all by shutout -- in a 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake.
Honors were shared in an Eastern Conference top-of-the-table clash, a wild finish leaving D.C. United and Toronto FC tied 3-3. Also in the East, the Chicago Fire remained unbeaten, but tied for the fifth consecutive game, ending in a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution.
The Houston Dynamo recorded their fourth shutout in succession, defeating FC Dallas 1-0 in the first meeting of that in-state rivalry this season, while the Los Angeles Galaxy extended their unbeaten run to six games, playing to a 1-1 draw with Seattle Sounders FC. The New York Red Bulls opened the weekend with their second victory on the season, a resounding 4-1 defeat of the San Jose Earthquakes.
At Crew Stadium, the Crew were off to the worst start of any defending champion, with two losses and five draws from the opening quarter of the season, while the Wizards were coming off a midweek 1-1 draw with D.C. United at home.
As they have done in each of their four home games this season, the Crew took a first-half lead. A neat series of passes in and around the Wizards penalty area seemed to have fizzled out when K.C. defender Jimmy Conrad knocked the ball away, but Emmanuel Ekpo came sliding in to stab the ball home for his second goal in as many weeks.
After the break, the Wizards pulled level when Claudio Lopez -- who came on as a halftime substitute -- swung in a free kick from the right flank that eluded everyone and bounced into the goal (51). But four minutes later, the Crew nosed back in front when Frankie Hejduk flighted a cross that slipped all the way to the back post where Guillermo Barros Schelotto headed home from almost on the goal line.
Twelve minutes from the end, Eddie Gaven put the Crew two goals ahead when he took a cross from Robbie Rogers from the left corner and side-footed home a first-time shot from the heart of the area, his first goal on the season. But the Wizards pulled one back barely a minute later, Josh Wolff flashing in to head home a Jack Jewsbury cross for the second time in as many games, yet Kansas City could get no closer.
At The Home Depot Center, Chivas USA had recorded back-to-back shutout victories after suffering their lone loss on the campaign, while Real Salt Lake were back on the road after seeing their perfect home record ended at midweek in a wild, late 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy.
The game's lone goal came in the 54th minute. A half-cleared cross was headed backward by Sacha Kljestan, and Paulo Nagamura ran onto it to hammer home a rasping drive from outside the box for his third goal on the campaign.
Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton made six saves for the match, including a stellar stop of Javier Morales in the second half, for his sixth clean sheet on the season in keeping RSL winless and goalless on the road in league play this season.
At RFK Stadium, both teams were coming off midweek encounters. United had extended their unbeaten streak to four games with a draw in Kansas City, while TFC, riding a three-game league undefeated run of their own, opened their Canadian Championship campaign with a home win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
United opened the scoring in the ninth minute as Ange N'Silu scored his first MLS goal, latching on to a loose ball from a mis-hit Rodney Wallace shot and stabbing home a shot past TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
After the break, the game exploded to life. Toronto FC took the lead with two goals inside 12 minutes. First, a Frei punt over the length of the field was reached first by Dwayne De Rosario on the bounce in the United penalty area, and he poked it over an advancing Milos Kocic off his line (52). Then Adrian Serioux rose up to powerfully head home an Amado Guevara free kick from the right corner in the 63rd minute.
United drew level in the 86th minute, as Wallace sent in a low cross from the left that was expertly dummied by Jaime Moreno, allowing rookie Chris Pontius to smash home a one-timer for his third goal. But TFC were back in front barely a minute later, as De Rosario picked up the ball in midfield, sailed through the United defense and blasted home a long-range drive for his third goal on the season.
Yet United weren't done, and for the second time this season, Marvell Wynne was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area in stoppage time, and referee Baldomero Toledo pointed to the spot. Moreno stepped up and calmly dispatched it into the top left corner, his 125th career league goal.
At Toyota Park, the Fire had not lost yet on the season yet had gone nearly a month without a victory, and had two draws in their first two games of a three-game homestand. The Revolution were coming off back-to-back losses where they had been outscored 8-0 after starting the season undefeated in four games.
The Fire opened the scoring in the 36th minute. Cuauhtemoc Blanco swung in a corner from the left and it fell right to Wilman Conde in the mixer, who after a touch lashed it into the lower left corner for his first goal on the season.
But the Revolution pulled level four minutes after the break. A Jeff Larentowicz cross-shot from the right corner of the penalty area took a deflection off Conde and skipped straight to Shalrie Joseph at the left post, and he made no mistake in finishing off his second goal on the campaign.
At Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo had not conceded a goal in more than three games and had won back-to-back matches, while FC Dallas had lost back-to-back matches after claiming their lone victory on the season.
A tense initial meeting for El Capitan saw its lone goal 12 minutes after the second-half restart. Stuart Holden was freed down the left flank and floated a high cross into the area where Kei Kamara soared over a defender to head home his first goal on the season.
At Qwest Field, Sounders FC were coming off a 1-1 draw in Chicago after going a man down early in the second half, the first draw in club history, while the Galaxy had played to their fourth draw in five games, coming back two goals in stoppage time for a 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake.
The home side took the lead in the 22nd minute. A long ball over the top from Steve Zakuani caught out the Galaxy defense and Nate Jaqua raced alone toward goal. Donovan Ricketts was quickly off his line, but Jaqua slid the ball to Sebastian Le Toux advancing on the left, and he dribbled the ball into the goal for his first MLS score.
The Galaxy pulled even 13 minutes later. Alan Gordon took a pass from Dema Kovalenko, moved it forward to Mike Magee on the left, then raced into the area, where he got on the end of Magee's chip to head home past Kasey Keller for his second goal on the year. It was the first goal ever conceded by Keller at Qwest Field in seven career matches.
Sounders FC went down a man for the third time on the season when defender James Riley was sent off by referee Tim Weyland, but the teams settled for yet another draw.
At Giants Stadium, both teams were looking for a morale-boosting win. The Red Bulls had lost three on the trot, while the Earthquakes were winless in their last four games.
But it was the Red Bulls who exploded from the gate, and had a four-goal lead before the game reached halftime. Jorge Rojas scored twice in the opening 13 minutes, first swinging in a freekick that narrowly missed the head of Kevin Goldthwaite, yet froze the 'keeper as it slipped untouched inside the left post (7). Then Carlos Johnson sent in a throw-in from the right corner that was flicked on by Mac Kandji at the near post where Rojas nodded home from close range at the back stick.
New York made it 3-0 in the 22nd minute when Albert Celades unleashed Kandji on the right flank and he sent a rolling cross to the back post where Juan Pablo Angel swept it home for his third goal. Then Kandji made it four in the 40th minute, stripping a San Jose defender of the ball and racing in alone before slotting it past Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
The Earthquakes pulled a goal back five minutes later when the Red Bulls couldn't clear a bouncing ball and Ramiro Corrales headed a pass to Ryan Johnson, who nodded in his third marker on the campaign.
