[SUMMER OF SOCCER] Summer friendlies are no indicator of the absolute strength of the competing teams, but for one night at least MLS clubs showed they could play with some top-flight European opposition. The Columbus Crew beat Stoke City, 2-1, on late goals from homegrown players Aaron Horton and Ben Speas, the Colorado Rapids beat Swansea City by the same score, and three matches ended in draws after regulation. French champion Montpellier was the only foreign club to come out on top after 90 minutes, defeating Sporting Kansas City, 3-0.

--  The Rapids scored two early goals through Andre Akpan and Kamani Hill and held off Swansea, which got its lone goal when Jonathan de Guzman, younger brother of Julian de Guzman, scored on a free kick. Recent high school graduate Shane O'Neill made his professional debut for the Rapids. Swansea now heads to California to face the PDL's Ventura County Fusion and MLS's San Jose Earthquakes.

-- Summer signings Gaetan Charbonnier and Emanuel Herrera accounted for all three goals as Montpellier won in its first game on American soil. Charbonnier scored in the first half and the Chilean Herrera added two late goals to disappoint a SKC crowd of almost 15,000.

-- The Montreal Impact drew a record crowd of 19,225 spectators at Stade Saputo for its 1-1 tie with Lyon. The French club won the shootout, 4-2. Playing his first game in more than a month, top draft pick Andrew Wenger equalized for the Impact after Jeremy Pied had put Lyon ahead. Lyon heads to Red Bull Arena to face Montpellier Saturday in the Trophee des Champions.

-- Robbie Keane took on his old club as the Los Angeles Galaxy held visiting Tottenham to a 1-1 tie. Gareth Bale gave Spurs the lead in the 17th minute, while Brazilian defender David Junior Lopes equalized in the 28th minute. The game drew an announced crowd of 25,676.

-- The Portland Timbers rallied back on two occasions in the second-half on goals by Sebastian Rincon and Rodney Wallace to pull even with Aston Villa, 2-2, but the English Premier League club won the shootout, 5-4, before a sellout crowd of 20,438 at JELD-WEN Field.

July 24
LA Galaxy 1 Tottenham (England) 1
Sporting Kansas City 0 Montpellier (France) 3
Colorado Rapids 2 Swansea City (Wales) 1
Columbus Crew 2 Stoke City (England) 1
Montreal Impact 1 Lyon (France) 1
(Lyon wins 4-2 on penalties.)
Portland Timbers 2 Aston Villa (England) 2
(Aston Villa wins 5-4 on penalties.)