MLS Week 27: Atlanta beats Columbus, Houston wins at Vancouver
Week 27 of the 2024 Major League Soccer season started in Kansas City, where Sporting came back to draw 1-1 with St Louis. Nokkvi Thorisson scored for St Louis in the 42nd and William Agada equalized for Sporting in the 73rd minute.
Minnesota shutout San Jose 2-0 at home, going ahead from an own-goal in the 38th. Bongokuhle Hlongwane doubled the United lead in the 75th minute. “It’s a bit of a relief for sure,” Minnesota midfielder Robin Lod said. “It’s been a tough stretch of games for us, so it was good. Good to get the three points today, something that we can build up from.”
Austin drew 2-2 at home with Charlotte, taking the lead from an Alex Ring goal in the 11th. Charlotte’s Karol Swiderski converted a penalty in the 33rd and Iuri Tavares scored in the 56th. Jon Gallagher equalized for Austin in the 80th minute.
Philadelphia shutout Nashville 3-0 at home with Saniel Gazdag scoring in the 10th, 38th, and 39th minutes.
Orlando drew 1-1 at home with NYCFC, taking the lead from a Ramiro Enrique goal in the 52nd. NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf equalized in the 57th minute.
“It’s not easy to play here, especially because the weather is so humid, but at the same time, we did a good job defending,” NYCFC defender Thiago Martins said. “We conceded one goal, but at the same time, we did a good job. We got a point here, and this is the most important. We cannot just play, we want to win, but at the same time, as I said before, it’s important to get points on the road.”
The Red Bulls beat Cincinnati 3-1 at home, going ahead from a Lewis Morgan goal in the 7th. Kyle Duncan doubled the New York lead in the 52nd and Morgan scored again in the 59th. Corey Baird pulled a goal back for Cincinnati in the 67th minute.
New England drew 1-1 at home with FC Dallas, going ahead from a Bobby Wood goal in the 65th. Paul Arriola converted a Dallas penalty five minutes into stoppage time.
“The play showed that we will not give up or write off any game,” Arriola said. “We believe in this team, and I am very happy about the attitude shown to not give up. I knew from the start where I wanted to place the ball, I angled the shot well and it gave us a well-deserved equalizer.”
Miami beat Chicago 2-1 at home, with Matias Rojas putting them up in the 6th. Chicago’s Rafael Czichos equalized in the 73rd, but Jordi Alba returned the Miami lead in the 75th minute.
Toronto won 1-0 at Montreal, with Richie Laryea scoring in the 38th minute. “The result is frustrating tonight, because we weren’t in any danger, but overall we were in control,” Montreal’s Samuel Piette said. “Toronto’s block was compact and hard to break through. We found it hard to play in front of them. In the second half, we picked up the pace and showed our determination. In the end, it was the final pass that was lacking.”
Atlanta beat Columbus 2-1 at home after falling behind to a Diego Rossi goal in the 36th. Stian Gregersen equalized for United in the 60th and scored again in the 76th minute.
“Yeah, we are doing our job,” Atlanta midfielder Saba Lobjanidze said. Honestly it’s a really nice feeling when you are losing against one of the best teams in MLS in the first half and then you come back in the second half and score two goals and win the game. It helped us in this game, mentality and everything.”
Houston beat Vancouver 4-3 on the road, taking the lead from an Adalberto Carrasquilla goal in the 29th. Griffin Dorsey made it 2-0 Houston in the 36th. Vancouver’s Fafa Picault pulled a goal back in the 48th, Ranko Veselinovic equalized in the 54th, and Picault scored again in the 66th. Brad Smith equalized for the Dynamo in the 78th and Dorsey put them up for good in the 87th minute.
LAFC won 3-0 at Seattle, with Denis Bouanga converting a penalty in the 16th. Mateusz Bogusz doubled the lead in the 26th and Bouanga scored again in the 74th minute.
The LA Galaxy beat Portland 3-2 at home, taking the lead in the 38th from a Gabriel Pec goal. Ricard Puig made it 2-0 LA in the 48th. Portland’s Jonathan Rodriguez pulled a goal back in the 52nd, but Joseph Paintsil made it 3-1 Galaxy in the 58th. Santiago Moreno scored for the Timbers in the 73rd minute.
“I think it’s good for us just to see rewards for our labor,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Getting these points helps you down the stretch. You never know in Leagues Cup, too, what can happen with teams. It can be anywhere from two to five, six games and you never know with teams. You don’t know what teams are going to do in the window to re-enforce so every point matters. Set yourself up, have the confidence being in the position that we’re in is always beneficial.”
Week 27 ended in Colorado where a lengthy halftime weather delay made that the last game to finish. The Rapids won 3-2 at home after falling behind to an Andres Gomez goal in the 9th. Jonathan Lewis equalized for Colorado in the 35th and Sam Vines scored in the 39th. Gomez equalized for RSL in the 49th, but Cole Bassett converted a Rapids penalty in the 88th minute.
In the USMNT players abroad roundup, Alan Sonora was on the bench for Hurucan’s 1-1 draw at San Lorenzo in the Argentine Primera Division. Trailing from the 21st, Hurucan’s Williams Alarcon equalized in the 45th minute.
Moving to Liga MX, Joe Corona’s Club Tijuana drew 1-1 at San Luis. Trailing from the 11th, Tijuana’s Kevin Casaneda converted a penalty in the 27th minute. Brandon Vazquez subbed on in the 76th for Monterrey’s 2-1 home win over Queretaro. German Berterame scored for Monterrey in the 29th and Johan Rojas doubled the lead in the 66th. Queretaro pulled a goal back in the 88th minute.
Cade Cowell’s Chivas shutout Ventura Alvarado’s Mazatlan 2-0 at home. Alvarado subbed out in the 80th and Cowell subbed out in the 81st. Cowell opened the scoring in the 51st and Armando Gonzalez made it 2-0 Chivas in the 79th minute. Alex Zendejas wasn’t in the squad for Club America’s 2-1 win at Juarez due to injury. Falling behind in the 4th, Henry Martin equalized for Club America in the 21st and Rodrigo Aguirre scored two minutes into stoppage time.
On Sunday, Sam Rogers was on the bench for HamKam’s 1-0 home loss to Fredrikstad in the Eilteserien. Fredrikstad scored in the 63rd minute.
Quotes courtesy of MLS team press releases.
