July 7, 2012
MLS ROUNDUP
Saborio hat trick leads RSL

Soccer News Net staff

Alvaro Saborio scored three second half goals to lead RSL to a 3-0 win over the Portland Timbers Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images

SPORTING KANSAS CITY 0, HOUSTON DYNAMO 0
KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Stifling heat sapped the life out of Sporting Kansas City, the Houston Dynamo and their Saturday night match, which ended in a scoreless tie at Livestrong Sporting Park.

With temperatures approaching 120 degrees on the field at the opening kick, serious scoring chances were at a premium. Houston DP Boniek Garcia had the best look of the first half, charging unmarked into the right side of the area in the 15th minute only to have his shot blocked by charging goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. Before the intermission, KC’s Jacob Peterson hit the left post from 20 yards, but the match remained scoreless.

By game’s end, Sporting (10-5,3, 33 pts) had forced Houston netminder Tally Hall to make four saves, and in the 83rd minute, Houston (6-5-7, 25 pts) defender Andre Hainault leaned in to head the ball away from Peterson in front of the goal.

FC DALLAS 0, SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 0
FRISCO, Tex.—The San Jose Earthquakes held on to first place in the MLS West by a single point after Saturday’s scoreless draw with FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium. The Hoops, meanwhile, saw their winless streak stretch to 13 games despite having a man advantage for the final ten minutes of the match, after San Jose’s Ramiro Corrales picked up two yellow cards in the space of three minutes.

Both teams put three shots on goal, but only one of San Jose’s attempts required a save from goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. Defender Hernan Pertuz had a big night for the Hoops, recovering after being beaten by Chris Wondolowski to block the MLS Golden Boot leader’s shot off the line in the 36th minute, then tackling the ball away from San Jose’s Alan Gordon before he could tee up a close-range shot at the unprotected Hartman in the 57th.
Full story from Dallas Soccer News

REAL SALT LAKE 3, PORTLAND TIMBERS 0
SANDY, Utah—Alvaro Saborio had a second-half hat trick to power Real Salt Lake (11-6-3, 36 pts) past the Portland Timbers (5-8-4, 19 pts) 3-0 Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Saborio snapped the scoreless tie with a header at the hour mark, then made the score 2-0 two minutes later by deftly diving to connect with Chris Wingert’s 40-yard service on the bounce and head it into the net. The match rapidly turned chippy, with a flurry of crunching Portland tackles on RSL’s Javier Morales followed by a flurry of yellow cards from referee Mark Geiger.

In the 75th minute, Saborio appeared to have completed his hat trick, but Portland’s Diego Chara was caught handling the ball at the goal line. The final goal came off the ensuing penalty kick, and Chara was sent off.

CHIVAS USA 0, VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 0
CARSON, Calif.--Joe Cannon made four saves to post his league lead eight shutout of the season,a s the Vancouver Whitecaps played to a 0-0 draw against Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center Saturday night.

Vancouver are 8-4-6 with 30 points, while Chivas, who have struggled at home move to 5-7-5 with 20 points.

Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was barely tested in posting his fifth shutout of the season. His only save came in the 14th minute, when a 40-yard shot by David Chiumiento deflected off a Chivas defender. Kennedy got his body in front of the shot, and was able to get up and collect the ball without any further danger.

Cannon came up with a pair of saves on back-to-back free kicks late in the second half. In the 72nd minute, Juan Pablo Angel took a free kick from 23 yards out on the left side of the penalty area. Angel drove the free kick through the wall right at Cannon, but the Whitecaps goalkeeper had a hard time holding on to the ball, bobbling it, before eventually pushing it out for a corner.
Full story from LA Soccer News

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 2, COLORADO RAPIDS 1
SEATTLE—Seattle Sounders FC snapped a nine-game winless streak with Saturday night’s dramatic 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at sold-out CenturyLink Field.

After a dominant, but scoreless, first half that saw Seattle outshoot the Rapids 7-1 and force netminder Matt Pickens to make three saves , Alvaro Fernandez broke the ice for the Sounders in the 52nd minute with an open header from the top of the six-yard box off Mauro Rosales’ right-side corner kick. Eddie Johnson made the score 2-0 in the 64th, off another assist from Rosales, who floated the ball to the top of the six, where Johnson leaped up between defender Drew Moor and Conor Casey to head it into the net.

Colorado made a game of it late, starting with Omar Cummings’ point-blank volley past ‘keeper Bryan Meredith to make it a one-goal game in the 79th minute. In the 85th, Cummings deflected a 19-yard shot by Jeff Larentowicz into the net, but the apparent equalizer was called back for offside.

The evening’s final note of drama came in the 86th minute, when Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani took the field for the first time since April 22, 2011, when his leg was broken in a collision with Colorado defender Brian Mullan. After Saturday’s match, Zakuani and Mullan exchanged jerseys and embraced before walking off the field.