Seattle Sounders 3, Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Lamar Neagle was everywhere for the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night.
Neagle set up their first goal, was the man taken down in the penalty area that led to their second, then scored the third one himself - the game-winner in the 81st minute - to cap a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in front of 53,679 fans at CenturyLink Field.
Neagle, who has taken a more prominent scoring role with the Sounders while forward Eddie Johnson is with the U.S. national team, ran onto a short pass from Obafemi Martins and drilled the shot into the back right corner from just inside goalkeeper Brad Knighton's 6-yard box.
''It was a good buildup play down the right side,'' Neagle said. ''I saw (Martins) one-on-one, so once he made his move toward the line to beat his guy, I knew I had to get in front of my defender, and it would be an easy pass right to the near post.''
Neagle has four goals and three assists for the year.
''That third goal was as well-taken a goal as you want to see,'' Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. ''I was proud of our character in being able to come back. I thought we started off the game well and got the early goal. Then we sort of fell asleep right after we scored, which is a time you can't fall asleep, and we took a goal.
''We didn't go a good job on set pieces, and set pieces got them back into the game - those were their most dangerous moments,'' Schmid said. ''The second half, we just talked about making sure we continued to spread out the field and find gaps.''
Real Salt Lake 3, LA Galaxy 1
Olmes Garcia scored twice in the final 10 minutes to help Real Salt Lake beat the Galaxy at home for the first time in more than two years, with 3-1 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night.
''I am here to apply my skills and this is my skill - to score,'' the Colombian said.
Khari Stephenson scored late in the first half for RSL (8-5-3) and Landon Donovan scored an equalizer before halftime for Los Angeles (6-6-2) but it was not enough to help LA avoid its sixth loss in its past eight games across all competitions.
Garcia headed home a cross from Javier Morales in the 84th minute to put RSL ahead, and then the two hooked up again two minutes into stoppage time. Morales sent a through ball into the center of the box. Garcia latched onto the pass and buried it inside the left post to assure RSL of the three points.
''These are the plays we need to do better at,'' Donovan said.
The teams were scoreless until the 44th minute, when Stephenson fired a right footed shot from outside the box in the 44th minute and buried inside the left post to give Salt Lake a 1-0 lead.
Morales has impressed Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis with his late game energy and playmaking.
''He's showing he's at the top of his fitness level and at the top of his game,'' Kreis said. ''Those things go hand in hand.''
Donovan tied it on a perfectly executed counter a minute later. He won a long 50/50 ball, pivoted toward the goal and then threaded the ball inside the left post to make it 1-1.
The former U.S. national team star, who has been left out of recent selections by coach Jurgen Klinsmann following his sabbatical earlier this year, has nine goals and eight assists during 16 matches against Salt Lake.
Chicago Fire 2, Portland Timbers 2
Substitute Daniel Paladini scored on a 26-yard free kick in the 82nd minute to lift the Chicago Fire into a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers on Saturday night.
Chicago (3-7-3, 12 points) also got an open-net goal from Mike Magee in the 68th minute in coming back from a 2-0 second-half deficit to extend its unbeaten run to three games. Portland (5-1-8, 23 points) stretched its unbeaten streak to 12 games, not having lost since a 2-1 decision to Montreal on March 9.
Timbers forward Diego Valeri scored in the 34th minute when his shot hit the left post and ricocheted right and past Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson into the far corner. Portland also got a goal in the 58th minute when Ben Zemanski lined a 25-yard shot past Johnson.
Magee has two goals with the Fire and nine overall since being acquired last month in a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
NE Revolution 0, D.C. United 0
The New England Revolution and D.C. United battled to a scoreless draw Saturday night in which Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth had to make just one save for his seventh shutout of the season.
New England (5-4-5) is unbeaten through its last five (3-0-2) matches and has lost just once in its last eight (4-1-3).
D.C. United (1-10-3) was shutout for the third straight match, for the eighth time overall this season and is winless in its last 12 (0-9-3) matches.
New England, which suffered three one-goal losses to D.C. United last season, saw its unscored upon streak stretch to 395 minutes before 14,163 at Gillette Stadium.
United's best scoring chance came in the eighth minute when Nick DeLeon had a partial breakaway down the right side, but sent his shot past the left post. United's lone shot on goal was a 35-yard drive by Chris Pontius in the 28th minute.
United, scoreless through the last 295 minutes, had three corner kicks in the first half and four more in the second half, but could not dent Shuttleworth.
