SEATTLE (AP) - Diego Rossi scored in the 11th minute off a pass from Carlos Vela and expansion Los Angeles FC beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Sunday in the opener for both teams.
Major League Soccer’s 23rd franchise got off to a sterling start in coach Bob Bradley’s first league match since 2006. Rossi, who turns 20 on Monday, showed his scoring skill by one-timing the pass from Vela 20 yards from goal and curling a shot past Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei. It was a stunning strike, topped only by LAFC playing the final 79 minutes without giving up an equalizer.
Tyler Miller, a former backup goalkeeper in Seattle and Los Angeles’ first pick in the expansion draft, made several key stops, including deflections of shots by Nouhou Tolo in the first half and a header by Cristian Roldan midway through the second half.
WHITECAPS 2, IMPACT 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Seventeen-year-old Alphonso Davies scored his first career Major League Soccer goal and set up another by striker Kei Kamara in Vancouver victory over Montreal in the opener for both teams.
Davies, who doesn’t turn 18 until November but is already in his third season with the Whitecaps, scored in the 70th minute off a pass from Cristian Techera. Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush got his fingers on the ball, but it rolled into the net.
Kamara opened the scoring seven minutes earlier on a header. Acquired in an offseason trade from New England, Kamara was mobbed by his teammates and made the sign of a heart to the cheering crowd of 27,837 at BC Place Stadium. Matteo Mancosu scored in the 81st minute for Montreal.
GALAXY 2, TIMBERS 1
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Newcomer Ola Kamara and Romain Alessandrini scored two minutes apart in the first half and Los Angeles spoled Giovanni Savarese’s Portland coaching debut.
Kamara’s 35th career goal came in the 32nd minute. Jonathan dos Santos’ cross was headed across goal by Rolf Feltscher and Kamara chested it home. On a counter attack two minutes later, Alessandrini capitalized on a defensive turnover by sending a shot off the post and finishing the rebound.
Sebastian Blanco pulled Portland to 2-1 in the 66th minute by rolling a shot from a difficult angle through the legs of goalkeeper David Bingham.
NEW YORK CITY FC 2, SPORTING KC 0
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Jesus Medina scored in his MLS debut, Maximiliano Moralez had a goal and New York City FC beat Sporting Kansas City 2-0 on Sunday night in a season opener for both clubs.
NYC handed Sporting KC its first home-opening defeat since 2009 in front of a crowd of 20,831.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.