The New England Revolution and Kansas City Wizards tried to gain a little separation in the Eastern Conference in advance of their upcoming home-and-home series, each coming away with dramatic late victories to highlight an abbreviated Week 17 in Major League Soccer.
Just four games were on the docket for the weekend with the inaugural SuperLiga also in full swing, and all had real implications on the tight race in the East. The Revolution got a late freekick goal from Jeff Larentowicz to knock off Real Salt Lake 2-1, while the Wizards got an 89th-minute goal from Yura Movsisyan for a 3-2 home win against Chivas USA.
The Chicago Fire moved out of the basement in the division with an impressive 3-0 win against Toronto FC in Ontario, while on Thursday, Chivas USA recorded a rare road victory to knock the New York Red Bulls out of the East lead with a 2-0 victory.
At Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, the Revolution had won just twice in seven games yet still were atop the Eastern Conference after their thrilling 3-3 top-of-the-table clash with Houston Dynamo the weekend before, while Real Salt Lake had lost five of their last six, but were coming off a pair of impressive outings in international friendlies.
The Revolution took the lead six minutes before halftime. Larentowicz swung in a high ball from midfield, and Taylor Twellman got up inside the D to head it down to his left, where Pat Noonan came rushing into the area. Noonan ran at the post and slashed to his left before cutting back a rising blast inside the near stick.
Real pulled level from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute. Kyle Brown slipped a square pass to Kyle Beckerman, and as he tried to push through into the area he was tripped up, and referee Michael Kennedy awarded the spot kick. Carey Talley hit a perfect shot, just inside the left post past Matt Reis' dive for the leveler.
But 10 minutes later the Revolution regained the lead through a terrific free kick. After Talley had tripped up Noonan just beyond the arc, Larentowicz hammered a rising drive past the left side of the wall and inside the post for his second goal of the year and the game-winner.
At Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, the Wizards had won just once in their last eight games, while Chivas USA were coming off just the fifth road victory in the club's history, but already the second this season, three nights earlier at New York.
The visitors took the lead in the 17th minute when Ante Razov found Jonathan Bornstein cutting into the area from the left. Stopped momentarily by Jack Jewsbury and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, well off his line, Bornstein reached behind himself as the ball popped up and hooked a shot underneath Hartman for his first goal on the campaign.
Six minutes later the Wizards had a glorious chance to pull level when Davy Arnaud was tripped up driving into the box, but Brad Guzan saved Carlos Marinelli's penalty kick with ease. But the Wizards still drew level on 38 minutes through a stunning goal, a wicked strike by Kerry Zavagnin from all of 30 yards that whistled narrowly inside the angle of crossbar and post.
Arnaud nosed Kansas City in front after the break when his free kick from the left flank skipped past a lunging Jimmy Conrad in the goalmouth and a static Guzan, finding its way inside the far side netting (53). But it took Chivas just two minutes to recover, as John Cunliffe took a pass in the penalty area and curled a left-footed effort around Hartman and into the back of the net.
In the 89th minute, Movsisyan gave the Wizards a fortunate winner. Retrieving a pass on the left, he was able to run at the Chivas defense before lashing a shot from the left corner of the box that took a slight deflection and looped over Guzan inside the far post for his fifth goal on the year.
At BMO Field, Toronto FC were home again for the first time after six games on the road, winning one and drawing three on their travels. They were entertaining a Chicago Fire team that was winless in their last six games and had won just once since the start of May.
It was Cuauhtemoc Blanco's league debut for the Fire, and he left his imprint on the game. In the 37th minute, Blanco stood on the ball before lofting a wonderful pass for a perfectly timed run by Ivan Guerrero down the left flank, and the Honduran controlled the ball in the box before whistling a drive over 18-year-old emergency goalkeeper David Monsalve for the opener.
The Fire doubled the lead in the 58th minute, as Blanco was steaming forward but played a dummy on a pass from the left. It found Calen Carr at the edge of the area, who avoided no fewer than three TFC defenders diving in and hit a shot that deflected off two more players before dropping into the goal.
Chicago finished off the rout in the 75th minute. Chris Armas played a free kick over the top and Chad Barrett ran onto it with no TFC defenders around. He sent a low cross to the back post where Floyd Franks came racing in to tap home for his first professional goal.
At Giants Stadium on Thursday, Chivas were beginning a two-game stretch in four days against Eastern Conference opposition while the Red Bulls had won twice in their last seven games, yet were still tied for the lead in the Eastern Conference.
Chivas USA took the lead in the 38th minute through Ante Razov. Maykel Galindo was given time to run at Seth Stammler on the right, and just as he entered the area he whipped in a quick cross where Razov snuck between two defenders and snapped home a bullet header inside the right-hand post.
Three minutes from the end, Chivas doubled their lead through local boy Sacha Kljestan. Winning the ball in midfield, Kljestan played quickly to Razov, whose first-team return pass over the Red Bulls back line freed Kljestan. He raced in alone before sliding a shot just under Jon Conway's left side from the top of the area.
Before that, the Red Bulls had their chances and could have drawn level on a few occasions. Juan Pablo Angel saw a header graze the outside of the post in the first half, and early in the second, Jozy Altidore turned a shot off the bar. Angel nearly grabbed a consolation goal in stoppage time, but his looping header from a corner was headed off the line by Rodrigo Lopez.
