🇺🇸 Kubo hat-trick saves Cincinnati; Galaxy and nine-man Miami survive
More Major League Soccer action continued on Saturday with plenty of games across the United States and Canada.
Here are some of the biggest results.
Kubo hat-trick saves Cincinnati
Scorers: Lopez 57′; Espinoza 72′; Bucha 53′, Yuya 78′; 80′, 87′
FC Cincinnati had to dig deep on the road to win 4-2 against the bottom-side San Jose Earthquakes.
Nothing could separate the two after 45 minutes, leaving plenty of drama for the second half.
Pavel Bucha scored his first MLS goal after making the most of a giveaway at the back. However, the hosts then dug deep.
Four minutes after the opener, things turned 1-1 when Hernan Lopez pounced on a blasted shot from range that was initially saved.
Espinoza then received a ball over the top, ran solo, cut inside to his left and rolled home what San Jose thought would be a winner.
That was until Yuya Kubo had his say.
The substitute stayed confident of scoring on the breakaway, poked the ball over the line, and secured a hat-trick all in nine minutes.
Galaxy hold on against Sporting KC
Scorers: Jovelic 40′, Pec 54′, Paintsil 75′, Berry 90+2; Afrifa 66, Castellanos 81′
Another goal show on the West Coast saw LA Galaxy beat Sporting KC 4-2 in a back-and-forth thriller.
Dejan Joveljic opened the scoring despite his shot being saved twice from point-blank range. A low roller from Gabriel Pec eventually doubled the lead for the hosts.
The visitors did get on the scoresheet when Stephen Afrifa’s one-timer found the back of the net.
However, the Galaxy restored their two-goal lead when Joseph Paintsil finished off a counter-attack from point-blank range.
Things turned interesting when Robert Castellanos turned things 3-2 off a set piece.
Yet the hosts prevailed as Miguel Berry stabbed home at the back post to secure the win.
Seattle cramp Minnesota’s style
Scorers: Morris 28′, Rothrock 57′
Seattle pulled off a 2-0 upset win over Minnesota United.
A leaping Jordan Morris opened the scoring after heading home from a set piece before Paul Rothrock doubled the lead by poking home at the back post.
Minnesota notably registered zero shots on target and only five overall. Moses Nyeman was eventually sent off in the dying moments.
The result goes down as their fourth loss of the season and they missed a chance to keep pace with the top three in the West.
Nine-man Inter Miami stun Union
Scorers: Uhra 3′; Gressel 47′, Afonso 90+4′. Red: Ruiz 68′, Aviles 84′
It was a tough night on the road for Inter Miami, but they pulled off a 2-1 win against Philadelphia Union against the odds.
With Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez away on Copa América duty, Tata Martino’s side had to rely on other talent on Saturday.
However – the Union stunned Miami within the blink of an eye when Mikael Uhre split two centrebacks and rolled home into the far corner.
The visitors eventually pulled level when Julian Gressel volleyed home his first for the club after the break. But immediately after, drama ensued.
David Ruiz was sent off with a second yellow and 20 minutes remaining, suggesting a comeback was off the table.
Things worsened when Miami dropped to nine men as Tomas Aviles also picked up a second yellow.
That was until a very composed Leo Afonso scored on a solo run in the 94th minute to keep hold of all three points.
Atlanta make Houston pay for mistakes
Scorers: Rios 25′, Silva 55′; Escobar 5′, Blessing 89′
Atalanta United and Houston Dynamo split the points in a 2-2 draw.
The visitors took the lead when Franco Escobar headed home after the ball hit the woodwork on his return to Atlanta.
However, two mistakes from Houston helped the hosts turn it around.
Micael was man-marking Daniel Rios and had the situation under control until he tried to nutmeg the Atlanta star. Instead, he gifted him the ball, and Rios finished off a slick team move for 1-1.
Griffin Dorsey then miss-timed a clearance in the second half, allowing Xande Silva to strike into the far right corner from a tight angle.
However, late drama ensued when Latif Blessing chested down a ball over the top and knocked it home to ensure the points were split.
Chicago hammer struggling TFC
Scorers: Insigne 44′; Haile-Selassie 41′, Cuypers 57′, Pineda 60′, Arigoni 89′
Chicago Fire made BMO Field their turf after a 4-1 win over struggling Toronto FC.
The visitors scored four of their eight shots on target to ensure the hosts are winless in four.
The opener arrived when an unmarked Maren Haile-Selassie headed home from point-blank range.
TFC equalised when Lorenzo Insigne cut inside and sent the ball over the line, but it wasn’t enough to inspire the hosts.
Chicago came out in the second half ready to put the game to bed.
Hugo Cuypers forced a flat-footed Kevin Long into a mistake and the No. 9 slotted home for 2-1.
A long-range effort from Mauricio Pineda then ensured the visitors earned all three points before Allan Arigoni scored a late fourth.
