MLS 2017: Week 18

We're into a small week, as only ten games will be played from Thursday to Sunday. We begin with one Thursday game as...

New York City FC hosts Minnesota United FC. Bobby Shuttleworth and Eirik Johansen are the goalies. Minnesota opened in the ninth minute with a Christian Ramirez goal. Kevin Molino of Minnesota took a yellow card for a twenty-third minute foul. New York City tied it in the thirty-eighth minute on an Alexander Callens goal, via Ben Sweat and Alexander Ring. In first half stoppage time, New York City's David Villa and Minnesota's Johan Venegas took yellow cards for fouls. New York City took the lead in the fifty-second minute on a Jack Harrison goal, passed from Rodney Wallace and Thomas McNamara. New York City added on with a Villa goal in the sixty-third minute, set up by Harrison. New York City's Wallace had a yellow card for his sixty-eighth minute foul. New York City won 3-1, with the man of the match being Harrison for his winner and assist.

On Friday, Real Salt Lake welcomes Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Nick Rimando protect the nets. Orlando City started in the seventeenth minute with a Will Johnson goal. Salt Lake's Sunny had a yellow card for his sixty-fifth minute foul. Orlando City saw yellow cards for fouls by Kaka, Jose Aja, and Cristian Higuita in the sixty-eighth, seventy-first, and eighty-seventh minutes, respectively. Kyle Beckerman of Real took a yellow card for his dissent in the eighty-eighth minute. The final held at 1-0, with Johnson the man of the match.

The first of seven Saturday games sees the Chicago Fire bring in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Matt Lampson draw the starts in goal. Chicago led off in the fourteenth minute with a Nemanja Nikolic goal, via Matt Polster and Joao Meira. The Fire added on in the eighteenth minute with another Nikolic goal, passed from Michael de Leeuw. Chicago extended the lead as Arturo Alvarez scored in the twenty-fifth minute, with the help of Polster. Vancouver went down to ten men in the seventy-eighth minute after a Matias Laba foul earned a red card. The Fire padded the lead with a de Leeuw goal in the eighty-fourth minute, set up by Nikolic. This made it 4-0, the final, with the man of the match being Nikolic.

In Texas, FC Dallas hosts Toronto FC. Alexander Bono and Jesse Gonzalez play goal. Dallas began in the fifth minute with a Roland Lamah goal, assisted by Maximiliano Urruti and Maynor Figueroa. Lamah took a yellow card for his fifteenth minute foul for Dallas. Dallas added on in the twenty-first minute with a Lamah goal, courtesy of Mauro Diaz. Atiba Harris of Dallas had a yellow card for not retreating in the thirty-ninth minute. Eriq Zavaleta of Toronto took a yellow card for a forty-ninth minute foul. Hernan Grana of Dallas had a yellow card for time wasting in the fifty-fourth minute. Toronto got on the board in the fifty-sixth minute with a Marco Delgado goal. Figueroa of Dallas had a yellow card for time wasting in the sixtieth minute. Carlos Gruezo of Dallas took a yellow card for a seventy-sixth minute foul. Dallas extended the lead with a seventy-eighth minute Urruti goal, made possible by Michael Barrios. Tesho Akindele of Dallas had a yellow card for his foul in stoppage time. The game ended 3-1, with the man of the match being Lamah.

Up in Missouri, Sporting Kansas City welcomes the Portland Timbers. Jake Gleeson and Tim Melia are in the six-yard boxes. Portland struck first in the twenty-sixth minute with a Diego Valeri goal, via Sebastian Blanco. Fanendo Adi of the Timbers had a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-eighth minute. Kansas City saw yellow cards for fouls by Latif Blessing and Roger Espinoza in the forty-fourth and forty-fifth minutes, respectively. Sporting tied it in the sixtieth minute with a Daniel Salloi goal, coming off of Espinoza. Kevin Ellis of Kansas City had a yellow card for his eighty-fifth minute foul. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Salloi the man of the match for his equalizer.

North to Montreal, where the Impact bring in DC United. Travis Worra and Evan Bush are between the posts. Montreal was first to score in the twenty-first minute with a Blerim Dzemaili goal, via Hernan Bernardello. Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla took a yellow card for the Impact for his twenty-second minute foul. Montreal added on in the twenty-third minute with a Chris Duvall goal, assisted by Dzemaili. Matteo Mancosu of the Impact took a yellow card for a twenty-fifth minute foul. Lloyd Sam of DC had a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Montreal's Hassoun Camara had a yellow card for an eighty-second minute foul. The Impact keeper Bush had a yellow card for his time wasting in the eighty-ninth minute. The final held at 2-0, with Dzemaili the man of the match.

Back stateside, the Columbus Crew SC host Atlanta United. Alec Kann and Zack Steffen make the starts in goal. Atlanta opened in the twenty-seventh minute with a Hector Villalba goal, via the goalie Kann. Justin Meram of Columbus had a yellow card for dissent in the twenty-ninth minute. Atlanta added on in the sixty-fourth minute with another Villalba goal. Kann took a yellow card for time wasting in the eighty-fourth minute. The game ended 2-0, with Villalba named man of the match for his brace.

West to Colorado, where the Rapids welcome the Houston Dynamo. Joe Willis is mismatched with Tim Howard in goal. Mike da Fonte of Colorado had a yellow card for a fourth minute foul. The Rapids started in the twenty-first minute on a Kevin Doyle goal, made possible by Dillon Serna and Dominique Badji. Houston tied it in first half stoppage time on an Erick Torres goal, set up by A.J. DeLaGarza. Colorado took the lead back in the forty-eighth minute with a Marlon Hairston goal, coming off of Badji and Doyle. The Rapids added on with another Hairston goal, via Doyle and Badji in the sixty-ninth minute. Sam Hamilton of Colorado had a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-second minute. The game ended 3-1, with the man of the match being Hairston for his brace.

Finally, the Cali Clasico sees the San Jose Earthquakes bring in the Los Angeles Galaxy to wrap up Saturday. Clement Diop and David Bingham are the keepers. Los Angeles began in the eleventh minute on a Jelle Van Damme goal, via Jose Villarreal. San Jose tied it in the seventy-fifth minute with a Chris Wondolowski goal, passed from the keeper Bingham. In the eighty-fourth minute, Van Damme had a yellow card for dissent for the Galaxy. Los Angeles saw a yellow card for Joao Pedro's ninetieth minute dissent. The Earthquakes took the lead on a Shea Salinas goal in stoppage time, set up by Danny Hoesen, and Salinas also had a yellow card for delaying the game after the goal. The Galaxy's comeback hopes died when Van Damme took a second yellow card for dissent a minute later, leaving them at ten men, while the Earthquakes sealed a 2-1 win. The man of the match was Wondolowski.

The last game is on Sunday, with the Philadelphia Union hosting the New England Revolution. Cody Cropper and Andre Blake are in goal. Philadelphia led off in the fourth minute with a C.J. Sapong penalty kick goal. Je-Vaughn Watson of New England took a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. The Union added on in the forty-eighth minute with an Ilsinho goal, assisted by Fabrice-Jean Picault and Haris Medunjanin. Benjamin Angoua of the Revolution had a yellow card for a sixty-eighth minute foul. Philadelphia extended the lead as Roland Alberg scored, thanks to Medunjanin in the seventy-eighth minute. This made it 3-0, the final, with the man of the match being Blake for a three-save clean sheet.

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