MLS

Javier "Chicharito" Hernández scored three goals in the opening 60 minutes as the Los Angeles Galaxy earned a 3-2 victory Sunday over the visiting New York Red Bulls to become the only two-win team in MLS two weeks into the season.

It was the second consecutive multi-goal game for Chicharito, who scored just two goals the entire 2020 season for the Galaxy.

Andrew Gutman and Cristian Cásseres Jr. scored goals for the Red Bulls, who are the only Eastern Conference team to lose each of their first two games.

Ezequiel Barco and Emerson Hyndman each had goals to lead host Atlanta United to a 3-1 victory over Chicago Fire FC on Saturday night.

After not scoring in its MLS opener last week against Orlando City and mustering only two goals in three matches overall, Atlanta United (1-0-1, 4 points) found its offensive spark in front of a 50-percent capacity crowd in its home opener.

Cade Cowell scored his first goal of the season and added an assist in his new role as a starting striker to lead the host San Jose Earthquakes to a 3-1 victory over FC Dallas on Saturday.

Oswaldo Alanís scored from the penalty spot and Cristian Espinoza added a second-half goal after missing a first-half penalty for the Earthquakes (1-1-0, 3 points), who won their first home opener since 2018.

It’s a situation we’ve all seen countless times: The visiting team, playing the role of underdog, takes an early lead in front of a charged crowd and spends the remainder of the match attempting to disrupt the rhythm of the game to secure the three points; the end justifies the means, no matter how it’s achieved.

But you’ve never seen it play out quite like last night’s MLS meeting between Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake at Allianz Field in Saint Paul. 

Friday night’s Sporting KC-Orlando City match had a little bit of everything for VAR haters, with three goals disallowed, two by the VAR. But VAR giveth and VAR taketh: An incredible Nani goal was initially ruled offside, but the VAR reversed the decision as the Portuguese star gave the visitors a 1-1 draw on Friday in Kansas City, Kansas. 

While the soccer world was turned upside down early this week with the announcement of the European Super League — and its impending demise — the non-soccer world has been glued to the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was filmed murdering George Floyd, a Black man, in broad daylight last year.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you're aware of the biggest disgrace in the history of this sport. 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced plans to create their own European Super League.

Fans, former players and others vehemently denounced the situation with some seeing the move as the beginning of the end for the sport.