Portland Timbers is the first team to advance to the MLS is Back Tournament Finals. Timbers secure their spot by beating Philadelphia Union 1-2 on Wednesday night.

Despite Philly being the slight favorite entering the game, the pressure seemed too much for the young Union squad. On the other hand, the experienced Portland team held their ground and looked like a better team despite sacrificing possession for the majority of the game.

Timbers opened the scoring early on thanks to forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who converted a beautiful cross by Diego Valeri in the 13th minute.

Portland then increased their league in 70th minute via veteran Sebastian Blanco, who scored after a header after a corner deflection. 

Union had chances of their own and was close to equalize late in the first half via a penalty kick. Unfortunately for Philly, Sergio Santos sent the ball over the crossbar. Andrew Wooten did manage to score in 85th minute to give an impression of a thrilling finish, but that was about it.

Timbers now await the winner of the second semifinals matchup between Orlando City and Minnesota United. MLS is Back Finals are scheduled for August 11th. 

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Orlando City won’t be able to count on striker Dom Dwyer for the remainder of their MLS is Back Tournament campaign.

The club confirmed on Sunday that Dwyer is dealing with a knee injury and had to leave the team in order to get an MRI test. According to the official announcement, “the timeline required for both quarantine and return-to-play training” won’t allow the 29-year-old striker to be on head coach Óscar Pareja’s disposal for the rest of the competition.

Dom Dwyer made only one appearance on MLS is Back Tournament, playing in the opener against NYCFC and failing to get on the scoreboard.

Even without Dwyer’s contributions, Orlando City managed to put together an impressive run so far in the tournament. They finished first in the Group A with two wins and a draw, while defeating Montreal Impact in the first round of knockout stage.

Dwyer has been with Orlando City since 2017, joining in a mid-season trade with Sporting Kansas City. Since then, he played 67 games in MLS with Orlando and scored 24 goals. He also has nine assists to his name.

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Columbus Crew is the latest team to make it to the knockout stage of MLS is Back Tournament. The crew secured the spot on Thursday night thanks to a 2-0 win against New York Red Bulls.

Crew dominated the game, for the most part, getting the lead in the 22’ minute thanks to forward Gyasi Zardes. After ending the first half with a lead, Columbus then immediately scored at the start of the second period. Midfielder Lucas Zelarayán increased the lead to two in the 47’ minute with a powerful and beautifully place shot outside the penalty box.

Red Bulls struggled to answer back, being disappointingly inefficient in front of the goal. They registered seven shots but none of them was on goal.

Columbus is on top of Group E with two wins in two games. Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati have one win and one loss each, while Atlanta United lost both of their games.

The group will be wrapped up on Tuesday when Atlanta plays Crew, and on Wednesday, when Red Bulls and Cincinnati get to head to head for the final knockout stage spot.

Orlando City and Philadelphia Union previously booked their ticket to the next phase of the competition from Group A.

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Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez took the blame for LA Galaxy’s 2-1 loss against Portland Timbers on Monday night despite managing to score a goal. Speaking with reporters after the game, Chicharito said that he should have done more and use his other chances better.

Galaxy had an opportunity to get in front early in the game, being awarded a penalty in the 12′ minute. Hernandez decided to take the responsibility, but his shot was saved by Timbers’ goalie Steve Clark.

The 32-year-old Mexican striker then had several other great chances, but couldn’t find the net before 88′ minute. Cristian Pavon got free in the penalty box after a great run from Gordon Wild, dishing the ball to Hernandez for his first career MLS goal.

By then, it was already too late for Galaxy as Timbers had 2-0 lead thanks to Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastian Blanco.

“As a striker, we all know that sometimes that happens,” said Hernandez. “You can have ten chances and miss nine and score one, or there are some games you have one and you score it.”

“I told the lads that this one was on me,” he added.

Chicharito will have a chance to redeem himself on Saturday when Galaxy faces their cross-town rivals LAFC. LAFC previously managed to get a 3-3 draw against Houston Dynamo on Monday despite being two goals behind in the first half.

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Nashville SC, one of the MLS teams which were set to participate in the summer MLS is Back Tournament, got the news that they will not be able to take part in the competition after the team experienced a rash of positive COVID-19 tests in its roster.

Nashville becomes the second team in the league to have to pull out of the competition, which will kick off in Orlando, Florida later this week. FC Dallas also abandoned the competition this week due to a large number of positive tests.

Tennessee has been one of the US states to recently undergo a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, and it seems as if the disease’s effects hit particularly hard in Nashville SC’s roster. Reports have stated that nine of the team’s first-team players have tested positive.

Nashville CEO Ian Eyre said in a statement, “In what has been a challenging year, and in an uncharted environment created by the Tornado that devastated our city and COVID-19, this is another big disappointing outcome for Nashville SC and its supporters.”

Nashville, an expansion team this season, will finish the 2020 campaign with only two games played in what has been an unprecedented and difficult season for the new club.

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Major League Soccer officially returned to action on Wednesday night. Orlando City and Inter Miami met in the opening match in Group A of MLS is Back Tournament, with Orlando claiming a 2-1 win.

After the first 45’ minutes didn’t produce plenty of action, the second half was eventful from the very start. Just a couple of minutes in the second period, striker Juan Agudelo gave Inter a lead by converting Victor Ulloa’s cross in the penalty box.

Orlando responded with a heavy pressure that gave results in the 70’s minute. Captain Nani provided a beautiful flank cross to Chris Mueller, who had no trouble tapping the ball into the goal.

Nani then completed Orlando’s comeback deep in stoppage time, taking advantage of a deflection in the 18-yard box and ensuring his team gets the win and three points.

“Both teams were very generous with their effort. We saw a lot of soccer there,” said Orlando’s head coach Oscar Pareja after the game. “We are proud with the victory. Congratulations to the players and the fans.”

Orlando City will return to the pitch on July 14th, when they are scheduled to meet NYCFC. Inter Miami, on the other hand, will play against Chicago Fire on the same date.

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FC Cincinnati’s chances of making a meaningful result at MLS is Back Tournament just became slimmer. According to the team’s head coach Jaap Stam, Cincinnati’s big offseason acquisition Jurgen Locadia is dealing with an injury and is set to miss “a couple of weeks.”

Stam told reporters that Locadia, who scored for Cincinnati in his MLS debut back in March, has issues with his thigh.

“Jurgen has a slight problem with his thigh, we’re looking at him day to day and what he can do,” said Stam.

The 26-year-old striker will now probably be unavailable for the first stage of MLS is Back Tournament, although Stam remains optimistic that things could change in the near future.

“It’s probably a couple weeks that he’s going to be out,” he added. “But you never know with injuries like that, it depends on how the players is feeling himself as well, so we’ll look at it day to day and how he feels and adjust the sessions as well.”

FC Cincinnati find themselves in one of the toughest groups of the tournament, scheduled to face Atlanta United, Columbus Crew SC, and the New York Red Bulls. They will play their first game against Columbus on July 11th.

Jurgen Locadia joined Cincinnati in February on a season-long loan with an option to buy from Premier League side Brighton. Locadia is best known for his stint with PSV, playing 176 games with the club between 2011 and 2018 and scoring 62 goals.

The post FC Cincinnati’s Jurgen Locadia Set to Miss “a Couple of Weeks” With Thigh Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Dallas, which was scheduled to join the rest of the Major League Soccer’s teams in a summer extravaganza featuring teams playing a sort of World Cup-style tournament to determine the league champion, will not take part after all.

Dallas released a statement on Monday stating that they would not be taking part in the proceedings after a litany of positive COVID-19 tests affected its team.

The club has had 10n first-team players and one coach test positive for the coronavirus only a couple of days before it was set to play its first group stage match in the tournament.

Major League Soccer suggested that the team abstain from playing, and the club decided that such a move was for the best.

FC Dallas, which was meant to be one of the four teams in Group B of the tournament in Orlando, Florida, will instead vacate its spot in the competition and leave the other three teams in its group to possibly advance to the knockout stage.

The historic club, which was considered to be one of a number of teams that could have potentially competed for the tournament crowd, will instead have to watch from home as it looks to get healthy and ready for next season.

The post FC Dallas Sent Home from MLS is Back Tournament appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer is set to return next month. According to an announcement made by the league on Wednesday, the 2020 season will resume with an “MLS is Back Tournament“ that will kick off on July 8 at Disney World in Orlando.

The MLS plan includes inviting all 26 teams to Orlando and hosting a tournament format competition. Teams will be divided into six groups, with each team being scheduled to play three games during the group stage. The top two teams from each group alongside the four best third-place finishers will then advance to the knockout stage.

The teams are expected to make way to Orlando starting June 24th and are required to arrive at Dinsey World at least seven days before their first game.

The “MLS is Back Tournament“ final is set to take place on August 11, with the winner earning a spot in CONCACAF Champions League.

“We are pleased to team up with Disney to relaunch the 2020 MLS season and get back to playing soccer,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber in a statement. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches, and staff as we return to play.”

It is important to note that the tournament won’t dub as a replacement for the regular season. The league still intends to have regular-season games later this year, although the results from Orlando will count towards the teams’ position on the standings. The exact number of regular-season games and the schedule for MLS playoffs and MLS Cup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The post MLS 2020 Season to Resume in July with “MLS is Back Tournament” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portland Timbers is the first team to advance to the MLS is Back Tournament Finals. Timbers secure their spot by beating Philadelphia Union 1-2 on Wednesday night.

Despite Philly being the slight favorite entering the game, the pressure seemed too much for the young Union squad. On the other hand, the experienced Portland team held their ground and looked like a better team despite sacrificing possession for the majority of the game.

Timbers opened the scoring early on thanks to forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who converted a beautiful cross by Diego Valeri in the 13th minute.

Portland then increased their league in 70th minute via veteran Sebastian Blanco, who scored after a header after a corner deflection. 

Union had chances of their own and was close to equalize late in the first half via a penalty kick. Unfortunately for Philly, Sergio Santos sent the ball over the crossbar. Andrew Wooten did manage to score in 85th minute to give an impression of a thrilling finish, but that was about it.

Timbers now await the winner of the second semifinals matchup between Orlando City and Minnesota United. MLS is Back Finals are scheduled for August 11th. 

The post Portland Tops Philadelphia to Secure a Spot in MLS is Back Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Orlando City won’t be able to count on striker Dom Dwyer for the remainder of their MLS is Back Tournament campaign.

The club confirmed on Sunday that Dwyer is dealing with a knee injury and had to leave the team in order to get an MRI test. According to the official announcement, “the timeline required for both quarantine and return-to-play training” won’t allow the 29-year-old striker to be on head coach Óscar Pareja’s disposal for the rest of the competition.

Dom Dwyer made only one appearance on MLS is Back Tournament, playing in the opener against NYCFC and failing to get on the scoreboard.

Even without Dwyer’s contributions, Orlando City managed to put together an impressive run so far in the tournament. They finished first in the Group A with two wins and a draw, while defeating Montreal Impact in the first round of knockout stage.

Dwyer has been with Orlando City since 2017, joining in a mid-season trade with Sporting Kansas City. Since then, he played 67 games in MLS with Orlando and scored 24 goals. He also has nine assists to his name.

The post Orlando’s Dom Dwyer Out for Remainder of MLS is Back Tournament appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Columbus Crew is the latest team to make it to the knockout stage of MLS is Back Tournament. The crew secured the spot on Thursday night thanks to a 2-0 win against New York Red Bulls.

Crew dominated the game, for the most part, getting the lead in the 22’ minute thanks to forward Gyasi Zardes. After ending the first half with a lead, Columbus then immediately scored at the start of the second period. Midfielder Lucas Zelarayán increased the lead to two in the 47’ minute with a powerful and beautifully place shot outside the penalty box.

Red Bulls struggled to answer back, being disappointingly inefficient in front of the goal. They registered seven shots but none of them was on goal.

Columbus is on top of Group E with two wins in two games. Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati have one win and one loss each, while Atlanta United lost both of their games.

The group will be wrapped up on Tuesday when Atlanta plays Crew, and on Wednesday, when Red Bulls and Cincinnati get to head to head for the final knockout stage spot.

Orlando City and Philadelphia Union previously booked their ticket to the next phase of the competition from Group A.

The post Crew Gets 2-0 Win against Red Bulls, Advance to Knockout Stage appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez took the blame for LA Galaxy’s 2-1 loss against Portland Timbers on Monday night despite managing to score a goal. Speaking with reporters after the game, Chicharito said that he should have done more and use his other chances better.

Galaxy had an opportunity to get in front early in the game, being awarded a penalty in the 12′ minute. Hernandez decided to take the responsibility, but his shot was saved by Timbers’ goalie Steve Clark.

The 32-year-old Mexican striker then had several other great chances, but couldn’t find the net before 88′ minute. Cristian Pavon got free in the penalty box after a great run from Gordon Wild, dishing the ball to Hernandez for his first career MLS goal.

By then, it was already too late for Galaxy as Timbers had 2-0 lead thanks to Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastian Blanco.

“As a striker, we all know that sometimes that happens,” said Hernandez. “You can have ten chances and miss nine and score one, or there are some games you have one and you score it.”

“I told the lads that this one was on me,” he added.

Chicharito will have a chance to redeem himself on Saturday when Galaxy faces their cross-town rivals LAFC. LAFC previously managed to get a 3-3 draw against Houston Dynamo on Monday despite being two goals behind in the first half.

The post Chicharito Hernandez Takes Blame for LA Galaxy’s 2-1 Loss to Portland appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Nashville SC, one of the MLS teams which were set to participate in the summer MLS is Back Tournament, got the news that they will not be able to take part in the competition after the team experienced a rash of positive COVID-19 tests in its roster.

Nashville becomes the second team in the league to have to pull out of the competition, which will kick off in Orlando, Florida later this week. FC Dallas also abandoned the competition this week due to a large number of positive tests.

Tennessee has been one of the US states to recently undergo a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, and it seems as if the disease’s effects hit particularly hard in Nashville SC’s roster. Reports have stated that nine of the team’s first-team players have tested positive.

Nashville CEO Ian Eyre said in a statement, “In what has been a challenging year, and in an uncharted environment created by the Tornado that devastated our city and COVID-19, this is another big disappointing outcome for Nashville SC and its supporters.”

Nashville, an expansion team this season, will finish the 2020 campaign with only two games played in what has been an unprecedented and difficult season for the new club.

The post Nashville SC Won’t Participate in MLS is Back After COVID-19 Positives appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer officially returned to action on Wednesday night. Orlando City and Inter Miami met in the opening match in Group A of MLS is Back Tournament, with Orlando claiming a 2-1 win.

After the first 45’ minutes didn’t produce plenty of action, the second half was eventful from the very start. Just a couple of minutes in the second period, striker Juan Agudelo gave Inter a lead by converting Victor Ulloa’s cross in the penalty box.

Orlando responded with a heavy pressure that gave results in the 70’s minute. Captain Nani provided a beautiful flank cross to Chris Mueller, who had no trouble tapping the ball into the goal.

Nani then completed Orlando’s comeback deep in stoppage time, taking advantage of a deflection in the 18-yard box and ensuring his team gets the win and three points.

“Both teams were very generous with their effort. We saw a lot of soccer there,” said Orlando’s head coach Oscar Pareja after the game. “We are proud with the victory. Congratulations to the players and the fans.”

Orlando City will return to the pitch on July 14th, when they are scheduled to meet NYCFC. Inter Miami, on the other hand, will play against Chicago Fire on the same date.

The post Orlando City Beats Inter Miami as MLS Returns to Action appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Cincinnati’s chances of making a meaningful result at MLS is Back Tournament just became slimmer. According to the team’s head coach Jaap Stam, Cincinnati’s big offseason acquisition Jurgen Locadia is dealing with an injury and is set to miss “a couple of weeks.”

Stam told reporters that Locadia, who scored for Cincinnati in his MLS debut back in March, has issues with his thigh.

“Jurgen has a slight problem with his thigh, we’re looking at him day to day and what he can do,” said Stam.

The 26-year-old striker will now probably be unavailable for the first stage of MLS is Back Tournament, although Stam remains optimistic that things could change in the near future.

“It’s probably a couple weeks that he’s going to be out,” he added. “But you never know with injuries like that, it depends on how the players is feeling himself as well, so we’ll look at it day to day and how he feels and adjust the sessions as well.”

FC Cincinnati find themselves in one of the toughest groups of the tournament, scheduled to face Atlanta United, Columbus Crew SC, and the New York Red Bulls. They will play their first game against Columbus on July 11th.

Jurgen Locadia joined Cincinnati in February on a season-long loan with an option to buy from Premier League side Brighton. Locadia is best known for his stint with PSV, playing 176 games with the club between 2011 and 2018 and scoring 62 goals.

The post FC Cincinnati’s Jurgen Locadia Set to Miss “a Couple of Weeks” With Thigh Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

FC Dallas, which was scheduled to join the rest of the Major League Soccer’s teams in a summer extravaganza featuring teams playing a sort of World Cup-style tournament to determine the league champion, will not take part after all.

Dallas released a statement on Monday stating that they would not be taking part in the proceedings after a litany of positive COVID-19 tests affected its team.

The club has had 10n first-team players and one coach test positive for the coronavirus only a couple of days before it was set to play its first group stage match in the tournament.

Major League Soccer suggested that the team abstain from playing, and the club decided that such a move was for the best.

FC Dallas, which was meant to be one of the four teams in Group B of the tournament in Orlando, Florida, will instead vacate its spot in the competition and leave the other three teams in its group to possibly advance to the knockout stage.

The historic club, which was considered to be one of a number of teams that could have potentially competed for the tournament crowd, will instead have to watch from home as it looks to get healthy and ready for next season.

The post FC Dallas Sent Home from MLS is Back Tournament appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer is set to return next month. According to an announcement made by the league on Wednesday, the 2020 season will resume with an “MLS is Back Tournament“ that will kick off on July 8 at Disney World in Orlando.

The MLS plan includes inviting all 26 teams to Orlando and hosting a tournament format competition. Teams will be divided into six groups, with each team being scheduled to play three games during the group stage. The top two teams from each group alongside the four best third-place finishers will then advance to the knockout stage.

The teams are expected to make way to Orlando starting June 24th and are required to arrive at Dinsey World at least seven days before their first game.

The “MLS is Back Tournament“ final is set to take place on August 11, with the winner earning a spot in CONCACAF Champions League.

“We are pleased to team up with Disney to relaunch the 2020 MLS season and get back to playing soccer,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber in a statement. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches, and staff as we return to play.”

It is important to note that the tournament won’t dub as a replacement for the regular season. The league still intends to have regular-season games later this year, although the results from Orlando will count towards the teams’ position on the standings. The exact number of regular-season games and the schedule for MLS playoffs and MLS Cup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The post MLS 2020 Season to Resume in July with “MLS is Back Tournament” appeared first on SportzBonanza.