Wizards hope to regain spark

KANSAS CITY -- After three wins and a draw in their first four matches of the 2008 season, the Kansas City Wizards likely looked at the Eastern Conference standings of Major League Soccer with a gleam in their eyes. After two losses and a draw in their last three, the view isn't so glamorous as five sides block the view of the top.

Now the in-sync Los Angeles Galaxy stand as imposing hosts for Saturday night's encounter at The Home Depot Center. David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and now Edson Buddle (with his hat trick last week against FC Dallas in a 5-1 rout) have fashioned the league's highest scoring attack with 19 goals in eight games, although they are tied for the most goals allowed per game as well.

But despite the Galaxy's second-place sitting in the West, the two sides sport identical 3-3-2 records. The Wizards certainly aren't star-struck as they head into what is sure to be a challenge -- they're healthier and smarter.

Veteran midfielder Sasha Victorine started his first match of the season after battling injury and fellow midfielder Davy Arnaud saw time in only his second match of the season after offseason knee surgery and a subsequent hamstring strain in last Saturday's 1-1 draw at New York. The game itself, despite the road point gained, was not all positive though.

Up one goal and one man with just 13 minutes left after former Wizards midfielder Dave van den Bergh was sent off for throwing an elbow at Arnaud, the Wizards were primed to take the full three points back to K.C.

"We did a very poor job of managing the last portion of the game," said Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo. "We were very disappointed in not getting three points. Like every team in the league, we have to learn from those circumstances and get better as we head into L.A."

Defensively, Kansas City had repeated trouble with throw-ins into their penalty area. Offensive possession can cut down on those occurrences.

"Our biggest problem at times in that game was just making the right decisions when we had the ball," said Victorine. "We had times where we connected five, six passes and had our space, but the next pass we played the ball through or over the top on that [artificial turf] that a guy isn't going to catch. ... We need to make sure we know that sometimes the simple pass to keep the ball moving and keep making them work a little bit defensively is [important]."

"With any team in Major League Soccer, if you are able to possess the ball well and move the ball efficiently, things are going to open up and you can have success," added Onalfo.

On the expansive Home Depot Center field, the Wizards should be able to prolong their possession and the wisdom of Victorine and Arnaud's experience should serve them well. But slowing the Galaxy's multi-pronged arsenal will, of course, be imperative.

Victorine, who might encounter the feeding machine that is Beckham often on Saturday night, knows that his job is best described as containment as the English winger will find his space outside or inside.

"You're never going to shut them completely down because the way Beckham is it just takes one free-kick outside your 18-yard box, either right in front or out wide, [for them to score], and he serves such great balls," said Victorine.

"But you have to limit the opportunities you give them. We want to make sure we're smart with our tackles, where we make them, and defend set pieces well. You want to keep Beckham from playing balls that he wants because he can definitely put the ball wherever he wants too whenever he wants to, so you try to make him make a pass he doesn't want to make. We just need to concentrate and focus on playing our game there, keep possession of the ball."

"They're a very good team, but so are we," said Onalfo. "We look forward to the challenge of dealing with great attacking players in Beckham, Donovan, [forward Carlos] Ruiz and Buddle, and we're ready for the challenge. It's just a matter of making sure you have a good game plan to neutralize that. Having said that, you have to be able to exploit their weakness as well."

If the Wizards, who have scored just four goals in their last six games, can take advantage of a slowly maturing L.A. backline and find the Galaxy's scoring touch, they can bring joy back to Kansas City.

"We have a smart game plan going into the game this weekend, we feel very good about the fact that we're getting our veterans healthy and getting a cohesive starting unit -- at least moving toward that, which we haven't been able to do all season -- and look forward to what will hopefully be a very good game on a big field that is a good surface and a great atmosphere," said Onalfo.

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Buddle adds dimension to Galaxy

Chivas happy to have Talley

CARSON, Calif. -- Mired on a club that has struggled since its inception in 2005, Carey Talley felt his future with Real Salt Lake was suddenly uncertain and prepared for life outside of Utah.

"I kind of got a feeling in the locker room when I was in Salt Lake that maybe something was in the works," Talley said. "I kind of prepared myself for it in the days before it did happen."

His premonition became reality on May 9 when Chivas USA acquired Talley from Real Salt Lake in exchange for supplemental draft picks. The move was not necessarily made with the present in mind as Talley is battling a quadriceps strain, but more so for the grueling SuperLiga-laden summer and beyond.

Chivas USA coach Preki, who played alongside Talley with the Kansas City Wizards for two seasons, said his former teammate was a valuable addition to the Red-and-White.

"We feel Carey Talley is a good player," Preki said. "He's been in this league a long time. He's been on championship teams and knows how to win. In the last couple of years I've felt he's been the best player in Salt Lake."

Talley had been with RSL since 2006. He pieced together a pair of solid campaigns for the club. In 2006, he had two goals and eight assists in 2,618 minutes while last season he scored three goals in 2,195 minutes.

This season, Talley played 307 minutes over four games with RSL and scored a goal, off a corner kick against D.C. United. But his days with the fourth-year club were numbered.

Despite the unsettling nature of a trade, though, Talley said his family dealt with it well.

"I told my wife that I had a feeling," Talley said. "We handled it a lot better than if it was just sprung on us out of the blue so we kind of felt it coming."

Chivas USA is Talley's fifth team. After playing four seasons with D.C. United, Talley moved to Kansas City and Dallas before joining RSL. With Chivas USA, Talley said he could offer exactly what he gave his previous employers.

"I definitely believe that I read the game well and am a technical player. That's what has kept me in the league this whole time, my technical ability and ability to tackle and read the game," Talley said. "I'm going to bring that and the bite that I've had my whole career. I'll definitely bring that aspect of my game here and I think it will fit in well because they get after it in training each day."

Despite Chivas USA's depleted roster -- Talley was one of nine players unavailable for Saturday's match against D.C. United -- the veteran midfielder said he wanted to recover from his quadriceps strain before suiting up for the Red-and-White.

"It's going to take some healing. I have had this quad strain for (two) weeks," Talley said. "I've been a good healer in the past. I do want to make sure that I'm fit when I come back and make my debut for Chivas because I don't want to let anyone down if I'm hobbling out there."

Talley might make his Chivas USA debut this month, whether it is Saturday in Colorado or on May 31 against Columbus at The Home Depot Center. Though the club has just two wins this season, Talley said he has seen the caliber of players and coaches in his brief time with Chivas USA.

And that has made the move to the West Coast even smoother.

"I'm happy to come to this team. There are some things going on with this club. Preki definitely has a great system he's put into this team and got them to a level where he wanted them last year and he's tried to continue that," he said. "I wanted to come, I want to fit in and I want to play and be a big contributor to this team. That basically is up to me, in practice every day."

Talented Dallas presents challenge for RSL

Chivas gets ‘Goofy’ for team photo

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

D.C.'s snake-bitten ride continues

TORONTO -- It is a measure of D.C. United's snake-bitten season that when they get the seemingly good news of two key players returning to the lineup, one misses a great scoring chance and the other makes a crucial mistake that costs D.C. the game. Such was the case in United's 1-0 loss to Toronto FC on Wednesday night at BMO Field.

Devon McTavish was playing in his first game since April 17 after recovering from a foot sprain, and was in the lineup as a central defender rather than midfield in an attempt to beef up a back line that had allowed a league-worst 17 goals going into Wednesday's action.

It took just seven minutes for the maneuver to backfire for the Black-and-Red. In attempting a back pass to goalkeeper Zach Wells inside the penalty area, McTavish fumbled his attempt and turned the ball over to Toronto striker Danny Dichio. McTavish could only try and drag Dichio from behind, but the forward got just enough foot on the ball to send a slow-moving grounder inside the right post.

"When you're going through rough stretches, one mistake, or two mistakes tend to cost you and that was a bad mistake, you know, seven minutes in," said D.C. head coach Tom Soehn. "I thought we came out with a lot of energy, I thought we executed what we came to do today, but a mistake is hard to recover from."

Dichio's strike ended up being the only goal of the match, sending United to its fourth consecutive defeat and leaving McTavish left to ponder what could have been.

"It just got stuck on my foot, I don't know what happened," McTavish said. "I just mis-hit it and Dichio took advantage of it.

"I should've just got between him and the ball. ... When I went to kick it and I just lost my footing, then he got a step on me and it was pretty much over from there."

The worst part of the error for the third-year Virginia native was that it occurred so early in the match.

"The guys did a good job of picking me up but it's always in the back of your head," McTavish said. "You've just got to forget about it and move on. But it's tough when it happens so early. These things happen and it's a bad time for it to happen considering how much effort we [put in] and the way we approached this game and played this game."

It was a bitter defeat for United, especially given their past record of success against Toronto. D.C. had a 4-0 record and an 11-3 goal advantage in their previous four matches with TFC, including a 4-1 rout of the Reds last April 5 at RFK Stadium.

United recorded 11 shots on goal out of 18 total shots on that day, but Wednesday's match was a total reversal. D.C. had just 11 shots total, with only three on goal, and only one truly good scoring chance in the match.

In the 64th minute, Marcelo Gallardo found fellow midfielder Fred in front of the TFC net with a perfect crossing pass. Fred, who had returned to the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring strain, sent Gallardo's pass goalward with a close-range header, but TFC goalkeeper Greg Sutton was there to block the shot. Fred tried to collect the rebound, but Dichio was there to knock it away before Fred could get a foot on the ball.

"I meant to put it in and the 'keeper had a very quick reaction to it," Fred said. "I'm sad like everyone else for the outcome because it could've changed the game."

The loss drops United to 2-7-0 on the season and digs them deeper into last place in the Eastern Conference. With just six points collected almost a third of the way into the season, D.C. is in danger of having an insurmountable deficit to overcome in the competitive East. The Black-and-Red are now five points behind sixth place Kansas City, who have a game at hand on D.C.

The bright sides for United are that Fred and McTavish both reported no recurrences of their injuries after the game, aside from just some general fatigue due to match fitness. Also, McTavish's error aside, the back line did play better, holding Toronto FC to just two shots on goal and six shots overall.

The teams have a quick rematch on Saturday at RFK Stadium. Both of D.C.'s wins this season have come at home, and the Black-and-Red are hoping that the familiar surroundings can end their struggles.

"It's definitely a tough situation," Fred said. "It's embarrassing to me, but we've got to go back to work and right the ship. I've been through this before and I have the experience with it, but you never want to go through something like this."

Fire again find the magic at RFK

Chivas gets ‘Goofy’ for team photo

Chivas hope to use win as springboard

CARSON, Calif. -- Saturday's victory against D.C. United might have held within it a sign of things to come for Chivas USA.

One goal opened up the floodgates as the Red-and-White beat United 3-1. Now, the club hopes that one win will also have a similar effect on their upcoming matches.

"Now is an important time," Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. "We've moved a few points closer to first place and it's a time where if we win two or three games in a row we can put ourselves in first place just with how the Western Conference has been going so far. We've just got to play with confidence right now."

Confidence was something the club had been lacking. A 1-4-2 record had contributed to the decline in self-belief. Injuries and a sieve-like defense also played a role in the team's slow start.

But when the club finally found a bit of what brought the team success a year ago, everything seemingly clicked instantaneously.

"When the first goal came, I really felt that we could score a second or a third just with our momentum and that's what happened," Kljestan said. "Atiba (Harris) did well on all three goals. We caught some lucky bounces but give credit to him for fighting his butt off."

Against D.C. United, Chivas USA did well to turn the tide that had plagued the team this year. D.C. became the sixth team to score first against Chivas USA this season, but unlike the other five games, the Red-and-White finally came from behind to post a victory.

It was the first-ever such victory for the club, but perhaps more importantly it gave the club a possible glimpse into the future by taking a page out of the past.

"We've seen what we can do when we can move the ball," Kljestan said. "In the second half we moved the ball real well and kind of got back to the way Chivas plays. That was Chivas out there."

Now, the club will prepare for the Colorado Rapids. Whether or not Chivas USA can regain any of its injured players back for the match will be played out this week. Defenders Shavar Thomas and Claudio Suarez and forward Maykel Galindo appear the most capable to regain their health.

Still, regardless of who plays and who is not healthy enough to make the trip to Colorado, the groundwork for success has been laid out, though it was not exactly followed on Saturday.

"Our team to be successful, we need to play with leads. That's what we're good at," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "When we get a lead, we can start knocking the ball and opening the other team up, then we can get the second and the third goal and the whole bit. That part was good and it felt like our old team."

United hopes to shake road woes

Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas

Davis: Second step tougher

Individuals and teams continually confront a hard reality when it comes to getting past sticking points: maneuvering past the first step isn't easy, of course, but it's a piece of candy compared to what comes next.

Achieving the next level is even more troublesome and demanding.

Look at Robbie Rogers at Columbus. Look at how hard he's obviously worked to establish himself as a presence in MLS. Mission accomplished! Well done, young man!

Now, if you can kindly push the tempo even more, pour even greater effort and heart into future outings. Never mind the extra attention and kicks to the shin that you'll now receive from opposing defenders. And please ignore the significant undertow of heightened expectations. Sound OK? Thanks.

Rogers' five goals in eight matches have provided a huge boosts as Columbus, without a playoff appearance since 2004, is suddenly all that in MLS. But it's going to get tougher on the U.S. winger, who only last week reached his 21st birthday.

Last Saturday in Toronto, the fastest man of the BMO bunch, Marvel Wynne, made sure that Rogers had a quiet afternoon. With Toronto's right back concentrating on keeping Rogers in check, the teams played to a 0-0 draw.

The good news for Rogers: opposing defenses also have to worry about Crew teammates Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno. The bad news for Rogers: he'll soon be the target of ever more transfer speculation, which will test his ability to block out blaring distraction.

Ask Jozy Altidore about how tough that can be sometimes.

Some other sticking points and "next steps" around MLS:

• Real Salt Lake and Colorado have proven they can hold their own at home. But they'll have to reach deeper and be more confident on the road.

Jason Kreis' team has taken the first step to greater competitiveness by guarding the home grounds; RSL is unbeaten at Rice-Eccles this year with two wins and two draws and a plus-5 goal difference. Away from Utah, the side has lost all four and faces an ugly minus-8 goal difference.

Colorado has made its Commerce City home a little bit of a fortress early in 2008, allowing just two goals in posting a 3-1-0 mark. Fernando Clavijo's men haven't been as good away from Dick's Sporting Goods Park -- although there is evidence that they aren't far away from righting matters. The Rapids have been quite competitive in one-goal losses at Kansas City, Chicago and Houston.

• The LA Galaxy certainly aren't hurting for offense, with 19 goals in eight matches. At that pace (2.375 per outing) Ruud Gullit's men will land at about 71 goals -- which would mark the best MLS output since 1998.

On the other hand, the Galaxy must zip up that defense a little tighter. In Sunday's ambush in Frisco, a 5-1 Galaxy victory, FC Dallas missed numerous chances to get back in the match, threatening to make it another old-fashioned Texas shootout (like the 6-5 doozy in last year's SuperLiga).

But Gullit is advising fans and media to stop picking solely on his defenders. He agrees that the Galaxy has ample room for improvement, but says defensive betterment is needed front to back.

"I tell you, it's not all defense," he insisted with a smile, but in a tone that suggested he was losing in the battle to convince people. "It all starts before that. If teams have easy access, like the last goal against New York, where they have access all up the middle and can just run, what do you want from the defense?"

In that one, New York's Dane Richards was allowed to run about 50 yards with the ball before releasing it to Juan Pablo Angel, who rounded L.A. goalkeeper Steve Cronin and scored in the empty net.

"Then, the defenders have to make choices, and sometimes they make mistakes, but it's not their mistakes," Gullit said.

• Clearly, the next step in San Jose, where Frank Yallop's defense is increasingly leaky but still the side's better half, is scoring more goals. The Earthquakes are on pace to reach historic lows in offensive output.

Yallop's men are on pace to score about 17 this year, which would easily be the all-time low. Toronto FC currently holds the dubious mark, netting just 25 in its expansion campaign.

It won't be easy for Buck Shaw brigade. Ronnie O'Brien is arguably the top offensive talent. But he's a lifelong set-up man, always better at arranging goals for others than at scoring himself -- which is a little odd considering his ability to strike powerfully from distance. He has 13 MLS goals to go with 40 assists.

Also working against San Jose is this: Ramiro Corrales is toiling admirably as a central midfielder. But he's really a defender disguised as a linkman, and he doesn't provide much offensive punch going forward. Ned Grabavoy is the Earthquakes' attacking midfielder. But he's never quite figured out how to translate some of that smooth skill into match production; the U.S. midfielder has five goals and 12 assists in 77 career MLS contests.

• In the nation's capital Tom Soehn and Co. are searching desperately for answers, still trying to take the first next step, which is as obvious as a boot to the face: the 2007 Supporters' Shield winners need to get off the mat and start playing better. How far behind have they already drifted in the playoff chase?

In MLS, the magic number for points is right around 40. Climbing to the 40-point plateau gives a side a chance, at least, of stamping their postseason pass. United currently have six points from eight matches.

That means the Beetles (ya know ... they are sponsored by VW now) need about 34 points from the remaining 22 matches. Translation into Win-Loss-Tie language, that's something like 9-6-7 or 10-8-4. So, the men from D.C. are hardly out of it ... but they had better push the pedal and get that little VW Beetle moving fast.

TACTICAL CORNER:

Ruud Gullit is no slave to any one system. That's obvious.

He started his days in L.A. by aligning the Galaxy in the Dutch version of a 4-3-3. When that didn't fit, he adopted a more standard 4-4-2.

But he cooked up something a little special for the Galaxy's latest visit to Texas, where the tactics proved spot-on in Los Angeles' big win 5-1 Sunday against FC Dallas. (Road teams have won by four goal margins or more only 25 times in league history.)

The Galaxy used a hybrid formation, crossing the 4-3-3 with the 4-4-2 and coming out with something that obviously rocked Dallas.

Gullit was eager to get healthy-again Alvaro Pires back in the lineup, since Pires "holds" at holding midfielder better than L.A.'s other choices. So Gullit put Pires there, and then aligned Joe Franchino and Brandon McDonald in central roles in front of him.

David Beckham played on the right, as a midfielder/forward with latitude to go, well, pretty much anywhere. Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle were up front.

What does that leave? Uh, oh, yes ... the left!

Who was on the left?

That's just it. The Galaxy essentially played without a left-sided guy. Franchino was tasked with drifting left should the need arise. But Dallas had Andre Rocha as the right-sided presence in the Hoops' 3-4-3, and the young Brazilian is really out of place as an outside guy. So, he drifts inside frequently and rarely tries to exploit the wide areas and crossing channels.

Gullit recognized this and was thus able to get an extra man into the middle, essentially playing three central midfielders against Dallas' two.

On the right, Beckham's drifting and floating gave Dallas trouble immediately. FCD manager Steve Morrow had assigned young Anthony Wallace to essentially man-mark Beckham. When the England international went inside or remained in a more defensive position, it exposed a big gap on Dallas' left flank and forced FCD defenders to adjust quickly.

Yes. Beckham became a multi-million dollar decoy. And happily so, according to the man himself and his boss. The Galaxy scored five goals, and not one came officially from Beckham or Landon Donovan. (Although an own goal came off Donovan's cross/shot.)

"It was a tactical move that we had to do," Gullit said afterward. "And tactically, they [Dallas] played exactly the game that I expected from them. Sometimes, you are not in the headlines, but it is necessary to do these things to win. And also, they [Donovan and Beckham] are happy, because if you win like that, they are happy to do it. It's OK for somebody else to profit. That is good."

Buddle adds dimension to Galaxy

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Buddle adds dimension to Galaxy

FRISCO, Texas -- After a tough 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls at The Home Depot Center last Saturday, the Los Angeles Galaxy went back to work. Sunday afternoon, all that work paid off as LA had four-goal edge by the 39-minute mark and strolled to a 5-1 victory against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park.

Edson Buddle led the visitors with a hat trick while L.A.'s other goals came from Chris Klein and an own goal from FCD defender Duilio Davino, who deflected a Landon Donovan cross past goalkeeper Dario Sala.

"I think that the team played excellent," Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit said. "The gameplan worked. The key for us was David (Beckham) going outside and we also got Alvaro (Pires) back, which was important. Putting them in the right positions made it very difficult for them to play their game. We could play our game and I think the first half was excellent. It boosted our confidence."

With Alan Gordon out with a hamstring injury, Buddle got the chance to return to the lineup and it was an opportunity that he took advantage of. Coming into the game, while the Galaxy led the league with 14 goals scored, just three players had contributed to that total: Donovan (eight), Beckham and Alan Gordon (three each)

"Edson did really well for us today and it was great for us," Gullit said. "Many people think that only David and Landon can score for us. But last week, it was Gordon and today it was Edson. That means that we have various players now who can score goals and that's good."

Gullit rolled out a modified formation that looked more like a 4-5-1, a free-flowing setup that gave Beckham and Donovan a great deal of freedom. The tactical switch gave the Hoops a great deal of trouble all day.

"He (Beckham) had a lot of freedom and played more on top," Gullit said. "I think that worked very well because they didn't know what to do with him. He did a lot of sneaking in behind the fullbacks. That creates problems for the opposition, so we tried to do things that would make his game better than before. We worked hard on that in training and I think today was a good exhibition of that."

In the 75th minute, Beckham was tackled hard by FCD defender Adrian Serioux, who was summarily sent off by referee Baldomero Toledo. After the infraction, Beckham rose to his feet and gave Serioux a shove.

"No, (it wasn't an overreaction on my part) because it was a terrible tackle," Beckham said. "I could've broken my leg. I think that was a bad tackle personally. He told me, 'Welcome baby, welcome.' These tackles happen in soccer and we don't want them in soccer but this is a man's game. You have to get up, play on and get on with the game. We did after that."

After starting his first two games of the season, Buddle started for a third consecutive week in the 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake. But a hamstring injury forced him off the field after just 12 minutes, which kept him out of last weekend's loss to New York. He returned to the team with a vengeance.

"Today, we were able to find each other early and move the ball well," he said. "We played a little bit differently today as far as our formation. We used that very well today and want to continue that on the road, which is tough. They just wanted me to stay busy, active and in motion. If I did that, they told me that the ball would always seem to find me."

Gullit was also pleased with how well his team defended as a whole. Coming into the week's matches, the Galaxy had allowed 15 goals, tied with Chivas USA for the most in the league through seven weeks.

"You start defending up front," he said. "If you make mistakes up front and don't track back, then you will give up goals. I think it was a better overall performance from the team to defend and was a compliment to the team. They worked very hard but it all starts up front. We forced them to make mistakes and when we had the ball, we had the composure."

With the win, the Galaxy now move into second place in the Western Conference with 11 points, just one behind first-place Colorado. The loss dropped FC Dallas from second to fourth place in the table with nine points, one behind the Houston Dynamo.

"I think it was an important game for us, especially after we lost the last one at home," Beckham said. "We came into this game refreshed and ready for it. We organized all week and prepared all week for this game because we knew how good they were and how they played.

"I think we started off well. In the first half especially, we played some good football and kept the ball well. The two saves from Steve Cronin just before we scored our goal were very important because we've had games where we've played well but haven't been able to get a goal. So, it was important that we kept a clean sheet and then we broke away for the goal. Overall, it was a good game for us."

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Galaxy attack explodes in rout of FCD

Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On a night where his team couldn't have looked more comfortable if each starter had a recliner to rest on during the game, New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol wasn't pleased after his team's 2-0 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes.

"I thought in the second half, as good as we were the first half, I thought we were as bad the second half," Nicol said.

Of course, his team had done just about everything that it needed to do in the first half. Kheli Dube scored his first MLS goal in his first MLS start and former Revolution defender James Riley headed past Cannon to give the Revs a 2-0 lead at halftime.

"Shalrie didn't get a good touch on the ball, so it just happened that it just came to me," Dube said of his inaugural marker. "I had to make sure to finish it."

The Revs were dominant in the first half, spraying balls around the field and pinning San Jose back inside its own half. But the team wanted a third goal to try to seal the contest.

"We were talking about it at halftime," Parkhurst said. "That third goal is extremely important; if they got it, we would have gone down 2-1, and it's a whole new game. We were really trying to get that third goal in. We weren't sitting back and we wanted to score some goals for our fans and continue to play well."

Nicol didn't think his side came out as well in the second half as San Jose tried to push forward in search of a goal to get back into the game. Yet the Revolution defense didn't yield any shots on goal, even though Ramiro Corrales rang the crossbar just before the match headed into stoppage time.

Parkhurst said the midfield did a good job of closing down the Quakes midfielders, breaking down attacks before they reached the Revolution penalty area.

"The guys in front of us did a good job of protecting us and cutting down passes and really dominating the midfield and making our life a lot easier in the back," Parkhurst said.

Even though the team didn't get the goal it wanted in the second half, Dube said the team can take some momentum from the easy win.

"The good thing was that everybody kept on working hard," Dube said. "Even if things weren't coming our way, we kept on working hard and didn't concede a goal which is good for the team. It's just going to help us go into the next game with our heads high."

Revs searching for consistency

Revs’ early offense dooms Quakes

FCD can't find answers for Galaxy

FRISCO, Texas -- On paper, this was supposed to be the week that the struggling FC Dallas attack finally scored some goals, facing a Los Angeles Galaxy team that had allowed the most goals in MLS entering the round of games.

Well, the visitors never got the memo, exploding for four goals in the first half and sending a record crowd at Pizza Hut Park away disappointed as they rolled to a 5-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

"It's an embarrassing performance," FCD head coach Steve Morrow said. "We're all very much ashamed of ourselves in the locker room. Ultimately, I'll take responsibility for that as a coach."

The Galaxy's Edson Buddle hit for a hat trick and L.A. also got a goal from Chris Klein and an own goal courtesy of FCD defender Duilio Davino. The Hoops got their lone tally of the match in the 54th minute when Dominic Oduro headed home a great cross from Kenny Cooper.

"We were running too much and playing too little," FCD midfielder Pablo Ricchetti said. "We just need to hold possession but we can't do that right now. We need to get better as a team. We played pretty badly as a team and I think it's the worst I've seen us play since we've been here."

For much of the day, FCD was not good at maintaining possession and for the most part, the ball wasn't moving through the midfield on a consistent basis.

"There was nothing missing (in the midfield)," Morrow said. "We've just got to get back to hard work and we'll do that on the training field. We're confident, believe in ourselves a lot and what we're doing. We're confident that we'll turn it around."

With the loss, the Hoops remain winless in the month of May. And with Real Salt Lake coming to visit on Saturday, who handed FCD a 2-1 loss last weekend at Rice-Eccles Stadium, followed by a visit from Houston the following Wednesday, a side the Hoops have only beaten once at home, prospects for finishing May winless are very real.

"We're going through a rough time at the moment and results aren't going our way," Morrow said. "We'll get back to some hard work. We've got a good group of talented players and a group that has the right attitude who will fight for each other. We'll work hard to put ourselves right and to get a win in the next game."

FC Dallas will go into the RSL game without starting center back Adrian Serioux, after the Canadian international was sent off with a straight red card in the 75th minute after a hard tackle on L.A.'s David Beckham in front of the Hoops bench.

"It's an interpretation of the referee and he went with what he saw," FCD midfielder Pablo Ricchetti said about Serioux's expulsion. "That didn't change the game. It was decided in the first 45 minutes."

After surrendering just five goals in their first five matches of the season, the FCD defense has become a bit porous in the last two weeks, allowing seven goals in losses to RSL and the Galaxy.

"All 11 of us were responsible for the goals," Ricchetti said. "It's not about one player because as a team, we all played badly and didn't reach the level we wanted to."

For FCD, it was the first time they have allowed four or more goals in a game this season, something they did three times last season. The last time the Hoops surrendered five goals in a league match came on Oct. 14, 2006, when they dropped their regular season finale to the Galaxy 5-2 at The Home Depot Center.

Ricchetti reinforced that FCD's current problems aren't because of a rumor pertaining to a lack of harmony in the locker room.

"No, we are good," he said. "The issue for us is that we are playing badly. We are calm but resolve everything internally. The main issue right now is that we're not playing well and that isn't a reflection of anything that's going on inside (the locker room)."

Hoops struggling to regain form

Galaxy defense looks to step up

Hoops hoping to reignite attack

Crew show toughness in earned draw

TORONTO -- After five consecutive victories, it was perhaps inevitable that the Columbus Crew were due for a less-than-stellar game. Such a performance took place on Saturday afternoon in Toronto, but the bright side is that the team salvaged a 0-0 draw in spite of being outpaced for most of the game.

"They pressed the issue on the game and I think we were just solid defensively and stayed compact," said defender Frankie Hejduk. "They had most of the possession but the bottom line is we did what we had to do on the road to get a point. Hats off to them, they had a good game -- but we played well also."

Battling the Reds, the energetic and streamer-throwing BMO Field fans and the windy elements, the Crew was held to a clean sheet for just the second time in seven matches. The only other goalless outing for Columbus was their lone loss of the season, a 2-0 defeat by New York on April 5.

Columbus' top attackers (midfielder Robbie Rogers and forwards Alejandro Moreno and Guillermo Barros Schelotto) were limited to a combined four shots, with Rogers' 24th-minute attempt ending up as the Crew's best chance of the game. Rogers found a hole in the Toronto defense and found himself with some space on the left side of the box. He had both his defender and Reds goalkeeper Greg Sutton off-balance, but his shot was cleared off the line by TFC defender Tyrone Marshall.

Schelotto had one shot on goal himself, but his most notable moment of the match might well have been his yellow card in the 90th minute for diving. Toronto FC coach John Carver felt Schelotto was exaggerating throughout the entire game, calling his play "not honest and professional."

Columbus head coach Sigi Schmid, unsurprisingly, disagreed with Carver's remarks.

"Guillermo is a very competitive individual who plays with a lot of passion and fire. He felt he got fouled a couple of times and it didn't get called, and it plays with that emotion but that's what makes him a good player. He and I will deal with it, but, you know, I appreciate John's comments, but he needs to leave me to worry about my guys.

"There was certainly a play that occurred in front of our bench where [Schelotto] got fouled and he didn't get the call, probably because he had complained about some calls before. That's not right either, but it's one of those things that happens all the time."

Schmid said his club wasn't truly playing for the draw until the final few minutes, but admitted that "offensively, it wasn't our best game."

The game was short on breakthrough opportunities as the Crew often found themselves soaking up the pressure under an aggressive TFC attack. It forced the attack-minded Crew to play more of a defensive game than they are normally used to, but goalkeeper Will Hesmer sees his side's ability to adapt as a good thing.

"We're committed to winning games no matter how we have to win them," Hesmer said. "It's a hard game, an ugly game that we'll play hard -- if teams want to open up and play, we'll open up and play. I think we're just committed to whatever we have to do to win the game."

The draw ensures that the Black-and-Gold will leave the weekend with no less than a tie for first in the overall MLS table, though a Chicago win on Saturday night would tie the Fire with the Crew at 19 points, and Columbus would fall to second place on goal differential.

Columbus now has four points out a possible six this season against Toronto, after their 2-0 win against the Reds in Columbus on Opening Day. Given the hostile territory that is BMO Field (TFC is now 2-0-2 at home this season), the Crew are happy to escape with a classically defense-first away performance.

"They had the better of the ball, but we defended like [warriors] and made it tough for them," Hejduk said. "I think we frustrated their fans and frustrated them a bit, and that's what you want to do on the road."

Yallop not ready to make changes

Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift

Rapids take command of West

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- With a first-place berth and first blood in the Rocky Mountain Cup both on the line, the Colorado Rapids hit for two goals in the final half-hour of the match to claim a 2-0 victory against arch-rival Real Salt Lake on MLS Primetime Thursday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Omar Cummings finally broke the tense deadlock with a goal in the 65th minute, then Christian Gomez converted a penalty kick with seven minutes to go to put the game away as the unceasing offensive attack by the Rapids finally broke through.

The initial minutes of the game saw each team have good possession through the midfield, but each defense looked well organized, disrupting any attack that began to look dangerous.

The first good chance of the game came 14 minutes in. Jacob Peterson's shot was deflected dangerously by RSL fullback Chris Wingert into the path of Cummings at the top of the goal area, but the ball spun just out of reach of the Rapids forward.

That initial chance seemed to bring the game alive, as Real had their first chance just after. Some nifty footwork on the ball by Fabian Espindola opened up some space at the corner of the penalty area. Utilizing it fully, Espindola took a quick, curling shot, but Rapids 'keeper Bouna Coundoul easily gobbled it up.

Two former Rapids nearly made good things happen for Real in the 18th minute, as Wingert received a back pass from Espindola and sent in a nice cross that looked destined for Kyle Beckerman's head. Coundoul, however, was able to charge out of the goalmouth to punch the ball out of danger.

Cummings nearly put the Rapids up in the 23rd minute. His hard header of a Christian Gomez corner kick went straight down and took a hard, wicked bounce up toward the net, but Salt Lake 'keeper Nick Rimando was able to make the quick reaction save to push the ball up and over the net.

Salt Lake had another chance from outside of the box in the 29th minute, when after a long string of good passes Beckerman took a low, hard shot from the outside of the box, but it was aimed right at Coundoul.

RSL nearly scored again in the 30th minute. Dodging streamers thrown by the Rapids supporters, Andy Williams took an outswinging corner that was perfectly placed for Matias Mantilla, but the tall fullback's powerful header went well wide of the net.

Real had another great chance off of a corner in the 42nd minute. Scottish forward Kenny Deuchar headed the ball down toward the corner of the net and looked to have Coundoul fooled, but Kosuke Kimura contorted his body to head the ball back away from the goalmouth before falling back into the net.

The Rapids began the second half on the attack, having two nearly identical dangerous chances only minutes apart. In each case, Colin Clark made a good run down the left flank, breaking free before sending a hard cross across the face of the goal. Luckily for RSL, no Rapids forwards were able to keep up with the play and in both cases the ball skipped harmless through the penalty area.

Clark nearly put one in himself in the 54th minute, running on to a cross from Peterson, but he was unable to get it on frame.

As a steady rain began to fall, the Rapids continued to attack and create good chances. In the 60th minute, Herculez Gomez played a low cross to the front of the goal which Cummings met, sending a powerful header just wide of the net.

Another good opportunity for the Rapids came minutes later. After some good combination play between Cummings, Peterson, and Christian Gomez, Gomez sent a pass back to the onrushing Pablo Mastroeni. He was jostled just enough by Dema Kovalenko on his shot attempt to send it above the goal.

The Rapids attack finally found a way through in the 65th minute. Christian Gomez sent Clark down the line, where he sent in yet another low ball across the box. This time, Cummings was there to meet it, and his redirection caromed off of Rimando's leg and up into the net for Cummings' third goal on the season.

Real sought to inject some life into their offense by substituting Robbie Findley into the game for Kenny Cutler. But the move initially seemed to improve the Rapids offense more, as Cutler had been shadowing Christian Gomez all game. With his nemesis off of the field, Gomez had much more time and space to direct the midfield.

The Rapids nearly got another in the 76th minute. Cummings used some nifty moves to beat Nat Borchers along the touchline. His cross was cleared right to Peterson, who passed it to Herculez Gomez at the penalty spot. Gomez's redirection, however, went just wide of the net.

Salt Lake kept valiantly fighting, earning a corner kick that nearly led to the tying goal in the 78th minute. The Williams service to the far post curled away from the goal to Deuchar, whose header beat Coundoul but went just over the net.

The Rapids scored their second in the 83rd minute. Mantilla was called for handling the ball while trying to prevent Herculez Gomez from dribbling into the box. Christian Gomez struck the resulting penalty hard to into the left of the goal, giving Rimando no chance and scoring his second goal on the season.

Real nearly got one back in the 89th minute off of a free kick. Espindola took the shot from 20 yards out and hit it hard and low past the wall, It took an amazing save from Coundoul to keep Real off of the scoreboard.

The game ended just after, putting Colorado atop the West and giving them a leg up in the Rocky Mountain Cup standings -- and keeping Real Salt Lake from claiming first place in the conference for the first time in club history.

Dynamo earn first victory of 2008

Galaxy attack explodes in rout of FCD

FRISCO, Texas -- Edson Buddle scored two goals in a four-goal burst in 15 minutes in the first half, then completed his hat trick with a late finale as the Los Angeles Galaxy routed FC Dallas 5-1 at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday afternoon.

Buddle scored in the 31st and 39th minutes, each goal following a Chris Klein and an own goal respectively, as the visiting Galaxy opened up a dominant lead before the opening 45 minutes was complete. Dominic Oduro headed one home to pull a goal back for FCD, but Buddle completed his hat trick just minutes after Adrian Serioux was sent off.

Almost from the kickoff, it was the visitors who dominated play. In the fifth minute, L.A. midfielder David Beckham dribbled up the right flank and spotted an open Buddle on the opposite side of the field. Beckham then sent a great cross toward his teammate and Buddle got a shot off only to see it go wide left.

Still, it was FC Dallas that appeared to have taken the lead in the sixth minute. Forward Abe Thompson battled his way to goal before beating Steve Cronin, however the referee's assistant ruled he had fouled an L.A. defender to break free and the goal was disallowed.

Then in the 19th minute, FCD striker Kenny Cooper, who had four shots in the opening frame, took a chance from about 45 yards out. Seeing Cronin somewhat out of position, the Dallas native launched a long bomb but the L.A. 'keeper leapt high to his left to get a hand on the ball and knock it over the crossbar.

In the 25th minute all the Galaxy's hard work paid off as they took the lead. Brandon McDonald had a ton of room to operate in the middle of the field, long enough to spot Klein streaking up the right flank, and the right back finished past Sala for the opening goal.

After a free kick by Beckham in the 27th was headed wide right by Buddle, the Galaxy forward made good on his next chance. He muscled his way through three FCD players to launch one from the top of the restraining arc that beat Sala inside the near post for a 2-0 edge after 31 minutes.

Just two minutes later, the L.A. onslaught continued. Donovan had loads of room on the left flank and was able to send a cross in toward the FCD goal with little resistance. Unfortunately, the ball went off the side of Duilio Davino's right foot and into the back of the net.

In the 39th, Buddle further added to the home side's misery when he put one home from close range. After a corner kick taken by Donovan from the left flag found Alvaro Pires just in front of the goal, he lobbed one over his head that landed just inches from the far post. Buddle ran in and pushed it the final bit over the line.

For FCD, the start was eerily similar to the SuperLiga game played between the two sides on July 31, 2007. In that match, L.A. had a 4-0 lead after just 18 minutes after a pair of goals from Alan Gordon, another from Klein and the final tally of the sequence from Kevin Harmse, a game that eventually ended 6-5 for the Galaxy.

Hoops head coach Steve Morrow rolled out a 3-4-3 formation that featured Arturo Alvarez, Cooper and Thompson up top. The back line of Moor, Davino and Adrian Serioux remained intact while the midfield had a few changes. Anthony Wallace took over on the left with Juan Toja moving inside to replace Marcelo Saragosa.

After the break, Morrow made a pair of changes, bringing on speedy Dominic Oduro for Thompson and taking Wallace off for veteran Bobby Rhine. L.A. head coach Ruud Gullit also made a change at the half, taking off midfielder Joe Franchino for Josh Tudela.

Morrow's changes had the desired effect when the Hoops got a goal back in the 55th minute. Cooper did some nice footwork to the left of the Galaxy goal to work himself free from L.A. defender Abel Xavier, then sent a nice cross into the middle of the box where Oduro was waiting. The Ghanaian striker headed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the year.

Just four minutes later, Buddle made a bid for the hat trick. A pinpoint Beckham cross from the right flank found him in the middle of the FCD penalty area and he put his powerful header on goal, but right at Sala who made the save.

FCD again went close in the 60th minute. Andre Rocha and Cooper hooked up again with Cooper driving toward the far post, but his shot hit the crossbar and sailed out of play.

Then in the 63rd, Toja found himself staring at an empty net after Cronin came off his line in an attempt to close down the threat. With the net open, Toja cut the ball back inside instead of shooting straight for the goal and his right-footed blast at the still-empty net sailed high.

In the 75th minute, the match took an ugly turn. Just in front of the FCD bench, Serioux tackled Beckham hard, which led referee Baldomero Toledo to reach into his back pocket and show the Canadian international a straight red card. As Serioux marched toward the tunnel, Beckham followed for a stretch and then blew him a kiss before he left the field.

Buddle finally completed his triple after another spectacular cross from Beckham. The English international spotted his teammate open on the far side of the field, sent him a great ball and Buddle headed it into the back of the net for his third hat trick, his first since hitting for the trifecta for the MetroStars in a win against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 26, 2006. Buddle once scored four goals in a game for Columbus, Sept. 18, 2004 against the MetroStars.

Both sides will be at home next Saturday. The Galaxy will play host to Kansas City in a 7:30 p.m. PT match at The Home Depot Center that will be televised by HDNet. FCD will play host to Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Angel delivers first goal, win for NY

Down a man, Red Bulls don't relent

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It might not be the result they were looking for when they arrived at Giants Stadium Saturday night. But the New York Red Bulls were certainly not disappointed with a 1-1 draw against the Kansas City Wizards, especially considering they equalized in the final 10 minutes down a man after Dave van den Bergh was sent off.

"I'm happy with the way they responded to my sending off," van den Bergh said. "I think everybody played their hearts out tonight and I think we got rewarded for our hard work."

The Red Bulls extended their unbeaten streak to five consecutive games and made it 12 in a row without a loss against the Wizards at Giants Stadium dating back to 2000. And they have a rookie midfielder from South Africa to thank for that.

For the second consecutive week, Danleigh Borman scored, this time leveling the game at 1-1 with a powerful first-time strike that went off of Kevin Hartman's hands and inside the near post nine minutes from full time.

As he did at The Home Depot Center after his first professional goal, he celebrated with a cartwheel and made the motion of an 'X' with his hands.

"I remember we discovered him in January in the Combine in Florida," Juan Carlos Osorio said of Borman, who played his college soccer at the University of Rhode Island. "At the time, I thought he was probably a good player with good potential and I think he's developing very well at the moment and he is contributing a great deal to our recent results."

Borman came on at halftime for Mike Magee as the Red Bulls switched from a 3-4-3 formation to a 4-4-2.

"He just said I needed to come in and be effective and try to make a difference in the game, to do what I do and take on players from my position, give it to Juan Pablo (Angel) and put crosses in," Borman said of his instructions from Osorio.

Borman's equalizer was one of the last things Osorio saw from the sideline. Referee Jair Marrufo sent the first-year Red Bulls coach off three minutes later and Osorio will not be allowed on the bench when the Red Bulls host his former club, the Chicago Fire, next Sunday.

"After being warned to conduct himself in a professional manner, Juan Carlos Osorio was expelled ... for inappropriate behavior for use of foul language," Marrufo said in a written statement. "After being expelled, Osorio continued verbal attacks to the referee and then to the fourth official while leaving the field."

Osorio, though, claims he didn't use profanity. That was one of the only things he said about his second MLS ejection in two years.

"I was issued a red card. I'm very disappointed with that decision," Osorio said after the match. "I think it's very unfair but that's as far as I comment about that."

Osorio appeared to still be steamed over van den Bergh's sending off in the 77th minute when the veteran midfielder was given a straight red card for elbowing Davy Arnaud in the face after he was grabbed from behind in the midfield. Arnaud was given a yellow card on the play.

"Obviously, my intention was never to hit him," van den Bergh said. "I don't think I did hit him. I think he had a good dive like he was in a swimming pool."

The Red Bulls rebounded well after being outplayed in a first half by a Kansas City side that deserved to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room. While the Red Bulls came into the game second in the league in goals against, they have been victimized off of set pieces and that was the case in the 20th minute when Jimmy Conrad's glancing header off Carlos Marinelli's corner put the visitors in front.

"I am very disappointed with that considering the height and the time that we dedicated to defensive plays during training," Osorio said. "But, give credit to the boys. They responded very well in the second half."

The Red Bulls peppered Hartman's net in the second half, but the veteran 'keeper did well to keep the hosts at bay, making seven saves. Arguably his best came in the 63rd minute when he robbed Angel from point-blank range, slapping away his attempt with his left hand.

The Wizards also twice cleared shots off the goal line. First was an acrobatic save by Jack Jewsbury to rob Jozy Altidore and the second was a header off the line by Sasha Victorine in the second half off a Kevin Goldthwaite shot following a wild scramble in front of goal.

Finally, the Red Bulls were rewarded for their effort nine minutes from full time on Borman's brilliant strike.

"Obviously to get David sent off changed the whole game and I think we got to give credit to the team that we came back and fought back even one man down," Angel said. "It was a great goal for him, (Borman) was in a great position and he took it well."

Angel delivers first goal, win for NY

Revs' early offense dooms Quakes

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- San Jose Earthquakes defender James Riley probably did not envision this kind of return to New England. His former team scored twice in the opening 23 minutes to seal a 2-0 victory at Gillette Stadium Saturday night.

Kheli Dube scored after six minutes to mark his first start with his first MLS goal before Riley, who played three seasons for the Revolution before San Jose selected him in the expansion draft last winter, headed inexplicably over Quakes 'keeper Joe Cannon from 18 yards to give his former team an unassailable two-goal lead.

New England earned its second consecutive victory with brisk ball movement in midfield and incisive wing play, forcing San Jose back for much of the first half and limiting the Quakes' chances to two wayward shots towards goal and one jarring effort off the crossbar from Ramiro Corrales. The victory marked the Revs' first win against San Jose since July 22, 2000.

For the Revolution, Taylor Twellman missed out with an ankle injury after scoring in last weekend's 2-1 victory at Chivas USA. Dube made his first career start with Adam Cristman again consigned to the bench. Mauricio Castro earned the start on the left wing with Khano Smith left out of the lineup.

Peguero Jean Philippe didn't make the trip for the Earthquakes after aggravating a knee injury. Ned Grabavoy slid onto the forward line to partner Kei Kamara with Joe Vide joining Ramiro Corrales in the twin-defensive midfield pairing at the crux of Frank Yallop's 4-4-2.

San Jose's defensive deportment came under pressure from the opening whistle as the Revolution surged forward in search of the goal to open up the game. Early wide distribution utilized the Revolution's strength in numbers, with Castro sounding a warning with his drive into Joe Cannon's stomach after four minutes.

Cannon wouldn't be able to stop the opener two minutes later. San Jose could feel aggrieved about the innocuous foul call on Ramiro Corrales on the sideline, but the slack defending that allowed Dube to thump home his first career goal at the far post also deserves scrutiny. Steve Ralston's cross curled into the box and the faintest of touches off the bottom of Shalrie Joseph's shoe set up Dube's cool finish.

New England continued to assert its dominance soon afterwards, pinging the ball around midfield and rotating the play from wing to wing without allowing San Jose much time on the ball.

The second goal loomed, and it arrived after 23 minutes from former Revolution defender Riley's head. Jeff Larentowicz humped the ball forward towards the Quakes penalty area. The Quakes defense let the ball bounce and the communication between Cannon and Riley broke down as Riley overcooked his header and looped it over Cannon into the vacant frame.

Yallop shifted Riley onto the right wing as his team shifted into a 3-5-2 in an attempt to get more possession in the offensive third, but aside from a Corrales free kick thumped into the wall, the Quakes couldn't find a way into the contest.

But Jason Hernandez prevented the damage from worsening 10 minutes before the break with a sliding intervention as Steve Ralston prepared to shoot inside the penalty area.

The Quakes sent on Ryan Johnson at the start of the second half as they searched for a way back into the contest. New England invited them into the offensive half and the Quakes responded with their best spell in the half's opening stages.

Yet even that spell didn't yield a shot on target, with Kei Kamara's blocked shot the closest effort toward the frame for the Quakes.

The Revs sent on Sainey Nyassi to spark the offense and the young Gambian responded by creating chances. His long-range drive forced a smart save from Cannon at the near post before Kenny Mansally couldn't send turn the resulting rebound home. Nyassi later whistled a shot just past the far post.

Cries rang out for handball on 73 minutes as a service from the left wing bounced in the area and whacked Revolution defender Chris Albright in the arm, but play continued uneventfully until Ramiro Corrales rang the crossbar shortly before the match entered stoppage time. It was the closest San Jose would come to a goal before New England sealed the victory.

Quakes’ offense awakens in loss

Dynamo pressure results in victory

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- There is a reason the Houston Dynamo have won back-to-back MLS championships. They don't play for the draw when a win is a possibility.

Bobby Boswell scored on a free kick sent in by Richard Mulrooney in the 82nd minute Saturday, leading the Dynamo to a 2-1 win against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Dwayne De Rosario scored in the 17th minute to give the Dynamo a surprise 1-0 lead.

The Dynamo recorded their second consecutive win after going 0-2-4 in the first six games.

Playing in a constant, sometimes driving rain, against a Fire team that was enjoying its best season start ever, the Dynamo would not have been blamed for playing for the draw. But coach Dominic Kinnear's team had the run of play in the second half and put five shots on goal to just one for the Fire in the second 45 minutes.

"This is a team where we are capable of winning every game we step on the field," Boswell said. "We don't come in here to destroy the game and play for a draw. We want to win. We have our goals, to score goals and not give them up."

"(The winning streak) is a reward for how the team is working," Kinnear said. "Before that, we had some games we were playing well, playing on top of teams, and we just didn't get the result. The results are going our way now."

Mulrooney's free kick from 35 yards out on the right side went into the penalty area and Boswell's clean header went into the upper right corner of the box, over the head of Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Despite an intense flurry of attacking activity by the Fire at the start of the game, the Dynamo scored first, in the 17th minute, on their first shot of the game. With the rain falling, midfielder Ricardo Clark fired a shot from about 25 yards out that deflected off a defender directly in front of him. It took a second bounce off of De Rosario and snuck past Busch, who had slipped on his first step toward the ball.

It was De Rosario's second goal of the season, both coming in the two victories, and only the fourth goal given up by the Fire in their first eight games.

The Fire got the goal back in the 28th minute off a free kick by Mexican superstar Cuauhtemoc Blanco from the right side. Blanco lifted the ball into the middle of the box, and forward Calen Carr headed it down off the turf, bouncing in front of and eventually past goalkeeper Pat Onstad. It was Carr's first goal of the season.

The rain, which had dissipated late in the first half, came back with a vengeance at the start of the second half and it rained on and off the rest of the game.

"I actually like the rain because the ball moves a little bit quicker, and we pass the ball better on those conditions," Kinnear said.

The Dynamo put a series of shots on goal in the second half, four of them in the first 11 minutes. De Rosario had a tremendous scoring chance in the 58th minute when he charged the goal from the right side and Busch made a strong punch save on the direct shot.

The winning goal came on a quick restart, and took place while Busch was still in the process of trying to get the defense organized.

"We watched some video this week and we knew they weren't really sharp on quick restarts," Boswell said. "I saw Richard, and he was giving a look like he was ready to do it quick. I was coming up made the run and the ball came right to me and I just put it away."

With the way the second half was played, it was not a surprise that the Dynamo took the late lead. The decision sort of evened the team's record out, although the Dynamo did have four draws in their first six games.

"I think we have just been unlucky with our results early in the year," Boswell said. "The breaks just weren't going our way. Or we were making one mistake here or there. But things are going to even out over a matter of time."

"We go to games and try to win them," Onstad said. "We don't ever play for a draw or sneak out games. At times that cost us games, but tonight we played a pretty good game of soccer."

Dynamo earn first victory of 2008

Dynamo breathe easy after first win

Borman's celebration catches eyes

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Danleigh Borman always dreamed of scoring his first professional goal. He just wasn't sure how or when it would happen.

But the celebration? He had that all planned out.

"In college I had the same celebration when I scored," Borman said. "I think it just came, I need to go to the corner flag and do my flip and roll."

However, when dream became reality Saturday night at The Home Depot Center, it wasn't exactly how Borman had it mapped out.

"I don't think it was as smooth," he said.

That's an understatement.

Borman did a cartwheel and then appeared to imitate the gestures Chicago Fire star Cuauhtémoc Blanco makes with his hands, which are in homage to ancient Aztec emperor Cuauhtemoc and his eagle-feather headdress. But Borman's display was instantly the topic of conversation among his teammates.

"They gave me a hard time," Borman said of his teammates. "I heard it was the worst celebration ever."

Borman said the most criticism came from John Wolyniec and goalkeeping coach Des McAleenan. He did have a few supporters though.

"It shows for one, he's got some (guts). Two, he actually thought about something maybe before he scored, which means he actually thought he was going to score, which I like because it shows a bit of confidence," said Chris Leitch, who said Borman's cartwheel was Robbie Keane-esque. "Did it look good aesthetically? You could argue probably not. However, at least there was an attempt to be creative."

"I just thought it was different, man," added Mike Magee. "For his first goal, to have the guts to do something stupid like that. I thought it was pretty sweet. I was right next to him when he did it. It looked awkward, it was funny, he was confident and I hope he does it again."

Borman, who again showcased the celebration in Thursday's training session, said it was inspired by his father Daniel, who would do backflips when he scored goals.

The gesturing had its origins from fellow Cape Town native Shaun Bartlett, who once played for the Colorado Rapids and the MetroStars and scored the goal of the year in the English Premiership when with Charlton Athletic in 2000-01.

"Shaun Bartlett used to do that and that was my celebration when I was younger," Borman said. "But I got a bit confused and ended up doing the Blanco."

While he didn't expect to score this early into his professional career -- after all, seven goals in four years at the University of Rhode Island didn't exactly light the Atlantic-10 Conference on fire -- Borman said he couldn't have dreamed up a better setting for it.

"It was amazing, especially in a game against the Galaxy, with Juan Pablo [Angel] playing and David Beckham, it's something I'll always remember," Borman said.

As for the goal itself, it was opportunistic. Angel flicked on a long throw by Hunter Freeman and Borman was there at the back post to follow up Jozy Altidore's rebound in the 21st minute.

The scenario played out a few times in preseason, but Borman didn't time his run well. But against the Galaxy, it was perfect.

Everything, that is, but the celebration.

"The goal was brilliant," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "The celebration was poor."