Football
Associated Press 9y

Didier Drogba scores 2 in Impact win; Sebastian Giovinco sets MLS record

Didier Drogba scored twice in the first 12 minutes and the Montreal Impact beat D.C. United 2-0 on Saturday to stretch their club-record unbeaten streak to six games.

Drogba had seven goals in six MLS games. In the fourth minute, he took a free kick after Taylor Kemp's handball and drilled it over the defensive wall and into the top corner.

Then the former Chelsea striker picked off a back pass, twisted defender Steve Birnbaum inside out and scored.

In the second half, Birnbaum stepped on the back of Drogba's foot, sending him the ground in pain and drawing a yellow card. Moments later, Drogba shouldered Birnbaum to the grass and was booked himself.

The Impact swept their three-game homestand and moved three points behind D.C. for fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference, with two games in hand. D.C. is winless in six games.

Sebastian Giovinco broke the MLS single-season record for goals plus assists in a season in Toronto FC's 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire.

Giovinco helped out on two TFC goals to push his league leading assists tally to 16 to go with his 19 goals in his first season in the league with four games remaining..

The Italian star tied the mark set by Chris Wondolowski with San Jose in 2012 with an assist on Jonathan Osorio's goal that tied it at 1-1 in the 29th minute.

Giovinco broke the record with an assist on Michael Bradley's tying goal in the 59th minute, before Jozy Altidore scored the winning goal for Toronto in the 79th minute.

Former Toronto player Gilberto scored twice for the Fire, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

David Villa scored a penalty kick in stoppage time to give New York City FC a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Villa sent goalkeeper David Ousted the wrong way for his 17th goal of the season.

The winner came after Vancouver captain Pedro Morales scored on a penalty kick of his own in the 88th minute.

Frank Lampard also scored for NYCFC, his second in MLS play. The former Chelsea midfielder took a low cross from defender Angelino in the 29th minute and fired a one-timer past Ousted.

Western Conference-leading Vancouver dropped to 15-12-3.

Fanendo Adi gave Portland an early second-half lead with his second goal of the game and the Timbers held on to beat the Columbus Crew 2-1.

The Timbers collected an errant pass in their own box and used their speed in transition to set up Adi's go-ahead goal in the 50th minute. Adi toe-punched Rodney Wallace's cross at the end of the break to finish his 12th goal of the season.

Kei Kamara tied it for Columbus in the 42nd minute with his MLS-leading 22nd goal of the season. He sneaked around Portland's Wallace and angled Federico Higuain's corner inside the near post with a header from the right side of the six-yard box.

Adi opened the scoring in the 28th minute, finishing Darlington Nagbe's chip pass with a one-timer.

Brad Davis scored the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute and the Houston Dynamo held off the Colorado Rapids 3-2.

It was the Dynamo's second win in a row and their first league victory against Colorado in 10 tries goings back to a 1-0 victory at Robertson Stadium on April 19, 2009.

Houston never trailed but twice conceded an equalizing goal to the Rapids' Vicente Sanchez in the first half.

Leonel Miranda opened the scoring for Houston in the third minute and Giles Barnes made it a 2-1 lead in the 24th.

Sanchez scored for Colorado in the eighth and 44th minutes.

Houston's Deric preserved the win and prevented a hat trick for the Rapids forward with a diving block of Sanchez's free kick in the 78th minute and a kick-save of Sanchez's point-blank try in the 88th.

The Dynamo stayed three points behind Portland for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Fernando Aristeguieta scored and Andre Blake had a career-high 10 saves to help the Philadelphia Union draw with  the New England Revolution 1-1.

Aristeguieta took a feed from Warren Creavalle, split three defenders and went near-post from the top-left of the box it in the 65th minute.

Lee Nguyen drew a foul by Fabio Alves in the box and put away the penalty kick to give New England a 1-0 lead late in the first half.

Blake was nearly perfect otherwise, making several acrobatic stops including four diving saves between the 70th and 76th minutes and another in the closing minutes of regulation to help the Union hold on for the draw and move to eight points behind Montreal for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

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