the MetroStars and Columbus Crew -- both kept their postseason hopes alive, as the Metros played to a 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Wizards and the Crew all but guaranteed Chivas USA will not reach the playoffs in their inaugural season with a 3-0 win.
The Colorado Rapids defeated D.C. United 1-0, while the Chicago Fire recorded a rare win against the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center with a dramatic 2-1 victory on Sunday evening.
At Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Revolution survived an early onslaught from a Real team still smarting from a 5-1 midweek drubbing at D.C. United. But New England coach Steve Nicol looked the genius when he brought on Khano Smith in the 74th minute.
Just two minutes later the Bermuda international contributed the match winner, taking a simple pass well in his own half of the field and racing forward on a long run of more than 60 yards, rounding a defender and driving a low shot from the left past RSL 'keeper D.J. Countess inside the far post.
The Revolution moved to an MLS-best 48 points on the campaign, the highest total in club history, and their 14 victories in 2005 is one away from the team record.
At Pizza Hut Park, the Earthquakes extended their streak to seven league matches without a loss while piling on the frustration for FC Dallas, who have now gone nine league games without a victory, all since the start of July.
The Quakes put the game away with two goals in a four-minute span just after the start of the second half. In the 50th minute, Mark Chung latched onto a loose ball on the left and whipped in a pinpoint cross that found an unmarked Ronald Cerritos behind an FCD defense that hadn't completely pulled out, and he easily headed home.
Then Chung slipped the ball to Alejandro Moreno on the edge of the penalty area, and after skipping along the top of the box he drove a low, skimming shot inside Scott Garlick's left-hand post to seal the contest (53).
At Giants Stadium, the MetroStars were once again forced to come from behind to salvage a point in the final game of a three-game homestand termed "must-win" by head coach Bob Bradley.
Rookie Ryan Pore gave the Wizards the lead after just a minute with his first MLS league goal, driving home a pass from Kerry Zavagnin from the right side of the penalty area.
But the MetroStars leveled terms midway through the first half on a quick restart, Amado Guevara finding Youri Djorkaeff on the right and he beat Bo Oshoniyi to his right with a low shot for his seventh goal.
Yet just six minutes after the restart, Josh Wolff once again nosed the visitors in front, rattling home a Davy Arnaud pass from close range.
But just two minutes from the end, the MetroStars again grabbed a dramatic equalizer from a free kick, Ante Razov blistering a shot from the right corner of the area over Oshoniyi to again provide late heroics. Two minutes into stoppage time the Metros nearly hit for an improbable winner, but Djorkaeff rattled the woodwork with his header off a Mark Lisi free kick.
At The Home Depot Center on Saturday, the last-place Columbus Crew kept touch with the remainder of the East with a third consecutive victory -- all by shutout -- this time a dominant 3-0 victory against Chivas USA, who were all but eliminated from postseason consideration.
Cornell Glen gave the Crew the lead in the 34th minute, claiming a poorly-hit clearance and racing forward alone on goal, slipping the ball under charging Chivas USA 'keeper Sergio Garcia (making his MLS debut) at the edge of the area.
John Wolyniec then scored twice in 10 minutes to kill off the match. On the hour, Glen raced onto a long ball played down the left flank and pulled a low pass back from the byeline where Wolyniec came rushing forward to slam home a low shot.
Then in the 69th minute, Glen burst forward on the left and again sent a low angled shot goalward, this time kicked out by Garcia. But Wolyniec was quickest to the rebound and drove it into the back of the net.
The loss left Chivas USA with just 14 points from 26 matches, and now 15 points behind the fourth-place Colorado Rapids with six matches to play, any combination of three points won by the Rapids or lost by Chivas means they will be eliminated from the MLS MLS Cup Playoffs.
That's because in Denver, the Rapids extended their unbeaten streak to five matches and won for the fourth consecutive match at home, holding off a 10-man D.C. United coming off their heavy midweek victory.
Terry Cooke gave the home side the lead on 22 minutes. Jean-Philippe Peguero ran onto a long ball played over the United defense in the area and pulled D.C. 'keeper Nick Rimando off his line before slotting a square pass to Cooke, who curled the ball home into the nearly unguarded goal.
United were left with 10 men for the final 26 minutes when Jaime Moreno was sent off with a straight red card after clipping the heels of Rapids fullback Hunter Freeman after the two were involved in a midfield tussle for the ball.
On Sunday, Justin Mapp took out his disappointment on being released from the U.S. national team in advance of the weekend victory against Mexico, leading the Fire to victory against the Galaxy in Carson, their second home loss in a row.
Mapp set up the game's opening goal when he danced into the Galaxy half and played forward to Chad Barrett, who slipped a nifty pass to Chris Rolfe. The rookie calmly curled his shot inside Kevin Hartman's right-hand post for his sixth goal on the campaign (11).
But Herculez Gomez pulled the Galaxy level just 13 minutes later as Ned Grabavoy intercepted a pass and knocked it forward, and Gomez drilled a low shot home from just outside the Chicago penalty area.
Yet two minutes deep into second-half stoppage time, Mapp skipped through nearly the entirety of the Galaxy defense before slotting home inside the far post from the left side of the area to give the Galaxy back-to-back home losses for the first time ever since the opening of The Home Depot Center.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
