.
Elliott, a 22-year-old defender who came in with one career goal, opened the scoring in the 14th minute. He made it 2-0from point-blank range in the 24th.
New England’s Andrew Farrell first-timed a left-footer in the opening seconds of the second half to make it 2-1, and Wilfried Zahibo’s header tied it a 2 in the 64th.
New England (7-8-8) is winless in its last six games.
COLORADO RAPIDS 2, SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 1
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Nana Boateng scored his first MLS goal in the 93rd minute to help the Colorado Rapids beat the 10-man San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on Saturday night.
Boateng took Edgar Castillo’s short pass and found some room in the penalty area before cutting back a shot that skipped though two San Jose defenders and outside the reach of the goalkeeper.
Shea Salinas was sent off in the 88th minute for throwing a reactive elbow that hit Dillon Serna in the face. Serna was given a yellow card for the instigating foul against Salinas.
Tommy Smith opened the scoring for Colorado (6-12-5) in the 24th minute, heading home Kellyn Acosta’s cross that was played in after a short corner.
Magnus Eriksson converted a penalty for San Jose (3-13-7) in the 58th minute to level it at 1. Guram Kashia drew the penalty against Kortne Ford.
REAL SALT LAKE 1, MONTRAL IMPACT 1
SANDY, Utah (AP) — Jukka Raitala tied it in the 55th minute with a long-distance blast and the Montreal Impact held on for a 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.
Joao Plata opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the 26th minute, slotting it in the lower left corner with goalkeeper Evan Bush going the wrong way. Plata drew the penalty when Ken Krolicki brought him down in the box.
Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando made a diving save on Alejandro Silva’s shot in the 89th minute to preserve the tie.
Bush had a pair of diving saves for Montreal in the second half.
Real Salt Lake (10-9-5) is unbeaten in its last four matches and has scored in 18 consecutive home matches, going 14-1-3 during that span. Montreal (9-13-3) snapped a three-game winless streak.
LA GALAXY 2, MINNESOTA UNITED FC 2
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Romario Ibarra tied it in the 84th minute to help Minnesota United finish with a 2-2 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night.
Abu Danladi ran behind Ibson’s well-played through ball and crossed it to a streaking Ibarra for the equalizer.
Sebastian Lletget gave the Galaxy a 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute, driving diagonally into the area and hooking a shot around the goalkeeper. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a free kick crash off the crossbar in the 80th minute that would have given LA a two-goal lead.
Romain Alessandrini put the Galaxy ahead in the seventh minute, taking Ibrahimovic’s lay-off and pushing it around a defender before hammering it home from 25 yards out. Alessandrini left the game in the 24th minute with a right calf injury.
Michael Boxall tied it at 1 for Minnesota with his first MLS goal in the 64th minute, heading along Darwin Quintero’s deep cross into the far corner.
The Galaxy (10-8-5) have just one loss since the end of May. Minnesota United (9-13-1) snapped a two-game losing streak
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 2, LAFC 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gerso Fernandes and Ilie Sanchez scored to help Sporting Kansas City beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 on Saturday night.
Fernandes opened the scoring in the 17th minute, settling Diego Rubio’s pass with his first touch and finishing a left-footed shot just inside the far post. Sanchez doubled the lead in the 66th minute, converting from the spot after Felipe Gutierrez drew a penalty against Dejan Jakovic.
Sporting (11-6-6) won back-to-back road games for just the second time since 2015. LAFC (10-7-6) is winless, while scoring just four goals, in its last five after a five-game unbeaten streak.
