but with mixed results -- to highlight Week 11 in Major League Soccer.
In the top-of-the-table clash in New Jersey, a late penalty gave the New York Red Bulls a 3-3 draw with the Kansas City Wizards -- after the visitors had overcome an early two-goal deficit. In Foxborough, Mass., the New England Revolution also took a big lead with three goals in the first 32 minutes -- only to be pegged back in a 3-3 draw with the Columbus Crew. And D.C. United also hit for three goals, but strolled to victory in extending their unbeaten streak with a 3-1 win against the Chicago Fire.
There were also goals by the bushel north of the border, where Toronto FC recorded a comprehensive 4-0 victory against FC Dallas -- which came in with the league's best record. The Los Angeles Galaxy also maintained the theme, getting their first victory in nearly two months in a 3-2 victory against still-winless Real Salt Lake. Only Chivas USA didn't hit for a big number, though they still eased to a 2-0 win at home against the Colorado Rapids.
At Giants Stadium, the teams were meeting for the second time in two weeks after the Wizards took over first place in the East with a 3-2 victory in K.C., though the Red Bulls had played twice in between to jump back into the conference lead.
After a quarter-hour, the Red Bulls were already two goals to the good. First, a deflected corner kick was pumped back in, and Juan Pablo Angel snapped home a powerful header at the back post (8). Then some neat work on the right between Dane Richards and Seth Stammler saw the rookie send in a rolling pass in front of goal where Clint Mathis came sliding in to prod it home.
But just before the break, the Wizards pulled a goal back when Carlos Marinelli stepped over the ball on the dribble and Kerry Zavagnin ripped a curling, dipping drive from well outside the area for his second goal this year.
Yura Movsisyan came on for Scott Sealy early in the second half and scored twice within nine minutes to nose the Wizards in front. First, Ryan Raybould drove in a low cross from the right corner and Movsisyan deflected inside the far side netting from the near post (70). Then the second-year Armenian-born striker ran onto a long ball played by Sasha Victorine from well inside the Wizards half, and sent an audacious chip over New York goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus from outside the box.
But a minute from time the Red Bulls got the equalizer. On a long cross from the left, Jose Burciaga, Jr., and John Wolyniec tangled while chasing the ball, and referee Abbey Okulaja pointed to the spot. Angel converted with ease for his ninth goal in seven MLS games, now one game away from tying the league record for consecutive games with a goal, having hit in six in a row.
At Gillette Stadium, the Revolution came into the game winless in their last two contests -- both at home -- while the Crew hadn't won in six games, including a pair of losses in a row.
The game exploded into life, with three goals in the first 17 minutes. After the Revolution went close a couple of times early, the Crew took the lead on the counter through Robbie Rogers in the ninth minute when he ran onto a ball played over the top by Ned Grabavoy and slotted home from inside the area.
It took New England just four minutes to pull level, as Adam Cristman ran onto a deflected free kick, raced past the Crew defense and hit a shot that took another deflection on its way to goal. Then it took the Revs just four minutes to pull in front. Andy Dorman lofted a ball over the Crew back line and Pat Noonan ran onto it, curling a shot around Columbus 'keeper Will Hesmer and inside the right-hand post for his first league goal since Sept. 9, 2006.
Yet in stoppage time before the break, the Crew got a goal back. A cross from Alejandro Moreno was neatly brought down by Grabavoy, and he fed Guillermo Barros Schelotto on his left, who sent a pinpoint strike home inside the right post for his first MLS goal.
The Crew then grabbed a share of the points with the leveler five minutes from the end. Freed on the right, Schelotto whipped in a cross that Moreno acrobatically dove forward to meet, twisting a header inside the post to the right of Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis for his second goal in as many games.
At RFK Stadium, United had won four of their last five while going unbeaten since opening the season with three consecutive losses, while the Fire had won just once since the start of May.
The Black-and-Red took advantage of some real errors to take a commanding lead by early in the second half. In just the sixth minute, Fred drove in a low cross from the left that Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens was unable to control on the short hop, and Rod Dyachenko blasted it into the goal from almost on the line for the simplest of finishes and his first professional goal.
In the 25th minute, Luciano Emilio was kept onside on a ball played over the Fire line by Christian Gomez, and as Pickens raced off his line, the Brazilian lobbed the ball over the 'keeper's head for his second goal in as many games. Then just after the break, Emilio added to his haul, Pickens again spilling a shot from Gomez and Emilio bundling it over the line with his body (51).
The Fire pulled a goal back three minutes later when a pass was filtered through for Jerson Monteiro, and after side-stepping Facundo Erpen, the Angolan-born rookie finished inside the left-hand post for his first professional goal.
At BMO Field, Toronto FC were returning to action after a 10-day layoff, with three wins and a draw in their last six games. FC Dallas came in to the back end of a fourth Thursday-Sunday double on the season holding more points but having played more games than the rest of the league.
The home side took control of the game with a pair of goals coming three minutes apart midway through the first half. A cross found Danny Dichio all alone in the area, but he was twice denied at point-blank range by FCD 'keeper Dario Sala. But on the second rebound, the ball squirted to Maurice Edu, and the No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick banged home his second goal (22).
Then Dichio claimed one for himself, rising up to head home a Carl Robinson free kick swung in from beyond the right corner of the penalty area.
Robinson then took a goal for himself in the 65th minute, getting onto the end of a Kevin Goldthwaite cross from the left touchline to sharply head home. Jeff Cunningham finished off the rout in stoppage time, a short corner finally played in after a couple of quick passes for the veteran striker to nod home for his second goal in as many games with TFC.
At The Home Depot Center on Sunday, the teams propping up the Western Conference came together, the Galaxy winless in five consecutive games while RSL was still looking for a first victory on the season after a gut-wrenching home loss four days earlier to FC Dallas.
It didn't take long for both teams to find the back of the net. In just the third minute, RSL defender Daniel Torres mis-hit a back pass, and Nate Jaqua raced in to claim it, knocking it slowly past 'keeper Nick Rimando. Torres raced back to clear it off the line, only to see it rebound off the post and back in front of goal where Jaqua forced it in for his first goal with Los Angeles.
Chris Brown pulled the visitors level just three minutes later, though, taking the ball outside the left of the area and skipping through three defenders in tight quarters on the edge of the box before beating Joe Cannon.
The Galaxy again pulled ahead in the 25th minute. Abel Xavier -- making his MLS and Galaxy debut -- knocked a long ball over the top and Edson Buddle steamed onto it, ripping a shot from right on the edge of the area past the dive of Nick Rimando for his first goal with the Galaxy, in his first game with the club.
A day after his 37th birthday, Cobi Jones hit for the eventual game-winner, side-footing home a Kyle Martino cross from the left flank from close range to make it 3-1 in the 65th minute. Eight minutes later RSL pulled a goal back when Brown scored his second of the game, heading home a Freddy Adu corner at the back post, but it wasn't enough.
At The Home Depot Center on Saturday, Chivas USA came in riding a two-game winning streak, unbeaten in four, while the Rapids had lost their last two matches.
Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan made a stunning save after a poor clearance left Herculez Gomez all alone in front of goal midway through the first half, and more Colorado misfortune gave the home side the lead just after the break.
Sacha Kljestan curled in a cross from the right and it skipped through the area, bounding off the chest of a retreating Terry Cooke at the far post and past Bouna Coundoul for the 49th-minute opener.
Then in the 63rd minute, a terrific through ball from Jesse Marsch freed Maykel Galindo behind the Rapids back line and he raced in clean on goal, sliding a shot under Coundoul from inside the area for his sixth goal on the campaign and third in the last four matches.
Opening the week on MLS Primetime Thursday, another dramatic late goal at Real Salt Lake gave FC Dallas a 1-0 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Both goalkeepers were put to the test. Nick Rimando was called upon to make five of his 10 saves in the first half, including three on Arturo Alvarez in short order midway through the period. FCD 'keeper Dario Sala made a terrific reaction save on Alecko Eskandarian after the break, and defender Chris Gbandi made a last-ditch dive to head away a cross with Chris Klein all alone at the back post.
The Hoops brought out a couple more saves by Rimando over the final minutes, but just when it seemed another scoreless draw was inevitable, Sala whacked a goal kick downfield and it was headed on by Marcelo Saragosa. Dominic Oduro held off a stumbling Jack Stewart, composed himself, waited for the right bounce in the area and lashed home a volley inside the far post for the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.
It was the third time in the last four games in Salt Lake City that FCD has snatched a result in stoppage time. In the season opener this year, Carlos Ruiz scored the equalizer two minutes into added time for a 2-2 draw. Almost exactly a year ago, on July 22, Abe Thompson got behind the Real defense for the game's only goal three minutes after the full 90 had expired.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
