MLS Major League Soccer

Playoff Push in Full Swing with Heavy-Hitting Week Ahead - This Week in MLS

Published on August 11, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


The Philadelphia Union climbed above the red line for the first time this season with last week's win over the Montreal Impact. Winger Sebastien Le Toux provided both goals for Philadelphia in the crucial 2-1 result, giving him ten on the season. Barely ahead of conference rival Columbus, the Union will look to secure another three points this week on the road against DaMarcus Beasley and the Houston Dynamo. The game can be seen on Friday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and TSN2.

Conference heavyweights match strengths in a pair of fixtures this Saturday. Real Salt Lake, with new all-time shutout record holder Nick Rimando, play host to Clint Dempsey's Seattle Sounders FC. Seattle and Salt Lake currently sit at first and second respectively in the Western Conference and are separated by two points in the chase for the Supporters' Shield. The match will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

Two teams looking to further solidify their position in the playoffs square off in Eastern Conference action as third-place Toronto FC travel to Kansas City for a date with the defending champions, first-place Sporting Kansas City. A pair of Budweiser Golden Boot hopefuls lead their teams into this game - Sporting's Dom Dwyer currently sits in second place with 14 goals while Toronto's Jermain Defoe is in fifth place with 11.

National MLS Broadcasts

Friday, August 15

Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, 9:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN, TSN2)

Saturday, August 16

Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

Montreal Impact vs. Chicago Fire, 6:30 p.m. ET (TSN2, RDS)

Sporting Kansas City vs. Toronto FC, 8:30 p.m. ET (TSN2)

Chivas USA vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10:30 p.m. ET (TSN)

Sunday, August 17

D.C. United vs. Colorado Rapids, 8:00 p.m. ET (UDN)

Sweet Tweets

@DaxMcCarty11 - August 6 - Dax McCarty, New York Red Bulls

Caleb Porter is terrified of the final whistle right now. #angrypep

@ZacMacMath - August 7 - Zac MacMath, Philadelphia Union

Congrats and thank you to @landondonovan for all you did. Glad I could help push you into the record books. pic.twitter.com/Sm6UVK4oQl

"@Ddwyer14 - August 8 - Dom Dwyer, Sporting Kansas City

Can't believe I got to see POTM @b_feilhaber22 on FaceTime [cid:image003.png@01CFB56D.CB56F490] #HeroStar pic.twitter.com/ltMpF8ffQo

@brad_evans3 - August 8 - Brad Evans, Seattle Sounders FC

Deandre will be back guys. He's just shopping for clothes overseas.

"@KyleBeckerman - August 10 - Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake

Congrats to the #Shutoutking @NickRimando #113

"@DaxMcCarty11 - August 10 - Dax McCarty, New York Red Bulls

Making little guys everywhere proud. Congrats to @NickRimando on the record. Im sure Ive contributed to it at some point, so you're welcome!

@Ddwyer14 - August 10 - Dom Dwyer, Sporting Kansas City

Team walk... Obviously me and @b_feilhaber22 the only good pros who are stretching! pic.twitter.com/1KokMLN1wD

@AaWheelz12 - August 10 - Aaron Wheeler, Philadelphia Union

This #SubmarineShark has really got me second guessing going #cagediving in #SouthAfrica

"@JebBrovsky - August 11 - Jeb Brovsky, NYC FC

If you've left me a voicemail in the last 6 years, I'm sorry... I've probably never heard a word of it. #ForgottenFeature

Quotables

"I don't really know what to say. What an amazing career so far, but there's so much left for him. It couldn't happen to a better person. He's a leader within our team and locker room. He's a fantastic goalkeeper. It's an amazing individual award, but as I'm sure Nick [Rimando] said, there's a lot of people that were involved in it. I think there's more to come. I think there's a lot more to come."

RSL head coach Jeff Cassar on Nick Rimando's breaking MLS's shutout record

"I don't think any shutout is for myself. I think I have the name on the shutout, but it's a committed effort from the team. This is not only my record. My name is on it, but there's a lot of guys that should be getting credit for it."

RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando on breaking the MLS shutout record

"I thought he was excellent. Coming into a group is not an easy thing, he's familiar with a lot of the guys but it's been awhile, for him to come into the group and play that well for us I was very, very happy."

Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin on how quickly Victor Valdez is fitting into the squad

"Landon Donovan is one of the most significant figures in the history of soccer in the United States. His influence on MLS and soccer in this country will continue to be felt for many years to come. As both a player and a person, Landon has been an incredible representative of the L.A. Galaxy, MLS and the U.S. men's national team and it has been my honor coaching him. We respect his decision to retire at the end of the season and look forward to competing for another MLS Cup and celebrating his outstanding career."

LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena on Landon Donovan's impact on Major League Soccer

"I thought [Donovan] was going to retire after me. It's a guy you just wanted to play forever."

Sunderland AFC forward Jozy Altidore on his U.S. men's national team teammate Landon Donovan retiring

"Those are guys that have been pioneers for this league, helped to bring prestige to this league and quality to this league."

Philadelphia Union midfielder Maurice Edu on what Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan have meant to MLS

"It's huge for the league. I think it just shows where we're at as a league. They may have been in preseason, but they still have world-class players on the field. ... I think it just shows how fast this league is rising. There's world-class players on this team. We're right there, man."

Seattle Sounders FC defender DeAndre Yedlin on what the MLS All-Stars win over Bayern Munich shows about the league

"To have a moment like this, he certainly deserves it -- although at this point it doesn't surprise anybody that he plays 20 minutes in an All-Star Game and walks of the field with a goal. He's a friend, so whether it's the national team or whether it's a situation like this, I enjoy the chance to get to spend some time with him. I'm happy that he was able to get a good goal."

Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley on playing alongside Landon Donovan during the All-Star game

Week 23 Game Previews

Friday, Aug. 15

Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, 9 p.m.

"¢ Sebastien Le Toux scored two goals in a game for the third time this season, netting both Union goals in their 2-1 win against the Montréal Impact on Saturday evening. Le Toux now has 10 goals, tied for sixth in the MLS Golden Boot standings, the third time he's scored in double-digits in goals in a season in his MLS career.

"¢ Union are chasing a first trophy in the club's history when they start the week with a U.S. Open Cup semifinal against FC Dallas on Tuesday evening in Frisco. Union are the only team left in the competition who have not won the Open Cup. If Union win, they will host the final at PPL Park.

"¢ The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They played to a scoreless draw April 19 at PPL Park.

"¢ The draw in the first meeting ended a three-game Dynamo winning streak in the series. The Dynamo have won the last three meetings at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Saturday, Aug. 16

Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 2:30 p.m.

"¢ Nick Rimando became the MLS all-time leader in shutouts with the 113th of his career, making two saves in Real Salt Lake's 3-0 win against D.C. United on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL has recorded back-to-back shutouts and not allowed a goal in the last 213 minutes.

"¢ Marco Pappa scored his second goal in the last four games, now with three for the season, as Sounders FC snapped a two-game losing slide with a 2-0 win against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday evening.

"¢ Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid became the first coach in MLS history to reach the 200-win mark with the victory against Houston.

"¢ The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Gonzalo Pineda, Marco Pappa, Chad Barrett and Obafemi Martins all scored as Sounders FC rolled to a 4-0 win May 31 at CenturyLink Field.

"¢ RSL have been shut out on their last four trips to Seattle in all competitions; they last scored at CenturyLink Field on May 12, 2012. Sounders FC last won in league play at Rio Tinto Stadium on May 28, 2011, a span of three games.

Montreal Impact vs. Chicago Fire, 6:30 p.m.

"¢ Mike Magee scored for a second consecutive match as the Fire snapped a four-game winless run in their 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday evening.

"¢ The Impact saw their losing streak extended to seven games in their 2-1 loss at Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening. The Impact's last two goals, over the last three games, have been scored by second-year Homegrown defender Maxim Tissot.

"¢ The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Montréal's Jack McInerney and Chicago's Quincy Amarikwa scored on either side of halftime as the teams played to a 1-1 draw April 12 at Stade Saputo.

"¢ The visiting team has never won in the series in six all-time meetings. The last two meetings at Toyota Park have ended in draws.

Columbus Crew vs. LA Galaxy, 7:30 p.m.

"¢ Crew midfielder Federico HiguaÃ-n has scored in three consecutive games, after converting a penalty kick in the 3-2 home loss to Toronto FC on Saturday evening.

"¢ Galaxy striker Gyasi Zardes scored for a third consecutive game in his club's 2-2 draw vs. the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday evening. Zardes has scored eight of his nine goals on the season over the last nine matches, since June 8, when he was installed into a starting spot in the Galaxy attack.

"¢ The Crew have not defeated the Galaxy since 2009. The Galaxy won 2-1 last July 4 at StubHub Center in their only meeting.

"¢ The Galaxy have taken points on their last three trips to Columbus (two wins and a draw). The Galaxy have a four-game home undefeated streak alive vs. Columbus dating back to 2007, with two wins and two draws in that time.

New England Revolution vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m.

"¢ The Revolution return to action after a weekend off, their last match a 2-1 loss at the New York Red Bulls before the All-Star break. Charlie Davies scored for the Revolution, his first goal in any league, for club or country, since Sept. 10, 2011, when he had a hat trick for D.C. United at Chivas USA.

"¢ Diego Valeri scored for a fourth consecutive game as the Timbers took a 2-0 home win against Chivas USA on Saturday evening. Valeri has five of his seven goals this season over the last six games; he also assisted on the game-winning goal for the MLS All-Stars in their win against Bayern Munich in between.

"¢ The Revolution have never lost to the Timbers in New England, with a victory and a draw in the two meetings there.

"¢ The Timbers have never lost to the Revolution in Portland with a victory and a draw in the two meetings there, including a scoreless result last May 2 in their only meeting of the season.

Sporting Kansas City vs. Toronto FC, 8:30 p.m.

"¢ Sporting Kansas City had their long undefeated and road winning streaks put to an end in a 2-0 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday. It snapped an eight-game unbeaten run overall, and four-game winning run away from Sporting Park, the club's first defeat since a 1-0 loss at D.C. United on May 31.

"¢ Sporting could be down to their third-string goalkeeper for the Toronto FC match. Homegrown goalkeeper Jon Kempin made his MLS debut in the loss in Vancouver, coming on as a halftime substitute for the injured Andy Gruenebaum. First-choice goalkeeper Eric Kronberg is still out after suffering a fractured hand at the start of July.

"¢ Gilberto and Luke Moore each scored their second goals in as many games to lead Toronto FC to their second consecutive win, a 3-2 victory at Columbus on Saturday evening.

"¢ The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Second-half goals from Graham Zusi and Jacob Peterson brought SKC back from an early deficit for a 2-1 win July 26 at BMO Field. The teams played to a 2-2 draw May 23 at Sporting Park as KC's Dom Dwyer scored two goals.

"¢ Over the last four seasons, Toronto FC have defeated Sporting KC just once in six meetings at BMO Field (last March 9). SKC has never lost to TFC at Sporting Park since the ground opened in 2011 (4-0-1). TFC's last win in Kansas City came March 21, 2009.

Chivas USA vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10:30 p.m.

"¢ The teams are meeting for the third time this season. AgustÃ-n Pelletieri, Erick Torres and Leandro Barrera scored second-half goals as Chivas USA claimed a 3-1 victory July 12 at BC Place. The teams reached a 1-1 draw March 16 at StubHub Center.

"¢ The win in Vancouver for Chivas USA in the last meeting was their first ever at BC Place. Whitecaps FC had won two of the first encounters there all-time (with one draw).

"¢ Chivas USA saw their current goalless run extended to 276 minutes with a third consecutive shutout defeat, falling 2-0 at the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening.

"¢ Whitecaps FC snapped their string of four consecutive draws and five games overall without a victory, claiming a 2-0 win against Sporting KC on Sunday afternoon at BC Place. Darren Mattocks scored his fourth goal over the last five matches.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. FC Dallas, 10:30 p.m.

"¢ MatÃ-as Perez GarcÃ-a made his Earthquakes and MLS debut one to remember, scoring in his new club's 2-2 draw at the LA Galaxy on Friday evening. Chris Wondolowski also netted his eighth goal of the season, his third goal in five games since his return from the U.S. national team and the FIFA World Cup.

"¢ FC Dallas won their second game on the trot and extended their undefeated streak to eight matches with a comprehensive 3-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium.

"¢ The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Atiba Harris and Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi scored first-half goals to pace the Quakes to a 2-1 victory May 31 at Toyota Stadium. The Earthquakes also won 2-1 on May 10 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

"¢ FC Dallas hasn't won in Santa Clara since 2009. The Quakes have won four of the six home meetings since, with two draws. FCD has won once in the last 11 meetings overall between the clubs, that last May 25 in a 1-0 win in Frisco.

Sunday, Aug. 17

D.C. United vs. Colorado Rapids, 8 p.m.

"¢ D.C. United have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since the opening two games of the season, shut out for a second consecutive match in a 3-0 defeat at Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening.

"¢ The Rapids suffered their third consecutive defeat - their longest losing skid of the campaign - in a 3-1 defeat by FC Dallas on Saturday evening. Gabriel Torres scored the lone Colorado goal from a penalty kick, snapping a 282-minute goalless drought for his club.

"¢ The teams met once a season ago, playing to a scoreless draw July 7 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

"¢ Both teams had gone more than a decade between wins at the other's home, before winning there in 2010. Colorado's win in Washington was their first in the nation's capital since 1999. United's win in Colorado was their first in the Centennial State since 2000. Each of the last two meetings in each ground have ended in a home win and a draw.

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 11, 2014


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