Raposo's 1st MLS goal lifts Whitecaps past Sporting Kansas City for 1st win of season
Jiménez leads Toronto FC past New York City; CF Montreal also gets 1st victory
Ryan Raposo scored and the Vancouver Whitecaps earned their first win of the season Saturday, downing Sporting Kansas City 1-0 at B.C. Place.
It was a revenge victory for the Whitecaps, who were eliminated by Sporting in the first round of the playoffs last season.
Raposo put away the game's lone goal in the 73rd minute, unassisted.
The result snapped a dismal four-game winless streak for Vancouver, who lost 3-1 to Los Angeles FC in their last outing on March 26.
Sporting pushed hard in the final minutes to find an equalizer but some solid stops from Hasal preserved the Whitecaps lead.
WATCH l Raposo scores 1st MLS goal to lift Whitecaps over Kansas City:
One of the Canadian 'keeper's best came in injury time when he dropped and smothered a header from Roger Espinoza.
Raposo broke the goalless deadlock in the 73rd minute, putting a right-footed shot just out of Melia's reach from the left side of the six-yard box for his first ever goal in Major League Soccer.
Raposo knows, though, that somewhere in the stands, his mom was "going crazy."
Lori Raposo flew out to Vancouver from Hamilton, Ont., early Friday. The cardiac nurse was working a night shift when her son texted saying he would be making his first-ever start at B.C. Place and she booked the first flight she could find.
Having her in the stands made the game — and the goal — extra special, Ryan Raposo said.
The Whitecaps had a solid chance at getting their first of the game in the 68th minute when Raposo sent a cross into Russell Teibert in the box and the 'Caps captain fired a shot wide of Sporting's net.
Johnny Russell sent a crisp pass to Daniel Salloi, who waltzed through a pair of 'Caps defenders and unleashed a blast from the top of the box at the 52nd-minute mark. Hasal kept the score knotted at 0-0 with a diving save.
It was the Whitecaps who recorded the first shot on goal earlier in the half when Melia had to drop to the turf to stop a header from Ryan Gauld in the 47th minute.
Kansas City outshot Vancouver 4-2 across the first but neither side registered a shot on target. The two sides were nearly even in possession across the opening 45 minutes, with the 'Caps holding a 50.6 per cent edge.
The Whitecaps continue their homestand next Saturday, hosting their Cascadia rivals, the Portland Timbers.
Toronto FC downs New York City
With 19 players from last year's roster moving on, Toronto FC had a lot of vacancies this season. Under new coach Bob Bradley, Canadian youth is getting its chance.
Thompson, after taking some early advice from Bradley to step up, looked at home and played his part in Toronto's opening goal of a 2-1 win over defending champion New York City FC.
Jesus Jimenez scored and NYCFC conceded an own goal to give Toronto a 2-0 lead at halftime.
New York (1-3-1) had more of the ball (57.4 per cent possession) but failed to take advantage until Brazilian substitute Heber scored on a stylish header in the 92nd minute. For Toronto (2-2-1), it was a second straight win.
Thompson was one of five Canadian starters for TFC. Six other homegrown products were on the bench with three seeing action.
WATCH l Toronto FC defeats New York City for second win in a row:
The Canadian contingent who made it on the field included 19-year-old Jayden Nelson, 21-year-olds Luca Petrasso, Noble Okello and Jordan Perruzza and 22-year-old Jacob Shaffelburg.
While Toronto remains a work in progress under Bradley — with Italian star Lorenzo Insigne not arriving until July — the veteran coach is liking what he sees.
It was the first game at BMO Field since Canada clinched World Cup qualification a week earlier in a 4-0 win over Jamaica.
Toronto grew into the game and went ahead in the 31st minute when Jonathan Osorio's through ball split the visitors' defence en route to an unmarked Jimenez, who beat Sean Johnson to the corner for his third goal of the season.
Osorio, making his 297th appearance in all competitions in Toronto colours, was flying in the first half. And he was rewarded with an ovation when he exited in the 60th minute. The 29-year-old midfielder completed 98 per cent of his passes on the day.
Toronto doubled its lead in the 43rd when Thiago Martins headed the ball into his own goal off a dangerous Pozuelo free kick. The Brazilian designated player was under pressure from Toronto's Lukas MacNaughton who had risen high to meet the ball.
TFC bent but didn't break in the second half as the visitors pressed. Alex Bono made an acrobatic save off Keaton Parks in the 68th minute to maintain the Toronto advantage.
NYCFC outshot Toronto 15-8 (8-3 in shots on target) including an 11-4 (7-2 on target) edge in the second half.
TFC plays at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Toronto dodged a bullet when referee Drew Fischer reversed his eighth-minute penalty decision after Talles Magno went down in the penalty box. Fischer initially thought Thompson had clipped the Brazilian's leg but video review showed Magno had got his own feet tangled.
Thompson's yellow card was also withdrawn.
Montreal gets 1st win of season
Joaquin Torres recorded the tie-breaking goal in the 67th minute and Djordje Mihailovic netted a first-half brace as visiting CF Montreal finally recorded their first win of the season, 4-3 over FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
But six minutes later, Torres tapped in a cross from Kei Kamara — which pierced off the hand of diving Cincinnati goalkeeper Alec Kann — to put Montreal ahead with his first goal of the season.
Kamara also scored for Montreal (1-3-1, 4 points), which won for the first time in three tries at Cincinnati.
WATCH l Torres' goal gives CF Montreal wild win over Cincinnati:
Brandon Vazquez scored his fifth goal of the season for Cincinnati, which was trying to win consecutive home games for the first time in club history. However, this rough defensive showing led to a second straight defeat.
Montreal equalized in the 17th minute when Mihailovic curled the ball into the right middle corner of the Cincinnati net. But just three minutes later, Montreal gave the lead right back to FCC when Vazquez's up-close cross in front of Breza deflected off the foot of the visitors' Alistair Johnston for an own goal.
Mihailovic, though, completed his brace in the 41st minute. Untouched in the box, Mihailovic stood in the middle of the box, took a pass from Kamara and blazed the ball by a late-reacting Kann.
By the end of the first half, Montreal held a one-goal lead after Kamara stayed on-side to retrieve the ball, break in and beat a sliding Kann in the initial minute of first-half stoppage time.
With files from Field Level Media
