MLS Week 9 took in 11 games over three days, involving all but one of the league’s member teams, with 36 goals along the way. Here’s a few of the most prominent proceedings.
Drama in LaLa
Banc of California Stadium made a pulsating debut Sunday night, as flashy newcomers LAFC christened their extremely flashy new home with a visit from the Seattle Sounders. Laurent Ciman’s last-gasp free kick rescued victory from the fearsome jaws of a scoreless draw and thus gets most of the love – but the replay I’ve watched most is Steven Beitashour’s crucial goal-line clearance of an early Alex Roldan header. Big up to the defenders!
El Guaje marks 400 (and 401) vs. FCD
Earlier on Sunday, David Villa gave us all yet another reminder of his all-world quality (and the all-conquering career it’s powered) by scoring his 400th career goal to guide New York City FC to a 3-1 win over FC Dallas. As any good striker would want, El Guaje followed that milestone up with his 401st not long after.
⚽️ | @Guaje7Villa addresses the locker room after being presented with the game ball from #Villa400 & a first-ever #NYCFC win over @FCDallas#ForTheCitypic.twitter.com/q0jQo0rwuJ
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) April 30, 2018
It was a lesson for Oscar Pareja’s still-under-construction FCD side, who were flummoxed by NYCFC’s pressing in Yankee Stadium’s snug confines like most other visitors will be this year. The blue side of New York are now 4-0 at home this year, outscoring their opponents 11-2 during those games.
OG (Original Goonie) Gordon strikes again
Time waits for no one, and the “Goonies” tales of the rowdy old San Jose Earthquakes teams are rapidly fading into obscurity. So kudos to the ageless Alan Gordon, now with the Chicago Fire, for bringing them back with his last-second equalizer to snatch a 2-2 draw at Toronto FC, piling a bit more pain on a rough week for the home side. This was a pleasantly hectic affair at BMO Field, and my top choice for condensed match viewing on the MLS app this week.
Shirtless in Vancouver
The weekend kicked off with Vancouver vs. Real Salt Lake, and like late Friday nights sometimes tend to, this one got a little strange. The Whitecaps’ Cristian Techera netted the game-winner from the penalty spot, and in hilariously baffling fashion, managed to forget that taking off his jersey to celebrate would earn him a sending-off, with that being an automatic yellow card on top of the one he’d already received earlier in the match. The hosts still bagged the win at BC Place, but Techera will be hearing about this one for a while…
Revs turn heads
Coming into 2018, most of MLS would have expected to see NYCFC and Atlanta United – who outlasted a tenacious Montreal Impact side to bag their latest one-sided scoreline at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – atop the Eastern Conference standings at this point. Orlando City in third might’ve surprised a few folks, but the real outsiders are the New England Revolution, sitting on 14 points from a 4-2-2 record.
Coming into the weekend, the Revs had only beaten one team that qualified for last year’s playoffs. So Saturday’s 1-0 home win over West leaders Sporting Kansas City was a prominent step forward, albeit earned via one of the strangest plays, at least from a refereeing standpoint, of the season thus far:
Brad Friedel's side will have their credentials truly tested in May, with visits to Montreal and Vancouver as well as home dates with heavyweights Toronto, Columbus and Atlanta.
Kratz x 2
When a substitute midfielder on a roster as talent-laden as Atlanta United’s is given dibs on promising set-piece opportunities, it hints at high levels of specialized ability, and so it was for Kevin Kratz on Saturday. The German banged home two gorgeous free-kick goals in a 16-minute cameo to put the Impact to the sword and remind the rest of us – again – just how many weapons the Five Stripes possess.
Grelladinho is back
Finally, a salute is due for one of MLS’ true cult heroes as he made his triumphant return to match action. Sidelined by a troublesome knee injury since June of last year, Mike Grella finally took the field again on Saturday, making his Columbus Crew SC debut following an offseason move from his hometown New York Red Bulls. And the man whose skill and bravery led RBNY fans to Brazilian-ize his name made it a perfect occasion, netting the game-winner for his new team vs. San Jose with a calm finish that ended Crew SC’s winless skid:
