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MLS Round-up: Mullins the man for D.C., as Portland overcome Seattle and Houston keep the cannon

MLS Round-up: Mullins the man for D.C., as Portland overcome Seattle and Houston keep the cannon

Patrick Mullins has found the perfect home in Washington D.C.

In New York City, Patrick Mullins was an afterthought. The striker was selected by Jason Kreis in the 2014 Expansion Draft, but ultimately struggled to earn consistent minutes under Kreis, or his successor Patrick Vieira.

Vieira decided to trade Mullins to D.C. United in July, with the 24-year-old having seen just 230 minutes of competitive action for NYCFC this season. A talented goalscorer at the University of Maryland, it was important that Mullins moved on to a team that would give him regular playing time. That opportunity was presented to him by Ben Olsen, with Mullins starting 5 of the 7 games he has played for D.C. United.

That show of faith has been rewarded with 5 goals, which is just one shy of his career best in MLS. It took Mullins 24 games to reach 6 goals with NYCFC, but if his play on Saturday against the Chicago Fire is anything to go by, he won’t need nearly as many games this time around. The forward’s hat-trick was a collection of smart movement, intelligent positioning, and clinical finishing, with Mullins scoring 3 goals from 7 attempts.

Elsewhere, Patrick Nyarko and Luciano Acosta chipped in well, while Nick DeLeon provided a goal during his cameo to give D.C. United an eventual 6-2 win. Mullins remains the standout though, and while he is succeeding on an individual level, his influence on the team is also impressive.

In seven games since coming to the nation’s capital, Mullins has five goals and one assist. During that time the club have climbed from eighth in the Eastern Conference to sixth, meaning they’re on course for a playoff spot. So too are his former club NYCFC, but after seeing his form, they may wonder if they should have asked for more when Olsen came calling.

“I always knew what I was capable of. It’s far from over. I am still growing and mastering my craft, but I have belief in myself,” the former Maryland Terrapin said. “I think I am with a group of guys who believe in me. It’s been a long season for me, and nights like tonight make some of the tough times worth it.”

10 man Montreal enjoy famous win in the 401 derby
The ever growing popularity of Tifos in MLS is only a good thing. A fantastic display of fan culture, Toronto chose to bite back at claims from Montreal fans that their team are clowns. “Welcome to the Circus: Our Funhouse, Your Nightmare,” the banner read.

Unfortunately for those in red, those claims would come back to haunt them, as Montreal recovered from the dismissal of Calum Mallace to snatch a vital 1-0 win.

Mallace’s departure typified what was at times a feisty affair, with the Scot’s off the ball bodycheck on Steven Beitashour seeing him sent for an early bath. Mauro Biello, clearly frustrated, called the decision an ‘embarrassment’ at half time, claiming the referee had chronically misjudged the situation.

Credit to Biello and his players though, they dug in and defended heroically. Keeping out Sebastian Giovinco, they restricted Toronto to just 3 shots on target, before snatching a goal via a slick counter-attack. Ignacio Piatti had done little throughout the game, but when he collected Dominic Oduro’s pass, he shifted it onto his left foot before firing it back across goal.

Earning the team their first away victory since April, it also ended a much more concerning streak for Montreal. Toronto FC has dominated the 401 Derby at BMO Field, but Montreal ended TFC’s 12-match home unbeaten streak in all competitions in the derby, during which time they have outscored the Impact, 22-11.

As if not content with that, Biello also ended TFC’s 5 game unbeaten run at home, which was a club record. Earning him three points, and bragging rights, it likely made his trip back to Montreal all that more enjoyable after a less than stress free 90 minutes.

“The win is massive,” Biello said. “They’re a good team, probably the best in the league. We did a good job, we were organized. We didn’t give them much space to break us down, and then we were clinical. Nacho was clinical when we needed him and scored a massive goal. The effort that the players put in was exceptional.”

Houston suffers defeat in the derby with Dallas, but keeps the bigger prize
Of the many unique trophies available in MLS derbies, FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo have arguably the biggest. Nicknamed ‘El Capitan’, the two Texan sides do battle for the rights to an actual Howitzer cannon from the Civil-War era.

Houston has even fired the cannon before games in the past, and looked set to keep it after beating Dallas 5-0 and then drawing 1-1 earlier in the season. Any hopes Dallas had of stealing the cannon back suffered a dent when they fell behind in the 19th minute to a goal from Alex.

Able to level the scores in the second half, it began a mad 120 seconds in which they first equalised through Mauro Diaz, before taking the lead thanks to Michael Barrios. The tricky Colombian added a third late on to give Dallas all of the points, but not the giant trophy.

That’s the good news for Houston, but the bad news is the Dynamo look all but finished for the season. They play in a competitive Western Conference that makes it hard to see a rapid ascent from their position. The Dynamo needed a win on Saturday night to get within four points of the Portland Timbers. With their loss, and the Timbers win over Seattle Sounders, it would now take a miraculous stretch to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs.

"With eight games left, we have a lot to play for,” Interim Coach Wade Barrett said. “We have our jobs to play for. We have the city to play for. We have our fans to play for. We have ourselves. Nobody is happy with the situation we’re in.

Seattle ends a tough week with a big derby loss
A week is a long time in football. Last Sunday the Seattle Sounders were celebrating a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers, and dreaming of a smoother ride to the playoffs. Fast forward a week, and they were handed a disappointing 4-2 defeat by the Timbers.

The day started poorly for Seattle, with the first home goal arriving in the 16th minute. It would be followed by a further three more first half goals, with the Timbers actively targeting Seattle’s left hand side, (as the below chalkboard shows). Joevin Jones is very much a forward thinking full-back, while Andreas Ivanschitz lacks the stamina to cover in behind. That made it easy for Caleb Porter’s side to establish a dominance, as the half-time whistle provided sweet relief to Brian Schmetzer.

Portland aware which full-back/side is the weakest for Seattle, and they’re attacking it hard. #MLS pic.twitter.com/Sa2jLIrXNH

Credit to Schmetzer, he took the blame for the first half performance, and was able to rally his side at half-time. That saw the Sounders produce a spirited start to the second half, with goals from Ivanschitz and Jordan Morris reducing the deficit to 4-2.

However, by that stage the damage was already done and the Timbers comfortably saw out the game to claim an important victory over their Cascadia rivals. That placed the Sounders in a difficult position in terms of the standings. The club sits just outside the playoffs in eighth, four points behind Portland in sixth, and seven points behind Sporting KC in fifth.

Consequently, it means the team will have to enjoy a strong run in the final 9 games of the season. Next up is a trip to face the San Jose to face the Earthquakes, before a game against Cascadia rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps, with neither game an easy three points.

Schmetzer will hope he has Clint Dempsey back for those games. The forward was withdrawn from the weekend’s games so he could undergo tests for an irregular heartbeat. "As the medical process unfolds and information is gathered internally, no other details are being made publicly available at this time,” a team statement said this week.

A serious situation that will hopefully be resolved with a clean bill of health, the coming months will be a chance for Schmetzer to prove he is the man to take the club forward. His efforts will be boosted by the performances of Nicolas Lodeiro. The Uruguayan has scored or assisted in each one of his last 5 games, and his influence in the final third keeps Seattle’s playoff hopes alive, just.

Results

Friday

Real Salt Lake 2-1 Colorado Rapids

Saturday

D.C. United 6-2 Chicago Fire

Philadelphia Union 2-0 Sporting KC

Toronto FC 0-1 Montreal Impact

Columbus Crew SC 2-0 San Jose Earthquakes

Houston Dynamo 1-3 FC Dallas

LA Galaxy 0-0 Vancouver Whitecaps

Sunday

New York Red Bulls 1-0 New England Revolution

Portland Timbers 4-2 Seattle Sounders

Orlando 2-1 New York City FC