MLS Major League Soccer

Galaxy Visit On-Form Union, Red Bulls -- This Week in MLS

Published on May 13, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


The two-time defending champion LA Galaxy head East this week for matches at Philadelphia and New York.

Playing without star forward Robbie Keane for the fourth time in their last five games, the Galaxy fell to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 3-1, on Saturday and now occupy the fifth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference, tied on points with the San Jose Earthquakes. After the match, LA coach Bruce Arena addressed his team's lack of urgency.

"We don't have enough aggressive players on the ball in the last third of the field," Arena said. "Landon Donovan can be more aggressive. Mike (Magee) didn't have a particularly good game in the last part of the field either. Those are the guys we're counting on."

The Galaxy, who played the first three games of the regular season without Donovan, hold at least two games in hand over all the teams ahead of them in the standings, but now face a Philadelphia Union team that has lost just once in its last six games and a first-place New York Red Bulls squad that is unbeaten in its last five. Keane has said he'll be ready to play.

The Sunday afternoon tilt between New York and LA will be televised nationally on ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes at 1 p.m. ET.

Week 12 National Broadcasts

Saturday, May 18

Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew, 5 p.m. ET (TSN, UDN)

Sunday, May 19

New York Red Bulls vs. LA Galaxy, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes)

D.C. United vs. Sporting Kansas City, 5 p.m. ET (UniMas)

Quotables

"They've supported my dream to become a professional soccer player since I was young, so it's a little gift for them...I was overwhelmed to score the first goal and then the second one came, the feeling's extraordinary. It's just a blur. I hadn't scored an MLS goal, it's something else."

Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Russell Teibert on scoring his first MLS goal in front of his family

"Caleb gives you the confidence to go out and express yourself as a player. He tells you not to hold back...and play free. That's something that we've been doing."

Portland Timbers midfielder Rodney Wallace after their 3-0 win over Chivas USA

"We played the game tonight with a will and a fight. Those guys wouldn't be denied tonight. It's a great step forward for this group. Tonight was an absolute fight and the boys came prepared for it. I'm very proud of them from that perspective, because obviously this is a tough place to play...Being able to do what they [Houston] did for as many as games as they did is incredible, it's truly fantastic. My hat goes off to them and I truly applaud them."

Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes after ending the Houston Dynamo's home unbeaten streak

"I tried it so many times since I've been in the league and it was always like inches away. And tonight it went in. At the end of the day it's not about the goal, it's about how important the goal was. We would have drawn that game if the ball didn't go in the back of the net. We are on a good run and we have to enjoy it a bit because we did suffer at the beginning of the season. Now it's a bit better, but we still have to work hard to play better."

Thierry Henry on his spectacular game-winning bicycle-kick goal against the Montreal Impact

"It is crazy when I look back at the last 12 years - more than one-third of my life - and remember all the great times and the thousands of amazing people I now call my friends in Columbus. I have the chance to work with an old friend and ex-New Zealand teammate whose coaching career is just taking off and cannot pass up this opportunity."

Former Columbus Crew assistant coach Duncan Oughton on his new assistant coach position with Toronto FC

Sweet Tweets

@BigAfrika8823h - May 12

Need more than one day to celebrate just how much this woman means to me and has done for me. Love you @sapongMom pic.twitter.com/0ZTKXuy2Ti

@rodwallace22 - May 12

No better time to get these 3 points! Happy Mother's Day to all the strong women out there.This ones for you mama! pic.twitter.com/869aYveuuR

@zmnsk21 - May 12

Thanks for the birthday wishes. No better way to celebrate than with the Timbers Army and 3 points in hand! #RCTID

@JebBrovsky - May 12

Remember that time when @Matteo27Ferrari took his shirt off when he scored and every guy in the Stadium covered their girl's eyes? #MeToo

=FE@oba_martins - May 11

Did u lot enjoy the backflip? I did, glad I got to do it on the home ground... It was a special feeling... Thanks for all the well wishes..

MLS Week 12 Previews

(Home team listed first; all times Eastern)

Wednesday, May 15

Philadelphia Union vs. LA Galaxy, 7:30 p.m.

- Jack McInerney took the lead in the MLS Golden Boot standings with his seventh goal of the season, giving Union a 1-0 victory at the Chicago Fire on Saturday afternoon.

- After winning four of the five previous meetings vs. Vancouver (with one draw) and outscoring the Whitecaps 14-2, the Galaxy crashed to a 3-1 loss at BC Place on Saturday, their second consecutive defeat.

- Homegrown Player Gyadi Zardes scored his first professional goal for the Galaxy in the loss at Vancouver, in his third appearance of the season.

- Union won the only meeting between the clubs a year ago, a 2-1 victory at The Home Depot Center behind a late, late goal from Michael Farfan. It was Union's first win against the Galaxy in five meetings all-time; LA had won the first three.

Saturday, May 18

Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew, 5 p.m. (TSN, UDN)

- In 15 all-time meetings between the teams, Toronto FC have won just once -- a 4-2 win Sept. 10, 2011 at Columbus Crew Stadium, snapping a 12-game winless run vs. Columbus.

- The Crew have never lost at BMO Field. The teams had played to five successive draws in Toronto before the Crew won in their only meeting there last season.

- Toronto FC return to action after a weekend off, following a two-game Western trip that saw narrow losses at both Colorado and San Jose that extended their current league winless streak to eight games. TFC is now winless in its last 11 MLS games at BMO Field.

- After a 12-game home undefeated streak was put to an end in a 1-0 loss to New York, the Crew were shut out in Columbus for a second consecutive match last weekend, a 2-0 defeat by Colorado.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers, 7 p.m.

- The Timbers stretched their MLS club-record undefeated streak to nine games in impressive fashion, rolling to a 3-0 home win Sunday vs. Chivas USA.

- Diego Valeri set up two of the Timbers goals vs. Chivas and scored one himself. He is now tied for the league lead in assists with four, along with Real Salt Lake's Joao Plata and Sporting KC's Graham Zusi.

- Whitecaps FC put an end to their seven-game winless streak, winning for the first time in league play since March 9 in a 3-1 victory against the LA Galaxy on Saturday.

- After coming on as an early substitute, Vancouver midfielder Russell Teibert scored his first two professional goals in leading Whitecaps FC to the win vs. LA.

- The Timbers have never lost to Whitecaps FC since the two teams have played in MLS competition. The Timbers have won four of the five meetings all-time, including both contests at BC Place.

Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m.

- The teams are meeting in the back end of their home-and-home series over two weekends. Union took a 1-0 victory on Saturday afternoon at Toyota Park behind a second-half goal from MLS Golden Boot leader Jack McInerney.

- Coming into the first meeting, the teams had exactly evenly split their series over the last three seasons, each team winning three times, with one draw. Each team had also scored nine goals.

- The Fire were shut out for a second consecutive match in the home loss to Philadelphia. They opened the season by being blanked in three consecutive games, before scoring in four in a row.

- Missing two regular starters in the back four, Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath made a season-high six saves in the shutout win vs. Chicago, his second clean sheet of the year.

Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution, 8:30 p.m.

- The Dynamo lost for the first time at BBVA Compass Stadium since it opened exactly one year earlier, May 12, 2012, in their 1-0 home defeat by Sporting KC on Sunday. It was the first home loss for the Dynamo since June 18, 2011, ending their home undefeated streak at 36 games in all competitions and 30 regular season games. Both streaks are Major League Soccer records.

- While the Revolution continued their 10-year-plus home undefeated streak vs. New York, spanning 17 games in all, they still saw their current winless streak stretched to three games with a 1-1 draw.

- Diego Fagundez scored his second goal of the season for the Revs, taking over the team lead, in the draw vs. the Red Bulls.

- The Dynamo have won the last two games between the teams in Houston, including a 2-0 victory last Sept. 29 in the first game at BBVA Compass Stadium. Those are their only two home wins lifetime vs. the Revolution; the Revs had won on four consecutive trips to Houston.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas, 10:30 p.m.

- FC Dallas extended their undefeated streak to nine games in a 2-1 home victory against D.C. United, matching the second-longest in club history. FCD went 19 games without defeat in the 2010 season.

- Sounders FC extended their league undefeated streak to five games, matching their MLS club record with a four-goal victory in the 4-0 win against San Jose on Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field. Seattle has not allowed a goal in 219 minutes.

- Lamar Neagle recorded his second career multiple-goal game, getting a pair in the Sounders FC win. Neagle scored a hat trick on Aug. 27, 2011 vs. Columbus in his first stint with the club.

- FC Dallas have won just once in nine meetings in the all-time series, a 1-0 victory in Seattle on May 25, 2011. Sounders FC have never lost at FC Dallas Stadium, victorious on trips to Frisco each of the last two seasons.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids, 10:30 p.m.

- The Rapids are coming off another shutout victory, their second in a row, in a 2-0 win against Columbus on Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. The Rapids have recorded four shutouts this season; they've come in back-to-back games on two occasions.

- Edson Buddle scored for a second consecutive match, his first two for the Rapids since coming to the club during the offseason.

- The Earthquakes saw their four-game undefeated run come to an end in a 4-0 loss at Seattle on Saturday. The Quakes hadn't allowed four goals in a game since a 4-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on July 23, 2011.

- The Earthquakes won all three meetings between the teams a season ago, including two wins at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The visiting team has won three of the last five meetings in the series.

Sunday, May 19

New York Red Bulls vs. LA Galaxy, 1 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes)

- The Red Bulls won the only meeting between the teams last season, a 1-0 victory at The Home Depot Center on May 5 on a goal from Joel Lindpere. The Red Bulls have come away with points in four of their last five league visits to The Home Depot Center to play the Galaxy.

- Lloyd Sam scored his first MLS goal for the Red Bulls, pulling them back into a 1-1 draw at New England on Saturday that ended a streak of four consecutive victories.

- The game at Red Bull Arena concludes a three-game road swing for the Galaxy, which started with a 3-1 loss in Vancouver and continued with a midweek game at Philadelphia Union.

D.C. United vs. Sporting Kansas City, 5 p.m. (UniMas)

- D.C. United lost their seventh match in a row, a record for the storied club over its 19-year history, with their 2-1 defeat at FC Dallas on Saturday evening.

- Aurelien Collin's second goal of the season gave Sporting KC a 1-0 win against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday evening, becoming the first visiting team ever to win at BBVA Compass Stadium.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Claudio Bieler's goal in the 89th minute gave Sporting a 1-0 home win on April 5.

- Sporting KC have a five-game winning streak alive vs. D.C. United. The last D.C. victory in the series came May 5, 2010 at RFK Stadium. United have not won in Kansas City since 2007.

Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Javier Morales scored the game's only goal early in the second half to give RSL the victory, April 20 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

- Real Salt Lake have won four consecutive matches at The Home Depot Center vs. Chivas, including 3-0 and 4-0 victories in the last two meetings a year ago. The last six meetings between the two teams have ended in a shutout.

- Real Salt Lake are concluding a three-game road swing with the trip to southern California, which began with a late 2-1 win at New England and a late 3-2 loss at Montréal.

- Goalkeeper Patrick McLain made his first professional start in Chivas USA's 3-0 loss in Portland on Sunday. Chivas have conceded seven goals in their last two matches; they are now riding a five-game winless streak, shut out offensively in four of those games.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 13, 2013


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