The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Torres adds to league goals lead for Houston
Erick Torres scored his MLS-leading seventh goal of the season and the host Houston Dynamo beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on Saturday.
Torres opened the scoring in the ninth minute, converting from the penalty spot after Fatai Alashe conceded a penalty against Alex Lima. Alberth Elis tapped in a corner kick — Houston’s first of the match — by Eric Alexander in the 72nd. Elis, a 21-year old designated player, has three goals in seven career MLS games.
It was the third game in eight days for San Jose (2-33), which is winless in its last six after opening the season with back-to-back victories.
Joe Willis had two saves for his first shutout this season. It was his second consecutive start after Tyler Deric started the first five matches for the Dynamo (4-2-1). All four of Houston’s wins have come at home.
Timbers 2, Whitecaps 1: Darlington Nagbe scored a spectacular goal and Darren Mattocks added his first of the season for host Portland (5-2-1).
Nagbe’s highlight-reel strike came in the 18th minute, when he received a pass 30 yards from goal and danced away from two Vancouver defenders. Moving toward the penalty area, he shrugged off a challenge by Kendall Watson and finished the play by blasting a right-footed shot from 20 yards out over Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted and off the bottom of the crossbar for his second goal of the season.
In the 39th minute, Mattocks drove the ball past Ousted from 5 yards out. Mattocks played for Vancouver (2-4-1) from 2012-2015.
Impact 3, Union 3: Anthony Jackson-Hamel scored his second goal of the game in the 87th minute, rallying visiting Montreal to a 3-3 draw with the Philadelphia Union.
Jackson-Hamel replaced Dominic Oduro in the 62nd minute and put away a rebound to tie it. Matteo Mancuso’s shot bounced off the arms of a diving Andre Blake. Jackson-Hamel tapped it in from the top of the 6-yard box.
Philadelphia (1-4-2) took a 3-0 lead on a penalty kick by Roland Alberg in the 39th minute, his second goal of the game. Alberg evaded a defender and beat Evan Bush from point-blank range in the opening minutes and C.J. Sapong’s header made it 2-0 in the 23rd.
Ignacio Piatti sliced through three defenders before scoring just before halftime, and Jackson-Hamel’s header pulled Montreal (2-2-3) within a goal in the 69th minute.