MLS Matchday 4 Roundup

Things were definitely interesting during the 4th Matchday of the MLS season. We got interesting results, a pair of upsets, an improvable draw, and a few expected results during the weekend.

As of right now, the current leaders on each side of the board are Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference and a seemingly unstoppable Vancouver Whitecaps on the Western Side.

The fact that the Whitecaps were the underdog in the odds for the match they just played was a joke, especially after the performance they showed.

For now, we can’t help but remain in awe as we see things unfold during the season, but it is time to dive into the details of the matches that took place on the 4th Matchday of the regular MLS season.

MLS Matchday 4 Roundup – Results

MLS Matchday 4 Roundup – FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

Tristan Blackmon was the hero of the day for Vancouver, as he managed to score the match’s lone goal early into the second half and that was more than enough for the Vancouver Whitecaps to defeat offense-challenged FC Dallas 1-0 on Saturday.

The Whitecaps have begun the MLS season with four consecutive wins for the first time in team history. Vancouver has outscored its league opponents 9-2 this season, and they look like a strong contender for the whole season, looking even better than Inter Miami so far.

The Whitecaps ruled the first half, possessing the ball for an amazing 61.7 percent and producing three shots on goal over the three-minute stretch that forced Paes into three tough saves, but FC Dallas looked outclassed in general, as they were pushed to the 11th spot on the board.

MLS Matchday 4 Roundup – Philadelphia Union vs. Nashville

It was a mix of exciting and surprising, as Nashville managed to make their encounter with the Philadelphia Union a big upset. They grabbed the lead in the 15th minute when Sam Surridge took a pass from defender Walker Zimmerman and scored.

It was the first goal for Surridge this season after he scored 12 times last year — his first full season. It was the first assist for Zimmerman and his seventh in six seasons with the club.

After the surprise, Philadelphia pulled even in the 33rd minute on an unassisted score by Jovan Lukic off a high-sailing deflection. Lukic found the net for the second time in his fourth career start and appearance.

It didn’t take too long for Nashville to retaliate, as they soon took a 2-1 lead in the 44th minute when Qase scored his second goal in his second career start and fourth appearance.

Hany Mukhtar added some insurance when he scored for the first time this season on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, and the score was locked on a 3 – 0 in favor of the visitors.

MLS Matchday 4 Roundup – Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy

The draw in this match represented the defending MLS Cup champions’ first point of the season after four games in what has been a slower start than many would have expected.

Portland’s David Da Costa raced towards the end line and squared a pass into the six-yard box that Felipe Mora redirected in from close range, taking the lead in the 49th minute.

For Galaxy, things were starting to get a little worrying until Zanka delivered a long ball just outside the 18-yard box to Christian Ramirez, who chested the ball down and finished his effort past Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis in the 81st minute, sealing the score at evens and giving the visitors their first point in the season.

MLS Matchday 4 Roundup – Atlanta vs. Inter Miami

Miami triumphed despite six saves from Atlanta’s goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who played an integral role in Atlanta’s playoff upset of Messi’s squad in a best-of-three, round-one MLS Cup series last year.

Soon after the match started, Emmanuel Latte Lath scored his 60th career goal in the 11th minute to give Atlanta an early lead.

Then Miami’s Messi scored a goal in the 20th minute, which left the match in a 1-1 stalemate until the diminutive Picault’s game-winner, one minute from full time, had an unlikely header that somehow wrong-footed Guzan nestled inside the far-left post, securing the three points for Miami.