October 17, 2009 MLS ROUNDUP Playoff race gets even tighter
Justin Braun’s game-tying goal moved Chivas USA into sole possession of first place in the MLS West. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
TORONTO FC 1, REAL SALT LAKE 0
TORONTO, Ont.—Toronto FC did their part to stay alive in the ever-tightening MLS playoff race Saturday, edging fellow bubble-team Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Jim Brennan’s opportunistic goal three minutes into the second half.
The goal, and backup Brian Edwards’ nine-save performance in goal, elevated the Reds (10-10-9, 39 points) over New England for the eighth and final MLS postseason berth at least long enough for the sellout crowd of 20,384 to have a good celebration before filing out of BMO Field. Later results left TFC tied with New England, DC United and FC Dallas in the standings, needing another win next weekend and some help from other teams to actually advance to the playoffs.
Brennan latched onto the rebound after RSL netminder Nick Rimando blocked Chad Barrett’s shot, one-timing the follow up past diving defender Jamison Olave.
Despite playing their second game in three days, Real Salt Lake (10-12-7, 37) controlled much of the offensive momentum, outshooting TFC 14-8 and putting nine shots on goal. Edwards, filling in for injured starter Stefan Frei, met every challenge, however, and as RSL got more desperate in the waning minutes, their shots became progressively less dangerous.
CHICAGO FIRE 0, NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—The Chicago Fire and New England Revolution did nothing to clarify the muddled MLS playoff picture on Saturday night, battling to a scoreless tie in front of 18,064 at Gillette Stadium.
As far as New England was concerned, the man of the match was probably referee Jorge Gonzalez, who not only did not award a penalty kick when Fire Chris Rolfe went flying after obvious contact from goalkeeper Matt Reis at the top of the box in the 62nd minute, but cautioned the Chicago forward for simulation.
Otherwise, the game was a festival of missed opportunities on both sides. Although most of his seven saves were of the less-challenging variety, goalkeeper Jon Busch did come up big for the Fire on a couple of occasions, thwarting Sainey Nyassi on a 24th-minute breakaway and picking off back-to-back shots by Nyassi and Jay Heaps in the 50th and 51st minutes.
The draw leaves Chicago (10-7-12, 42 pts) still on the brink of clinching a spot on the MLS playoffs with one match to play, next Thursday against Chivas USA. The Revolution (10-10-9) move into a tie with Toronto, DC United and FC Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot with 39 points.
DC UNITED 1, COLUMBUS CREW 0
WASHINGTON, DC—DC United (9-8-12, 39 pts) stayed in the MLS playoff hunt with a 1-0 home win over the league-leading Columbus Crew Saturday in front of 16,274 at RFK Stadium.
Luciano Emilio scored the only goal of the match, courtesy of Thabiso Khumalo, who threaded a ball through the defense from just outside the box. Emilio cut inside to tap the ball in from close range.
The goal came off of one of only three DC shots. The Crew put six of their 10 attempts on goal, but couldn’t beat netminder Steve Cronin, an emergency addition to the DC roster replacing injured starter Josh Wicks, who was making his first MLS appearance since 2008.
The Crew (13-6-10, 49) finished the game shorthanded, and will play their final regular season game without forward Emilio Renteria, who was sent off for a violent foul on defender Julius James.
FC DALLAS 2, COLORADO RAPIDS 1
FRISCO, Tex.—Defenders George John and Ugo Ihemalu scored their first goals of the season to give FC Dallas a vital 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids Saturday before a Pizza Hut Park crowd of 15,243.
The win leaves the surging Hoops (11-12-6) as one of four teams with 39 points, which would be good for eighth place in the overall standings and the last wild card playoff berth.
Dallas peppered the Rapids defense with 21 shots, and beat goalkeeper Preston Burpo for the first time in the fourth minute, when rookie defender John got his head on Dave van den Bergh’s free kick. Ihemalu doubled Dallas’s lead in the 66th, off another set play. MLS Golden Boot leader Jeff Cunningham relayed Dax McCarty’s free kick to Ihemalu, who was crashing the far post.
Pat Noonan responded five minutes later for Colorado, picking off a loose ball and dodging around Ihemalu before beating netminder Dario Sala from distance.
Sala finished with one save, Burpo with three. The Rapids drop to 10-9-10, with 40 points.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS 3, KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 2
KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Nate Jaqua scored in the 76th minute to give Seattle Sounders FC a 3-2 comeback win over the Kansas City Wizards Saturday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Tyrone Marshall had a goal and an assist in the winning effort, giving the Sounders a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute and setting up Roger Levesque for the 2-2 equalizer in the 69th.
Zoltan Hercegfalvi put KC on the board in the 51st, with his second goal in as many games, and Josh Wolff gave the Wizards a 2-1 lead two minutes later, with his team-leading 11th goal of the season.
The Sounders (11-7-11) move into a tie with the LA Galaxy and Houston for second place in the MLS West at 44 points. The loss eliminated the Wizards (8-13-8, 32 pts) from playoff contention.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 2, CHIVAS USA 2
CARSON, Calif.-- It wasn’t the result they hoped for, but Saturday night’s 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes was enough to separate Chivas USA from the rest of the increasingly crowded pack at the top of the MLS West, at least until after the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo face off on Sunday afternoon.
What started out as a cakewalk for the Goats – with Maykel Galindo’s breakaway goal in the seventh minute – turned into a dogfight as the upset-minded Quakes first equalized, then took a 2-1 lead on Ryan Johnson’s 57th-minute header. It fell to Justin Braun, hero of Chivas USA’s last two 1-0 wins over San Jose, to salvage the draw, slipping between his defender and little-used goalkeeper Andrew Weber to pop a header into the net from seven yards in the 66th minute.
The draw left Chivas (13-9-6) with 45 points, four points behind Columbus in the race for the MLS Supporters Shield and one ahead of the Galaxy, Dynamo and Seattle Sounders FC at the top of the MLS West. San Jose improve to 7-13-9, but still have the second-worst record in the league with 30 points.
