All three Canadian clubs played host again on Saturday in MLS action. Toronto FC played Sporting Kansas City at BMO Field, the Montreal Impact welcomed D.C. United to Saputo Stadium and Vancouver Whitecaps FC defended BC Place against Real Salt Lake.
However, while the situations were similar, the outcomes were far from it. Only Vancouver was able to edge out a victory. Montreal lost by the smallest of margins and Toronto was outplayed in a poor effort.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4-0 Real Salt Lake
Vancouver Whitecaps FC cruised to an impressive 4-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at BC Place. The win helps extend Vancouver’s position atop the MLS Western Conference standings.
Things started clicking early for the ‘Caps. Whitecaps forward and leading-scorer Octavio Rivero scored a penalty kick goal in the seventh minute after he was taken down in the Real Salt Lake penalty area. He made no mistake converting on the kick to give his side an early advantage.
In the 40th minute, Whitecaps defender Pa-Modou Kah made it 2-0 after finishing off a pass from midfielder Kekuta Manneh. Kah is enjoying an impressive offensive peak in his MLS career. The central defender won MLS Player of the Week last week for his two-goal heroics against Seattle Sounders FC and he now has three goals in his last two MLS matches.
In the second half, the offence just kept coming for the ‘Caps. Whitecaps midfielder Cristian Techera found goal in the 50th minute when he sent a low cross from defender Jordan Harvey into the back of the net. Techera would strike again in the 68th minute with a brilliant goal from distance to put Vancouver up 4-0.
The Whitecaps have been very strong offensively as of late, scoring 13 times in their last three MLS matches. Real Salt Lake decided to rest a few key players in the match and it came back to haunt the Utah side.
The Whitecaps visit the Montreal Impact on Wednesday in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship final before visiting Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in a significant MLS Western Conference clash.
Toronto FC 1-3 Sporting Kansas City
Toronto FC suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday at BMO Field. Sporting Kansas City capitalized on numerous defensive errors and some poor marking by the Reds.
Benny Feilhaber scored a penalty kick goal in the 22nd minute, Krisztian Nemeth scored a brilliant header off a Feilhaber free kick and former Toronto FC player Jacob Peterson scored on the counterattack in the 87th minute to help Sporting Kansas City collect all three points.
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Toronto’s defence continues to struggle. The team has 38 goals against this season, which is good enough for second last in the league. Toronto has also conceded 19 times in their last seven MLS games.
Toronto FC welcomed Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore back into the lineup. Bradley scored and Sebastian Giovinco picked up an assist on the goal, but Toronto’s offence could not mask the team’s problems at the back.
Toronto FC will play the New York Red Bulls next on Saturday at Red Bull Arena.
Montreal Impact 0-1 D.C. United
The Montreal Impact welcomed first-place D.C. United to Saputo Stadium on Saturday. D.C. United midfielder Chris Rolfe opened the scoring in the 13th minute and that was enough for the victory.
Montreal had a solid game and deserved a better fate. The Impact outshot their opponents 25-1, with eight of those shots hitting the target. Montreal also dominated with 67.7 per cent ball possession.
By winning the game with one goal on one shot, United became the first team in MLS history to win a game despite only taking a single shot.
D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid had a tremendous game for United after missing four games due to injury. He seemed to be in fine form.
The Impact, on the other hand, need to convert their scoring chances into shots on target if they want to remain offensively consistent. The team lacked proper finish on Saturday.
The Montreal Impact host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday in Amway Canadian Championship action before hosting the Philadelphia Union at Saputo Stadium on Aug. 22.
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