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COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Hot from a five-game unbeaten streak in league play, the Colorado Rapids entered the fourth round of U.S. Open Cup competition, hosting regional neighbors New Mexico United of the USL Championship on Wednesday night.

After 90 minutes — which saw Colorado go down a man late in the second half — and two 15-minute sudden death periods, the Rapids fell 4-2 in penalties. The result marks the second-straight year in which the Rapids have been eliminated in the fourth round and the first time since 2004-05 in which Colorado has faced consecutive fourth-round exits from the U.S. Open Cup.

“We were 30 seconds away from closing it out,” Rapids interim head coach Conor Casey said postgame. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that. We went down a man which made things very difficult. Obviously, the result wasn’t what we wanted, but there were still some very good performances from us tonight.”

At the start of the match, Casey played some reserves including homegrown Dillon Serna, centerback Axel Sjoberg and goalkeeper Clint Irwin with the remainder of his regular Starting XI having featured in at least some capacity in Colorado’s 1-0 win against Minnesota United FC the previous weekend.

But it was the lower division side who would draw first blood in the match, as former Real Salt Lake forward Devon Sandoval opened the scoring for New Mexico United in the third minute.

Despite New Mexico continuing with control of possession and attacking play, Colorado would respond with an equalizer in the 35th minute. Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar headed a long ball down to midfielder Diego Rubio, and the Chilean cleanly finished to level the score at 1-1.

“I think the game went the way we thought it was going to go,” Casey said of the first half. “We weren’t able to threaten them as much as we’d have liked pace-wise. But we never really thought we were in too big of danger. I thought we defended quite well as a unit.”

The Rapids took their first lead of the match in the second half as midfielder Nicolas Mezquida found an opportunity with several New Mexico defenders surrounding him. Mezquida put his shot past former Rapids goalkeeper Cody Mizell to give Colorado a 2-1 lead in the 46th minute.

“I wanted [the offense] to be more direct,” Casey said of the Rapids’ adjustments at the half. “We were able to do that in the second half and score out the gates.”

Colorado went down a man in the 72nd minute when Rapids defender Axel Sjoberg was booked with a second yellow card for a dangerous challenge.

Sandoval nearly equalized for the visitors in the 90th minute, but his shot from close range was parried just outside the post by Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin.

In extra time, New Mexico would finally find an equalizer. Forward Kevaughn Frater dribbled past multiple Rapids defenders to send a hard shot into the bottom corner of Colorado’s net, leveling the match at 2-2 and sending the match to sudden death.

After two sudden death periods, the game went to penalties. Rapids’ players Danny Wilson and Sam Nicholson both missed their penalties, while every New Mexico player converted, sealing the win.

“It’s a little bump tonight, but we’ll get back on and be ready to go next week,” Casey said.

New Mexico will now focus on an upcoming league match against Las Vegas Lights on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET). Colorado will face a hiatus from league play due to the Gold Cup break, returning to action on June 22 to face Vancouver Whitecaps on the road (10 p.m. ET).

The post Open Cup upset: New Mexico United bounces Colorado Rapids on penalties appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The Colorado Rapids hosted Minnesota United FC on Saturday night, looking to extend their four-game unbeaten run. Colorado opened up an early 1-0 lead on Kei Kamara’s 29th minute header, despite MNUFC’s control of possession in the first half. MNUFC would half chances in the second half, but the Rapids’ defense maintained discipline to close out the 1-0 win at home.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 1-0 win over Minnesota United.

Admirable Abubakar

During Colorado’s abysmal start to 2019, defense was the team’s most glaring issue. But since bringing in centerback Lalas Abubakar on loan from Columbus Crew, the Rapids continue to make improvement on that front. Saturday’s clean sheet was the team’s second this season and Abubakar played a large role as a starter in both 1-0 results against L.A. and Minnesota United.

“He’s a great competitor and such a physical specimen back there,” Casey said of Abubakar. “He’s brought just so much positivity and energy to our group. You saw it again. He loves to defend. That’s what he wants to do when he’s out there.”

Against MNUFC Abubakar managed four defensive clearances and one shot blocked, all of which occurred inside Colorado’s box. It was vital in preserving the win while the visitors were held to just nine shots, two of which were on target.

Kei-tana

A bit surprisingly, Kamara, who has arguably been the Rapids’ most important offensive piece throughout the course of 2019 had been in a bit of a goal scoring slump throughout Colorado’s hot streak. His last goal from the run of play came in late April in a 4-1 loss to Chicago. Shortly after, Kamara scored a brace in a 3-2 loss to Vancouver, but only from spot kicks.

A sign of his team-first mentality however, Kamara has expressed that wins are more important to him than scoring.

“It’s funny, I said to the guys’ that all the goals I’ve scored since the beginning of the year — we haven’t gotten any points from it, so I was a little nervous actually after I scored, I said, I hope it’s not one of those days,” he told the media postgame.

But Kamara’s utility doesn’t simply lie in his goal scoring ability, either. The Rapids’ striker has also chipped in defensively throughout the season, as he did again against MNUFC.

“Conor [Casey] was telling me go up, get up, get up, so when Tim [Howard] is kicking the ball I’m up there,” Kamara continued. “I said no, that’s not happening, I’m going to go defend because I have to make sure that we come away with all three points right now.”

Playoffs?!

After tying an MLS record for the worst start to a season, Colorado has suddenly and perhaps almost miraculously played itself back into the playoff picture with its current five-game unbeaten run. With the win on Saturday, the Rapids lifted themselves from the Western Conference cellar and are now just four points shy of the redline.

To the better, Casey has mostly deflected talk of playoffs and the buzz around Colorado’s meteoric rise, maintaining a workman-like focus and culture around the club since taking over the reins as interim manager.

“Again, we’re so focused on what we’re doing every day and just preparing for our next opponent and we’re going to continue doing that for the rest of the season,” he explained. “I’m not going to spend any time looking at [standings]. It’s great that we’ve come a long way in a short amount of time, but we realize that we’ve got a lot of games left in the season and we’ve got to keep focused, keep pushing each other, and we’ll continue to be able to keep getting wins.”

The post Colorado Rapids continue to stack up results under Conor Casey appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids remain hot under interim head coach Conor Casey, extending their unbeaten streak to five games following Saturday night’s 1-0 win over visiting Minnesota United FC, who dropped their third in a row.

“Great team defensive effort,” Casey said. “It’s the ugliest win we’ve had in a while and at the same time, the prettiest win as well.”

Colorado (4-9-3, 15 points) opened the scoring in the 29th minute off a set piece as Kei Kamara’s header off a corner kick found the target to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the first for Kamara from the run of play since April 20, in a 4-1 loss to Chicago.

“He’s a beast,” Casey said of Kamara. “He’s so important to this team. It’s good for him to get off the mark and get the game-winner tonight.”

Entering the half, Minnesota United (6-7-3, 21 points) out-possessed Colorado with nearly 59 percent of the ball in the first half, but the hosts outshot the Loons 4-3, including the game’s lone shot on target to that point in Kamara’s goal.

Andre Shinyashiki nearly added to Colorado’s lead in the second half, but his shot from the left side of Minnesota’s 18-yard box was wide of the mark in the 53rd minute.

Minnesota United almost found an equalizer in the 68th minute as Abu Danladi unleashed a bicycle attempt from close range, but it was calmly cradled by Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard.

A minute later, a Nicolas Mezquida insurance goal was called back by referee Ramy Touchan due to goalkeeper interference.

Colorado continued to protect the 1-0 lead throughout the game’s dying moments, which included a clutch save from Howard on Darwin Quintero’s shot on goal in the 89th minute to preserve the clean sheet.

The win marked Colorado’s second clean sheet of the season with both shutouts coming under Casey’s direction. The coach spread around the praise regarding the defensive effort.

“Lalas [Abubakar] has continued to impress,” said Casey. “Him and Tommy [Smith] have a good relationship now and Keegan [Rosenberry] as well. There’s a lot of guys that can hold their hand up and say they had big performances tonight.”

At the game’s final whistle, Colorado moved out of last place in the Western Conference with 15 points on the season, one point ahead of the idle Portland Timbers and now stands four points shy of the final playoff spot. 

“It’s great how far we’ve come in a short amount of time,” said Casey. “But we’ve got to keep focused, keep pushing each other, and we’ll continue to get wins.”

Up next for both teams is the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup. Colorado hosts New Mexico United on Wednesday while MNUFC returns to Allianz Field to host Sporting Kansas City.

The post Colorado Rapids’ unbeaten streak five after 1-0 win over Minnesota United FC appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Another wild week means even more movement in the MLS Power Rankings. Once again, including No. 1 with a bullet Los Angeles Football Club, three teams are in same spot among the league’s 23 teams as they were a week ago.

The team trending upward the most is the defending MLS Cup champion Atlanta United, which have secured clean sheets in each of their eight wins, including a 2-0 Week 14 victory over the Chicago Fire.

Also making a leap this week is FC Dallas, who climbed eight spots after an impressive 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders FC.

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 writers Dylan Butler, Julian Cardillo and Emily Olsen contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 14: Atlanta United make leap into top five appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

For the first three months of the Major League Soccer season, we’ve been transfixed by the superb form of Los Angeles FC’s Carlos Vela. 

Vela is already halfway to the single-season scoring record that was set a year ago by Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez, and he’s reached double-digit totals in both goals and assists. 

If the season ended today, Vela would be close to a unanimous Most Valuable Player for his contributions to the top side in the league. 

Vela has been on top of the Pro Soccer USA MLS Player Rankings for the majority of the season, but a new list of contenders for the top spot are lining up beneath him.

One of those players is the man whose record Vela is trying to break. Martinez is one of a few in-form scorers who have moved into the top five in hopes of stealing the top spot if the Mexican international has an off week. 

Our player rankings take into account the last four performances from a player, with the most-recent outing carrying a bit more weight. 

20. Johnny Russell, M, Sporting Kansas City 

Previous Ranking: 8

May 29, 2019; Kansas City, KS, USA; Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell (7) kicks the ball as LA Galaxy defenseman Daniel Steres (5) defends during the second half at Children’s Mercy Park. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

Perhaps we’re being a bit harsh to Johnny Russell one week after he scored a hat trick, but if you look at his overall form, he hasn’t found the back of the net on a consistent basis.

Since April 20, the Scotsman only has the hat trick from Week 13 to his name after scoring on four occasions in his first six games. 

Russell failed to put a shot on target on Wednesday in Sporting KC’s loss to the LA Galaxy and didn’t play in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Houston. 

19. Michael Amir Murillo, D, New York Red Bulls

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked 

Jun 1, 2019; Harrison, NJ, USA; New York Red Bulls defender Michael Murillo (62) celebrates after scoring a goal against Real Salt Lake during the second half at Red Bull Arena. (Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports)

An argument can be made that the New York Red Bulls have the best fullback duo in MLS. 

During the club’s five-game unbeaten run, Michael Amir Murillo and Kemar Lawrence have enforced their will on opponents. 

Murillo produced a terrific all-around performance in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake. The Panamanian scored a goal, dished out three key passes and made a pair of tackles, interceptions and clearances in the defensive half. 

18. Franco Escobar, D, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked 

May 29, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United defender Franco Escobar (2) celebrates after a goal with forward Josef Martinez (7) against Minnesota United in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

The Atlanta United defense picked up a pair of clean sheets at home against Minnesota United and Chicago in Week 14. 

Franco Escobar was the only player not named Josef Martinez to score for the Five Stripes by netting the opener on Wednesday against the Loons. 

Escobar was part of a defensive unit that conceded six shots on goal over 180 minutes in his team’s final games before the Concacaf Gold Cup break. 

17. Auston Trusty, D, Philadelphia Union

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Jun 2, 2019; Saint Paul , MN, USA; Philadelphia Union defender Auston Trusty (26) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second half against Minnesota United at Allianz Field. (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

We’re still trying to figure out how the Philadelphia Union escaped from Allianz Field with three points. 

Auston Trusty scored the game-winning goal in the Union’s 3-2 win and was a key part of the team’s incredible defensive effort inside the box in which they recorded 13 blocked shots. 

The 20-year-old center back made nine clearances, three interceptions and blocked a pair of shots for the first-place side in the Eastern Conference. 

16. Carles Gil, M, New England Revolution

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 11, 2019; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Revolution forward Carles Gil (22) celebrates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Earthquakes during the second half at Gillette Stadium. (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

While most of you were winding down from a long weekend, Carles Gil was busy carving up the LA Galaxy defense late on Sunday night. 

The 26-year-old Spaniard produced a pair of assists in New England’s 2-1 win over the Galaxy and dished out a total of six key passes on 92 touches. 

During New England’s four-game unbeaten run, Gil has produced a goal and two assists. 

15. Mark-Anthony Kaye, M, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: 11

May 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles FC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye (14) moves the ball ahead of Montreal Impact midfielder Shamit Shome (28) during the second half at Banc of California Stadium. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

When you play in the league’s best midfield on the league’s best team, there are going to be weeks in which you don’t catch the spotlight as much as your teammates. 

That’s the case with Mark-Anthony Kaye, who took a backseat in the spotlight to a few of his teammates who we’ll get to in a minute. 

Keep an eye on Kaye at the Concacaf Gold Cup with Canada. He’ll be part of another strong midfield unit alongside Montreal’s Samuel Piette and Toronto’s Jonathan Osorio. 

14. Leonardo Jara, D, D.C. United

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 4, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; D.C. United defender Leonardo Jara (29) attempts a shot against the Columbus Crew during the second half at Audi Field. (Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

If you haven’t picked up on this by now, we are displaying our soft spot for defenders this week. 

D.C.’s Leonardo Jara has quietly been one of the better fullbacks in MLS all season and he took his turn in the spotlight on Wednesday with a pair of assists in the 3-3 home draw with Chicago. 

In total, Jara delivered five key passes in Week 14 from his right back position in 156 minutes. 

13. Latif Blessing, M, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked 

May 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles FC midfielder Latif Blessing (7) celebrates his goal during the first half against the Montreal Impact at Banc of California Stadium. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

Latif Blessing has performed at a high level all season alongside Kaye and Eduard Atuesta in the LAFC midfield. 

In Saturday’s 3-2 win at Portland, Blessing netted the third LAFC goal and was accurate with his passing by producing two key passes and completing 89.2 percent of his 37 passes. 

Blessing has also put in a few immense shifts on defense, and he is averaging 3.1 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game. 

12. Amro Tarek, D, New York Red Bulls

Previous Ranking: 14 

May 25, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Red Bulls defender Amro Tarek (3) reacts against FC Cincinnati in the first half at Nippert Stadium. (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

Before departing Saturday’s game at Red Bull Arena in the 73rd minute, Amro Tarek produced yet another solid performance in the middle of the Red Bulls defense. 

In the four wins the Red Bulls have achieved during their five-game unbeaten run, they have outscored opponents 8-1. 

Tarek, who played with Orlando City last season, should be in the running for the Most Improved Player in MLS. 

11. Alejandro Pozuelo, M, Toronto FC

Previous Ranking: 10 

May 31, 2019; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo (10) controls the ball against Vancouver Whitecaps forward Joaquin Ardaiz (9) during the second half at BC Place. (Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

Alejandro Pozuelo did everything but find the back of the net in Toronto FC’s 1-1 draw with Vancouver on Friday. 

The Spaniard finished the game with 109 touches, which is incredibly high for an attacking midfielder, two key passes and a shot off the post. 

Pozuelo and his teammates have one more opportunity to earn their first win since May 4 before the Gold Cup break on Friday when Sporting KC comes to BMO Field. 

10. Andre Shinyashiki, F, Colorado Rapids

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked 

Say hello to the MLS Rookie of the Year favorite. 

HT: Easy as that! Andre Shinyashiki gets it done and gives @ColoradoRapids a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/tMtpwT0Rae

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 2, 2019

Andre Shinyashiki, who scored 28 goals at the University of Denver in 2018, has been one of the most important attacking pieces for Colorado during its four-game unbeaten run. 

Shinyashiki assisted on the Rapids’ equalizer on Wednesday against Philadelphia and found the back of the net in Saturday’s 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati. 

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft has two goals and an assist in his last four appearances. 

9. Romain Metanire, D, Minnesota United

Previous Ranking: 4

May 25, 2019; Saint Paul, MN, Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota United defender Romain Metanire (19) controls the ball as Houston Dynamo midfielder Matias Vera (22) gives chase during the second half of a match at Allianz Field. (Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports)

 Just as we sent Romain Metanire surging into the top five, he crashed out because of Minnesota’s shaky defensive performance against Philadelphia.

Metanire, who missed the Wednesday game against Atlanta due to yellow card accumulation, was part of a group that had trouble dealing with the Union’s counters and gave up three goals against a team the Loons outplayed. 

8. Miles Robinson, D, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: 20 

Jun 1, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Chicago Fire forward Aleksandar Katai (10) fights for the ball with Atlanta United defender Miles Robinson (12) (left) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

Two clean sheets in one week makes a world of difference when it comes to your position on this list. 

Miles Robinson dropped to the bottom of the top 20 after Atlanta United conceded twice against Real Salt Lake, but the entire Atlanta defense bounced back with two straight home shutouts. 

Robinson was immense in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Chicago. The 22-year-old won five aerial duels, made seven clearances, six interceptions and three tackles for Frank de Boer’s side. 

7. Eduard Atuesta, M, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: 3 

Jun 1, 2019; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Timbers midfielder Sebastian Blanco (10) attacks the ball against Los Angeles FC midfielder Eduard Atuesta (20) in the first half at Providence Park. (Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports)

Eduard Atuesta’s four-spot drop has more to do with the players surging in front of him than his play in Week 14 against the Timbers. 

In the back-and-forth affair at Providence Park, Atuesta made three tackles and interceptions as well as a pair of clearances. 

In 15 games, Atuesta is averaging 83.2 passes per game and has a completion percentage of 87.5.

6. Nani, M, Orlando City 

Previous Ranking: 6 

Nani deposited his eighth MLS goal into the back of the net in Orlando City’s 3-0 road win over the Montreal Impact on Saturday. 

.@luisnani's career goal from @Orlando_CityUK's view on Saturday.

We love that road support. #FaceOfCity pic.twitter.com/ua08Tr3jbG

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) June 3, 2019

The strike at Stade Saputo was the third for the Portuguese winger in the last three games.

In 13 matches, Nani has scored on eight of his 18 shots on goal and handed out four assists. 

5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, F, LA Galaxy

Previous Ranking: 19 

This is really just another opportunity for us to link to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s bicycle kick goal from Sunday night. 

ZLATAN HIT 'EM WITH THE BICYCLE #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/hMpLhCVriB

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 3, 2019

Ibrahimovic returned from his two-game suspension in Week 14 and promptly scored a goal in each of the LA Galaxy’s games to boost his season total up to 11. 

The Swede’s ridiculous bicycle kick goal took away the real headline from Sunday’s match. The Galaxy lost 2-1 to former boss Bruce Arena in his first game on the sidelines for the Revs. 

4. Brian Fernandez, M, Portland Timbers

Previous Ranking: 5 

Before Ibrahimovic unleashed his bicycle kick goal, Brian Fernandez netted an acrobatic goal of his own for the Timbers on Saturday night. 

How else would Brian Fernandez score his first home goal?

The Complete Look, presented by @oregon_lottery. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/wwCHFGWbYY

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) June 3, 2019

In 205 minutes played over three games, Fernandez has found the back of the net on four occasions. 

3. Josef Martinez, F, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: 9

It took a while for Josef Martinez to get going in front of goal this season, but now he can’t be stopped. 

The Venezuelan forward eclipsed the double-digit mark in the scoring column on Saturday by recording his second brace of the week. 

Another Josef Martinez goal.

No, we are not kidding.#UniteAndConquer pic.twitter.com/1a1aMFug3g

— FOX Sports South (@FOXSportsSouth) May 30, 2019

Martinez’s second and third multiple-goal outings of the season came against Minnesota and Chicago.

2. Chris Wondolowski, F, San Jose Earthquakes

Previous Ranking: 2

While many of the flashy new signings from the past few years are scoring goals at will, wily veteran Chris Wondolowski is keeping up with them at the moment.

33.8 – San Jose's Chris Wondolowski averaged a goal every 33.8 minutes in May, the best of any #MLS player with 2+ goals. Swift. #OptaPerformersOfTheMonth #Quakes74 pic.twitter.com/VwFXKmAzdd

— OptaJack (@OptaJack) June 3, 2019

The all-time leading scorer in MLS history pocketed his seventh goal in three games in San Jose’s draw with D.C. United on Saturday. 

Wondolowski now needs to score three more goals in order to extend his streak of double-digit goal seasons to 10. 

1. Carlos Vela, M, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: 1

Plenty of players have tried to match Vela’s form for stretches of the season, but the LAFC midfielder has shown no let up since the start of the campaign. 

A year after producing 14 goals and 13 assists, Vela has already eclipsed that goal total and is four assists away from setting a new high in MLS. 

WHO ELSE!!??

Carlos Vela opens the scoring at the new Providence Park!!#PORvLAFC 0-1 pic.twitter.com/77iPqRSwbC

— LAFC (@LAFC) June 2, 2019

Vela’s goal against Portland on Saturday extended his scoring streak to five games, and during that stretch he’s also contributed five assists.

The post MLS Player Rankings Week 14: Vela remains on top, Martinez surges up list after four-goal week appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Two teams earned 3-2 road victories in Week 14 of the Major League Soccer season. 

The score was about the only thing similar in Los Angeles FC’s Saturday win over the Portland Timbers and the Philadelphia Union’s triumph against Minnesota United the next day.

The Timbers were supposed to bask in their renovated stadium reopening with a win over the best team in MLS. But, as usual this season, LAFC couldn’t be slowed down. LAFC got rolling in the 6th minute, when Carlos Vela took advantage of a defensive error by Jeff Attinella. Diego Rossi and Latif Blessing each added a goal to solidify the victory. 

Looking at the box score, it wasn’t just Vela who piled on the Timbers with his incredible form. Fullbacks Jordan Harvey and Tristan Blackmon chipped in with assists on the goals scored by Rossi and Blessing, and on the other side of the field, Tyler Miller came up with a few big saves, including a diving 61st-minute denial on Diego Valeri’s curling shot from outside the box. 

What a night to take all 3 points.

#PORvLAFC pic.twitter.com/TwXiHUWhlH

— LAFC (@LAFC) June 2, 2019

The victory by Bob Bradley’s team reinforced what we already knew about the second-year side: It is the best in MLS.

Over at Allianz Field, the Union proved a point to the rest of the league by gutting out a victory in a game they had no business winning. 

The Union’s defense made 15 blocks, and Andre Blake came up with a few massive saves in the first half to keep them in the game. 

He wanted it, so he took it! Atta way, Auston Trusty #DOOP | #MINvPHI 2 – 3 | @austheboss3 pic.twitter.com/E2z3Cc5x45

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) June 2, 2019

The result was even more impressive considering the Union went into the game on a frustrating three-game winless streak in which they dropped seven points in a home stand against the Seattle Sounders, Portland and the Colorado Rapids. 

Sunday’s game was a chaotic back-and-forth affair, the polar opposite of the high-quality soccer on display at Providence Park a day before. 

Jim Curtin’s side has a much more difficult task to hold on to first place in the Eastern Conference than LAFC does in the Western Conference.

Goal of the Week 

Zlatan Ibrahimović, Los Angeles Galaxy 

There should only be one option for goal of the week. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored this stunning bicycle kick in the LA Galaxy’s loss to the New England Revolution on Sunday. What is even more impressive when you watch this on repeat is the touch the Swede used to set up the bike. 

DARE TO ZLATAN @Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/pU4zVMqXbk

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) June 3, 2019

The Best of the Rest 

In any other week, most of these goals would be goal of the week, but they won’t be because of Zlatan’s incredible strike. 

Valentín Castellanos, New York City FC 

Watch it again and again and again… pic.twitter.com/qzgW3xeBqD

— New York City FC (@NYCFC) June 2, 2019

Brian Fernández, Portland Timbers 

Not a bad way to score your first Providence Park goal, Brian Fernandez. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/djZBBnlmiI

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) June 2, 2019

Haris Medunjanin, Philadelphia Union

Haris' lefty free-kick is up for @MLS Goal of the Week

It's ya civic duty – VOTE https://t.co/k57InFT855#DOOP pic.twitter.com/xXs9O9S7Ky

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) June 3, 2019

Another Eastern Conference Shakeup

The Eastern Conference will have the more competitive race for a No. 1 seed unless LAFC experiences a significant drop off in form. 

Philadelphia reclaimed the top spot with its win over Minnesota United and DC United’s home draw versus the San Jose Earthquakes. 

If you peek below the Union and DC, you’ll see Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls, the two Eastern Conference finalists from a year ago, lurking in third and fourth. 

Both the Five Stripes and Red Bulls earned shutout victories at home on Saturday. The Red Bulls are on a five-game unbeaten run, while Atlanta has won its last two games. 

Another shakeup is expected next weekend when the Red Bulls and Union collide at Talen Energy Stadium, while New York City FC could gain ground from sixth place if it beats FC Cincinnati on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. 

Watch Out For The Rapids

Jun 1, 2019; Commerce City, CO, USA; Colorado Rapids forward Andre Shinyashiki (99) chases down a loose ball in the second half against FC Cincinnati at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

We didn’t imagine saying this about the Colorado Rapids a month ago, but they are one of the hottest teams in MLS. 

Interim boss Conor Casey has reinvigorated the franchise, and it has earned 10 points from the last four games, including Saturday’s 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati. 

One of the three goals was scored by Andre Shinyashiki, who is starting to create some separation for rookie of the year, which really should be renamed “young player of the year,” but that’s a discussion for another day. 

Unfortunately for Colorado, its horrific start put the team in such a deep hole that it still sits in last place in the Western Conference with 12 points. 

The Rapids could jump out of the basement if they beat Minnesota United at home on Saturday since the 11th-place Timbers are off in Week 15. 

Own Goal Fever

Jun 1, 2019; Frisco, TX, USA; Seattle Sounders defender Kelvin Leerdam (18) and defender Joevin Jones (33) react after the loss against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

The Seattle Sounders accomplished a feat no team wants to be associated with on Saturday. 

Xavier Arreaga and Brad Smith scored own goals five minutes apart at Toyota Stadium to gift FC Dallas a 2-1 home victory. 

The Sounders ended up with more shots on their own net than FC Dallas, which put one of its 14 shots on goal. 

Chris Wondolowski, He Scores When He Wants

There’s no slowing down Chris Wondolowski.

His goal at Audi Field on Saturday extended his remarkable scoring run to seven goals in three games. 

Wondo can't stop scoring! #DCvSJ pic.twitter.com/37ZElCoWgt

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 2, 2019

Portland’s Grand Re-Opening

The Timbers didn’t get the result they wanted on Saturday, but there’s no denying they eventually will make the newly renovated Providence Park a fortress. 

The renovations look spectacular on television, and if you have a chance make the trip to Oregon this season, we suggest you don’t second guess it. 

Tremendous atmosphere tonight with @TimbersFC vs. @LAFC for the re-opening of @ProvidencePark_! pic.twitter.com/0goFb7mN93

— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) June 2, 2019

Stock Up, Stock Down 

Stock Up: New England Revolution

Jun 2, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo (17) controls the ball past LA Galaxy midfielder Joe Corona (14) in the first half at StubHub Center. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

In Bruce Arena’s first game on the sidelines as New England manager, the Revs went into Dignity Health Sports Park and knocked off the LA Galaxy.

Similar to the Rapids, the Revs have played much better since the firing of their head coach, Brad Friedel. They are on a four-game unbeaten run and have earned eight points in that stretch. 

The Revs still have plenty of work to do to be considered a contender in the East, but they have put themselves on the right track with a few weeks to get adjusted to Arena during the Concacaf Gold Cup break. 

Don’t be surprised if the Revs have an MLS 1.0 feel to them for the rest of the season with Arena in charge and Curt Onalfo installed as technical director.

While plenty of people will frown upon the hires, all that matters right now for the Revs is stringing together positive results and hopefully improving the roster during the summer transfer window. 

Stock Up: San Jose Earthquakes

Jun 1, 2019; Washington, D.C., USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski (8) celebrates after scoring a goal against D.C. United in the first half at Audi Field. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

After struggling at the start of Matías Almedya’s first year in charge, the Earthquakes have taken seven points from their last three games. 

In fact, going back even further, the Quakes have only one loss since April 20, when they trounced Sporting Kansas City at home. 

Wondolowski’s scoring run has been the highlight of the last three games, but the Quakes have formed more of an identity and are going to cause problems for the rest of the season in their quest for a playoff spot.

Stock Down: DC United

Jun 1, 2019; Washington, D.C., USA; D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen (R) salutes the fans after UnitedÕs match against San Jose Earthquakes at Audi Field. There match ended a 1-1 draw. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

DC sits second in the East, but it really should be out in front with more than 30 points. It has dropped points in each of its last two home games. 

The draws with the Chicago Fire and San Jose shouldn’t sit well with Ben Olsen’s side. It goes into the Gold Cup break with its last win coming on May 12. 

Stock Down: Columbus Crew SC

Jun 1, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen (23) reacts to a call by the referee during the match against New York City FC at MAPFRE Stadium. (Greg Bartram-USA TODAY) Sports

We thought Columbus would get out of its rut with the win over the Galaxy on May 8, but since then, the Crew have one point in four games. 

Caleb Porter’s side should have earned three points against NYCFC on Saturday, but it fell victim to Castellanos’ equalizer late in the second half. 

To add to the club’s problems, Federico Higuaín was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL on Friday, and Zack Steffen is off to Manchester City after the Gold Cup. 

The post MLS Week 14 Review: LAFC, Union earn huge road wins; Zlatan’s stunning goal appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The Colorado Rapids hosted FC Cincinnati for the first time in MLS play Saturday night. An early Andre Shinyashiki goal gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the first half. The second half saw three goals between the sides, beginning with Kekuta Manneh’s equalizer in the 72nd minute. But Colorado regained the lead on the ensuing restart with a goal from Nicolas Mezquida and capped the 3-1 win with another late goal from substitute Diego Rubio.

Here are three takeaways from the Rapids’ 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati:

Conor Casey Renaissance Continues

Colorado is now on a four-game unbeaten run with interim head coach Conor Casey in charge and now has a 3-2-1 record under the former Rapids forward.

Colorado has averaged two goals per game under Casey, displaying the type of attacking soccer the club has outlined as “The Rapids Way”

Mindset has been what the Rapids’ interim manager has credited as the reason behind the turnaround.

“Mentality is something I’ll keep talking about and the collectiveness,” he explained. “They’ve been fighting all year, and now that it’s turning, confidence comes into play. This is a great group of guys that has been extremely headstrong throughout this time and now we’re starting to reap some of the rewards they’re putting in.”

Bend But Don’t Break

It’s a common strategy in sport; simply outscore your opponent, regardless of what happens defensively.

The Rapids’ defense continues to be a liability as Colorado has conceded 10 goals in twelve matches under Casey. But the team’s defense hasn’t collapsed results like it had in the beginning of the season, where it had leaked goals at a rate of nearly three per game (2.67).

Additionally, Colorado’s defense has improved under Casey (and aided by the addition of centerback Lalas Abubakar), now conceding just under a goal per game at 0.83 GPG.

“Certainly, they scored, but we got it right back, so a great reaction from us,” Casey said in response to the Rapids’ conceding in the second half against Cincinnati.

In addition to his previous comments on playing an aggressive brand, Casey’s unpanicked response to the Rapids’ defensive performance on Saturday shows that conceding goals aren’t a huge concern, just as long as Colorado is outscoring the opposition.

Deklan Loss?

Colorado lost a key defensive contributor on Saturday as Rapids defender Deklan Wynne left the game in the first half with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Wynne has oft-been criticized by the fans and media for his mixed-bag performances (and perhaps due his close ties with fired head coach Anthony Hudson, who brought Wynne in largely due to their New Zealand ties), but has shown improvement in his second year in Colorado.

More importantly, Wynne has been a piece providing depth at both the centerback and outside back positions.

Casey was unable to provide an update on the injury.

“Something happened with his foot,” he told reporters postgame. “I don’t know the extent, so I can’t comment on that.”

The post Rootin’ and Shootin’: Colorado’s offensive style pays off again in 4th-straight win appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids hosted FC Cincinnati in an inaugural MLS meeting between the two clubs, also marking a showdown of interim managers. By night’s end, it was Conor Casey’s Rapids who took home the victory, extending their current unbeaten run to four straight with a 3-1 win Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“Really pleased with the group,” Casey said. “It was just a professional performance tonight from us. To come away with a 3-1 win is great for the group, great for the momentum we’re building and great for the fans.”

The win was cemented by substitutes Nicolas Mezquida, who provided a late goal for the second straight home match and Diego Rubio, who provided a goal and assisted Mezquida after subbing on in the 68th minute. 

“Our subs have been huge for us,” Casey said. “We have competition now and guys are pushing each other.” 

Offensive chances were few in the first quarter hour, but opportunities from Rapids defender Keegan Rosenberry (3’) and FC Cincinnati’s Caleb Stanko (8’) failed to find the target.

A collision in the Rapids’ 18-yard box led to outside back Deklan Wynne being subbed off in favor of homegrown Sam Vines in the 18th minute.

The Rapids (3-9-3, 12 points) threatened to go in front again in the 33rd minute, but Kei Kamara’s point-blank header was saved off the line by FCC ‘keeper Spencer Richey. FC Cincinnati (3-10-2, 11 points) responded with an attacking spell of their own, but Roland Lamah’s shot from the center of the box was blocked in the 38th minute.

Midfielder Sam Nicholson provided another quality opportunity for Colorado in the 41st minute, but Richey again came up big with the save .

Colorado finally broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute as Nicholson found Andre Shinyashiki at FCC’s back door to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead before halftime.

In the second half, Shinyashiki nearly returned the favor to Nicholson, sending in a cross in the 50th minute which failed to connect.

FC Cincinnati looked poised to equalize in the 58th minute, but Nick Hagglund’s shot was cleared off the line by Jack Price after it was initially bobbled by Rapids’ goalkeeper Tim Howard.

FCC found the equalizer in the 72nd minute, as Kekuta Manneh collected an over the top ball from Lamah, calmly finishing past Howard.

But on the ensuing restart, Colorado responded with a goal of their own as Rubio found Mezquida, whose shot hit the top drawer to reclaim the lead, 2-1, in the 73rd minute. 

The visitors again pressed to respond, but Howard came up big with a save on FCC defender Alvas Powell in the 80th minute.

Resisting another deadlock, Colorado sealed the game with its third goal in the 82nd minute. Price’s corner kick found the head of Rubio, who sent it in the bottom corner to extend the Rapids’ advantage to 3-1. 

Colorado has now collected 10 points in its past four games after starting the season winless in 12 matches. 

“It’s mentality,” Casey said of the team’s current run of form. “They’ve really bonded together; they’re fighting for each other and they have belief.”

With the win, Colorado moved out of sole possession of last place in MLS, but remains at the bottom of the Western Conference, two points behind Sporting Kansas City. FCC is now last in the league with a third loss in a row.

The Rapids remain at home to face Minnesota United next Saturday (9 p.m. ET) while FC Cincinnati continues its road trip with a visit to Yankee Stadium to face NYCFC on Thursday (7 p.m. ET).

The post Colorado Rapids extend unbeaten streak with 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Within the span of a few hours on Saturday night, one set of Major League Soccer fans will say goodbye to one of the best players for their side in recent memory and another will get to celebrate the long-awaited re-opening of their renovated stadium.

Columbus Crew fans will bid farewell to goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who is playing in his last home game before his summer departure for Manchester City. 

It is only fitting that Steffen’s final home game with the Crew comes against New York City FC, who is owned by Manchester City. 

In three seasons with the Crew, Steffen has 33 wins in 75 regular-season starts, he’s made 201 saves and earned 23 clean sheets. 

Steffen also produced one of the most memorable playoff goalkeeping performances in MLS history against Atlanta United in 2017. 

During his time with the Crew, Steffen has gained the top spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper depth chart, and he should be the starter for his former club boss Gregg Berhalter during the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. 

Once the Gold Cup ends, Steffen will head back to Europe. He previously played in Germany for Freiburg before moving to MLS to join the Crew. 

Steffen might not play for Manchester City right away, but even if he goes out on loan to start the 2019-20 European season, he should be starting somewhere in order to continue his progression.

Just reaching this point is remarkable for Steffen since most players who failed to make it Europe don’t receive a second chance to do so, but that is what the 24-year-old has earned during his time with the Crew. 

Three hours after Steffen’s sendoff begins in Columbus, the Portland Timbers play the first game in the newly-renovated Providence Park against Los Angeles FC. 

Portland comes into the match in good form and with its club-record signing firing on all cylinders. 

Brian Fernandez has scored three goals in his first two games for the Timbers, and he joins an already impressive collection of attacking talent led by Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco. 

With Valeri, Fernandez and Blanco going up against Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi and Co, we could witness one of the best games of the season and a possible Western Conference Final preview on Saturday night. 

It may seem crazy to suggest that with Portland sitting in 10th place, but it is in great position to surge up the table with a long run of home games in front of it. 

If anything, Saturday’s nightcap should be spectacle that showcases one of the best soccer facilities in North American and two of the best attacking groups in the league. 

Week 14 Weekend Schedule

Friday, May 31

Toronto FC at Vancouver Whitecaps (10 p.m. ET, TSN 1/4, ESPN+)

Saturday, June 1

Orlando City at Montreal Impact (5 p.m. ET, TVA Sport, ESPN+)

Chicago Fire at Atlanta United (6 p.m. ET, Univision) 

Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

New York City FC at Columbus Crew (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+, TSN) 

Seattle Sounders at FC Dallas (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

San Jose Earthquakes at D.C. United (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

FC Cincinnati at Colorado Rapids (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Sporting Kansas City at Houston Dynamo (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Los Angeles FC at Portland Timbers (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) 

Sunday, June 2

Philadelphia Union at Minnesota United (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

New England Revolution at LA Galaxy (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Storylines to Watch

1. Impact Looking To Continue Dominance of Orlando

Montreal comes into Saturday with four straight wins against Orlando City. 

The Impact have a good chance to pick up a fifth straight victory over the Lions at Stade Saputo with first place in the Eastern Conference in their sights. 

Remi Garde’s team already picked up a win over the Lions at Orlando City Stadium in March and earned a season sweep a year ago. 

During the four-game winning streak against Orlando, the Impact have outscored their foe from central Florida 10-2. 

Of course, every game presents a new set of challenges for both sides, which is something the Impact can attest to since it was announced this week they will be without Ignacio Piatti for an extended period of time. 

By the time June ends, the Impact could be in first place in the East thanks to a four-game stretch at home that began with a 2-1 Wednesday win over Real Salt Lake. 

Montreal has scored six of its 19 goals in the last two weeks, and it needs to continue that form in front of goal in order to fend off a challenge from Sacha Kljestan, Dom Dwyer and Co. 

2. Petke’s Return to Red Bull Arena

Real Salt Lake manager Mike Petke returns to Red Bull Arena on Saturday for the first time as head coach of an opposing team.

The former New York Red Bulls player and manager took over the Claret-and-Cobalt a few days after RSL’s last trip to New Jersey in 2017.

Petke’s RSL beat the Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium at the start of the 2018 season and it comes into Harrison off a midweek defeat to the Impact. 

Before falling to the Impact, RSL put together a three-game winning streak in which it scored multiple goals in each game. 

The Red Bulls are starting to make noise in the Eastern Conference with 10 points in their last four games, and they’ve achieved those marks in typical Red Bulls fashion with unheralded players who have come up through the system making key contributions. 

In order to keep building on their recent form, the Red Bulls have to slow down Albert Rusnak, who makes everything tick to perfection in the RSL front four. 

3. Will Seattle or FC Dallas Get Out of Recent Slump? 

Seattle and FC Dallas enter Saturday’s clash at Toyota Stadium in slumping form.

The Sounders suffered their first loss since April 24 in Week 13 against Sporting Kansas City, but the six games that preceded that result produced four draws and just two victories. 

FC Dallas is in more worrisome form with two points from its last six games, and it hasn’t won since its triumph in Atlanta on April 20. 

With Portland and Sporting KC expected to surge up from beneath the red line and other teams playing well to stay in the top seven, the Sounders and FC Dallas can’t afford to continue dropping points, especially Luchi Gonzalez’s seventh-place side. 

The Sounders are in better shape of the two sides, but they can’t afford to go into the Gold Cup break with a few poor road results. Their final game before the break is in Montreal on Wednesday. 

FC Dallas has an away game in San Jose to turn things around after Saturday’s home game. For most of the next month-and-a-half, FC Dallas also has to navigate through international absences, which means more trust will have to be put in younger players. 

4. Can Wondo Keep Scoring? 

Chris Wondolowski has found the back of the net on six occasions in the last two games.

During his terrific scoring stretch, Wondolowski has set the all-time scoring record in Major League Soccer and eclipsed Landon Donovan for most game-winning goals in league history. 

After scoring twice to beat Toronto FC on the road a week ago, Wondolowski has another chance to lead the San Jose Earthquakes to an upset victory against D.C. United at Audi Field. 

Scoring against D.C. is going to be a tougher task for Wondolowski, and the entire Quakes attack, since the Black-and-Red have conceded 17 goals in 16 games.

5. Who Wins the Midfield Battle in Portland?

We eluded to this a bit earlier, and it’s probably the best positional matchup of the weekend. 

Portland’s midfield group of Fernandez, Valeri, Blanco and Diego Chara are going up against LAFC’s unit of Mark-Anthony Kaye, Eduard Atuesta, Latif Blessing, Rossi and Vela.

An argument can be made that both groups are the best midfield unit in MLS when they are at their best, and we expect them all to be on Saturday night.

LAFC’s midfielders have performed at a remarkably high level all season, with Vela leading the charge with 15 goals and nine assists. 

Portland has caught fire of late and come into Providence Park with the momentum from a 3-1 win in which Fernandez and Valeri scored. 

Atuesta and Chara are two of the best midfield stoppers in the league, which will make life difficult for stretches for both sides. 

How each team adjusts to the opponent over 90 minutes will eventually make the difference in front of the boisterous crowd in Portland.

The post MLS Week 14 Weekend Preview: Steffen’s final Crew game, Timbers open renovated Providence Park appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

CHESTER, Pa. — The Philadelphia Union once again left the Talen Energy Stadium field frustrated on Wednesday night.

The Union failed to defeat Major League Soccer’s worst team and settled for a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids. 

Just like their last two home games against Seattle and Portland, the Union simply weren’t good enough in the final third. 

Jim Curtin’s side attempted 26 shots, but only placed seven on target, including its lone goal that was produced in the 26th minute by Sergio Santos. 

The Union opened the contest with 10-minute barrage in the final third. They created four shots and three corners, but were unable to put a shot on target. 

The trend continued for most of the first half, but the Union were able to put one of their shots on target in the first 45 minutes into the back of the net. 

Santos played a lovely one-two combination with Jamiro Monteiro and took the ball into open space to score past Clint Irwin.

“It was a play that started out with some pressure and we were able to get out of it,” Santos said through a translator. “Jamiro laid off a great pass and I was able to finish just like I worked on so many times in training.” 

Unfortunately for the Union (7-4-4, 25 points), they continued to struggle in front of the net after the goal, and their inefficiency eventually caught up with them midway through the second half. 

In the 72nd minute, the Rapids (2-9-3, 9 points) equalized on a well-hit strike from substitute Jonathan Lewis. Lewis benefited from an Andre Shinyashiki assist and powered his shot past Andre Blake from the right side of the penalty area. 

The play started with a quick throw-in from Diego Rubio, who picked out Shinyashiki. The forward then took advantage of poor defending by three Union players on the left side of the box and picked out Lewis with a superb ball. 

“We want to take quick restarts when we can and Diego, Andre and Jon were all on the same page,” Rapids defender Keegan Rosenberry said. “He did really well and put it in the bottom corner. It was perfect.”

The goal was a deserved reward for the Rapids, who showed little fear moving forward in a game where they could have bunkered in for the entire 90 minutes. 

For the final 18 minutes, the Rapids employed that defensive strategy since they were playing for a point against a team that continued to struggle in front of goal. 

The defensive strategy at the end of the second half worked for the Rapids, who secured a point for a third straight game.

The Union’s three-game homestand ended in disappointment. Against Seattle, Portland and Colorado, the Union earned two out of a possible nine points. 

“We just have to get it together in the final third because we have everything else except for the final product,” Bedoya said.

The post Philadelphia Union left frustrated after 1-1 draw with Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Wednesday’s five-game slate in Major League Soccer begins an 11-day stretch in which MLS games will be played on eight days 

Four of Wednesday’s contests take place in Eastern Conference stadiums, but only one of those matchups features a pair of teams from the East. 

The final contest to kick off on Wednesday involves a pair of Western Conference sides who both got out of losing slumps in Week 13. 

Of the 10 teams in action on Wednesday, seven are currently in playoff positions in their respective conferences. 

A major shakeup could occur in the East on Wednesday night since four of the top five teams in the standings take to the field. 

Below is a look at some of the top storylines to watch on Wednesday night. 

Week 14 Wednesday Schedule

Minnesota United at Atlanta United (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Real Salt Lake at Montreal Impact (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN 5, ESPN+)

Colorado Rapids at Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Chicago Fire at D.C. United (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

LA Galaxy at Sporting Kansas City (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Storylines to Watch 

1. How Will Minnesota’s Defense Deal Fare Without Metanire? 

May 25, 2019; Saint Paul, MN, Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota United defender Romain Metanire (19) controls the ball as Houston Dynamo midfielder Matias Vera (22) gives chase during the second half of a match at Allianz Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

Romain Metanire has been one of the best defenders in MLS this season, but he will miss Wednesday’s trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium because of yellow-card accumulation. 

The road game at Atlanta is one of the worst for Metanire to miss since he would have been able to limit the production of the Five Stripes in one quadrant of the field. 

Rookie Hassani Dotson, who played well on Saturday against Houston, and veteran Eric Miller will be tasked with limiting the quality runs made by Atlanta’s front four. 

If Pity Martinez, Julian Gressel, Josef Martinez and others are able to interchange spots in the final third right away, the Loons could be overwhelmed. 

But losing Metanire for Wednesday doesn’t cast off Minnesota’s chances of earning points. In stark contrast to previous seasons, the Loons have a positive goal differential and have three road wins through 13 games. 

It’s also worth noting each of the previous three meetings between the two teams have been won by the road side. 

2. Can Piette Limit the Impact of Rusnak? 

May 18, 2019; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Impact midfielder Samuel Piette (6) plays the ball during the second half against the New England Revolution at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best individual matchups on Wednesday’s slate isn’t one you’d pay attention to right away. 

Montreal’s Samuel Piette, who has quietly put together a strong MLS career in defensive midfield, is set to square off with Real Salt Lake playmaker Albert Rusnak.

Other players have scored for RSL during its three-game winning streak, but Rusnak is the player who pulls the strings in attack for the majority of the 90 minutes. 

If Piette is able to put the clamps of Rusnak’s productivity, it will make life much harder for Bofo Saucedo, Jefferson Savarino and Corey Baird to create chances.

Piette’s ability to clog up the middle of the field should also help the Impact counter down the field in a fast manner, which is one of the team’s best qualities. 

A victory would be massive for the Impact, who have three games at Stade Saputo in the next week before the Concacaf Gold Cup break. 

3. Can the Union Be More Accurate In Front of Goal? 

May 25, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri (8) celebrates his goal with defender Zarek Valentin (16) against the Philadelphia Union during the second half at Talen Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia’s form in front of goal came to screeching halt in the last two games against Seattle and Portland. 

The Union were frustrated by the bunkered defensive style of the Western Conference opponents, and they are likely to face a similar strategy from the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night. 

While the Rapids aren’t as well-rounded as the Sounders or Timbers, they do come into Talen Energy Stadium off their first two wins of the season. 

Colorado is playing with a new-found confidence under interim manager Conor Casey and it has scored four goals in the last two games.

The problem with the Rapids all season long has been their defending. They’ve given up a league-high 32 goals, which on paper, looks promising for the Union. 

The Union generated 38 shots in the last two games, but only put 11 of them on target and scored one goal. 

In order to remain near the top of the East, the Union need to beat a team like Colorado at home ahead of a tricky Sunday road trip to Minnesota. 

While it won’t be their biggest test of the year, the Union still need to come out and outperform the Rapids in front of goal in order to regain a bit of confidence. 

4. Will D.C. Keep Up Strong Defensive Form at Audi Field? 

Mar 31, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; D.C. United midfielder Chris McCann (16) and defender Steve Birnbaum (15) talk during the first half at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

D.C. United has given up eight goals in seven games at Audi Field in 2019. 

The statistic becomes even more impressive when you realize half of those goals were scored in one game by Los Angeles FC back on April 6. 

The Black-and-Red have four clean sheets in their home stadium, and they have an opportunity to add to that number against the Chicago Fire. 

A home game is a welcome sight to the first-place side in the East, who maneuvered through a tricky three-game road swing in which it earned draws against East foes Toronto and New England and lost to Houston. 

D.C.’s defense appears to have an easy task on its hands to continue the run of form at Audi Field. 

Outside of the five-goal thumping of New England on May 8, the Fire have scored four goals since the start of May and Nemanja Nikolic has struggled to get going in front of net. 

5. What Will Zlatan Produce After Two Games On the Bench? 

May 11, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (9) moves in for a shot on goal against New York City during the second half at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two-game suspension kept him out of the LA Galaxy’s loss to Colorado and win over Orlando.

On Wednesday, Ibrahimovic is expected to make his return to the field to take on a Sporting Kansas City defense that has a renewed sense of confidence after holding on to beat Seattle on Sunday.

However, Sporting KC still conceded twice to the Sounders and Peter Vermes’ side has let in 22 goals through 12 games. 

The opportunity is there for Ibrahimovic to capitalize on his aerial ability from the countless crosses the Galaxy produce on a game-by-game basis, especially with Matt Besler not at full strength yet in his recovery from a hamstring issue. 

Sporting KC is still far from full strength at most positions, and if there was ever a time for the Galaxy to steal points from Children’s Mercy Park, it would be on Wednesday with a fresh Ibrahimovic.

The post MLS Week 14 Midweek Preview: Zlatan returns, D.C. looks to stay on top of East appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

For most of the 2019 Major League Soccer season, a select group of superstars have headlined the Pro Soccer USA MLS Player Rankings. 

Due to suspensions and drops in form, a few players fell out of the top five, which allowed a few in-form stars to surge into the top quadrant of the top 20 in-form players in MLS. 

While plenty of change occurred in the top five and top 10, Los Angeles FC’s Carlos Vela remains on top after yet another star performance for the Supporters’ Shield leaders. 

In total, eight new faces are on the list after Week 13, including a Designated Player who has displayed his tremendous skill in a short amount of time.

Our player rankings rate the top 20 players in MLS based on form over the last month, with the most-recent performance carrying a bit more importance.

20. Miles Robinson, D, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: 13

May 19, 2019; Harrison, NJ, USA; Atlanta United defender Miles Robinson (12) controls the ball during the first half against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Even after giving up three goals in the last two games, Atlanta United is tied for the best defensive record in MLS. 

Miles Robinson’s play has been one of the main reasons why the Five Stripes have given up 11 goals in 13 games. 

Robinson might make a push for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s Concacaf Gold Cup roster because of all the injuries in defense. 

If he doesn’t make the final cut for the Gold Cup, he’ll be expected to help Atlanta’s surge up the Eastern Conference standings.

19. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, F, LA Galaxy

Previous Ranking: 6

May 11, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (9) moves in for a shot on goal against New York City during the second half at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Galaxy didn’t miss Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Week 13 as much as they did in Week 12. 

Without the suspended Ibrahimovic, the Galaxy pulled out a 1-0 road result at Orlando City to end their four-game losing streak.

Ibrahimovic will be eligible to be back on the field on Wednesday for the Galaxy’s trip to Sporting Kansas City.

18. Sebastian Saucedo, M, Real Salt Lake

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Sebastian “Bofo” Saucedo scored an identical goal on Friday to the one he scored in Week 12. 

Saucedo’s goal was one of two impressive tallies netted by Real Salt Lake in their 2-1 win over Atlanta United at Rio Tinto Stadium.

New week, same spot, same result. pic.twitter.com/xKoht5Jxv6

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) May 26, 2019

RSL’s three-game winning streak has put them up to sixth place in the Western Conference.

17. Brian White, F, New York Red Bulls

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Brian White isn’t the first New York Red Bulls forward we expected to put on this list in 2019. 

The 23-year-old has two goals and an assist in last four games, including a goal on Wednesday and an assist as a substitute on Saturday. 

GOAL! Brian White, via Amro Tarek!

1-1 #RBNYvVAN | #RBNY pic.twitter.com/Xe1CxsLYjb

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) May 23, 2019

White is one of many players on the Red Bulls roster who aren’t receiving a ton of attention in the national spotlight for the current run the team is on. Going into Week 14, the Red Bulls have taken 10 points from their last four games. 

16. Diego Valeri, M, Portland Timbers

Previous Ranking: 18 

Diego Valeri finished off Portland’s 3-1 win over Philadelphia with a beautiful finish off a give-and-go with Sebastian Blanco. 

Diego Valeri to Sebastián Blanco to Diego Valeri to the back of the net.#PHIvPOR | #RCTID pic.twitter.com/gY0BLTlLEr

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 26, 2019

Valeri struck the ball perfectly from outside the box to curl it past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake and into the right side of the net. 

In addition to scoring his third goal in Week 13, Valeri produced his seventh assist on one of two goals scored by club record signing Brian Fernandez.

15. Albert Rusnak, M, Real Salt Lake

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 11, 2019; Commerce City, CO, USA; Real Salt Lake midfielder Albert Rusnak (11) drives with the ball in the second half against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Albert Rusnak’s uptick in production in the final third has helped RSL push into the playoff positions in the West standings. 

In Friday’s win over Atlanta United, the Slovakian playmaker assisted on Saucedo’s goal and handed out five key passes.

Rusnak has nine key passes in his last two games and is averaging 3.3 key passes per game, which ties him with Vela for the third-best total in the league. Alejandro Pozuelo and Valeri are the top two in that category.

14. Amro Tarek, D, New York Red Bulls

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 25, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Red Bulls defender Amro Tarek (3) reacts against FC Cincinnati in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

During their four-game unbeaten run, the Red Bulls defense has given up three goals, with two of them coming on Wednesday with a rotated squad against Vancouver. 

Amro Tarek, who was acquired from Orlando City for a fourth-round draft pick in the offseason, has been a key component of the Red Bulls back four. 

In Saturday’s road win over FC Cincinnati, Tarek and the Red Bulls defense held the expansion side to four shots on target.

13. Diego Chara, M, Portland Timbers

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 25, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Chara (21) is taken down by Philadelphia Union midfielder Jamiro Monteiro (35) during the first half at Talen Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The always underappreciated Diego Chara turned in one of his best performances of the season on Saturday night. 

The Colombian defensive midfielder disrupted the majority of Philadelphia’s attacks and started a few successful counters for the Timbers at Talen Energy Stadium. 

Chara and his teammates carry plenty of momentum in to Saturday’s home opener at Providence Park with four wins and a draw in their last six games.

12. Aleksandar Katai, M, Chicago Fire

Previous Ranking: 14

May 25, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Fire forward Aleksandar Katai (10) kicks the ball past New York City midfielder Alexandru Mitrita (28) during the first half at SeatGeek Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Aleksandar Katai once again put his best foot forward in the final third for the Chicago Fire in their 1-1 draw with New York City FC. 

Katai, who scored a goal in each of the last two games, was the Fire’s most active attacker with three shots and two key passes. 

11. Mark-Anthony Kaye, M, Los Angeles FC

Previous Ranking: 9 

May 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles FC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye (14) moves the ball ahead of Montreal Impact midfielder Shamit Shome (28) during the second half at Banc of California Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Mark-Anthony Kaye had another solid week in the LAFC midfield, but he wasn’t the most dynamic performer of the 11 Black-and-Gold players on the field.

Kaye recorded the most touches on the field with 122, but he wasn’t directly involved with one of the four goals scored on Friday. 

Kaye completed 86.1 percent of his 108 passes, made a pair of tackles and won two aerial duels against Montreal.

10. Alejandro Pozuelo, M, Toronto FC

Previous Ranking: 3 

May 15, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto FC forward Alejandro Pozuelo (10) driblbles the ball against D.C. United at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Pozuelo was one of two superstars on this list who missed out on Week 13 due to a red-card suspension.

Unlike Ibrahimovic, Pozuelo served a one-game ban, but Toronto FC missed him dearly as the Reds fell 2-1 at home to San Jose. 

9. Josef Martinez, F, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: 10 

The reigning Golden Boot winner scored for the second time in three games in Atlanta United’s loss to RSL. 

Josef Martinez made a terrific run around a defender to latch on to Franco Escobar’s cross from the right wing, but the lone goal from the Venezuelan wasn’t enough to earn a point for the Five Stripes. 

What a touch. What a run.
What a finish @JosefMartinez17 gets us on the board! pic.twitter.com/XGCIUbu9jL

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) May 25, 2019

Martinez should be able to add to his current haul of six goals in Week 14 with matchups at home against Minnesota United and Chicago. 

8. Johnny Russell, M, Sporting Kansas City

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Johnny Russell singlehandedly pulled Sporting Kansas City out of its slump on Sunday by scoring his second hat-trick for the club. 

The best goal of the three scored by the MLS Player of the Week was his second, when he carved through the right side of the box past a few Seattle defenders. 

Johnny Russell strollin' to POTW like… pic.twitter.com/7RCtww1zh5

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 28, 2019

The goals were the first for Russell in league play since April 7 and the victory was Sporting KC’s first since March 30. 

7. Kacper Przybylko, F, Philadelphia Union

Previous Ranking: 7

Philadelphia had an overall disappointing night against Portland, but Kacper Przybylko was still able to find the back of the net for the fourth time this season. 

The German-born Polish forward also struck the post on two occasions, with one of them coming in the second half off a rebound created by a Steve Clark save. 

Not a bad way to start the second half!

Przybylko pulls one back for @PhilaUnion! #PHIvPOR pic.twitter.com/R24AmBnHd5

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2019

Despite a two-game gap between goals, Przybylko has still been active in front of goal with five of his nine shots going on goal in the last three matches. 

6. Nani, M, Orlando City

Previous Ranking: 2

May 24, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando City SC forward Nani (17) dribbles the ball as Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Jonathan dos Santos (8) defends during the first half at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After finding the back of the net twice in Week 13, Nani failed to follow that performance up with another tally.

The Portuguese winger was denied from the spot in Orlando City’s 1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy, which was one of many impressive saves made by Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham.

5. Brian Fernandez, M, Portland Timbers

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Brian Fernandez has made his presence known in MLS in just 115 minutes. 

The record signing for the Timbers scored two goals in his first MLS start on Saturday to follow up his debut goal two weeks ago as a substitute. 

The assist from Andy Polo. The header from Brian Fernandez.

All of the hearts eyes. #PHIvPOR | #RCTID pic.twitter.com/eYgxCKx77E

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 26, 2019

Three of Fernandez’s first four shots on goal as a Portland player have found the back of the net. 

4. Romain Metanire, D, Minnesota United

Previous Ranking: 12 

The best in-form defender in MLS added a goal to his season highlight reel on Saturday night.

Romain Metanire scored on a cross that was deflected from the right wing to hand Minnesota United a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo.

The Loons take the lead as Romain Métanire's is deflected in! 1-0 to the home team. #MINvHOU pic.twitter.com/pd7BLcQk8l

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2019

Metanire added three key passes going forward and limited the effectiveness of Romell Quioto, Memo Rodriguez and Mauro Manotas on the defensive side of the ball. 

3. Eduard Atuesta, M, Los Angeles FC

Previous Ranking: 4 

May 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Montreal Impact forward Maximiliano Urruti (37) moves the ball past Los Angeles FC midfielder Eduard Atuesta (20) during the second half at Banc of California Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Eduard Atuesta delivered one of the best passes of the week on LAFC’s first goal on Friday night.

The Colombian midfielder threaded the ball through a pair of defenders to pick out Vela for his 28th-minute strike. 

Atuesta continued to pass at a high rate in the win over Montreal by completing 86.1 percent of his 79 passes. 

2. Chris Wondolowski, F, San Jose Earthquakes

Previous Ranking: 5

It was always going to be hard for Chris Wondolowski to follow up his four-goal performance in which he broke the MLS regular-season scoring record. 

Although he didn’t score four against Toronto FC, Wondolowski netted a pair of tallies to earn a San Jose victory and become the first player to reach 150 MLS regular-season goals./ 

Right place. Right time.

That's No. 150 for Wondo! #TORvSJ pic.twitter.com/93NqiwGSb3

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 27, 2019

Both of the goals scored in the come-from-behind win were quintessential Wondo strikes. On the first goal, he created space from a defender and slotted the ball into the back of the net and he was in the right place to knock in a cross for the game-winner at BMO Field. 

1. Carlos Vela, F, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: 1 

If Vela didn’t score in Week 13, we would’ve made a compelling case to replace him with Wondo on top of the list.

However, the Mexican international didn’t slow down against Montreal by scoring once and assisting on one of LAFC’s four strikes. 

MVP Mode Unlocked

15 goals, 15 games for @11carlosV.#LAFCvMTL 2-0 pic.twitter.com/MMR81bidqm

— LAFC (@LAFC) May 25, 2019

In 15 games, the 30-year-old has 15 goals and nine assists. He has contributed directly to 24 of LAFC’s 36 goals. 

The post MLS Player Rankings Week 13: Vela holds on to top spot, Fernandez makes debut appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

So much for a semblance of regularity.

LAFC remains the top team, and for good reason, but after that only the New York Red Bulls at No. 7 and the New England Revolution at No. 22 are in the same positions they were a week ago in the Pro Soccer USA Power Rankings for Week 13.

The Portland Timbers have taken the express elevator, rocketing up nine spots to No. 4 as the biggest movers. The Vancouver Whitecaps also made a big jump in a three-game week, rising five spots.

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 13: Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps climb appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

With Major League Soccer’s schedule altered every year due to expansion, we will have fewer weekends in which a high volume of Western Conference teams face off against their foes from the Eastern Conference. 

Since there is more focus on in-conference games, sometimes the cross-conference games can be devalued due to squad rotation, long travel and other factors. 

With most teams on full rest in Week 13, we got to see some East versus West showdowns across the 13-game schedule. 

The West left Week 13 with a 6-0-1 mark in games against the East. LA Galaxy, Portland and San Jose earned their victories on the road, while Colorado, Los Angeles FC and Real Salt Lake all won at home. Vancouver earned a road draw in the lone midweek game at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday. 

The Week 13 results and the Supporters’ Shield standings suggest the West could be the more dominant conference when everything is done and dusted in 2019.

Of course, LAFC’s success plays a big role in that, but the Sounders and Galaxy are second and third behind the second-year side in the league table after Week 13. 

In fact, four of the top six and five of the top eight teams in the Supporters’ Shield standings come from the West. 

On the opposite end of the table, four of the seven worst teams in MLS come from the Eastern Conference. Two of the West teams in that group are Portland, who has an extended spell of home games coming up, and Sporting Kansas City, a traditional power that’s been ravaged by injuries. 

Even the Rapids at the bottom of the standings are playing well since the club let manager Anthony Hudson go. 

Before Toronto FC and Atlanta United won MLS Cup in 2017 and 2018, the West was the dominant conference by winning seven of the eight titles from 2009 and 2016. When Sporting Kansas City won in 2013, it was still an Eastern Conference team. 

Since this is MLS, the tides could change in the short and long term. In Week 14, there are nine games pitting East versus West, including three on Wednesday. 

In the long term view, teams like D.C. United, Philadelphia and the New York Red Bulls could keep surging up the standings to put up a bit of a fight for the Shield if LAFC slips up a bit, but for now, the West has all the bragging rights for the 2019 season.

Goals of the Week

Ali Adnan, Vancouver Whitecaps 

.@MLS Goal of the Year?

Ali Adnan opens his account with an absolute SCREAMER! #VANvDAL | #VWFC pic.twitter.com/Pi7xunCtoY

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 25, 2019

Bofo Saucedo, Real Salt Lake

New week, same spot, same result. pic.twitter.com/xKoht5Jxv6

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) May 26, 2019

Jonathan Dos Santos, LA Galaxy

GOLAZOOOOOOOOOO@jona2santos, take a bow. pic.twitter.com/6tEasBLVzM

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) May 24, 2019

Walkoff Golazo

With time ticking down in second-half stoppage time, Real Salt Lake’s Jefferson Savarino unleashed a game-winner from outside the box to knock off Atlanta United. 

FT: SAVARINO AT THE DEATH! @REALSALTLAKE WIN! #RSLvATL pic.twitter.com/Ug9EwKilfU

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 25, 2019

The victory extended RSL’s winning streak to three games and the Claret-and-Cobalt have won five of their last seven games. 

He Scores When He Wants

This is usually the part of the piece where we feature the goal-scoring prowess of Carlos Vela, but he’s been upstaged in the last two weeks by the best scorer in league history.

Chris Wondolowski followed up his four-goal outing in Week 12 with a brace at BMO Field on Sunday night.

You aren't dreaming.
This really is #Wondo150 #VamosSJ | #TORvSJ pic.twitter.com/A5RVLK6mMu

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) May 27, 2019

Wondolowski, who broke the all-time scoring record a week ago, is now the only player in league history with 150 regular-season goals. 

He is one of four players in MLS history to ever score six goals in a two-game span. 

Chris Wondolowski of #Quakes74 scored both goals in his club's 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC. He has scored 6 goals over the last 2 games, equaling the #MLS record over a 2-game span (set 3 times previously).

Wondolowski now has 150 league goals for his career, the all-time leader.

— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 27, 2019

With his second goal, Wondolowski moved past Landon Donovan for the most game-winning goals in league history. 

Another record for Wondo.

The captain is now the all-time MLS leader in game-winning goals with 42!#VamosSJ pic.twitter.com/zmzth8ZNfW

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) May 27, 2019

Carlos Vela Update

Ho Hum. Just another week with a goal and an assist for Carlos Vela. 

The Mexican star is now up to 15 goals and nine assists at Memorial Day. He has five more months to break the single-season records in both categories, and he has a better chance to do so since he isn’t playing for El Tri at the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Josef Martinez set the single-season goal record a year ago with 31 tallies. Carlos Valderrama’s assist record of 26 from 2000 hasn’t been touched since, but Vela could become the third player with 20 assists in single season. Sacha Kljestan is the other player to do so in 2016. 

Player Appreciation Corner

We’re going to spend the next few lines singling out players who usually don’t get time in the national spotlight, but had terrific games in  Week 13.

Johnny Russell

Since joining Sporting Kansas City before the 2018 season, Johnny Russell has 17 goals and 13 assists. 

Russell reinforced his importance to the squad on Sunday with a hat-trick in Sporting KC’s 3-2 win over the Sounders at Children’s Mercy Park. 

Johnny completes the hat trick! #SKCvSEA 3-1 // #ForGloryForCity pic.twitter.com/ISvLtj2WZt

— Sporting KC (@SportingKC) May 26, 2019

Russell did so in a squad depleted due to injuries and without Krisztian Nemeth, who was serving a suspension for a red card from Week 12. 

Luis Robles 

There was a time in which Luis Robles was the most underappreciated player in MLS. 

The New York Red Bulls goalkeeper has been a model of consistency in between the pipes, but he’s flown under the radar in certain years because of his higher-profile teammates and the lack of the spotlight shined on goalkeepers throughout the season. 

NOPE!

What a save from Luis Robles! #CINvRBNY pic.twitter.com/Mp20azUNkg

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2019

On Saturday, Robles made a few key saves to keep FC Cincinnati off the scoreboard in his side’s 2-0 win at Nippert Stadium. 

Diego Chara

Diego Chara might be the most underappreciated player in all of MLS. 

The Portland defensive midfielder never receives as much love as he deserves because we tend to not focus on the dirty work of players in the No. 6 role. 

Chara made life incredibly difficult for the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, and his effectiveness in and around the box helped the Timbers head home with a 3-1 victory. 

Stock Watch

Stock Up: Rocky Mountain Cup Teams

Colorado and Real Salt Lake have combined for five wins in their last six games. The lone loss in that stretch was handed to the Rapids by RSL on May 11. 

Mike Petke’s side is quietly surging up the West standings, and it will continue to do so with higher profile teams at the top of the West table. 

The Rapids have displayed plenty of fight under interim manager Conor Casey and came away from Saturday with a 3-2 win thanks to a late game-winner from Nicolas Mezquida. 

MEZQUIDA FOR THE WIN pic.twitter.com/W7YVfFRZck

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2019

Stock Down: Toronto FC’s Home Form 

Things went from bad to worse at home for Toronto FC on Sunday. 

The Reds, who were playing without the suspended Alejandro Pozuelo, went ahead in the 28th minute, but then conceded a pair of goals to San Jose to leave the field with yet another disappointing result. 

Toronto is now 3-3-2 at home, which is one of the worst marks of the teams in playoff positions. Montreal and NYCFC have fewer wins at home, but they’ve also played three and four fewer games at home in 2019. 

The post MLS Week 13 Review: West dominates East, Wondo keeps scoring and more appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Seeking their first home win of 2019, the Colorado Rapids hosted the Columbus Crew on Saturday night. Colorado opened the scoring with a headed goal from Tommy Smith (23’) before Pedro Santos leveled the match at 1-1 five minutes later for Columbus. But Colorado retook the lead seven minutes into first half stoppage time to enter halftime with the score at 2-1. Gyasi Zardes helped the visitors level again in the 54th minute to even the score at 2-2 before substitute Nicolas Mezquida found the game winner in the 89th minute, earning the 3-2 victory for the Rapids.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 3-2 win over Columbus:

Conor Casey era continues with results

In his first head coaching gig, Rapids interim head coach is accomplishing the task he was assigned to do: right the ship.

Colorado is now 2-2-0 in matches under Casey with back-to-back wins for the first time this season having earned their first win of 2019 last week at LA and their first win in front of home fans this weekend. The six points earned in those matches is three times the amount of points secured than the two points the Rapids amassed in nine games under former head coach Anthony Hudson to start the season.

Perhaps most important has been the change in mentality under the former Rapids’ striker.

“I think you see a lot of belief in each other,” Casey said of the Rapids’ mentality. “They’ve been through a lot this year so far and now it’s starting to turn and you can tell that they have really bonded together and they really believe in each other.”

Tommy Smith rebounds

Maligned for his poor defensive performances throughout his Rapids career, Rapids centerback Tommy Smith has experienced a resurgence in the Rapids’ past two wins.

At LA, the 29-year-old New Zealand international helped keep things tidy in the back and, with a little help from Tim Howard, the Rapids earned their first win and shutout of the season.

Against Columbus, Smith showed his value on the other end of the pitch, scoring a header on a corner for the match’s opening goal. It showed flashes of the player who led the team in scoring last season and was a result of extra work on the training pitch during the week.

“Every time a corner comes in I try to get my head on it,” Smith said of his goal. “Actually, me and [Jack Price] stayed behind after training yesterday and practiced a few. It was nice to see one come off and it’s always nice to see one going in the back of the net.”

Super sub Mezquida

As stated above, Conor Casey has been a big part of why Colorado has begun to turn results in their favor. Casey deserves even more praise for choosing the right substitutes at the right time. In back-to-back weeks, it’s been a substitute who’s scored the winning goal as the Rapids continue to look to press offensively late in games.

This week, it was Uruguayan Nicolas Mezquida who became the hero with his 89th minute game winner.

“I am happy because it is a win, it is important to be winning, we have to be thinking about the team,” Mezquida said when asked about coming off the bench. “It is true, I kind of liked making the winning goal, but I want to say thanks to my team for being a big force tonight and in the last game too.”

Dating back to the start of the 2017 season, Mezquida has four goals and two assists when coming on as a substitute.

The post Conor Casey righting the ship: Takeaways from the Rapids’ 3-2 win over Columbus appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Co. – A late goal from Nicolas Mezquida helped lift the Colorado Rapids to a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew SC, the club’s first at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and second consecutive following the first victory of the season last week against the LA Galaxy.

“It’s great,” said Rapids centerback Tommy Smith, who scored the game’s opening goal. “Obviously after coming off a win last week, we have to make a little run of it now. Obviously, we have a lot of catching up to do so it was nice to get the relief of the first win last week. We’ve got to try to make it a fortress here and tonight was the first step in doing that.”

“I think it’s big,” added Rapids interim coach Conor Casey. “We want to give it to our fans. They’ve been so thirsty for it all year.”

Despite the Crew’s recent offensive struggles, the visitors created opportunities early in the match, including a shot from Gyasi Zardes in the second minute which went high and wide of the mark.

Colorado (2-9-2, 8 points) also had opportunities on the counterattack, including a close-range effort from midfielder Sam Nicholson which was wide of the mark in the 17th minute.

But it was Smith who opened the scoring, sending in a low headed effort off a corner to give Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute.

Columbus leveled the match in the 28th minute as a second ball fell to Crew midfielder Pedro Santos, who dribbled for the open shot on goal which put the score at 1-1.

Smith nearly found another goal on a header in the 32nd minute, but Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen came up big with a reaching save under the crossbar to keep the score level. Columbus (5-9-1, 16 points) looked primed to take a lead, but a header from Zardes could not find the target in the 38th minute.

The Rapids found a second goal in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, with Nicholson dishing a pass to Jonathan Lewis who scored his first goal for Colorado since arriving at the primary transfer deadline two weeks ago.

“We have a lot of speed, we want to use it,” Casey said of Colorado’s attack. “I think if we keep that up, we’ll be in good shape moving forward.”

In the 54th minute, Federico Higuain found Zardes with a looping ball inside Colorado’s six-yard box. Zardes calmly finished to level the match again in the 54th minute.

Ten minutes later, Columbus again sought a go-ahead goal, but Gaston Sauro’s shot off of a corner kick was cleared from danger by Rapids forward Kei Kamara.

Just when it appeared the teams would share the points, the ball fell to Mezquida following a corner kick and his curling effort beat Steffen and helped Colorado move in front, 3-2 in the 89th minute. 

“I think you see a lot of belief,” said Casey. “They’ve been through a lot this year so far and it’s starting to turn.”

Columbus returns to MAPFRE Stadium next Saturday to host NYCFC, while Colorado travels to Talen Energy Stadium to take on the Philadelphia Union for a midweek matchup.

The post Colorado Rapids make it two straight wins, defeating Columbus Crew SC appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Upon first glance, the Week 13 slate in Major League Soccer doesn’t deliver a ton of intrigue. 

There aren’t many marquee clashes between the league’s high-profile sides, and those that are happening are watered down by the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Orlando and Sporting Kansas City’s recent dip in form. 

But if you dig a bit deeper through the matchups, you’ll see there are quite a few intriguing clashes.

Eastern Conference leader Philadelphia faces yet another tough test at home in the form of the Portland Timbers, who are playing their final road game before the Providence Park opener next weekend. 

Saturday’s Western Conference clash between Houston and Minnesota United doesn’t attract eye balls right away, but it could end up being a meaningful match for two teams looking to keep up with the big guns at the top of the West standings. 

The weekend slate begins with a trio of contests on Friday. Orlando City has an opportunity to carry the momentum from a five-goal performance into the Week 13 opener against the Galaxy, Atlanta United faces a tricky road test and Los Angeles FC tries to extend its home dominance in the Friday nightcap. 

Saturday requires multiple screens with five games starting within an hour of each other, including the clash between Philadelphia and Portland. 

Seattle’s trip to Children’s Mercy Park to take on Sporting KC headlines the two-game Sunday slate, while San Jose’s visit to Toronto closes out the weekend. 

Below is a breakdown of what to watch over the three days of play this weekend. 

Week 13 Schedule

Friday, May 24

LA Galaxy at Orlando City (7 p.m. ET, UniMas) 

Atlanta United at Real Salt Lake (9 p.m. ET, UniMas) 

Montreal Impact at Los Angeles FC (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+, TVA Sport) 

Saturday, May 25

New York City FC at Chicago Fire (3:30 p.m., Univision) 

FC Dallas at Vancouver Whitecaps (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+, TSN) 

D.C. United at New England Revolution (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Portland Timbers at Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

New York Red Bulls at FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Houston Dynamo at Minnesota United (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Columbus Crew at Colorado Rapids (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Sunday, May 26

Seattle Sounders at Sporting Kansas City (6 p.m. ET, FS1) 

San Jose Earthquakes at Toronto FC (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+, TSN4) 

Storylines to Watch

1. Can the Galaxy Find Success Without Zlatan? 

May 19, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; LA Galaxy midfielder Favio Alvarez (11) moves the ball during the first half against the Colorado Rapids at StubHub Center. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

The Galaxy have relied too much on Ibrahimovic to score goals this season. 

With Ibrahimovic serving the first game of his two-game suspension last week, the Galaxy created 18 shots and sent in 36 crosses, but put only six shots on target in a 1-0 home loss to the Colorado Rapids. 

The task of scoring without the Swedish legend doesn’t get any easier on Friday at Orlando City Stadium. 

If Ibrahimovic were in the lineup, you would think he’d be able to create a few significant chances on goal against Orlando City’s defense, but without him in the XI and Orlando coming into the contest off a 5-1 home win over FC Cincinnati, the Galaxy could suffer the same fate as Sunday. 

In the three games Ibrahimovic missed this season, the Galaxy have been shut out on two occasions, with the other coming on March 9 against FC Dallas. 

Even when the Galaxy scored three times without Ibrahimovic on March 16 against Minnesota, they could only put seven of their 20 shots on goal. 

When the Galaxy get their chances in front of goal on Friday, Uriel Antuna, Emmanuel Boateng and co. need to be more clinical in order to avoid their losing streak dropping to five games. 

2. Can Impact Give LAFC A Fight? 

May 18, 2019; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Impact midfielder Ignacio Piatti (10) plays the ball as New England Revolution defender Brandon Bye (15) defends during the second half at Stade Saputo. (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

Montreal has an opportunity to make a bit of a statement on Friday night if it goes into Banc of California Stadium and takes a win or draw from its match with LAFC. 

The Impact have climbed up to third place in the East thanks to some impressive road results. They are 4-4-2 on the road and 2-1-1 at Stade Saputo, which means a string of home results is expected at some point.

Any points Remi Garde’s team can pick up on the road will be huge with four straight home games on the horizon. 

As they have been most of the season, the Impact will be shorthanded in midfield. Samuel Piette, who is one of the most underrated defensive midfielders in MLS, is out due to yellow card accumulation and Ignacio Piatti is working his way back to full fitness. 

Not having Piette or a full-strength Piatti could hurt the Impact against one of the best midfield units in the league, but this is a team that’s stared down adversity and come away with results for most of the 2019 campaign.

3. How Dangerous Will Portland’s Attack Look? 

May 15, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Portland Timbers forward Brian Fernandez (7) in action during a game against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

Portland’s primary goal for the rest of the season is to take advantage of the renovated Providence Park and use a long run of home games to surge to the top of the Western Conference. 

But it always helps to carry some momentum and confidence into a June home opener, especially when next week’s opponent is LAFC. 

The Timbers enter Talen Energy Stadium with fresh legs after 10 days off, and Saturday presents an opportunity for Brian Fernández to make his first start alongside Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco and Diego Chara. 

Those four players and Jeremy Ebobisse could end up forming part of the best front six in the league by the time the season ends if everything goes as planned. 

The in-form Union should provide the Timbers with a good challenge to test out their new attacking chemistry before everyone in Oregon gets to see it in person in a week’s time. 

4. Can New England and Colorado Build on Results Under Interim Bosses? 

May 18, 2019; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New England Revolution forward Teal Bunbury (10) plays the ball ans Montreal Impact midfielder Mathieu Choiniere (29) defends during the first half at Stade Saputo. (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

Colorado and New England put together some respectable performances under interim managers in Week 12. 

Colorado, who is led by interim boss Conor Casey, went into Dignity Health Sports Park and got its first win of the year, over the Galaxy.

On Saturday, the Rapids have an opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time since August. The win is there for the taking against a Columbus Crew side that is in the middle of one of the worst spells of form in the league. 

New England has pulled out four points from its last two games under interim boss Mike Lapper, who is keeping the seat warm for Bruce Arena. 

The Revs beat San Jose in Week 11 at home and earned a valuable road point in Montreal in Week 12 under Lapper. A win over D.C. United at Gillette Stadium on Saturday would set the team up for a wave of results once Arena takes charge. 

As for the other team with an interim boss, FC Cincinnati is just trying to regroup after giving up a five goals to Orlando City. 

However, the expansion side is not guaranteed of earning points on Saturday against a New York Red Bulls side that is beginning to surge up the Eastern Conference.

5. How Will Toronto FC Look Without Pozuelo? 

May 18, 2019; Sandy, UT, USA; Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo (10) reacts as he receives a red card in the second half against the Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)

While other sides in the East have begun to reverse their early-season struggles, Toronto FC has trended downward with one point from its last four games. 

The Reds should be able to dig themselves out of the hole by beating the Earthquakes on Sunday, but they will have to do so without Alejandro Pozuelo, who picked up a needless second yellow against Real Salt Lake in Week 12. 

Without Pozuelo, the Reds will have to find a new creative force in attack to link between Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. 

Greg Vanney has plenty of options to turn to in the playmaking role, but none of them are as dynamic as the Spaniard who has five goals and six assists in 10 games. 

If Toronto can’t find the right combination in attack, and one of the teams beneath it in the standings win, it will drop out of the playoff positions in the Eastern Conference. 

Player to Watch

Aleksandar Katai, Chicago Fire

Jun 2, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Fire forward Aleksandar Katai (10) kicks the ball past San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas (6) during the first half at Bridgeview Stadium.  (Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports)

Chicago has an opportunity to pick up its third win in four games on Saturday at home against New York City FC in front of a national audience. 

The Fire’s recent surge has been sparked by Aleksandar Katai, who has two goals and two assists in May.

With Nemanja Nikolić struggling to find the back of the net, Katai has to be the man to unlock the NYCFC defense in order to score himself, or feed Nikolić for open looks in front of goal.

Matchup to Watch

Romain Metanire, Minnesota United vs. Houston’s Attackers

Apr 24, 2019; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota United defender Romain Metanire (19) protects the ball from LA Galaxy defender Emmanuel Boateng (24) during the second half at Allianz Field. (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

One of the best fullbacks in MLS faces one of his toughest matchups yet on Saturday at Allianz Field. 

Romain Métanire will have his hands full with Houston’s collection of speedy attackers, even if Alberth Elis is ruled out for the contest.

If Métanire can keep Romell Quioto, Memo Rodriguez and Mauro Manotas quiet on his half of the field, the Loons should be able to control the meeting of third-versus-fifth in the West. 

The post MLS Week 13 Preview: Timbers battle Union, Dynamo square off with Minnesota and more appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

After 11 wild weeks, the Pro Soccer USA MLS Power Rankings have some semblance of normalcy in Week 12.

There’s minimal movement in the top 10 with most of the league’s top teams getting the necessary results. The biggest upward mover is the New York Red Bulls, who climb three spots following an impressive 1-0 win over Atlanta United, which dropped two spots.

The Chicago Fire, meanwhile, dropped four spots to No. 15 after a 4-1 thumping to Chris Wondolowski and the San Jose Earthquakes.

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 writers Dylan Butler and Robert Jonas contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 12: New York Red Bulls surge, Chicago Fire plummet appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Los Angeles FC’s Carlos Vela has put Major League Soccer on record watch. The Mexican forward is almost halfway to the regular-season scoring record set by Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez a year ago. 

Vela extended his three-game scoring streak in Week 12 during a pair of games against FC Dallas, and the more remarkable part of his red-hot form is he has already eclipsed Martinez’s assist total from 2018. 

Vela is the top Designated Player taking MLS by storm, but there are a few others who deserve the spotlight, including Nani, who continued his excellent start with Orlando City SC on Sunday.

Thanks to their Week 12 performances and overall form, Vela and Nani lead the Pro Soccer USA MLS Player Rankings.

The player rankings take into account a player’s form from his last four games, with the most recent performance carrying more weight.

20. Stefan Frei, GK, Seattle Sounders

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 18, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei (24) reaches to make a save as Jonathan Campbell (3) defends the shot during the second half against the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium. (Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

Stefan Frei came up with a handful of impressive denials in Seattle’s 0-0 draw Saturday at Philadelphia. 

Frei made an incredible save in each half, including one from point-blank range in the second half, to help the Sounders earn a point against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. 

In four games in May, Frei has two clean sheets and has given up a goal to Orlando City and Minnesota United in the other two. 

19. Heber, F, New York City FC 

Previous Ranking: 18

Apr 6, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York City FC forward Heber (9) fights for position against Montreal Impact defender Jukka Raitala (22) during the second half at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

After beating the LA Galaxy in Week 11, Heber and his New York City FC teammates had an off week. 

The Brazilian forward, who has two goals and an assist in his last four games, should be able to add to his attacking totals before the Concacaf Gold Cup break with games against Chicago, Columbus and FC Cincinnati. 

18. Diego Valeri, M, Portland Timbers

Previous Ranking: 16 

May 15, 2019; Houston, TX; Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri attempts to play the ball against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

In Portland’s penultimate game before its home opener at Providence Park, Diego Valeri dished out six passes in a 1-1 draw with Houston on Wednesday. 

Valeri also put two of his three shots on goal during a game in which the Timbers earned their 10th point in a five-game stretch. 

17. Tesho Akindele, F, Orlando City SC

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked 

Tesho Akindele was one of two Orlando City players to hit the back of the net on two occasions during Sunday’s 5-1 win over FC Cincinnati. 

The former FC Dallas forward bagged goals in the 37th and 64th minutes to hand the Lions their first victory since April 20. The brace was the first since July 4, 2018 for the 27-year-old forward. 

Tesho taking advantage of Sunday Funday #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/Gtl38MhL9T

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) May 19, 2019

16. Alberth Elis, F, Houston Dynamo

Previous Ranking: 11 

May 15, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Dynamo forward Alberth Elis (17) in action during a game against the Portland Timbers at BBVA Compass Stadium. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

Alberth Elis handed out his sixth assist of the season Wednesday night against Portland, but he wasn’t able to contribute to a Houston goal Saturday. The Honduran forward left the match against D.C. United with a head injury.

Elis hasn’t scored since April 19, but he’s still been a force in the Dynamo’s attack and has assisted on a goal in three of his last five games. 

15. Jack Elliott, D, Philadelphia Union

Previous Ranking: 7

May 18, 2019; Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia Union defender Jack Elliott plays the ball past Seattle Sounders forward Raul Ruidiaz at Talen Energy Stadium. (Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

Jack Elliott and the Philadelphia Union defense picked up their fifth clean sheet of the season on Saturday, but it came against a Seattle attack that offered little moving forward. 

Elliott made four interceptions and two clearances, but faced little difficulty for long stretches versus a Sounders front line that put one of its six shots on target. 

14. Aleksandar Katai, M, Chicago Fire

Previous Ranking: 20 

It’s hard to be a bright spot for your team when you lose by three goals, but Aleksandar Katai stood out Saturday for the Chicago Fire in their defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes. 

Katai’s 83rd-minute consolation strike capped off a performance in which was the driving force of the Fire attack.

Aleksandar Katai pulls one back.
His second in as many #cf97 games. pic.twitter.com/H04GL6Pq1e

— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) May 18, 2019

The 28-year-old placed two of his seven shots on target and handed out four key passes in his attempt to spoil Chris Wondolowski’s historic day. 

13. Miles Robinson, D, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

May 19, 2019; Harrison, NJ, USA; Atlanta United defender Miles Robinson (12) heads the ball during the first half against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Miles Robinson’s appearance on this list is long overdue. 

The third-year Atlanta United defender, who made the 40-man U.S. Men’s National Team preliminary roster for the Gold Cup, has been one of the breakout stars of the MLS season. 

Although Atlanta’s winning and shutout streaks came to an end on Sunday, Robinson still deserves praise for playing at an All-Star caliber level over the first three months. 

12. Romain Metanire, D, Minnesota United

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Apr 24, 2019; Saint Paul, MN; Minnesota United defender Romain Metanire protects the ball from LA Galaxy defender Emmanuel Boateng at Allianz Field. (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

Minnesota’s Romain Metanire jumps back into the top 20 after another strong showing in his club’s 1-0 win over Columbus on Saturday.

Metanire produced three clearances and three interceptions while adding a pair of key passes to the attack. 

His play on the right defensive flank silenced the production of newly-acquired Columbus winger David Accam, who got off one shot and one key pass in 86 minutes. 

11. Memo Rodriguez, M, Houston Dynamo

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

After four weeks away from this list, Memo Rodriguez is back near the top 10.

The Dynamo midfielder produced a goal and an assist over two games in Week 12, during which his team took away four points. 

.@40_jrod creates his own chance buries it! #ForeverOrange | #HOUvDChttps://t.co/S36cI4ORHc

— Houston Dynamo (@HoustonDynamo) May 19, 2019

Rodriguez came on for the injured Elis on Saturday and produced a Man of the Match outing against D.C. United with a goal and three key passes in the final third. 

10. Josef Martinez, F, Atlanta United

Previous Ranking: 8 

May 15, 2019; Vancouver, British Columbia; Atlanta United FC forward Josef Martinez watches play against the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. (Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

Josef Martinez found the back of the net on Wednesday for Atlanta United at BC Place in a 1-0 win over the Whitecaps. 

However, his game-winning strike to start Week 12 is the only goal he has scored in the last four games. 

Martinez has been productive in other aspects of the game for the Five Stripes with a pair of assists and countless attempts on target, but he needs to score more to sit higher up on this list. 

9. Mark-Anthony Kaye, M, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: 9 

May 16, 2019; Los Angeles FC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye and FC Dallas midfielder Bryan Acosta battle for the ball at Banc of California Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

Mark-Anthony Kaye continued his solid season in the LAFC midfield with a pair of strong performances against FC Dallas. 

During Thursday’s 2-0 win at Banc of California Stadium, Kaye completed 88.2 percent of his 68 passes, made three interceptions and put a pair of shots on target. 

On Sunday at Toyota Stadium, Kaye led the Black-and-Gold with 94 touches, handed out two key passes and completed 81.8 percent of his team high 66 passes. 

8. Sam Johnson, F, Real Salt Lake

Previous Ranking: 6 

May 18, 2019; Sandy, UT, USA; Real Salt Lake forward Sam Johnson (50) prepares for their game against the Toronto FC at Rio Tinto Stadium. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)

Sam Johnson was unable to continue his scoring streak on Saturday because he was left out of Real Salt Lake’s lineup for disciplinary reasons.

The 26-year-old has found the back of the net in four of his last five games and has a chance to extend that run at home on Friday against Atlanta United. 

7. Kacper Przybyłko, F, Philadelphia Union

Previous Ranking: 5 

Apr 27, 2019; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Philadelphia Union forward Kacper Przybylko (23) celebrates his goal against Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau (16) (not pictured) during the second half at BC Place. (Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

The red-hot scoring form of Kacper Przybylko was brought to a halt by the Sounders on Saturday night. 

The 26-year-old, who had three goals and an assist in the four games leading up to Week 12, only mustered one attempt on target in the scoreless draw. 

The one attempt that reached goal was a headed shot near the left post that was turned away by Frei. 

6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, F, LA Galaxy

Previous Ranking: 2

May 11, 2019; Carson, CA; Los Angeles Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic moves in for a shot on goal against New York City at StubHub Center. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

 A slide down the rankings is expected in the coming weeks for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

Ibrahimovic served the first game of his two-game suspension on Sunday and the LA Galaxy missed him dearly. 

The Galaxy failed to get a goal past the worst defense in the league and left the field with a home loss to the Colorado Rapids. 

5. Chris Wondolowski, F, San Jose Earthquakes

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Few players in MLS this year have scored four times in an extended stretch.

Chris Wondolowski did so in a single game, and in the process, he broke the MLS all-time scoring record. 

Wondo needed two goals to break MLS's all-time scoring record. He went on to score four

The record-breaking finish: pic.twitter.com/sMCUarck64

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 18, 2019

The goals were the first of the season for Wondolowski and Saturday’s performance marked the first time he scored multiple tallies in a game since June 30, 2018.

4. Eduard Atuesta, M, Los Angeles FC

Previous Ranking: 4

May 4, 2019; Los Angeles, CA; LAFC midfielder Eduard Atuesta moves the ball against the Chicago Fire at Banc of California Stadium. The team played to a 0-0 tie. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Eduard Atuesta handed out his fifth assist of the season on Thursday in his lone appearance of the week for LAFC. 

In the victory over FC Dallas, Atuesta made three tackles and completed 89.3 percent of his 84 passes. 

Atuesta has been the second-most active passer in MLS this season with 85.6 passes per game, which sits two behind Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley.

3. Alejandro Pozuelo, M, Toronto FC 

Previous Ranking: 3

May 15, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto FC forward Alejandro Pozuelo (10) dribbles the ball against D.C. United at BMO Field. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Before he was sent off Saturday against Real Salt Lake, Alejandro Pozuelo did his best to put Toronto FC on the scoreboard. 

During Wednesday’s scoreless draw at home against D.C. United, Pozuelo recorded 12 passes and put two of his seven shots on target. The Spaniard added three key passes and a shot on target to his weekly total before he was handed his second yellow in the 61st minute at Rio Tinto Stadium.

2. Nani, M, Orlando City SC

Previous Ranking: 10 

Nani’s sixth and seventh goals of the 2019 campaign helped Orlando City trounce FC Cincinnati 5-1 at home Sunday. 

NANI AGAIN

It's 3-1 to @OrlandoCitySC! #ORLvCIN https://t.co/wZdR6bUE5A

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2019

The performance from the Portuguese winger came after he missed a pair of games, including Wednesday’s trip to Seattle, with an injury.

Since the start of April, Nani has found the back of the net on seven occasions in six games. 

1. Carlos Vela, F, Los Angeles FC 

Previous Ranking: 1

We’re running out of superlatives to describe Carlos Vela’s play in front of goal and it’s not even the end of May. 

Vela scored once in each of his two games against FC Dallas in Week 12 to bring his season scoring total to 14 goals. 

In Thursday’s game at home, Vela recorded a goal and an assist for a second straight contest. He has seven assists on the year as well. 

Vela puts #LAFC ahead late in the first half! #LAFCvDAL https://t.co/a0DkFgoxkE

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 17, 2019

The post MLS Week 12 Player Rankings: Carlos Vela still rules, Nani surges into top three appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Before Chris Wondolowski took the field Saturday, the San Jose Earthquakes forward had played 70 minutes since the start of April.

Because of Wondolowski’s lack of playing time, his quest for the Major League Soccer regular-season scoring record drifted out of the minds of casual observers. 

Then the 36-year-old broke Landon Donovan’s record in stunning fashion by putting four goals past the Chicago Fire. 

In a league that has revamped on the fly in recent years with big-name signings, fancy new stadiums and expansion teams that exceed expectations, players like Wondolowski — a veteran still plying his trade and competing for a spot in the starting lineup every week — can get lost in the discussion.

Not this week.

CHRIS

WONDOLOWSKI

COULD

NOT

BE

STOPPED #WondoWatched pic.twitter.com/i1Ov7NGoKH

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) May 19, 2019

On Saturday at Avaya Stadium, Wondolowski once again showed off his preparedness in front of goal by taking advantage of defensive errors and putting himself in the right spot at the right time. 

On his first goal in the 21st minute, Wondolowski kept space between himself and two defenders on the right side of the box and perfectly timed his run to connect with Shea Salinas’ cross from the left wing. 

The record-breaking strike in the 48th minute wasn’t fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but Wondolowski’s determination and ability to stick with a play until it’s whistled dead was on display. He took advantage of a slip-up by goalkeeper David Ousted to tap the ball into the back of the net on a play some strikers would have given up on. 

Two goals would have been plenty to celebrate on his record-breaking afternoon, but Wondolowski didn’t stop scoring. His third strike in the 74th minute was another example of making the correct run into the box. Wondolowski cut to the left, rounded his run in between a pair of defenders and knocked home a Cristian Espinoza assist. 

Wondolowski was again at the right place on his final goal, which he knocked in from space at the left post. 

For years, people tried to define Wondolowski as the guy who missed the goal against Belgium at the World Cup.

That was obviously a low moment for the player and the U.S. Men’s National Team, but it was never going to define his career. 

Wondolowski is a worker and didn’t let one miss slow him down. In the last four seasons, he’s scored 55 goals. 

In fact, Wondolowski has scored 10 goals in every MLS season since 2010 and he’s now six away from that mark after his four-goal performance Saturday. 

Wondo obviously took the spotlight in Week 12, but there were a few other major results we need to hit on. 

The New York Red Bulls leaped into playoff position in the Eastern Conference with a 1-0 win over Atlanta United.

Tom Barlow, a second-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, scored the lone goal in a game that featured Josef Martinez and Pity Martinez. On the weekend Wondolowski broke the record, it seemed fitting a player who worked his way up the Red Bulls ladder scored against a team with flashy big-name signings on the field. 

TOM BARLOW FROM A RIDICULOUS ANGLE!

Hosts lead 1-0. #RBNYvATL https://t.co/7jUI77Xocc

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2019

The weekend concluded with the Colorado Rapids earning their first victory of the season. The Rapids earned a gritty 1-0 result on the road against the LA Galaxy.

An argument can be made Sunday’s result said more about the Galaxy’s struggles than the Rapids’ will to finally break through in the win column, but more on Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s side below.

Goals of the Week

Bofo Saucedo, Real Salt Lake

What a strike from Bofo!  #RSLvTOR https://t.co/rQe69DpdCG

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2019

Derek Cornelius, Vancouver Whitecaps

"Just go for it."

We're glad that you did Derek #VWFC pic.twitter.com/7BesuBg6H1

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 19, 2019

LA Galaxy The Broken

While you were busy watching Game of Thrones or the NBA Playoffs, the Galaxy stumbled to a 1-0 defeat against the worst team in MLS without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The loss to Colorado was a low point of a four-game losing streak in which the Galaxy have scored on three occasions and been shutout in the last two games. 

The Galaxy need someone other than Ibrahimovic to start finding the back of the net. That starts with taking advantage of the high volume of crosses and shots they have recorded. Against the worst defense in MLS on Sunday, the Galaxy put six of their 18 shots on target and wasted the majority of their 38 crosses. 

Another game without the suspended Ibrahimovic awaits on Friday against Orlando City. If the attack continues to struggle, the Galaxy could go into the Gold Cup break in serious slump. 

Terrible Tackles

There were three rough tackles that led to red cards this weekend. 

Sporting Kansas City’s Krisztian Nemeth went studs up on Felipe in a game Peter Vermes’ side controlled until the Whitecaps equalized during second-half stoppage time.

Clear red card to Nemeth for studs-up tackle on Felipe.#SKCvVAN #MLS #SportingKC #VWFC pic.twitter.com/1NQlWWrQ35

— Joga Bonito (@Jasoninho10) May 19, 2019

Alejandro Pozuelo picked up a second yellow for an unnecessary tackle on the left sideline and Paul Arriola was handed a straight red for sticking his foot into the chest of a defender. 

All three red cards could have been prevented and now each player has set their teams back in preparations for Week 13. 

No Love Lost 

The Red Bulls and Atlanta United reignited their passionate rivalry Sunday, with Kemar Lawrence and Hector Villalba getting into a tussle. 

It may not be the best rivalry in MLS, but it is certainly breaking into the top five. We’ll see happens July 7 at Mercedes Benz Stadium. 

I'll just leave this here..
pic.twitter.com/klzs8BQbiK

— Omir Oh My (@PATH2RBA) May 19, 2019

Stock Up, Stock Down

Stock Up: Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake has won four of its last six games, including the last two. Saturday’s win over Toronto FC came against a tired team, but the Claret-and-Cobalt still got the job done and took care of business at home.

Mike Petke’s team is now up into the top seven of the Western Conference and has a real chance to make noise in the playoff hunt. 

Stock Up: New England Revolution

New England has earned four points since the firing of Brad Friedel.

With Bruce Arena taking charge in June, the Revolution players have put together a pair of nice auditions for the new boss. 

The Revs haven’t been perfect, but conceding a goal in two games and shutting out Montreal on the road are steps in the right direction.

Stock Down: FC Dallas

The Galaxy aren’t the only team in the West going through a lull in form.

FC Dallas, who took one point from two games against Los Angeles FC in Week 12, hasn’t won a game since April 20. In the last five games, Luchi Gonzalez’s team has earned two points and scored three goals. 

Stock Down: Columbus Crew

It’s time to start getting worried about the Columbus Crew. 

Caleb Porter’s side appeared to get back on track with a win over the Galaxy last week, but has reverted back to losing ways and now has seven losses in eight games. 

With most of the teams in the East trending upward, the Crew could put themselves in a hole they can’t recover from later in the season.

The post MLS Week 12 Rewind: Wondo breaks record, Red Bulls end Atlanta’s win streak and the Rapids win appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.