Saturday night gifted fans another packed schedule of Major League Soccer action with drama delivered across the United States and Canada.
Here is everything you need to know.
What Happened
The early matches saw New York Red Bulls split the points 2-2 with Orlando City, while Chicago Fire made Toronto FC’s home opener something miserable with a 2-1 comeback win.
Advertisement
Stunning results were a theme, too. Austin walked away with all three points after silencing LAFC 1-0 on the road while Charlotte scored two goals quickly to beat 10-man Cincinnati 2-0.
Then the goal of the night from Alonso Martinez saw New York City FC beat New England 2-1.
A 0-0 draw between D.C. United and Montreal left fans wanting more, but Sporting KC pulled out all the stops to earn their own draw. Despite being down 3-0 against Minnesota United, three goals in 12 minutes ensured the points were split.
St. Louis then earned a fourth clean sheet in a row by holding Seattle Sounders 1-0 and Real Salt Lake also won via one goal in a 2-1 victory on the road against Houston Dynamo.
Advertisement
The late shows then saw Vancouver Whitecaps stay perfect with four wins in a row after beating FC Dallas 1-0.
MLS newbies San Diego FC later rallied for a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew who had goalscorer Malte Amundsen sent off and Colorado Rapids beat San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on the road.
Player of the day
Plenty of stars were strutting their stuff, but Diego Luna might have been the best on Saturday.
The midfielder and creative mastermind assisted Diogo Goncalves after less than one minute against Houston before scoring the winning goal thanks to some quick thinking!
He’s in top form heading into camp with the United States National Team.
Stat of the day
Sporting KC showed the true meaning of never say die after rallying from 3-0 down to draw 3-3.
What this means
The Crew missed a chance to sit top of the Eastern Conference while Charlotte (4th), Chicago (5th) and NYCFC (6th) creep up the standings with their wins. Toronto, meanwhile, now sits last after Montreal earned a point.
Advertisement
Over in the West, the Whitecaps are impressively first after going 4-0-0 and behind them are MSL not-so-newbies San Diego FC, St. Louis and Colorado. Then it’s dramatic at the bottom with MLS Cup holders LA Galaxy on zero points.
What comes next
Looking ahead to Sunday’s slate of games, all eyes are on Mercedes-Benz Stadium as Atlanta United host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
But before that action, Philadelphia host Nashville and LA Galaxy travel to Portland.
Not a bad way to end the weekend!
Feature image credit:Ā Ā© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
