🔬 The Debrief from Thursday's dramatic MLS action
We were blessed with a full slate of midweek action in MLS, and it was capped off by a dramatic trio of games Thursday night. Let’s dig into what went down.
What happened?
LAFC made a major statement atop the Western Conference with a win against local rivals LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl, fending off a late fight-back.
Noticing a trend. pic.twitter.com/B1TEBzhO95
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 5, 2024
Meanwhile, Portland Timbers’ unbeaten streak came to an end in Dallas as they lost a five-goal thriller with a makeshift defensive core. After the Timbers took an early lead, Dallas fought-back with three goals in the second-half to snatch all three points and get back to winning ways.
Happy 4th of July, folks. pic.twitter.com/6yuP6GqpMq
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 5, 2024
Colorado also got back in the win column thanks to a Đorđe Mihailović penalty at the death against Sporting Kansas City after going behind early in the second-half.
PLAY ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH 🏔️
That's 3️⃣ straight home wins for THE RAPIDS!#COLvSKC | @uchealth pic.twitter.com/XwHjoNHT8V
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) July 5, 2024
Moment of the night
94th minute winners will always live long in the memory, even if they are from the spot.
Djordje Mihailovic converts the penalty and the @ColoradoRapids lead it late. 👀 pic.twitter.com/ysa2exnPzs
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 5, 2024
Stats of the night
With a 2-1 victory tonight at the Rose Bowl, @LAFC have now won six of the last seven El Tráficos (including postseason), becoming the first club in the rivalry to accomplish this feat. pic.twitter.com/2Af9S644E8
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) July 5, 2024
After Djordje Mihailovic’s game-winning goal tonight, the @ColoradoRapids have now scored 40 goals within their first 22 games of a season for just the second time in club history (1998). pic.twitter.com/ZQQfd8W8fg
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) July 5, 2024
What this means
LAFC’s impressive win on derby day has seen them extend their lead at the top of the West three points, and sit only four points behind Inter Miami in the Supporters Shield race, though the Black and Gold have a game in hand on the south Florida outfit.
FC Dallas took a step in the right direction with a comeback win against the red-hot Timbers, though they remain five points outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, the Rapids’ dramatic win saw them jump back into third place as they bounced back from a thumping at the hands of LAFC last week.
What comes next
The MLS games continue to come thick and fast. The league is back on Saturday with eight games, headlined by Inter Miami’s showdown with FC Cincinnati at the top of the Eastern Conference.