Week 28 Recap - Anyone want the playoffs?

By: travis | October 6th, 2008

Who do you pick now to make the playoffs? With a handful of games remaining there are now three teams who have assured themselves of a playoff berth - New England, Houston, and Columbus, one team that hasn’t been there in awhile, two that have been there time and time again. Who’s next? That’s a difficult one to call.

The road was kind to three away teams, with big victories on the road for Chivas, Houston, and Toronto. Take a look at this past weekend’s action:

FC Dallas 1-1 San Jose
I’m not sure what was worse about this game: the sparse crowd out in Frisco, Texas (they can’t seem to muster large support) or the penalty decision awarded to Dallas by Abiodun Okulaja, who ruled that a cross struck the arm of Francisco Lima. A harsh decision, but to be fair, a tough one to make. It was clear that Lima was moving his arm away from the ball, and seemed to only strike his stomach. Kenny Cooper was more than happy to slot home the penalty and save a point for Dallas. Ryan Johnson had given the visitors the lead, coming off the bench to give the Quakes a lead they almost held onto. In terms of playoff implications, it’s a painful development for San Jose who have done so well to climb out of their impotent start to this season.

Columbus 1-0 Los Angeles
Have the Crew hit the final nail into the LA playoff coffin? I would say yes. It wasn’t without a strong effort from the Galaxy, as Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan both looked dangerous, but lacking the classy finish. The Crew only needed one goal for a second straight win in a row. A goal from Alejandro Moreno gave them the three points, but the Galaxy didn’t give up. David Beckham continues to underwhelm, but no one (outside of Galaxy fans) seem to care much, still showing up and selling out just about every match that he plays in. Guillermo Barros Schelotto played 61 minutes for the Crew, which is a good thing for them, as the more he plays as the season winds down, the better. What next for Bruce Arena out in LA? Who knows. Donovan could be gone. Beckham, seeming to be more like an overpaid geezer than a good midfielder right now.

New York 1-3 Toronto
Another week, another horrendous outing for Gabe Cichero. His attempt at a back pass fell right to Chad Barrett, who finished off his run to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. From there, it was hard to see a Red Bull victory, despite the best efforts of Dane Richards, who pulled things level for New York early on in the second half. A blistering counter attack led by Marvell Wynne (watch the highlight to see world class pace) set up Barrett’s second, and a solid cross led to a neat header from Abdus Ibrahim saw Toronto grab all three points and resurrect their fading playoff hopes. New York still holds onto one of the wild card spots, but they have seemed sort of listless in the past few outings - their defense reminds one of a sieve, with eight goals conceded in their last two. See Dave’s post here for more.

Colorado 1-3 Houston
Business as usual for the Dynamo, who stake their claim on the Western Conference. This game had Brian Ching involved on all three goals, scoring a brace to give Houston the lead, and setting up Ricardo Clark to seal things in just the 19th minute. Talk about a frantic rate of scoring, by the time the 20th minute struck, things were already settled. A crucial mistake by keeper Preston Burpo let things Even more bizarre? Two penalties were missed - the first by Ching, who missed the chance for a hat trick, and the second by Terry Cooke for Colorado in stoppage time. The Rapids are by no means safe in fourth place, but hold on to a spot for now.

New England 2-2 Real Salt Lake
A big collapse on the road for Real, who saw a two goal lead disappear to a tie in just two minutes late in the second half. Javier Morales opened the scoring after Matt Reis was caught off his line trying to clear the ball. Morales orchestrated the second goal, chipping over the New England defense to set up a beautiful volley from Andy Williams. It wouldn’t stick, however, and Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman struck back and evened things for the Revs. That, combined with losses by DC and New York secured New England a playoff berth.

DC United 0-3 Chivas USA
If you thought things couldn’t go worse for the red and black, you were wrong. A 3-0 shutout against Chivas at home over the weekend cements their non-playoff status. It would take something special, something that won’t be there, to take them over their dreadful hump. They’ve lost 14 league matches, yet are still within shouting distance of the playoffs, something that is remarkable. Louis Crayton picked Saturday to have his worst game in DC, with a horrible give away leading to the first goal of the match by Alecko Eskandarian, then spilling an easy rebound for a second. It went from bad to worse after that, as Chivas piled on the pressure, running away with the game by the second half, as the United defending was just dreadful. Chivas now boasts two players with the name Sasha (different spelling though) in the starting lineup, and both Kljestan and Victorine left their mark on the game. They have also helped the Goats into a much more comfortable spot in the West, four points clear of Colorado. As for DC? Season over.

Kansas City 1-1 Chicago
The story of the day here is an opportunity missed for the Wizards. With both DC and New York losing, a win would have brought them all the way back into contention for the playoffs. But the good news is they still managed a point, thanks to a goal from Michael Harrington, showing some nice moves at the top of the box to equalize. It was a hand ball from him that gave Chicago the lead, which if you’ve seen the highlight was a pretty ridiculous move on his part. Who goes up for a header with their arm fully extended up? If there was one random thing that I enjoyed about watching this game, it’s the Spanish broadcasting. I don’t understand what their saying, except for when they say ‘Los Wizards’. Stuff like that makes Sunday soccer worthwhile. The jury is still out on whether or not ‘Los Wizards’ will make the playoffs, but they’re still within range.

Goal of the Week
The illustrious award goes to Michael Harrington. His spectacular move to shake the Fire defender, combined with his beautiful and unstoppable curling shot gives him the nod. That and it saved a point for the Wizards. As usual, don’t forget to vote.