League Lowdown: March 28th - March 30th

With international duty upon the world, it is somewhat bewildering to find MLS continuing through without its main players, anyhow plenty to talk about and major games to look at.

New England Revolution vs. San Jose Earthquakes (2-1 NE)

In what was probably the first game the Revolution looked like the team that was so dangerous last year, it was odd to see it happen without some of their big stars. San Jose battled it out but two early goals from Kelyn Rowe 21' & 37' were enough to overcome a Chris Wondolowski penalty in the 62'.

Montreal Impact vs. Orlando City (2-2)

Just when you think Montreal are going to be a dangerous team, they fall asleep and the team you cannot do that on is Orlando City. Two early goals from Ignacio Piatti 14' and Jack McInerney 27' had the impact looking golden but Orlando City responded within seconds with goals from Pedro Ribeiro 29' and Kaka 30'.

New York City FC vs. Sporting Kansas City (0-1 KC)

In what was really a tough defensive battle the entire game, an Ike Opara header in the 12' sealed a full three points for Sporting on the road against a NYCFC team without David Villa.

DC United vs. LA Galaxy (1-0 DC)

Late game heroics are almost as deflating to the losing side as a 4-0 beat-down. In what was a struggle all game to try to score, a Chris Pontius header in the 93' sealed a full 3 points for DC United. LA will have to solve the problem of international call-ups with Gold Cup this summer.

Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls (2-1 NYRB)

After having all the problems in the off season with the firing of Mike Petke and the loss of their star Thierry Henry, the New York Red Bulls look better than ever. The Crew had early troubles in this match and it boiled over when Federico Higuain was red carded for dissent in the game. Goals came from Bradley Wright Phillips 49', and Mike Grella 67' for NYRB, while Tony Tchani scored for the Crew in the 67'.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers (2-1 Vancouver)

The team to beat in the West might not end up being the LA Galaxy but rather Vancouver as they continue to roll with the underdog status which they have embraced. In a Cascadia cup match, they dismantled the Timbers side. Goals came from Nicolas Mezquida 15' and Robert Earnshaw 90' for Vancouver while Fanendo Adi scored for Portland in the 82'.

Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids (0-0)

In a game without the playmaking of Boniek Garcia and Giles Barnes the Dynamo looked flat at home, could not hold onto the ball, and had very little effort when it came to scoring a goal. Colorado pushed for a goal late but the quick heroics by none other than Tyler Deric saved a point for the Dynamo.

FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders (0-0)

This was a landmark game for both teams - in a bad way. FC Dallas was put to 10 men after a straight red card for a studs-up challenge was given to Kellyn Acosta, while the Seattle Sounders somehow didn't score the entire game and neither team even got a shot on goal (The first in MLS History).

Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union (1-0 Fire)

What a game for Chicago Fire who looked to take on the Union and get back to winning on National TV. Harry Shipp showed up to play and looked spectacular when he assisted on the loan goal to Adailton in the 37'. A red card was also issued to Fred who looked to open hand slap a player.

Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC (2-1 RSL)

This weekend seemed to be the action of late comebacks and that comes down to international call-ups and young players starting. In a fairly even battle Luke Mulholland put RSL up 1-0 in the 38' only to see the side give up a goal in the 88' to Jackson. However, Jordan Allen secured the three points for RSL by knocking in the winning goal a minute later for the home side. d

Other Major News:

Dynamo Affiliate on Schedule:

It was released over the weekend that the Dynamo affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, who also work with the Houston Rockets, have been awarded a team for the 2016 season. However, they must act quickly to meet USL Pro standards of a soccer specific stadium and must begin looking at putting a technical team together.

Giles Barnes is Jamaica's Harry Kane:

Ok, I won't rush that statement yet, but during his first two games with Jamaica Giles Barnes had his first goal and his first assist in leading the Reggae boys to two straight victories. This will almost assuredly lead to him being capped again so it is imperative that someone start scoring goals for the Dynamo besides Barnes.

The Dash are coming, The Dash are coming!

Yes, this is MLS but I wanted to plug the Dash in for those who might not know a whole lot about NWSL. The Dash home opener is April 10th at BBVA Stadium, where they will debut a much different team from last season as major acquisitions in players like Carli Lloyd were acquired. They are trying to break 10k so go support the team and have a good night out. Tickets are cheap and still available.