Major League Soccer 2011, Week 28: Fire Top Revs In Battle Of Cellar Dwellers

New England wasn’t done letting players get in alone on goal though. Nyarko did it again and Reis, afraid of taking down another attacker or handling the ball outside the box, took an awkward stab at the ball. It was ineffective, allowing Nyarko to push the ball past Reis and then finish for a 3-0 Fire lead after just a half hour.

Despite getting something going in extra time, the Revolution couldn’t find an equalizer and after an awful 90 minutes, they didn’t deserve to.

That made it 3-1, and the Sounders were suddenly having fun. They hit the woodwork twice more through substitute Samuel Ochoa and Neagle again, and continued to search for goals until Jair Marrufo blew for full time. As for the Whitecaps, they probably deserved better. The hosts played pretty well and were the better team for most of the first half, but failed to take advantage of having Seattle on the back foot and didn’t kill off the game when they could have. This was Empire Field’s final game - Vancouver will be moving next week - so at least it was an entertaining enough sendoff for the temporary structure.

Chivas still sit seven points out of the final playoff spot with only four matches left so while they remain alive, they are only barely alive. That’s better than Toronto though, who have been out of the race for what feels like years.

Since Chiumiento doesn’t have the brainpower of a ten-day-dead stoat, he simply slipped the ball to an unmarked Camilo to prod into the empty net from a couple of yards out. That’s Vancouver up 1-0, and it’s hardly against the run of play. The hosts should have been ahead early, when Michael Boxhall’s finish from inside the six yard box and with just Keller to beat explained just why he’s a centre back - the New Zealand international blasted straight at the goalkeeper, leaving the Whitecaps waiting for the goal. Fortunately for Boxhall and the hosts, they wouldn’t have to wait for long.

Najar’s footwork was sublime, but De Rosario’s triplet of goals was no less so. The first was a diving header from a from a cross (guess who hit it) but the second was beautifully clipped into the net and the third was a free kick from such a long way out that Rimando barely even bothered setting up a wall. That was in the 31st minute. DC United had put four goals past a strong candidate for the MLS cup in eighteen minutes of football.

The rest of the match couldn’t quite live up to that standard, of course, and the hosts stopped going for it as the first half died down. That RSL pulled a goal back in the dying seconds (substitute Alvaro Saborio the man to grab it) to make the final score 4-1 was irrelevant - the fact of the matter is that if DC had felt like it, they could easily have doubled their goals total. One would hope that the home fans will remember this for a long time, because it’s as thorough a beating as anyone’s inflicted on RSL for ages.

Donovan made an appearance off of the bench and helped get the Galaxy their winner in the 90th minute when he ripped a good volley from the right side. It forced Will Hesmer into a fine save, but it left a juicy rebound that Barrett was only too happy to knock into the open net for the game-winner.

Henry would get his goal just three minutes later, though, as New York clinched three points. The Frenchman had a shot blocked by a Khalif Alhassan handball, and the Timbers winger was sent off for denial of a clear goal scoring opportunity. Henry stepped up and buried the penalty, giving his team a 2-0 win.

The loss for Dallas is their third loss in a row and third straight shutout against them. Dallas remains at 46 points on the year while the Dynamo take their first road win of the year and moves into first place in the Eastern Conference with 42 points.

A win for the Union would have catapulted them to the top of the East’s table with the added advantage of having a game-in-hand on Sporting. The point does give them a four-point cushion on the No. 10 playoff spot, but it continues a rather frustrating trend of failing to get the full three points. The Union have now won just once in their past 10 matches.

Friday, 8:30 pm ET

TV: FOX Soccer Channel