Sports
Dallas jumps ahead early, extends Real Salt Lake's skid
May 9, 2026; Frisco, Texas, USA; FC Dallas celebrates after a goal scored by FC Dallas forward Santiago Moreno (10) against Real Salt Lake during the first half at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Santiago Moreno and Kaick scored goals midway through the first half and Samuel Sarver added a stirring tally in stoppage time as FC Dallas defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1 on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
Dallas (5-3-4, 19 points) has captured back-to-back wins for just the second time this season and pulled even on points with Real Salt Lake (6-4-1, 19 points) for sixth place in the Western Conference.
RSL have dropped three of their past four games.
Moreno put Dallas on top in the 18th minute, running through traffic to receive a pass from Petar Musa just outside the box. Moreno steadied the ball three times before unleashing a right-footed shot that split two RSL defenders and found the bottom-left corner of the goal past diving goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
Four minutes later, Musa sprinted out of his own end off a pass from Moreno and dribbled the ball into the box before testing Cabral with a shot that the RSL keeper could only deflect away. Kaick pounced on the rebound, making short work of the chance with an open goal.
Real Salt Lake nearly found the net with their only shot on goal in the first half. Noel Caliskan hit a high, curving left-footed shot from outside the box toward the upper right corner that Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi leaped to bat over the crossbar in the 33rd minute.
Diego Luna trimmed RSL’s deficit in half in the 85th minute when he turned around a pass from Morgan Guilavogui and beat Collodi with a right-footed shot into the far corner. Alexandros Katranis also garnered an assist on the goal by making the pass that started the scoring play.
That set the stage for Sarver, who had entered as a substitute in the 75th minute.
Sarver gathered a loose ball deep in his own side of the field two minutes into stoppage time and sprinted down the pitch, first splitting two RSL defenders near midfield and then shrugging off the attempted tackle from Katranis just outside the box. He then calmly pushed a shot past Cabral for the clinching goal.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gabriel Pec's econd-half brace vaults Galaxy past Atlanta
May 9, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LA Galaxy defender Harbor Miller (26) and Atlanta United defender Tomas Jacob (55) fight for the ball during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Gabriel Pec scored two second-half goals for the LA Galaxy, who defeated host Atlanta United 2-1 on Saturday evening.
Pec’s brace, which gave him three goals in MLS play this season, led the Galaxy (4-4-4, 16 points) to their second road win in league action and a third straight unbeaten result (2-0-1).
Atlanta (3-8-1, 10 points) saw its three-match win streak across all competitions come to an end in its final home match before the World Cup break.
Pec scored the eventual match-winner in the 79th minute. As he ventured into the box, his initial shot was blocked. The LA winger then pounced on the loose ball and fired it home to make it 2-1.
That came five minutes after Pec equalized it in the 74th minute. A failed tackle by Elias Baez gave Pec a one-on-one chance against Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos, which he converted to level the match at 1-all. Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil assisted on the goal.
Pec’s tying goal canceled out Jay Fortune’s brilliant opener in the 69th minute. Fortune collected the ball near the left touchline, dribbled to the top of the box and laced it past a lunging JT Marcinkowski. It was Fortune’s first goal of the season, assisted by Elias Baez and Saba Lobjanidze.
An eventful, yet scoreless, first half featured three yellow cards for Atlanta United within four minutes, along with yellow cards issued to both the Atlanta and LA benches.
In the 41st minute, Atlanta appeared to take a 1-0 lead on a corner-kick routine, but Juan Berrocal’s potential first MLS goal was disallowed after Matias Galarza was ruled to have committed a foul on Marcinkowski in the process.
Pec’s double gave the Galaxy a third straight win over Atlanta United, tying the all-time series at 3-3-0.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Charlotte rallies for draw in Queen City clash vs. Cincinnati
May 9, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Kévin Denkey (9) and Charlotte FC defender Morrison Agyemang (44) fight for the ball in the first half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images In a battle between the two Queen Cities Saturday night in Charlotte, FC Cincinnati squandered a two-goal lead in the second half and settled for a 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC.
FC Cincinnati (4-4-4, 16 points) drew first blood in the 36th minute, Evander took a free kick, with the ball saved by a diving Kristijan Kahlina. But Kahlina deflected the ball right to Kevin Denkey, who unleashed a leaping kick with his right foot to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead with his seventh goal of the season.
Evander didn’t have to wait long to find the net himself. With Cincinnati on the attack as the first half wound down in the 43rd minute, Evander unleashed a lofted shot from the edge of the box which found the top-left corner to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 2-0. The goal was Evander’s fourth in Cincinnati’s last two matches.
But less than 10 minutes into the second half, Charlotte (4-5-3, 15 points) roared back to tie the match with two goals in a three-minute span. After Idan Toklomati got Charlotte on the board in the 51st minute on a header off a headed assist from Tim Ream, Pep Biel equalized on his team-high sixth goal in the 53rd. He buried a centering pass from Djibril Danil into the top of the net past Roman Celentano.
Cincinnati narrowly outperformed Charlotte on the stat sheet in shots (13-11), shots on goal (5-3) and possession (53.8%-46.2%).
Both teams had chances throughout the second half to break the draw but could not find the net. It was a physical battle Saturday night, with Cincinnati given four yellow cards and Charlotte assessed one. The two teams also combined for 23 fouls.
Kahlina also made three saves in goal for Charlotte FC, while Celentano made one for Cincinnati.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gabriel Pec's second-half brace vaults Galaxy past Atlanta
May 9, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LA Galaxy defender Harbor Miller (26) and Atlanta United defender Tomas Jacob (55) fight for the ball during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Gabriel Pec scored two second-half goals for the LA Galaxy, who defeated host Atlanta United 2-1 on Saturday evening.
Pec’s brace, which gave him three goals in MLS play this season, led the Galaxy (4-4-4, 16 points) to their second road win in league action and a third straight unbeaten result (2-0-1).
Atlanta (3-8-1, 10 points) saw its three-match win streak across all competitions come to an end in its final home match before the World Cup break.
Pec scored the eventual match-winner in the 79th minute. As he ventured into the box, his initial shot was blocked. The LA winger then pounced on the loose ball and fired it home to make it 2-1.
That came five minutes after Pec equalized it in the 74th minute. A failed tackle by Elias Baez gave Pec a one-on-one chance against Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos, which he converted to level the match at 1-all. Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil assisted on the goal.
Pec’s tying goal canceled out Jay Fortune’s brilliant opener in the 69th minute. Fortune collected the ball near the left touchline, dribbled to the top of the box and laced it past a lunging JT Marcinkowski. It was Fortune’s first goal of the season, assisted by Elias Baez and Saba Lobjanidze.
An eventful, yet scoreless, first half featured three yellow cards for Atlanta United within four minutes, along with yellow cards issued to both the Atlanta and LA benches.
In the 41st minute, Atlanta appeared to take a 1-0 lead on a corner-kick routine, but Juan Berrocal’s potential first MLS goal was disallowed after Matias Galarza was ruled to have committed a foul on Marcinkowski in the process.
Pec’s double gave the Galaxy a third straight win over Atlanta United, tying the all-time series at 3-3-0.
–Field Level Media
Gabriel Pec's econd-half brace vaults Galaxy past Atlanta
Charlotte rallies for draw in Queen City clash vs. Cincinnati
