MLS 2012, Week 28: Playoff race gets tighter after wild weekend

One more month to go.

Call it hard to believe, but the month of September whizzed by in Major League Soccer. Ee saw two more clubs clinch playoff spots this week, one of those finally being a team from the Eastern Conference, too.

No lead is ever safe against the Quakes, though, and they showed why five minutes into stoppage time. Dallas failed to clear a corner kick and the ball was just headed around several times by both teams, still a danger to the FCD goal. Eventually, the Quakes settled the ball and chipped it back in front of goal, where it was flicked on to Lenhart, who somehow got free in the mess of bodies to head home from five yards. Once again, San Jose had somehow managed a comeback in the most dramatic of fashion.

While the point strengthens the Quakes position for the Supporters’ Shield, the real impact of the result is on FCD, who blew a chance to move into a playoff spot. Instead, they remain in sixth place and are two points behind the Whitecaps with three matches to play.

RSL now sits in second place in the West, three points ahead of the Galaxy and Sounders, but both teams have a match in hand on Salt Lake.

Along the way, they’ve managed to create numerous opportunities for doubt yet manage to come through it each time. Let’s remember that this team started the season with a very mediocre 5-5-3 record and didn’t win consecutive games until winning three straight right around the midway point of the season.

High-profile moves like this surely have contributed to the lack of faith in what the Fire were and have been doing.

The 24-year-old is in the midst of a breakout season, scoring eight goals and adding an assist to provide the Earthquakes with a legitimate scoring threat from the wing. Against the Seattle Sounders last week, Dawkins showed off that threat by scoring on a 20-yard blast in the 2nd minute.

FC Dallas is in desperate need of points, as they chase the Vancouver Whitecaps for the final playoff spot in the West. FC Dallas is currently two points behind with four matches left to play.

It’s spoiler season. While everyone focuses on the teams actually in contention for the playoff spot, there are the teams written off months ago hanging around and hoping to remind the league that they do exist.

The Timbers? Yeah, they’re still playing games!