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MLS Matchday 23: Several Stunning Finishes During Weekend
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Soccer kicked off MLS Matchday 23 on Friday night under the bright, shining lights of the iconic Yankee Stadium on Friday as NYC FC hosted Orlando SC.  As the calendar flipped to Saturday, plenty more American soccer was available to soccer fans all across North America. 

Entering MLS Matchday 23, LA FC looked to remain scorching hot seeking their 9th straight win against a tough Colorado Rapids squad,  while Atlanta plays some final games with Thiago Almada before a transfer into the Olympique Lyon program starting in Brazil. 

It was a wild weekend in MLS football action, so let’s check out MLS Matchday 23! 

Atlanta’s 70th Minute Winner Stuns Toronto

While certainly not the marquee matchup fans had circled on the calendar for MLS Matchday 23, Atlanta and Toronto turned out to be a fantastic, closely contested game. In one of those “you gotta see it to believe it” unicorn plays, Atlanta striker Jamal Thiare lingered behind Toronto’s goalkeeper as he pushed his teammates up the field for a final offensive push….. Except the keeper forgot he existed for a brief moment and that it is all it took for the forward to pounce. 

The 31-year-old Thiare used all of his skill and cunning maneuvers in his toolkit to hide himself like a ninja behind the play. “I just had a feeling that the goalkeeper was going to put the ball down on the turf,” the 31-year-old Senegalese striker said of his late-game heroics. “And then I focused on making sure to do my job.” 

The shocking score at 96:56 allowed Atlanta United to pick up their first win at home since the end of March. Atlanta(6W-8L-6D) moves into a tie with Toronto (7W-1L1-3D) at eighth place in the Eastern Conference. 

Los Angeles Squads Dominate Out West

On the West Coast, both Los Angeles football clubs grabbed wins over the weekend during MLS Matchday 23.  Both squads picked up 3-0 clean sheets with LA FC overcoming 4th-seeded Colorado, while LA Galaxy rolled standings bottom-feeder, San Jose. 

For LA FC, the in is their 9th straight victory as they have charged to the top of the table out West with amazing form over the last few weeks. Critical to that success has been the goal contributions of midfielder Mateusz Bogusz who has scored in every single one of those LA FC wins. 

The top two squads in the Western Conference will battle for control of the table in the El Trafico on July 4th at the Rose Bowl. 

Montreal’s Late Goals Stun Philly AGAIN

Tied at 2 when the extra time digits were flashed at Sade Saputo in Montreal, it looked like the game was headed to a 2-2 draw. However, Philadelphia’s atrocious form over the last two months reared its head once again with the Union allowing Dominic Iankov to score twice following the 89th minute.  Montreal (5W-8L-7D) claimed the 4-2 home win while Philly tacked another loss onto a 4W-8L-8D record in 2024. 

Only three times in their history has Montreal scored two or more in the 89th minute. All three of them have occurred against the Philadelphia Union with the first one occurring in August 2017 followed by a similar guy punch last year in March 2023. 

Readers who desire a deeper look at all of the MLS Matchday 23 action from this past weekend can find that information via the MLS website. 

This article first appeared on Total Apex Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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