MLS 2018 Week 1

MLS is back, as Toronto FC defends the championship title from the other 22 teams this year. We begin with...

Toronto FC hosting the Columbus Crew SC as one of six games on Saturday. Zack Steffen and Alexander Bono make the starts in goal. Columbus saw a yellow card for Cristian Martinez not retreating in the twenty-fourth minute. The Crew began with a Federico Higuain goal in the forty-fourth minute, passed from Milton Valenzuela and Artur. Columbus added on with a Gyasi Zardes goal in the forty-sixth minute, via Pedro Santos. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the man of the match being Higuain.

Next up, the Houston Dynamo welcome Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan and Chris Seitz draw the starts in goal. Houston led off in the fifth minute with an Andrew Wenger goal, via Alberth Elis and Philippe Senderos. The Dynamo added on with a Senderos goal in the twenty-third minute, coming off of Oscar Boniek Garcia and Eric Alexander. Houston extended the lead as Mauro Manotas scored in the twenty-seventh minute, thanks to Wenger and Elis. Atlanta saw yellow cards for fouls by Leandro Gonzalez Pirez in the thirty-second minute and Chris McCann in the thirty-fourth minute. The Dynamo padded the lead on a Darwin Ceren goal in first half stoppage time. Julian Gressel of Atlanta took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time as well. Houston's keeper Seitz took a yellow card for time wasting in the sixty-first minute. The Dynamo won 4-0, with the man of the match being Wenger.

Back northeast, the Philadelphia Union bring in the New England Revolution. Matt Turner is mismatched with Andre Blake in goal. New England went down to ten men in the twenty-fourth minute as Antonio Mlinar Delamea took a straight red card for denial of a goal scoring opportunity. Claude Dielna of the Revolution had a yellow card for a thirty-sixth minute foul. Philadelphia struck first in the forty-third minute on an Anthony Fontana goal, passed from C.J. Sapong and Alejandro Bedoya. Andrew Farrell of New England received a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-ninth minute. The Union's Sapong had a yellow card for not retreating in the sixty-third minute. Philadelphia added on in the sixty-ninth minute with a Sapong goal, set up by Cory Burke. The Revolution went down to nine men as Dielna picked up a second yellow for a foul in the eighty-sixth minute. New England's Wilfried Zahibo received a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The Union won 2-0, with the man of the match named as Sapong.

Down in Florida, Orlando City SC hosts DC United. David Ousted and Joe Bendik are the veteran goalies. Orlando saw a yellow card for Cameron Lindley in the thirty-first minute for his foul. DC opened in the thirty-second minute with a Yamil Asad goal. Orlando City went down to ten men in the forty-first minute when Victor Giro took a straight red card for violent conduct. DC had yellow cards in first half stoppage time for fouls by Steve Birnbaum and Darren Mattocks. DC's Nick DeLeon had a yellow card for a forty-seventh minute foul. Orlando City's Yoshimar Yotun took a yellow card for an eighty-first minute foul. Orlando City tied it on a Stefano Pinho goal in second half stoppage time, assisted by Jonathan Spector and Justin Meram. This produced the 1-1 final, with Pinho named man of the match.

Back in Texas, FC Dallas welcomes Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando faces a lesser foe in Jimmy Maurer in goal. Salt Lake started in the twenty-fifth minute with a Joao Plata goal, set up by Albert Rusnak. Dallas had yellow cards for fouls by Jacori Hayes in the sixty-fourth minute and Michael Barrios in the seventy-seventh minute. Dallas tied it as Marcelo Silva of Real committed an own goal in the eighty-sixth minute. The final held at 1-1, with the man of the match being Plata.

Saturday ends in San Jose, where the Earthquakes bring in Minnesota United FC. Matt Lampson and Andrew Tarbell make the starts in goal. Minnesota took a yellow card for time wasting by Tyrone Mears in the twenty-fifth minute. San Jose was first to score in the twenty-seventh minute with a Danny Hoesen goal, via Valeri Qazaishvili. The Earthquakes added on with a Qazaishvili goal in the twenty-eighth minute, courtesy of Chris Wondolowski. San Jose extended the lead as Hoesen scored his second of the game in the fifty-ninth minute, thanks to Qazaishvili. The Earthquakes saw a yellow card for Jimmy Ockford's seventy-first minute foul. Minnesota got on the board with a Kevin Molino goal in the eighty-first minute, coming off of Christian Ramirez and Jerome Thiesson. Minnesota pulled closer on a Molino goal in the eighty-fifth minute, helped along by Rasmus Schuller. This made it 3-2, the final, with Hoesen named man of the match for his brace.

On Sunday, the first of four games has Seattle Sounders FC hosting the expansion side Los Angeles FC. Tyler Miller faces former teammate Stefan Frei in goal. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the eleventh minute with a Diego Rossi goal, via Carlos Vela and Mark-Anthony Kaye. In the sixty-ninth minute, Los Angeles took a yellow card for a Benny Feilhaber foul. Seattle went down to ten men as Tony Alfaro took two yellow cards for fouls in the seventy-ninth and eighty-third minutes. The Sounders' Nouhou received a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. Los Angeles won 1-0, with the man of the match being Rossi.

Up in Vancouver, the Whitecaps FC welcomes the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Stefan Marinovic are in the six-yard boxes. Vancouver had a yellow card for a foul by Efrain Juarez in the eleventh minute. Victor Cabrera of Montreal took a yellow card for a thirty-second minute foul. The Whitecaps' Kendall Waston received a yellow card for his thirty-seventh minute foul. Vancouver got going in the sixty-third minute on a Kei Kamara goal, passed from Alphonso Davies and Russell Teibert. The Whitecaps added on with a Davies goal in the seventieth minute, coming off of Cristian Techera and Juarez. The Impact got one back with a Matteo Mancosu goal in the eighty-first minute, assisted by Daniel Lovitz and Ignacio Piatti. Mancosu took a yellow card for a stoppage time foul for Montreal. The final held at 2-1 Whitecaps, with Davies as the man of the match.

Southeast to Kansas City, as Sporting brings in New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Tim Melia are the gloved men. Jesus Medina of New York City had a yellow card for not retreating in the twenty-third minute. New York City drew first blood in the thirty-second minute with a Maximiliano Moralez goal, via David Villa and Medina. Alexander Ring of New york City had a yellow card for his thirty-fourth minute foul. New York City added on with a Medina goal in the fifty-third minute, set up by Ben Sweat and Yangel Herrera. New York City's keeper Johnson took a yellow card for time wasting in the fifty-ninth minute. New York City went down to ten men in the eighty-eighth minute as Maxime Chanot had a straight red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity. New York City held on to win 2-0, with the man of the match being Medina.

Finally, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Portland Timbers. Jake Gleeson and David Bingham are between the posts. Romain Alessandrini of Los Angeles had a yellow card for an eighteenth minute foul. The Galaxy dented the scoreboard in the thirty-second minute with an Ola Kamara goal, set up by Rolf Feltscher and Jonathan dos Santos. Los Angeles added on with an Alessandrini goal in the thirty-fourth minute. Portland got on the board with a Sebastian Blanco goal in the sixty-sixth minute, assisted by Fanendo Adi. The Timbers' Larrys Mabiala took a yellow card for an eighty-sixth minute foul. The Galaxy's Michael Ciani received a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-ninth minute. The final stood at 2-1, with the man of the match being Alessandrini.

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