Hurricane Irene slammed into the east coast this past weekend and caused some issues for three Major League Soccer games on the slate. Thankfully MLS and the clubs involved postponed those games for the safety of everyone involved. Aside from the damage that was done to those areas one could say there was some real damage done on the field for the clubs that did play in week 24.
Major League Soccer, Week 24: What We Learned
Jeff Cunningham makes history while Hurricane Irene caused three games to be rescheduled
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The Western Conference once again rose up and told us all why they are the better conference this season. Sure, sure, the Chicago Fire beat the defending champion Colorado Rapids on Saturday but most will be talking about the wild goal-fest in Seattle and the amazing come back in Kansas City.
But there may have been a bigger winner this weekend.
Jeff Cunningham Makes History
Like him or not, Jeff Cunningham is now the league's all-time goal scoring leader at 134 goals. His penalty kick in the Columbus Crew's 6-2 loss at the Seattle Sounders wasn't anything special but in a way was extremely fitting. The 35-year old had been struggling all season long to find the back of the net and now his only two goals of the year were big ones.
I found it fitting that he scored his record breaking goal from the penalty spot, considering the man he passed on the all-time list (Jamie Moreno) scored about a third of his goals from that very spot. Some won’t consider Cunningham the leagues best striker in it’s 16-year history but he certainly will go down as one of the top ones based on the amount he scored.
This goal however may end up being just a footnote on the game with Seattle though.
Will These Sounders Cool Off?
Is anyone hotter than the Seattle Sounders at the moment? Everything and I mean everything seems to be going just right for Sigi Schmid’s club at the moment. First a big win to open the CONCACAF Champions League, then a big road win at Dallas, followed by a monumental win in Mexico over Monterrey, to this crazy 6-2 win over Columbus.
The players up front are just getting it done. Period. Mauro Rosales is a big reason for it but seeing guys like Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle step up really shows how dangerous this club is from top to bottom. Speaking of Neagle, how about his hat trick on Saturday? Just impressive stuff from the young striker.
If there was ever a week to make a statement it was this one. With LA off for the week, the Sounders needed a game that proved they are very much in the thick of the Supporter’s Shield race.
Bending It Like Shea
Bring back the #Shea4MVP hashtag because Brek Shea has to be in the MVP discussion, even more so than he was a few weeks ago. The 21-year old midfielder had a quiet game up until the 80th minute or so against Sporting Kansas City. His two crosses into the penalty box for Bobby Warshaw and Maicon Santos to get on the end of were simply brilliant and MVP-like.
But give FC Dallas major credit in this one. Being down 2-0 with 20 minutes left in the match, the club looked dead in the water. Sporting KC had everything going right for them up until the Omar Bravo goal but this game showed how quickly luck can change in soccer.
Moments after the Bravo goal it was Ugo Ihemelu getting on the end of a Daniel Hernandez free kick that sparked the comeback. Dallas got a little help when Teal Bunbury was sent off moments later and from then on it was all Dallas. Where KC was strong in the first 70 minutes, they were totally weak in the final 20 when it mattered most.
Seeing Dallas come from behind like the shows they too aren't going down in this Supporter's Shield race without a good fight. With their remaining schedule in league play, they have a chance as long as everyone stays healthy and George John gets back to the club without any real issues.
Houston Still Can’t Buy A Road Win
There has to be something said about the way the Houston Dynamo are this season away from Robertson Stadium. Now 0-5-8 on the year away from home, the Dynamo are making many people question their playoff chances.
The chances were there for the Orange to take points in this one. It isn’t like Vancouver is exactly the best home side in the league here either but you have to give the expansion team credit for how they worked at getting the game-winner from Shea Salines of all people.
There is a lot of complaining down in Houston right now surrounding this club and their mentality but let's be simple about this, their approach to road games obviously needs changed by manager Dominic Kinnear. They still sit in the playoff mix right now based on points but with the Philadelphia Union, DC United, and New York Red Bulls all off this past weekend due to the hurricane, Houston lost a great chance at putting some distance in the standings with those clubs.
Fire On The Rebound?
I don’t want to read too much into the Chicago Fire’s last two games, both 2-0 wins at home. But beating the Colorado Rapids is not something to look down at. The Rapids entered the match on a nice unbeaten run and were looking very strong too. Strong enough to be putting pressure on Seattle, Dallas and potentially LA in the standings.
But don’t look now, the Fire have some momentum and we’ve certainly seen this all before from clubs going into the playoffs. Get hot late and ride it out. With eight matches left the Fire certainly have a shot at things still. They currently sit at 27 points on the year and are now only four points out of a wild card spot. Considering how they were just a few weeks ago this seems like a miracle of some nature.
The Fire also have a shot at a trophy this season believe it or not. They host the USL-Pro’s Richmond Kickers tomorrow in the semifinal round of the US Open Cup. Could we really see this Chicago Fire team in the CCL next year? Crazier things have happened in this league before.
Real Makes A Move
"Finally." I'm sure Jason Kreis has that thought after the 1-0 win over Chivas USA.
Real Salt Lake finally stepped up on the road with a man-down no less to beat Chivas USA. Not to say there wasn't some nervous moments late in the game when Nick Rimando had to make a few cool saves for the highlight reel.
But this was a win that really showed what RSL was truly made of. They faced problems on the field with a red card but still found a way to get a result. After going four out of their last five with losses, this one had to feel nice.
Real still has games in hand at the moment against everyone else in the league. If they can finally get on a roll here, we could be talking about a big time MLS Cup contender this season.
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