In truly exciting fashion, there were only two games on matchday eleven that had a goal or less, not including the canceled FC Dallas versus Saint Louis CITY. LAFC finally lost (but stay first in the power rankings), the Galaxy were haunted by Kevin Cabral and the Rapids, Josef Martínez set a new goalscoring record after hitting a brace against his former side, and Sporting Kansas City FINALLY got their first win. Here is a recap of the action you may have missed!
San Jose End LAFC’s Unbeaten Streak
About time. A Cristian Espinoza brace was enough to get San Jose past the previously unbeaten LAFC with a score of 2-1 in favor of the Earthquakes. Espinoza scored in the eighth minute of play, but Denis Bouanga equalized at the 30-minute mark. Espinoza came back to bury a penalty in the 83rd minute to set the final score. This impressive win puts San Jose into fourth place, tied with LAFC on points. LAFC do hold two games in hand over their Californian relatives, but this loss still shakes things up for future opponents regardless.
DREAM START 💫
Cristian Espinoza's at it again.#BeatLA pic.twitter.com/Tbfz2XpVis
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) May 6, 2023
Cabral Gets His Revenge
The Colorado Rapids topped the LA Galaxy 3-1 thanks to goals from Lalas Abubakar, former designated player Kévin Cabral, and Jonathan Lewis. Preston Judd scored a consolation goal for the Galaxy in the 89th minute. The Rapids sit in tenth place in the Western Conference but have not lost a game since March 18th, where they fell 2-1 to Minnesota United. The Galaxy were shown a glimmer of hope when they got their first win of the season on matchday nine against Austin FC, but have now lost in back-to-back games, with the club remaining in 13th place in the West.
It only makes sense…😏
Kévin Cabral put the Rapids up by two with a goal against his former team #LAvCOL pic.twitter.com/Dxd7CHdgvn
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) May 7, 2023
King Josef Smites Atlanta
In Miami’s 2-1 win over Atlanta United, the latter’s all-time leading goalscorer Josef Martínez scored his first goal for Miami, and another, breaking the record for becoming the fastest player in league history to score 100 goals. Martínez scored with his first touch, a penalty in the 59th minute. King Josef added another in the 75th minute to set the record, but Franco Negri saw red just nine minutes later, allowing Andrew Gutman to score for Atlanta in the 92nd minute.
Josef Martinez! 🤩
With his second goal tonight, he becomes the fastest player in MLS history to score 100 goals. pic.twitter.com/KTotRxyEzF
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
SKC Win a Game!
Sporting Kansas City got their first win of the season eleven games in, with it being a surprising 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders. Erik Thommy and Alan Pulido scored within the first 35 minutes to put SKC 2-0 up at halftime, but Nicolás Loderio converted from the penalty spot to get the Sounders within touching distance. The Sounders were unable to find another, and Sporting got their first three points of the season. Despite how exciting a win may be for SKC fans, they remain last in the West tied on six points with the Galaxy.
A dream start for #SportingKC in the first 5 minutes. 🤩
Erik Thommy starts and finishes the attack to put the visitors in front. pic.twitter.com/CJL46HVS5I
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
