Galaxy get first win, Minnesota and Colorado tie
A roundup of Major League Soccer action from Saturday night:
Portland 4, Houston 2
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Diego Valeri scored twice and David Guzman got the game-winner as the Portland Timbers beat the Houston Dynamo 4-2 Saturday night.
Fanendo Adi also scored for Portland and Jake Gleeson finished with four saves.
Erick Torres and Romell Quioto had the goals for Houston, and Tyler Deric had three saves.
Tied 1-1, Houston took the lead in first half stoppage time. Alberth Elis threaded a pass through the Portland penalty area to Quioto, who took a touch to control the ball, then slid a pass past Gleeson for his third goal of the season.
Portland started its comeback in the 58th minute, when Zarek Valentin's cross from the left found an unguarded Valeri to head home from six yards out for his second of the game and fourth in the first three games this season.
The Timbers took a 3-2 lead in the 66th minute. On the edge of the Houston penalty area, Guzman knocked an attempted clearance to Darlington Nagbe, who spun and slipped a return pass behind the Dynamo defense to Guzman. The Portland midfielder then faked a shot, dribbled past a sliding Deric and knocked home his first goal of the season.
Adi added an insurance goal in the 88th minute, running down the ball near the top of the area, then danced around Houston defenders for a few moments before banking a shot off the far post for his third goal.
In the 11th minute, a Sebastian Blanco cross in the penalty area hit DeMarcus Beasley ion the arm, earning the Timbers a penalty kick. Valeri converted the penalty by driving a shot straight down the middle as Deric dove to his right.
The Dynamo tied the score in the 37th minute in similar fashion. Torres' free kick on the edge of the penalty area hit Diego Chara on the elbow, and Torres then blasted the ensuing penalty kick past Gleeson's reach for his third goal of the season.
Los Angeles 2, Salt Lake 1
SANDY, Utah (AP) — Emmanuel Boateng found the inside of the net for what turned out to be the game-winner in the 74th minute and Los Angeles earned its first win of the year 2-1 against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.
Boateng's goal was set up by Romain Alessandrini who drew the defense around him on the right side of the box before firing a pass to the opposite side to a streaking Boateng who beat goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Alessandrini also assisted on the Galaxy's (1-2-0) first goal, which tied the score at one in the 69th minute. Alessandrini found Romney with a cross to the middle of the box, who then fired a left-footed shot just under the crossbar.
Real Salt Lake (0-2-1) took an early lead in the 18th minute after a goal by Yura Movsisyan. Movsisyan took a high arching into the box by Albert Rusnák and headed it through.
Toronto 2, Vancouver 0
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Victor Vazquez and Jozy Altidore scored in the second half after Whitecaps midfielder Brek Shea was shown a red card, and Toronto beat Vancouver 2-0 on Saturday for its first victory of 2017.
Shea was given a yellow for a foul on Nick Hagglund in the 70th minute before saying something to referee Ismail Elfath to immediately earn a second booking and a sending off.
Vazquez, a cagey midfielder who signed with Toronto last month, subbed on in the 64th minute and made the hosts pay in the 76th when he nodded his first goal for his new club off a headed feed from Altidore past Spencer Richey.
Altidore made it 2-0 in the 80th minute after taking a pass and beating Whitecaps defender Kendall Waston before burying his second goal of the season.
Playing a third straight road game, Toronto (1-0-2) opened its schedule with a scoreless tie against Real Salt Lake before a 2-2 draw with the Philadelphia Union last weekend.
Vancouver (0-2-1), meanwhile, is winless through three games after falling 3-2 at the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday and playing the Union to a 0-0 draw at home in its opener at B.C. Place Stadium.
Both teams were missing key pieces for their only league meeting, with Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted suspended and star Toronto striker Sebastian Giovinco out with a charley horse.
Colorado 2, Minnesota 2
DENVER (AP) — Minnesota United's Christian Ramirez scored in the 58th minute to give it its first ever lead as a franchise, but Marlon Hairston answered for Colorado one minute later to force a 2-2 draw between the two sides on Saturday night.
Minnesota (0-2-1), playing in its inaugural MLS season, had been outscored 11-2 through two games this season. But Ramirez gave it its first ever lead in the 58th minute, taking a centering pass from Jerome Thiesson to nail in a header by goalkeeper Tim Howard.
However the lead did not last, as Marlon Hairston immediately answered with his first score of 2017 which tied it at two. Marc Burch earned an assist on the play.
The Rapids (1-1-1) had a shot to win in stoppage time, but Alan Gordon's right-footed shot sailed high.
Dominique Badji scored in the 17th minute to give Colorado a 1-0 lead which they carried into halftime. Kevin Molino drilled through the equalizer via penalty kick in the 50th minute for Minnesota United.
Kansas City 2, San Jose 1
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sporting Kansas City picked an own goal in the 89th minute that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
Sporting KC was clinging to a 1-0 lead when Soony Saad, outside the box, attempted a shot that went off the defender and was headed wide. Keeper David Bingham went out to scoop up the spinning ball and it went off his hands and into the goal.
The goal was crucial, as Florian Jungwirth spoiled Tim Melia's shutout in stoppage time. A long ball into traffic came down to Jungwirth at the top of the penalty box and he turned and put a left-footed shot over Melia. Melia then came up with a big save; punching away Jungwirth's deflected shot in the third and final minute of stoppage time.
Benny Feilhaber scored the first goal of the season for Sporting KC (1-0-2) with a bending shot from 25 yards in the 37th minute. San Jose keeper David Bingham remained rooted on his spot as Feilhaber's 30th career goal slipped just under the crossbar.
The goal for San Jose (2-1-0) was the first KC allowed this season.