Corners Send Timbers to MLS is Back Final

BAY LAKE – The Portland Timbers are through to the MLS is Back final following a 2-1 win over Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night.

Portland will face the winner of Thursday’s other semifinal between Orlando City SC and Minnesota United FC in the championship game on Tuesday night. The winner of that match will earn a place in the CONCACAF Champions League for 2021.

It took just 13 minutes for the Timbers to open the scoring off of Diego Valeri’s corner. The ball was swung in for Jeremy Ebobisse to easily head home after his defender, Kai Wagner was flat-footed, just watching as the opener went in.

Highlights – Portland Timbers v Philadelphia Union – MLS is Back Semifinal – August 5 2020

There would be a long break for the second goal, not coming until the 70th minute, again off a Valeri corner. This time Dario Zuparic scored it, flicking home a header at the far post.

That second was when Philadelphia finally came to life. With five minutes to play Philly made it an anxious finish for Timbers fans, pulling a goal back. Jamiro Montiero hit a free-kick which Portland keeper Steve Clark saved only for Andrew Wooten to tap it home.

“It’s a great feeling. We came here with one goal and that’s to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament, and now we’re one game away. All the work that we’ve put in, and all the sacrifice that we’ve put in is all starting to pay off, and we’ve got 90 more minutes, and we’ve got a full team ready to step in.”

Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse

One minute later the Union thought it had an equalizer. Brenden Aaronson sent a through ball for Kacper Przybylko who put it past Clark, his goal denied, as he had strayed fractionally offside.

Portland made the most of its luck, with Philadelphia blowing a chance late in the first half to equalize. Sergio Santos had a chance from the penalty spot, but launched it well over the bar, like Roberto Baggio’s blown kick in the 1994 World Cup Final. Had that have scored this match would have gone to penalties, but Valeri’s corners proved enough.

(Photo courtesy: Jared Martinez, Matt Stith & Devin L’Amoreaux)

Vinyals Brace Torments OCB

STATESBORO, Ga. – Orlando City B‘s season finally got underway on Saturday night. But it wasn’t the start to the USL League One season that OCB would have hoped for as the team fell to a 2-0 loss to South Georgia Tormenta.

Nil Vinyls was the main man for the hosts as he scored a brace to get the Tormenta up to second place in the league.

Things were looking much better at halftime with the Orlando reserves holding up defensively in the first half. After the break that all changed as the TFC attack looked more threatening and it finally paid off.

In the 56th minute, the deadlock was finally broken. Vinyls was given too much space at the top of the box, and he took full advantage. Stefan Mueller sent the ball for Vinyls who controlled with his first touch and scored with his second, sneaking it just under the bar.

Twenty minutes from time, the Ibis’ midfielder had his second. Orlando had learned nothing from the opening goal as again Vinyls was left open just inside the box. This time the ball was crossed in from the right by Luca Mayr. That allowed Vinyls to hit it on the run, curling it past the keeper to double the lead.

OCB will be hoping to bounce back quickly that opportunity will come on Friday in New England against the Revolution reserves.

(Photo: Aaron Cranford/South Georgia Tormenta FC)

Captain Guenzatti Leads Rowdies Past Battery

ST. PETERSBURG – The Tampa Bay Rowdies extended their lead in its USL Championship group following a 2-0 win over Charleston Battery at Al Lang Stadium on Friday night.

The opening stages were tense and tight, but the Rowdies opener came in the 40th minute when Sebastian Guenzatti put it away. Jordan Doherty sent a perfect through ball for his captain, which allowed Guenzatti to beat his man and score with a deflection.

All chances of a Charleston comeback took a hit in the 81st minute when Jared van Schaik earned his second yellow card for a handball.

When it looked like Tampa Bay was going to manage a 1-0 win the second came with two minutes to play. Malik Johnson made a significant impact on his return from injury, putting away a goal to seal the result.

Despite the win the Rowdies manager, Neil Collins wanted more.

“I thought the performance probably didn’t deserve a clean sheet, I think we could have easily scored more goals.”

Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Neil Collins

The first half was riddled with fouls, both teams working hard to prevent their opponents from getting any free play in the match. It was evident that this was still an early-season match for both sides.

With the win, the Rowdies are now five points clear of Charleston in second place on top of the group and looking good ahead of the first Floridian derby of the season on Friday.

(Photo: Dominic Oduro)

Orlando City Downs LAFC on Penalties

BAY LAKE – Orlando City SC is just two wins away from a CONCACAF Champions League Berth. The team managed a 5-4 penalty shoot out win over Los Angeles FC after their 1-1 draw in the MLS is Back quarterfinal on Friday night.

The Lions were perfect from the penalty spot in the shootout which proved the vital difference. Jordan Harvey only hit the woodwork on LAFC’s final kick. That allowed Nani to step up and bury the last shot sending Orlando to the semifinal and continued LA’s inability to win a shootout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOySkA50Yzo
Penalty Shootout – Orlando City SC v LAFC – MLS is Back Quarterfinals – July 31 2020

It was looking like the local team was going home with Orlando down 1-0 as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, but Joao Moutinho found the equalizer. The goal came off a Nani corner with Moutinho leaping to head it home to send the match to penalties.

On the hour mark, Los Angeles opened the scoring. Diego Rossi stole possession and was then able to cut it back to Bradley Wright-Phillips who scored with a simple tap-in.

“I want to say that we are very proud of the group of players who have done an excellent job today and stayed in the game. That needed a lot of heart and desire and determination and I think they accomplished that in those 90-plus minutes. The game rewarded them because they were the best team on the field. They were patient in the difficult moments and I want to highlight that, that’s the heart of the team and the Club.”

Nani could have started things three minutes before that goal when Nani stepped up to hit a penalty. Diego Palacios fouled Ruan, but Kenneth Vermeer saved Nani’s penalty.

Wright-Phillips thought he’d scored in the 31st minute when he put the ball in the back of the net. Unfortunately for the black and gold, it was disallowed on a video review as Brian Rodriguez was offside in the build-up.

For the first time since its USL era, Orlando City SC is through to a semifinal which will be held on Thursday.

(Photo courtesy: Devin L’Amoreaux and Matthew Stith)

San Jose Earthquakes and LAFC Power to Quarterfinals

BAY LAKE – A stunning second-half performance from the San Jose Earthquakes saw them power past Real Salt Lake 5-2 on Monday night to advance to the MLS is Back quarterfinals.

San Jose originally opened the scoring in the 21st minute, after Vako found Cristian Espinoza to score the opener. That lead only lasted one minute when Douglas Martinez got on the end of a long-ball and buried it to make it 1-1, and the score would remain that until halftime.

The second half was all Earthquakes. Four minutes into the half, they earned a penalty after Alvin Jones tripped Tommy Thompson. That allowed Magnus Eriksson to step up and score from the spot, restoring San Jose’s lead.

An error from Zac McMath allowed Vako to pounce and make it three. A poor ball out allowed Vako and Andres Rios to pass the ball around, eventually resulting in Vako’s goal.

Highlights: San Jose Earthquakes v Real Salt Lake – MLS is Back Round of 16 – July 27 2020

In the 75th minute RSL pulled one back, Marcelo Silva played through Damir Kreliach to score. Nine minutes later, Silva turned villain as he was shown a red card for his tackle on Jackson Yueill.

Four minutes from time, the win was sealed as Chris Wondolowski got lucky, redirecting a ball into the back of the net. The penalty spot provided another goal in the 96th minute, with Eriksson scoring it again.

It got even worse for RSL in the 97th minute as Kyle Beckerman inexplicably kicked the ball at the referee earning himself a straight red card and a disciplinary committee appointment.

Photo Courtesy: Devin L’Amoreaux and Matthew Stith

Los Angeles FC also managed a dominant win, beating the Seattle Sounders 4-1 to set up a match with Orlando City SC in the Friday Quarterfinal.

A penalty to Diego Rossi gave LAFC the lead in the 14th minute. He also drew the foul, having been tripped by Xavier Arreaga.

It became 2-0 in the 39th minute as Latif Blessing hit an excellent curling shot which deflected off the arm of Shane O’Neil. The score would remain that way until halftime.

Highlights – LAFC v Seattle Sounders – MLS is Back Round of 16 – July 27 2020

Things seemed to be all-LA, but in the 75th minute, the Sounders made things interesting. Joevin Jones drove in a cross to the far post to find Will Bruin, who sent it home.

All hope of a Seattle comeback expired in the 82nd minute when Rossi scored his second, capitalizing on a turnover. One minute from time, Brian Rodriguez wrapped it up as he shifted the ball to his left and slammed it past the keeper.

Photo Courtesy: Katie Cahalin

Tampa Bay Rowdies Come From Behind to Stay Undefeated

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a long bus trip up to Alabama, the Tampa Bay Rowdies showed little signs of fatigue and managed a 1-1 draw against Birmingham Legion at BBVA Field on Saturday night.

Trailing to an early free-kick goal from Alex Crongale, who put away Bruno Lapa’s ball in 16 minutes into the match. It was looking like it could be a difficult night for the undefeated Rowdies.

The Legion has been a dominant scoring side since the restart managing a 5-1 goal difference coming into this match compared to the Rowdies 4-3. That was cause for concern, especially as the hosts continued to push in the first half.

READ MORE: Weak Second Half Costs Rowdies

But midway through the half Tampa Bay started to threaten as Sebastian Guenzatti saw more of the ball but struggled to make those chances count.

Guenzatti finally made his chances count in the 51st minute to level the scores. Again Juan Tejada was able to provide, sending in a cross that Guenzatti headed home for a vital goal.

@seba9113 2nd goal of the year and @JuanDavidTejada 2nd assist of the year! 🔥 🔥 🔥

Originally tweeted by Tampa Bay Rowdies (@TampaBayRowdies) on July 26, 2020.

That seemed to wake up Birmingham, which started to take more chances. Still, the Rowdies always looked like they had a measure of control over the match, finding opportunities where they came and winning the possession battle convincingly 56-44.

Despite that control, the Legion nearly stole all three points two minutes from time as Anderson Asiedu’s shot almost snuck in. Still, Evan Louro was up to the task, making the save to seal the draw.

With the result, the Rowdies stay top of the group and look healthy but will want to improve on their performances to hold that down.

GRAPHIC: Tampa Bay Rowdies

Orlando City SC Gets First Knockout Win

BAY LAKE – Orlando City SC advanced to the quarterfinals in the MLS is Back tournament after a 1-0 win over Montreal Impact on Saturday night. The win was the first knockout win in club history.

The breakthrough came on the hour mark with Tesho Akindele left with a simple tap-in for the vital goal. Mendez shot was only parried by the keeper right into Akindele’s path.

Things were tight early, but chances started to come in the 20th minute. The first chance was to Orlando. Nani managing to find Akindele who couldn’t put it away.

Read More: Orlando City Tops Group A After Philly Draw

Montreal’s best chance in the first half came from Samuel Piette in the 26th minute. After being found by Romell Quioto Piette’s header was denied by a good save.

That seemed to spark a good passage for Montreal who nearly got the opener in the 34th minute when a corner wasn’t dealt with, the ball bouncing around before eventually going out for a goal kick.

After the drinks break, the Lions seemed energized and should have had the lead. Jhegson Mendez made a run at goal and looked sure to score only for Clement Diop to make an incredible double save.

Mendez thought he had the opener in the 45th minute as he put the ball in the back of the net only to be denied by the offside flag. Akindele was just caught out by the offside trap by a matter of inches before laying the ball off for Mendez.

Orlando had opportunities late in the match but couldn’t make them count. It didn’t matter as the Lions held on for the win. They will now face the winner of LAFC and the Seattle Sounders but will have a longer recovery time.

Photo courtesy: Matt Stith & Devin L’Amoreaux

Crew Sends Atlanta Packing

BAY LAKE – Needing a win to stay in the MLS is Back tournament Atlanta United couldn’t get it done, falling to a 1-0 loss to Columbus Crew SC on Tuesday night.

The lone goal of the match came thanks to a slight deflection on Youness Mokhtar’s shot. His effort was well hit from just inside the box, but the deflection took it away from the keeper and gave Columbus the lead. Completing a 19-pass play to get into the position after tearing Atlanta apart.

It was no less than the Crew deserved, having gained control of the match early, Atlanta just never looked in the contest.

The best chances for ATL came in the final stages, but by then it was far too little far too late, Pity Martinez putting his free-kick wide.

Photo courtesy: Devin L’Amoreaux

With a chance to clinch top spot in the group Toronto FC and the New England Revolution couldn’t capitalize, settling for a scoreless draw in the first match of the day.

The best chance came in the 80th minute when Toronto’s Ayo Akinola was played through and running on goal, only to be denied by a spectacular Matt Turner save. Akinola was also involved in some late controversy as he drew a foul and the referee pointed to the spot. The decision was switched to a free-kick after a video review determined the foul was outside the box, and TFC couldn’t capitalize.

The Revs had their best chance earlier in the second half. Brandon Bye sent a low cross into Adam Buksa who was in the six-yard box. But again excellent goalkeeping kept it scoreless as Alex Bono got to the play and made the save.

Photo courtesy: Matthew Stith

Unlike Atlanta, Montreal Impact got the win it needed to stay alive, managing a 1-0 win over DC United in the nightcap.

The impact started the match well looking to control possession from the opening stages and take it to DC, waiting for the right time to strike.

That time was the 31st minute when a short corner ended up played out to Saphir Taider who hit a powerful shot from 30 yards. The ball deflected off of Frederic Brillant and past Bill Hamid.

In the second half DC United was determined to find an equalizer but some stunning goalkeeping from Clement Diop kept his side in front.

READ MORE: Orlando City Tops Group A After Philly Draw

There was one golden chance for Max Urruti to seal the win in the 68th minute, but he sent his effort wide. Luckily it didn’t matter, and Montreal advanced.

With the results today, DC United, Montreal, and Atlanta are eliminated. The first match-up from the knockout stages was set. Philadelphia Union will face the New England Revolution on Saturday night’s late game.

PHOTO COURTESY: Devin L’Amoreaux and Matthew Stith

Orlando City Tops Group A After Philly Draw

BAY LAKE – Philadelphia Union led Orlando City SC, but only for two minutes as the Lions came from behind for a 1-1 draw on Monday night.

The result means Orlando tops the group followed by the Union, both teams having already qualified for the knockout stages before kickoff. Winning the group means OCSC will face a third-placed team. At the moment DC United (Group C) would miss out so it would be either Sporting Kansas City (Group D) or FC Cincinnati (Group E).

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the 68th minute as Ilsinho made his impact off the bench. With space in the box, Ilsinho was able to finish from a tight angle.

Two minutes later, Orlando leveled the scores. Nani sent in a cross which found Mauricio Pereyra who headed home from point-blank range.

Highlights: Orlando City SC v Philadelphia Union – MLS is Back Tournament – July 20 2020

The first-half was tight, but neither side was able to create clear chances. Notably in the 28th minute, only a phenomenal save from goalkeeper Andre Blake denied Tesho Akindele. Akindele was seemingly running through for a goal, but Blake was quick off his line and got down to make the save.

Philly could have found the opener right before halftime as teenager Brenden Aaronsen found space to get a shot away but could only send it wide.

READ MORE: Orlando City Through to MLS is Back Knockout Stages

Missing that chance means that Philadelphia finishes second, so it’ll face the second-placed team in Group C, currently New England Revolution. Still, if DC United wins on Tuesday night, the Revs will finish third, and DC will be the most likely opponent.

PHOTO COURTESY: Jared Martinez

MLS is no Longer Back for Inter Miami

BAY LAKE – Inter Miami CF has been eliminated from the MLS is Back tournament following a 1-0 loss to New York City FC on Monday morning.

The lone goal of the match came in the 64th minute through Ismael Tajouri-Shradi. A through ball from Alexandru Mitrita gave the winger possession, allowing him to take a touch and then slammed it home past the keeper.

After scoring things opened up, until then, it was a tight, and often dour, affair throughout the first hour. Despite that, the chances seemed to all come only from one end as NYCFC went on the attack to try and find more goals, knowing that goal difference could be crucial.

Highlights: Inter Miami CF v New York City FC – MLS is Back Tournament – July 20 2020

It could have been 2-0 moments later after Keaton Parks found space in the box but was denied by Luis Robles, making a great save.

All hopes of a Miami comeback disappeared in the 90th minute. Juan Agudelo was shown his second yellow card, resigning the Herons to the final result, which knocked them out.

READ MORE: Quakes Top Group and Sounders get Through

For New York, the win isn’t enough to keep it alive, but it does give it a chance. The top four third-place finishers will advance. NYCFC will be hoping that Chicago Fire and Sporting Kansas City lose their final matches so that it can proceed. Having just three points makes New York’s stay at Walt Disney World precarious and unlikely, but it’s not over.

Photo Courtesy Jared Martinez

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