the first player in the 12-year history of the league to do so -- leading the Wizards to a come-from-behind 3-2 home win against the New York Red Bulls. The win moved the Wizards past Bruce Arena's team to the top of the Eastern Conference, with the league's best record.
Defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo put an end to their three-game losing skid -- and continued their dominance over their in-state rivals -- coming back to claim a 2-1 victory against FC Dallas on Sunday to tighten the race in the Western Conference, while the Chicago Fire ended a five-game winless streak of their own on Sunday, holding on to defeat the Columbus Crew 3-2.
Also on Saturday, a short-handed Toronto FC won for the third time at their new home, a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids, while the Los Angeles Galaxy-D.C. United and New England Revolution-Real Salt Lake games both ended in scoreless draws.
At Arrowhead Stadium, the Wizards came into the game off a first victory in three games, a 4-3 victory at New England, paced by Johnson's first career hat trick. The Red Bulls had moved to the top of the East and the MLS overall table thanks to a pair of impressive shutout wins, defeating Columbus 4-0 and Chicago 3-0.
The Red Bulls took an early lead, thanks once again to Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel. Claudio Reyna flighted in a cross from the right side, and John Wolyniec flicked it on with a header. Angel came sliding in from behind and volleyed it home for his fourth league goal and fifth in all competitions since joining the Red Bulls in early May.
But the game changed in the 35th minute. Hassled in midfield by Kerry Zavagnin, Clint Mathis threw out his elbow trying to hold off the Kansas City defender, and referee Jair Marrufo immediately sent him off.
With the man advantage, the Wizards leveled the score almost immediately after the break. Michael Harrington dropped a ball in behind the Red Bulls defense and Johnson caught up with it first, looping a shot over New York 'keeper Jon Conway. Johnson then doubled the advantage in the 59th minute, after he calmly side-footed home a low, driven cross by Jose Burciaga Jr. from the left flank.
The seventh-year striker cemented his place in history in the 85th minute. On the counter, Sasha Victorine came forward before releasing Johnson between defenders with a classic through ball, and Johnson banged it home. It also gave him the league lead with nine goals on the campaign.
The Red Bulls still had some fight left, pulling a goal back just three minutes later. A clearance from a ball lofted into the area came out to Dema Kovalenko, and his long-range effort through the crowded goalmouth found its way into the back of the net, but New York couldn't find their way all the way back.
At Robertson Stadium, Dynamo had lost five of their last six games and scored just five goals on the season -- three in one game -- while FC Dallas saw a three-game winning run ended at Chivas USA the weekend before.
But it was the Hoops that took the lead in the 30th minute, finishing off a great tic-tac-toe passing sequence. Abe Thompson started it, finding Kenny Cooper, who played to Dax McCarty, who slipped in Thompson who had completed his run, and the second-year forward rolled his shot under Houston 'keeper Pat Onstad.
Yet Dynamo came storming back after the break. A poor clearance was intercepted by Brian Mullan and he found an unmarked Ricardo Clark in the area, who had plenty of time to turn and fire high inside the near post for the 51st-minute equalizer.
Then in the 67th minute, Clark took a pass in the center circle and released Joseph Ngwenya, who raced away from the pulled-up FCD back line and stroked a curling shot around Dario Sala inside the right-hand post.
There were tense moments for the home side after Onstad was sent off in the 78th minute when he took down FCD substitute Arturo Alvarez just outside the area after he raced in alone with an intercepted back pass. But Dynamo held on to remain perfect on their home ground against their Texas rivals, with four wins all-time in all competitions.
At Toyota Park, both teams were trying to forget May. The Fire came in after a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake that stopped a four-game losing run, while the Crew were on a four-game winless run of their own, with just one victory on the season.
Given his first career MLS start a week earlier, center back Jeff Curtin scored his first career goal to give the Fire a 25th-minute lead. Willian Oliveira whipped in a corner and Curtin came in at the back post to stoop low and nod home.
The Crew pulled level in the 38th minute through a set-piece of their own. Guillermo Barros Schelotto sent in a free kick from the left, and Duncan Oughton rose up to get just enough of his head on it to redirect it inside the far post. For Oughton, who missed the entirety of the 2004 season and nearly all of 2005 through injury, it was his first goal since 2004.
Oliveira then put the Fire back in front in the 61st minute, when his free kick from the left touchline somehow sailed untouched past a host of Crew defenders and sliding Fire attackers, leaving Andy Gruenebaum no chance as it tucked inside his left-hand post. The Fire were then left a man down when Curtin had another reason to remember his day -- getting sent off for the first time, in the 68th minute, for a second bookable offense.
Yet Chicago doubled the lead 10 minutes later through a remarkable goal. Oughton mis-hit a rebound attempt outside the area, and Chad Barrett collected the ball and raced away. Some 65 yards later -- with Crew striker Kei Kamara in hot pursuit the entire time, unable to even grab his jersey to pull him back -- Barrett slotted his shot past Gruenebaum for his first goal since April 21.
The Crew piled on the pressure with the manpower edge and pulled back a goal in the 84th minute, when a corner kick pinged around the box before getting swept to Chad Marshall, who hooked a shot high into the goal. But when Danny O'Rourke was sent off two minutes later it essentially ended the Columbus chances, though Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens was called upon for one late acrobatic stop of a Frankie Hejduk drive.
At BMO Field, Toronto FC had followed two wins with a loss and a draw, and were missing a host of players through international duty. The Rapids were unbeaten in four games and had won their last two outings on their travels.
In front of another lusty crowd at Exhibition Place, Danny Dichio put TFC in front in the ninth minute. Marvell Wynne did all the work on the right flank, turning the corner and skipping through two defenders before driving in a low ball that Dichio redirected home from close range.
The Canadian outfit doubled the lead in the 29th minute. A corner came in from the left and center back Andrew Boyens rose up to nod it home, the first career MLS goal for the man who won his first cap for New Zealand the week before.
The Rapids pulled a goal back just three minutes later. Conor Casey took the ball in midfield and slipped a ball for Herculez Gomez to run onto, and he sent an angled shot from the right side past MLS debutant Srdjan Djekanovic.
TFC was forced to play the final nine minutes a man down after Kevin Goldthwaite was sent off with a straight red by referee Steven DePiero for an off-the-ball incident, but Colorado could not find an equalizer.
At The Home Depot Center, D.C. United came to town riding a three-game winning streak and four-game unbeaten run, while the Galaxy were looking for their first win since April 28, winless in their last three.
The Galaxy were further hamstrung, as international duty and injuries left Frank Yallop with just 13 field players to call upon. But despite a somewhat untested lineup, the Galaxy held the majority of the play, though they failed to really test United 'keeper Troy Perkins, called upon to make just two saves on the night.
United did have some quality chances, the best falling to Fred in the first half, though he saw a sizzling shot bang off the post.
But they started to dry up and the Galaxy nearly grabbed the full three points late in the match when Cobi Jones had the ball in the area with Perkins off his line. But defender Bryan Namoff was able to clear away the chance.
At Gillette Stadium, the Revolution came into the match after having their seven-game unbeaten streak ended the weekend before in a 4-3 loss to Kansas City, while Real were still looking for their first victory on the campaign, though with three draws in four matches since Jason Kreis took over.
Yet after 90 minutes of near-domination by the Revolution, the teams shared the points. Nick Rimando was called upon to make 13 saves, just two away from the MLS record and the sixth such performance in MLS history -- matching the RSL club record, set when D.J. Countess made 13 saves in a 2-2 draw with San Jose in 2005.
RSL was forced to play a man down for the final eight minutes after Ritchie Kotschau was sent off mere seconds after coming on as a substitute. It was the second time in MLS history a player had been sent off within a minute of coming onto the field (and no starting player has ever been sent off in the first minute).
Four of Rimando's saves came over the final minutes, including one where Andy Williams slowed up a Jay Heaps attempt on the line before the RSL 'keeper claimed it, but the visitors' defense stood resolute for a second consecutive goalless draw.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
