This week may not have played out exactly as I predicted, but most of the results adhered pretty closely to the believed storylines (the one exception being DC United's upset of the Colorado Rapids).
Major League Soccer Weekend Review: Not Quite Decided, But Getting Close
Sounders, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake all move up the ladder, while Kansas City, Chicago and Toronto are all but eliminated from the playoff chase.
As a result, there were some small changes in the overall table, but nothing really dramatic. Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas and Los Angeles are all within four points of each other in the race for the Supporter's Shield; Columbus and New York are still on the periphery and within a point of each other for the Eastern Conference lead; and Seattle, San Jose and Colorado are still fighting it out for playoff position, but seem like safe bets to make the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the last of the playoff contenders appear to be falling by the wayside. Kansas City, Toronto and Chicago all lost. The Wizards are the only team with any realistic chance of making the playoffs, and they’ll likely have to go unbeaten in their final four matches to even have a hope of squeezing in.
Assuming these are the eight teams that qualify, it will be the second straight season that the Western Conference has sent six teams to the playoffs and the East has sent just two. It’s also the second straight year where teams are essentially penalized for stronger regular season finishes. Last year, it was No. 8 Real Salt Lake that took advantage of being placed in the weaker conference and, of course, won the MLS Cup. This year, whichever teams finish fifth and sixth in the West will have decidedly easier paths than those that finish in third and fourth.
It will be interesting to see how Colorado, San Jose and Seattle position themselves in the final weeks.
David Beckham scored his first MLS goal in over a year (last one was Aug. 29, 2009 against Chivas USA) on a free kick from just outside the penalty area that stood up as the game-winner. The goal was vintage Beckham as he placed the ball over the wall and in the far top corner of the goal. This was just the fourth match Beckham has played in a Galaxy shirt since returning from injury that cost him the first 23 matches. Edson Buddle also scored his league-leading 15th goal as the Galaxy reclaimed the lead for the Supporter's Shield, moving two points ahead of Real Salt Lake.
DC United 1, Colorado Rapids 0
For one reason or another, Rapids coach Gary Smith decided to rest several of his starters, most notably redhot Omar Cummings. With Cummings, as well as defensive starters Marvell Wynne and Anthony Wallace, on the bench, the Rapids were outplayed for much of the first half. A Danny Allsopp goal just before the halftime whistle gave DCU a 1-0 lead. Cummings came on as a 60' substitute, and while the Rapids created some serious pressure, never were able to find the back of the net. The longterm damage, though, is likely minimal. Although the Rapids fell back to seventh in the overall standings, they are still eight points clear of Kansas City.
This looked like a mismatch on paper, and while the scoreline would suggest a pretty even match, the Sounders really dominated. Dwayne De Rosario gave the visitors the early lead -- and their fans some hope that their playoff hopes weren't dead -- but Steve Zakuani answered almost immediately and Blaise Nkufo put the Sounders ahead for good a few minutes later with his fifth goal in three matches. Sanna Nyassi added a second-half insurance goal, which stood up as the game-winner when Chad Barrett scored a late goal to pull one back. The win moved the Sounders into sixth place overall, and left TFC one point from elimination.
William Hesmer and Jon Busch were the stars of this match, a good sign for two keepers who were coming off rough outings. The Crew's Hesmer was coming off a three-match run in which he had allowed nine goals. Busch had allowed five goals in his past two. The points weren't necessarily huge for either team, but they were enough to keep the Crew within a point of the Red Bulls and for San Jose to expand its lead for the final playoff spot to seven points over the Wizards. Both San Jose and Kansas City have four matches left to play.
Real Salt Lake 2, New England Revolution 1
As bad as the Revolution have been most of the year, they've been a different team at Gillette Stadium. True to form, the Revs played even until 68' when Nat Borchers gave the visitor's the lead. Although Kenny Mansally equalized at 82', Alvaro Saborio reclaimed the lead for RSL just two minutes later. With the goal, he secured all three points and temporarily moved RSL into the lead for the Supporter's Shield.
Less than two weeks ago, Josh Wolff's miraculous stoppage-time goal against the Dynamo gave the Wizards their 13th point in five matches. They had climbed right back into the playoff chase where they seemed poised to track down at least one team. Two losses later and their playoff hopes are back on life support. Dane Richards scored at 6' and the Red Bulls just hung on from there. The Wizards face the Sounders next week and need to win to have any hope of staying alive. The Red Bulls, on the other hand, have finally passed the fading Crew and are suddenly on the periphery of the Supporter's Shield race, six points behind the Galaxy with each team having three matches left to play.
FC Dallas 3, Chicago Fire 0
The positive storylines just don't seem to stop in Dallas. Well on their way to tying the MLS single-season record for consecutive matches without a loss, Jeff Cunningham made it even sweeter by tying the all-time MLS record for goals scored. Cunningham's 67' goal from the penalty spot was just the latest indicator that everything -- on the field at least -- seems to be going Dallas' way. This is a team, after all, that was the last in MLS to win a game this year -- Match 6 -- but has lost just once since then. Cunningham, too, got off to a slow start and was actually benched for a good portion of the season. He's now scored six goals in the past nine FCD matches. The win puts the Hoops just four points behind the Galaxy in the race for the Supporter's Shield. The Fire are one point away from being officially eliminated from the playoff race.
No one outside of these two fanbases probably cared much about this one, but if you haven't seen it make sure to check out Sebastian Le Toux's goal. I get a little tired of hearing people second-guess the Sounders' decision not to protect him in last year's Expansion Draft (it's always more complicated than some want to make it), but goals like this certainly seem to embolden the armchair quarterbacks. Seriously, it's a Goal of the Year contender.
Player of the Week
In a week where no overall performance really stood out, how can you not give it to Jeff Cunningham? On an individual level he tied the closest thing MLS has to the career home run, touchdown or scoring records in other sports. Sure, it was just a penalty, but he's as automatic from the spot as anyone. If nothing else, he's the perfect personification of FC Dallas' amazing run.
Goal of the Week
This will come as little surprise, but Le Toux's goal is really a thing of beauty. The pass was good, but the way he controlled it and then one-touched inside the far post really took the kind of skill many have been claiming MLS lacks. He's a Frenchman by birth, but has said he'd like to play for the USMNT. Considering our dearth of scoring talent, he at least deserves a look, doesn't he?
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