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Philadelphia Union crushed 10-man DC United 5-1 to return to the top of the Eastern Conference but there was more to the game than three points for captain Alejandro Bedoya. Bedoya set the tone away to DC in Washington, where the Union skipper opened the scoring in the third minute on Sunday. The former United […]

The post MLS Review: Bedoya calls out Congress to ´end gun violence´ after scoring goal appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Bedoya calls out Congress to ´end gun violence´ after scoring goal appeared first on Soccer News.

Philadelphia Union crushed 10-man DC United 5-1 to return to the top of the Eastern Conference but there was more to the game than three points for captain Alejandro Bedoya. Bedoya set the tone away to DC in Washington, where the Union skipper opened the scoring in the third minute on Sunday. The former United […]

The post MLS Review: Bedoya calls out Congress to ´end gun violence´ after scoring goal appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Bedoya calls out Congress to ´end gun violence´ after scoring goal appeared first on Soccer News.

Colorado stormed back from an early own goal to take a 4-1 halftime lead during what turned out to be a nine-goal scoring fest between the Rapids and Montreal Impact Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Montreal closed the gap to 4-3 in the second half, but the Rapids stayed on the gas as well, tacking on two more goals to earn a 6-3 win at home and snap a four-game winless streak.  

Here are three takeaways from the match:

Lights. Kamara. Action

With a hat trick Saturday night, Rapids forward Kei Kamara reached double-digit goals on the season, making Colorado the fifth different franchise for which Kamara has accomplished that feat.

It’s an important milestone for any top-level striker in MLS, but Kamara shrugged it off as a base level of performance.

“It’s not too much pressure, but you have to hit double-digit goals,” he told reporters after the game. “You have to have a striker on your team that’s going to hit that every single year.”

For Kamara there may be no pressure, but for Colorado as a franchise it’s been a relatively rare milestone. The last time a Colorado player marked 11 goals was in 2010 when Omar Cummings (11) and Conor Casey (13) both reached that mark.

Casey, now the Rapids interim head coach, had heaps of praise for Kamara following the win.

“He was incredible,” Casey said of Kamara. “Great attitude all week. We wanted to get more service into him, because to be fair, he’s been doing a lot of the dirty work for us and hasn’t been getting a lot of reward. Today he did and he made the best of it.”

Speedy Delivery

Rapids midfielder Jack Price had three assists Saturday to match Kamara’s three goals. At the beginning of the season, questions surrounded Colorado’s set pieces after specialist and designated player Shkëlzen Gashi was released by the team.

But Price has stepped up as the team’s primary set-piece taker and Colorado continues to lead the league in opportunities created from corners and free kicks.

“He was great,” Casey said of Price’s performance. “He’s been out [with injury], so it’s been great to have him back with the team. His delivery off of set pieces and his energy were both great.”

Scoring off of set pieces has been crucial in Casey’s system.

“Obviously, a lot of them came from set pieces,” he said of Colorado’s scoring opportunities. “We were clinical again on set pieces. It’s been a big part of our success this season.”

Did you die, though?

Another crucial point to the Rapids’ success under Conor Casey has been a willingness and need to continue to pressure teams offensively late into matches. This has been a sticking point particularly at home, where Colorado has the marked advantage of altitude.

Even with a 4-1 lead, Colorado continued to attack instead of bunker to try to protect the lead. It resulted in Montreal closing the gap to 4-3, but it also paid off when the Rapids were able to close the game out with the final two goals of the match.

Rapids attacker Diego Rubio explained the mentality behind the strategy best.

“At the start of the season we talked about that. At home we need to press our opponents, because we all know there’s altitude here in Colorado and they’ll probably die,” Rubio said. “We need to score goals to do that, to give us confidence, to give us more energy. So, we scored four goals and in the second half we said ‘We need to keep going.’”

The post Kei Kamara’s rare milestone for Colorado and other takeaways from the Rapids’ 6-3 win over Montreal appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Josef Martinez equalled his own record for most consecutive MLS games with a goal as defending champions Atlanta United beat LA Galaxy 3-0. Martinez converted a 72nd-minute penalty as the reigning MLS MVP scored in his ninth successive league match on Saturday. The Atlanta star has scored 13 goals in the nine-game period, with Martinez’s […]

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The post MLS Review: Martinez ties own record as Atlanta beat Galaxy, Rapids win nine-goal thriller appeared first on Soccer News.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Despite concerns of a plague outbreak surrounding Saturday’s match between the Colorado Rapids and Montreal Impact, the game played on and Colorado won 6-3 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“Execution, really,” Rapids coach Conor Casey said of the reason behind the win. “We created a lot of chances. We had good energy starting out. We were unfortunate to have the own goal. We were clinical again on set pieces, and a lot of positives to take away tonight.”

Montreal (10-12-3, 33 points) opened the scoring in the 18th minute when a cross from Saphir Taïder landed on the head of Rapids striker Kei Kamara, who knocked it in for an own goal.

Colorado (5-12-5, 20 points) responded in the 21st minute. A Jack Price cross deflected off Kamara and Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar before making a final bounce off Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush. The second own goal of the match leveled the score at 1-1.

Colorado nearly took its first lead of the match eight minutes later, but Kellyn Acosta’s shot from the center of the 18-yard box was high and wide of the mark.

In the 35th minute, Rapids forward Diego Rubio drew a foul in the box, prompting a penalty call. Kamara slotted home the shot in the lower right corner to give the Rapids a 2-1 lead.

Kamara extended the lead again in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. An initial shot by Sam Nicholson deflected out to Kamara, who slotted it in the lower right corner to give Colorado a 3-1 lead.

In the third minute of the four-minute stoppage time period, Colorado scored yet again. Price connected with Rubio in the box, who slotted home the header to give the Rapids a 4-1 lead before the halftime whistle.

“Mentality, work-wise and desire, he’s been giving everything to the team lately,” Casey said of Rubio, who has scored five goals in the past seven matches.

After 45 minutes, Colorado had scored four goals off three on-target efforts, while holding just 41 percent possession in the opening stanza.

Tim Howard, who made his first appearance since coming off injured two weeks ago in a 2-1 loss to NYCFC, subbed off at halftime for Clint Irwin. Casey confirmed postgame that the substitution was due to the calf injury that continues to affect Howard. 

Colorado nearly got a fifth goal in the opening minutes of the second half, but the goal was called offside.

Montreal pulled one back in the 55th minute when Maxi Urruti sent a curling shot into the upper 90 to make the score 4-2.

Despite several Rapids counterattacks, the visitors scored the next goal. Substitute Mathieu Choinière drew a foul from Acosta in Colorado’s box. Taïder took the penalty and converted, cutting the lead to 4-3 in the 76th minute.

But Colorado continued on the attack and extended its lead to two goals yet again two minutes later. Andre Shinyashiki added the fifth goal for the Rapids in the 78th minute.

Twelve minutes later, the Rapids found the back of the net again, with Kamara completing his hat trick off a headed effort to put Colorado in front 6-3 just before stoppage time.

“He was incredible,” Casey said of Kamara. “Great attitude all week. He’s been doing a lot of the dirty work for us and hasn’t always got the reward but tonight he did.”

Colorado saw out the match to earn its sixth win of the season, all coming under interim coach Conor Casey.

“It’s a statement, but we have to continue to back it up,” Casey continued. “We know where we’re at in the table so we’ve got to keep working hard.

Still at bottom of the Western Conference, the Rapids will host San Jose next Saturday night.  Montreal returns home to host Cavalry in a Canadian Championship semifinal Wednesday before playing at Chicago next Saturday.

The post Colorado Rapids not plagued by Montreal Impact in 6-3 home win appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Competition: MLS Market: Both teams to score Odds: 8/13 @ Bet 365 Two sides who have continued to produce high-scoring encounters, San Jose will welcome Columbus to the Avaya Stadium in the early hours of Sunday. Starting with the hosts, putting in another dominant display in their commanding 3-1 win over Colorado last time out, the mood in […]

The post Both teams to score at San Jose Earthquakes vs Columbus Crew 8/13 for Sunday’s MLS clash appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Both teams to score at San Jose Earthquakes vs Columbus Crew 8/13 for Sunday’s MLS clash appeared first on Soccer News.

Competition: MLS Market: Over 2.5 goals Odds: 3/5 @ Bet 365 In what could prove to be an incredibly lively encounter, a resurgent New England will welcome LAFC to the Gillette Stadium in the early hours of Sunday. Starting with the hosts, putting in yet another dominant display in their empathic 4-1 win at home to Orlando earlier […]

The post Over 2.5 goals at New England Revolution vs Los Angeles FC 3/5 for Sunday’s MLS matchup appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Over 2.5 goals at New England Revolution vs Los Angeles FC 3/5 for Sunday’s MLS matchup appeared first on Soccer News.

With the flipping of the calendar from July to August comes a larger sense of urgency for the Major League Soccer clubs involved in the playoff hunt.

The only thing we know for certain regarding the 14 playoff positions, seven in each conference, is that Los Angeles FC appears to be first in line to host MLS Cup by winning the Supporters’ Shield. 

Unless Bob Bradley’s team suffers a massive setback over a month-long span, it will be the top seed in the Western Conference, but after that, everything is up for grabs. 

The difference in the Eastern Conference between first-place Philadelphia and New England in seventh is six points, with Toronto sitting in eighth one point back of the red line. 

Eight points separates second-place Seattle from ninth-place Houston in the West, with Sporting Kansas City clinging to life 10th six points out of the final playoff spot. 

There will be an intensified focus to Week 22, and every week of play that follows, and there are some key clashes on Saturday and Sunday that could give us some clarity, while others are East-versus-West matchups that could serve as litmus tests for certain clubs. 

Week 22 Schedule

Saturday, August 3

LA Galaxy at Atlanta United (5 p.m. ET, Fox) 

Toronto FC at New York Red Bulls (6 p.m. ET, TSN4, ESPN+) 

Los Angeles FC at New England Revolution (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

FC Dallas at Orlando City (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Vancouver Whitecaps at FC Cincinnati (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Montreal Impact at Colorado Rapids (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Chicago Fire at Houston Dynamo (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

New York City FC at Real Salt Lake (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Columbus Crew at San Jose Earthquakes (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Sunday, August 4

Portland Timbers at Minnesota United (4 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

Philadelphia Union at D.C. United (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1) 

Sporting Kansas City at Seattle Sounders (10 p.m. ET, FS1) 

Things to Watch 

How Will Galaxy Deal With Zlatan’s Absence? 

The LA Galaxy head to Mercedes-Benz Stadium without their most recognizable piece. Zlatan Ibrahimović is suspended for the clash with Atlanta United due to yellow-card accumulation. 

The Galaxy have to prove they can put in positive performance without the Swedish forward, who has 13 more goals than his next teammate on the scoring chart. 

Since Ibrahimović made his debut last year, the Galaxy have been outscored 14-9 in regular-season games in which he does not play a single minute. If you take away the 5-0 loss to Seattle from last year, the goal mark is even. 

In fact, the Galaxy are 4-4 in those games, so losing Ibrahimovic does not mean certain defeat for Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s side, but it means its defense and midfield will have to work harder to halt Atlanta United and create chances in the final third. 

Look for Jonathan dos Santos, who played well in the win over LAFC, to be one of the key figures for the Galaxy if they come away from Atlanta with a positive result. 

Can Martínez Keep Scoring? 

Atlanta United forward Josef Martínez has a chance to tie his own record scoring streak in Saturday’s meeting with the Galaxy.

The Venezuelan has scored in eight consecutive league games, and with one tally versus the Galaxy, he will tie the mark he set on August 24, 2018.

Even if he doesn’t score on Saturday, Martínez will be in possession of two of the three longest scoring runs in MLS history. 

The third is held by Diego Valeri, who scored in nine straight matches from July 29 to September 24, 2017.

Will the Revs Make A Statement Against LAFC? 

An argument can be made that Saturday’s clash at Gillette Stadium is the Game of the Week. 

The New England Revolution, who most of us left for dead in May, possess the best form in MLS with an 11-game unbeaten run. 

The toughest task of Bruce Arena’s Revs tenure comes against the best team in the league in the rare clash of former United States men’s national team managers in MLS against Bob Bradley. 

While the forwards on both sides have garnered plenty of attention this season, the key to the game sits in the battle between two of the most underrated players in the league. 

New England’s Carles Gil is the engine that makes the Revs attack tick, while Eduard Atuesta has been a massive force in front of the back four for LAFC.

If Atuesta is able to jam up the channels in midfield where Gil likes to produce, the Black-and-Gold could end the Revs’ run while reasserting their dominance. 

Can the Union Re-Assert Their Spot Atop East? 

Philadelphia has two 4-0 road losses in its past three games serving as the black eye on its credentials to earn the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

On Sunday, the Union have a golden opportunity to put those results behind them while knocking off a conference rival on a national stage. 

Jim Curtin’s side will have left back Kai Wagner back in the squad, and it appears likely that Jamiro Monteiro will return in some capacity from his ankle injury. 

The Union have had success in league play in Washington, D.C., of late with a road win in each of the past two seasons, and they hold a four-game winning streak in MLS play over Ben Olsen’s side. 

Of course, the Black and Red can turn it on at any moment through Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta, and with one win since June 29, they need this game even more than the Union to revive their form. 

A win by the Union would extend their advantage over D.C. to six points and keep their East lead at three points, while a D.C. victory would open the door for Atlanta to take first and throw more chaos into the race for the No. 1 spot. 

Minnesota-Portland, Part 1 of 2

Minnesota United and the Portland Timbers square off for the first of two matches across two competitions in three days on Sunday at Allianz Field.

Before the Western Conference sides battle for a spot in the U.S. Open Cup final, they must contest a crucial game that will affect the playoff picture. 

The Loons are coming off a disappointing home draw against Vancouver in what can only be viewed as a game in which they dropped points. 

The surge everyone expected out of Portland is happening, and it is ready to move further up from seventh with a game in hand on most of its competition. 

After Sunday, the Timbers have 10 straight games at Providence Park in league play, so picking up any extra points would be a plus. 

We all know about the midfield difference-makers in each squad, but the true advantage on Sunday could be found at fullback. Jorge Moreira and Romain Métanire both can impact the game by surging forward on the flanks, and if one of them is a constant force in the final third, their team could come away with three points. 

The post MLS Week 22: Galaxy face Atlanta without Zlatan, Revs-LAFC face off at Gillette appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Competition: MLS Market: Both teams to score Odds: 8/13 @ Bet 365 In what could prove to be an extremely lively encounter in New Jersey this weekend, a struggling New York Red Bulls will host a resurgent Toronto late on Saturday night. Starting with the hosts, although the Red Bulls were briefly handed the chance to climb to […]

The post Both teams to score at New York RB vs Toronto 8/13 for Saturday’s MLS matchup appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Both teams to score at New York RB vs Toronto 8/13 for Saturday’s MLS matchup appeared first on Soccer News.

The Colorado Rapids’ MLS home game against Montreal Impact will go on as scheduled on Saturday, but the post-game fireworks display has been cancelled for a rather unusual reason. In a news release issued on Friday, the Rapids explained the decision as being down to “the confirmed presence of plague-infested fleas affecting prairie dog colonies” […]

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The post MLS post-game fireworks show cancelled because of… the plague? appeared first on Soccer News.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Saturday night’s game between the Colorado Rapids and Montreal Impact will continue as scheduled, but there will be several changes at the recommendation of the Tri-County Health Department and the City of Commerce City, due to the discovery of plague-infested prairie dog colonies in the areas surrounding Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

At the recommendation of the health department, parking will be restricted to the surface asphalt lots to minimize risk to patrons, team and staff attending the game.

Additionally, the post-game fireworks display that was scheduled to follow the match has been cancelled, due to the staging area being in the affected zone of the plague contamination. It marks the third time this season in which the club has been forced to cancel or delay fireworks shows due to outside elements. Fireworks shows following the June 28 and July 4 matches due to inclement weather surrounding the stadium.

The prairie dog colonies are currently being sprayed with insecticide to kill the fleas which transmit the disease and signs are posted for people to avoid the affected areas.

“Plague in prairie dog colonies is common in Colorado and can be managed safely with insecticide to kill the fleas that spread the disease,” John M. Douglas, Jr., executive director of Tri-County Health Department told 9NEWS in Denver. “Our partners have voluntarily closed these locations to prevent any humans or pets from wandering into the affected areas.”

According to a fact sheet provided on the Tri County Health Department’s website, plague is a very serious illness which includes symptoms of swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, headache, and extreme exhaustion. However, if the disease is contracted, it can be treated by antibiotics.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie Gateway Open Space and unpaved parking areas at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park are closed until further notice, the health department said in a news release.

“Our highest priority is the health and safety of our fans, staff, and local community,” the Rapids said in a team statement.

The post Plague confirmed in areas around Dick’s Sporting Goods Park ahead of Colorado-Montreal match appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Bojan Krkic continues his odyssey and it looks like he will go to North America. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, former Barcelona prodigy is close to joining Montreal Impact. The Stoke City forward did not do great for the English club and it seems that he will try to find a new beginning outside of […]

The post Bojan Krkic nearing MLS move appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Bojan Krkic nearing MLS move appeared first on Soccer News.

As some of Major League Soccer’s best descend on Orlando for the MLS All-Star Game against Atletico Madrid and the MLS Homegrown Game against Chivas de Guadalajara’s U-20 side, the best teams in MLS are starting to emerge in the Pro Soccer USA Power Rankings.

The league’s balance of power continues to trend western, with four of the top five teams from Week 21 coming from the Western Conference. The Portland Timbers continue to trend upward, advancing three spots after a convincing 4-0 win over the LA Galaxy Saturday night.

The biggest movers, though, are as Northeast as you can get as the New England Revolution blasted eight spots up following a 4-1 win over Orlando City SC, extending the club’s remarkable unbeaten streak to 11 games.

The Major League Soccer Power Rankings are created by averaging the rankings submitted by a committee of Pro Soccer USA’s editors and writers.

Pro Soccer USA writer Dylan Butler contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 21: Rolling New England Revolution surge to No. 6 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.