Football
ESPN staff 7y

Brek Shea returns to haunt Orlando; Crew SC move up as Loons stun Fire

Brek Shea scored against his former team to help the Vancouver Whitecaps win 2-1 at Orlando City on Saturday night.

Orlando traded Shea to Vancouver before the season, and he made the Lions pay in his return to Florida by doubling the Whitecaps' lead in the 53rd minute following a counter-attack.

Vancouver had taken the lead in the ninth minute when Tommy Redding headed into his own goal while defending a set piece.

Orlando got a goal back through Cyle Larin's header in the 62nd minute, but the Lions could not find an equalizer despite a number of close calls -- including Giles Barnes rattling the crossbar with four minutes to play.

Vancouver moved up to fourth in the packed Western Conference and are just three points off the top with a game in hand.

Jonathan Mensah scored his first goal in nearly three years as Columbus Crew SC moved up to third in the Eastern Conference after a 2-1 win over FC Dallas.

Mensah, a center-back, had not scored since September 2014 when he was with Evian in France, but he headed in Federico Higuain's free kick in the 71st minute to give Columbus a two-goal cushion.

Ola Kamara had earlier given Columbus the lead with his 14th goal of the year, a tap-in five minutes after half-time.

Though Walker Zimmerman halved the deficit in the 79th minute by heading home following a corner, FC Dallas remained winless in its last six games.

Columbus moved up because the Chicago Fire were stunned in a 2-1 home defeat to Minnesota United, which won an MLS game away from home for the first time.

Abu Danladi scored twice in the first half for Minnesota. The opener came in 36th minute as Ethan Finlay's cross was cut out but came back to him, and on the second attempt he found Danladi to tap in.

The No. 1 pick in the MLS draft before the season began, Danladi found his second just before the break by turning in a cross from Jerome Thiesson.

Bastian Schweinsteiger tried to inspire a comeback after the break, and he set up David Accam to score in 77th minute, but the the Fire could not complete the comeback and lost at home for just the second time this season, to go with 10 wins and a draw.

Real Salt Lake secured the Rocky Mountain Cup with a 4-1 win over the rival Colorado Rapids in which both teams finished with 10 men.

Joao Plata gave RSL the lead in the 41st minute after running at a defender and beating Tim Howard at his near post.

And five minutes after halftime, RSL were two goals up when Rapids defender Mekeil Williams blocked off Jefferson Savarino just inside the box, and Luis Silva converted the penalty.

Colorado had a lifeline when Danilo Acosta was sent off for late lunging tackle on defender Marlon Hairston, but Rapids sub Alan Gordon then picked up a pair of bookings quickly after coming on.

The Rapids' Josh Gatt scored his first MLS goal in the 81st minute -- though it was initially ruled out for offside and only given after video review -- but Silva and Brooks Lennon padded RSL's lead in stoppage time as the hosts clinched the rivalry trophy for a second straight season.

Tyrone Mears scored in stoppage time to give Atlanta United a 2-2 draw with the Philadelphia Union, who endured much of the second half with 10 men.

Union keeper Andre Blake could only paw away a cross towards the edge of the box, and Mears stepped up to send a looping header into the net to earn a point for Atlanta, which is chasing a playoff spot in its first MLS season.

Roland Alberg gave the Union the lead in the 18th minute. After Atlanta could only half-clear their lines, Giliano Wijnaldum lobbed the ball back into the box, and Alberg chested the ball down before slotting home.

Alejandro Bedoya doubled the lead five minutes later with an overhead kick for his first goal of the year following a corner that was flicked on to the back post by Jack Elliott.

But three minutes later Atlanta somewhat fortunately got a goal back as Josef Martinez's header was off-target but turned into a fine assist as the ball came right to Yamil Asad to score.

Joshua Yaro was sent off in the 52nd minute for pulling down Martinez when he was in on goal, and Mears ended the hosts' valiant attempt to hang on in the 91st minute.

Luciano Acosta scored the only goal as D.C. United got the better of the New England Revolution 1-0 in a battle of the bottom sides in the East.

The goal came in the 71st minute as Lloyd Sam's cross into the box was sent back across goal by Kofi Opare to the foot of Acosta.

It was the third straight 1-0 win in a surprising resurgence for D.C., which remain bottom but pulled within one point of the Revs.

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