Football
ESPN staff 8y

NYCFC returns to winning ways as Jordan Morris lifts Sounders to victory

David Villa scored twice as New York City FC won its first game since the season opener, 3-2 over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

Vancouver took the lead after just 37 seconds as Octavio Rivero pounced on a loose ball following a gaffe by NYCFC keeper Josh Saunders.

But Villa found the net twice in a six-minute span, including with a remarkable scissor kick to give the home side the lead in the 41st minute.

Christian Bolanos drew Vancouver back level in the second half, but Stiven Mendoza beat Whitecaps keeper David Ousted at his near post in the 73rd minute to give NYCFC a first win in eight games.

The three points took NYCFC from the bottom of the Eastern Conference up to sixth place.

Jordan Morris scored a late winner as the Seattle Sounders defeated Columbus Crew SC 1-0 in a battle of clubs who got off to surprisingly slow starts this season.

The game was goalless until the 88th minute, when Oalex Anderson's shot from point-blank range was saved by Steve Clark, but the rebound fell to Morris, who hammered the ball in off of defender Michael Parkhurst.

Morris has now scored in three straight games for the Sounders, who are overcoming a rough start that saw them lose their first three games of the year.

Columbus, which was winless through its first five games, saw a two-game winning streak end.

Didier Drogba scored from a free kick as the Montreal Impact drew 2-2 with the Colorado Rapids to stay atop the Eastern Conference standings.

The former Chelsea star dipped a shot over the Rapids wall in the ninth minute to give Montreal the lead.

Shkelzen Gashi tied it for Colorado just after halftime, but it only took three minutes for Maxim Tissot to put Montreal back in front.

Bobby Burling tapped in a loose ball following a free kick in the 73rd minute to earn a point on the road for the Rapids.

Orlando City's Carlos Rivas scored in the 90th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw at the New England Revolution.

Diego Fagundez gave the Revs the lead in the eighth minute, but Kevin Molino answered for Orlando on the half-hour mark.

Juan Agudelo put the hosts back in front less than a minute after entering as a substitute in the 71st minute, but Rivas beat his marker to a cross just as the clock stuck 90 to earn a point for Orlando.

Agudelo nearly won the game deep into stoppage time but his header crashed off the underside of the bar and stayed out.

The Philadelphia Union missed a chance to retake the lead in the East after the 10-man San Jose Earthquakes scored late in a 1-1 draw.

Chris Pontius headed home following a corner kick in the 30th minute for the Union, and victory seemed probable after Anibal Godoy was sent off for a second yellow card in the 59th.

But with six minutes remaining, San Jose's Simon Dawkins danced around multiple Union defenders before scoring the equalizer in a superb piece of individual play.

Rookie defender Jonathan Campbell scored his first MLS goal but the Chicago Fire fell into last place in the East after a 1-1 draw against D.C. United.

Campbell gave the Fire the lead on a rainy day in the 41st minute when he broke free on a set piece to flick home.

D.C. United tied it in the 64th minute when Patrick Nyarko headed home after Chicago keeper Matt Lampson misplayed Luciano Acosta's cross.

Yura Movsisyan scored the go-ahead goal in the 70th minute as Real Salt Lake beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1 to move into a tie for the MLS lead.

Movsisyan raced in toward the left post to finish Demar Phillips' cross at the end of a nine-pass combination. Real Salt Lake has won four of its last five and moved into a three-way tie for first place with the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas.

Jordan Allen tied it for RSL in the 62nd minute with a right-footed rocket into the middle of the net. Nick Rimando had back-to-back saves in the 80th minute to preserve the win.

Leonel Miranda scored the opening goal in the 54th minute for the Dynamo. His shot from the top left corner of the area deflected off defender Jamison Olave and slipped by Rimando.

^ Back to Top ^