Hello everybody and welcome to The Weekend, a brand spankin’ new column where we run through the absolute best of what you might have missed from this round of MLS action.
All of the following are our personal faves from the weekend, so please don’t hesitate to tell us why we're wrong!
Heartbreaker of the Week – Alan Gordon
Long-time MLS veteran, ex-Bash Bro, and national treasure Alan Gordon had himself a game this weekend. It was his 89th minute header that broke the hearts of the visiting Portland Timbers and sent Rapids fans into a frenzy.
Alan Gordon is an absolute lad, and his goal is the embodiment of the human spirit mentality, explained here by head coach Pablo Mastroeni. That mentality has lifted Colorado to a three-match home winning streak.
FreeK of the Week – Christian Techera
Who doesn’t love a good free kick? Who doesn’t love a great free kick? We challenge you to find that person and show them this:
Bending one over the wall and inside the near post from 25 yards is pretty awesome. To hit one of those in front of your own fans and level the score in the 75th minute is clutch. Take a bow, sir.
Break of the Week – Atlanta United
There might not be a better thing to watch unfold on a pitch than a perfectly-executed counterattack.
Here’s a perfectly-executed counterattack, courtesy of Atlanta United:
Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez makes a wonderful tackle, recovers the ball, and then before you even have a chance to finish admiring the play he just made, the ball is in the back of the net. All it took was one pass.
Grit! Fight! Finish! of the Week – Columbus Crew SC
As fluid and pleasing as that Atlanta counter was, it’s simply not the only way to get the job done.
Sometimes you gotta just hack down a bouncing cross and hope your teammate can get a toe poke on the ball. ¯\(ツ)/¯
What a hit, son! of the Week – David Villa
We might be a little biased, but nobody is beating this game-winning full volley hit from under water.
Look at that celly. He knows how special that was.
Feeling Old Yet? of the Week – Peter Vermes
A local Kansas City TV station caught up with Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes to talk about millennials.
There’s a lot of anti-millennial sentiment these days, but Vermes is decidedly pro-millennial, which is a good thing considering most professional athletes are in their 20s and 30s. He didn’t even say “Back in my day…” or “Kids these days…” once!
Century Club-joiner of the Week – Michael Bradley
The US Men’s National Team captain made his 100th appearance for Toronto FC this weekend, and after scoring a worldy against Mexico during the international break, Captain America helped set up Jozy Altidore for the Reds’ first goal of the match.
Unwise Tackle of the Week – Derrick Jones
The talented young midfielder celebrated his return from an impressive FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign with something that could certainly be considered Not Good™. Here's to ending the weekend with a crunch!
