MLS News

September 7, 2008

FC Dallas top Club America in friendly
On the strength of first-half goals from Dominic Oduro in the ninth minute and Kenny Cooper in the 28th, FC Dallas defeated Mexico's Club America 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park.

Kamara shines in rare set-up role
Houston Dynamo striker Kei Kamara was well aware of one glaring statistic that was arguably one of the most surprising on his personal tally sheet.

Wizards miss chance to gain ground
With the Houston Dynamo without four starters because of international duty, Sunday's match could have been a prime opportunity for the struggling Kansas City Wizards to steal a result against the Western Conference leaders.

Jaqua's double fuels Dynamo victory
The Houston Dynamo are starting to run away from the competition in the Western Conference, increasing their lead to seven points ahead of Real Salt Lake with a 3-1 whipping of the Kansas City Wizards Sunday afternoon.

Americans outlast Cuba in Havana
It is the eternal question not just for the U.S. national team, but for any team that is involved World Cup qualifying: What is more important? Playing pretty soccer or playing winning soccer?

United show fight in Quakes loss
Coming off the midweek victory in the U.S. Open Cup Final and missing two key attacking pieces Luciano Emilio and Fred, both of whom were injured, D.C. United knew it would take some time to get untracked.

Espindola injured in RSL draw
On a night when Real Salt Lake remained in sole possession of second place and avoided a ninth road loss, RSL suffered many key losses in Saturday's match against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

LA earns positive result despite absences
Despite missing several key players, the Los Angeles Galaxy managed to battle back for a 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center.

Schelotto continues torrid play in win over Revs
Even though the Columbus Crew increased their lead in the Eastern Conference, expanded their advantage for the Supporters' Shield and are on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2004, coach Sigi Schmid knows his club's 4-0 win against New England is not what it appears to be.

Fire pleased with defensive effort
When Chicago Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch entered the locker room after Saturday's game, he had a message for his teammates. "He said 'Next week, we go for No. 11,'" Fire defender Bakary Soumare related to reporters after the Fire recorded their league-best 10th shutout of the season with a 1-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls at Toyota Park.

Galaxy, Real battle to draw in LA
The Los Angeles Galaxy managed to come from behind in the second half, but still saw their winless streak reach a club-record 11 games in a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center.

Defense key part of Quakes' streak
No MLS team has had a longer unbeaten streak this year than San Jose's current run of eight games, and while their offense has been getting plenty of the credit, the Earthquakes strong play on the defensive side of the ball has been just as critical to their climb toward a playoff spot.

CONCACAF Qualifier roundup
Canada took an early lead, but a pair of goals in the second half from Ramon Nunez gave Honduras a vital 2-1 victory Saturday in their Group 2 match in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Weary Revs refuse to lose heart
The New England Revolution might have felt like they were running in quicksand instead of the plush green grass of Crew Stadium, except even that would have been too much for the heavy-legged club.

World Cup Qualifying roundup
New Zealand guaranteed victory in Oceania Football Confederation qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a 3-1 victory Saturday against New Caledonia.

Red Bulls remain optimistic despite loss
Ever the optimist, Juan Carlos Osorio can see how much his team has improved since the last time the New York Red Bulls played the Chicago Fire. More than three months after a four-goal drubbing at Giants Stadium by their Eastern Conference rivals, the Red Bulls went to Toyota Park Saturday and played the hosts relatively evenly over the course of 90 minutes.

Quakes extend streak with win over United
The San Jose Earthquakes stretched their current unbeaten run to eight games and climbed up to fourth place in the Western Conference with a 2-1 win against D.C. United at Buck Shaw Stadium Saturday night.

September 6, 2008

Rookie King leads Fire to victory
In a key Eastern Conference matchup, a first-half goal by rookie Stephen King gave the Chicago Fire a 1-0 win against the visiting New York Red Bulls Saturday at Toyota Park.

Crew pad MLS lead with win over Revs
Behind the play of MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the Columbus Crew downed the New England Revolution 4-0 at Crew Stadium on Saturday night, their fourth consecutive win while increasing their lead in the Eastern Conference to five points ahead of the Revolution.

Wizards look to make move in West
When the Kansas City Wizards visit what promises to be a very steamy Robertson Stadium on Sunday afternoon, they believe Houston's aggressive play going forward leaves the two-time defending champs susceptible to counterattacks -- which could bring an all-important victory as the final two months of the season begin.

Season heats up for Dynamo, KC
Sunday won't be the hottest day of the year in south Texas, but it will feel like it to the Houston Dynamo and the Kansas City Wizards.

Chivas' schedule slows, results come
Chivas USA's nightmarish stretch of 10 games in 41 days comes to an end next Saturday in New England, but the even better news for the Red-and-White is that their concurrent slump of poor league results seems to be coming to an end as well.

Late sub Beckham, England victorious
Joe Cole again spared his blushes as England finally overcame the minnows of Andorra in their opening World Cup qualifying victory in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium.

Toronto FC lament one that got away
For Toronto FC, the most frustrating part of Saturday's 3-1 loss to Chivas USA wasn't the nine men lost to international absences or the three last-minute emergency signings thrust into the starting lineup. The frustration came from the fact that TFC had a chance to win a game that they were expected to lose.

Galaxy hope end of slide nearing
Real Salt Lake have picked up just one win and one draw on the road all season in 2008. The Los Angeles Galaxy are in the midst of the longest winless streak in club history.

Chivas outrun TFC behind Razov
Jonathan Bornstein's first goal of the season sent Chivas USA on their way to a 3-1 win against an undermanned Toronto FC side on Saturday at BMO Field.

Cuba hosts U.S. in World Cup match
The U.S. prepares for their World Cup qualifier against Cuba tonight.

September 5, 2008

Five-a-side: What's hot around the league
The skinny on five things that matter this week in Major League Soccer, including a clash of league leaders, an MLS stalwart who could be on the move, and a rising star who may not be going anywhere.

Red Bulls face 'big game' in Chicago
Juan Carlos Osorio calls Saturday night's clash with the Chicago Fire the biggest game of the year for the New York Red Bulls. But it has nothing to do with his first trip back to Toyota Park since he coached there last year.

Hot Quakes host shorthanded United
Owners of a seven-game unbeaten streak, the San Jose Earthquakes have overcome an obstacle that was thought to be insurmountable, that of climbing back into the MLS playoff race. With a shorthanded D.C. United side coming to Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday, it's tempting to assume that another victory is in the offing. That's exactly the kind of thinking the Quakes are keen to avoid.

Noonan ready for former mates
Pat Noonan was eyeing Saturday's match in Columbus as he was set to join the Crew on Aug. 6. When it became apparent at the time that his return to Major League Soccer after six months in Norway would not be with the club he had spent the previous five seasons with, he looked at the schedule and saw two Crew games against Eastern Conference rival New England in September.

Wizards acquire FW Thompson from FC Dallas
The Kansas City Wizards acquired forward Abe Thompson Friday from FC Dallas for allocation money. Thompson attended the University of Maryland before spending the last four seasons with FC Dallas.

Weary Open Cup champions travel West
Despite winning the oldest major tournament in the nation on Wednesday night, there's no rest for a weary D.C. United, who have flown some 2,500 miles west in advance of Saturday night's league match at San Jose where a revitalized Earthquakes squad lies in wait, hoping to snatch a vital three points at their expense.

Fire-Red Bulls rivalry second to points
Rivalries and grudges are fine motivational tools when motivation is lacking. But with the way things are set up in the Eastern Conference these days, the Chicago Fire have enough motivation going into Saturday's game against the visiting New York Red Bulls.

Undermanned Galaxy plan on victory
Real Salt Lake have picked up just one win and one draw on the road all season in 2008. The Los Angeles Galaxy are in the midst of the longest winless streak in club history. When the two clubs meet at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, something will have to give.

Rapids riding high after road win
The Colorado Rapids' recent playoff success against FC Dallas has been well-documented. However, that success hadn't carried over to the regular season until Thursday, when the Rapids got a goal from Mike Petke in the 60th minute to hand the Hoops a 1-0 defeat at Pizza Hut Park.

Lack of focus hurts Hoops again
Throughout the 2008 season, FC Dallas have shown a tendency to lose focus at times. On a few occasions, the lapses in concentration have sent the Hoops on to defeat, while in other matches, they have resulted in points left on the table in the form of a draw.

September 4, 2008

Rapids earn big road win at Dallas
With both teams desperately needing a win to stay entrenched in the playoff picture, Mike Petke got the game's only goal to lead the Colorado Rapids to a 1-0 victory against FC Dallas on MLS Primetime Thursday at Pizza Hut Park.

Kljestan logging frequent flyer miles
Sacha Kljestan has long been a fixture in Chivas USA's midfield. But the former first-round SuperDraft choice can add yet another title to his name. Sacha Kljestan -- World Traveler.

Silver medalist Ekpo returns to Crew
The silver medal Columbus Crew midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo received during the Beijing Olympics tournament is still near and dear to him. In fact, when he returned to the team for the first time on Thursday, he was carrying it in his pants pocket after practice.

First XI: Septembers to remember
Well, here we go again, down the MLS stretch toward the postseason. This week, First XI takes a look at the last XI MLS stretch runs and what teams took control of their seasons as the leaves began to turn.

Wicks set to make first MLS start
Josh Wicks will make his first-ever MLS start on Saturday for the Los Angeles Galaxy when they take on Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center.

McBride shows he can deliver for Fire
Too old? Past his prime? Worth the attention and the money? Perhaps those questions were asked about Brian McBride when he joined the Chicago Fire this summer, but he answered them on Sunday when he scored his first goal for the Fire in their 2-1 loss to Houston.

United relish Open Cup victory
D.C. United's quarters at RFK Stadium sounded every bit like a championship locker room in the wake of their U.S. Open Cup Final win on Wednesday night. A drumbeat of salsa and reggaeton thumped from the stereo as eccentric goalkeeper Louis Crayton's screams for champagne occasionally punctuated the happy chatter of a victorious team and its technical staff.

September 5, 2008

Needing points, Wizards visit Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo are looking to continue their late-season drive when they play host to a Kansas City Wizards in real need of points as the teams meet at Robertson Stadium.

Playoffs loom as Galaxy, RSL clash
It's another vital battle for the Los Angeles Galaxy in their bid to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs as they play host to Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center.

September 4, 2008

Real sees value in final '08 friendly
On the surface, Real Salt Lake's final exhibition match of 2008 did not seem to offer the club much in the way of valuable preparation, but Real saw a lot of value coming from its 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL on Wednesday.

September 3, 2008

United win U.S. Open Cup over Charleston
D.C. United outlasted a dogged challenge from the Charleston Battery in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday night, simultaneously ending the USL-1 club's Cinderella tourney run and a four-year trophy drought of their own with a 2-1 victory at atmospheric RFK Stadium.

Wizards acquire Gomez for playoff push
The Kansas City Wizards will have to go full bore in their final eight games to win a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, currently sitting seven points short of the final spot. On Wednesday, the club added what they hope will be a catalyst in that drive, obtaining forward Herculez Gomez from the Colorado Rapids.

Galindo always loyal to native Cuba
When he sits down in front of his TV to watch Cuba take on the United States in a vital World Cup qualifier Saturday, Chivas USA forward Maykel Galindo will have some mixed emotions.