Here is everything you need to know about MLS and North American soccer this morning:
Shield race going to the wire
Atlanta United maintained their one-point lead in the Supporters Shield race with a slim 2-1 win over Sunday visitors Chicaqo. A Johan Kappelhof own goal near the half hour spelled the difference as the Five Stripes clinched their place in next year's Concacaf Champions League. READ MORE | RECAP
The New York Red Bulls ensured a white-knuckle finish to the Supporters' Shield race by gutting out a 1-0 decision at Philadelphia. Kaku's spot kick with 21 minutes left decided matters in a physical contest. RECAP
Rude guests SKC wrest West lead
Sporting KC climbed back to the Western Summit on the strength of a 3-0 victory away to previous leaders FC Dallas on Sunday. In his weekend review, Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle noted how these are two teams headed in opposite directions down the stretch. READ MORE | RECAP
Meanwhile, LAFC missed a chance to go level on points and wins with Sporting KC by settling for a 2-2 home draw with Vancouver. Though they rallied from an early two-goal deficit to pocket a point, the Whitecaps were officially eliminated from the playoff race. RECAP
D.C. surge continues in wild, wild East
D.C. United's incredible second-half surge continued on Sunday with a comfy 3-1 victory over visitors New York City FC. After Wayne Rooney scored twice to put the streaking Black-and-Red within reach of earning a home playoff game, head coach Ben Olsen allowed himself to imagine how far they could go on the road to MLS Cup. READ MORE | RECAP
They leapfrogged Columbus, who conceded a pair of second-half spot kicks to fall 2-1 at Orlando City. Sacha Kljestan buried the deciding penalty deep into stoppage time to earn the Lions' first win in 14 games. RECAP
The Columbus slip allowed Montreal to keep slim postseason hopes alive with a 2-0 triumph over derby visitors Toronto FC. Ignacio Piatti scored twice in the final 16 minutes to pull the Impact within two points of the playoff line heading into Decision Day presented by AT&T. RECAP
Galaxy control fates after Timbers clincher cuts down RSL
The LA Galaxy took advantage of Real Salt Lake's defeat, climbing to within a point of the final playoff spot in the West with a 3-1 victory at Minnesota United. Zlatan Ibrahimovic may have re-opened the MVP conversation after he bagged the opener and set up a brilliant Romain Alessandrini insurance strike to lead the way. READ MORE | RECAP
Portland became the fifth Western side to secure their playoff ticket thanks to a 3-0 cruise past Sunday guests Real Salt Lake. The result left the visitors out of games and vulnerable to losing hold of the the all-important sixth slot in the West next weekend. RECAP
Quakes stop the bleeding
San Jose put an end to their six-game losing slide by battling guests Colorado to a scoreless draw on Sunday. JT Marcinkowski posted the Quakes' first shutout since July, but his teammates were unable to send any of their 20 shot attempts into the away net. RECAP
Transfer talk: Cristian Zapata to LA?
Local buzz has AC Milan's reputed LA Galaxy target [In Italian—ed.] Cristian Zapata pondering a move to StubHub Center.
Will Ferrell, capo di tutti capi
In case you missed it, LAFC co-owner Will Ferrell took a turn on the capo stand in front of the 3252 supporters section during the club's Sunday draw against visiting Vancouver. READ MORE
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