who claimed the Supporters' Shield for the second consecutive year with the result, the first team ever to do so. The Fire are tied for seventh place in the overall standings with the Kansas City Wizards -- who will go into the final weekend for a third year in a row looking for a playoff spot after their 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls.
Two other teams kept their postseason dreams alive. The Colorado Rapids staged a dramatic 90th-minute comeback to claim a 2-1 victory against Chivas USA, and the Los Angeles Galaxy just kept rolling along, winning for a fifth game in a row in a 2-1 victory against Toronto FC.
Houston Dynamo guaranteed the Western Conference regular season title will come down to the final weekend after they defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Monday evening, and despite their 3-2 win against the New England Revolution on Saturday, the Columbus Crew will miss out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season.
At RFK Stadium, D.C. United came in riding a 12-game unbeaten streak and had clinched the Eastern Conference regular season title the weekend before -- meaning that the road to the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy will most certainly go through the nation's capital. The Fire were unbeaten in their last six games as they continued to cling to eighth place overall and the last spot in the playoffs.
D.C. United goalkeeper Troy Perkins was called upon to make a club season-high nine saves, eight during the first half when the Fire held the majority of the play.
But the best save of the night fell to Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens, who acrobatically tipped a fierce Christian Gomez blast over the bar midway through the half. The woodwork also saved the Fire in the first half when Guy-Roland Kpene lashed a snapshot that smacked the inside of the left post and sailed out the other side.
At Giants Stadium, the Wizards came into the game with just one win in their last seven games as they gamely tried to secure a place in the MLS postseason for the first time since 2005, while the Red Bulls were already secure in their place and matchup despite a five-game winless run.
All the goals came in a six-minute span midway through the first half. The Red Bulls pulled level in the 18th minute from the penalty spot. Dave van den Bergh's cross from the left side banged off Jose Burciaga Jr's arm, and referee Mark Geiger immediately awarded the penalty, which Juan Pablo Angel thumped home.
But three minutes the Wizards were level. Davy Arnaud swung in a free kick from the left touchline and Jack Jewsbury rose up to send a glancing header goalward for his second goal on the campaign.
Yet three minutes later, the Red Bulls had pulled back in front. Burciaga lost the ball on the turf and Dane Richards alerted latched onto it, racing free toward goal before sliding a centering pass that Angel tapped in for his 19th goal on the season.
New York goalkeeper Jon Conway then secured the full three points for the Red Bulls in the second half after Carlos Mendes hauled down Scott Sealy in the area and Geiger again called for a spot kick. But Conway dove to his right to stop Eddie Johnson's effort.
At The Home Depot Center on Sunday, the previous day's results had made it simple for the Colorado Rapids -- they needed to win to remain alive for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Chivas USA were riding an 11-game unbeaten streak -- and had yet to lose in a home match on the season.
In the first game for Chivas without Ante Razov, out for possibly the remainder of the year with a knee injury, it was a taut first half for both sides. But the game burst to life immediately after the break. John Cunliffe sent Maykel Galindo in alone behind the Rapids defense and when he pulled down by Brandon Prideaux, referee Alex Prus gave him his marching orders.
Down a man, though, the Rapids took the lead in the 64th minute. A corner kick was swung in from the right, and after bouncing off a few bodies in the goalmouth, Ugo Ihemelu banged it home from close range for his first goal on the season.
Chivas drew level in the 78th minute. Sacha Kljestan held the ball and chipped a perfect ball over the Rapids defense for Orlando Perez to run onto, and he ripped home a low shot from inside the area for his first goal since the 2003 season.
But somehow, the Rapids found the game-winner in the final minute of regulation time. A long clearance downfield reached Conor Casey on the left touchline, and after fighting off a defender, he turned the corner and raced at the near post. Drawing the 'keeper to him, he slid the ball across to the far post where Omar Cummings raced in to tap the ball into the empty net and keep Colorado's season alive.
At The Home Depot Center on Saturday, it was another in a string of must-win games for the Los Angeles Galaxy, who now controlled their own playoff destiny after winning four consecutive games. Toronto FC were already mathematically eliminated in their inaugural season.
The teams slogged through the opening 45 minutes before Gavin Glinton came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute. Within seconds, he was racing in behind the TFC defense to latch onto a through ball -- and when he was tripped up in the area by Marco Reda, referee Terry Vaughn sent him off. Landon Donovan stepped up to complete the maximum sanction by converting from the spot.
But in the 68th minute the Reds drew level. Chris Pozniak sent a long pass from the center circle, and after holding off a defender Collin Samuel hit a low drive from outside the box that beat Joe Cannon for his second goal on the season.
Yet the Galaxy would not be denied, and again it was a substitute who made a difference seconds after coming on. Donovan unlocked the TFC defense with a through ball on the right for Chris Klein, and he drove a low cross across the face of goal where Edson Buddle strolled in to knock into the goal, immediately after making his entrance, and the Galaxy were still alive.
At Rice-Eccles Stadium, Houston Dynamo had seen their six-game unbeaten streak put to an end in their last match, while Real Salt Lake had lost back-to-back games and were eliminated from playoff consideration for a third season.
After a quiet opening 45 minutes there were narrow misses at each end after the break. Yura Movsisyan hit the base of the post for RSL, and Stuart Holden saw his header tipped over the bar by a tremendous acrobatic leap from Nick Rimando in the Real goal.
Dynamo then took the lead in the 66th minute. From the right flank, Holden hit a seeming cross that instead sailed goalward and crossed up Rimando, and the RSL 'keeper was able only to get a hand to the ball as it sailed into the upper corner.
Six minutes later Dynamo went down a man when Eddie Robinson was sent off after Kyle Beckerman went down as he dribbled into the area on a near-breakaway. But referee Tim Weyland left the sides level in the 77th minute when he gave Movsisyan his marching orders after he tangled with Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
At Gillette Stadium, just one win in their last 10 games had left the Columbus Crew needing help if they were to get back to the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Revolution had seen their three-game unbeaten run come to an end the week before, meaning they would finish second in the Eastern Conference regardless.
The Revolution opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Steve Ralston, again in the central playmaking role, put in a corner from the right and Taylor Twellman was completely unmarked as he headed home for his 15th goal on the season. Then early in the second half, Twellman thundered a half-volley goalward that Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer tipped onto the bar.
But after the break, the Crew came to life, spurred by the halftime entrance of Guillermo Barros Schelotto. A Schelotto through ball was shot by Robbie Rogers, only to come off the post. But Eddie Gaven swooped in to knock home the rebound in the 61st minute.
Then in the 77th minute, Gaven turned the corner on the left before slipping a pass back for Stefani Miglioranzi, who side-footed home a full volley from the heart of the area. Yet Ralston pulled the Revolution back to even terms when he finished off a cool one-two with Shalrie Joseph in the right side of the area with an angled drive that settled inside the far post (83).
But Schelotto provided the game-winner three minutes later, collecting a pass from Miglioranzi out of midfield and lashing a shot past Reis from just outside the area. But it was too little, too late for the Crew, mathematically eliminated with the other results on the night.
At Pizza Hut Park on Thursday, neither goalkeeper was called upon to do much in a tight midfield struggle. FC Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse made his only save of the contest in the 16th minute on a shot by Sacha Kljestan. He was beaten once, in the 76th minute when Francisco Mendoza was sent in alone with a great through ball from Kljestan, but the linesman's flag went up for offside.
Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan was marginally busier, making five saves on the night, and he was also beaten in the final minute as Arturo Alvarez cut through the box from the right and lashed a quick shot toward the near post. But the ball came back off the face of the woodwork to secure the draw.
FC Dallas played the final nine minutes a man down after Bobby Rhine was sent off with a straight red card by referee Brian Hall after the two had a verbal confrontation at midfield when Alvarez was booked.
