Football
ESPN staff 7y

FC Dallas gets rare win at LA Galaxy; Dynamo beat MLS champion Sounders

Kellyn Acosta scored in the 69th minute and FC Dallas beat the LA Galaxy 2-1 to open their Major League Soccer season on Saturday.

Defending MLS Supporters' Shield champion Dallas spoiled the debut of Galaxy coach Curt Onalfo, who replaced new U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena.

FC Dallas, which hadn't won a league game at LA since 2009, squandered an opportunity in the 33rd minute. Dave Romney deflected a headed shot, and the ball went right to Michael Barrios, who then took a shot past LA goalkeeper Brian Rowe, but Jelle Van Damme cleared Barrios' point-blank shot off the line.

Dallas' Maximiliano Urruti scored the opening goal in the 47th minute, splitting two defenders and firing his shot from outside the 18-yard box and into the back of the net.

The Galaxy's Giovani dos Santos scored from a penalty kick in the 57th minute to make it 1-1, but Acosta restored Dallas' lead by beating two defenders and shooting into the bottom corner at the near post.

Clint Dempsey scored in his first competitive game since August but Seattle Sounders lost their opener 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo.

Dempsey had to miss the second half of the season and the Sounders' run to the MLS Cup after the discovery of an irregular heartbeat. But he's been building up his fitness in preseason and returned to score from a left-footed shot in the 58th minute.

But by that time, the Dynamo had already taken a 2-0 lead through an Erick Torres free kick and Romell Quioto's debut goal.

Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei guessed to his right but Torres' free kick went to his left for the opening goal in the 20th minute.

Quioto, whom Houston acquired from Olimpia in December, then curled a long shot over Frei's hands in the 42nd minute.

Anibal Godoy scored early and the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Montreal Impact 1-0.

Godoy floated a left-footed shot just over the hands of goalkeeper Evan Bush in the 17th minute.

Chris Wondolowski assisted on the goal, and had a header from the center of the box sail over crossbar in the second minute. He is 24 goals shy of MLS career leader Landon Donovan.

Ignacio Piatti missed a right-footed shot from more than 35-yards out in the 75th minute for Montreal. He scored 17 goals last season.

Dominique Badji scored, Zac McMath made three saves and the Colorado Rapids beat the New England Revolution 1-0.

Badji drew a foul on Benjamin Angoua, setting up a free kick by Dillon Powers near the right corner. Kevin Doyle's header bounced off the far post before Jared Watts and goalkeeper Cody Copper converged on the ball, sending it high in the air and Badji's header from inside the six-yard box found the back of the net in the 52nd minute.

McMath had six shutouts in 16 starts before Tim Howard -- who spent 13 seasons in the English Premier League and has 111 appearances for the U.S. national team -- joined the Rapids last season. Howard is still recovering from offseason surgery to repair a groin injury.

Shkelzen Gashi, who led Colorado with nine goals last season, missed the game because of inflammation in his Achilles.

David Accam scored late in the second half to help the Chicago Fire salvage a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew SC.

Columbus, trying to rebound from missing the playoffs a year after reaching the championship game, took the lead in the 17th minute when Ethan Finlay headed in a long cross from Justin Meram.

But the Fire hit back in the 73rd minute when Dax McCarty intercepted a pass at midfield and quickly put the ball forward to John Gossens, who slotted it ahead to Accam.

Accam dribbled into the box, where he turned around a Crew defender before rolling a shot into the far right corner.

Nick Rimando saved a penalty from Sebastian Giovinco to help Real Salt Lake secure a goalless draw against defending Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC.

Rimando conceded the penalty after the half-hour mark by tripping up Giovinco, who sent a low kick from the spot well within the goalkeeper's grasp.

In the second half, Jozy Altidore got by two defenders and passed to Giovinco in the center of the box, but Rimando again blocked his right-footed shot.

RSL came close to finding a winner with 10 minutes left, but Joao Plata could not keep his shot on target after being played in by Kyle Beckerman's chipped pass.

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia stopped a penalty as well as a follow-up attempt to help his team earn a point in a goalless draw at D.C. United.

Melia, who had five saves on the night, dove to his right to block Marcelo Sarvas' penalty in the 17th minute, then got up to save Patrick Mullins' shot from the rebound.

SKC put United under pressure early and often, but goalkeeper Bill Hamid stood tall.

After Dom Dwyer's headed shot from close range sailed over the crossbar in the ninth minute, Hamid jumped to punch away Benny Feihaber's free kick over the crossbar five minutes later.

Then in the 78th minute, Dwyer spun a defender in midfield and fired a shot that Hamid knocked away.

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