D.C. United, the New England Revolution and Houston Dynamo -- all clinched berths in the MLS Cup Playoffs while a fourth is tantalizingly close after Week 24 in Major League Soccer came to a close over the weekend.
D.C. United became the first to secure a spot in the MLS postseason at midweek when they defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1 at home. Then over the weekend, the Revolution's 4-2 victory against FC Dallas and Dynamo's 3-1 victory at the Los Angeles Galaxy, combined with the Kansas City Wizards' dramatic 3-2 win against the Columbus Crew and Chivas USA's 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids, assured those two teams of places in the final eight. Chivas USA is on the brink, as they can do no worse than tie for the final spot.
Also over the weekend, the Chicago Fire maintained their hold on eighth place in the MLS overall standings after twice coming back for a 2-2 draw with the visiting New York Red Bulls, and Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake played to a scoreless draw in Toronto as the home side's goalless drought continued.
At Gillette Stadium, the Revolution were looking to get back on track after a 4-2 loss to D.C. United that left them seven points behind the MLS overall leaders by the beginning of the weekend. FC Dallas had rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 2-0 win against Toronto FC their last time out.
Khano Smith had been dangerous from the start for the Revolution, and in the 29th minute he whipped in a low cross from the left flank that Pat Noonan turned home at the near post with a flick of the outside of his right boot. But FC Dallas pulled level just six minutes later. Dax McCarty swung in a high free kick from well out on the right, and Carlos Ruiz acrobatically rose up at the far post to loop a header back into the goal.
After the break, the Revolution put the game away. Noonan grabbed his second in the 65th minute, finishing off a lovely short-passing movement. Steve Ralston took over from Jeff Larentowicz in the area and pulled back a quick pass for Noonan, who hooked it home for his sixth goal on the year, the goals his first since Aug. 2.
Then in the 78th minute, FCD 'keeper Dario Sala couldn't hold Andy Dorman's rolling cross from the left, and Taylor Twellman found Ralston on the doorstep, who finally prodded the ball over the line on the second attempt after Sala blocked the first.
The Hoops pulled a goal back in the 84th minute when Ruiz powered home a header from a Dominic Oduro cross on the right, but Smith scored a deserved goal for his work on the night in the 90th minute, lashing home a right-footed drive from well outside the area that beat Sala inside his right-hand post.
At The Home Depot Center, Dynamo came in riding a four-game unbeaten streak but out of first place in the Western Conference for the first time in months, while the Galaxy were coming off a Thursday 3-0 loss in the Super Clasico to Chivas USA, their seventh reverse in eight matches.
The teams traded goals from corner kicks midway through the first half. Richard Mulrooney swung one in from the left that was nodded on on its way through the mixer, and Ryan Cochrane slipped it at the back post to knock it first-time into the roof of the goal (21). It was just his second career goal in MLS. But five minutes later the Galaxy pulled level when Alan Gordon shook his marker and snapped home Landon Donovan's service with a free header.
Barely seconds into the second half, Dynamo regained the lead. From the kickoff, the ball went into the right corner, and Brian Mullan nicked it away from Mike Randolph before slipping into the area. Mullan was pulled down by the young Galaxy fullback, and Dwayne De Rosario duly converted the resulting penalty kick.
Dynamo finished off the win in the 73rd minute by punishing another mistake. Ricardo Clark and De Rosario tried to play a neat one-two at the top of the Galaxy area, and as the ball slipped behind the two Galaxy defenders, both held up, allowing Clark to sneak behind them and slap home a low shot.
At Arrowhead Stadium, both teams came in needing a victory to provide some assurance for their playoff futures. The Wizards were in a better spot, still seventh overall, but with just one win in their last six games, while the Crew hadn't won in six games, falling out of the top eight as a result.
The Wizards took the lead in the 31st minute through some free kick mastery. Clipped down beyond the left corner of the area, Scott Sealy curled the resulting free kick over the wall and high inside the near post for a terrific opener.
But the Crew came out flying after the break and scored twice in three minutes to take the lead. In the 65th minute, an Eddie Gaven shot from inside the area was knocked down by a diving Kevin Hartman, but Alejandro Moreno was there to bundle the ball home for his fifth goal on the year.
Then in the 67th minute, a corner came in from the right, and Marcos Gonzalez headed it back across goal to the right-hand post, where Andy Herron flew in to side-foot home a close-range volley.
That set the stage for a remarkable comeback. Into stoppage time, Kerry Zavagnin fell over Stefani Miglioranzi's challenge in the area, and Eddie Johnson scored the leveller from the spot -- though only after it hit the inside of the post and just crossed the line. Then not a minute later, freed on the right, Eloy Colombano drove in a cross and Sealy laid himself out for a header at the near post, beating Crew 'keeper Will Hesmer for the winner.
It was just the third time in MLS history a team had come from behind after trailing at the 90-minute mark with the winning goals in stoppage time.
At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Chivas USA came in riding a six-game unbeaten streak after their Super Clasico win three days earlier, and in first place at the latest point ever in the season. The Rapids had also been hot of late, seeing their four-game unbeaten streak put to an end the weekend before by the LA Galaxy.
The game took a dramatic turn just 13 minutes in. Laurent Merlin escaped behind the Colorado backline and was running free toward goal. Rapids center back Facundo Erpen chased him down, and just as he reached the area, pushed over the Chivas striker. Referee Richard Heron showed Erpen a straight red card and awarded Chivas a penalty kick, which was then easily finished by Sacha Kljestan.
The match was then twice delayed by weather -- first adding about 17 minutes to the halftime break, then for some 42 minutes at the 70-minute mark. And after the second delay, still down a man and a goal, the Rapids came out flying.
They found the equalizer just six minutes after the resumption. Terry Cooke found Conor Casey on the right, and he slid a square pass to Colin Clark across the edge of the area. Clark's first touch split a pair of Chivas defenders and he raced to collect the ball deep in the area, chipping it over the on-rushing Brad Guzan for his second goal.
At Toyota Park, the Fire found themselves still in eighth place overall after alternating wins and losses over the last five games, while the Red Bulls had lost three of their last four games -- all on the road.
But it was the visitors who took a 10th-minute lead. A corner came in from the right and was half-cleared, corralled by Dave van den Bergh just outside the area. He lashed home a skimming shot that took one deflection then bounced off Fire defender Diego Gutierrez as he tried to clear from the goalmouth, bouncing into the corner of the goal as Matt Pickens continued to dive the other way.
The Fire pulled level in the 54th minute. Cuauhtemoc Blanco wriggled free on the right and bent in a cross for the back post, where Chris Leitch had impeded Chad Barrett on his run to goal, and the penalty was given. Blanco banged home the 12-yard kick for his third goal since coming to MLS.
Fifteen minutes the Red Bulls leveled terms through their own penalty kick. A corner came in from the left and, inexplicably, Fire defender Wilman Conde reached up and slapped it away. He was shown a red card by referee Baldomero Toledo, and Juan Pablo Angel converted from the spot for the 15th goal of his first MLS season.
Yet down a man, the Fire pulled back level barely a minute later. From a free kick out on the right, Blanco swung his service into the mixer where Gonzalo Segares got up to send a glancing header inside the left-hand post and leave honors even on the night.
At BMO Field, the losing streak had reached four, and the unbeaten streak nine, as Toronto FC were still looking for a first goal since July 7. Real Salt Lake had once again lost back-to-back matches after winning consecutive games for the first time all year, after their midweek loss at D.C. United.
In the 34th minute, a fracas ensued and changed the game. Aggrieved by what he felt was a hard tackle from Marvell Wynne, RSL midfielder Fabian Espindola charged at the TFC fullback, and after the resulting contact was sent off by referee Tim Weyland.
Toronto FC dominated the match from there out. They set new team highs for shots (24) and shots on goal, as RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando made 12 saves, but still couldn't find a way to the back of the net. The club's MLS-record scoreless streak now stands at 822 minutes.
