Gazdag, Lappalainen score goals to help Crew beat DC United 2-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Daniel Gazdag and Lassi Lappalainen each scored a goal for the Columbus Crew on Saturday night in a 2-1 win over D.C. United.
Lappalainen, who signed with the Crew in January after six seasons with Montreal, scored his first goal of the season to make it 2-1 in the 79th minute. The 26-year-old midfielder put away a loose ball from near the penalty spot with a first-touch finish.
The Crew had 58% possession and outshot D.C. 18-6, 6-1 on target.
Gazdag drew a foul, conceded by Lucas Bartlett, in the area and converted from the spot to open the scoring in the 31st minute.
Christian Benteke scored his first goal since May 5 in the 48th when he flicked a header from the center of the area into the net to make it 1-1.
Columbus (12-4-8) lost 3-0 at Nashville on Wednesday to snap a five-game unbeaten streak.
D.C. (4-13-7) is winless, with six losses, in its last seven.
The Crew are unbeaten in five straight against D.C., which went into the game with a minus-24 goal differential this season, worst in MLS.
Defender Aaron Herrera was shown his second yellow card in the 89th minute and D.C. played a man down the rest of the way.
The opening whistle was delayed about 45 minutes due to inclement weather.
The Crew honored Guillermo Barros Schelotto prior to the game. The forward, who was named the 2008 MLS Cup most valuable player while he helped Columbus with the MLS Cup championship, became the fourth player in club history to be enshrined as a member of the Crew Circle of Honor.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
recommended
Item 1 of 1
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Leagues Cup and Liga MX vs. MLS: A Q&A With Former Chivas Manager Óscar García Junyent
With a playing and coaching career that has spanned multiple decades and continents, Óscar Garciá Junyent provides insight into the growth of the Leagues Cup, and the increasingly intertwined fates between Liga MX and MLS. As the fifth edition of Leagues Cup is set to kick off, Major League Soccer and Liga MX are once again headed on a collision course, with a trophy, three coveted CONCACAF Champions Cup spots, and perhaps most importantly, bragging rights all up for grabs. Now in the third year of its expanded format, the tournament has not been without controversy. Fans remain divided over the Leagues Cup, with some embracing the cross-border competition, while others criticizing its structure and purpose. In response, organizers have made several changes to enhance the tournament's appeal, most notably reducing the number of participating teams from 47 to 36. All 18 Liga MX teams will participate once again, but instead of the entire MLS slate of clubs, the 18 sides that reached the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs qualified for the 2025 Leagues Cup. The only exception is expansion side San Diego FC, who replaces the Vancouver Whitecaps, as they are already in two other cup competitions this season. MLS clubs have won the last two titles, with Inter Miami CF lifting the trophy in 2023 and the Columbus Crew following suit in 2024. These back-to-back triumphs have fueled belief among fans that the skill gap between the leagues is narrowing, despite significant differences in player salaries. It raises questions: When will the most famous and storied Mexican teams like Club América or Chivas claim this trophy? Why is MLS now matching up toe-to-toe with clubs that have deeper pockets and tens of thousands of fans, sometimes outselling the home team in this tournament? To take a deeper dive into Leagues Cup and one of its most historic participants, I sat down for an interview in Spanish with former Chivas de Guadalajara head coach Óscar García Junyent. Oscar Garcia Junyent during his Chivas managerial tenure. (Photo by) García was brought into the Chivas fold ahead of the 2025 season, though his time at the helm was short as he and the club parted ways in March after 11 matches. The Barcelona native saw stints at FC Barcelona, Valencia, Espanyol, and Lleda as a player, and has had a well-traveled managerial career that has included stops at Brighton and Hove Albion, Red Bull Salzburg, Saint-Etienne, and Celta Vigo. Though García's time with Chivas ended before a Leagues Cup campaign, he provided valuable insight into what makes the club a unique and storied presence in international competition. Interview originally in Spanish, translated to English. What are your thoughts about Leagues Cup, and did Chivas put pressure on you as the head coach to win this tournament? Óscar García Junyent: I thought it was a very interesting competition because we're also going to CONCACAF, but getting the chance to play against teams from another country is a big motivation. For the players, it changes the mindset a bit — it's not just about facing Mexican teams. And of course, when you're at Chivas, there's always the pressure of wanting to win every match or feeling like you have to win every match. As Leagues Cup continues to bridge the gap between MLS and Liga MX, cross-league transfers have started to rise. Players like Cade Cowell, Mateusz Bogusz, Brandon Vázquez, and Chicho Arango have all gone back and forth between the two leagues. With more opportunities to assess talent firsthand, it's not a stretch to say this trend will continue. Chivas, of course, operates under a unique transfer policy — signing only Mexican players. With all this in mind, I wanted to get insight into the club's strategy when looking north of the border for talent. Cade Cowell is one of the more notable MLS-to-Liga-MX transfers in recent years. () Would you look for a transfer in MLS? Well, we always kept an eye on MLS. When you're at Chivas, you have to focus only on Mexican players, but if there was a really interesting Mexican player in MLS, then yes, you'd look there to find talent. On a technical level, CONCACAF has players who are very skilled, and some could even play in Europe — in fact, some already are. Where do you think MLS currently stands compared to Liga MX, and do you think CONCACAF teams took the Club World Cup seriously? I don't think MLS is that far behind Liga MX. It's true that the Mexican league has been able to sign some very good European players. People who follow Liga MX know it's a league with a high level of quality. But I believe MLS is taking steps to get closer and closer to the best leagues in the world. I think in the Club World Cup, the [CONCACAF] teams took it seriously, Monterrey [and Miami] went pretty far in the tournament, it's just the level of quality is a different one. How soon will we see you back on the sidelines? Is there a chance you'll be coaching in the Leagues Cup soon? Well, I'm waiting for a good opportunity. I'm not going to coach just to coach. I was offered some interesting projects, but I ended up believing it wasn't the perfect fit. — While García may not have had the chance to manage in Leagues Cup just yet, his perspective underscores the tournament's growing strategic value within Liga MX — particularly when it comes to transfers and evaluating talent. Whether it's scouting players, chasing silverware, or highlighting the region's growth on a global stage, it's clear that Leagues Cup is becoming more than just a summer showcase; it's a legitimate proving ground for North America's best. Follow Favian Renkel on X and Instagram.
Hamilton Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
MLS commissioner discusses season shift, Messi absence before All-Star game
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber says the league continues to look at shifting to a fall-to-spring season, saying he'd 'rather get it right and take our time than get it wrong and do it quick.' Garber spoke before Wednesday night's MLS All-Star game in Austin, Texas. He also spoke about the league's Apple TV streaming deal and the sale of the Vancouver Whitecaps in his state of the league address before the game. While he was peppered with questions about the calendar, looming large over the match between MLS and Liga MX All-Stars was the absence of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi. Currently MLS plays a spring-to-late fall season. A shift to align the league with its international counterparts would make MLS teams more competitive in the player transfer market, while also freeing up players for national team duty during the summer, when many major global tournaments take place. But there are obvious challenges, like weather. 'Making this change is seismic. It's not something we should do lightly. We obviously have teams across multiple climate zones, multiple time zones, unlike any other league in the world, and if we do make the change, we're not going to go back on that decision,' Garber said. The MLS Board of Governors announced in April that it was giving further consideration to the shift, but gave no timeline. Garber suggested there would be an announcement by the end of the year. Messi Suspension? Garber declined to say whether Messi or Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba would face suspension for missing the All-Star game, as league rules have dictated in the past. Miami's next match is Saturday against FC Cincinnati in Fort Lauderdale. Whitecaps Sale The Whitecaps announced in December that the team was for sale. Greg Kerfoot has been owner of the club since 2002, when it was part of the North American Soccer League. Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash joined Kerfoot in 2008, and the Whitecaps became part of MLS in 2011. Garber said there are no plans to move the club, although the Whitecaps need a new stadium. Currently, Vancouver plays at the multi-purpose BC Place, which is also the home of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Apple Deal As for the league's streaming deal with Apple, Garber said MLS is working with the company to provide fans greater access. Distribution through cable and satellite services this season has helped. Metrics for viewership have been hard to come by because there's no system to determine exactly how people are 'viewing and consuming' games via a subscription service, Garber said. But he revealed that there have been 120,000 unique viewers per match and vowed greater transparency going forward. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MLS commissioner discusses season shift, Messi absence before All-Star game
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber says the league continues to look at shifting to a fall-to-spring season, saying he'd 'rather get it right and take our time than get it wrong and do it quick.' Garber spoke before Wednesday night's MLS All-Star game in Austin, Texas. He also spoke about the league's Apple TV streaming deal and the sale of the Vancouver Whitecaps in his state of the league address before the game. While he was peppered with questions about the calendar, looming large over the match between MLS and Liga MX All-Stars was the absence of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi. Currently MLS plays a spring-to-late fall season. A shift to align the league with its international counterparts would make MLS teams more competitive in the player transfer market, while also freeing up players for national team duty during the summer, when many major global tournaments take place. But there are obvious challenges, like weather. 'Making this change is seismic. It's not something we should do lightly. We obviously have teams across multiple climate zones, multiple time zones, unlike any other league in the world, and if we do make the change, we're not going to go back on that decision," Garber said. The MLS Board of Governors announced in April that it was giving further consideration to the shift, but gave no timeline. Garber suggested there would be an announcement by the end of the year. Messi Suspension? Garber declined to say whether Messi or Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba would face suspension for missing the All-Star game, as league rules have dictated in the past. Miami's next match is Saturday against FC Cincinnati in Fort Lauderdale. Whitecaps Sale The Whitecaps announced in December that the team was for sale. Greg Kerfoot has been owner of the club since 2002, when it was part of the North American Soccer League. Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash joined Kerfoot in 2008, and the Whitecaps became part of MLS in 2011. Garber said there are no plans to move the club, although the Whitecaps need a new stadium. Currently, Vancouver plays at the multi-purpose BC Place, which is also the home of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Apple Deal As for the league's streaming deal with Apple, Garber said MLS is working with the company to provide fans greater access. Distribution through cable and satellite services this season has helped. Metrics for viewership have been hard to come by because there's no system to determine exactly how people are 'viewing and consuming' games via a subscription service, Garber said. But he revealed that there have been 120,000 unique viewers per match and vowed greater transparency going forward. ___ AP soccer:
