Credit: LAFC
The week 34 MLS roundup starts at BMO Field, where Toronto came back to draw 1-1 at home with Inter Miami. Trailing from a Tadeo Allende goal a minute into stoppage time, Djordje Mihailovic equalized for Toronto in the 60th minute.
Montreal won 4-1 at Charlotte. Wilfried Zaha put Charlotte up in the 10th with Adilson Malanda seeing red in the 20th. Dante Sealy equalized for Montreal in the 41st, Fabian Herbers put them up in the 53rd, and Sealy scored again in the 86th. Prince Owusu finished off the Montreal goals in the 90th minute.
Philadelphia shutout DC United 6-0 on the road, going ahead from a Bruno Damiania goal in the 17th. An own-goal doubled the lead in the 34th, Indiana Vassilev added a goal in the 36th, and Milan Iloski scored in the 49th. Vassilev scored again in the 50th and Mikkel Uhre made it 6-0 Union in the 62nd minute.
New England shutout Atlanta 2-0 at home with Dor Tugeman scoring in the 72nd. Leonardo Campana doubled the lead in the 75th minute.
“It’s really special to get a win in front of our fans,” New England defender Will Sands said. “The season hasn’t gone the way we wanted, but we just to give them something to cheer for and leave our hearts on the field, it meant the world to me. I’m really happy we could get the win today.”
NYCFC won 3-2 at the Red Bulls, taking the lead from a Nicolas Fernandez goal in the 2nd. Julian Hill equalized for the Red Bulls in the 23rd. NYCFC retook the lead from an Andres Perea goal in the 26th. Emil Forsberg equalized for the Red Bulls in the 47th. Thiago Martins put NYCFC up for good in the 65th minute.
“I think going ahead twice, having them come back, and then finishing on top really felt special,” NYCFC midfielder Justin Haak said. “Sweeping the series with them this year, especially after they ended our season last year, also felt special. The weather was perfect, the stadium was nice, and our fans were super loud. So, overall, it was an amazing game.”
Chicago beat Columbus 2-0 at home, taking the lead from an Andrew Gutman goal in the 25th. The Fire’s Hugo Cuypers made it 2-0 in the 70th minute.
“The intensity was there, but we didn’t connect well,” Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy said. “I have nothing to say in terms of spirit, in terms of intensity, in terms of desire to do well. The pitch is small. They pressed us. After that, we had a few opportunities to escape. I didn’t feel that we were lacking intensity. It was more about they were winning the ball because they were pressing us. After that, we were not connected, but the intensity was there. No problem with that.”
Nashville beat Houston 3-1 at GEODIS Park. Hany Mukhtar opened the scoring for Nashville in the 2nd. Houston’s Erik Sviatchenko saw red in the 9th and the Dynamo’s Junior Urso equalized in the 40th. Sam Surridge returned the Nashville lead in the 48th and Andy Najar scored in the 50th minute.
LAFC shutout St Louis 3-0 on the road, going ahead when Denis Bouanga scored in the 15th. Son Heung-Min added goals four minutes into first-half stoppage time and in the 60th minute.
Colorado drew 1-1 at home with Minnesota, going ahead from a Rafael Santos goal a minute into first-half stoppage time. Nectarios Triantis equalized for United in the 65th minute. “I thought we were unfortunate to not come away with three points,” Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen said. “I thought we had most of the control. I thought the guys in front of me did a great job. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get three points today.”
Real Salt Lake beat Austin FC 3-1 at home, taking the lead from a Braian Ojeda goal in the 45th. DeAndre Yedlin doubled the RSL lead in the 49th and Victor Olatunji added a goal in the 82nd. Austin’s Besard Sabovic scored two minutes into stoppage time.
The LA Galaxy beat Sporting Kansas City 4-1 at home. Joseph Painstil scored for the Galaxy in the 4th and 25th. Dejan Joveljic pulled a goal back for Sporting KC in the 28th. Paintsil scored again in the 43rd and Diego Fagundez added a Galaxy goal in the 60th. Sporting’s Shapi Suleymanov saw red in the 83rd.
“Everybody showed up,” Fagundez said. “You see everybody is working with each other. Everybody is defending. Everybody is attacking. That’s what we need. We finished a bunch of chances today and we probably could have had a couple more.”
Portland drew 2-2 at home with FC Dallas. The Timbers went ahead from an own-goal a minute into first-half stoppage time. Dallas’ Petar Musa equalized from the penalty spot in the 73rd. Cristian Paredes returned the Timbers’ lead in the 81st. Anderson Julio equalized for Dallas in the 85th minute.
“Another final is coming next weekend,” Dallas coach Eric Quill said. “We’re in the hunt and these guys are showing that they want to be in the hunt and so that’s all I can ask for. These guys are warriors right now, and they deserve to be in the mix. And I don’t know if there’s anybody playing better than us right now, so, it’s credit to them. They’ve turned the locker room into a brotherhood, and it is evident when you watch this team play. They care about each other, and they care about the club.”
San Jose shutout San Diego 1-0 on the road. Josef Martinez scored for the Earthquakes in the 14th minute. “It was a great effort,” San Jose coach Bruce Arena said. “They hung in there in a tough game, something we haven’t been able to do this year. To get it done at an important time in the season. I applaud the effort by the team. They did quite well.”
Seattle drew 2-2 at home with Vancouver. After falling behind to a Brian White goal in the 52nd, the Sounders’ Jackson Ragen equalized in the 54th and Albert Rusnak scored in the 55th. Vancouver’s Mathias Laborda leveled the score in the 69th minute.
Week 34 concluded on Sunday with FC Cincinnati drawing 1-1 at home with Orlando City. Kevin Denkey put Cincinnati up in the 73rd and Alex Freeman equalized for Orlando five minutes into stoppage time.
Quotes courtesy of MLS club press releases.
Photo by LAFC
