Category: Soccer

After being routed by the Houston Dynamo last Saturday, Los Angeles FC are looking for quick redemption when they host Wednesday’s rematch.

Houston’s 4-0 result on Saturday was both the Dynamo’s highest-scoring game of the MLS season and the largest margin of defeat for LAFC (7-2-5, 26 points) since their inaugural 2018 campaign.

Midfielder Ilie Sanchez felt Los Angeles FC were “not thinking as a team” on Saturday, resulting in the “very bad performance.”

“We are thinking about individuals on the field, and that’s where the disconnection is coming from,” Sanchez said. “… When LAFC doesn’t win or doesn’t perform as we expect, 99 percent of the time it’s going to be because of us and the way that we perform on the field.”

Amine Bassi scored on a penalty kick in the 50th minute for his team-leading seventh goal. Houston (6-7-3, 21 points) also had some new faces on the scoresheet, as Nelson Quinones scored his first MLS goal and Franco Escobar, formerly of LAFC, collected his first tally since signing with the Dynamo in the offseason.

The Dynamo are 6-1-1 at home this season but are still winless (0-6-2) in eight away games.

“At some point we need to turn the corner on the road,” Dynamo assistant coach Brendan Burke said. “We need to just find a way to get results and we might have to do it in a different way. We’ve been a little too open on the road, a little too willing to go forward on the road, and we might have to be a little more conservative to just grind stuff out.”

Escobar (caution accumulation) and Adalberto Carrasquilla (international duty) aren’t available for Houston’s lineup on Wednesday. Chase Gasper is questionable after making an early exit last game due to a hip injury.

Los Angeles FC have an undefeated 5-0-2 home record, though the team is in its first downturn in form of the season. LAFC are 0-1-1 without any goals scored in their last two games, marking only the second two-game regular-season scoreless drought in franchise history.

–Field Level Media

The New England Revolution signed 15-year-old Peyton Miller to a four-year MLS contract on Monday.

The defender/midfielder from Unionville, Conn., is the youngest player ever to sign with the club.

At 15 years and 216 days, Miller is younger than Diego Fagundez (15-274) when he signed in 2015.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity,” Miller said in a news release. “… Taking this next step in my development is a dream come true and I appreciate my family and all of the coaches for the guidance and support that helped make this possible.”

Miller, a product of the Revolution Academy, will join the MLS NEXT Pro roster for the rest of the 2023 season.

He will ascend to the MLS roster in 2024 as a homegrown player. His four-year deal includes a one-year club option.

Miller’s on the move ??

The Unionville, Conn. native has signed with Revolution II for the remainder of the MLS NEXT Pro season and will join the #NERevs MLS roster in 2024 under a Homegrown contract.

Congrats, Peyton! ?? pic.twitter.com/GCvVsdhquT

— New England Revolution Academy (@NERevsAcademy) June 12, 2023

“Our pro player pathway is designed to foster special players like Peyton and help them accelerate their growth as professionals. Peyton is still a young man, but he has excelled in every opportunity presented to him and is very deserving of this opportunity to prove himself at the next level,” Revs technical director Curt Onalfo said.

Miller made his MLS NEXT Pro debut with Revolution II on March 26. He has two assists in 11 matches (10 starts).

–Field Level Media

Franck Boli scored his fourth goal of the season late in the first half and the Portland Timbers went on to a 1-0 win over visiting FC Dallas on Sunday night.

Evander, who is now tied with Boli for the team goal-scoring lead, served in the assist on a sequence that was enough to snap a four-match winless streak.

Boli’s goal was only the Timbers’ second in their last five games, but on this occasion, they perhaps deserved more. Portland (5-7-5, 20 points) outshot Dallas 14-5 overall and 8-2 in terms of efforts on target.

Martin Paes saved seven of those Timbers shots on goal for FCD (7-6-5, 26 points), which lost back-to-back away matches for the first time this season.

The visitors also lost striker Jesus Jimenez at halftime to an apparent leg injury, in a game in which attacking midfielders Sebastian Lletget and Paul Arriola were also unavailable.

And they were defeated despite two replay reviews in their favor — the first reversing a very early penalty kick awarded to the Timbers, and the second overturning a red card shown to center back Gabriel Jesus.

Portland were very clear aggressors in the opening 15 minutes, only to be thwarted Paes’ excellent denials of Juan Mosquera in the ninth minute and Evander in the 11th.

But the Timbers would eventually take a deserved lead in the 35th when Evander took a pass in midfield and was afforded space to move forward down the left.

He then cut back and curled a cross toward the penalty spot. That’s where Boli met the ball, running at full speed to create space between himself and Dallas’ two center backs and power a header past Paes.

The Timbers sat deeper after halftime but looked more likely to score a potential second goal.

Paes continued to shine, with his best save of the night coming in the 60th minute when he sprawled low and left push away Santiago Moreno’s effort from inside the box.

Portland ‘keeper David Bingham was not as busy, though he reacted well at his near post in second-half stoppage time to deny Facundo Quignon a late leveler.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Galaxy struck late to emerge with a 1-1 draw and salvage a point in the standings in their first-ever meeting against host St. Louis City on Sunday.

Daniel Aguirre scored for the Galaxy in the 85th minute after a slick centering pass from Douglas Costa. The goal countered a St. Louis City score in the 68th minute on a sideways flick from Niko Gioacchini.

With the tie, the Galaxy (3-9-4, 13 points) have now earned points in consecutive games for the first time since three consecutive tied games from March 11-25.

St. Louis City (9-5-2, 29 points) have one goal in their past two games (0-1-1) after scoring 10 goals in their previous three, all of which were victories.

Los Angeles’ Calegari had a pair of chances early to get his team on the scoreboard. In the third minute, he took the ball just past midfield and brought it inside the box, but his attempt rolled wide left. Five minutes later, he drove down the right side but his shot was stopped by St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki.

St. Louis picked up the tempo as the half progressed but couldn’t break through for a goal. In the 12th minute, midfielder Jared Stroud missed when he tried to connect with a teammate inside the box and moments later, he tried a volley from the penalty area only to see the ball go wide right.

Indiana Vassilev had a chance to get the home side on the board in the 39th minute off a corner when he took a short pass along the side and sent it inside for a header, but the shot went wide.

Gioacchini struck with an impressive finish to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Vassilev sent a cross to Gioacchini streaking towards the goal area and the forward connected with his left foot to send the ball into the top corner of the net.

St. Louis nearly doubled its lead four minutes later. Vassilev drove up the field, maintaining possession to get to the spot before sending a shot on target that was saved by Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.

Aguirre brough the Galaxy even in the 85th minute, helping Los Angeles earn a victory at Real Salt Lake and Sunday’s tie on the road over the past two games.

Burki made four saves for St. Louis City, while Bond made five for the Galaxy.

–Field Level Media

Minnesota United FC completed the transfer of striker Luis Amarilla to Liga MX side Mazatlan on Saturday night.

The fee was not disclosed for the 27-year-old Paraguayan, who had 13 goals and six assists in 53 MLS matches (40 starts) with the Loons (2020, 2022-23).

Earlier reports indicated MNUFC planned to use Amarilla’s vacated designated player slot to sign Finnish forward Teemu Pukki. The league’s secondary transfer window opens July 5.

Amarilla had two goals in 13 matches (eight starts) this season for Minnesota (5-7-5, 20 points).

–Field Level Media

Ryan Gauld scored on a penalty kick in the 89th minute as the host Vancouver Whitecaps rallied for a 1-1 draw with MLS-leading FC Cincinnati on Saturday night.

Gauld’s goal came just six minutes after Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta broke a scoreless tie.

Cincinnati (12-1-4, 40 points) had a franchise-record six-game winning streak snapped, while the Whitecaps (5-5-7, 22 points) extended their unbeaten streak at home to nine matches (5-0-4).

Gauld, who scored on a penalty kick in the 88th minute last Saturday in a 1-1 tie with Sporting Kansas City, got another attempt after Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga tripped up Sergio Cordova just inside the top of the 18-yard box. Gauld blasted a left-footed shot into the lower right corner of the net, leaving goalkeeper Roman Celentano no chance.

Acosta came off the bench to open the scoring in the 83rd minute. He took a long through ball from Miazga at the top of the 18-yard box and lobbed a left-footed shot over Vancouver goalie Yohei Takaoka and into the far-side netting. It was Acosta’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.

Vancouver’s Brian White twice tried to lob shots over Celentano, but he put an attempt just wide of the right post in the 11th minute and launched one over the crossbar and into the netting atop the goal in the 79th.

Both goalies made two saves.

Takaoka dropped to his knees to save a 20-yard shot by Dominique Badji in the 51st minute. He also smothered Brandon Vazquez’s attempt from the top right of the 6-yard box in the 12th minute.

In the 23rd minute, Celentano made a diving save on a shot from the right side of the penalty area by Vancouver’s Sergio Cordova after a through ball from Ryan Raposo. Celentano made an easy stop at the right post on a header by the Whitecaps’ Javain Brown in the 64th minute.

–Field Level Media

Miguel Trauco scored the tiebreaking goal and the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the visiting Philadelphia Union for the first time in nearly 10 years by registering a 2-1 victory on Saturday night.

Jeremy Ebobisse also scored for the Earthquakes (7-5-5, 26 points), who ended a seven-match winless streak (0-4-3) against Philadelphia. It was San Jose’s first win over the Union since a 1-0 home win on Sept. 8, 2013.

Damion Lowe scored the goal for Philadelphia (9-5-3, 30 points), which saw its nine-game unbeaten stretch (7-0-2) this season snapped. The streak matched the franchise mark set last season (2-0-7 from April 23 to June 26).

The Earthquakes are 6-0-2 at home this season, allowing just five goals. San Jose also is unbeaten in its last four overall matches (2-0-2).

San Jose goalkeeper Daniel made a hand save on a left-footed blast by Jack McGlynn in the 90th minute to prevent the Union from tying the score. Daniel had six saves.

Trauco gave San Jose a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute with a long left-footed blast from beyond the center of the box. The ball sailed into the top right corner of the net for Trauco’s second goal of the season.

Earlier, San Jose moved ahead in the eighth minute when Cade Cowell fed Ebobisse, who smacked a left-footed shot into the right corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season.

Nine minutes later, the Union tied the game on a corner kick. Kai Wagner’s long cross went directly to Lowe, who headed the ball and it tipped off the hand of Daniel en route to landing in the net. It was Lowe’s first goal of the season.

The Union had a 19-10 edge in shots and placed seven on target to San Jose’s two. Philadelphia goalie Andre Blake didn’t make any saves.

Philadelphia’s leading scorer, Julian Carranza (nine goals), failed to convert on two big opportunities.

In the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, Jesus Bueno passed the ball to Carranza, who had an open net right in front of him. But Carranza kicked the ball over the crossbar to keep the score tied at 1.

In the 73rd minute, Carranza had a chance to knot the score at 2 when he attempted a point-blank header, but Daniel made the stop with his right knee.

–Field Level Media

Luis Barraza made four saves and New York City FC escaped their trip to Real Salt Lake with a 0-0 draw on Saturday night.

Barraza’s performance was more about quality over quantity for NYCFC (4-7-6, 18 points), which remains winless in nine road games this season but has drawn four of those.

It was Barraza’s third clean sheet of the season and fifth of his MLS career, having earned the starting job after veteran Sean Johnson’s free-agent move to Toronto FC last offseason.

The Cityzens earned a tough road result despite continuing attacking struggles. They’ve scored 17 goals through 17 games and are on pace to score 19 fewer than their 2022 season total of 53.

Real Salt Lake (5-7-5, 20 points) were held scoreless for the fifth time at home this season, as they continue to struggle in front of the goal.

RSL will be adding former LAFC striker Cristian Arango as an international signing when the summer transfer window opens next month. This game highlighted the need for him.

The Claret and Cobalt led the Cityzens 20-5 in overall shots and 4-1 in efforts on target but could not break through.

After halftime, Salt Lake’s Jefferson Savarino and then substitute Anderson Julio looked the most likely to score for either side.

Savarino forced Barraza into a save in the 47th minute and missed just wide of the left post in the 51st. Then in the 66th minute, his swerving strike had Barraza beaten but struck the right post.

Julio then had an excellent opportunity in the 83rd minute after he freed himself in the left side of the penalty area with a cutback. Barraza charged to block his first effort, and Julio sent his rebound attempt wide.

Julio had another open look on the break in second-half stoppage time, but Barraza again leaped off his line to foil the opportunity.

The best chance for NYCFC came in the 31st minute when Talles Magno’s shot forced Zac MacMath into his only save of the match at his near post.

–Field Level Media

Nelson Quinones, Amine Bassi, Corey Baird and Franco Escobar scored goals as the Houston Dynamo continued their solid play at home with an easy 4-0 win over Los Angeles FC on Saturday.

Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark only had to make two saves to record his sixth shutout of the season and the 56th of his MLS career.

All six of Houston’s wins this season have come at home and the Dynamo (6-7-3, 21 points) have allowed just one goal across those six victories.

LAFC (7-2-5, 26 points) had a four-game league unbeaten streak snapped and lost for the first time in MLS competition since falling at San Jose on May 6.

The Dynamo dominated throughout, getting on the board in the 11th minute. Quinones ripped a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net from just inside the left side of the box after a mini-breakaway and a cross into the zone by Adalberto Carrasquilla.

Los Angeles FC pushed for the equalizer, getting a shot from Diego Palacios in the 43rd minute that was saved in the bottom left corner by Clark.

Houston added to its lead in the 50th minute as Bassi converted from the spot after Quinones drew a foul in the penalty area from LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead. Bassi found the bottom left corner with a right-footed shot when Los Angeles keeper John McCarthy dove to his left.

The Dynamo continued toward their big win when Baird beat McCarthy in the 69th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box. He dribbled into the goalmouth upon receiving a pass from Aliyu Ibrahim.

Houston capped its night with a goal in the 89th minute by Escobar from outside the box to the top right corner after an assist by Hector Herrera.

–Field Level Media