Week in and week out, Major League Soccer delivers. With six matches on an abbreviated schedule, here is what you need to know about all the drama from Saturday’s slate of games.
What happened
Sep 7, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; FC Dallas midfielder Asier Illarramendi (14) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Sebastian Berhalter (16) battle for the ball in the second half at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images
Two major shocks occurred in the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectfully, as giants Columbus and LAFC both stumbled.
The 10-man Crew were thumped 4-0 by Seattle Sounders as Sean Zawadzki was forced to go in the net following goalkeeper Abraham Romero’s straight red card.
Meanwhile, a short-handed LAFC side failed to close in on rivals LA Galaxy at the top after a 0-0 draw against Houston Dynamo.
Christian Benteke became the outright Golden Boot leader after propelling D.C. United to a 2-1 win over Chicago Fire. Then, in the other three fixtures, all the teams split points.
New England and St. Louis finished 2-2 after a back-and-forth affair, Julian Hall rallied at the death to help New York Red Bulls draw Sporting KC 1-1 and the late show saw the Whitecaps end 0-0 against FC Dallas.
Then after the final whistles, Revolution boss Caleb Porter and Crew manager Wilfried Nancy let their opinions fly regarding Saturday’s results.
This isn’t all of it but I went ahead and transcribed some of Wilfried Nancy’s blazing hot presser. He didn’t take questions, he just got up there and got on one of the all-time heaters I’ve ever heard. pic.twitter.com/WYSDW1yUUy
— Ari Liljenwall (@AriLiljenwall) September 8, 2024
We’ll see what happens after the shock outbursts!
Stat of the night
Hall was Mr. Clutch for NYRB despite not being a legal adult. What were you doing at 16?
Player of the night
An easy choice, this honour goes to Albert Rusnák of Seattle Sounders. After the Crew placed an outfield player in the net, the midfield recorded his first hat-trick.
He is the third MLS star to finally have hit such a feat after playing 200 games or more, joining Kei Kamara (279) and Mike Magee (226).
What this means
Aug 24, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; St. Louis CITY SC defender Henry Kessler (5) looks on during the first half against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Looking at the Eastern Conference, the Crew missed an…