MLS Week 31 - The Regular Season Concludes

Given the excitement of recent weeks, it was no surprise that the MLS play-off picture remained undecided until the closing minutes of the final weekend’s action. Ultimately, Real Salt Lake triumphed over Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference, while Kansas City Wizards and New York Red Bulls held off D.C. United in the East.

Thursday’s ESPN game provided New York with the first opportunity to clinch their post-season place as they faced Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. For Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, it ended up being a miserable return to the city where he managed last year as Chicago wrapped up all nine points from the teams’ three encounters this season.

The brilliance of Chris Rolfe destroyed the visitors. The Fire forward notched a first half hat-trick before turning provider as Chicago ran out commanding 5-2 winners.

The hosts took an 11th minute lead with a fine passing move initiated, as always, by Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The Mexican’s intricate back-heel released Justin Mapp who in turn found Stephen King breaking on the right wing. King’s early cross was finished at the near post by a determined Rolfe.

Juan Pablo Angel converted Dave van den Bergh’s perfect delivery on 32 minutes to level the score before Rolfe took control. Firstly on 38 minutes, the American international controlled Gabriel Cichero’s headed clearance on his chest at the edge of the penalty area before firing an unstoppable volley beyond Danny Cepero. One minute before half-time, another extravagant Blanco back-heel sent Rolfe clear on Cepero and he slotted coolly beyond the advancing goalkeeper.

Rolfe is not the most prolific forward in the league but his contribution is exceptional. His sharp turn on 53 minutes created space for him to find the overlapping Diego Gutierrez. The left-back’s early cross was swept home by Brian McBride as the Fire continued to rage at New York’s beleaguered defence. Rolfe’s final contribution was to find Daniel Woolard for the fifth goal before Macoumba Kandji netted a late consolation for New York.

After the Red Bulls failed dismally to seal their own fate, there was to be no repeat by Kansas City. The Wizards travelled to Foxborough to face New England Revolution and emerged with a 3-1 win to wrap up the East’s fourth seed.

The Revs were already assured of their play-off spot but head coach Steve Nicol must have serious concerns over their form ahead of their two-legged tie with Chicago. Since winning Superliga on August 5, New England gathered only 10 points from 13 league games and suffered a humiliating 6-1 aggregate defeat to Trinidad’s Joe Public FC in the CONCACAF Champions’ League qualifying round.

New England’s early implosion handed victory to the grateful Wizards. A defensive error released Claudio Lopez on 26 minutes before the Argentine was hauled down in the penalty area by Gabriel Badilla. Lopez remained cool to slot home the resultant kick after the Costa Rican defender had been dismissed. Khano Smith’s mindless lunge at Herculez Gomez minutes before the break saw him join Badilla in the dressing room, allowing Kansas to easily secure the win with a two-man advantage.

Lopez’ unexpected returned to form signals an end to his recent fall from grace. The former Valencia and Lazio striker was ignominiously dropped from Curt Onalfo’s starting eleven recently after a series of undistinguished displays: a bold move by the youthful head coach but one that resulted in an unlikely turnaround. Lopez returned for last week’s vital win against San Jose with a goal and two assists and he played a part in Davy Arnaud’s decisive second goal on 53 minutes.

Onalfo will need Lopez to be at his best as the Wizards progress to meet Supporters’ Shield winners Columbus Crew.

D.C. United, Supporters’ Shield winners for the last two years, were left with the final challenge: win in Columbus or go home. The visitors dominated, twice hitting the post in the first half before substitute Thabiso Khumalo thumped an effort against the bar from six yards. That proved to be United’s final chance as Brad Evans scored the game’s only goal on 77 minutes for Columbus. Play-off elimination married with the capital side’s dismal Champions’ League form may cost head coach Tom Soehn his position during the extended off-season.

New York, by virtue of finishing eighth overall, now slide over to the Western Conference and will play Houston Dynamo, the back-to-back defending champions.

The West housed the weekend’s most dramatic events as Colorado Rapids needed to beat Real Salt Lake to overtake their Rocky Mountain rivals for the conference's third automatic place. Rapids’ striker Conor Casey gave the home side a 19th minute lead as the action swung from end to end before Salt Lake began a late push to save their campaign. With time almost expired, Yura Movsisyan pounced on a rebound after Rapids’ goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul denied Andy Williams and steered the loose ball over the line to spark wild celebrations among the visitors’ bench and small band of travelling fans.

Salt Lake reach the play-offs for the first time in their four-year existence and will be guaranteed a sell-out crowd at their new Rio Tinto stadium for the visit of Chivas on Saturday.

Week 31 Results

Chicago 5 New York 2
New England 1 Kansas City 3
Colorado 1 Salt Lake 1
San Jose 2 Toronto 0 (Quakes end a respectable first season on a high note)
Chivas 1 Houston 1 (Late Curtin goal earns share of points for ten-man Chivas)
L.A. Galaxy 2 Dallas 2 (Donovan penalty ensures Galaxy avoid finishing dead last)
Columbus 1 D.C. United 0

Final Standings (30 matches)

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 57 points
2) Chicago 46
3) New England 43
4) Kansas City 42
5) *New York 39 (join Western Conference as 4th seed)
6) D.C. United 37
7) Toronto 35

Western Conference
1) Houston 51
2) Chivas 43
3) *Salt Lake 40
4) Colorado 38
5) Dallas 36
6) L.A. Galaxy 33
7) San Jose 33

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 30 Review

The first shots of the Texas Revolution were fired in October 1835 when Mexican soldiers demanded that a small cannon held by colonists be relinquished. Six months later, Sam Houston led his Texian Army to victory and independence for the Lone Star State at San Jacinto. Flags honouring the brief 18 minute battle depicted the cannon with the words “Come and Get It”. Houston Dynamo’s Texian Army supporters’ organisation unveiled a new banner last weekend taunting their rivals with a cute twist to that celebrated flag, replacing the cannon with MLS Cup.

The penultimate weekend’s action saw the back-to-back champions eliminate two Western Conference opponents from play-off contention in four days while securing home advantage in the process. The signs look ominous for the rest of the league.

San Jose travelled to Robertson Stadium in midweek for a fixture initially postponed by the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Houston’s dramatic 2-1 win boasted all the fighting qualities that have set them apart during the last two seasons.

Stuart Holden put Dynamo ahead on six minutes with a goal illustrating the valuable commodity of timing runs from midfield. Kei Kamara steered Geoff Cameron’s cross against a post, but goalkeeper Joe Cannon was left helpless as Holden arrived to pounce on the loose ball and finish coolly.

Kamara’s involvement against his former team was brief as he was dismissed following a seemingly innocuous collision five minutes later. Quakes defender Nick Garcia pressurised the Sierra Leone striker near the touchline before collapsing to the turf holding his throat. Kamara appeared to raise an arm to fend off Garcia’s challenge as he controlled a long ball from defence, but any contact seemed purely accidental. Not so in the eyes of referee Jair Marrufo, who brandished his red card to the disbelief of the home fans.

Nonetheless, Houston continued to dominate despite their numerical disadvantage. Stand-in wide players Cameron and Corey Ashe menaced the visiting full-backs while striker Brian Ching turned in one of his best performances this year with a bullish display to keep San Jose’s back line occupied. Ashe danced around Jason Hernandez on 30 minutes to create another chance for Holden but his attempt trundled agonisingly wide.

Containment was Houston’s aim after the interval as they strived to conserve energy and force San Jose to break them down. It was a task they seemed likely to complete until defender Eddie Robinson blindly passed the ball back to Pat Onstad on 68 minutes. The goalkeeper raced to the edge of his penalty area to prevent Darren Huckerby from taking advantage, but his tackle landed at the feet of Scott Sealy who stroked home into an empty net to resuscitate the Earthquakes’ post-season hopes. Robinson’s error was an unfortunate black mark on an otherwise excellent performance.

With Chivas breathing down their necks for the West’s top seeding, Houston were forced back onto the offense in the latter stages. Head coach Dominic Kinnear reinvigorated his attack by introducing Brad Davis, Brian Mullan and Nate Jaqua for Ashe, Cameron and Ching. Ninety minutes had elapsed when Mullan sent Jaqua clean through on Cannon’s goal, but the towering frontman stumbled at the vital moment.

With San Jose also going for a late winner, Mullan carved out one final chance as his cross again found Jaqua unmarked in the penalty box with mere seconds remaining. Jaqua controlled on his chest before firing his close-range effort off Cannon’s right post. It looked like another chance had been wasted until Holden popped up again to knock the rebound over the line and save his team-mate’s blushes.

L.A. Galaxy hoped to take advantage of Houston’s punishing exertions on Saturday despite the absence of the suspended David Beckham. In truth, they have performed far better without the Englishman since he made his debut last August. Entering the weekend, Galaxy had claimed 33% of points available from 29 matches featuring their extortionate passenger. That figure rises significantly to 48% in 16 games without him.

As it turned out, Galaxy provided as much resistance as General Santa Anna’s Mexican troops at San Jacinto.

Beckham’s replacement Bryan Jordan contrived to back-heel Jaqua’s cross into his own net on 14 minutes, before the striker supplied another ball into the box on 20 minutes that was bundled into the net by Dwayne De Rosario. As Galaxy’s porous defence continued to be dominated by Houston’s aerial threat, Jaqua flicked Bobby Boswell’s clearance into the path of strike partner Ching on 23 minutes. The Hawaiian native raced clear before drilling his shot beyond goalkeeper Josh Saunders to complete a 3-0 rout.

Dynamo could easily have been six ahead by half-time before they eased off before this week’s CONCACAF Champions’ League tie with Mexico City’s UNAM Pumas.

Elsewhere in the West, Real Salt Lake eliminated Dallas from contention with a 3-1 win at Rio Tinto Stadium. Marcelo Saragosa gave Dallas an early lead before his 30th minute dismissal for a second caution allowed the hosts to take charge.

Conor Casey’s late penalty in Colorado’s 2-1 win at Chivas leaves the Rapids needing to beat RSL in Denver this Saturday to overtake their Rocky Mountain rivals in the race for what looks to be the final play-off place for the Western Conference.

Toronto’s brave efforts in defeating Chicago 3-2 at BMO Field proved to be in vain as wins for D.C. United, New York and Kansas City knocked The Reds from contention. All three remaining hopefuls face tough road trips in their final games against Columbus, Chicago and New England respectively.

With three teams level on 39 points and two others on 37, the chance of head-to-head match-ups deciding who will progress to the play-offs looks likely as this dramatic regular season reaches its nail-biting finale.

Week 30 Results

Houston 2 San Jose 1
D.C. United 2 New England 1
Toronto 3 Chicago 2
New York 3 Columbus 1
Kansas City 3 San Jose 2
Houston 3 L.A. Galaxy 0
Salt Lake 3 Dallas 1
Chivas 1 Colorado 2

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 54 points (played 29)
2) Chicago 43 (29)
3) New England 43 (29)
4) Kansas City 39 (29)
5) *New York 39 (29)
6) D.C. United 37 (29)
7) Toronto 35 (29)

Western Conference
1) Houston 50 (29)
2) Chivas 42 (29)
3) *Salt Lake 39 (29)
4) Colorado 37 (29)
5) Dallas 35 (29)
6) L.A. Galaxy 32 (29)
7) San Jose 30 (29)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 29 Review

Still nobody wants to leave the party. Five of the eight MLS play-off teams are now known, but with only two weeks remaining the other nine clubs are still competing for the final three spots.

Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls kicked off the weekend’s action at the Utah side’s new Rio Tinto Stadium, the seventh soccer-specific venue to be constructed in MLS. The sell-out crowd of 20,008, complete with rally towels, created a fantastic atmosphere as they tried to spur their team on to a vital three points. Ultimately, they had to settle for one.

Red Bulls left midfielder Dave van den Bergh silenced the home fans on 31 minutes when he blasted the visitors ahead following a corner kick. Seth Stammler’s goal-bound header was nodded off the line by Kyle Beckerman but his clearance fell invitingly into the path of the on-rushing Dutchman. Van den Bergh, best remembered in Holland for his successful years with Utrecht, drilled his precise shot beyond the reach of RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

The carnival did not subside for long. Ten minutes later, Jamison Olave bundled Javier Morales’ corner into the net to bring Salt Lake back on level terms. The score remained tied at 1-1 as the hosts failed to convert their second half chances and could not capitalise on the late dismissal of Red Bulls’ Juan Pietravallo by referee Terry Vaughn.

Referees worldwide are criticised for not properly interpreting player motives because they have never played the game themselves. In America, that notion can be taken a step further. Most officials have gained little exposure to top-flight football. This shortcoming appeared to be behind Vaughn’s harsh decision to eject the Argentine midfielder.

Pietravallo looked to be making a genuine attempt to control a high pass when Clint Mathis stooped in from his blind side to win the ball. The resultant collision left the former US international with a badly gashed head. Vaughn seemed to act only when Mathis, realising he was bleeding, angrily confronted his opponent. The Salt Lake man escaped without punishment for his act of petulance while a bemused Pietravallo was sent off, much to the chagrin of the New York bench.

While the Bulls, Toronto and D.C. United all gained potentially valuable draws on the road, Kansas City made an unexpected move into the final play-off spot with a 1-0 win over New England Revolution. Captain Jimmy Conrad headed his sixth goal of the season as the Wizards’ recent good run continues.

Since surrendering with a whimper at Houston in Week 24, Kansas City have taken ten points from five matches. Their upturn coincides with the relegation of Argentine superstar Claudio Lopez to the substitutes’ bench as the team rallies together in an attempt to achieve what was unthinkable five weeks ago. The Wizards host San Jose next weekend and they will be confident of securing another win, even more so should the Quakes be eliminated from contention after their game in hand at Houston on Wednesday night.

Lopez’ performance this season can be likened to that of David Beckham, albeit without the ludicrous levels of largesse. It was no surprise that L.A. Galaxy kept their slim post-season hopes alive with a 3-2 win over Colorado Rapids while the Englishman was out of the country. The win improves their record to 23 points from 48 in games where Beckham has been absent since he made his debut last August. By contrast, the team has taken only 29 points from 99 when Beckham brings his unique presence and contribution to the field.

Chivas clinched their play-off spot with a narrow 1-0 win at San Jose. Justin Braun scored the only goal on seven minutes as the Goats won for the sixth time in seven games. Houston’s failure to break down D.C. United at Robertson Stadium leaves Chivas only two points behind the defending champions with the teams meeting in Los Angeles on the final weekend. Home field advantage for the post-season could well be at stake should the Dynamo slip up this week against San Jose or L.A. Galaxy.

Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew both had reason to celebrate after their 2-2 draw at Toyota Park. Brian McBride’s late equaliser, his second of the afternoon in his first game against his former team, was enough to secure a play-off spot for Chicago. The point also confirms Columbus as the MLS Supporters’ Shield winners by virtue of their unmatchable points tally.

Head coach Sigi Schmid must now keep the momentum going for the last two fixtures and into the play-offs if his side are to become the first Shield winners since L.A. Galaxy in 2002 to go on to lift MLS Cup.

Week 29 Results

Salt Lake 1 New York 1
Kansas City 1 New England 0
Dallas 2 Toronto 2 (Contentious Cooper penalty rescues Dallas for second week running)
San Jose 0 Chivas 1
Chicago 2 Columbus 2
Houston 0 D.C. United 0
L.A. Galaxy 3 Colorado 2 (Brandon McDonald nets his first MLS goal in spectacular fashion)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 54 points (played 28)
2) Chicago 43 (28)
3) New England 43 (28)
4) New York 36 (28)
5) *Kansas City 36 (28)
6) D.C. United 34 (28)
7) Toronto 32 (28)

Western Conference
1) Houston 44 (27)
2) Chivas 42 (28)
3) *Salt Lake 36 (28)
4) Dallas 35 (28)
5) Colorado 34 (28)
6) L.A. Galaxy 32 (28)
7) San Jose 30 (27)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 28 Review

Another weekend passes, the play-offs loom closer, but the qualification picture becomes murkier. Just when it looked as though Toronto had disappeared over the precipice and L.A. Galaxy were set to join them, all fourteen teams are back in the race with only three rounds of fixtures remaining.

Despite registering only one victory since June 14, The Reds’ 3-1 win at New York’s Giants Stadium hauls them back into unlikely contention thanks to the inconsistencies of so many contenders. Red Bulls owned the league’s best home record a fortnight ago, but two successive losses in East Rutherford seriously jeopardises their chances of progression.

After conceding five goals to Colorado Rapids last week, Red Bulls gifted Toronto the lead when defender Gabriel Cichero was woefully short with his attempted back-header to Jon Conway. Chad Barrett seized on the error to lob the stranded goalkeeper. The Toronto striker restored his side’s advantage following an equaliser by Dane Richards with a goal that owed everything to the frightening pace of Marvell Wynne. He raced clear from inside his own half before squaring for Barrett to tap into an empty net.

Wynne comes from a sporting pedigree – his father, Marvell, is a former Major League Baseball player – and he continues to improve his playing abilities to complement his obvious athletic prowess. Whether he gets the chance to show his qualities in November is another matter. Toronto face tough away trips to Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes in their remaining three games and are heavily reliant on results elsewhere falling in their favour.

Galaxy did little to aid their cause by falling 1-0 at Columbus but their Western rivals remain in distant sight with Real Salt Lake, Dallas and San Jose only collecting one point while Colorado lost to Houston Dynamo. Crew Stadium’s first sell-out crowd of the year saw David Beckham take a few corner kicks as Alejandro Moreno’s 43rd minute header split the teams.

Bruce Arena's side will enter next week’s do-or-die match at home to Colorado without Beckham, whose suspension for yellow-card accumulation will be served on the England substitutes’ bench, but since his arrival the team possesses a better record in his absence. His loss, like so many of his performances, will be inconsequential. Of far greater significance is the unavailability of Landon Donovan, the league’s top scorer, due to the US national team’s match with Cuba on October 11.

San Jose will feel aggrieved not to have taken three points after a win at Dallas was snatched away in the final minutes by a horrendous refereeing error. Francisco Lima’s right arm was raised away from his body as he attempted to repel a late Dallas attack. Referee Abiodun Okulaja had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Eric Avila’s driven cross made contact with the Earthquakes’ midfielder. Unfortunately, the ball appeared to strike Lima on the side of his chest. Kenny Cooper stepped up to score for the 16th time this season to cancel out Ryan Johnson’s opener. The decision was as scandalous as the paltry 7,173 crowd that showed up for a game of this magnitude.

Salt Lake missed the chance to solidify their position in the West’s three automatic play-off places when they surrendered a 2-0 lead at New England Revolution. A sublime lob by Argentine midfielder Javier Morales gave RSL a first-half lead, before his 73rd minute pass was thundered home on the half-volley by Andy Williams to seemingly secure the win. Within six minutes, Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman had struck for New England to earn a 2-2 draw as The Revs fell short in their attempts to clinch their play-off spot.

Chivas took advantage of Salt Lake’s carelessness to move four points clear in the West’s second place as they destroyed D.C. United by 3-0 at RFK Stadium, aided by the generosity of United goalkeeper Louis Crayton. After recovering from an inconsistent start to the campaign, D.C. have collapsed since lifting the US Open Cup on September 3. They have picked up one point from five league matches since then and suffered three spineless defeats in the CONCACAF Champions’ League. Visits to Houston and Columbus in their final three matches suggest a fourth season outside the play-offs in 13 years for one of the league’s powerhouses.

Houston sealed their place in the post-season and moved a step closer to earning home advantage with a 3-1 win at Colorado. Dynamo were involved in their own goal-fest in midweek, a 4-4 draw in Mexico City against U.N.A.M. Pumas in the Champions’ League, and another looked to be on the cards early on. Only 19 minutes had elapsed when Ricardo Clark gave the visitors the two-goal cushion which ultimately proved to be the final goalscoring act of the night.

Dynamo striker Brian Ching was presented with a chance to complete a hat-trick from the penalty spot early in the second half, but his effort was easily stopped by Rapids’ goalkeeper Preston Burpo. His nomination was surprising given that Dwayne De Rosario and Brad Davis, both far superior dead-ball exponents, were on the field. By contrast, Ching has missed vital kicks in recent Superliga shootouts against Pachuca and New England Revolution. On this instance his poor effort was free of reprisals on the field, although head coach Dominic Kinnear may not have been best pleased.

Rapids’ striker Conor Casey received a harsh red card two minutes after Ching’s miss following an aerial collision with Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson. The numerical advantage allowed Kinnear’s men to comfortably control the closing stages. Terry Cooke had an opportunity to reduce the deficit in injury-time, but he hooked his disappointing effort from the penalty spot wide of Pat Onstad’s post.

The drama continues to build. Will Week 29 finally see some of the contestants waving goodbye to the MLS Play-Off House?

Week 28 Results

Dallas 1 San Jose 1
D.C. United 0 Chivas 3
Columbus 1 L.A. Galaxy 0
New England 2 Salt Lake 2
New York 1 Toronto 3
Colorado 1 Houston 3
Kansas City 1 Chicago 1 (Harrington equaliser ends Fire's slim Supporters' Shield hopes)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 53 points (played 27)
2) New England 43 (27)
3) Chicago 42 (27)
4) *New York 35 (27)
5) Kansas City 33 (27)
6) D.C. United 33 (27)
7) Toronto 31 (27)

Western Conference
1) Houston 43 (26)
2) Chivas 39 (27)
3) Salt Lake 35 (27)
4) *Colorado 34 (27)
5) Dallas 34 (27)
6) San Jose 30 (26)
7) L.A. Galaxy 29 (27)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.