Landon Donovan's hat trick lighting up the SuperClasico, Amado Guevara propelling Toronto FC into history, Will Hesmer backstopping the Columbus Crew to the top of the league -- highlighting Week 5 of the 2008 Major League Soccer season.
Donovan took a commanding lead in the MLS Golden Boot race with his hat trick, leading the Los Angeles Galaxy to a resounding 5-2 victory against Chivas USA in the first SuperClasico match of the campaign. Guevara scored both of the game's goals as Toronto FC won for a record third consecutive time, defeating the Kansas City Wizards, and Hesmer recorded his second clean sheet of the season as the Crew moved to the top of the MLS overall table after their 1-0 win against defending champion Houston Dynamo.
D.C. United rebounded from a two-game losing streak with an impressive 4-1 win against Real Salt Lake -- punctuated by a world-class goal from Marcelo Gallardo, while the New England Revolution also put the brakes on a winless skid in a 1-0 win at FC Dallas. The Chicago Fire maintained their impressive early-season form with a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids, and the New York Red Bulls returned to their winning ways with a 2-0 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes.
At The Home Depot Center, both teams came into the first SuperClasico game of the season off somewhat rocky starts, each with two losses among their four matches played and both near the bottom of the league's defensive performances.
In front of the usual pitched atmosphere in Carson, Donovan set the game alight with his 18th-minute opener. Latching on to a half-clearance, he popped the ball up with his right foot and lashed home a volley with his left from outside the area. But Sacha Kljestan pulled Chivas level in the 38th minute with another wonderful goal, running at a Galaxy defender on the right before hooking a masterful effort inside the right-hand post.
After the break, the game exploded. Donovan scored his second and put the Galaxy back into the lead in the 59th minute, snatching a Mike Randolph cross that Claudio Suarez couldn't clear and putting it home from the spot on the half-turn. But Chivas were again level just three minutes later, Ante Razov netting his first of the year after a corner took a deflection right to him in the box.
The Galaxy then scored three goals in a nine-minute span to put the game away. A cross was knocked straight up in the area, and Alan Gordon outjumped the punch attempt of Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan to loop home the third (76). A minute later Donovan finished off his hat trick in style -- a long ball from behind midfield chested down by Gordon for Donovan to drive inside the left-hand post for his eighth goal on the campaign.
Gordon then sent the blue-and-yellow side of Victoria Street into rapture with his second after coming off the bench, tapping home from close range after Donovan relayed a David Beckham pullback from the right side toward the far post.
At BMO Field, Toronto FC came into the match having won back-to-back games for just the second time ever, while the Kansas City Wizards had started their six-game road swing with a victory in Chicago the weekend before.
Guevara had made an impact in his first two games with TFC, wins against the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, and the Honduran international was the hero yet again. In the 56th minute, Marvell Wynne set off on a mazy run down the right, though he was stopped in the K.C. penalty area. But an attempted clearance bounced off one defender and back toward the Wizards goal -- right to Guevara, who turned it home while all alone in front of goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.
If there was some question about the first goal, there was none about the second. After a foul set up a free kick some 20 yards straight out from goal, Guevara curled the ball perfectly over the bar and off the inside of the left-hand post, the second goal in as many matches directly from a free kick for TFC.
It was the first time in Toronto FC club history a player had scored twice in one match and it led to the first three-game winning streak in club history. In the inaugural season for the Reds, they didn't win their third game until June 2.
At Crew Stadium, the Crew were returning home after winning a second in a row while the Houston Dynamo were simply looking for their first victory, three draws having followed a season-opening loss as they began defense of their back-to-back titles.
The game's lone goal came in the 22nd minute. A corner was driven in from the left and Chad Marshall steamed in, powering a header on goal. It was blocked by Dynamo defender Patrick Ianni on the line, but Alejandro Moreno was finally able to push the rebound into the net for his third goal in as many games and fourth on the season.
Hesmer made six saves in defense of the shutout, including a spectacular diving stop at full stretch to his right, stopping a rising bid from outside the area from Wade Barrett in the 89th minute.
At RFK Stadium, United were looking to reverse a two-game losing streak -- that started in a 4-0 thrashing by Real in Utah -- while RSL were aiming to finish off a two-game road trip with a win after falling in Toronto the week before.
Jaime Moreno scored from the penalty spot on either side of halftime to send United on their way. In the 31st minute, Marc Burch tried to put in a cross from the left and the ball struck the outstretched arm of Dema Kovalenko as he slid to try and cut it out. Moreno converted with the cheekiest of efforts, stabbing the ball with his toe and floating it into the center of the goal as RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando dove to his left.
Moreno converted in the 52th minute after Luciano Emilio went down after bursting into the area through the combined challenges of Chris Wingert and Carey Talley. Moreno this time drove his spot kick into the upper left corner, adding to his MLS all-time goal-scoring lead with the 35th penalty kick of his MLS career.
United then put the game away with a pair of superlative goals. In the 67th minute, Moreno hit an inch-perfect lob to the right post where Santino Quaranta came in to volley it home with a side-foot.
Real pulled a goal back in the 77th minute when Talley bundled home a corner flicked on by Tony Beltran at the near post, but United saved the best for last. Burch flighted a high cross from the left and Marcelo Gallardo picked it out of midair with a full instep volley from a tight angle that thundered over Rimando and defender Nat Borchers into the roof of the goal.
At Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas came into MLS Primetime Thursday as the league's only unbeaten team remaining, while the Revolution has suffered through an injury-plagued beginning with just one win in their last four matches.
But New England started to carry the match over the second 45 minutes after finally went ahead 18 minutes from the end. Khano Smith chased down a bouncing ball near the touchline, quickly turned to escape his marker and raced forward to the area, striking a low, right-footed shot inside the far post for the game's only goal.
At Toyota Park, the Fire had seen their unbeaten start to the year come to an end the weekend before in a loss to Kansas City, while the Rapids had followed wins with losses over the first four weeks of the season.
After a quiet first half, the game burst into life following the break. Cuauhtemoc Blanco found Tomasz Frankowski on the left, and while the cross from the Polish international took a deflection, it rebounded straight out from goal where John Thorrington came racing in to screw it inside the right-hand post for the 53rd-minute opener.
Six minutes from the end, the Fire doubled their lead -- again through Thorrington. This time Justin Mapp went on a surging run down the left, leading defenders in his wake before driving a low cross into the heart of the box for Thorrington to put first-time high into the goal.
There were some anxious moments ahead for the home side as Colorado halved the lead two minutes later. Christian Gomez's free kick from well out on the left slipped past the wall and Tom McManus was in behind, deflecting the ball home from close range for his first MLS goal. But it was as close as the Rapids got.
At Giants Stadium, the Red Bulls had followed a season-opening win with a loss and a draw, while the reborn Earthquakes were coming off their first victory since their return to the league, following a pair of losses.
Just it went it seemed as if the game might dissipate into a draw. Jozy Altidore took over. First, in the 79th minute, the 18-year-old went on a rampaging run at the Quakes defense and was tripped by Ryan Cochrane just after crossing into the area. Mike Magee stepped up and converted the resulting penalty, his first goal since since July 22, 2006.
Then Altidore sealed the win five into time added on. A long throw-in from the right was allowed to bounce around the San Jose area and Altidore was able to quickly bring it down and turn, putting a shot off the right-hand post and into the goal for his second on the season.
