MLS roundup: Whitecaps, D.C. United win late ones; FCD, Sounders in disappointing draw

The fourth Saturday of the 2015 Major League Soccer season is in the books, and while one of the day’s biggest games left a bit to be desired, the rest of the league was looking out for us with most of the goals we were missing last week, and even threw in a couple of late winners, just for good measure.

Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Portland Timbers

Carl Robinson’s Whitecaps are rolling right along now, and this time they might just be able to keep it up. The balance between attack and defense feels like it’s been worked out, and if that’s the case, good luck beating these guys. | FULL RECAP WITH HIGHLIGHTS

FC Dallas 0-0 Seattle Sounders

No longer perfect, are FCD, but they’ll be thankful to manage a point after an early red card. As for the Sounders, they’ll just be happy when they get Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins back. | FULL RECAP WITH HIGHLIGHTS

Columbus Crew SC 1-2 New York Red Bulls

Don’t look now, but Jesse Marsch’s Red Bulls are tops in the Eastern Conference, with a game in hand on most. Bradley Wright-Phillips scored Red Bulls’ first from the penalty spot and set up Mike Grella for the winner with 20 minutes left to play. There’s a good-to-great chance we all underestimated this year’s Red Bulls.

Jesse Marsch era starts with 1 pt at KC, dominant home win over DC & great road win at Crew. Town Hall is still his best performance, tho.

— Matthew Doyle (@MLSAnalyst) March 29, 2015

D.C. United 1-0 LA Galaxy

Don’t ever give up, kids. Stick with it and you’ll get your reward. If you gave up on D.C. United vs. LA Galaxy even 30 seconds before it was over, you missed everything you needed to see from this one. | FULL RECAP WITH HIGHLIGHTS

New York City FC 0-1 Sporting Kansas City

Soccer that looks like ping pong — that’s essentially what you’re going to get every week at Yankee Stadium as the small playing field lacks the space to spread the field and connect passes. On Saturday, it was more of the same as Sporting KC handed NYCFC their first defeat. | FULL RECAP WITH HIGHLIGHTS

New England Revolution 2-1 San Jose Earthquakes

The Revolution got their first goal of the season — hey, it only took four games — and the kind of dominant performance — in the first half, at least — that so many expected from them all season long, before the Earthquakes made it a game in the second 45. | FULL RECAP WITH HIGHLIGHTS

Montreal Impact 2-2 Orlando City SC

Three goals in three minutes just before the half-hour mark was the highlight of a thoroughly entertaining affair at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Ignacio Piatti put the hosts up early (14th minute) before Jack McInerney doubled the lead (27th), then Pedro Ribeiro (29th) and Kaka (30th) brought the Lions level again, which is exactly where things finished.

Your weekly reminder that Kaka is still a really, really, really good player: this goal. Your regular reminder that MLS still does silly things: Orlando’s four-man bench.

Houston Dynamo 0-0 Colorado Rapids

If a scoreless game between two bottom-dwelling teams is played while five other games between playoff-competing teams are also being played, did that game really happen? That’s a question you’ll have to ask Dynamo and/or Rapids fans. Even if it did happen, 17 total shots with just five on target suggests very little actually occurred during said game.

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