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This Week in MLS

May 11, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


D.C. United, Orlando City SC meet again for midweek showdown

D.C. United and Orlando City SC take center stage in Wednesday's lone MLS game at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). The Black-and-Red extended its unbeaten streak to seven games with a 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, bringing it into a tie with New England for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Kaká and Co. make their first-ever visit to the nation's capital looking to snap United's 13-game undefeated run at RFK Stadium. The Lions needed some late-game heroics to salvage a 2-2 with New England on Sunday, but the squad fared well in its first match without winger Kevin Molino. OCSC and D.C. met at the Citrus Bowl on April 3, when Luis Silva gave United a 1-0 win with a dramatic 91st-minute goal.

Chicago Fire visit Yankee Stadium for first time

The Chicago Fire make their first-ever trip to Yankee Stadium as New York City FC play host to kick off the Viernes de Futbol doubleheader on Univision Deportes Network at 7 p.m. ET. This will be the second meeting between the two clubs after Chicago defeated NYCFC 1-0 at home on April 24 behind David Accam's first goal in league play. The Fire are coming off a 2-1 home loss to Real Salt Lake, while NYCFC fell by the same score line to New York Red Bulls in the inaugural New York derby. The Fire will hope to snap a two-game losing streak, while New York City FC will be primed to put their star power on display and grab three points at home.

Red Bulls aiming to improve on recent dominance against FC Dallas

Fresh off of winning the first New York City derby, the New York Red Bulls travel to Toyota Stadium to take on a red-hot FC Dallas that has won three of its last four games to cap off the Viernes de Futbol's doubleheader on Univision Deportes Network at 9 p.m. ET. After picking up their first loss of the season last week against the New England Revolution, a brace from defending MLS Budweiser Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips powered the Red Bulls to a 2-1 victory over crosstown rival New York City FC. FC Dallas also secured three points over the weekend, notching two goals in the final 30 minutes of play to record a 2-1 comeback victory over defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy. Midfield maestro Mauro Diaz set up both second-half strikes by Blas Perez, and reigning MLS Rookie of the Year Tesho Akindele was able to bring his assist total to four in his last two games. The Red Bulls lead the overall series 20-17-4 and are 5-1-2 in the past eight regular season meetings dating back to Aug. 23, 2009. FC Dallas will try to increase their four-game unbeaten run while the Red Bulls will look to build on their recent success against FCD.

Montreal Impact welcome confident Real Salt Lake to Stade Saputo

Following a Cinderella run to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, the Montreal Impact are hoping the club's form in the continental tournament will translate into success in league play. Montreal returned to MLS action last Saturday, falling 2-1 to the Portland Timbers after a Dominic Oduro goal was not enough to complete the comeback. The Impact welcome Real Salt Lake to Stade Saputo for a Saturday matinee at 4 p.m. ET (TSN), the fourth all-time meeting between the two clubs. RSL leads Montreal 2-1 in a series where the home team has won each match. Real Salt Lake will be riding high this weekend, coming off a 2-1 road win over the Chicago Fire which saw the Claret-and-Cobalt break a 509 minute scoreless streak.

Whitecaps FC and Sounders FC square off in Cascadia Cup clash

Vancouver Whitecaps FC welcome Seattle Sounders FC to BC Place in their first matchup of the season on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (TSN1). The Sounders' three-game winning streak was put to a halt last week as they fell to Columbus Crew SC 3-2. Sounders forward Clint Dempsey notched his second brace of the season and scored his fourth goal in three games, tying him for the league lead in goals with Crew SC forward Kei Kamara at seven. Last week, the 'Caps cruised to a dominating 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Union at BC Place. Uruguayan forward Octavio Rivero scored his sixth goal of the season with Pedro Morales and Darren Mattocks also getting their names on the score sheet. The 'Caps have had recent success against the Sounders as they are unbeaten in five straight games against their Cascadia rivals going 4-0-1 during that time span. Both clubs will be primed to come away with all three points to take a step closer to hoisting the Cascadia Cup.

Orlando City SC looking for first home win

Orlando City SC enters its second nationally televised match of the week on MLS Soccer Sunday, returning from Washington D.C. for their first-ever tilt with LA Galaxy at 5 p.m. ET at the Citrus Bowl (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). The Lions are still seeking their first home win after Friday's draw with the New England Revolution. Although a date with the reigning MLS Cup champions doesn't look promising on paper, LA is riding a 10-game winless streak away from the StubHub Center. The Galaxy extended that streak with Saturday's 2-1 loss at FC Dallas. However, the loss was the Galaxy's first since April 4, and they would have come away with a draw if not for Tesho Akindele's 86th-minute game-winner.

Two clubs on opposite ends of the spectrum meet when Union host United

Philadelphia Union welcome Eastern Conference leading D.C. United to PPL Park to cap off MLS Soccer Sunday's doubleheader (7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes). D.C. United will be playing its second match of the week after a Wednesday home game against Orlando City SC. Although this is their first matchup on 2015, United has fared well against Philadelphia, going unbeaten in their past three matches against the Union, including two victories last season. Philadelphia, which went 6-3-8 at home in 2014, hopes to break a four-game losing streak.

MLS National TV Schedule

Wednesday, May 13

D.C. United vs. Orlando City SC, 8 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)

Friday, May 15

New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire, 7 p.m. (UDN)

FC Dallas vs. New York Red Bulls, 9 p.m. (UDN)

Saturday, May 16

Montreal Impact vs. Real Salt Lake, 4 p.m. ET (TSN)

Sunday, May 17

Orlando City SC vs. LA Galaxy, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)

Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 7 p.m. ET (Fox Sports 1, FOX Deportes)

2015 Amway Canadian Championship enters Week 2

The 2015 Amway Canadian Championship opened its semifinal round last week as the four remaining clubs vie for the Voyageurs Cup and a bid to this year's CONCACAF Champions League. While a snowstorm postponed the first leg of Vancouver Whitecaps FC and FC Edmonton's matchup, the Montreal Impact jumped out to a 1-0 aggregate lead on Toronto FC. Jack McInerney scored the lone goal in last Wednesday's match, which TFC played without stars Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco. Toronto defeated Montreal in both of their league meetings last year, but the Impact topped the Reds in the final of last year's tournament.

Whitecaps FC and FC Edmonton play the first leg of their tie on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET at BC Place.

Seven MLS Homegrown Players tabbed for FIFA U-20 World Cup

United States U-20 national team head coach Tab Ramos called up seven MLS players - all Homegrown Players - to the U.S. national team roster for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, which runs from May 30-June 20. The U.S. players will report to the National Training Center in Carson, Calif. on May 14 before departing on May 16 for training in Australia, prior to arrival in New Zealand. The U.S. was drawn into Group A and will face Myanmar on May 30, New Zealand on June 2 and Ukraine on June 5. All U.S. group matches will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 in English and NBC Universo in Spanish

The seven Homegrown selections include New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga, FC Dallas defender Kellyn Acosta, Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown, Toronto FC midfielder Marco Delgado, San Jose Earthquakes forward Tommy Thompson, Real Salt Lake midfielder Jordan Allen and LA Galaxy forward Bradford Jamieson IV. They have combined for a total of 1,944 minutes of playing time in MLS this season, with two goals and two assists.

U.S. Women's National Team open send-off series ahead of FIFA Women's World Cup

With fewer than four weeks remaining until the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the United States Women's National Team kicked off its send-off series with a 3-0 victory against Ireland in a Mother's Day friendly before a capacity crowd at San Jose's Avaya Stadium. Abby Wambach notched her 44th career brace in a three-minute span - scoring in the 42nd and 45th minutes - while defender Julie Johnston tacked on the final goal in the 54th minute. The U.S. did not yield a single shot on goal.

Two members of the U.S. women's team have significant ties to MLS. Forwards Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan are married to Sporting Kansas City's Dom Dwyer and Servando Carrasco, respectively. Leroux entered as a substitution in the 46th minute, but Morgan did not see the field.

Avaya Stadium nominated for Venue of the Year Award

Avaya Stadium has been short listed as a finalist for the Venue of the Year award at The Stadium Business Awards in Barcelona, Spain on June 10, 2015. Some of the other nominations in the category include Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia, Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom, Maracanã Stadium in Brazil and the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Avaya Stadium opened its doors on March 22, 2015 and is the first cloud-enabled stadium in Major League Soccer. More details on the state-of-the-art-stadium can be found at http://www.sjearthquakes.com/avayastadium

For a full list of the nominees at the Stadium Business Awards, click HERE.

AT&T Goal of the Week (Week 10) - CLICK HERE to vote

- Clint Dempsey (SEA) Curled in a left-footed strike from outside the box to beat Steve Clark.

- Darren Mattocks (VAN) Turned Maurice Edu inside out and fired a shot past Brian Sylvestre.

- Blas Perez (DAL) Received a scooped pass from Mauro Diaz and took a touch off his chest past Jaime Penedo to slot home a right-footed shot.

- Diego Valeri (POR) Took a pass from Rodney Wallace inside the box and fired a curling right-footed shot past a helpless Evan Bush.

- Bradley Wright-Phillips (NYRB) Scored the historic first goal in the New York Derby by tapping in a right-footed shot past Josh Saunders inside the box.

Quotables

"It showed what it meant to a lot of us. We tried to downplay the rivalry aspect of it, but whenever a team comes and brings 2,000 fans and they're loud and we hear them, you always want to win, and you always want to shut them up.''

New York Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty on the first installment of the New York Derby

Obvious who valued NYCFC-Bulls rivalry, and who brushed it aside (New York Post)

"We had an event last night at the adidas store and you get to meet these fans and you can tell they want to be a winner so bad. They've been waiting for so long for us to be a winner, and I think so far they're very proud of the way the team has done so far this season, and it's nice to feel we're making them proud."

New York Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan on the fan support this season

Sascha Kljestan has returned to MLS a veteran of Europe's bright lights (ESPNFC.com)

"For now, I'm alone. My family stayed in Guatemala, but I have met very special people in my life who have not only welcomed me into their home but also welcomed me into their heart."

Real Salt Lake defender Elias Vasquez on adjusting to life in Utah

RSL defender Elias Vasquez comfortable in Utah while far from family (Deseret News)

"I think the biggest change has been finding out who I am and realizing in life you have these moments that you are either going to identify who you are as a person, or you're going to sit back and watch everyone else come and embrace it."

Columbus Crew SC midfielder Justin Meram on his growth from last year to this season

Crew: Meram's career on steady rise after breakout season (Columbus Dispatch)

"I am (happy). I'm very excited. I can't wait to leave and represent the country and play in another World Cup. I've been waiting on this for a while, since qualifying. We did the hard work, we qualified, so we've been waiting for this for two years, so really excited to go out there."

FC Dallas midfielder Kellyn Acosta on being selected for the US U-20 World Cup squad

Acosta Understandably Excited About Playing in U-20 World Cup (Dallas Morning News)

Sweet Tweets

Sascha Kljestan (@SachaKljestan): What an amazing night. The atmosphere at Red Bull Arena was unreal. Thank you fans, you made it special. #RBNY

https://twitter.com/SachaKljestan/status/597604081105018881

Sascha Kljestan (@SachaKljestan): Oh yea... One more thing.

https://twitter.com/SachaKljestan/status/597610671883313152

Dax McCarty (@DaxMcCarty11): Atmosphere tonight was on another level. So loud I couldnt even hear myself think! Lets keep it that way. @TheRealBWP scoring for fun again.

https://twitter.com/DaxMcCarty11/status/597601782655819776

Sebastian Lletget (@SLletget): I'm excited to announce I'm officially a @lagalaxy player!!!

https://twitter.com/SLletget/status/597035035791740929

Erik Palmer-Brown (@ErikBrown14): Extremely excited to represent my country down in New Zealand for the u-20 World Cup! #USA

https://twitter.com/ErikBrown14/status/596325191963185154

Bradford Jamieson IV (@brjIV): Extremely honored to be named to the World Cup roster! Now it's time to work harder than ever, 'till we bleed red white and blue #1N1T

https://twitter.com/brjIV/status/596334528257363968

Week 11 Game Previews

Wednesday, May 13

D.C. United vs. Orlando City SC, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

- United extended their undefeated streak to seven games following their 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City at RFK Stadium on Saturday. The seven-game streak equals their longest of a year ago, which matches the club's longest since going 13 games without defeat during the 2007 season.

- Dating back to last season, United are now undefeated in their last 13 league matches at RFK Stadium, equaling the club's second-longest undefeated run in regular season games in its history. United are undefeated on East Capitol Street in their last 17 matches over all competitions.

- Orlando City SC still have not won an MLS match before their Citrus Bowl faithful, but again came back with late dramatics for a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Friday. Aurelien Collin headed home the late equalizer, the second time in five home games OCSC has scored in the 90th minute or later to snatch a draw.

- The teams are meeting for the second time ever. Luis Silva scored the game's lone goal from a free kick in second-half stoppage time to give United the win April 3 at the Citrus Bowl.

Friday, May 15

New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire, 7 p.m. ET (UDN)

- The teams are meeting for the second time ever. David Accam scored the game's only goal early in the first half to give the Fire the victory April 24 at Toyota Park.

- New York City FC saw their losing slide extended to four games and their overall winless run to eight games with a loss in the first-ever Gotham Derby, falling 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon. The longest losing streak ever by an expansion team was six games by the Miami Fusion in 1998.

- The Fire fell to their second consecutive defeat coming off a three-game winning streak, dropping a 2-1 decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon at Toyota Park.

FC Dallas vs. New York Red Bulls, 9 p.m. ET (UDN)

- Mauro Diaz set both goals - and now has four assists in the last two games - after FC Dallas won a second consecutive match to extend their undefeated run to four games with a 2-1 win against the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium.

- Bradley Wright-Phillips had his seventh career multiple-goal game - in 48 career league appearances - as the New York Red Bulls claimed the first Gotham Derby with a 2-1 win against New York City FC on Sunday afternoon, their first victory in four games.

- The Red Bulls have won the last two meetings between the teams, both by 1-0 scorelines - winning a year ago in the only meeting, May 4 at Toyota Stadium, and also in the lone meeting in 2013, at Red Bull Arena.

- The Red Bulls have won on three of their last four visits to Frisco, in both league and MLS Cup play. FC Dallas haven't won at the Red Bulls since 2006, when they took a 2-1 victory at Giants Stadium. FCD has never won at Red Bull Arena (0-1-2).

Saturday, May 16

Montreal Impact vs. Real Salt Lake, 4 p.m. ET

- The Impact still have yet to win a league game this season, falling to 0-3-2 in their first MLS game in nearly a month, a 2-1 home defeat by the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon at Stade Saputo.

- When Alvaro Saborío scored the opening goal in Real Salt Lake's 2-1 win at the Chicago Fire on Saturday, it was the first time an RSL player had scored in 509 minutes, since a Javier Morales goal April 5 vs. San Jose. The lone Real goal in between was an own goal; the victory snapped a five-game winless streak.

- The home team has won every meeting in the all-time series between the clubs. Real took a 3-1 victory last year in the lone meeting, July 24, 2014, their second victory against Montréal in two matches at Rio Tinto Stadium.

- The Impact have won the lone encounter at Stade Saputo, a 3-2 win on May 11, 2013.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 7 p.m. ET

- Pedro Morales scored a goal and added an assist - the fourth time in his MLS career he's been involved in at least one goal and one assist in a game - as Whitecaps FC took a 3-0 win against Philadelphia Union on Saturday afternoon at BC Place.

- Clint Dempsey scored two goals - the sixth multiple-goal game of his MLS career - but Sounders FC fell 3-2 at Columbus Crew SC on Saturday evening. Dempsey has scored in three consecutive games, with four goals over that time; he has a goal and/or an assist in each one of his seven games this season.

- Whitecaps FC have a five-game undefeated streak against their Cascadia rivals - including victories in the last two matches, winning 1-0 on July 5 at BC Place, and 1-0 on Oct. 10 at CenturyLink Field.

- Sounders FC last won in the series on June 8, 2013, a 3-2 victory in Seattle. Sounders FC won on their first visit to Vancouver for an MLS match - and haven't won there since. At BC Place in MLS play, Whitecaps FC are 2-0-3 vs. Seattle.

New England Revolution vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET

- The Revolution extended their undefeated run to eight games - the club's longest in league play since going 12 games without a defeat over the end of the 2004 season and the start of 2005 - as Charlie Davies scored for a fourth consecutive game in a 2-2 draw at Orlando City SC.

- Toronto FC saw their two-game winning streak come to an end in their first home game of the season at a refurbished BMO Field, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday afternoon.

- The Revolution won all three meetings between the teams a year ago, including a pair of victories at BMO Field. The Revs took a 1-0 win to close out the regular season, Oct. 25 at Gillette Stadium.

- TFC have not defeated the Revolution at home since 2010, a 1-0 win May 22 at BMO Field. The teams then played to three successive draws in Toronto, before the two New England victories a year ago.

Sporting Kansas City vs. Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m. ET

- Sporting extended their modest undefeated run to three games, reaching a 1-1 draw with D.C. United on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium.

- The Rapids played to their fourth consecutive draw, as James Riley scored a dramatic late winner to give them the share of a 1-1 decision with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The MLS record is six consecutive draws set three times - including by the Rapids in 2011.

- The Rapids have not defeated Sporting since the 2009 season, when they won 2-1 on March 28 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Sporting have won three of the eight meetings since, with five draws, including victories in the lone meeting each of the last two seasons.

- The Rapids haven't won in Kansas City since 2002, a 2-1 win at Arrowhead Stadium. Since, Kansas City is 8-0-4 at home vs. Colorado, including a 2-1 win at Sporting Park in the last meeting there in 2013.

Houston Dynamo vs. Portland Timbers, 8:30 p.m. ET

- The Dynamo won their first game since April 11, snapping a four-game undefeated streak, claiming a 2-1 victory at Toronto FC on Sunday afternoon. Boniek Garcia scored the Dynamo opener, his first goal in MLS since last Sept. 28.

- Diego Valeri scored his first goal since last Oct. 8 - making his first start of 2015 after undergoing knee surgery last year - as the Timbers defeated the Montréal Impact 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

- The teams have played to draws in each of their last two matches in Houston, including a 1-1 result last April 27 at BBVA Compass Stadium in the only meeting between the teams.

- The Timbers have won once in five meetings all-time in the series, a 2-0 victory April 6, 2013, the last encounter at Providence Park. The Dynamo won 2-0 in their only other visit to Portland, in 2011.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew SC, 10:30 p.m. ET

- Chris Wondolowski netted his second goal in the last three games as the Earthquakes concluded a three-game road trip over a week's time undefeated, following their 1-1 draw at the Colorado Rapids on Friday evening. The Quakes sandwiched a win at Houston with draws at Real Salt Lake and Colorado.

- Kei Kamara moved into a tie in the MLS Golden Boot standings with his sixth and seventh goals of the season, as Crew SC won their third consecutive match on their home ground with a 3-2 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday. It was Kamara's eighth multiple-goal game in his MLS career, his second in his return to the league this year.

- The teams have played to four successive draws, including 1-1 results in each of the last three seasons, when they've met only once. The teams reached the decision last year on April 13 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

- The teams have played to three consecutive draws in Columbus; Crew SC have not defeated San Jose at home since the 2009 season. The last Columbus victory at San Jose also came in 2009 - a 3-0 win at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Sunday, May 17

Orlando City SC vs. LA Galaxy, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

- Orlando City have scored five of their eight goals on the season after the 61st minute - leading directly to a win and two draws - after scoring twice late in their 2-2 home draw with the New England Revolution over the weekend.

- The Galaxy had their five-game undefeated streak come to an end - but still have not won in four games, since April 18 - following their 2-1 loss at FC Dallas on Saturday evening.

- Gyasi Zardes scored his second goal of the season, his first since March 15, in netting the Galaxy's lone goal at FC Dallas. The defeat at Toyota Stadium extended their winless streak away from StubHub Center to 10 games in league play; their last away win having come last Aug. 20 in Colorado.

Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 7 p.m. ET (Fox Sports 1)

- Philadelphia Union saw their winless streak reach five games with a fourth consecutive defeat in a 3-0 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday.

- Jairo Arrieta scored his second goal for United in their 1-1 home draw with Sporting KC last weekend, his first since hitting for the lone goal in the season-opening win vs. the Montréal Impact on March 7.

- United won both meetings between the teams a year ago, both by 1-0 scorelines, winning May 10 at PPL Park, then Sept. 27 at RFK Stadium.

- The teams have also met each of the last three seasons in the U.S. Open Cup, with United advancing on two occasions, including in a 3-1 fourth-round victory a year ago.

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from May 11, 2015


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