- Toronto FC tops the league, after a 0-1 win against the New England Revolution on the road.
- Montreal Impact beat Columbus Crew on the road, 1-2.
- Vancouver Whitecaps lose in San Jose, 3-0.
Toronto Unstoppable
Ayo Akinola’s goal in the 29th minute of the match solved this one for the Canadians, who had a lot of troubles against the Revs. Overall, the hosts were better, especially in the second half, once they dominated the pitch and had several chances for an equalizer.
On top of that, New England missed a penalty in the 68th minute. Adam Buksa would send the ball wide above the post, ruining the best chance of the hosts to change the course of the contest.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Greg Vanney said. “They stood strong and resilient … I thought it was an incredible effort.”
Without Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, and Michael Bradley, a small percentage of the fans expected to see a win in this one, but eventually, it happened.
Toronto now leads not only the Eastern Conference but the entire MLS. Up next, FC travels to Cincinnati.
Montreal’s Win Launches Toronto to the Top
A win of one Canadian team allowed the other to grab the first place. Impact defeated Columbus Crew on the road, making the biggest upset of the round, opening the door to Toronto for reaching the top spot.
Former Barcelona member, Bojan Krkic, brought a win for Montreal, with a penalty in the 74th minute. Previously Lassi Lappalainen opened the match for the guests, 24 minutes since the opening whistle.
Gyasi Zardes delivered his 10th goal of the campaign in the closing seconds of the first half.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working. We found a way to disturb them today, we have to keep on going,” Thierry Henry added, expressing satisfaction with the result, but warning about the upcoming challenges.
Montreal visits Philadelphia in the following round.
Whitecaps Collapse After Red Cards
Vancouver resisted the San Jose Earthquakes well until the second half and the red cards received due to rough challenges. Throughout the opening 45 minutes, Caps even had a couple of chances to score, not allowing the hosts to impose their will on the field.
Yet, after Cristian Espinosa’s goal in the 50th minute, Vancouver began collapsing. Andy Rose received the second yellow card and automatic red, which marked the end of the game for the 30-year old.
Andy Rios doubled the lead for the Quakes in the 66th minute, and shortly after that, Erik Godoy got a direct red card. It was a definite ending of all hopes for the visitors that they might pull off some sensation. Paul Marie sealed the game in the third minute of the stoppage time, making it 3-0 for San Jose.
“Unfortunately, I think the ref kills the game when he sends off Andy,” coach Marc Dos Santos said. “And it’s too bad for the game that it was, for the rhythm and intensity that the game had.”
He was very displeased with the officiating.
Whitecaps meet Real Salt Lake at home next.
