Five-a-side: What's hot around the league

MLS Five-a-side:The skinny on five things that matter this week in Major League Soccer:

1. Can Pescadito reverse two trends?: Carlos Ruiz might be the goal-getter Toronto has so desperately lacked in its brief history, as the Canadian club mounts a playoff push over the next two months.

Ruiz certainly has the reputation as a former league MVP, former MLS Cup MVP and former league scoring champion.

But here's the reality: He'll have to reverse a worrying trend to be a difference maker at Exhibition Place. Ruiz's ratio of goals to games dropped fairly steadily since his amazingly productive 2002 season, when he struck for 24 goals in 26 matches.

The strike rate fell a bit in 2003, to 15 goals in 26 matches for the Los Angeles Galaxy. That's still a prodigious ratio; strikers who can produce, essentially, once every two matches will always find themselves in demand.

By his second season in Dallas, 2006, Ruiz hit for 13 goals in 27 matches, or a ratio of just less than once every two contests.

His third and final year at Pizza Hut Park saw the Guatemalan sniper score seven times in 22 matches. So he was scoring at a clip of just below once every three matches.

This year, in his second Galaxy go-round, Ruiz has one goal in 10 appearances. Even if you take his sum of 2008 minutes and divide by 90 -- providing some benefit of the doubt and looking to land on a simulated amount of "matches" played, Ruiz has played in the equivalent of 4.3 games. So, with just one lonely goal, his production has still fallen off the table.

It's up to TFC manager John Carver to incorporate Ruiz into the Toronto lineup. The first chance comes Saturday against New England as the BMO bunch begins a critical stretch with three of four at home.

2. What year is this again?: The Dynamo 2008 campaign at Robertson is playing out in almost eerily similar fashion to 2007.

Slow start? Check.

Trouble scoring goals in the early going? Check.

Pick up Nate Jaqua to augment the offense? Check. Sign one other, quick-footed striker to support and balance what Jaqua and Brian Ching bring? Check.

All the while, keep things steady in the back, begin getting the attack together in midseason and then start delivering a series of 4-0 messages? Check, check and check-a-roony!

Only difference is that last year Dominic Kinnear's side didn't wait so long to get things moving in the right direction. In 2007, Houston announced its aim at a resolute title defense in June and July, delivering 4-0 thumpings to Chivas USA and the New York Red Bulls (in nationally televised midweek matches).

This year, the Dynamo needed a bit more time to put the plan in action, apparently. But the end product is about the same. Houston has won three in a row and is riding a seven-match unbeaten streak in league contests. The latest hammering: a 4-0 midweek message delivered to Chivas USA.

Sound familiar?

Wednesday's triumph allowed Kinnear's team, with a weekend match at New York up next, to put a little distance on second-place Real Salt Lake. And the Dynamo have clawed their way to second in terms of defense, with 22 goals allowed in 20 matches.

3. First changes sighted on Victoria Street: Bruce Arena's first contest in charge of the Galaxy revealed some interesting choices -- and you get the feeling others are forthcoming -- as the former national team boss attempts to put things right in Carson. His first tinkering was all about the right side. Arena moved Chris Klein back to his old midfield home and shifted young Sean Franklin, the steadiest L.A. presence along the back line this year, out wide, away from his central post.

Klein had been almost exclusively a midfielder for club and country throughout his career, launched in Kansas City in 1998, until he arrived at The Home Depot Center 15 months ago. He did play right back a couple of times for Arena on the national team. But Klein moved into that slot along the back for good -- or so it seemed -- when the Galaxy picked him up early last year, filling the hole left vacant by Chris Albright's departure.

So it will be interesting to see if the Klein shift was more of a stop-gap in David Beckham's absence or was an effort to get another natural defender situated along the back line? We won't know for sure until L.A. gets back on the field in a week's time at New England.

It's also interesting that Franklin was selected to fill the right back role in Klein's place. Franklin has been an L.A. constant in 2008, always at center back, whether partnered with Abel Xavier, Greg Vanney or Troy Roberts.

But it was Roberts and Vanney in the middle on Thursday along Victoria Street. That might have had something to do with Chicago Fire aerial specialist Brian McBride, and the Galaxy need to match a little more size against the former U.S. national team target man; Roberts has an inch in height and about 25 pounds on Franklin.

4: Home records can tell the tale: Thursday's loss for L.A. in the ESPN2 Primetime Thursday match dropped the Galaxy's home record to 4-4-3. And there can be no getting around this: If the Galaxy can't improve at home, the club will almost certainly miss the playoffs for a third consecutive year.

Teams that don't win at home -- barring implausible success on the road -- can almost certainly not qualify for the postseason now that MLS has grown and the percentage of playoff qualifiers has shrank.

Back in the shootout days you could possibly sneak into the playoffs with a sub-.500 home mark. Or, back when MLS existed as a 10-team operation, a couple of sides did back into the postseason carrying losing records at home.

But as soon as MLS grew past a dozen, those days were surely over. Two clubs (Dallas and Kansas City) got in last year with a 7-5-3 home record, the lowest among qualifiers. A year before that, Chivas USA's 7-2-7 record at The Home Depot Center and the Fire's 8-4-4 mark in Chicago (both of which totaled 28 points) were the most modest home records among playoff qualifiers.

5: The bench press: Fixture congestion and club-vs.-country conundrums are a part of the domestic soccer landscape. Nothing is going to change that anytime soon.

So the best clubs can do is build depth, adapt and overcome.

The clubs with real talent in reserve are making it pay right now as Major League Soccer's fiercest playoff fight yet is unfolding. (An all-time high six teams will be left out of the postseason "tournament" this year. It will only get worse, as seven teams will be left behind in 2009 and then, in 2010, barring an unforeseen format alteration, only half the 16-team field will be granted playoff admission.)

No team has Houston's depth, a fact laid bare in force during Wednesday's four-goal win over injury-depleted Chivas USA. The Dynamo's top two scores, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario, the heart of the attack, were with their national teams. So, too, was steady starting goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

No problem. It was 4-0 by the 35th minute in a wildly efficient Dynamo performance.

Thursday at The Home Depot Center, Chicago's clearly superior ability to plug important holes ruled the night.

Both clubs were light on difference makers, all of whom had played the day before in World Cup qualifiers or important friendlies. Chicago was without Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Marco Pappa and Gonzalo Segares, who can make a claim as the league's top defender this year. L.A. had to make do without Beckham, Landon Donovan and just-acquired Eddie Lewis.

But Chicago has enough depth at the moment that Justin Mapp, despite all the Fire absences, started Thursday's match on the bench. When Patrick Nyarko, who was having an outstanding contest, left in the 22nd minute, manager Denis Hamlett was able to introduce Mapp.

John Thorrington, who hasn't been able to get on the field at times this year for Chicago, nailed the huge game-winner for his team. FYI, check out Thorrington's stunning proficiency: He has 15 shots this year, including seven on goal. Five of those went in -- not bad at all for a fellow with 14 starts in 21 league matches.

This weekend's premier depth-tester might be at RFK, where United meets Colorado without starters Gonzalo Peralta (hamstring), Marcelo Gallardo (sports hernia), Fred (hamstring) and Marc Burch (suspension).

McCarty bringing Olympic experience home

FRISCO, Texas -- The result might not have been as hoped for and the stay shorter than planned, but third-year FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty is ready to bring his U.S. Olympic team experience to his club for the homestretch of the Major League Soccer season.

In China, McCarty saw action in one match. His last league appearance came July 19, which was his first start since April 24. But following surgery for a sports hernia which forced him out of action in May and June, McCarty said his time with the U.S. Olympic team has helped him feel sharper on the field.

"I think being able to be over there with the trainers 24/7 and being able to get treatment really did wonders for my back and groin," McCarty said. "I feel really good. I'm definitely hoping that this keeps up and that I can get to 100 percent because I haven't felt that way in a really long time. It feels good to finally train without any little problems here and there."

FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman is glad to have his young midfielder back in the fold.

"We're very glad to have Dax back and glad that he has the experience of going to the Olympics," Hyndman said. "It's a lifetime dream for him but we're also happy to have him back. He looks sharper. He looks healthier and there's a spot for him on this team."

If McCarty is to return to the starting 11, he would do so either at the attacking midfield spot, which is currently held by rookie Eric Avila or wide on the right, where Andre Rocha has played and struggled for the second half of the season.

"I think it's one of those two (spots)," Hyndman said. "Part of this environment is competition and players don't like it. They would rather know that they're starting all the time. All of a sudden, there's a new striker in town in Jeff Cunningham and somebody is going to be off. When we get Dax back and he's healthy, somebody could also be off."

While Hyndman had expressed a preference to play a 4-4-2 system before McCarty had left, the Hoops were still mainly playing a 3-5-2. But since going to China, the 4-4-2 has been settled on, and McCarty is looking to establish his place in the team.

"I'm comfortable anywhere in the midfield and I think Schellas knows that. Everyone knows that I'm a pretty versatile guy. I think my best position is in the middle of the field, where I can get forward and defend," McCarty said.

"A more attacking role is something I would relish and have no problem with. I feel like my qualities going forward are good enough to play that spot. But I'm a two-way midfielder. I like to defend and help out in there. If I'm playing out wide or in the middle, it doesn't really matter to me. I just want to be on the field. It's going to be a fight to get my spot back and I have no problem with that. I just want us to win and hopefully I can be part of it."

But that doesn't mean he wouldn't bring plenty to the right flank.

"I feel like my services are good from out wide," McCarty said. "It's definitely a position that I'm comfortable with and have played before with other coaches. Schellas knows what I can do, how effective I can be out wide and how effective I can be in the middle."

However, McCarty realizes that he can't just start training again and reclaim his starting spot right away. That is something he knows will take time.

"You can never just come in and walk right back into the lineup," he said. "There's a little bit of a time period where you have to prove yourself all over again. I'm just looking to do that and the main thing is that our team is winning. If our team is winning, then I'm happy."

After returning last week, McCarty told Hyndman he could play some at Columbus, but the FCD coach decided to rest him instead.

"I'm starting to get my legs back," McCarty said. "Traveling that far and long definitely takes its toll on you. I told Schellas that if he needed me for Columbus, I would be ready but he gave me a little bit of a rest. I'm obviously looking to come back, contribute and help the team any way that I can. I feel as close to 100 percent as I have in a long time and that's really important for me. I feel like I really got over the hump in China in terms of my injuries. I'm really starting to feel good. It's just a matter of working hard in training and hopefully getting some minutes here and there to contribute and help the team for a playoff spot."

Since McCarty left in late July, FCD has traded Arturo Alvarez, Juan Toja left for Europe while Jeff Cunningham and Victor Sikora both joined the team.

"It's crazy how things happen," he said. "Arturo and Toja both left and I think that was what they wanted. At the same time, it's good for us because we got some new players in here that can get the job done. It's a little bit different team but the mentality is the same and everyone is on the same page. We're obviously looking to make the playoffs and go from there."

After being left off the original U.S. Olympic roster, McCarty learned on July 24 he would be going to the Beijing Games after close friend Nathan Sturgis of Real Salt Lake was unable to play due to injury.

"It was a little bit bittersweet," he admitted. "He (Sturgis) is a good friend and I would never wish injury on anyone. It was an honor to be called in. Even though I would have liked to have been named to the initial roster, it's still a fantastic feeling and something that I took in stride. I just wanted to try my best and give the team whatever they needed by being a role player. I think we did well as a team and I tried to contribute any way that I could."

The only time that he saw with the U.S. was in what proved to be their final match, a 2-1 loss to Nigeria on Aug. 13 that sealed the USA's elimination. McCarty said he was disappointed not to see more time.

"When you get to that level, every player is good and expects to play. I was no different. I definitely wanted to play more but wanted to be a good teammate and not complain or put my head down. If I got my number called, I just wanted to be ready, McCarty said. "Luckily, I stayed positive and got a couple minutes against Nigeria. I definitely wanted us to win that game and it was a tough result going out. I definitely wanted to play more but I was happy with just being there."

Like many who have been there, McCarty called getting to walk in the Opening Ceremonies as one of the most memorable parts of his Olympic experience.

"That was probably the most unforgettable part," he said. "I'll never forget that. It's kind of cool because we didn't really know that we would be going. Then at the last second, it kind of opened up for us and we ended up being able to go. That's an experience that I will keep with me forever and be able to tell everyone about. It's definitely something special."

McCarty's experience also included getting to meet his share of famous people.

"I met President Bush and got a picture with him," he said. "I'm a little biased with Dwight Howard since I'm from Orlando and he plays for the Magic. So, I got to talk to him for a bit and a picture with him. I saw Dirk Nowitzki because Germany was right next to us. So, I talked to him, told him I played for FC Dallas and got a picture with him. I also talked to Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Dwyane Wade. They were all really nice guys. That was a cool experience."

While the final result might have been a disappointment, it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime happening.

"It was definitely the experience of a lifetime," he said. "Not many people can say they were a part of something that special and that big. It was fantastic. We had a great team and everyone on the team got along. It was a great group of guys and a pleasure to be part of it."

Red Bulls' new stadium begins to take shape

HARRISON, N.J. -- Before it was just another construction project, a nondescript piece of the Harrison Redevelopment Project.

But with the ceremonial erection of a steel beam Tuesday morning, the New York Red Bulls new soccer-specific stadium is now officially starting to take shape.

"It's something tangible that people can see," said Erik Stover, Red Bull New York managing director. "If they're driving by on (Interstate) 280 or if they're on the PATH, they see it coming out of the ground and you know it's a reality. Before today you look and it just looks like a dirt field. But over the next few weeks, next couple months, the building is going to start taking shape and there's really no turning back."

On Tuesday, the Red Bulls also announced a change in the name of the facility, which they hope will be open Sept. 2009. The stadium will now be called Red Bull Arena after being called Red Bull Park.

"That concept is something that's been around for quite awhile, to be honest. Now that we have complete control of our project and our own destiny, it's a name that's more in line with what Red Bull is doing worldwide with soccer, with our club in Salzburg, with the academy in Sao Paolo and Ghana and of course the club here and our academy," Stover said. "There's a lot of synergy there with what Red Bull is trying do worldwide."

The steel that was erected was the corner piece of the West building, which will house the home and visitor locker rooms, stadium offices, three clubs, 1,116 club seats, 30 luxury suites and press facilities. In about a month, structural steel will begin for the main seating bowl and roof.

"It's the next phase of the project, but it is also very symbolic," Stover said. "It shows that this group is going to do what it takes to get this project done and take Red Bull New York to the next level."

Over the next seven months, the structural steel will be erected to support the new dynamic form roof, which will create a distinguished identity and unique atmosphere for Red Bulls fans. It will extend from its leading edge over the entire seating bowl and then curve down to the concourse. The roof will extend 120 feet from the last seat to halfway between the field wall and the field's touchlines, with 60 feet of the roof being translucent to allow in natural light.

"We designed the building to be 360 degrees around the pitch with the best possible sightlines, closest possible proximity to the pitch," Stover said. "What we want is a great soccer atmosphere and one that will help elevate the sport in this country."

Joining Stover at the ceremony Tuesday was Harrison Mayor Ray McDonough, who has been through his share of frustration over a construction process that has been a decade in the making.

"Wait until you see what happens from here," McDonough said. "(Red Bull is) on a mission to get this done as soon as possible. Of course there's been all this bad publicity over the years, promises. In fact I told them I'm never going to another press conference again because it seems like every time we have a press conference to announce something, it never materializes."

But on Tuesday, McDonough changed his tune.

"I'm looking forward to opening game and cutting the ribbon," he said. "Harrison, Kearny and downtown Newark are soccer fanatics so I just want to let everyone know you better get your season tickets early because you're not going to be able to get them."

And McDonough said Red Bull Arena's construction, as well as the other redevelopment projects in the area, are things that the residents of Harrison have been waiting a long time for.

"They can't wait. It's taken 10 years to get to this point," McDonough said. "It's very frustrating, you have your ups and downs, but now it seems like all the pieces are coming together. ... I'm excited and the people of Harrison can't wait. Plus it's going to create jobs and help them on their taxes. That always helps."

Revs top United, take back East lead

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Revolution returned to the Eastern Conference summit with a 2-1 victory Wednesday against D.C. United at Gillette Stadium.

Taylor Twellman opened the scoring in the 24th minute after a fortuitous bounce presented him with a chance inside of six yards. Jeff Larentowicz doubled the Revolution's lead four minutes after halftime when his swerving drive caught United 'keeper Louis Crayton by surprise. Jaime Moreno drew one back for United in the 69th minute, but United couldn't push on to find the equalizer.

With the win, the Revs returned to first place in the Eastern Conference while United remain tied for fourth place with the New York Red Bulls.

Matt Reis failed to start for the first time in 90 regular season games after picking up an adductor strain in Saturday's 4-0 loss at San Jose. Doug Warren made his first MLS start since Aug. 21, 2005 in Reis' place. Taylor Twellman and Adam Cristman were charged with staking Warren to a much-needed lead.

Without starters Gonzalo Martinez and Gonzalo Peralta, United went with Marc Burch and Devon McTavish in central defense and Mike Zaher on the left hand side of the back four. Marcelo Gallardo remained out with a hernia injury; the more defensive central pairing of Clyde Simms and Joe Vide played instead.

The visitors started the better of the two sides as United attempted to grab an early goal. Despite the early pressure, there wasn't much to show for any of it aside from Vide's long-distance drive past the near post.

From nothing, the Revs claimed the lead on 24 minutes. All it took was a quick outlet pass from Steve Ralston and a surging run from Khano Smith down the left side to unlock United's defense. Smith's low driven cross was driven into the goalmouth, where Cristman slid between Burch's legs as they came across the front of goal. The ball deflected away, but fell to Twellman at the near post, and he didn't miss from inside six yards to give New England the lead.

The Revs pushed onward after the breakthrough. Most of the pressure came down inside United's defensive end, whether through Sainey Nyassi giving Zaher the runaround down the right side or Smith tormenting Namoff on the right.

Cristman went close from his glancing header from a driven Jay Heaps cross that nearly caught Louis Crayton off his line. Then Cristman likely would have liked a better finish to cap a comprehensive move with Ralston again at the hub.

United tried to respond before the break with a long-distance drive from Fred, but the shot ducked just wide around the far post.

Things turned worse for United soon after the second half commenced after New England scored its second. Twellman laid the ball back to Larentowicz for a swerving shot straight down the pipe from 25 yards. Crayton dived right when the ball stayed left and the Revs had their second goal.

United perked up after the second goal with Emilio looking more involved. Fred tried to draw a penalty on the byeline after juking around Heaps, but the referee waved away his arguments as he tumbled to the ground.

Twellman went looking for his second after he pushed through the United back line, but Crayton came out alertly to block at his feet.

The block became even more important minutes later after Moreno chipped Warren to close the deficit. Shalrie Joseph coughed up the ball in his own end and Moreno played Fred through the Revs defense. Heaps slid over to block Fred's shot, but the ball deflected to Moreno. Warren had wandered off his line to cut out Fred's shot and Moreno took advantage and chipped over him.

United continued into the ascendancy through Moreno's persistent prodding. Another diagonal ball opened up space for Quaranta. But the resulting left-footed shot rolled tamely to Warren.

The goal United wanted never arrived, and but for Bryan Namoff's goal line intervention minutes before the end, the scoreline could have been worse.

Red Bulls down TFC to break tie in standings

E. RUTHERFORD. N.J. -- A week after rallying from a goal down to win for the first time this season, the New York Red Bulls again found a way to secure a vital three points in the face of adversity, defeating Eastern Conference rival Toronto FC 2-0 on Sunday at Giants Stadium despite playing nearly the entire second half down a man.

The winning goal was scored by Mike Magee in the 37th minute. Magee found the back of the net in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. The Red Bulls buckled down defensively after defender Gabriel Cichero was sent off with a straight red card one minute into the second half.

Seth Stammler was just trying to clear the ball out of danger on the first goal, but Magee latched onto the long ball and was sent free on goal, beating TFC defender Marco Velez in a 50-yard footrace. Magee took a touch and then beat Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton low and inside the far post from 16 yards out to put the Red Bulls in front.

Getting an unofficial assist on Magee's third goal of the year was Juan Pablo Angel, who was in an offside position, but wisely didn't make an attempt to play the ball.

On a counterattack in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, Angel put the game away, tapping in a pass from Dane Richards, who broke in on Sutton on a two-man breakaway after a pass from Jorge Rojas as the Red Bulls won back-to-back games for the first time this year.

Angel had the Red Bulls' first quality scoring chance, but his second attempt went off of Sutton's left leg in the 19th minute. The Canadian international also came up big on the rebound, denying Dave van den Bergh. Kevin Goldthwaite headed wide on the ensuing corner kick.

Two minutes later, Angel's long distance attempt bounced off the turf and off Sutton's hands for another Red Bulls' corner kick.

Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway was called into action in the 23rd minute, diving to his left to stop Nana Attakora-Gyan's header inside the six-yard box.

Coming off his team's most comprehensive win of the year, Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio went with the same starting lineup as he did last Sunday, when his team thumped D.C. United 4-1. It was the second time this season Osorio has gone with the same lineup in back-to-back games.

Defender Jeff Parke, though, limped off the field in the 25th minute with a sprained right ankle, replaced by former TFC defender Andrew Boyens. The Red Bulls were down a second defender when Cichero, who had an impressive debut last Sunday, was sent off by referee Terry Vaughn with a straight red card for an elbow to the side of Danny Dichio's head one minute into the second half.

Luke Sassano dropped back defensively on the right as Boyens played in the middle of the Red Bulls' back three following Cichero's ejection. Sassano was taken off in the 62nd minute for Richards, who made his return from a hip flexor strain that forced him to miss two league matches.

Dichio was one of two halftime substitutions by John Carver, who also brought on newly signed Johann Smith for Abdus Ibrahim. But Dichio, who missed more than month with a concussion, left the match soon after, replaced by Jarrod Smith at the 49-minute mark.

Carver made two changes to the lineup that took three points on the road for the second time this season in a 1-0 victory at Colorado last weekend. Back from suspension was Velez and Attakora-Gyan made his second MLS start with Tyrone Marshall out with a hip flexor injury.

Johann Smith nearly scored in his MLS debut, getting behind Sassano in the 51st minute. But Conway did well to come off his line and cut off the angle and Smith slotted the ball wide of the far post.

Chad Barrett, who struck for a brace in his last visit to the Meadowlands to lead Chicago to a 5-1 victory May 25, nearly equalized in the 81st minute. But, following a TFC corner, Barrett's low shot from the edge of the 18-yard box went wide of the far post.

With their second consecutive victory against an Eastern Conference foe, the Red Bulls moved into a tie for fourth place with D.C. United, three points in front of Toronto FC and the Kansas City Wizards.

The Red Bulls complete a three-game homestand next Sunday when they play host to two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo. TFC entertain the New England Revolution Saturday night at BMO Field.

Little-used Warren proves worth for Revs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Not often is the the biggest story about the backup goalkeeper.

But New England Revolution 'keeper Doug Warren hasn't started a game in 90 games and the last time he started, he beat D.C. United 2-1 at home in 2005.

Considering the Revs beat United 2-1 again on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium and Warren was again between the posts, the Revolution players and coaches were quick to praise Warren's ability to take over for the injured Matt Reis.

"(Warren) looked confident," Revs head coach Steve Nicol said. "He had a couple of things he had to make decisions about and when he had to make decisions, he made the right one, which is half the battle with goalkeepers. It is great they can make fantastic saves, but if they can make good decisions on a regular basis, it makes it look easier than it actually is."

Warren didn't have a whole lot to do and saw Jaime Moreno chip him in the second half, but Revs defender Jay Heaps said Warren's presence helped the defense figure things out to minimize dangerous chances.

"Dougie did a great job of stepping in," Heaps said. "There was a lot of pressure on him and I thought he did great. He was communicating well. He was in a great position."

Warren credited the players in front of him for making it easy for him to step into the lineup.

"It makes it easy when the guys in front of you are doing their jobs, and are doing it well," Warren said. "I don't think I was in many positions to make gutsy decisions because the guys in front of me made it easy. Overall, we won, so that's all that really matters."

The positive momentum started with a Taylor Twellman goal. Steve Ralston sprung Khano Smith down the left, and the cross deflected off Adam Cristman through United's Marc Burch and right to Twellman six yards from goal.

"I was a big Cam Neely fan growing up," Twellman said. "He always tried to get in front of the net. Khano and Adam did a great job getting the ball in front of the net."

Jeff Larentowicz added a second goal shortly after halftime with a swerving drive that eluded Louis Crayton.

Insteda of pushing on and consolidating, the Revs let the game slip after that and Moreno drew one back for United.

"We were in control up until the 60th minute and then we lost our way a little bit and they put us under pressure," Nicol said. "We lost a goal from our own bad play, we should have just stopped the ball up the other end of the field and cleared it and we didn't.

"We tried to be too clever in the wrong area, lost the ball and then Jaime (Moreno) scored a great goal. If that falls to anybody else it is not a goal -- it was a fantastic goal from him. It was difficult after that. All of a sudden, they're one goal in it. You're stuck between going forward too early and back too far and that is what happened after they scored."

Collecting three points tends to calm those misgivings. Revolution captain Steve Ralston said his team did a nice job of holding the ball and keeping their composure after a 4-0 loss in San Jose last weekend.

"We kept possession well," Ralston said. "I thought our forwards kept the ball well. It made it a lot easier for all of us. We were able to get up the field and keep possession. We needed to make the final pass a little bit better. We could have had more opportunities."

Crew rally in second half to beat FCD

COLUMBUS -- The FC Dallas shutout streak had just reached 265 minutes and the Columbus Crew had not scored in 167 but all that changed quickly thanks to the work of Crew forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

The Argentinean standout showed why he is the MLS assists leader, notching his 11th and 12th of the season in a three-minute stretch of the second half that helped turn a first-half deficit into a 2-1 Columbus victory before the largest crowd this season at Crew Stadium.

FC Dallas saw their five-game unbeaten streak end and also lost for the first time after scoring first and leading at the half, after Jeff Cunningham put the Hoops into the lead in the 35th minute with the 100th league tally of his career.

Defensive midfielder Brian Carroll had his first goal of the season and just the third in 141 career games to tie the score for the Crew in the 62nd minute and Brad Evans put Columbus ahead three minutes later.

It was a bitter end for Dallas after starting so well. It was all FCD from the opening kickoff due to the play of Kenny Cooper and Cunningham.

Cooper, second in the league behind Landon Donovan with 13 goals, had four of the team's six shots in the first 22 minutes but it was his service from the left flank six minutes earlier that nearly resulted in the initial goal.

Cunningham's header from eight yards was cleared off the line by Crew defender Chad Marshall and the rebound attempt by Andre Rocha was deflected wide.

In the 23rd minute Cunningham broke past the defense and had the ball on his foot at the penalty spot but goalkeeper Will Hesmer made a sliding tackle to snatch the ball before a shot could be taken.

The Crew's first good chance didn't come until the 30th minute when Aaron Pitchkolan fouled Alejandro Moreno inches outside the top left of the penalty area. Schelotto bent the ensuing free kick around the right side of the wall but goalkeeper Dario Sala was in perfect position to block the shot.

Columbus was the only team in MLS that Cunningham had not scored against in his illustrious career but there was an excuse because he spent seven seasons with the Crew before being traded in 2005. The fourth-leading scorer in MLS history made amends in the 35th minute give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Hoops, particularly the speedy Cunningham, had exploited Crew left back Gino Padula in his first game back from injury since April 26. After Cunningham was unable to convert his early opportunities, Serioux dribbled past Padula toward the end line then sent a low ball into the goal area. Cunningham got his left foot on the ball as he charged toward the net just as goalkeeper Will Hesmer made a play for the ball two yards off the goal line.

It was the 35th goal Cunningham scored in Columbus and the 30th in Crew Stadium (the others came in Ohio Stadium in 1998). However, it was his first in Columbus since Oct. 2, 2004, a stretch of five games. He scored 62 of his goals for the Crew from 1998-2004, and is tied with Brian McBride, now of the Chicago Fire, atop the Crew's all-time goal list.

The Crew pulled level in the 62nd minute. Moreno made a long cross-field pass from the left to a fading Schelotto, who headed the ball back toward Carroll for a clinical finish.

Carroll's last goal was July 15, 2006, against the Crew while playing for D.C. United but he moved unchallenged in front of the net on a rapidly developed play to score.

Then three minutes later, Schelotto delivered a free kick from the left of goal to the near post where Evans had inside position on Pablo Ricchetti inside the goal area for a wicked glancing header past Sala.

Evans almost made it 3-1 in the 78th when he ran full stride onto a Frankie Hejduk cross at the top of the box only to see the strike hit the right upright.

Still, it was enough for the Crew to escape with the win although Cooper came within inches of tying the match in the third minute of stoppage time only to see his free kick from 25 yards smack the crossbar.

The game could have been billed as the battle of the newcomers as both teams used their bye week to add reinforcement to their attacks.

Dallas welcomed Cunningham and Dutch midfielder Victor Sikora to the lineup while midfielder Pat Noonan made his debut for the Crew after his arrival from a short stint this year in Norway.

Sikora signed with Dallas Aug. 8 following three years with NAC Breda of the Dutch Eredivisie in one of many moves by Schellas Hyndman since he became coach on June 17.

Noonan scored 37 regular-season goals for New England over five seasons before going overseas in February. In order to obtain him, the Crew had to make a deal with New England for his rights.

Each team also regained an Olympian this week when the U.S. was eliminated on Wednesday. While midfielder Dax McCarty did not dress for Dallas, midfielder Robbie Rogers replaced Noonan in the 58th minute. The Crew's Nigerian midfielder, Emmanuel Ekpo, is still his Olympic squad, which reached the semifinals earlier on Saturday.

First XI: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Welcome back to MLS, Bruce Arena (and associate Dave Sarachan). And thanks, Los Angeles Galaxy, for inspiring this week's First XI, which takes a stroll down memory lane (in some cases not too far back) to chronicle some of our favorite (and not-so-favorite) midseason coaching switches in league history. Perhaps we should've known when Eddie Firmani was replaced just eight games into the inaugural season that these types of changes would become a league tradition as time went by.

11. Schellas Hyndman for Steve Morrow, FC Dallas, 2008: Obviously, the jury's still out and Hyndman has made it no secret that he's still got some tinkering to do with FCD, but if you're a fan of Big Tex you've got to be encouraged by some of the team's recent results, most notably a 4-0 thrashing of LA and a 2-0 road win against Toronto FC. It's safe to say that the courtship of the former SMU coach by FCD (and before that the Dallas Burn) ranks as the longest pursuit of a coach in league history.

10. Juan Carlos Osorio for Dave Sarachan, Chicago Fire, 2007: What can you say other than, "It was great while it lasted," which was not long. Osorio came into Chicago long enough to steady the team's defense, get the results needed to make the playoffs and pull off an upset of D.C. United in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series. So impressive was Osorio in that brief stint in charge that the New York Red Bulls had to have him.

9. Jason Kreis for John Ellinger, Real Salt Lake, 2007: Perhaps the most dramatic in-season coaching change in league history if only because Kreis, still a regular on the field for RSL, hung up his boots for a jacket and tie. And while Real's hold on its first-ever spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs is tenuous at best (like everything else in that conference where a two-game win streak turns you into superheroes), you have to believe the fans in Salt Lake are thrilled with their young field boss.

8. Frank Yallop for Steve Sampson, Los Angeles Galaxy, 2006: This one looked like a match made in heaven when Yallop rejoined his old San Jose mate, Landon Donovan, in Los Angeles, during the '06 season. Guess looks can be deceiving. Yallop never seemed totally comfortable as the Galaxy boss and when he saw the opportunity to jump back to the Bay and give it another go with the Quakes, he was gone.

7. Bruce Arena for Mo Johnston, New York, 2006: It was actually Richie Williams for Johnston in the beginning as Arena re-charged his battery following the 2006 World Cup, but when Arena took over, he could not have made a more emphatic entrance, as his Red Bulls trounced RSL 6-0 at Giants Stadium. Arena helped guide RBNY into the '06 playoffs and, after a lot of player moves, pushed the team into the playoffs again after a full-season in charge in '07. But, as we've seen through years, nothing lasts forever (or even close to it) in the Meadowlands. After a first-round exit, Arena and RBNY parted ways.

6. Steve Sampson for Sigi Schmid, Los Angeles, 2004: Sampson replaced Schmid, taking over a team that was in first-place team, which certainly put the late Doug Hamilton on the hot spot. And while Sampson's regular season record was nothing to write home about, it's hard to argue with the results he got in tournament play, as the Galaxy shocked everyone in MLS by taking the double.

5. Mo Johnston for Bob Bradley, MetroStars, 2005: With three games remaining in the regular season and the MetroStars in a virtual tie with Kansas City for the final playoff spot, GM Alexi Lalas decided Johnston, Bradley's assistant for three seasons, was the right man to lead the team over the final one-tenth of the regular season. After a road tie in Chicago, Johnston's Metros won on the road at D.C. and on the final day of the season at Chivas USA to secure the final postseason berth. Johnston tacked on a playoff victory and nearly led the Metros to an upset of New England in the playoffs. However, when the next season started, the 2006 Metro team was dismantled and renamed and Johnston was soon interviewing for a job in Toronto.

4. Hans Westerhof for Thomas Rongen, Chivas USA, 2005: This one's got to be the most unfair firing in league history as Rongen's hand was forced into drafting and acquiring players that would define the Chivas brand. The players were, quite simply, not good enough for the league and Rongen took the fall. Rongen did, however, stay on board with the club and played a big part in their reconstruction in 2006, and kept a smile on his face throughout. A class act all the way.

3. Bora Milutinovic for Alfonso Mondelo, MetroStars, 1998: Did I just say Westerhof for Rongen was the most unfair change ever? Well, Mondelo might have an argument as he was let go with one game -- one game! -- left in the regular season and his team already in the playoffs. Bora was brought in for his "tournament expertise" but the move did not pay dividends as Metro was ousted by Columbus. In 1999 when Bora got a full year to work his magic, well, let's just say Metro fans would prefer to strike that season from their memories.

2. Sigi Schmid for Octavio Zambrano, Los Angeles, 1999: Hey, this one was pretty unfair too! Zambrano, who took the Supporters' Shield in '98 with his explosive, run-and-gun team, was gone after a subpar start in 1999. Of course, we're not saying he was replaced by a questionable coach. On the contrary, Zambrano's ouster simply opened the door for Schmid, who guided the Galaxy to the '99 final, who's gone on to be one of the league's best coaches ever.

1.Ray Hudson for Iwo Wortmann, Miami, 2000: And who didn't think this one was a publicity stunt? Hudson, the Fusion's effervescent television analyst, came out of the booth to replace Wortmann and brought little more than his playing experience and enthusiasm to the sideline. Crazy! Well, not only was it a lot of fun in Fort Lauderdale for the rest of the 2000 season, a year later Hudson was putting together one of the league's most exciting teams ever ... the 2001 Fusion.

United follow plan to win over Fire

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- D.C. United came to Chicago with a plan Saturday night -- to stop the Chicago Fire attack. An early goal by Fred and a strong performance by newly acquired goalkeeper Louis Crayton sealed the 1-0 victory for United.

"We were committed to defending tonight," D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn said. "Everybody's committed to winning a 1-0 game."

In the 27th minute, Fred put himself in a great position. He was open in the box behind all the Fire players as Jaime Moreno bent in a corner kick from the left. Fred jumped up and headed it home to the right of Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch.

"We talked to our two guys up front about being creative and picking spots to make it more dangerous," Soehn said. "Jaime gave a great ball. Fred finished it."

Fred said he was surprised that the Fire left him open.

"We created some space for me to get behind the players," Fred said. "Jaime put in a good ball. I was able to bury it. We moved the ball very well. We were able to play our game tonight."

One goal proved to be enough as United held on for the win -- thanks in no small part to the play of Crayton. The Liberian international signed with the team Friday and started his first MLS game Saturday. In his debut, Crayton collected a win, a shutout and made two saves.

"We worked collectively as a team," Crayton said. "We won an important game against the Chicago Fire. I came prepared to help the team. The coaches told me to be ready. This morning I was told I would be starting."

In the 44th minute, Chris Rolfe blasted a long ball at goal. Crayton got a hand on it, sending it out wide left.

"When I turned around I saw it was very close to the post," Crayton said.

Chicago pushed hard toward the end of the match, causing Crayton to be at his best. In the 88th minute, Fire forward Brian McBride headed the ball toward right on target, but Crayton grabbed it for the save.

Crayton has played the majority of his career for teams in Switzerland from 1997-2008, where he has dual citizenship. He has made 36 appearances with the Liberian national team.

Crayton started in place of Zach Wells, who started 17 matches for D.C. United, making 56 saves and allowing 28 goals. Jose Carvallo started one game for D.C., allowing four goals while making two saves. United released the Peruvian 'keeper July 17 and have since been searching for a replacement.

"Louis comes with a lot of experience," Soehn said. "He's played a lot of big games. He's got great feet. We've been leaking goals all over the place. We've tried everything in the back. It was time to try someone different in goal."

The plan worked as D.C. United improved to 9-9-1 on the season and kept pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Earthquakes shake, rattle Revolution

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Jose Earthquakes attempt to climb out of the Western Division cellar got another step up Saturday night as they beat a depleted New England Revolution 4-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Ronnie O'Brien scored two goals and set up another, with Ryan Johnson and Scott Sealy also scoring as the Quakes scored three goals in 17 minutes late in the game. With the victory, San Jose has won two games in a row for the first time this season, and is now is unbeaten in their last five matches. New England's loss drops them to second place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Columbus.

The New England starting 11 was missing several key pieces from the squad that had came into the game with the best record in MLS, with Shalrie Joseph sitting out a red card suspension, Kheli Dube and Abdoulie Mansally out with injuries, and Michael Parkhurst resting after making his way home from Olympic team duty in China.

The only change in the San Jose's starting 11 that beat LA 3-2 last Sunday saw James Riley replacing Ryan Cochrane, who was serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

The Revolution seemed to miss Joseph the most, as San Jose enjoyed most of the possession, controlling the midfield and stretching the field with O'Brien working the right side and Darren Huckerby on the left.

The Earthquakes opened the scoring in the 11th minute, when Francisco Lima, at the top of the arc, found Ronnie O'Brien coming into the penalty area down the right side. From a tough angle, O'Brien hit what looked like a soft volley to the far post that fell just inside the woodwork for a 1-0 San Jose lead.

San Jose's other chances in the first half both came off corner kicks. In the 29th minute, Lima chested a cross down for an O Brien shot from 20 yards out that Reis saved easily. Just before halftime, another corner kick found Scott Sealy for a header from 12 yards out, but his shot flashed wide of the right post.

New England came closest to scoring in the first 45 minutes off free kicks. In the third minute, Mauricio Castro's effort from 22 yards was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Joe Cannon. In the 36th, another free kick from Castro, this one from 25 yards forced Cannon to get down to make the save.

Looking for more attack, New England began the second half by bringing in Taylor Twellman, still recovering from a hip injury, to replace Castro, with Khano Smith dropping into midfield. They almost found the equalizing goal a few minutes later when Sainey Nyassi stole a poor San Jose back pass, forcing Cannon to come out to the penalty spot to stop his point-blank shot.

In the 55th minute, New England's injuries woes worsened when Matt Reis, who had played every minute of every MLS match so far this season, suffered a right adductor strain and was pulled for Doug Warren. For Reis, it ended his consecutive minutes streak at 7,795 minutes, a streak with began Sept. 3, 2005.

San Jose then put the game away with goals just a few minutes apart. In the 71st minute, Sealy, at the top of the penalty area, slipped a backheel through to Johnson, who had come on for Arturo Alvarez. Johnson's blast easily beat substitute 'keeper Doug Warren from 10 yards out.

In the 76th minute, it was Sealy's turn, taking a Huckerby pass completely unmarked and beating Warren cleanly from the top of the box to make the score 3-0 San Jose.

The Earthquakes got another goal in the 87th minute, when O'Brien cut in from the right wing and hooked in a left-footed shot from 25 yards out into the upper left corner of the goal.

The four goals was the most scored by San Jose in a MLS match this year, and comes after scoring three in a win against Los Angeles. They now travel to Los Angeles to face Chivas USA. For New England, they hope to get healthy quickly, as they face D.C. United on Wednesday night at home.

Red Bulls keep focus on winning

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Juan Pablo Angel called last week's 4-1 drubbing of rival D.C. United the best performance of the season by New York Red Bulls.

Considering New York rallied to win after a 1-0 deficit for the first time this year, scoring four unanswered goals in their most lopsided victory in the 13-year rivalry with D.C., Angel's proclamation has some wings.

But as great as the Red Bulls felt, as boisterous as the postgame locker room was, it was back to business at Montclair State University this week. In fact, the team went through some of the most intense training sessions of the year.

"It was a good result, but that's not something to lean back and feel good about," Dave van den Bergh said. "It's something to take some confidence from, but not get cocky with it."

While the victory against D.C., which snapped a five-match winless streak, infused some much-needed confidence into the club, anything but three points against Toronto FC Sunday at Giants Stadium will all but negate those good vibrations.

"We have played some great moment in some games, but overall this was probably the most complete performance of the year," Angel said. "When the game was over we realized this is what it takes for us to be more competitive. Hopefully we can see this performance more consistently. That's what we lacked so far."

When the Red Bulls look in the mirror this week, they see Toronto FC, also coming off a massive victory -- 1-0 at Colorado for their second road victory of the year. Like the Red Bulls, TFC is in a four-way tie for fourth in the Eastern Conference and is currently out of the playoffs.

And like New York, Toronto has rebuilt itself, as evidence of trading veteran forward Jeff Cunningham to FC Dallas and obtaining Chad Barrett from Chicago.

While the Red Bulls were unable to make a move for a speedy striker before the close of the transfer window, Toronto did, signing U.S. under-23 forward Johann Smith. The 21-year-old Connecticut native was on the books of English Premiership side Bolton Wanderers and was loaned out to Carlisle United, Darlington and Stockport County in the past two years.

United to see different Revs this time

WASHINGTON -- Last Tuesday, D.C. United dispatched a second-string New England Revolution squad 3-1 in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal match at RFK Stadium, but afterwards United's joy was balanced by their recognition of Steve Nicol's pragmatism. With a SuperLiga title already won and CONCACAF Champions League action ahead, the Revs coach clearly prioritized his team's need for rest ahead of its Open Cup ambitions, and D.C. knew it.

"They have bigger fish to fry, I guess," said Devon McTavish. "Kind of a different lineup than we expected to see against them -- and I'm sure we'll see that next week when we play them."

Indeed, McTavish and his mates can expect something much closer to a full-strength Revs side in Wednesday night's crucial league clash at Gillette Stadium, another occasion where three precious points will be ferociously contended by two teams in the midst of the scrum that the Eastern Conference standings have become this season.

But the weekend's results have contributed to a dramatically different outlook for both teams. With a shocking 4-0 road trouncing at the hands of heretofore cellar-dwelling San Jose on Saturday, New England has suddenly lost three consecutive matches in all competitions, allowing Columbus to retake the top spot in the East. Stung by the absence of Kheli Dube, Abdoulie Mansally and Michael Parkhurst plus a suspended Shalrie Joseph, the Revolution endured a horror show at Buck Shaw Stadium that was further aggravated by an adductor injury to veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis.

For his part, United boss Tom Soehn downplays the events of the past eight days. He'd certainly prefer to pile more pressure on New England's psyche with a strong start on Wednesday night, however.

"Different team, different situations," he said on Tuesday afternoon, shortly before D.C. flew north in advance of the Revs match. "You're not going to draw many conclusions from last week. I think the only thing you're going to draw is that they've conceded a lot of goals in their last three games, but having Shalrie back, and whatever their situation is, it's important to get up early there. You tend to bring back memories of their last three."

In contrast to the Revs' West Coast travails, United traveled to Chicago and returned with an important victory that offered a number of positives for Soehn and his men -- namely some stingy defending which, alongside new signing Louis Crayton's MLS debut in goal, resulted in the Black-and-Red's first road shutout of the season.

"I don't think we created a ton of opportunities. I don't think it was our forwards' best day in general," said Soehn. "But we still created enough quality opportunities, and we put one away and we learned how to defend and win a game 1-0 on the road, and I think that's a huge learning experience."

Crayton's learning experiences with his new club are continuing as well, with goalkeeper coach Mark Simpson guiding the Liberian international through detailed film sessions to compress his MLS adjustment period. Last week the duo spent hours looking at the habits of the Fire's attacking mainstays, and more such preparation is now being conducted on Revs weapons like Joseph, Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman. Crayton looks like a lock to start at Gillette on Wednesday, where he will also have to contend with his first competitive match on artificial turf.

"Obviously all those factors are new to him, the surface and just different guys in the league. But we have pretty good resources [for] match analysis," said Simpson. "I'm going to go and show him people that are dangerous on New England, their touches, their tendencies, so he can start reading those players an opponents when we face them."

Soehn and Simpson took a bit of a gamble in starting Crayton so soon after his arrival in Washington, but feel vindicated by Saturday's performance. Now United are challenging themselves to make life as easy as possible for their new netminder, and knit together more such results with the consistency required for meaningful late-season and playoff success. That task has surely been helped by the memory of the 4-1 mauling they suffered in New York just over a week ago.

"We want ... to play, on the road or at home, the same way," said captain Jaime Moreno. "Unfortunately we haven't been able to do that: after New York, having that performance and then going to Chicago and winning -- that's what we don't want. We don't want these up and downs, we want to maintain the same level and now we've got to continue working the same way. We know what we have to do. If we create less mistakes, then we have less chance to lose the game."

Soehn has reminded his players that for all their struggles this season, they can vault right back into Supporters' Shield contention with a sustained run of success, starting in Chicago and continuing in Foxborough on Wednesday.

"We talked about these two games being the path to get there," he said, "so we've finished the first piece off, but the second piece is as, or if not more, important."

Road woes continue for Toronto FC

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Up a man for 44 minutes and trailing the New York Red Bulls by a goal, Toronto FC had a golden opportunity to steal a second consecutive road result on Sunday evening at Giants Stadium. But despite the numerical advantage, the Canadians couldn't find the break they needed.

Mike Magee's fluky first-half strike stood up to hand TFC their eighth away defeat this season. Juan Pablo Angel sealed the visitors' fate with a tap-in tally deep into stoppage time.

"All in all, we got what we deserved out of the game, and that was nothing," said a frustrated John Carver afterward.

Toronto earned its second win away from BMO Field last weekend, when it beat the Colorado Rapids 1-0 on recently acquired Chad Barrett's highlight-reel free kick. Carver called that win his team's biggest this season. But luck was not TFC's side Sunday, as evidenced by the opening goal.

"I think the ball was going to Angel, and it deflected and went to Magee," said TFC defender Marco Velez, who was victimized by what he said was a bad bounce. "I think Magee got caught off guard too. It happened pretty fast. We were just unlucky."

Carver saw it differently.

"It came through a lack of communication from us. We're in the 18-yard box, we lose possession, and the ball is just hooked away. We're asleep on the halfway line and next thing you know, it's in the back of the net," he said.

Still, TFC had ample time to get back in the game, especially after Red Bulls defender Gabriel Cichero was sent off for elbowing TFC substitute Danny Dichio one minute after the intermission.

"Second half, we got off to a good start," said midfielder Carl Robinson. "We huffed and puffed and couldn't get the breakthrough we wanted."

As upset as he was that his team couldn't finish the job, Carver praised the defensive fortitude of the Red Bulls, who managed to stay organized despite playing almost half of the match shorthanded.

"I have to give them some compliments. Usually the side that has the advantage goes on to win the game. To be fair to them, they stuck to their guns and worked ever so hard and that made it difficult to break them down," he said. "We should have had enough to break them down and we didn't. So a little bit of credit goes to their coach and to their team."

Ironically, the red card also forced Carver's hand when it came to his using his bench. Dichio had just entered the match, but since the striker only recently returned to action following a concussion-prompted layoff, neither the coach nor his player were willing to risk leaving him in the game after taking another blow to the head.

"He was a little bit dizzy. Because of the length of time he's been out, I wasn't going to take any chances," Carver said. "Obviously I didn't want to take him off but I had to. I think it backfired on me a little bit."

Having made two changes at halftime (Dichio replaced Laurent Robert and new signing Johann Smith came on for Abdus Ibrahim), Carver had to use his final change on forward Jarrod Smith after it was determined Dichio would not continue.

But perhaps the biggest absence for TFC was playmaker Amado Guevara, who was serving the final game of a two-match ban for striking an FC Dallas player on August 3.

"He is a key player for us," Robinson said of Guevara. "He is a link between the midfield and attack. We missed him today, especially down with the 10 men. We needed the little bit of guile that he brings."

McBride set to make Fire debut

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Brian McBride, who played all 90 minutes for the United States Wednesday in its 2-1 elimination loss to Nigeria in the Beijing Olympics, is expected to be available to train with the Chicago Fire Friday at Toyota Park.

Soon after the United States found out it was eliminated after the first round of the Olympics, the Fire received word that McBride would be back in the United States on Thursday, following approximately 18 hours of traveling from China. Fire coach Denis Hamlett said he did not know whether McBride would be available to play Saturday against D.C. United, which would be his first game with the Fire since re-signing with Major League Soccer last month.

"I haven't spoken to him, so I don't know how he is going to be physically, what with the flying time and time difference," Hamlett said. "I need to sit down with him and speak to him before I can comment on his availability."

While Hamlett said he had no real expectation of McBride's availability, he did say McBride's actions speak to his commitment to the team.

"He is coming back right away, so that tells you something," Hamlett said.

McBride, 36, is returning to Major League Soccer after playing four years in the English Premier League. McBride played for the Columbus Crew for eight years prior to jumping to the EPL.

McBride will have one more opportunity to play with his new teammates. The club announced Wednesday it will play an exhibition game against Veracruz of the Mexican League on Aug. 24, after playing in Los Angeles against the Galaxy on Aug. 21.

Revs continue whirlwind schedule

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Most teams would have time to linger after losing in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Not the New England Revolution.

Two days after losing to D.C. United and seeing the defense of their U.S. Open Cup crown fall two steps before the end, the Revs boarded a plane on their way to San Jose to face the resurgent Earthquakes.

"We gave a good account of ourselves," Revolution midfielder Khano Smith said after his team's 3-1 loss to United on Tuesday night. "We worked hard."

That hard work couldn't make up for the fact that New England played mostly reserves with Shalrie Joseph adding some steel in midfield. The reserve players put in a good performance, sticking with United's first team for 45 minutes before fading in the second half.

"It's all about everybody improving," Smith said. "You hate to lose the cup. We won it last year and we wanted to win it again. You have to look at the big picture, some guys haven't been playing that much and they got some experience."

Nicol said a few of the individual performances shed light on players who could contribute in the first-team as the fixtures continue to pile up in the next few weeks.

"There are a few guys that showed us what they were all about," Nicol said. "Without this game, we wouldn't have seen it."

Revs backup 'keeper Doug Warren earned the start on Tuesday night and said his team couldn't let the result affect them.

"They had a lot of experience on the field," Warren said. "It was a tough task and we knew that going in. Our schedule's pretty full. We don't have much time to dwell on this."

Dwelling would be dangerous against a San Jose team bolstered in recent weeks by the acquisitions of Darren Huckerby, Francisco Lima, Scott Sealy and Arturo Alvarez. The Quakes haven't lost in four league games and could climb out of the Western Conference cellar with a victory. This isn't the same team New England beat 2-0 at Gillette Stadium on May 17.

"They've got a couple of new players," Nicol said. "It's going to be tough. There's never an easy game in MLS. We know that it's going to be a tough game and I know we're going to have to be up for it."

It won't be made any easier by a lengthy list of absences. Joseph is suspended after picking up a red card in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Chicago. Kheli Dube has a groin strain and will miss the next 3-5 weeks. Kenny Mansally is a doubt with an ankle knock, while Michael Parkhurst remained in New England to recuperate after returning from Olympic duty.

Joseph will watch from home, but warned his teammates that they face a difficult task against the rejuvenated Quakes.

"[San Jose is] going to be a totally different team in terms of confidence," Joseph said. "It'll be a tough matchup for us. We have to match their intensity."

Yallop: Quakes' victory best of year

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Moments after his team beat the New England Revolution 4-0 Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, San Jose Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop was all smiles.

"I'm obviously very happy with the win," he said. "The team's been building to a good performance and a bunch of goals, so it feels real good to finally get it and have a clean sheet as well against a very good team. It's only one game, but I'm very pleased. (San Jose) looks like it's starting to believe in itself."

The win marked the first time since rejoining the league that the Earthquakes have won consecutive games, and they now are unbeaten in their last five matches. In addition, the Quakes have scored seven goals in their last two games, after tallying only six in the 10 games prior to that.

Yallop called their win against New England, which came into the match owners of the league's best overall record, his team's "best performance of the year."

"It'd be hard to beat it," he said.

The Earthquakes took advantage of a New England team depleted by injuries, Olympic team call-ups and a red card suspension to midfielder Shalrie Joseph to dominate the midfield and stretch the Revolution's defense from sideline to sideline throughout the match.

"I thought New England might play a three-back (defense), so we worked most of the week and talked about spreading the play," Yallop said. "Darren (Huckerby) and Ronnie (O'Brien) want the ball wide, too, so it's part of our game plan anyway to get those guys lots of touches and get them into space.

"I thought Darren was electric tonight, and Ronnie with his two goals was great," he continued. "It was a good performance for both those guys."

San Jose opened the scoring in the 11th minute, when Francisco Lima, at the top of the restraining arc, found Ronnie O'Brien coming into the penalty area down the right side. From a tough angle, O'Brien hit what looked like a soft volley to the far post that fell just inside the woodwork for a 1-0 San Jose lead.

The Earthquakes held on from there, getting through what Yallop called "a little sticky patch in the 20 minutes right after halftime" before breaking the game open with three late goals. That offensive explosion came after Ryan Johnson came on for Arturo Alvarez in the 63rd minute.

"I thought the physical game was getting away from us," Yallop said. "The longer passing from the back wasn't getting challenged like I'd like. Arturo isn't a physical type of player in the air, so I thought it was a change that needed to be made to ruffle (New England's) feathers a bit."

The move quickly paid off. In the 71st minute, Scott Sealy, at the top of the penalty area, slipped a backheel through to Johnson, and his blast from 10 yards out easily beat New England goalkeeper Doug Warren.

"Ryan did a terrific job off the bench tonight," Yallop said. "He took his goal great, and I thought he was good. He made the difference in the game."

San Jose then put the game away with two more goals, one by Sealy in the 76th minute, and another from O'Brien in the 87th to close out the victory.

"To beat (New England) quite handily at home was a good result for us, mentally as well," Yallop said. "We started eight months ago with no players, no tickets sold, no stadium, nothing, and to come to this point it's pretty good. It feels good that we have built a team that can compete."

Next up for the Earthquakes is a trip down to Los Angeles to play Chivas USA next Saturday. Yallop called the upcoming match "a big game."

"We need to get something out of the game, not lose it, and hopefully we can win it," he said. "Then obviously we're looking to try and catch that third place, or at least end up in the top eight.

The top eight clubs make the MLS Cup Playoffs, and like his team, Yallop is starting to believe in his Earthquakes' chances.

"We have a chance to make the playoffs, but we have a tough run in (the rest of the schedule) and we're still behind," Yallop said. "So we have to make sure we don't get carried away with this one result."

Kamara adjusting to life in Houston

HOUSTON -- At first glance it would appear the biggest adjustment for the Houston Dynamo's recently acquired Kei Kamara would be the new weather conditions he'd have to get used to in southeast Texas.

In northern California, where he played while a member of the San Jose Earthquakes, August can be rather pleasant, relatively speaking. Monday's weather, for example, featured partly cloudy skies and a high temperature somewhere in the mid-70s.

Meanwhile, the weather in Houston was hot, muggy and downright miserable. But Kamara walked off the practice field with his new team just one point out of first place in the Western Conference.

Before his trade to Houston, Kamara spent most of the 2008 season at the bottom of the West standings. Considering where he was versus where he is now, the biggest difference has nothing to do with Mother Nature.

It's all about winning and the attitude that every one of his new teammates brings with them to work.

"It has definitely lifted me and every player looks to play on a good team," Kamara said Monday, after the team's first practice since losing the SuperLiga 2008 final last Tuesday at New England. "I played on a team in Columbus that had been at the bottom most of the team and then I moved over to San Jose where it was more of the same.

"Now I am getting a chance to play for a winning team and playing with a great group of guys that have won two championships. I just need to watch as much as I can and learn what it is like to approach every game with a championship mentality."

Kamara has been used primarily as a late substitute, coming on at forward, since joining the team after playing in 12 games for the Earthquakes. He has played in one league game and his goal gave the Dynamo a 2-1 lead in the 98th minute against the Revolution in the SuperLiga final.

Houston gave up the lead four minutes later, and lost in penalty kicks even though Kamara scored again in the shootout's seventh round.

Getting that first goal, Kamara said, came at a good time even if the final result was bitterly disappointing.

"Getting that goal, that was really nice," Kamara said. "It is always good to get that first one out of the way, especially when you come to a new team and you are expected to do well. Now I just have to keep progressing and just build from that."

Kamara knows the time is coming that he will get his first start with the team. The schedule is going to get tougher in September and the Dynamo will certainly lose more players to international competition. Head coach Dominic Kinnear said Kamara will be relied upon when the league games start to pile up for the two-time defending champions, as well as play in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League.

"(Change) has been kind of a theme for us this year and now we have some guys that could miss some time with some national games coming up," Kinnear said. "And I'm sure he could get some starts. And we are going to have a real crowded schedule in September and I am sure we will have to use different guys in different games and in completely different situations than they are used to."

Kamara said the transition from San Jose to the Dynamo has been made much easier because he knows the team is focused on one goal, and that goal goes far above just making the playoffs.

He has been welcomed with opened arms, Kinnear said, because he showed up with a hard-working attitude and a desire to fit in with his new mates.

Oh and he does a few other things the team needs.

"He has good pace, he's tall, he's got good movement and he is really strong in the box," Kinnear said with a smile. "He really gives other teams problems and so far I think he has really fit in with the guys."

Chivas lament loss of points, Marsch

CARSON, Calif. -- The way Chivas USA coach Preki saw it, the Los Angeles Galaxy got away with more than one point on Thursday.

With Chivas USA ahead 2-1 with a quarter hour remaining, Galaxy rookie defender Sean Franklin elbowed Jesse Marsch in the face. The blow knocked Marsch out of the game. As Chivas USA had already made three substitutions, the club was left with 10 men for the duration.

In stoppage time, Alan Gordon knocked a header into the back of the net as the Galaxy and Chivas USA tied 2-2 before a sellout crowd at The Home Depot Center.

The point earned moved Chivas USA to within four points of first-place Real Salt Lake and kept the Red-and-White in fifth place in the Western Conference table.

Chivas USA coach Preki said his team played like "10 hurt lions" but lamented that referee Alex Prus made no call on Franklin's elbow.

"If the referee is standing three yards away and he's looking at the whole play, it's hard to me that you miss somebody elbow somebody and fractures his jaw and you don't see that," Preki said. "That for me is really tough to swallow."

Preki said initial reports from team doctors were that Marsch had fractured his jaw. Marsch, an MLS Original, was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation immediately after the match.

Chivas USA's substitutions had been used up. Roberto Nurse replaced Justin Braun in the 17th minute after Braun sprained his ankle. Maykel Galindo and Jim Curtin replaced Keith Savage and Shavar Thomas in tactical moves by Preki in the 64th and 78th minute respectively.

With a man down for nearly a quarter hour, Chivas USA did as well as they could to hold on to their lead.

"At that time of the game when they're pushing people forward, it definitely makes it tougher," defender Bobby Burling said. "He's our leader in the midfield and our team captain when Claudio (Suarez) is not there. The way he went down kind of made us play a little harder. We almost held on there to the last minute but the injury-time goal kind of killed us in the end."

With the physical play, pulsating moments and electric atmosphere, the game lived up to the billing. However, it sort of always does.

"Just like another one," said Paulo Nagamura, who scored Chivas USA's second goal. "They are always hard games and I like it. I enjoy playing these games. My style fits these kinds of games and I like playing these kinds of games, especially against the Galaxy."

Nagamura also had an assist to go along with his goal. He set up Atiba Harris in the 50th minute with a deft cross from the right flank. But the goal was made possible largely because of Nurse, who let the ball slide by him and into Harris' path.

"I saw (Nurse) was doing the run in the first and I saw that Atiba was on the second post and he was in front if his guy," Nagamura said. "If he meant to do that, that was a great dummy."

The Galaxy got the better of play soon after but Nagamura countered after he took a feed from Harris and tucked a ball into the back of the net.

"After (Harris' goal), I thought we kind of relaxed a little bit for about 10 minutes and Galaxy got a little more of the play than us and against the run of play we scored the second goal," Preki said.

In the end, though, Chivas USA could do little but to try and weather the storm without their leader.

"It was a lot like that the second game the last time we played them," Burling said, referring to a 1-1 draw on July 10. "We tried not to open it up as much but when they're throwing six or seven guys forward at a time, it makes it tough defensively and tough to counter on them without Jesse in there. To escape with a point is a little bit disappointing but I guess we'll take it."