Three Good, Three Bad: MLS Week 13

In a week where the 2014 MLS Cup finalists faced off for the first time this season, the race for the playoffs is heating up.

LA Galaxy and New England Revolution held each other to a draw so who were the winners and losers in MLS Week 13? 

Koffie marked his 100th game with his first goal

Flying high…

1) Gershon Koffie marks his tonne in style

Vancouver Whitecaps’ fans have seen some great goals already this season but will have to go some way to see a better strike that Koffie’s against Real Salt Lake.

The Ghanaian marked his 100th MLS regular season start with his first goal, a 25-yard thunderbolt that helped the Canadians pick up all three points.

His manager Carl Robinson has now challenged him to repeat that sort of performance each week and has said he needs to turn his potential into consistency.

 

2) United battle back…again

D.C. United found themselves a goal down against Philadelphia Union for the second time in two weeks after Sebastien Le Toux’s early goal gave the visitors the lead.

But the four-time MLS Cup champions showed their grit and determination to get over the line, but their inspiration came from the unlikeliest of sources.

Left back Taylor Kemp provided the assist for Chris Pontius’ equaliser, before right back Chris Korb’s cross was handled in the box to hand Chris Rolfe the game-winning penalty.

Jewsbury came on to grab the winner

3) Jack’s the lad for Portland

Timbers veteran Jack Jewsbury came off the bench to score the winner for his side this weekend and once again prove his worth to the franchise.

He has been Mr Versatile filling in all over the park and has been forced to watch from the stands as others took his place in the starting line-up.

Even this week he had been dropped for the returning Will Johnson but yet again it was the franchise’s first captain that came up trumps and stole the headlines.

In the pits…

1) Montreal come back down with a bump

Montreal Impact’s MLS season appeared to finally have got going as their cup distractions came to an end and they moved off the foot of the Eastern Conference.

But this weekend they were reminded of the fiercely competitive nature within the league and were thumped 3-0 by Chicago Fire in a lopsided performance.

It would have been even worse for the Canadians had goalkeeper Evan Bush not made a whopping eight saves – their only possible excuse was Marco Donadel first-half dismissal.

2) De Rosario Jr. upstages dad’s big day

De Rosario was upstaged by his son

Canada’s all-time leading goalscorer Dwayne De Rosario may have called an end to his professional career via social media but he made it official this weekend.

Before becoming a community ambassador for Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment he held a press conference at Toronto FC’s BMO Field to confirm the news.

However it was his three-year-old son Tinashe that stole the show, joining his dad in front of the gathered journalists and looking equally as comfortable with an audience.

3) ‘Gut-wrenching’ defeat for Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch summed their stoppage time defeat to Seattle Sounders up in one word in his post match press conference.

Lloyd Sam’s header gave the Red Bulls the lead but they could not keep out the Sounders frontline despite doing ‘a lot of good things on the day’.

The result leaves the New York franchise 10th in the Supporters’ Shield standings, nine points behind Seattle with just over a third of the season gone. 

Images courtesy of Jeff Vinnick and Paul Giamou, with thanks.