Matt Freese, unbothered by the jeers of the fans in Columbus, Ohio, made three saves as New York City FC held on for a 2-1 victory over the Crew in the first post-World Cup match for both sides on Wednesday.

A Nico Fernandez penalty kick in the 28th and Agustin Ojeda’s score in the 70th minute helped NYCFC (6-6-4, 22 points) to a 2-0 lead and break a nine-match winless streak (six losses, three ties) in Columbus since April 29, 2017.

Freese lost a bid for his fourth shutout of the season in the third minute of second-half stoppage time when Daniel Gazdag converted a penalty that came after a handball by Thiago Martins.

The Crew (4-8-4, 16 points) have a win and a draw in their past six matches.

Freese, who started four of five matches in the World Cup for the U.S. squad, had little to do for much of the match but was booed by the fans every time he touched the ball. He had bungled a clearance which led to Belgium’s third goal in a 4-1 defeat in the round of 16.

He didn’t have to make a save until the 48th minute when he pushed aside a shot from the left side just outside the box by Taha Habroune.

Fernandez scored his team-high 11th goal after Ojeda was fouled at the top of the box by Max Arfsten in an inauspicious return from the World Cup for the Crew’s U.S. national team midfielder.

Arfsten’s rough outing continued in the 60th minute when his yellow card for a hard challenge on Fernandez resulted in a 25-yard free kick off the bar by Fernandez.

Ojeda doubled the score thanks to teammate Talles Magno stripping the ball from Rudy Camacho at the left flag, then dribbling along the end line before finding Ojeda in the middle of the box.

The Crew played their first match since leading scorer Diego Rossi (six goals) was transferred to Liga MX’s Monterrey in early July. The attack was listless in the first 45 minutes half with just two shot attempts.

Crew defender Steven Moreira, a starter in the World Cup for Cape Verde, came off the bench in the 64th minute.

NYCFC defender James Sands started in his season debut after returning to the club from an 18-month loan to Germany’s FC St. Pauli.

–Field Level Media

The New England Revolution played visitors Toronto FC to a scoreless draw Wednesday in Foxboro, Mass., as MLS played its first full slate of games since the World Cup.

Toronto (3-6-7, 16 points) and New England (8-5-2, 26 points) both failed to capitalize on key opportunities as the 10-point gap between them remained unchanged and Toronto remained outside the playoff picture.

Toronto’s Richie Laryea, back at his usual spot at fullback after playing for Canada at the World Cup, sent a low streaking cross immediately in front of goal only for Jules-Anthony Vilsaint to catch the ball on the wrong side of his boot in the 38th minute.

Carles Gil was quick to respond for the home side, rattling the crossbar on a powerful effort from outside the box. TFC goalkeeper Luka Gavran denied Peyton Miller at the far post off Gil’s curling free kick in the dying seconds of the first half.

Revolution defender Will Sands struck his own crossbar on a bungled clearing attempt in the 59th minute, but sprung up heroically to beat Deandre Kerr to the ball in the air after Josh Sargent kept it in play.

Perhaps with fixture congestion in mind, Sargent was kept on the bench until halftime, though Toronto’s record signing injected some much-needed energy into his team’s frontline. He headed a ball inches wide on a 76th-minute corner.

Canadian youth international Richard Chukwu made his MLS debut in Toronto’s backline and went 71 minutes before subbing off with a cramp. Djordje Mihailovic, who made his first league appearance since March last Thursday, was not in the visitors’ lineup.

TFC extended their winless streak to 11 in all competitions even as Gavran recorded his second consecutive clean sheet. Toronto has yet to score or concede in two games since returning from the World Cup break.

The result marked just the second time New England failed to capture three points at home this season. Goalkeeper Matt Turner collected his fourth clean sheet on the year.

–Field Level Media

The Philadelphia Union scored their first home win of the season in their first match under interim coach Ryan Richter with a 3-1 defeat of the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday in Chester, Pa.

Milan Iloski, Indiana Vassilev and Neil Pierre scored for the Union (2-10-4, 10 points), who fired coach Bradley Carnell a short time into the World Cup break and promoted Richter from their MLS Next Pro affiliate. Last-place Philadelphia had not won since April 11 at Montreal.

Kai Wagner had an assist in his first game back for Philadelphia seven months after the Union transferred him to Birmingham City in England. Quinn Sullivan subbed on during the second half for his first appearance since tearing an ACL last September.

Cade Cowell scored and Ethan Horvath saved seven shots for the Red Bulls (6-6-4, 22 points).

The Union were the dominant team despite controlling just 36% of the possession. They nearly scored in the third minute when Iloski made a perfect cross to Frankie Westfield in the box, but Westfield’s wide-open shot rolled out on the wrong side of the right post.

Iloski took care of matters himself in the ninth minute. Horvath dropped a saved shot while bumping his own teammate midair, which allowed Iloski to fire in the rebound for his team-high eighth goal of the year.

Near the 22-minute mark, 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan fired a one-timer on goal from outside the box but Horvath pushed it over the bar.

Cowell tied the match in the 38th minute at the end of a clinical passing buildup through the midfield. Emil Forsberg took it to the penalty arc before passing to an unmarked Cowell on his right. Andre Blake (four saves) got a mitt on it, but not enough to stop the shot’s path into goal.

It remained tied at halftime and for a while thereafter, but Philadelphia broke through on a quick restart in the 57th minute. Westfield powered a cross from the right corner to the box and Vassilev’s left-footed one-timer hopped between Horvath and the near post.

The Union made the cushion more comfortable nine minutes later. Wagner hit a line-drive corner kick into a dangerous area and Pierre headed a powerful grounder under a helpless Horvath.

–Field Level Media