MLS & MLS Next Pro round-up, March 30-31

After a slow start to the season, Philadelphia Union are beginning to hit their stride, following up last week's win over Portland Timbers with a home victory over previously unbeaten Minnesota United on Saturday.Hungarian international Daniel Gazdag got things rolling with a point-blank goal in the 16th minute but Union didn't have it all their own way afterwards, withstanding some heavy pressure from the visitors. However, a breakaway move finished by Julian Carranza six minutes from time secured the points. Los Angeles FC also haven't had the best of starts to the season but looked to have turned a corner last week with a 5-0 demolition of Nashville SC. This weekend found them travelling across the Rockies to Colorado Rapids, a side who seem to be putting together some decent results despite looking as enticing as a bag of crap. It didn't take long for LA to take the lead with Eduard Atesta scoring from a Timothy Tillman corner, with Denis Bouanga going close twice soon afterwards. Colorado got back on level terms following a corner of their own when Moise Bombito headed in seven minutes before half-time, with the second-half producing good chances for Bouanga, Matheusz Bogusz, and Venezuelan teenage substitute David Martinez. Martinez then put the visitors ahead again before receiving picking up a booking, and Colorado came back with another equaliser, a well-taken free-kick from Djordje Mihailovic, his first for the club since moving from AZ Alkmaer in the winter. Martinez's earlier transgression then became a disaster when he picked up a second yellow and Rapids got the bit between their teeth and pushed on, finding an unlikely winner a minute from time and holding on through seven minutes of stoppage time to take the win.

Three of the five kick-offs at 7.30pm EDT ended in 1-1 draws, but weren't short on incident, particularly in Charlotte where 30,000 fans saw Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati share the points. Chances were at a premium in the first-half, although Patrick Agyemang forced Roman Celentano into a good save, but the game came alive twelve minutes into the second when Yuya Kubo fouled Dijbril Diani in the box, giving Diani a chance to convert from the spot and give the home side the lead. The Garys never stopped pushing for an equaliser, however, and got their reward when Aaron Boupendza finished a smart move after a clever assist from DeAndre Yedlin. It was honours even at both games down in Florida, too, with both New York sides enjoying the sunshine. Orlando City welcomed New York Red Bulls to Inter&Co Stadium for a fixture that, twelve months ago, would have been a banker home win, but the 2024 Red Bulls have something about them and forced their way ahead when Lewis Morgan slotted home from the spot. Both defences were in good form and it took the Lions until a minute from time to force an equaliser when Noah Eile put through his own net.

Inter Miami were still without Lionel Messi when New York City arrived in Fort Lauderdale, and moved Sergio Busquets into the centre of defence, but still should have had more than enough to see off a Pigeons side that only gained their first points of the season last week. Bitey racist Luis Suarez put the Herons ahead after fourteen minutes and New York went close to an equaliser through Santi Rodriguez before Alonso Martinez fired in the send the teams level into the break.Miami had much the better of the play in the second half but couldn't find a winner, missing a chance to go top of the Western Conference as a consequence. The home side also scored a single goal in both of the other 7.30pm kick-offs but with differing final outcomes. John Herdman's Toronto FC have looked decent so far this season but came totally unstuck at home to a Sporting Kansas City side missing both Johnny Russell and Alan Pulido. KC entirely dominated proceedings, allowing Toronto just two shots on target to their ten, but took until 57 minutes to find the net through Remi Walter. Jacob Davis and Alenis Vargas added two more, with the home side's contribution limited to just Jonathan Osorio's consolation seven minutes into stoppage time. In Saturday's sole free game on AppleTV, DC United took on CF Montreal at Audi Field with both sides having mixed seasons thus far. Both Christian Benteke and Matias Coccaro had chances in the first-half but the teams went in goalless at the break, and further chances for Benteke and Josef Martinez followed in the second-half. In the end, Pedro Santos's strike into the top corner settled affairs in United's favour.

The 7.30pm CDT kick-offs provided more in the way of goals and a positive result at last for Austin FC, who beat FC Dallas to draw first blood in this season's Copa Tejas. Josh Wolff reshuffled his pack but looked to have gotten nothing out of it when Eugene Ansah opened the scoring for the visitors six minutes into the second-half, only for centre-half Julio Cascante to level three minutes later when he finished a cross by Jon Gallagher. Dallas, for whom Petar Musa was a menace, almost grabbed the lead back through Sebastian Lletget midway through the second-half but Jader Obrian thought he'd given Austin the advatange, enthusiastically celebrating a goal against his old club before VAR confirmed the linesman's offside flag. Austin did grab a 2-1 win and all three points, though, thanks to Diego Rubio's header on 70 minutes. Elsewhere in Texas, Houston Dynamo hosted San Jose Earthquakes in a grudge match dating back to the original Quakes' move to Sapce City. The 2024 Quakes have struggled so far, with just last week's win over a similarly disappointing Seattle Sounders side to show for their efforts, but took the lead after just one minute through Bruno Wilson header from a corner. Things took a turn in the 34th minute when San Jose's Preston Judd was sent off for an elbow off the ball, although they managed to hold onto their lead until the 81st minute when Sebastian Ferreira's shot finally made Dynamo's pressure count for something. Three minutes after that, Franco Escobar found a winner for Houston, and San Jose's terrible evening was confirmed by Jackson Youell's second yellow five minutes into stoppage time.

Nashville SC were hammered 5-0 at Los Angeles FC last week and couldn't have enjoyed the prospect of reigning champions Columbus Crew coming to town, but had two good chances before Sean Zawadzki headed the visitors ahead after sixteen minutes. Still, the Coyotes never let their heads drop and went back at them with Hani Mukhtar going close from a free kick before firing in an equaliser three minutes into first-half stoppage time. Mukhtar then won a free kick even further into time added on and a Jacob Shaffelburg cross found Anibal Godoy in the box who fired in to send Nashville into the break a goal ahead. Three minutes into the second-half, a VAR-assisted penalty from Diego Rossi found the woundwork rather than the net, and Malte Amundsen, Darlington Nagbe, and Jacen Russell-Rowe all went close before Marino Hinestroza headed in an equaliser on 79 minutes to level the score. A year ago, Real Salt Lake might also have been apprehensive at the prospect of St Louis City visiting Utah but City haven't quite hit their stride this season so far, despite Joao Klauss looking lively. Still, Indy Vassiliev fired St Louis ahead after just three minutes and the visitors maintained their lead through half-time and well into the second-half, before Cristian Arango scored a twenty-one minute hatrick to give Real the points.

Saturday's final two games came from the West Coast, where Los Angeles Galaxy met Seattle Sounders, and the first Cascadia Cup game of the season took place. Seattle are getting somewhere back to their first-choice eleven but were facing a Galaxy side that look like they mean business this season, even if they did leave top scorer Dejan Joveljic on the bench. It was a decision that looked to have paid off as early as four minutes in when Gabriel Pec scored his first for the club on only his second start. Sounders looked for an equaliser after that but chances were tight, with Albert Rusnak forcing a save out of John McCarthy their best effort, and Galaxy sealed the 1-0 to go top of the Western Conference. Portland Timbers visited Vancouver Whitecaps with absolutely no consistency to their play so far this season, as likely to concede as they are to score, but with the threat of Anthony and Evander always around the corner. Still, it was Whitecaps who opened the scoring in the second minute through Ryan Gauld, and Fafa Picault doubled that on 29 minutes to send the home side into the break two goals to the good. Timbers looked much better in the second-half and it took Evander just seven minutes to reduce the arrears with a terrific distance strike. They went in search of an equaliser and found one through Felipe Mora's close-range header in the 77th minute. Unfortunately, that sparked Vancouver back into life, going close through Picault and Tristan Blackmon, and Ryan Raposo's winner seemed almost inevitable when it hit the back of the net with three minutes to play.

The weekend finished with a free game on AppleTV on Sunday as Atlanta United welcomed Chicago Fire to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of the weekend's biggest crowd of over 42,000. United were given a scare early on when top scorer Giorgios Giakoumakis, who missed last week's defeat at Toronto because of international duty with Greece, went down injured after nine minutes but he returned to the field and scored the home side's opener on the stroke of half-time with a fine finish from six yards after slipping his markers. Chicago went close to an equaliser through Brian Gutierrez before Jamal Thiare doubled Atlanta's advantage, and Fire's uphill battle got even more difficult when Carlos Teran was sent-off seven minutes from time. Thiare scored his second in the fifth minute of stoppage time and United were well-deserved winners, with Georgian DP Saba Lobzhanidzhe a constant threat.

With Chattanooga FC having played on Thursday night, there was just one game featuring an independent club in the third-tier MLS reserve league this weekend. Carolina Core travelled to Foxboro to play New England Revolution II in front of a handful of fans at the cavernous Gillette Stadium. The Revs pressed their home advantage as early as the second minute when Malcom Fry put them ahead, but former Barry University standout David Polanco equalised eight minutes before half-time. It was all for nought, though, as US Olympic hopeful Jack Panayotou - who played twelve times in MLS last year - got the winner for New England, leaving Core still looking for their first 90-minute win of the season.