Three second-half goals gave New York City FC a comfortable 3-0 win against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.

It was a tightly contested first half as the sides split possession evenly, with 19 combined shots and six combined saves. 

City made three substitutes early in the second half, and they would pay dividends.

After Keaton Parks finally broke the deadlock in the 74th minute, 20-year-old substitute Gabriel Pereira doubled City's advantage just four minutes later.

Another sub, Chris Gloster, put the icing on the cake in the 88th minute, with the assist coming from City's third sub, Maximiliano Moralez.

Despite the late nature of their success, it was a deserved win for the home side, with 2.83 expected goals compared to just 0.31 for the Earthquakes.

The win keeps City in the mix with the top of the Eastern Conference, while San Jose are 13th in the Western Conference after six points from nine matches.

It was a party atmosphere for Nashville SC as they welcomed more than 30,000 fans to their first home game at GEODIS Park – the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States or Canada.

The visiting Philadelphia Union were up for the fight, jumping ahead in the 66th minute before being forced to settle for a 1-1 draw when a late penalty allowed the hosts to equalise.

Nashville had 60 per cent possession for the contest, and may have deserved a better result as they doubled Philadelphia's expected goals in the first half (0.85 to 0.40) and were again more potent in the second period (1.09 to 0.64).

It was Denmark's Mikael Uhre who finally found the back of the net with his right-footed shot from near the penalty spot 66 minutes in, but the home fans would not be denied a spot kick in the 85th minute, allowing Randall Leal to make it 1-1 and share the points.

It was a strong showing for Nashville – who sit ninth in the Western Conference – to take a point off the Eastern Conference leaders, although Philadelphia have now gone three matches without a win after rattling off five victories in a row.

Nashville have now gone 544 days since their last home loss.

A late go-ahead goal from Los Angeles FC substitute Ryan Hollingshead put his side in the driver's seat on the way to a 2-0 home win against Minnesota.

Los Angeles opted for a more possession-based opening 45 minutes, controlling 59 per cent of the play before the break, but were only able to generate two shots on target, while Minnesota had one.

The hosts approached the second half much differently, only holding 47 per cent of the possession, but creating 16 shots to just three for Minnesota as they were much more aggressive moving forwards.

After being subbed on in the 74th minute, Hollingshead found the breakthrough nine minutes later as he scrambled in the rebound from Kellyn Acosta's shot. Jose Cifuentes – who was subbed on in the 63rd minute – made it 2-0 in stoppage time when he tapped in Diego Palacious' cross from the six-yard box.

With the victory, Los Angeles are now top of the Western Conference, two points ahead of Austin FC, while Minnesota will remain in sixth, missing out on an opportunity to jump up to third with a win.

New York RB momentarily moved to the top of the Eastern Conference in the MLS on Saturday, coming from behind to claim a gritty 2-1 win on the road to the Chicago Fire.

A Patryk Klimala brace secured the win for New York, including a penalty in the 91st minute, as they claimed top spot in the East on goal difference over Philadelphia Union. Both are on 17 points, but Philadelphia are still to play Nashville on Sunday.

Chicago also scored from the penalty spot to hit the lead, with Xherdan Shaqiri converting in the 16th minute after Ashley Fletcher was judged to have handled the ball.

New York regrouped after a weather delay which forced the two sides off, and substitute Klimala eventually restored parity after a fine assist from Luqinhas in the 75th minute.

A clumsy challenge at the death from Miguel Navarro handed New York the chance to snatch an otherwise even contest, and Klimala calmly put his penalty away for the three points.

Orlando City also moved to 17 points with a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday, but have played 10 games in comparison to NYRB's nine and Philadelphia's eight.

Montreal CF and Columbus Crew kept within touching distance after respective wins over Atlanta and DC United meanwhile, and in Saturday's other Eastern Conference matchup, Cincinnati beat Toronto 2-1.

New England Revolution joined Inter Miami as one of the six teams on 10 points in the East, with Damian River and Adam Buksa giving them a 2-0 victory.

In the West meanwhile, Austin FC also came from behind to go top of the conference, beating Texan rival Houston Dynamo 2-1 but in much less dramatic circumstances than NYRB.

Sebastian Ferreira put the Dynamo ahead in only the fifth minute, but Daniel Pereira was able to equalise before the interval.

Sebastian Driussi kept up his recent goal-scoring form and provided the eventual winner for Austin in the 66th minute, finding a pocket of space in the penalty are before rifling into the top corner.

Los Angeles Galaxy lost ground despite dominating the game, losing 1-0 to Real Salt Lake after Marcelo Silva's goal in the 49th minute.

A Mark-Anthony Kaye goal on the counter in injury time secured a 2-0 win for the Colorado Rapids over the Portland Timbers, while Sporting KC and FC Dallas played out a 2-2 draw.

Nashville SC have confirmed three new investors have joined their ownership group, including NFL star Derrick Henry and actor Reese Witherspoon.

Tennessee Titans running back Henry is a two-time All-Pro and has featured in two Pro Bowls, while he was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and led the league for rushing yards and touchdowns in 2019 and 2020. 

The 28-year-old has now, alongside actor and producer Witherspoon and her husband, the technology investor Jim Toth, joined the ownership group of Nashville SC, who had their inaugural season in MLS in 2020 and sit eighth in the Western Conference with three wins so far this season.

All eight of Nashville's games so far in 2022 have been played on the road, but that will change on Sunday when they welcome the Philadelphia Union to their new stadium, GEODIS Park.

With a capacity of 30,000, it is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States or Canada.

"As a kid growing up in Florida, I imagined being a professional sports owner and the opportunity to do that with an MLS club is truly a dream come true," said Henry, who was drafted by the Titans in 2016 and becomes the fourth player in NFL history to own an MLS team.

"My investment in Nashville SC is way more than financial, it's truly an investment in the city of Nashville.

"The chance to be part of a club like Nashville SC, especially after seeing what they are accomplishing in the community, was an opportunity I did not want to miss."

Witherspoon added: "As a Tennessee native, it is thrilling to see how much growth and development has come to our home state.

"One of the things that my whole family is most excited about is Nashville Soccer Club! The opportunity to go as a family and watch a world-class team compete has been such an incredible experience."

Witherspoon is not the first A-list film star to have invested in soccer in the United States, with Natalie Portman having founded Angel City FC, who debuted in the National Women's Soccer League this year. 

Tennis greats Billie Jean King and Serena Williams, along with a host of huge stars across sports and entertainment, have a stake in Angel City.

Inter Miami kept in touch with the mid-table in the tightly packed Eastern Conference after beating Atlanta United 2-1 on Sunday.

The home side had to come back from an early deficit after Atlanta's Ronaldo Cisneros broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, but a well-directed DeAndre Yedlin cross found Leonardo Campana for the equaliser 15 minutes later.

Campana then turned provider for the second goal, setting up Bryce Duke for the eventual winner in the 64th minute.

The hosts survived their second VAR review as Atlanta pleaded for a penalty in the closing stages, but it was not to be.

It was a gutsy effort from the Miami side, with just 37 per cent possession – including just 28 per cent in the second half – and seven shots, compared to Atlanta's 20.

Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman kept his side in the contest with six saves, while it was a very different game at the opposite end for Atlanta's Bobby Shuttelworth, who was not credited with a save.

It was an absolute barn-burner when New York City FC hosted Toronto FC, with the home side holding on for a 5-4 win.

Incredibly, Toronto scored the first two goals of the game to lead 2-0 in the 27th minute thanks to a Jesus Jimenez brace, before a Valentin Castellanos reply kept New York in the game, trailing 2-1 at half-time.

In a remarkable start to the second half, New York added three goals in 13 minutes after Keaton Parks' finish made it 4-2 in the 58th.

When Gabriel Pereira made it 5-2 after 75 minutes, it seemed like icing on the cake, but it turned out to be crucial as Toronto snatched back two late goals in the 87th and 91st, ultimately running out of time.

It was much smoother sailing for New York Red Bulls, beating Orlando City 3-0 away from home to move up to second in the Eastern Conference.

Luquinhas delivered the only goal in the first half, before Cristian Casseres doubled the advantage shortly after play resumed, and Lewis Morgan put the finishing touches on with a late penalty.

Meanwhile, an Acosta scored for both teams in Los Angeles FC's 2-1 win against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta broke the deadlock deep into first-half stoppage time, before Los Angeles' Kellyn Acosta equalised in the 59th minute.

Carlos Vela put Danny Musovski in to net the winner for Los Angeles in the 79th minute, holding onto top spot in the Western Conference.

Austin FC momentarily moved to the top of the Western Conference in the MLS, securing a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.

A Maximiliano Urruti double within the opening half-hour put Austin in a commanding position at the interval, but they struggled in the second half, giving up eight shots to three despite 62.3 per cent of possession.

Sebastian Driussi clinched the result for Josh Wolff's side in the 68th minute, though, getting on the end of a flick-on from Nick Lima's long-throw at the back post to head home.

Austin have now gone five games undefeated in the league, bouncing back from Wednesday's elimination at the hands of San Antonio FC in the US Open Cup.

They remain a point ahead of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who scraped a 1-0 win at home to Nashville via Dejan Joveljic's winner in the 86th minute. Real Salt Lake slipped up away to Portland Timbers, playing out a goalless draw.

There were also goalless draws between Sporting KC and Columbus Crew, and Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC.

They were leapfrogged by FC Dallas, who claimed their fourth win of the season with a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo.

They left it very late in the Texan derby after Sabastian Ferreira's opener for Dynamo in the 33rd minute, only equalising in the 87th minute through Tsiki Ntsabeleng.

Facundo Quignon claimed the three points for the Toros, lurking unmarked at the back post from a corner to score in the third minute of injury time.

Philadelphia Union remained top of the Eastern Conference despite a 1-1 draw at home to Montreal CF, giving the impetus to Orlando City and New York RB to make up ground on Sunday.

San Jose Earthquakes moved from the bottom of the Western Conference with a shock 4-3 win over the Seattle Sounders. Cristian Espinoza scored the winner for his hat-trick in the fourth minute of injury time via the penalty spot.

In Saturday's other results, Minnesota FC defeated Chicago Fire 3-0, while DC United claimed a 3-2 win over New England Revolution.

Orlando City star Alexandre Pato suggested Milan technical director Paolo Maldini knows the striker is ready to return to San Siro.

Pato is plying his trade in MLS for Orlando, where he is contracted until December 2022, but hinted at his willingness to move back to Milan.

The Brazil international scored 51 goals in 177 appearances for the Rossoneri during his time in Serie A between 2007 and 2013 before joining Corinthians.

The 32-year-old believes he still has what it takes to compete in the Italian top flight, which Stefano Pioli's side lead by two points ahead of Inter, who have played a game fewer.

"Orlando is fine and I still have a contract, but Maldini knows it: I would be ready," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

"Now I have matured, I have a different attitude towards football and maybe I would be useful with the younger players.

"I miss Italy and the Italians, the warmth of the fans. I always say to my wife, 'one day I'll take you to Milan and you'll understand what I'm talking about'.

"For me it was a fundamental city: I learned many things and I miss everything about Milan. And I'd like to go back to Milan, after all in Italy there are many players who are older in Serie A."

Milan and Inter face off in their Coppa Italia semi-final return meeting on Tuesday, level at 0-0 from the first leg, and Pato cannot pick between the two sides.

"It's a difficult one and Milan can't make mistakes,” he said. "They can win the title and beating their rivals in Coppa Italia would give them extra motivation.

"Olivier Giroud is strong, Rafael Leao can make the right moves. The game will be open, it always is against Inter."

As for the future, Pato has great expectations for Milan under the stewardship of Pioli and Maldini.

"I played in a team full of champions," added Pato. "This Milan side is improving and has a bright future because they are building the team well."

The Seattle Sounders made the CONCACAF Champions League final for the first time in their history, despite a draw away to New York City FC on Wednesday.

The 1-1 result at Red Bull Arena in the second leg put the Sounders through 4-2 on aggregate, following their comfortable 3-1 win in last week's first leg.

Given what was at stake, it was a fiery opening from the outset, with elbows leading and City's Valentin Castellanos earning a yellow card in onl the opening minute.

The Sounders put themselves in the box seat in the 28th minute, though, with Raul Ruidiaz scoring and getting the Sounders 4-1 ahead on aggregate.

City had the proverbial mountain to climb even after Santiago Rodriguez's goal in the 51st minute, but Stefan Frei still came to the rescue for Brian Schmetzer's side, coming up with important reflex saves on multiple occasions in the second half.

The Sounders will now face Pumas UNAM in the Champions League final, after they saw their way past Cruz Azul on Tuesday.

It marks only the fifth time since 2010 that North American club football's showpiece has not been contested by two Mexican teams.

 

 

Pumas UNAM have earned a shot at their fourth CONCACAF Champions League title after holding on for a 0-0 draw at Cruz Azul on Tuesday to secure a berth in the final.

The 2020 Mexican Guardianes runners-up, who were reduced to 10 men after Arturo Ortiz's 63rd-minute red card, will face the winner of the tie between New York City and Seattle Sounders.

Seattle won the first leg at home 3-1, with the second leg to be played on Wednesday, ahead of the continental decider with the first leg scheduled for later this month.

Juan Dinneno's double in the first leg gave Pumas the advantage in both scoreline and complexion, in comparison to what was a cagey first leg.

With Cruz Azul needing to chase the game and tie, space was not a premium on Tuesday and it was largely characterised by end-to-end football, with chances for both teams.

Uriel Antuna came closest for the hosts, but they were lacking composure in both the final pass and in front of goal.

Cruz Azul were given a small lifeline just past the hour, with Ortiz sent off for dragging down Santiago Gimenez as the last man in the 63rd minute.

Pumas were even denied a penalty in the 75th minute and managed to hold on. They will face the winner of the tie between New York City and the Seattle Sounders.

Jordy Alcivar scored a goal of the season contender to give Charlotte an important win at home on Sunday, defeating Atlanta United 1-0.

Alcivar caught Brad Guzan napping in the Atlanta goal in the 11th minute, spectacularly curling his right-footed corner into the far post for an Olimpico.

Having lost to Atlanta in March and following their defeat to Philadelphia Union the week prior, Miguel Angel Ramirez's side needed to regain momentum and not lose early ground in the Eastern Conference.

Alcivar's early goal provided an ideal platform, with Charlotte also now stopping their opponents from scoring a first-half goal in five of their opening seven games of the MLS season.

It was their third victory in as many games where they have led at the interval, moving to fifth in the East on nine points.

In Sunday's second and final game, Austin moved to within two points of LAFC at the top of the Western Conference, following a 1-0 win over Minnesota United.

It started slowly at Q2 Stadium, with an extremely passive first half providing only two shots in total over the opening 45 minutes.

Maxi Urruti's goal in the 58th minute eventually proved to be winner, with Minnesota generating a low cumulative xG of 0.47 from eight shots in the second half.

Austin's defensive solidity is the base their play has been built upon in their second season, with only FC Dallas conceding fewer goals than them so far in the Western Conference.

Josh Wolff's side has now secured three wins and two draws in six games, adding to a logjam at the top of the West, with only three points separating the top seven sides.

LA Galaxy withstood a second-half barrage to win El Trafico, claiming a dramatic 2-1 win over LAFC on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Two goals in the opening half hour seemingly had the Galaxy on their way to a comfortable win, but the outcome arguably belied the overall performance, with LAFC on the wrong end of three disallowed goals.

Carlos Vela was ruled offside twice along with Latif Blessing, whose late equaliser was chalked off in the eighth minute of injury time, after Cristian Arango pulled one back in the 79th minute.

Samuel Grandsir assisted twice for the Galaxy, with his first a pinpoint cross at the back post for Javier Hernandez, who cunningly drifted off Mamadou Fall's shoulder in 13th minute.

A second from Sega Coulibaly ultimately proved sufficient, as the Galaxy moved to four wins and one defeat in games where they scored the opening goal in the MLS this season.

The win puts them a point off LAFC in the Western Conference and tied for second with Real Salt Lake, who failed to move to top spot with a 2-2 draw to Toronto.

Philadelphia Union remained top of the Eastern Conference, meanwhile, after their 1-0 win over Columbus Crew.

Union took the lead in only the second minute and in calamitous circumstances, with Crew keeper Eloy Room mishandling a cross into the box, before the ball trickled into his own net.

Jim Curtin's side was content to absorb pressure as the Crew spent the rest of the match trying to break them down, and failed to create anything of substance.

Orlando City moved to second in the East with a 1-0 win over a ten-man Chicago Fire, leapfrogging New York Red Bulls, who lost 2-1 at home to Montreal.

In the other early game on the East Coast, a Leonardo Campana hat-trick gave Inter Miami their first win of the season, in a 3-2 victory over New England Revolution.

In the later games on Saturday, Nashville defeated Sporting KC 2-1, while Houston Dynamo fought from a 2-1 deficit to defeat San Jose Earthquakes 4-3.

Goals from Brandon Servania and Jesus Ferreira on either side of the interval handed Dallas an eventual 3-1 win over Colorado Rapids.

The Seattle Sounders were excellent on the way to a 3-1 home win against New York City FC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semi-final.

An action-packed first half saw Seattle head into half-time with a 2-1 lead, and it was largely through the good work of Jordan Morris.

Albert Rusnak broke the deadlock in the 16th minute – which was assisted by Morris – and after New York City's Thiago Andrade squared the ledger in the 27th minute, Morris added the Sounders' second just seven minutes later.

The home side was good value for their early lead, with 1.51 expected goals to 0.72 in the first 45 minutes.

Seattle captain Nicolas Lodeiro gave his side some breathing room just over 20 minutes into the second stanza, successfully converting his penalty in the 68th minute to make it 3-1.

New York City will host the second leg on Wednesday, April 13, where the winner on aggregate will go through to the final to face the winner of Pumas UNAM and Cruz Azul, with the former leading 2-1 after their first leg at home.

Gonzalo Higuain has claimed his father "misspoke" when he claimed that the Inter Miami forward would call time on his playing career at the end of the MLS season.

Higuain joined Inter Miami in September 2020, and has scored 15 goals in 44 MLS games for the team co-owned by David Beckham.

The 34-year-old is out of contract in December and has been linked with a move to his native Argentina, though his father Jorge said that his son had decided to retire.

Yet former Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus striker Higuain has now refuted his father's claims.

"It was a misunderstanding he had with me," Higuain told MLS media. "I never told him I was retiring.

"He misspoke, and that can happen, but this is very far from reality. I am focused on my club, on fulfilling my contract and when the time comes, if that decision is made, I will be the one communicating it, only me."

Higuain did acknowledge that he is into the twilight of his career, though.

"Obviously, I'm close to that time in which I’ll stop playing football, but that’s not on my mind at the moment," he added.

"What’s on my mind is fulfilling my contract and then I will analyse how I feel and I will sit down with the club to make the best decision.

"Right now I feel good and I just wanted to clarify this, and when the time comes it will be me that communicates my decision."

It has been a poor start to the season for Miami, who have lost four of their five MLS games so far, with Higuain scoring twice.

Gonzalo Higuain will hang up his boots at the end of the Major League Soccer season, according to his father.

Higuain joined Inter Miami in September 2020, and has scored 15 goals in 44 MLS games for the team co-owned by David Beckham.

The 34-year-old is out of contract in December, and reports had suggested the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker was planning to move back to Argentina at the end of the campaign.

However, speaking to TNT Sports, his father, Jorge, said his son has told him he intends to end his career after he is finished in Miami.

"He is not going back to Argentina," his father, a former River Plate and Boca Juniors player, confirmed. "He told me that he is retiring at the end of the year. He is ending this year and is retiring from football.

"I would love for him to continue to be linked to football after playing. He is a boy who knows a lot, who has played in several places, he has everything to succeed. For me, it would be an insult if he does not continue in football."

After moving from River Plate to Madrid in December 2006, Higuain made a name for himself at Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 107 goals in 190 LaLiga appearances before moving to Napoli, where he famously broke the all-time Serie A record for goals in a single campaign (36 in 2015-16).

A big-money move to rivals Juventus saw him spend two seasons with the Bianconeri before loan moves to Milan and Chelsea. He spent one more year with Juve before heading to the United States in 2020.

He scored 31 goals in 75 games for Argentina.

Los Angeles Galaxy moved to third place in the Western Conference in the MLS, claiming a 3-1 win away to Portland Timbers.

In the sole MLS game of the day, Javier Hernandez's brace proved the difference against the 2021 MLS Cup runners-up, with his goal in the ninth minute particularly setting the tone.

The 33-year-old Mexican international showed all his cunning in the penalty area to evade Dario Zuparic and get on the end of Samuel Grandsir's cross at the back post.

Bill Tuiloma's own goal in the 16th was compounded by Pablo Bonilla's red card with the interval approaching, despite Tuiloma scoring on the other end for Portland six minutes from the restart.

Raheem Edwards set Chicharito up for his second in the 59th minute to give the Galaxy breathing room, and eventually their third win out of five games for the season.

Portland move to one win from six games, two spots from the bottom in the West on six points.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.