Two matches of the MLS league took place last night, both of them in Canada. Unfortunately for the soccer fans in that country, both of their teams lost.
Sporting Kansas City and NYCFC Eliminate Canadian Teams to Reach MLS Quarterfinals
Montreal Impact suffered a narrow defeat against Nashville SC, 0-1, with the only goal coming in the 33rd minute. Alex Muyl was fouled, but instead of waiting for his players to organize themselves, he saw Randall Leal, and quickly passed the ball towards him. The Costa Rican was faster than the Impact defense, getting into a position that would allow him to beat Montreal’s goalie Clement Diop.
Orlando City and Philadelphia Union Advance to MLS is Back Quarterfinals
The hosts tried to come back, but while doing so, overexposed their backline, and Nashville had a few goal-scoring chances. Impact too had a several, with the best one coming just six minutes before the end of the regulations, once Quioto scored, but his goal was disallowed due to an offside. Guests’ goalkeeper Joe Willis now has league-most nine shotouts during this campaign.
This is a big loss for Thierry Henry’s side, as they now have 23 points, two fewer than Chicago Fire and Inter Miami, with the note that Fire has a game in hand. They are very close to losing the spot in the playoffs. As for Nashville, they might even skip the round of 16 of the playoffs and go directly to the quarterfinals.
They will have a clash against Chicago on Saturday, which would be a massive step forward for them if they win it. On the other side, Montreal faces Orlando City one day after.
In another match, Seattle Sounders were better than the Vancouver Whitecaps at Providence Park with 2-0. With this victory, the Sounders secured a spot in the MLS Playoffs and broke a three-game winless streak during which they played two draws and lost one match.
Both goals came in the second 45 minutes, with Raul Ruidiaz being in the middle of attention in both situations. The Peruvian netted nine minutes into the second half, adding an assist in the 60th minute, when Nicolas Lodeiro scored from a nearby.
So far this year, Ruidiaz has 10 goals and four assists and is again one of the best players in the league. Unlike previous years, his offensive productivity is at a much higher level, and the Sounders have excellent prospects of defending the MLS Cup with him in this shape.
Seattle plays against Colorado Rapids this Sunday, and that is when Vancouver takes on Portland Timbers.
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