MLS Rewind: Ferreira leads FC Dallas past LAFC, Sounders down Austin FC, and more
09/11/2022 12:13 AM
LAFC’s quest to claim a second Supporters’ Shield trophy took a major hit on Saturday with U.S. men’s national team forward Jesus Ferreira delivering a major blow to Steve Cherundolo’s squad’s rank in the standings.
Ferreira scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half as FC Dallas picked up a 2-1 victory at home. The USMNT forward has enjoyed his best season yet in MLS and that trend continued with the in-form attacker playing the hero against LAFC in a comeback victory. He now has 18 league goals in 29 appearances this season and more in 2022 than the prior three seasons combined.
LAFC remains second in the Supporters’ Shield race behind the Philadelphia Union, but has one match in hand over the East leaders. However the Union are in front on victories and goal differential.
The Seattle Sounders needed a statement victory to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Western Conference and Brian Schmetzer’s squad relied on their top goalscorer to lead the way against Austin FC.
Raul Ruidiaz scored twice for the Sounders on Saturday night at Lumen Field, propelling the Concacaf Champions League winners past Austin FC 3-0. Ruidiaz scored twice in the first half for the Sounders before an own goal from Austin FC defender Ruben Gabrielsen helped cap a deserved victory on home soil.
Juan Jose Purata netted a hat trick for Atlanta United in a 4-2 home win over Toronto FC, keeping the Five Stripes in the hunt for a playoff spot in the East. Purata was the first MLS defender in the modern-day era to register a three-goal performance, moving Atlanta United five points back of seventh-place Columbus Crew.
The Philadelphia Union rolled to three points at home in a 5-1 result over Orlando City at Subaru Park. Daniel Gazdag registered one goal and two assists in the Union’s fifth-straight win, continuing the push for Jim Curtin’s squad for the Supporters’ Shield. The Union have now registered three separate five-match winning streaks in 2022.
FC Cincinnati moved four points clear of the red line in the East following a 6-0 beatdown of the San Jose Earthquakes at TQL Stadium. Brenner scored a hat trick for Pat Noonan’s squad while Luciano Acosta, Yuya Kubo, and Alvaro Barreal also found the back of the net.
The New York Red Bulls stayed in third place following a 2-1 home victory over the New England Revolution in Harrison, using a penalty-kick winner from Lewis Morgan. Gerhard Struber’s men remain three points back of second-place CF Montreal, but the Canadian club has one match in hand.
Here is a closer look at this weekend’s MLS Results:
Saturday
Charlotte FC 1, NYCFC 0
(Daniel Rios 56′)
Man of the Match: Karol Swiderski created the most chances, drew the most fouls, won the most duels, and assisted on Charlotte FC’s winning goal against NYCFC.
Moment of the Match: Daniel Rios delivered the only goal of the match, heading home Swiderski’s cross in the fifth minute.
Match to Forget: Christian Fuchs was sent off for Charlotte FC, leaving his teammates down one man for the final 30+ minutes of the match. The veteran left back will now miss the next three matches due to his ejection.
Nashville SC 1, Galaxy 1
(Hany Mukhtar 28′ pk’) – (Riqui Puig 90+9′ pk’)
Man of the Match: Riqui Puig’s stoppage-time penalty kick helped the Galaxy claim one point from Geodis Park. He also won the most duels (7), drew the most fouls (3), completed the most passes (96), and created the most chances (3) for the Galaxy.
Moment of the Match: Riqui Puig’s penalty kick finish in the 99th minute helped the Galaxy earn a draw, salvaging a result despite Chicharito’s late failure from the penalty spot.
Match to Forget: Walker Zimmerman’s late foul led to the Galaxy picking up a draw and also saw the USMNT centerback ejected for a second yellow card offense.
Red Bulls 2, Revolution 1
(Cristian Casseres 58′, Lewis Morgan 78′ pk’) – (Tommy McNamara 53′)
Man of the Match: Lewis Morgan’s stellar season for the Red Bulls continued with the Scottish international netting his 14th goal in a 2-1 win.
Moment of the Match: Morgan’s PK finish in the 79th minute proved to be the deciding goal between the two clubs.
Match to Forget: One week after scoring his first MLS goal, Noel Buck struggled to offer much in the final third for the Revs. He completed 67% of his passes and failed to register a shot in his 66 minutes.
Union 5, Orlando City 1
(Olivier Mbaizo 39′, Mikael Uhre 43′, Daniel Gazdag 55′ pk’, Alejandro Bedoya 63′, Jack Elliott 87′) – (Andres Perea 75′)
Man of the Match: Daniel Gazdag scored once and assisted twice as the Union rolled to another three points at Subaru Park.
Moment of the Match: Jack Elliott’s goal capped off a dominant performance for Jim Curtin’s side against the current U.S. Open Cup champions.
Match to Forget: Benji Michel and Nicholas Gioacchini struggled to truly threaten the Union backline.
Atlanta United 4, Toronto FC 2
(Juan Jose Purata 47′, 62′, 88′, Thiago Almada 74′) – (Ayo Akinola 52′, Federico Bernardeschi 67′ pk’)
Man of the Match: Juan Jose Purata delivered the most impressive performance from a central defender this season, scoring three goals in Atlanta United’s needed win at home.
Moment of the Match: Purata’s third and final goal of the night capped off a deserved win for the Five Stripes and a Man of the Match performance for the defender.
Match to Forget: Toronto FC defenders failed to deal with Purata’s abilities on set pieces, watching as the defender scored three of his team’s four goals.
FC Cincinnati 6, Earthquakes 0
(Alvaro Barreal 45′, Brenner 47′, 90′, 90+5′, Luciano Acosta 71′ pk’, Yuya Kubo 77′)
Man of the Match: Brenner netted three of FC Cincinnati’s six goals on the night, stepping up in a big way for Pat Noonan’s side.
Moment of the Match: Brenner’s pair of goals in the final minutes of the match truly capped off a perfect result for FC Cincinnati.
Match to Forget: While the whole San Jose backline struggled, Rodrigues was at fault for a few of FC Cincinnati’s goals. He lost six of 10 duels and could not cope with the versatility of Brenner and his offensive teammates.
Fire 3, Inter Miami 1
(Jhon Duran 40′, 87′, Xherdan Shaqiri 64′) – (Gonzalo Higuain 76′)
Man of the Match: Jhon Duran scored twice in the Fire’s home win over Inter Miami, winning six of 10 duels and coming close on several occasions to walk away with even more goals on the night.
Moment of the Match: Duran’s second goal iced the win for the Fire and condemned Inter Miami to a road defeat.
Match to Forget: Nick Marsman only made one save in the loss for Inter Miami, failing to deal with Duran’s efforts in the match.
Sounders 3, Austin FC 0
(Raul Ruidiaz 12′, 34′, Ruben Gabrielsen own goal 68′)
Man of the Match: Raul Ruidiaz led the way for the Sounders by scoring a brace in a needed home win over Austin FC.
Moment of the Match: Ruben Gabrielsen’s own goal added insult to injury for Austin FC in a forgetful night for the Texas-based club.
Match to Forget: Alex Ring lost seven of his eight duels in the loss for Austin FC, struggling to deal with the Sounders midfielders in one-on-one opportunities.
FC Dallas 2, LAFC 1
(Jesus Ferreira 78′, 82′) – (Cristian Arango 45′)
Man of the Match: Jesus Ferreira’s sensational season for FC Dallas continued as the USMNT forward scored twice and moved closer to 20 tallies on the year.
Moment of the Match: Ferreira’s second goal in the 82nd minute swung momentum in FC Dallas’ favor and put LAFC in a major hole.
Match to Forget: LAFC was put in an early hole as former FC Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead was sent off after only 13 minutes.
Dynamo 0, Sporting KC 0
Man of the Match: Adam Lundqvist won seven of nine duels, completed all five of his tackles, and made two interceptions in a stellar defensive performance.
Moment of the Match: Thorleifur Úlfarsson struck the crossbar in stoppage time for the 10-men Dynamo, missing out on helping his team to a home victory over fellow strugglers Sporting KC.
Match to Forget: Matias Vera will feel fortunate that the Dynamo did not fall at home after the midfielder picked up two yellow cards in the opening 41 minutes of the match.
Rapids 3, Whitecaps 1
(Gyasi Zardes 21′, Diego Rubio (pen) 33′, Jonathan Lewis 75′) – (Brian White 9′)
Man of the Match: Jonathan Lewis played a part in all three goals. Lewis drew the penalty that led to the second goal and scored with an excellent lofted shot for the Rapids’ third goal.
Moment of the Match: Diego Rubio allowed the Rapids to go in front by converting a penalty kick in the 33rd minute. It was a decisive moment in the match, with the foul committed near the edge of the box.
Match to Forget: Whitecaps defender Ranko Veselinovic brought down Jonathan Lewis to concede a penalty that allowed the Rapids to pull in front.
Real Salt Lake 0, D.C. United 0
Man of the Match: D.C. United goalkeeper David Ochoa made seven saves to allow D.C. United to earn a difficult point at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Moment of the Match: Sergio Cordova’s header in the first minute of first-half stoppage time was RSL’s best chance to score. Ochoa made a difficult save, and prevented a rebound.
Match to Forget: Christian Benteke failed to make much of an impact for D.C. United. The new DP striker managed only one shot in 90 minutes.
Timbers 1, Loons 0
(Dairon Asprilla 61′)
Man of the Match: Dairon Asprilla continues to come up huge for the Timbers when it matters most. Asprilla scored with the Timbers’ only shot on goal off a corner kick.
Moment of the Match: Asprilla’s 61st-minute goal allowed the Timbers to take all three points against the run of play.
Match to Forget: Luis Amarilla was ineffective in attack for the Loons, despite the fact they took 21 shots. Amarilla had only two shots with none on goal and a 71.9% passing clip.
Friday
CF Montreal 2, Crew 2
(Victor Wanyama 89′, Zachary Brault-Guillard 90+4′) – (Jonathan Mensah 66′, Lucas Zelarayan 68′)
Man of the Match: Victor Wanyama helped spring the comeback for CF Montreal, while also winning nine duels, and completing three tackles.
Moment of the Match: Zachary Brault-Guillard’s long-range strike helped CF Montreal complete the comeback draw with the Crew, keeping the Canadian club in second place in the East.
Match to Forget: Luis Diaz’s ejection truly killed the Crew’s chances at walking away with a needed win from Montreal. Diaz was ejected in the 76th minute, watching from the locker room as the Crew conceded two goals late.
