{"id":1095217,"date":"2019-06-23T17:45:29","date_gmt":"2019-06-23T16:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1095217"},"modified":"2019-06-24T00:39:58","modified_gmt":"2019-06-23T23:39:58","slug":"mls-round-up-matchday-16","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mls-round-up-matchday-16\/","title":{"rendered":"MLS round-up: LA Galaxy stay second and Pulisic opens Gold Cup account"},"content":{"rendered":"

After taking a brief break for US Open Cup action, MLS returned this weekend with no fewer than six matches.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As ever, we were treated to a tonne of goals and drama in a league which never fails to entertain, with teams at the top and bottom battling it out for their respective targets.<\/p>\n

Read on for the key talking points in Squawka’s weekly MLS round-up.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7291399-man-utd-s-galaxy-brain-move-trade-pogba-for-two-real-madrid-midfielders<\/p>\n

Galaxy keep the pressure on against sorry Cincinnati<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You’ve got to hand it to supporters of MLS newcomers, FC Cincinnati. After a promising opening few weeks, they’ve been nothing short of terrible and have now lost their last five MLS games following the visit of LA Galaxy. Despite that, Nippert Stadium is still seeing bumper crowds and even sold out to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co.<\/p>\n

But while those in the stands keep on impressing, the players on the pitch continue to look out of their depth. The Galaxy raced into a 2-0 lead within 15 minutes with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Favio Alvarez – thanks to some questionable defending – and although Cincy did well to keep the scoreline as it was, they did nowhere near enough to threaten the visitors.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE:<\/strong><\/span> Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The face of MLS or a dinosaur figurehead threatening its evolution?<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The win was a perfect way for the Galaxy to recover from a 4-0 US Open Cup exit to Portland Timbers, while it keeps them six points behind the seemingly unstoppable LAFC at the top of the Western Conference standings. FC Cincinnati remain rooted to the bottom of the Supporters Shield standings with just 11 points so far, having conceded 17 goals in their last five games.<\/p>\n

Home comforts for the Timbers as Fernandez chases history<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With Providence Park undergoing a facelift at the start of the season, Portland Timbers spent a lot of time on the road and in MLS, that normally only means one thing: immense travel time leading to lacklustre defeats.<\/p>\n

However, the Timbers played out a 3-2 defeat against LAFC back at their new-look stadium at the start of the month, giving as good as they got against the league leaders. Since then, things have improved. Giovanni Savarese’s side backed up their 4-0 US Open Cup win over LA Galaxy with a thrashing of Houston Dynamo by the same scoreline, brushing aside a team that for most of the season so far, have been very impressive indeed. <\/span><\/p>\n

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JEREMY EBOBISSE!<\/p>\n

Side netting. 4-0. #PORvHOU<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UEnQNsPK1Q<\/a><\/p>\n

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 23, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n