With the international break drawing plenty of MLS players away from their side, there were only five games on the league schedule this weekend. Fourteen teams had the weekend off, allowing them time to assess where they stood after the first three weeks of an already wild MLS season. For the other 10 teams, there was no such break, and those teams had to deal with international absences and red cards.

FC Dallas set out with a starting XI that included five homegrown players, the fourth time they accomplished that feat. No to be outdone later on in the evening, Real Salt Lake, decimated by international absences and red card absences after last week’s shellacking against D.C. United, set a league record by starting six homegrown players in the their visit to Los Angeles. 

Here’s a rundown of what happened around the league this weekend. 

New England Revolution 0 - 2 FC Cincinnati 

Remember when Cincinnati made their MLS debut and were blown out of the water by the Seattle Sounders? If you don’t, it’s because Alan Koch has quickly turned things around in the Queen City, and has the MLS newbies tied atop the Eastern Conference with seven points. 

In the only game on Sunday, Cincinnati picked up goals from Kaketu Manneh and Kenny Saief to win their second game in a row. The previous weekend, FCC took down the Portland Timbers 3-0 at Nippert Stadium. Four points from their first three away games, including a point against Atlanta United, has the expansion side in a much better position early on than most expected.

Meanwhile, the Revs have now lost three of their first four and sit in last place in the East in Brad Friedel’s second year in charge. Things will have change quickly at Gillette Stadium, as the Revs have unfortunately picked up where they left off in 2018.

New York Red Bulls 0 - 1 Orlando City

Cincy’s win might have been the biggest of the weekend, but the most shocking result was undoubtedly the Lions’ win at Red Bull Arena. A week after a poor performance at home against the Montreal Impact, the outlook didn’t look great for Orlando against RBNY. But Sacha Kljestan, who was traded away from the Red Bulls after the 2017 season, popped up to score the only goal of the game, giving the visitors their first win of the season.

There’s still a lot of figuring out to do in Florida for James O’Connor’s side, but a win on the road will be a much needed boost to their morale. And it wasn’t a great night for the Red Bulls, but even the defending Supporters’ Shield winners are allowed to have a night off. 

Philadelphia Union 3 - 0 Columbus Crew

David Accam revealed after the game that he had been dealing with the recent passing of his father. That’s never an easy part of life, but the Ghanaian was able to perform on the field on Saturday night, scoring twice to help Philly pick up their first win of the season. After a big move from Chicago to the Union before the 2018 season, Accam had a disappointing campaign, registering one goal and zero assists in 23 appearances.

That was a far cry from his stellar 2017, when he scored 14 and added eight helpers for Chicago. Philly still put up a team record for points last year without much contribution from Accam. If they can keep him playing well, with the addition of Marco Fabian, then the Union might be able to set their sights higher. 

Los Angeles FC 2 - 1 Real Salt Lake

If you haven’t watched Walker Zimmerman’s stoppage-time winner yet, do yourself a favor and check out the goal below. For a defender to slice the ball away from Nick Rimando like that is a thing of beauty.

A late stunner from the central defender! ?

Sensational, @thewalkerzim. #LAFCvRSL https://t.co/KVLwjeB8fQ

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 24, 2019

After shocking LAFC in the playoffs last year, RSL, with their six homegrown players, almost pulled off a positive result once again. Nick Rimando, a week after conceding five against D.C. United, stood on his head in a losing effort. Damir Kreilach scored from the penalty spot for the visitors, but Diego Rossi netted an equalizer shortly after in the first half on a broken play. Bob Bradley’s team is undefeated after four games, the only team in the league with double digits in points, with 10. 

Mike Petke will be disappointed by the end result, but will surely be happy with how his makeshift squad battled for 90 minutes, and nearly took a point home. RSL should be able to field a much more normal-looking starting 11 next weekend, as they look to stop their two-game losing streak.

FC Dallas 2 -1 Colorado Rapids

With the win over Colorado, FCD have now won two of Luchi Gonzalez’s first four games in charge. It wasn’t a pretty affair at home against their Western Conference foes, with Ryan Hollingshead netting a late winner on a rebound. But a win is a win, and the continued development of Paxton Pomykal is a story to watch throughout the season. And any time a team can start five homegrown players, and bring on a sixth, it’s a good result.

On the other hand, Colorado could have left Frisco with a point, but are still looking for their first win of the season. There have been improvements in Anthony Hudson’s side from last year, but the results aren’t just quite there yet for the Rapids. Two points from four games have them already on the wrong side of the red line, but if this team can figure out how to win or take points from the road, they can challenge for a playoff spot this year.