Wednesday, September 26, 2018

MLS 2018 Week 31 Midweek

Just one league game on at midweek this time, as New York City FC hosts the Chicago Fire. Stefan Cleveland and Sean Johnson play in goal. Ismael Tajouri-Shradi of New York City had a yellow card for a twenty-seventh minute foul. The Pigeons got going in the forty-seventh minute with an Alexander Ring goal, set up by David Villa and Maximiliano Moralez. New York City added on in the fifty-first minute with a Villa goal, via Moralez and Anton Tinnerholm. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the man of the match being Villa.

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Sunday, September 23, 2018

MLS 2018 Week 30

We've got a full weekend of games, leading off with eight on Saturday. First up...

Los Angeles FC hosts the San Jose Earthquakes. James Marcinkowski and Tyler Miller are the young keepers. Los Angeles opened in the forty-first minute with a Walker Zimmerman goal, set up by Carlos Vela. San Jose's Florian Jungwirth had a yellow card for a forty-third minute foul. In the fifty-second minute, Anibal Godoy of the Earthquakes received a yellow card for persistent infringement. The Black and Gold added on in the sixty-eighth minute with a Zimmerman goal, his second of the game, made possible by Vela. The final stood at 2-0, with Zimmerman named man of the match.

In the east, the New York Red Bulls welcome Toronto FC. Alexander Bono and Luis Robles man the nets. Michael Murillo of New York had a yellow card for a sixty-sixth minute foul. The Red Bulls got going in the seventieth minute with an Alejandro Romero Gamarra goal. Bradley Wright-Phillips of New York received a yellow card for dissent in the eighty-sixth minute. Toronto's Ashtone Morgan took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The Red Bulls capped it at 2-0 a minute later on a Derrick Etienne goal, set up by Wright-Phillips. The man of the match was Gamarra for his winner.

Down in Georgia, Atlanta United FC brings in Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Brad Guzan are the American keepers. Atlanta started in the thirty-seventh minute with a Julian Gressel goal, assisted by Miguel Almiron. Sunny of Salt Lake took a yellow card for a forty-third minute foul. The Five Stripes added on in the sixty-first minute with a Hector Villalba goal, set up by Gressel. This stood for a 2-0 win, with Gressel earning man of the match honors.

Back north, the Columbus Crew SC hosts the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard and Zack Steffen play in goal. Columbus led off in the seventeenth minute on a Gyasi Zardes goal, coming off of Federico Higuain and Justin Meram. Colorado tied it in the twenty-sixth minute with a Shkelzen Gashi goal. The Crew's Jonathan Mensah had a yellow card for a foul in the forty-fourth minute. The Rapids went down to ten men in the fifty-first minute as Deklan Wynne took a straight red card for a foul. Columbus regained the lead with a Higuain goal, made possible by Artur. Colorado saw yellow cards for fouls by Kellyn Acosta in the eighty-first minute and Tommy Smith in stoppage time. The final remained at 2-1, with Higuain picked as man of the match.

Up in Canada, the Montreal Impact welcome New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Evan Bush are the reliable keepers. New York City received an early gift in the seventeenth minute as Montreal's Rudy Camacho committed an own goal. The Impact tied it with a Micheal Azira goal in the twenty-seventh minute, with an assist from Ignacio Piatti. Azira took a yellow card for Montreal for his forty-ninth minute foul. The Pigeons received yellow cards for fouls by Alexander Callens, Maxime Chanot, and Ronald Matarrita in the fifty-seventh, seventy-eighth, and seventy-ninth minutes. Saphir Taider of the Impact picked up a yellow card for his foul in stoppage time. The final remained at 1-1, with the man of the match being Bush, who went four for five in saves.

Back stateside, the New England Revolution bring in the Chicago Fire. Richard Sanchez and Brad Knighton play between the sticks. Chicago began in the nineteenth minute with an Aleksandar Katai goal. New England had yellow cards for fouls by Antonio Mlinar Delamea in the thirty-first minute and Brandon Bye in the thirty-sixth minute. Dax McCarty of the Fire took a yellow card for his fifty-eighth minute foul. The Revolution tied it in the sixty-second minute on a Scott Caldwell goal. Michael Mancienne of New England committed an own goal in the sixty-seventh minute to restore a Chicago lead. In the sixty-ninth minute, Teal Bunbury of the Revolution picked up a yellow card for his foul. New England retied it in the seventieth minute with a Cristian Penilla goal, passed from Juan Agudelo. Johan Kappelhof of the Fire had a yellow card for a seventy-eighth minute. In the eightieth minute, Caldwell of the Revolution earned a yellow card for a foul. The final held at 2-2, with Penilla as the man of the match for the second equalizer.

Way to the south, Orlando City SC hosts the Houston Dynamo. Joe Willis faces a lesser foe in Adam Grinwis in goal. Jonathan Spector took a yellow card for Orlando City for his twenty-fourth minute foul. Andrew Wenger of Houston had a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-third minute. The Lions received yellow cards for Carlos Ascues' handball in the seventy-third minute and dissent from Dominic Dwyer and Yoshimar Yotun in stoppage time. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with the man of the match being Willis for his four-save clean sheet.

Saturday ends with Minnesota United FC welcoming the Portland Timbers. Steve Clark and Bobby Shuttleworth are the experienced goalies. Minnesota struck first in the eighteenth minute with a Romario Ibarra goal, via Darwin Quintero. The Loons added on in the thirty-sixth minute with another Ibarra goal, courtesy of Quintero again. Minnesota extended the lead as Michael Boxall scored in the forty-third minute, thanks to Rasmus Schuller. Portland got on the board in the fifty-fifth minute with an Alvas Powell goal. Maximiniano of the Loons took a yellow card for a seventieth minute foul. Sebastian Blanco of the Timbers had a yellow card for a foul in the seventy-first minute. Portland got closer in the seventy-ninth minute on a Blanco goal, coming off of Jorge Villafana. Fernando Bob of Minnesota took a straight red card for violent conduct in the eighty-ninth minute, putting the hosts at ten men in the waning minutes of what they kept as a 3-2 win. Ibarra was the man of the match for his brace.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Union bring in Sporting Kansas City. Tim Melia and John McCarthy draw the starts in goal. Roger Espinoza of Kansas City had a yellow card for a sixty-fifth minute foul. Philadelphia's David Accam took a yellow card for not retreating in the sixty-sixth minute. The Union dented the scoreboard in the seventy-first minute with a Jay Simpson goal, made possible by Alejandro Bedoya and Auston Trusty. Olivier Mbaizo of Philadelphia received a yellow card for a seventy-fifth minute foul. The Union added on in the eighty-ninth minute with another Simpson goal, set up by Bedoya and Fabrice-Jean Picault. The final held at 2-0, with Simpson being the man of the match.

Out west, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC host FC Dallas. Jesse Gonzalez and Stefan Marinovic are set to start in goal. Dallas' Marquinhos Pedroso had a yellow card for his twentieth minute foul. Vancouver's Russell Teibert took a yellow card for his thirty-seventh minute foul. The Toros were first to score in the forty-second minute with a Santiago Mosquera goal, via Maximiliano Urruti. The Whitecaps tied it with a Kei Kamara goal, set up by Alphonso Davies in the sixty-sixth minute. Dallas' Michael Barrios received a yellow card for a seventy-fifth minute foul. The Toros retook the lead with a Matt Hedges goal in the eighty-seventh minute, made possible by Barrios and Urruti. Vancouver's Cristian Techera took a yellow card for a foul in the ninetieth minute. The final was 2-1, with the man of the match being Urruti for his contributions on both Dallas goals.

Finally, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and David Bingham are the keepers. Los Angeles drew first blood with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty kick goal. Rolf Feltscher of the Galaxy took a yellow card for his thirty-first minute foul. Los Angeles added on in the fortieth minute with an Ola Kamara goal, via Romain Alessandrini and Ibrahimovic. The Galaxy extended the lead as Emmanuel Boateng scored in the fifty-second minute, thanks to Alessandrini. Daniel Steres of Los Angeles received a yellow card for his seventy-fifth minute foul. The Galaxy won 3-0, with Alessandrini as the man of the match.

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