Around MLS: Matchweek 4
Through four matchweeks of Major League Soccer, several intriguing storylines have taken shape in the league. Here’s what went down in the MLS this week:
Expansion team St. Louis City SC currently sits atop the Western Conference standings following a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. In front of a wild St. Louis home crowd, both sides had chances in the first twenty minutes, but goalkeepers Roman Burki and JT Marcinkowski ensured the match remained scoreless.
That changed when forward Nicholas Gioacchini put St. Louis in front with a shot that dribbled behind Marcinkowski in the 34th minute. João Klauss made it 2-0 for the home team with a solo goal in first-half stoppage time.
The second half saw substitute Tomas Ostrák send the home crowd into a frenzy. The midfielder took a ricocheted pass and sent a long, low shot past the San Jose goalkeeper, giving his team a 3-0 lead. The win meant St. Louis became the first MLS expansion team to win its first four games.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference table remains tight to start the season, with three points separating the top five teams. Atlanta United FC sits at the top with 10 points, followed by the New England Revolution with nine, FC Cincinnati with eight as well as Nashville SC and New York City FC with seven points.
Atlanta continued its torrid start to the season with a 5-1 win against Portland, thanks to two goals from Thiago Almada. Deep in first half extra time, Almada’s free kick sailed over the Portland defense before bouncing off the crossbar and into the net for his first goal. In the 86th minute, Almada completed the brace with a simple low strike.
New England separated itself from the East pack with a 1-0 win over Nashville. Several chances were missed for both sides in the first half, with a Gustavo Bou shot too high for the Revolution.
The scoreless stalemate continued into the second half, but was eventually broken by New England. Bou, with three Nashville players in his vicinity, took a pass and fired a shot that snuck past the goalkeeper, putting the home team ahead in the 52nd minute. Nashville would have more opportunities, but could not convert in the second half.
Both Cincinnati and New York City found themselves in shootouts over the weekend. Cincinnati came back from a two-goal deficit against Chicago, but goals from Sergio Santos and Júnior Moreno ensured Cincinnati earned a point in a 3-3 draw.
New York City FC had a more favorable result, winning 3-2 against D.C. United. A late goal from Thiago Andrade put New York City ahead by two in the 88th minute, and the Cityzens held on despite giving up a late goal to Steve Birnbaum.
Will Duerksen is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email wdd5066@psu.edu.
