MLS & MLS Next Pro round-up, March 15-17
That was the case down in Washington DC, where DC United hosted a Messi-less Inter Miami. With bitey racist Luis Suarez also on the bench, United started confidently and took the lead through Jared Stroud after a quarter of an hour. Leonardo Campana scrambled an equaliser 10 minutes later to leave the scores level at the half and that's how it was when Suarez made his entry just after the hour. Although his knees are made of glass, Suarez is still a class above and his presence lifted the Herons, going ahead through Suarez himself on 72 minutes. He grabbed another with 5 minutes to go and Pedro Santos's red card capped a disappointing afternoon for the hosts, for whom Christian Benteke wasted a host of chances. Over on the West Coast, an injury-hot Seattle Sounders welcomed Colorado Rapids to Lumen Field and it appeared like it would be business as usual for the home side when Raul Ruidiaz put away a penalty after 11 minutes. It got tricker from there, though, as the Sounders couldn't make any further advances, and Josh Atencio's second yellow put the wind in the visitor's sails, leading to Kevin Cabral's equaliser with just 3 minutes to go. Ruidiaz later saw red himself and the Sounders really haven't got going yet this season.
New York Red Bulls look a different side this season under Sandro Schwarz but wilted under the pressure of a visit to champions Columbus Crew, who went ahead after just 13 minutes through - who else - Cucho Hernandez. Crew added 2 more in the second half courtesy of Jacob Russel-Rowe and Aidan Morris, with Daniel edelman's sending off in stoppage time capping a bad day at the office for the Red Bulls. Their city rivals enjoyed a much better evening at home to Toronto FC at Yankee Stadium. New York City were pointless after their first three games and it looked like that would continue when the Canadians took the lead through Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty with just 7 minutes on the clock. A fantastic Santi Rodriguez free kick pulled the Pigeons level midway through the first half and they set about the visitors in the second, going ahead just past the hour through Kevin O'Toole. Even Keaton Parks's red card for a wild challenge a few minutes later couldn't ruin their night, although Toronto were poor value with just one shot on target all game.
The 3 Texas sides were all at home on Saturday and enjoyed varying results. Austin FC faced Philadelphia Union on the heels of Union's 6-0 defeat in Mexico in midweek but soon found that the visiors were in vengeful form when Daniel Gazdag put them ahead with a VAR-given 14th minute penalty for handball. Still without Sebastian Driussi, Austin have lacked a goal threat so far this season but found the net in the 56th minute through Diego Rubio on 56 minutes, with Jon Gallagher unbelievably adding a second 2 minutes later. Union always threaten goals, however, and Mikael Uhre's equaliser on 65 minutes had a sense of inevitably about it but at least Los Verde were able to play out a draw for the third time in 4 games. FC Dallas welcomed Vancouver Whitecaps to Toyota Stadium and were shocked to find themselves 2-0 down in the first half-hour as the Canadians scored through Mathias Laborda and Brian White. It could have been more, to be honest, but the home side grabbed one back through Sebastian Lletget in the 40th minute, only for Vancouver to restore their 2-goal cushion just 2 minutes later through Fafa Picoult to give them a 3-1 lead at the half. That's how it stayed and Dallas have now lost 3 of their 4 games so far this season. No such trouble for Houston Dynamo, despite facing Phil Neville's impressive Portland Timbers side. The visitors won away in New York last week but faced a well-organised Dynamos side who took all 3 points thanks to Ibrahim Aliyu's strike 2 minutes before the half.
San Jose Earthquakes are in terrible form this season but looked to have turned a corner when Vitor de Brito gave them an 11th minute lead away at Sporting Kansas City. That lasted for just 7 minutes, though, as Daniel Rosero levelled things for the hosts, with Alan Pulido putting them ahead just before the half-hour mark. Earthquakes pushed for an equaliser but, despite dominating the second half, couldn't hit the mark and now sit bottom of the table with 4 defeats from 4 games. By contrast, Minnesota United remain unbeaten and top the Western Conference after their 2-0 win at home at Los Angeles FC. New head coach Erik Ramsay has got his side playing lovely soccer and Robin Lod - who missed last week's win in Miami - put the Loons ahead after 16 minutes in a game short on solid chances. LAFC couldn't find a way past a resolute United defence in the second half and Bongokuhle Hlongwane finished the job for Minnesota with 2 minutes left to play. Nashville SC had a point to prove after being eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup by Inter Miami in midweek and set about taking it out on Charlotte FC at Geodis Park. Sam Surridge put them ahead with a well-placed header just past the half-hour, and Alex Muyi made it 2 with a well-finished move 5 minutes before the half. Brecht Dejagere pulled one back for Charlotte in first-half stoppage time but that's how it stayed to the end, giving the Coyotes their first win of the season.
The goals were flowing in Carson as LA Galaxy hosted St Louis City at Dignity Health Sports Park, with Dejan Joveljic's third minute opener setting out the stall for a free-flowing game. Tomas Ostrak put City on level terms going into the break and the second half exploded into action when Joseph Paintsil - who has really given Galaxy something extra this season - put the home side ahead on 51 minutes, only for Joakim Nilsson to equalise with an acrobatic kick 9 minutes later. City looked like they'd grabbed all 3 points when goalkeeper John McCarthy put through his own net with just 2 minutes to play but Maya Yoshida's header 5 minutes into stoppage time gave the home side a deserved draw. There was still time for Martin Caceres to see red for Galaxy but it stayed 3-3.
Sunday's games started at Gillette Stadium, where New England Revolution were in search of their first points of the season under new head coach Caleb Porter. They faced an FC Cincinnati side who play beautiful attacking soccer but it took 2023 MVP Lucho Acosta's introduction as a half-time substitute to unlock the Revs defence, scoring from the kick off. That was chalked off by VAR but Yaya Kubo scored a good goal on 52 minutes to give the Garys a deserved lead. Acosta added a second with a well-taken free kick under a jumping defensive wall 2 minutes later and that seemed to be the spark for New England to start playing, pulling themselves back into the game through Giacomo Vironi just past the hour mark. As much as they huffed and puffed, however, they couldn't make further progress and now lie bottom of the Eastern Conference with zero points from 4 games. The weekend's final game came from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where a massive 42,361 (still down on the 70,000 they had last week) were in attendance to see Atlanta United ease past Orlando City thanks to goals from Saba Lobzhanidze and Giogios Giakoumakis.
Carolina Core began life, period, away to Crown Legacy (Charlotte FC) and were a goal behind after 21 minutes courtesy of Nicholas Scardina's strike for the home side. Core never stopped working to get back into the game and finally equalised in second-half stoppage time, with David Polanco - a 25yr old with European experience - the scorer of the club's first ever goal. Core held their nrve in the subsequent shootout and will be away again next week at Atlanta. In other games on Saturday, there were wins for NY Red Bulls II, Inter Miami II, Philadelphia Union II, Los Angeles FC 2, Sporting Kansas City 2, Colorado Rapids 2, and the renamed Ventura County FC (LA Galaxy), and a shootout victory for Chicago Fire II.
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