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Week 13 Brings MLS Cup Rematch, Supporters' Shield Showdown in Seattle - This Week in MLS

May 26, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Sporting KC trying to avenge early season loss against FC Dallas

Sporting Kansas City (4-2-6) host Western Conference leaders FC Dallas (6-3-3) at Sporting Park in this week's edition of Viernes de Futbol at 9 p.m. ET (UniMás). Sporting KC enter Friday's matchup on the upswing after entering ominous CenturyLink Field and coming away unscathed with a critical point in a scoreless draw against Seattle Sounders FC. The draw pushes Sporting KC's unbeaten run to five matches (2-0-3) and puts them in fifth place in a tight Western Conference playoff race. Despite Matt Hedges' first goal of the season, FC Dallas fell 2-1 to the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo last Saturday. The loss was Dallas' first in their last six games, but still remain atop the Western Conference standings. In the first meeting between the clubs this year on March 14, FC Dallas came away the victors with a 3-1 win at Toyota Stadium behind a two-goal effort from Panamanian international Blas Perez.

Whitecaps FC look to regain top spot in the West when they welcome Real Salt Lake to BC Place

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6-5-2) welcome Real Salt Lake (4-3-5) to BC Place for a Western Conference faceoff on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET (TSN1, TSN3). The 'Caps have dipped at home recently, going winless in two home affairs, and will look to make up for it against a confident Real Salt Lake. The Claret-and-Cobalt have secured points in four of its last five matches, including a 2-0 sweeping of New York City FC on Saturday night. Alvaro Saborío, who missed much of 2014 with a broken foot, netted his second goal in three games and now paces the club in scoring. RSL enters Saturday's tilt with Vancouver showcasing a robust 2-2-2 road record and a total of five goals in its last three matches. For the home side, Whitecaps FC endured a bittersweet Week 12 - advancing to the Canadian Championship final but also dropping a second consecutive league match for the first time this season. Thanks to a blistering start, however, Vancouver remains only one point behind FC Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference. The 'Caps defeated RSL 1-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium on April 18 in their first meeting of the year.

Past two Supporters' Shield winners square off in Seattle

Major League Soccer's past two Supporters Shield holders will square off as the New York Red Bulls (4-2-5) travel to CenturyLink Field to play Seattle Sounders FC (6-3-2) to kick off this week's edition of MLS Soccer Sunday at 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). Seattle's defense earned their sixth clean sheet of the season in their scoreless draw against Sporting KC last week. Sunday night, the Red Bulls fell to the Philadelphia Union at home 2-0 for only their second loss of the season. In nine all-time meetings against the two sides, the series has been split (3-3-3), with New York winning last year's lone meeting 4-1 at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls are unbeaten in five matches (1-0-4) against Western Conference opponents this season and will look to keep it that way while Sounders FC will try to stay near the top of the Western Conference standings.

LA Galaxy, New England Revolution meet in MLS Cup rematch

The New England Revolution (5-3-5) set out to avenge their 2014 MLS Cup loss to LA Galaxy (4-4-5) in the second leg of MLS Soccer Sunday at 7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes). Although December's Cup clash was nearly six months ago, both clubs return with many familiar faces. In Saturday's draw with D.C. United, Jay Heaps trotted out a starting lineup featuring nine of 11 starters from his Cup roster. The two newcomers - Juan Agudelo and London Woodberry - bolster a battle-tested roster that has pulled itself within striking distance of the Supporters' Shield lead. The Galaxy return with the notable absences of Landon Donovan and Marcelo Sarvas, but the bulk of their championship cast remains intact. LA snapped a five-game winless streak with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, while reigning MLS Cup MVP Robbie Keane saw his first game action since April 4. The Irish international didn't miss a beat, setting up super-sub Alan Gordon for the 91st-minute game winner. It's a timely return for Keane, who netted the game-winning goal in the 111th minute of last year's MLS Cup.

MLS national TV schedule

Friday, May 29

Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas, 9 p.m. ET (UniMas, UDN)

Saturday, May 30

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. ET (TSN1, TSN3)

Sunday, May 31

Seattle Sounders FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes)

New England Revolution vs. LA Galaxy, 7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes, TSN)

Whitecaps FC, Impact to meet in 2015 Amway Canadian Championship final

Matias Laba's stunning stoppage-time goal sent Vancouver Whitecaps FC through to the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship final on May 20. Deadlocked at an aggregate score of 2-2 in the 97th minute, a frantic scene broke out in front of FC Edmonton's net, leaving Laba to scoop up a loose rebound and slot it past goalkeeper Matt VanOekel. The NASL side had converted on a penalty kick in the 91st minute, but Vancouver staved off extra time and elimination with its last-second strike.

Vancouver advances to face a Montreal Impact side hoping to hoist its third consecutive Voyageurs' Cup. Whitecaps FC, meanwhile, hopes to clinch their first Canadian Championship title after making five consecutive unsuccessful appearances in the final from 2009 to 2013. Montreal and Vancouver also met in the 2013 final, which the Impact won on away goals after the series was tied 2-2 on aggregate goals. The winner of the two-legged final in August secures a bid to next year's CONCACAF Champions League.

2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game Countdown

The 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game is officially just over two months away. This year's showcase will pit this year's MLS All-Stars against Barclays Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on July 29 at 9 p.m. ET at Dick's Sporting Goods Park (FOX Sports 1, UniMas, TSN, RDS). The Spurs wrapped up their 2015 English Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday. The club finished fifth in the table with a 19-7-12 record and secured a spot in next year's UEFA Europa League. This is the sixth consecutive year Tottenham has turned in a top-six finish. Two Tottenham academy graduates, Andros Townsend and Ryan Mason, were also named to England's senior team roster for an upcoming friendly against the Republic of Ireland and a Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia.

In addition, Major League Soccer today announced that the MLS Homegrown Team will face Club América's U-20 squad in the second annual Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game. The match will be held on Tuesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. MT at Dick's Sporting Goods Park as a prelude to the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game the following night. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a free limited edition scarf.

U.S. U-20 World Cup Preview

Starting Saturday, May 29, the USA's brightest and most talented young stars will be on display as the U.S. U-20 national team begins play in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Eight of the players named to the U.S. roster are playing for MLS sides, including Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake), Marco Delgado (Toronto FC), Conor Donovan (Orlando City SC), Bradford Jamieson IV (LA Galaxy), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting KC) and Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes). Fulham FC midfielder Emerson Hyndman, a former member of the FC Dallas Academy, will serve as the team's captain throughout the tournament. In their World Cup tune-up match, the U.S. defeated Australia's U-20 side 2-1 at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford, Australia.

Other MLS players headed to New Zealand include Orlando City's Bryan Róchez (Honduras) and Estrela (Portugal), Vancouver Whitecaps' Deybi Flores (Honduras) and FC Dallas Homegrown Player Jesse Gonzalez (Mexico).

For more information on the FIFA U-20 World Cup CLICK HERE.

U.S. SCHEDULE

Myanmar vs. USA, Saturday, May 29, 12 midnight ET

New Zealand vs. USA, Monday, June 1, 3 a.m. ET (Tuesday)

USA vs. Ukraine, Thursday, June 4, 3 a.m. ET (Friday)

All games will be televised on FOX Sports 1

U.S. U-23s to participate in 2015 Toulon Tournament

Five MLSers have been called up to the U.S. U-23 side that will play in the 2015 Toulon Tournament that runs from May 27 - June 7. The MLS players included in the squad are Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes), Boyd Okwuonu (Real Salt Lake), Shane O'Neill (Colorado Rapids), Jalen Robinson (D.C. United), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids) and Tyler Turner (Orlando City SC). The tournament, which takes place in the south of France, was first held in 1967 and became an annual competition in 1974. France has won the tournament a record 11 times with Brazil winning the past two iterations of the competition. The best a U.S. side has ever placed in the tournament was a third-place finish in 1989.

U.S. Women's National Team concludes World Cup Send-Off Series at Red Bull Arena

The United States Women's National Team concludes its World Cup Send-Off Series at Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon, when it faces Korea Republic at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, UDN). This marks the USWNT's final tune up before it heads to Winnipeg, Canada, for its opening Women's World Cup match versus Australia on June 8. It will also face Sweden on June 12, and conclude the group stage versus Nigeria on June 16. Dating back to the beginning of 2015, the USWNT has outscored opponents 19-4 en route to a 7-1-1 record. Its only loss of the calendar year came on Feb. 8 to France.

Quotables

"That's always tough, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. But I'm grateful. I know the historic value. I love it and do appreciate it. But I think it's one of those things that will slowly sink in. It hasn't sunk in yet."

San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski on scoring his 100th MLS goal in draw with Orlando City SC

Chris Wondolowski reaches 100 goals in Major League Soccer (ESPNFC.com)

"This was a moment I dreamed about pretty much from when I started playing soccer, from the days I used to watch the USL team play here...It was a thing my club team used to do: We used to come watch the USL Sounders team play a lot. Once they made it to MLS, it was a goal for me."

Seattle Sounders FC forward Darwin Jones on making his first appearance at CenturyLink Field

Rookie goes from watching Sounders to playing for them (Tacoma News Tribune)

"He's unbelievable heading the ball. Every time I'm there, I know where he's going to be. ... If you find his head, nine times out of 10 it's going to be in the back of the net."

LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane on setting up Alan Gordon for the game winner on Saturday

Robbie Keane returns, sets up Alan Gordon for LA Galaxy winner (Daily Breeze)

"It was definitely odd to be on the other side of the field. It was odd to look out at all those players and see that they were opponents, and not my players. But that was really about it. ... I tried to enjoy it as much as I could, and certainly that's not going to be much when you lose 2-0."

New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis on his return to Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake beats NYCFC 2-0 in Jason Kreis' return (Salt Lake Tribune)

"I don't think I have any dark hairs left after games like this."

Montreal Impact head coach Frank Klopas after Saturday's 2-1 win over FC Dallas

Impact hold off late surge from FC Dallas for 2-1 victory (Montreal Gazette)

Sweet Tweets

Chris Wondolowski (@ChrisWondo): Thank you to every teammate I've had. From @dwaynederosario helpin on my 1st goal to @jordanstewart3 helpin on 100 and everyone in between

https://twitter.com/ChrisWondo/status/602662883944628225

Tony Beltran (@tonybeltran23): Congrats to my friend and mentor @natborchers on his 300th @MLS appearance! The product of being a top pro and top man! #Nat300

https://twitter.com/tonybeltran23/status/602239547833880576

AJ DeLaGarza (@AJD_20): Admist the recent frustrations, today we saw that our little baby girl has a healthy and normal heart #NoelleCora

https://twitter.com/AJD_20/status/600514379373740032/photo/1

Matt Besler (@MattBesler): Today, I'm thankful for all the people who have made sacrifices to protect our freedoms. #GodBless #USA

https://twitter.com/MattBesler/status/602942534206107648

William Trapp (@wil_trapp): Today we remember the bravery of those who fought and continue to fight for the freedoms we are able to enjoy in this country #Thankyou

https://twitter.com/wil_trapp/status/602838325901135872

Michael Lahoud (@MikeLahoud): DOOP DOOP DOOP!!! #PHIvNY

https://twitter.com/MikeLahoud/status/602601733941043202

Week 13 Game Previews

Wednesday, May 27

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids, 10 p.m. ET

- Clint Dempsey was held without a goal or an assist for the first time this season as Sounders FC played to a scoreless draw with Sporting KC on Saturday evening at CenturyLink Field. Dating back to last season, Dempsey had a goal and/or an assist in 10 consecutive games, one shy of the all-time MLS record (held by three different players).

- The Rapids put an end to a streak of four consecutive draws with their first home win in 10 months, Lucas Pittinari scoring his first MLS goal for a 1-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday evening at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Lamar Neagle scored twice within the opening 25 minutes as Sounders FC took a 3-1 win April 18 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

- The Rapids have won just once vs. Seattle over the last four seasons, a 5-1 victory on Oct. 5, 2013 in Commerce City. Since the start of 2011, Sounders FC have 11 of 13 meetings in regular season and MLS Cup play, with one draw.

Portland Timbers vs. D.C. United, 10:30 p.m. ET

- The Timbers are playing at Providence Park for the first time since May 2, losing their last two games on their three-game road swing, ending with a 1-0 defeat at Toronto FC on Saturday afternoon. The trip opened with a victory in Montréal, before losing at Houston.

- United are playing their third consecutive road match in the visit to Portland. The swing began with a 1-0 loss in Philadelphia, followed by a 1-1 draw at midweek against New England.

- Since a 3-2 win in Portland on May 29, 2011 in the first meeting ever between the teams, United have not defeated the Timbers. Portland has won two of the four meetings since - including the lone encounter each of the last two seasons - with two draws.

- United have never defeated the Timbers at RFK Stadium. The first meeting there, in 2011, ended in a 1-1 draw; Portland claimed a 2-0 in the nation's capital on their last visit, May 25, 2013.

LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m. ET

- The Galaxy put an end to their five-game winless streak with their 1-0 win against the Houston Dynamo at StubHub Center on Friday evening. The win extended the Galaxy's league home undefeated streak to 22 games - now tied for the third-longest in MLS history; they are undefeated in their last 26 games in all competitions in Carson.

- Devon Sandoval made it a goal and two assists in his last three games as he assisted on John Stertzer's first MLS goal in Real's 2-0 win against New York City FC on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They played to a scoreless draw May 6 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

- The teams split their two meetings at StubHub Center a year ago, each winning by a 1-0 scoreline. The Real victory on March 8 was the Galaxy's last defeat in Carson. The last two matchups in Sandy have ended in draws.

Friday, May 29

Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas, 9 p.m. ET (UniMas)

- Sporting extended their undefeated streak to five games - they've lost just once in their last 10 games, dating back to March 21 - after their scoreless draw at Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday evening.

- FC Dallas kicked off their five-game road swing with their first loss since April 10 - ending a five-game undefeated run - in their 2-1 loss at the Montréal Impact on Saturday.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Blas Perez scored on either side of halftime and Fabian Castillo put the match away with a late goal as FC Dallas claimed a 3-1 win March 14 at Toyota Stadium.

- It was the first win for either team in the all-time series since 2012, when Sporting won 2-1 in Kansas City. The last FCD victory had come in 2011, a 3-2 at Sporting Park on Aug. 27.

Saturday, May 30

Toronto FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 5 p.m. ET

- Sebastian Giovinco scored his fifth goal of the season as Toronto FC won at BMO Field for the first time this year in league play, claiming a 1-0 win against the Portland Timbers on Sunday afternoon. Giovinco has five goals and four assists among TFC's 14 goals this season; he has a goal and/or an assist in eight of their 10 games this year.

- Chris Wondolowski became the ninth player in MLS history to reach the 100-goal mark in league play, converting a penalty kick to bring the Quakes back into a 1-1 draw with Orlando City SC at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, extending their undefeated streak to five games.

- Toronto FC won the lone meeting between the teams last year, a 1-0 victory June 7 at BMO Field, their first victory against the Quakes since May 29, 2010. The Quakes won two of the four meetings in between, with two draws, including victories in the only meetings in both 2012 and 2013.

- Of the three TFC wins in the all-time series, two have come in San Jose. The Quakes' win on May 8, 2013, a 2-1 triumph at Buck Shaw Stadium, was their first home win in the series since 2008.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. ET

- Whitecaps FC have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, shut out for a second consecutive match in their 1-0 defeat at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Darren Mattocks scored the game's lone goal in the 80th minute to lead Whitecaps FC to victory, April 18 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

- The first meeting win was the first ever for Whitecaps FC at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real had won three of the first six home matches in the series, with three draws. The only previous victory by a road team in the all-time series came in 2013, a 1-0 Real victory at BC Place.

New York City FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 7 p.m. ET

- NYCFC saw their winless run extended to 10 games in their 2-0 defeat at Real Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon in head coach Jason Kreis's return to his former club. The longest winless streak for an expansion team is 14 games, set by Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2011.

- The Dynamo had their two-game winning streak put to an end in a 1-0 loss at the LA Galaxy on Friday evening. The Dynamo have allowed a single goal in each of their last four games - going 2-2-0.

- For Brad Davis, the loss at the Galaxy was the 350th league appearance in his career - sixth-most all-time among MLS players.

D.C. United vs. Philadelphia Union, 7 p.m. ET

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Zach Pfeffer scored the game's only goal deep into second-half stoppage time to give Union a 1-0 win May 17 at PPL Park.

- The Union win was their first against United since Aug. 10, 2013, a 1-0 victory in Chester, snapping a three-game winless streak in league play in the series.

- Jairo Arrieta scored his third goal of the season - assisted by Facundo Coria, making his MLS debut - as United reached a 1-1 draw at the New England Revolution last weekend.

- Union have won back-to-back games for the first time this season as Vincent Nogueira and C.J. Sapong scored in the 2-0 win against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon at Red Bull Arena. Both goals were set up by Cristian Maidana.

Orlando City SC vs. Columbus Crew SC, 7:30 p.m. ET

- Kei Kamara scored two goals in a game for the third time this season - the second time in the last three matches - as Crew SC played to a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire on Friday evening. Kamara now has nine goals this season, leading the MLS Golden Boot standings.

- Kaká scored his fifth goal of the season - his second in as many games, and third in a row from a converted penalty kick - as Orlando City played to a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday afternoon.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Federico Higuaín and Kei Kamara each had a goal and an assist as Crew SC rolled to a 3-0 victory April 18 at Mapfre Stadium.

Chicago Fire vs. Montreal Impact, 8:30 p.m. ET

- Jason Johnson scored his first goal since moving to the Chicago Fire - his first goal in MLS since Sept. 8, 2013 - netting the equalizer deep in second-half stoppage time as the Fire played to a second consecutive draw in their 2-2 result at Columbus Crew SC on Friday evening.

- Fire shot-stopper Jon Busch became the fourth goalkeeper to reach the 300-game mark in league play in the draw with Crew SC.

- The Impact won their second consecutive game after a five-game winless run to start their league campaign, claiming a 2-1 win against FC Dallas on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo.

- The all-time series between the teams is evenly divided, each club having won twice and scored nine goals in eight meetings (with four draws). The visiting team has never won in the series.

- The Fire last defeated the Impact on Aug. 10, 2013, a 2-1 win at Toyota Park. The Impact have won one of the four matches since (a 1-0 win last Aug. 16 at Stade Saputo), with three draws.

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 9 p.m. ET

- The Rapids put an end to their MLS-record home winless streak with the win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Rapids had last won at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on July 25, 2014, a 3-0 win against Chivas USA, going 11 games in between without a win.

- The teams evenly split their season series a year ago. Each team won at home - the Rapids taking a 2-0 win March 22 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and the Timbers claiming a 2-1 victory July 18 at Providence Park, while the third meeting was a 2-2 draw in Commerce City on Sept. 13.

- The visiting team has won just once in the all-time series: a 1-0 Rapids victory on June 11, 2011 in Portland. The Rapids have won four of the six meetings all-time at home, with two draws.

Sunday, May 31

Seattle Sounders FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

- The Red Bulls have been shut out at the attacking end just twice this season - both in the last two matches, following their 2-0 loss at Philadelphia Union on Sunday afternoon at Red Bull Arena.

- The all-time series is even between the two clubs, each with three wins in nine meetings, with three draws. Sounders FC have scored 13 goals; the Red Bulls 12.

- The Red Bulls victory last Sept. 20, a 4-1 at Red Bull Arena, was their first in the series since 2011. The meetings in both 2012 and 2013 ended in draws; the last Sounders FC victory was a 4-2 triumph June 23, 2011 at CenturyLink Field.

New England Revolution vs. LA Galaxy, 7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

- It's a rematch of last year's MLS Cup final, won 2-1 in extra time by the Galaxy at StubHub Center, their third victory in three MLS championship meetings between the clubs (also winning in 2002 and 2005).

- The Galaxy rolled to a 5-1 in the lone regular season meeting between the teams last year, July 16 at StubHub Center. The year before, the Revolution took a 5-0 win in the lone meeting between the teams, June 2 at Gillette Stadium.

- Alan Gordon scored his fourth goal of the season - his second in stoppage time, and his third after coming on as a substitute - in the Galaxy's 1-0 win against the Houston Dynamo. Gordon has scored 20 goals as a substitute among his 48 career league goals, the second-most in MLS history. It was the seventh goal Gordon has scored in his career in second-half stoppage time.

- Charlie Davies scored his fifth goal of the season - all coming over the last seven matches - as the Revolution rebounded from their first loss in nine games with a 1-1 draw with D.C. United on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 26, 2015


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