NHL 2018/19 - Day 2

The second day of hockey season features ten games as more teams kick off their seasons. First up...

The Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Carter Hutton play in goal. Boston led off in the first period with a Zdeno Chara goal, coming off of Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins added on with a Ryan Donato power play goal, powered by Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Boston extended the lead in the second period as David Pastrnak scored, thanks to David Krejci and Marchand, the latter earning a sock trick. The Bruins capped it at 4-0 with a Bergeron shorthanded empty net goal, set up by Marchand. The three stars were Marchand, Halak (32 save shutout), and Bergeron.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Petr Mrazek are the starting goalies. New York got going in the second period with a Valtteri Filppula goal, passed from Brock Nelson. Carolina tied it in the third period with a Jordan Staal goal, coming off of Dougie Hamilton and Sebastian Aho. The Islanders won 2-1 in overtime with a Josh Bailey power play goal, powered by Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock. The three stars were Greiss (45 for 46 in saves), Bailey, and Filppula.

Back north, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Matt Murray are between the pipes. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Washington tied it with a Jakub Vrana goal, passed from Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. The Capitals pulled ahead on a Brooks Orpik goal, going in unassisted. The Penguins retied it on a Jake Guentzel power play goal, powered by Daniel Sprong and Justin Schultz. Washington regained the lead with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his second of the season, made possible by Christian Djoos and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Pittsburgh tied it again in the second period on a Kris Letang goal, guided in by Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin. The Capitals pulled ahead with a John Carlson goal, his second of the year, helped along by Brett Connolly. The Penguins evened it on a Guentzel goal, his second of the game, fueled by Schultz and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Derick Brassard goal, with helpers from Dominik Simon and Dumoulin. The Penguins added on in the third period with a Malkin goal, coming off of Letang and Crosby. Washington pulled back with an Oshie goal, his second of the season, an unassisted goal. The Capitals tied it with another Oshie goal, his second of the game and third of the year, with a lone helper from Carlson. Pittsburgh won 7-6 in overtime with a Letang goal, dished from Malkin and Kessel on the power play. The three stars belonged to Letang, Malkin, and Oshie, while Carlson, Crosby, Kessel, Guentzel, Schultz, and Dumoulin get the honorable mentions.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Jimmy Howard are in the blue paint. Columbus opened in the first period with a Cam Atkinson power play goal, powered by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Artemi Panarin. Detroit tied it in the second period with a Dennis Cholowski goal, assisted by Dylan Larkin and Gustav Nyquist. The Blue Jackets retook the lead on a Josh Anderson goal, via Brandon Dubinsky and Anthony Duclair. The Red Wings tied it again with a Tyler Bertuzzi power play goal, with assists provided by Larkin and Nyquist. Columbus won 3-2 in overtime with a Panarin goal, made possible by Nick Foligno and Markus Nutivaara. The three stars went to Panarin, Larkin, and Nyquist.

East again to New York, where the Rangers welcome the Nashville Predators. Henrik Lundqvist and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Filip Forsberg goal, courtesy of Kyle Turris and Craig Smith. New York tied it on a Jesper Fast goal, fueled by Filip Chytil. The Predators took the lead back in the third period with a P.K. Subban goal, assisted by Mattias Ekholm and Colton Sissons. Nashville added on with a Sissons empty net goal, set up by Ryan Ellis and Ekholm. The Rangers got one back on a Pavel Buchnevich goal, guided in by Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello. This only made it 3-2, with the three stars given to Sissons, Ekholm, and Rinne (34 for 36 in saves).

In Canada, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Cam Ward and Craig Anderson are the experienced goalies. Chicago started in the first period with an Alex DeBrincat goal, going in unassisted. Ottawa tied it on a Zack Smith goal, passed from Colin White and Thomas Chabot. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a Jonathan Toews goal, guided in by Erik Gustafsson. The Senators tied it again with a Maxime Lajoie goal, helped along by Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel. Ottawa took the lead with a White power play goal, powered by Lajoie and Chris Tierney. Chicago retied it in the third period on a Brent Seabrook goal, made possible by Patrick Kane and David Kampf. The Blackhawks won 4-3 in overtime with a Kane goal, with a lone assist by Toews. The three stars went to Kane, Toews, and Lajoie, while White gets an honorable mention.

Southwest to St. Louis, as the Blues host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Allen guard the cages. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Patrik Laine power play goal, powered by Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Jets added on in the third period with a shorthanded Adam Lowry goal, going in unassisted. Winnipeg extended the lead as Wheeler scored, with the help of Kyle Connor and Scheifele. The Jets padded the lead on a Connor goal, passed from Jacob Trouba and Laine. Winnipeg kept going with a Brandon Tanev goal, fueled by Jack Roslovic and Kristian Vesalainen. St. Louis got on the board with a Vince Dunn goal, helped along by Ryan O'Reilly and Tyler Bozak. This produced the 5-1 final score, with the three stars given to Hellebuyck (41 for 42 in saves), Laine, and Wheeler, while Connor and Scheifele get honorable mentions.

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta and Ben Bishop are the solid goalies. Dallas kicked off the scoring in the second period with a Devin Shore goal, guided in by Radek Faksa and Connor Carrick. The Stars added on with an Alexander Radulov goal, fueled by Jamie Benn and Carrick. Dallas extended the lead as John Klingberg scored, thanks to Esa Lindell and Benn. This made it 3-0, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Bishop (30 save shutout), Carrick, and Benn.

Northwest to Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Semyon Varlamov get the starting nods in goal. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Zach Parise goal, courtesy of Mikko Koivu and Nino Niederreiter. Colorado tied it on a Carl Soderberg goal, via Matt Nieto. The Avalanche took the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon goal in the second period, made possible by Mikko Rantanen and Patrik Nemeth. Colorado added on with a Rantanen empty net goal, set up by Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche iced it at 4-1 with a J.T. Compher power play empty net goal, powered by Alexander Kerfoot and Carl Soderberg. The three stars belonged to Rantanen, Varlamov (20 for 21 in saves), and MacKinnon.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Marc-Andre Fleury occupy the creases. Vegas drew first blood in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, assisted by Jon Merrill and the goalie Fleury. Philadelphia tied it on an Oskar Lindblom goal, made possible by Travis Sanheim and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers took the lead with a Wayne Simmonds goal, helped along by Robert Hagg. Philadelphia added on with a Simmonds power play goal in the second period, his second of the game, powered by Voracek and Claude Giroux. The Flyers extended the lead as Hagg scored, with the help of James van Riemsdyk and Mikhail Vorobyev. Philadelphia padded the lead on a Scott Laughton goal, guided in by Radko Gudas and Michael Raffl. Malcolm Subban replaced Fleury in goal. The Golden Knights got one back with a shorthanded and unassisted Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal in the third period. This only got them to a 5-2 loss, with the three stars given to Simmonds, Hagg, and Voracek.

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NHL 2018/19 - Day 1

We're back for a brand new NHL season, with the first puck drop being today. While it may struggle to match some of last year's surprises, the attempt to write new stories starts in...

Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Frederik Andersen are the goalies. Montreal started in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, assisted by Max Domi and Paul Byron. Toronto tied it on an Auston Matthews goal, via Morgan Rielly and Nazem Kadri on the power play. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the second period with a John Tavares goal, coming off of Kadri and Travis Dermott. The Canadiens retied it on an Andrew Shaw power play goal, powered by Domi and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Toronto won 3-2 in overtime with another Matthews goal, courtesy of Patrick Marleau and Jake Gardiner. The three stars were Matthews, Kadri, and Domi.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington opened in the first period with a T.J. Oshie goal, assisted by Nicklas Backstrom and Matt Niskanen. The Capitals added on with an unassisted Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal. Washington extended the lead as Alex Ovechkin scored a power play goal in the second period, with the help of Backstrom and Oshie. The Capitals padded the lead on a Nic Dowd goal, via Nathan Walker and Devante Smith-Pelly. Washington chased Rask with a Kuznetsov power play goal, his second of the game, with helpers from John Carlson and the goalie Holtby. Jaroslav Halak came on in relief. The Capitals continued with a Carlson power play goal, made possible by Ovechkin and Backstrom, the latter earning a sock trick. Washington struck again in the third period on a Lars Eller goal, guided in by Chandler Stephenson and Brooks Orpik. This stood for a 7-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Oshie, while Ovechkin, Carlson, and Holtby (25 save shutout) get honorable mentions.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and Jacob Markstrom are in the creases. Vancouver began in the first period with an Elias Pettersson goal, made possible by Loui Eriksson and Nikolay Goldobin. The Canucks added on in the third period with a Goldobin goal, coming off of Pettersson and Eriksson. Vancouver extended the lead as Brendan Leipsic scored, thanks to Jay Beagle and Erik Gudbranson. Calgary got on the board with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, assisted by Austin Czarnik and Noah Hanifin. The Canucks replied with a Jake Virtanen goal, passed from Brandon Sutter and Christopher Tanev. The Flames replied with a Sean Monahan goal, courtesy of Johnny Gaudreau and James Neal. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Tyler Motte empty net goal, set up by Markus Granlund. The three stars were Pettersson, Goldobin, and Eriksson. 

Finally, opening day ends with the San Jose Sharks hosting the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Martin Jones are the masked men. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Max Comtois goal, fueled by Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg. San Jose tied it on an Evander Kane goal, coming off of Justin Braun. The Sharks took the lead in the second period on a Tomas Hertl shorthanded goal, going in unassisted. The Ducks tied it again with a Rickard Rakell power play goal, powered by Silfverberg and Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim took the lead in the third period with a Brandon Montour goal, made possible by Rakell and Getzlaf. The Ducks added on with a Henrique power play goal, with helpers from Silfverberg, who got a sock trick, and Rakell. Anaheim capped it at 5-2 with a Carter Rowney empty net goal, set up by Ben Street and Kiefer Sherwood. The three stars belonged to Rakell, Silfverberg, and Henrique, while Getzlaf gets an honorable mention.

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MLS 2018 Week 31

Another full weekend of games awaits, beginning on Saturday with nine games, the first being...

The Chicago Fire hosting Los Angeles FC. Tyler Miller and Stefan Cleveland are set to start in goal. Chicago began in the twentieth minute with a Djordje Mihailovic goal, assisted by Brandon Vincent. Dax McCarty of the Fire had a yellow card for a foul in the twenty-fourth minute. Chicago added on with a Nemanja Nikolic penalty kick goal in the twenty-ninth minute. The Fire's Nikolic received a yellow card for not retreating in the fifty-sixth minute. Chicago extended the lead as Aleksandar Katai scored in the sixty-sixth minute, thanks to Mihailovic and Nikolic. Los Angeles got on the board with a Diego Rossi goal in the seventy-third minute, coming off of Lee Nguyen. The Fire saw yellow cards for fouls by Brandt Bronico in the seventy-ninth minute and Johan Kappelhof in stoppage time, and another for dissent by Katai in stoppage time. Chicago held on to win 3-1, with Mihailovic named man of the match.

Out west, the Seattle Sounders FC welcome the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard and Stefan Frei protect the nets. Seattle led off in the twenty-second minute with a Raul Ruidiaz goal, via Nicolas Lodeiro and Cristian Roldan. Kortne Ford of Colorado had a yellow card for a twenty-fifth minute foul. The Sounders' Osvaldo Alonso received a yellow card for a thirty-third minute foul. In the thirty-eighth minute, the Rapids' Tommy Smith took a yellow card for his foul, as did teammate Jack Price in the fortieth minute. Seattle added on in the fifty-second minute with a Lodeiro penalty kick goal. Enzo Martinez of Colorado picked up a yellow card for his foul in the fifty-fourth minute. The Sounders extended the lead as Ruidiaz scored again in the seventy-third minute, with the help of Lodeiro and Victor Rodriguez. Seattle padded the lead on a Rodriguez goal in the eightieth minute, courtesy of Kelvin Leerdam. This produced the 4-0 final score, with Lodeiro earning man of the match honors.

Back east, DC United brings in the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Bill Hamid are in goal. DC started in the seventeenth minute with a Luciano Acosta goal, courtesy of Yamil Asad. The Black and Red added on in the forty-eighth minute with a Wayne Rooney goal, via Acosta and Asad. DC extended the lead as Paul Arriola scored in the sixty-first minute, thanks to Acosta and Rooney. The Black and Red padded the lead in the seventy-eighth minute with another goal by Arriola, set up by Acosta, who gets a sock trick for his third assist. DC capped it at 5-0 with a second goal by Rooney in the eighty-second minute. The man of the match was Acosta, amid great performances from the entire DC attack.

In Columbus, the Crew SC host the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Zack Steffen man the nets. Philadelphia had yellow cards for fouls by Fabinho and Alejandro Bedoya in the eighty-fifth and eighty-eighth minutes, respectively. The game ended in an uneventful 0-0 draw, with Blake's two-save clean sheet enough to make him the man of the match.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC welcome the New England Revolution. Brad Knighton and Alexander Bono are between the sticks. New England opened in the tenth minute with a Cristian Penilla goal, assisted by Luis Caicedo. Scott Caldwell of the Revolution had a yellow card for his eighteenth minute foul. In the twenty-seventh minute, Toronto's Justin Morrow took a yellow card for a foul. The Reds tied it on a thirty-sixth minute Sebastian Giovinco goal, via Victor Vazquez. Jonathan Osorio of Toronto had a yellow card for an argument in the thirty-ninth minute. The Reds took the lead in the fifty-third minute with a Lucas Janson goal. Toronto added on with a Vazquez penalty kick goal in the fifty-eighth minute. Auro of the Reds took a yellow card for his foul in the sixty-fifth minute. Toronto extended the lead as Marco Delgado scored in the eighty-first minute. This stood for a 4-1 win, with Vazquez picked as man of the match.

Southwest and stateside, Minnesota United FC brings in New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Bobby Shuttleworth are the experienced keepers. Minnesota struck first in the twentieth minute with an Angelo Rodriguez goal, coming off of Miguel Ibarra and Darwin Quintero. Alexander Ring of New York City had a yellow card for a twenty-first minute foul. The Loons added on in the thirty-sixth minute with another Rodriguez goal. Minnesota's Collen Warner took a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. In the fifty-fourth minute, the Loons' Francisco Calvo had a yellow card for his foul. Minnesota went down to ten men in the seventy-sixth minute as Warner received his second yellow card and ejection for a foul. The Loons' keeper Shuttleworth picked up a yellow card for time wasting in the eighty-ninth minute. The Pigeons got on the board in second half stoppage time with a Rodney Wallace goal. This only made it 2-1, the final, with Rodriguez's brace making him the man of the match.

In Texas, the Houston Dynamo host the San Jose Earthquakes. Andrew Tarbell and Joe Willis are in the six-yard boxes. Guram Kashia of San Jose took a yellow card for an eleventh minute foul. The Earthquakes were first to score in the thirty-seventh minute with a Chris Wondolowski penalty kick goal. San Jose added on when Houston's Alejandro Fuenmayor committed an own goal in the forty-fifth minute. Tomas Martinez of the Dynamo took a yellow card for a fifty-second minute foul. Houston got on the board with a Mauro Manotas goal in the fifty-sixth minute, via Martinez. The Dynamo tied it on a Martinez goal in the sixty-eighth minute. Houston took the lead in the eighty-seventh minute with a Romell Qiuoto goal. This stood for a 3-2 win, with Martinez earning man of the match honors for spearheading the comeback.

Out in California, the Los Angeles Galaxy welcome the Vancouver Whitecaps. Stefan Marinovic and David Bingham play in goal. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the fourth minute with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty kick goal. The Galaxy's Rolf Feltscher took a yellow card for his thirty-seventh minute foul. Los Angeles added on in the fifty-eighth minute with an Ibrahimovic goal, assisted by Feltscher. The Galaxy extended the lead as Romain Alessandrini scored a penalty kick goal in the seventy-seventh minute. Vancouver had a yellow card for a Cristian Techera foul in stoppage time. The final was 3-0, with Ibrahimovic as the man of the match.

Saturday ends in Portland as the Timbers bring in FC Dallas. Jesse Gonzalez and Jeff Attinella are the gloved men. Dallas had a yellow card for an argument by Carlos Gruezo in the seventy-second minute, as well as a foul by Matt Hedges in the seventy-fifth minute and time wasting by Gonzalez in the eighty-second minute. In the eighty-eighth minute, Steve Clark had to replace Attinella in the Portland goal. The Timbers went down to ten men in stoppage time as Liam Ridgewell received a straight red card for violent conduct. Three minutes later, Diego Chara of Portland received a yellow card for a foul. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with Gonzalez named man of the match for a three-save clean sheet.

On Sunday, the New York Red Bulls host Atlanta United FC in a massive top-of-the-table battle. Brad Guzan and Luis Robles are the keepers. Atlanta saw a yellow card for a handball by Chris McCann in the thirty-eighth minute. New York drew first blood in the thirty-ninth minute with a Daniel Royer penalty kick goal. The Five Stripes' Julian Gressel received a yellow card for a forty-third minute foul. Tim Parker of the Red Bulls took a yellow card in first half stoppage time for his foul. New York added on in the seventy-fourth minute with a Parker goal, via Alex Muyl and Marc Rzatkowski. Michael Parkhurst of Atlanta took a yellow card for dissent in the seventy-ninth minute. The Red Bulls had yellow cards for time wasting by Andreas Ivan in the eighty-eighth minute and Derrick Etienne in second half stoppage time.

Finally, Sporting Kansas City hosts Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Tim Melia patrol the penalty areas. Salt Lake cracked the scoresheet in the ninth minute with a Corey Baird goal, via Jefferson Savarino. Kansas City tied it on an Ike Opara goal in the fifty-second minute, courtesy of Johnny Russell. Felipe Gutierrez of Sporting had a yellow card for persistent infringement in the seventy-fourth minute. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the man of the match being Opara for his equalizer.

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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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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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2018 NWSL Championship

It all comes down to this, as the record-breaking North Carolina Courage meet the Portland Thorns FC in Portland's Providence Park for the NWSL Championship. Katelyn Rowland of the courage and Adrianna Franch of the Thorns are in goal. North Carolina began in the thirteenth minute with a Debinha goal on a rebound from Lynn Williams' shot off the post. The Courage added on in the fortieth minute as Jessica McDonald scored, with the help of Jaelene Hinkle. Denise O'Sullivan of North Carolina had a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. The Courage extended the lead as McDonald scored again in the sixty-fourth minute, thanks to Merritt Mathias. McDonald took a yellow card for delay of game after celebrating the goal. The final held at 3-0, with McDonald named NWSL Championship MVP. Also strong for the Courage were Mathias, Abby Erceg, Hinkle, O'Sullivan, and Debinha, while the Thorns' best were Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath, and Christine Sinclair.

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MLS 2018 Week 30 Midweek

Three games on in league action for this midweek session, beginning with...

The Portland Timbers hosting the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen faces former Crew goalie Steve Clark in goal. Columbus opened in the seventh minute with a Niko Hansen goal, via Milton Valenzuela and Pedro Santos. Andy Polo of Portland had a yellow card for a tenth minute foul. The Timbers tied it on a David Guzman goal in the eighteenth minute, coming off of Polo and Sebastian Blanco. In the thirty-fourth minute, Portland's Guzman received a yellow card for a foul. The Timbers took the lead with a Polo goal in the thirty-seventh minute. Gaston Sauro of the Crew took a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Lalas Abubakar of Columbus committed an own goal in the forty-eighth minute to extend Portland's lead. Wil Trapp of the Crew had a yellow card for a foul in the forty-ninth minute, as did teammate Connor Maloney in the eighty-fifth minute. Columbus got one back in second half stoppage time with a Hansen goal, assisted by Maloney and Eduardo Sosa. This only made it 3-2, the final, with Polo named man of the match.

Up in Seattle, the Sounders FC welcome the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. Philadelphia saw yellow cards for persistent infringement by Derrick Jones in the fifty-second minute and a foul by Jack Elliott in the seventy-eighth minute. The Union went down to ten men in the eighty-ninth minute when Elliott received a second yellow card for another foul. Philadelphia stole the 1-0 win in stoppage time on a Fabrice-Jean Picault goal. The man of the match was Blake for his four-save clean sheet.

Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes bring in Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan faces a lesser foe in James Marcinkowski in goal. Franco Escobar of Atlanta received a yellow card for dissent in the seventh minute. San Jose started in the thirteenth minute with a Nick Lima goal, courtesy of Shea Salinas. Jeff Larentowicz of the Five Stripes took a yellow card for his eighteenth minute foul. The Earthquakes added on in the forty-third minute with a Danny Hoesen goal. Atlanta got on the board in first half stoppage time with a Hector Villalba goal, coming off of Julian Gressel. Salinas of San Jose took a yellow card for a fifty-third minute foul. The Earthquakes replied in the fifty-eighth minute with a Valeri Qazaishvili goal, passed from Lima. The Five Stripes pulled back with a Josef Martinez penalty kick goal in the seventieth minute. Atlanta tied it on a Miguel Almiron goal in the seventy-third minute. The Five Stripes won 4-3 in second half stoppage time with a Martinez goal set up by Almiron and Ezequiel Barco. Almiron earned man of the match honors for his work in the comeback.

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