Local MLS expert Wes Burdine (@MnNiceFC) is here to recap and preview Major League Soccer. When he's not here, he's podcasting. Wes?
1. Toronto FC 1, DC United 0
Last year's Toilet Bowl finalists met in Toronto this week. This season, the tide has changed, with Toronto (America's Team™) in the ascendency, and DC United continuing their stint in purgatory. Toronto won the day with a Triple Designated Player play: Michael Bradley's genius pass to Gilberto, who forced a save, which fell for Jermain Defoe to finish. Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Toronto's parent company, should have received credit for an assist.
The final score was quite deceiving, though. Toronto unveiled their fancy new team for their home opener with a packed crowd, but Toronto only had 37% of the possession, 62% passing accuracy, and just 265 passes against DC's 466. This indicates that we should temper our exuberance over a new and improved Toronto, just as we wait for DC's offense to get clicking.
Highlights: Designated Player 1 passes to Designated Player 2 and Designated Player 3 finishes with aplomb. Hurray Don Garber!
Bonus(!) Highlights: I can only guess the intent of this fan's celebration, but here's my best guess: Richie Rich is a huge Toronto FC fan, and in solidarity with the big money signing of Jermain Defoe, he decided to make it rain on the new striker as he celebrated his goal.
Short Version: Don't Call It a Comeback just yet.
2. Colorado Rapids 2, Portland Timbers 0
In 2002 the band Interpol released their debut album, Turn on the Bright Lights. Pitchfork named it the best album of the year even though that year saw the release of instant classics like Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Spoon's Kill the Moonlight. Only two albums later, Interpol released a single whose lame melody was matched only by the face-palm-worthiness of its title: "No I in Threesome."
In 2013, MLS pundits coined a term for Portland Timbers' style of play from the name of their new Wunderkind manager, Caleb Porter: "Porterball." This year, the Timbers have two points from three matches, both from home games. In this match, Portland's forty-foot-tall part-time keeper/part-time megafauna Donovan Ricketts saw red as he gave up a penalty. Less than a minute after Colorado converted, substitute goalkeeper Andrew [Lloyd] Web[b]er gave up another penalty.