Week 27 Recap

By: travis | September 30th, 2008

There’s plenty to talk about after another busy weekend of MLS action. A few teams look dead and buried (DC, LA, and Toronto), while others storm to life at the right time – RSL and Colorado – to give themselves the inner track in the race to the playoffs. But if this season of the MLS has taught us anything, it’s the fact that it is completely unpredictable. Here’s a quick look at what went down, and whose season could be over.

Chicago 3-1 Los Angeles
A large contingent of Chicagoians turned up for MLS Primetime this week, thanks to the zoo/circus known as David Beckham. It was a tall task for the Galaxy from the start, who flat out stink right now, and don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. They hung in there, and recovered to tie it 1-1 after Chris Rolfe opened the scoring. Atrocious defending from the Galaxy on that one, but a nice volley from Eddie Lewis brought things onto level terms. A three minute spell of the second half spelled doom for the Galaxy as Rolfe managed a second while Blanco netted what was the winner. Landon Donovan had two chances that he could have buried, but the best he could do was strike it wide on both attempts. It’s clear that the fortunes of LA rise and fall with him, as opposed to Beckham. I would be truly shocked if this LA team makes the playoffs. Still some time left, but unfortunately for Arena, not much.

Toronto 1-1 Houston
If you’ve seen Houston’s goal from this game, you know the heartbrake that Toronto fans must be feeling. Defender Hunter Freeman and keeper Greg Sutton weren’t on the same page, leading to a looping ball off the head of Freeman to escape Sutton’s grasp and land in the back of the net. Aside from that, a brilliant individual effort from Marvell Wynne brought things level, where they would remain. Hard to give Toronto any shot at a late playoff run – Danny Dichio couldn’t get anything going, and Amado Guevara couldn’t do the best with the chances given to him. A great result for the Dynamo who have been up and down the North American continent in the past few weeks as they fight through the Champions League. I’m hoping the Dynamo don’t get a three peat. I don’t like dynasties.

New England 0-1 Columbus
So, anyone doubt the validity of Columbus as the favorite for the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup? They were once again at the top of their game, eking out a close victory up at Gillette Stadium. Intent signaled indeed. They’ve been playing well despite not having playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto for the third straight game. Schelotto has been away through injury but should he return come playoff time, it’ll be a dangerous task to stop the Crew. The Revolution had their share of chances, but Taylor Twellman couldn’t convert a couple of opportunities thanks to some strong goalkeeping from Will Hesmer. Only blip on the Crew radar was the red card received by veteran Frankie Hejduk, forcing them to play with 10 men for the last half hour of the match.

New York 4-5 Colorado
If you watched the highlights or the entire match, you saw one of the worst defensive performances – from both sides, although the Red Bull had more gaffes. A hat trick from Conor Casey was just the beginning, as goals seemed to come in from each and every angle. If it wasn’t Juan Pablo Angel, it was Dane Richards putting one in. Mike Petke got in on the bonanza that was rather entertaining. For those defensive purists, there were a number of cringe inducing moments by Red Bull defender Gabriel Cichero well documented by Ives right here. It’s heartbreaking for an offense to score four and not at least salvage a draw, and Conor Casey’s last minute winner must have sent Red Bull fans racing for the exit. That, and the game was about over. Something positive from the Red Bull was the play of recent additions Matthew Mbuta and Macoumba Kandji. They were responsible for what could have been the equalizer, tying things at 4-4. Unfortunately for the Red Bull, Casey got his hat trick and the Rapids got a victory to keep the pressure on for a playoff spot.

San Jose 2-3 Real Salt Lake
RSL decided to buck their recent trends of the season in the past two weeks, losing at home last week, and this week, picking up a rare win on the road. Yura Movsisyan must be loving Fabian Espindola, who we all remember as injuring himself while celebrating a goal that was disallowed. His injury has opened the door for more playing time for Movsisyan, and the Armenian has capitalized in recent weeks. His brace negated a great performance by Darren Huckerby, who netted two goals of his own. Huckerby has done much more for the Quakes than Beckham has for the Galaxy. Javier Morales was the difference, as he knocked home a free kick to give RSL the win. A big win for them as well, keeping pace with the Rapids in the Western Conference and right now are in the last spot for the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep it up at their new stadium.

Chivas USA 2-1 Kansas City
A tough loss for the Wizards who can’t win on the road. On the other side of the coin, a great win for Chivas who now trail Houston by just four points on the table. Sasha Victorine got back at his old team, setting up a goal by Alecko Eskandarian and scoring one for himself that turned out to be the game winner. KC dominated for stretches of the second half, and looked like they would break through on more than one occasion. However, they only managed one through an acrobatic bicycle kick from Josh Wolff. Claudio Lopez continues to see only portions of the match – another possible DP bust? Don’t count the Wizards out. They’ve got three of their four remaining home games at home, where they’ve posted a solid 7-2-3 record. Between that and only two points out of the last playoffs spot, count them out at your own risk. Wolff is key down the stretch, standing tall as KC’s consistent offensive threat on a weekly basis.

FC Dallas 3-0 DC United
A tough loss for DC, while Dallas picks up a vital win. United, who are winless in their last five league matches, have been dogged by injuries, jay vee defending, and now boneheaded moves like Jaime Moreno on Sunday. He threw an elbow to the face of unsuspecting FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha in the 84th minute and was given a straight red. Not a good end to a hard day, as goals from Rocha, Jeff Cunningham, and Kenny Cooper were more than enough to keep United at bay. Making matters worse was Luciano Emilio going down with a hamstring injury in the first half. What else can possibly go wrong for DC? They’ve got a doozy of a schedule to finish the season as well, not to mention Champions League every week, another tournament that they have little to no shot at winning.

Goal of the Week
This week’s honors fall to Toronto defender Marvell Wynne. His nifty footwork and stunning shot weren’t enough to get three points, but it did save a draw. Vote here while you still can.