SANDY, Utah -- Real Salt Lake are less than two weeks away from playing in their new stadium for the first time. Besides having a new place to call home, the coaches, players and fans finally know what name to call their soccer home.
Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts announced that the stadium will be named Rio Tinto Stadium at a press conference on Monday morning.
Rio Tinto, a London, England-based corporation specializing in mining and exploration, signed a multi-year naming rights agreement with SCP Worldwide, the ownership group of RSL. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Checketts made clear from the start his desire to enter into a naming agreement with a company that had local ties to Utah but, at the same time, had a high degree of visibility outside the state. This new partnership with Rio Tinto fits well with those parameters.
In addition to being an internationally known corporation, Rio Tinto has a deep local connection to Utah. It has been the primary owner of Kennecott Utah Copper, the oldest and largest mineral exploration company in the state.
For Checketts, getting the support of Rio Tinto is another sign that the future is bright for RSL.
"When you have a company like Rio Tinto and they make a commitment on your organization, it's a true testament to the growth of our franchise," Checketts said.
It took 42 days from the time Rio Tinto and RSL management first entered into negotiations to strike a deal. Putting its name on the stadium felt like an easy decision for the mineral company to make.
"We're a global company, but we believe very strongly in maintaining local ties," said Bret Clayton, Rio Tinto's chief executive officer.
For the players and coaches, this is just latest welcome development in the club's growth since its inaugural season in Utah. A new stadium opening in the midst of a breakout year in MLS play has left a definite feel that everything is coming together at the right time.
"It seems like all the pieces are falling into place," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "It's another level of permanence. It shows that we're here, we're here for real and we're here to stay."
And seeing those pieces fall into place has been even exciting for those few who have been with the club from the beginning. Watching the stadium be built before their eyes has been both a surreal and rewarding experience.
"Every time we come back, we see something different or something new that's been added," midfielder Andy Williams said. "It's giving me goosebumps every time I come here."
Now the focus shifts to making the initial games in Rio Tinto Stadium memorable ones. Real will officially open the stadium on Oct. 9 when they play host to the New York Red Bulls live on ESPN2.
RSL would like nothing more than to reward the support of the local community that helped bring about the new stadium by using it as a launching pad for the club's first ever trip to the postseason.
"As a player, these are the games you want to be in." forward Kenny Deuchar said. "It's going to be enormous, the two games here. Hopefully that backing of the fans can help carry us through."
Besides hosting RSL home games, Rio Tinto Stadium will also be the site of the 2009 MLS All-Star Game.
COLUMBUS -- Anyone who has returned to work after a once-in-a-lifetime vacation or had to hit the school books following a fabulous break can understand the letdown Columbus Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers went through upon his return to the Crew in mid-August.
Rogers, the 21-year-old, second-year pro, missed two Crew matches and was gone for about four weeks to play for the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing. He started all three matches in China in the USA's unsuccessful bid to advance out of pool play.
Although Rogers was back on the field for the Crew less than 48 hours upon coming home, he wasn't the same player -- at least at first.
"It took me two or three games to get adjusted. It's tough to go away from your team for about a month then get right back into it," he said.
He wasn't creating havoc on the left side with his speed or challenging defenders with his runs toward goal that helped him make him an MLS All-Star this season. Crew coach Sigi Schmid sensed something was amiss.
"It took awhile. Anytime you're involved in something like the Olympics it's emotionally draining on you as well as being physically demanding," he said. "It's like coming back from vacation. Basically for a couple of weeks you're bored with everything. That's what happens to players who go to such a big soccer event like that. It took him awhile to get back and back into the rhythm but he's on an uptick again and I'm really happy with what he's doing.'
Rogers was experiencing both mental and physical fatigue.
"Playing those games in a short amount of time and training all the time and the flights and the travel, it was tough," he said. "Also, mentally when we had such high hopes then we lost to Nigeria (in the final group match), it takes a lot out of you. You try to absorb everything then you're back here it's like, 'Darn, I was just at the Olympics and now I'm back here.' It figures to do that to anybody. I'm back. I feel good now."
Rejoining a successful team has certainly helped. The Crew are 6-0-1 since he's been back and on the verge of wrapping up the Supporters' Shield as the best team in the league.
"When you're winning you kind of forget about all the other stuff. It's a pleasure being on the field with these guys," Rogers said. "I was in a groove before I left. The first few games I was out of it but I think I'm back where I was before I left."
Rogers started the season with five goals in seven games, including two apiece against Chivas USA and San Jose. He didn't score again until the team's 25th game Sept. 18 when he unleashed a wicked strike from about 40 yards 19 seconds into the second half of a 3-1 win over New York to earn goal of the week honors.
In last Saturday's match he continued to take the restarts for the injured Guillermo Barros Schelotto and put a corner kick to the head of Chad Marshall for the lone goal in a victory at New England.
Still, Rogers' value goes beyond the scoresheet. He is dangerous anytime he has the ball past midfield and defenders are prone to doing anything to stop him, thus, his league-leading 67 fouls suffered.
"Maybe he's not scoring but he's completing his passes. Maybe it's a good cross that sets up a Marshall goal, a header off a corner. He's finding different ways to impact the game," Schmid said. "The last two games he's been fouled 12 times so he's still getting fouled an awful lot. The physical play has improved his ability to ride a tackle. At times he can't see it coming a little more, he can sense it better. He knows it's going to be there and getting upset by it is not going to help him. The best way to respond is helping the team win the game."
Forward Alejandro Moreno has been from Rogers by finding more space as the defense seeks to shut down the midfielder. He said it's wrong to criticize Rogers for not scoring more lately.
"Robbie was doing well before the Olympics," Moreno said. "Maybe he had a stretch where he wasn't finding the back of the net with consistency and maybe lost his way a little bit but he was still dangerous for us and he was still creating opportunities for himself and other people. He's done well over the course of the year."
What has separated the Rogers of late from the pre-Olympic model is noticeable to Schmid.
"Robbie is growing on the field every day. The difference between young players and experience players is the consistency of performance," he said. "What you see in a young player is those flashes of brilliance and you get excited about that. But there are certain days there's no flash at all. What happens with older players is there's still those flashes but when there's no flashes it's very, very consistent; very steady and they bring you the same performance all the time. That's how you see young players develop and Robbie's going through that evolution right."
Rogers is expected to handle set pieces against the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday at Crew Stadium until Schelotto makes his return. The Argentinean forward said Friday he is ready to play against the Galaxy and will likely come off the bench vs. the Galaxy for his first appearance in four games.
The Crew will be without suspended defender Frankie Hejduk against the top offense in the league. Danny O'Rourke likely will move from center back to right and rookie Andy Iro will pair with Marshall in the middle.
Despite the disparities in records, the Crew know the Galaxy are in desperation mode.
"We're not looking at a scoring battle," Crew forward Pat Noonan said. "Defensively we've been playing well. We need to keep playing well and keep teams off the board. If we do that, you saw at New England, all we need is the one goal and you can walk away with a victory. Our plan is for it not to be a back-and-forth game and we're leaving holes open and they're getting chances."
Schmid will not coach the team for the second time this season. He missed the 2-2 tie at home with Kansas City to attend his daughter's wedding but this team he's off the sideline because of an red card late against the Revolution. He might find a spot among the expected overflow crowd.
"I might go have a brat or something, maybe a little beverage up in the stands; talk to the folks, maybe visit the Nordecke (supporters section)," he said. "I really don't know. It's a sold-out game so I don't know if there's any place I can sit. There might not be any seats available. We'll see."
FRISCO, Texas -- Two weeks ago, FC Dallas went into RFK Stadium to face D.C. United. After taking an early 1-0 lead, the Hoops allowed two unanswered goals before Andre Rocha rescued FCD late with an equalizer. Now, on Sunday, comes the rematch at Pizza Hut Park, a place where United have a perfect 3-0 record.
FCD comes off an impressive 4-1 win over Chicago on Sunday at Toyota Park where Jeff Cunningham had two goals and an assist for the Hoops. It was their first win in their last five games.
D.C., on the other hand, fell 5-2 to the LA Galaxy last Saturday night at The Home Depot Center and is just 1-2-2 in their last five league games. Their last win was a 3-0 win Aug. 23 against Colorado and United has dropped three in a row on the road with their last victory away from RFK coming Aug. 16, when they prevailed 1-0 at Chicago. United is coming off a 2-0 loss to CD Marathon in Honduras on Wednesday night in CONCACAF Champions League play.
Even though D.C.'s form has been a bit inconsistent of late, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman knows how tough Sunday's match shapes up to be for his side.
"(They are a) good team with a loaded attacking force," Hyndman said. "I think defense has been an issue for them. They gave up quite a few goals against LA. They are putting themselves now in a position of struggling for a playoff spot. It's going to be a huge game for them. We've got five games left. We're playing well. D.C. is just another stop for our bus. We're hoping to get ourselves into the playoffs."
However, FCD has been less than stellar at home this year with a 4-4-4 record, the fewest home wins in MLS. The Hoops realize that must change quickly if they are to reach the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.
"It's a big game for us," FCD defender Drew Moor said. "We haven't done as well at home as we want to lately. Home has got to be a fortress where teams fear to come in and play us but it hasn't been so far in these last couple months. We're looking to turn that around on Sunday because it is a big game for us. Three points are needed. Hopefully it will be hot. We will have a good audience and hopefully, we'll put on a show."
Hyndman will likely employ the same starting 11 that prevailed against the Fire on Sunday. But center back Duilio Davino is close to returning and will be on the bench for Sunday's match. Left-sided midfielder Victor Sikora, also continues to respond well to rehab on his injured knee and could return to the bench in a week's time.
One of the more veteran players on the FCD roster, Cunningham knows how important it is that Sunday's result is in the Hoops' favor.
"These next few games are very important," Cunningham said. "It's important that we get maximum points but I think we need to take it one game at a time and prepare for D.C. as well as we can. Come Sunday, we need to give a good effort and hopefully, we'll come away with three points."
Another star of Sunday's win was midfielder Andre Rocha, who had two assists and also figured in a third goal. He too is itching to deliver a better result against United.
"That was a different game when we went up there," Rocha said. "We were on the road, scored first but they came and got two goals back. We had to go and look for the tie at that point. But we know that we have the players to get these results. Now that we're playing them at home, we have this comfort level and know what they're about. Victory is most important. We want to be able to start off with the same pressure that we did last week so we won't have to come back for the tie. We want to be able to go for the win instead. The most important thing right now is finding the win."
Throughout this week of training, it was hard not to notice a positive vibe surrounding FCD, something Hyndman is going to do all he can to preserve until Sunday.
"All we can do is just prepare them the best we can," he said. "(Thursday), we did a really hard training session, probably one of the hardest training sessions we've done since I've been here. D.C. United, if you give them too much time, they're going to change the point of attack and spread the ball around.
"That part we're starting to recognize is that what we work on in practice, carries over to the game. Last week, we worked on counterattack and defensive shape and that carried over to the game, Hyndman continued. "So, I think all we can do is continually give them good training sessions, continually educate them and continually put demands on them. Our attitude right now is very focused."
Rocha for one, is glad to see such a positive vibe this time of the year when so much is on the line each and every week.
"When you win, everybody feels good but we need to continue winning," Rocha said. "For that to continue, we need to give a maximum effort individually and as a team every time we're out there. You can see that the team is very happy. Everyone is joking and backing each other. At this moment in the season, it's important to have that attitude but it does come from winning."
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- It will be a busy weekend for scoreboard watching as the MLS playoff hunt hits overdrive. No fewer than 13 teams are within immediate striking distance of either the top three slots in their division or the top eight places overall, and the Colorado Rapids are squarely in the hunt as they prepare for a key road match against the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.
Colorado sits tied for third in the Western Conference with Rocky Mountain rivals Real Salt Lake, and the Rapids look to continue moving up the table as they take on the Red Bulls Saturday, hoping to keep alive a three-game stretch in which their 2-0-1 performance has given new life to their season.
"There's all to play for," interim coach Gary Smith said. "When you look at the way the team's performing right now, we've all agreed in the changing room, I think we can go anywhere and get points."
A win in New York would give Colorado 35 points, allowing the Rapids to leapfrog into second place temporarily while hoping that Kansas City can keep Chivas from holding second with a win later that night.
"We have five games left," said goalkeeper Preston Burpo, sizing up the team's status heading into the final month. "We're right in the thick of it."
Slowing down New York, who is ahead of them on the table but a longshot to clinch one of the three automatic spots from the Eastern Conference, opens up the potential for the Rapids to move into position to claim one of the additional two playoff spots, beyond the three from each conference.
"I believe strongly that we have the group to do that now," Smith said, ready for the challenge of going back on the road where his side has won their last two matches. "They've shown in the last three games what they're capable of. And we'll be going to New York knowing that if we beat New York there, then suddenly that [potential] fourth and fifth place [from the Western Conference] become available to us. So there's plenty to play for, and there's going to be some pressure for New York as well, no doubt about it."
Colorado's resurgence has forced opposing sides to deal with heightened pressure, and as Smith has worked to fortify his defense and bring consistency to an attack that has been somewhat schizophrenic in recent history, he expects foes to take notice and make adjustments.
"We're getting to a point where I hope teams are going to look at us and change the way they play," Smith said. "We look thoroughly at the way our opponents play, what they do. Not to change, but [to determine] how we can be effective within our shape against those opponents. So for sure, we won't be changing what we do too much. I hope there comes a point in time where everybody starts to be a little more concerned about what we can achieve. I don't think we're too far away from that."
Smith's emphasis on consistency has been a plus for a team that constantly questioned their identity, well into this season. The chemistry is clear to see, as the Rapids have stuck with their game plan, challenging their opponents and clicking on all cylinders.
"We're confident," Colin Clark said, fresh off a key goal against New England last weekend, putting him a goal behind the team lead with four. "We're spending a lot more time on the ball. We're trying to possess it a lot more, and I think it shows. We're getting a lot more chances, and we're putting the other teams on their back foot, which is good for us."
Clark doesn't see a dramatic difference between the Rapids that have gone three games without losing and the same side that went four matches without winning just a few weeks earlier. He credits Smith's role as interim head coach after Fernando Clavijo's departure as an inevitable spark that the team has responded to by catching fire.
"With the new coach, we have a new mindset going forward," Clark said. "It's been great for the team. Not to take anything away from Fernando at all. He's a great coach. But always you'll see with sports teams, when a new coach comes in, the first couple of games, things are going to be great, working hard for that coach. It's coming back to us, and we're hoping to sustain that over the rest of the season."
Last week's draw with a strong New England team was a disappointment to the Rapids, who had just won two games in a row for the first time all season. But Colorado is determined to keep finding ways to pick up points on the road, where they'll play three of the next four weeks before ending their season at home against RSL in a game likely to have playoff implications.
"We're searching for those three points," Smith said. "I think everybody in this league right at this time, if they're achieving that three-point total every game, that's a great position to be in at this tight stage of the season."
SANDY, Utah - On Tuesday morning, Real Salt Lake held its first ever practice in its new soon-to-be opened soccer stadium. After 90 minutes, reviews of the new digs were positively glowing from the RSL players and coaches.
"It's first class," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "Everything is state of the art. We just can't wait to get it filled up with fans and have a real game on it."
RSL will get to officially break in its new stadium Oct. 9 when the New York Red Bulls come to town. When that time comes, Real hope to still be a heartbeat away from securing a first-ever trip to the postseason.
To do that, RSL must find a way to generate more success outside of Utah, beginning with this weekend's trip to Buck Shaw Stadium to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. Making the final step to becoming a viable playoff team depends on it.
"In order to do well in the playoffs, you have to do well on the road," Real coach Jason Kreis said. "They go hand in hand. If we don't win one of our last three away games, then my feeling is we probably don't deserve to be in the playoffs."
A home loss could not have occurred at a worse time for RSL. Last Saturday's 1-0 setback to Chivas USA leaves Real looking up at both the Red-and-White and Houston now, with Rocky Mountain rival Colorado gaining ground on them as well.
Such a turn of events forces RSL into a position it hoped it wouldn't find itself in at season's end. The club must get three points away from home. Settling for ties or suffering more head-scratching losses is simply not in the equation any longer.
"We all recognize that we're going to need to win one of these last three road games," Kreis said. "Why not have it be the first one? So we'll go in there searching for the three points. We'll be aggressive as we usually are and we'll hope for better than what we've had in the past."
Getting better results will be a challenge against San Jose. The Earthquakes are one of those Western Conference foes on the upswing that RSL must suddenly worry about.
San Jose has not suffered a loss in its last nine games -- dating back to the first week of July. The Quakes have 29 points, tying them for sixth with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
A win against Real, who have 31, would vault San Jose ahead of RSL in the standings -- a scenario that seemed almost unthinkable as little as a month ago.
If RSL wants to prevent itself from falling out of the playoff picture entirely, it needs to channel a much more aggressive road mentality. And the players recognize they must exhibit a sense of urgency even more now.
"We're going into pretty much every game at this point like it's a must-win for us," defender Chris Wingert said. "That's going to be the same this weekend."
It does not help RSL that several key players continue to be sidelined, including -- most notably -- Fabian Espindola and Dema Kovalenko. While things have suffered up front and in the midfield by having a pair of starters sidelined, Real aren't about to use it as an excuse to justify any further road or home woes.
"They're key players on our team that we miss and when you take them out of the lineup, it shows a little bit," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "But, again, we have a lot of character on our team. We have a lot of players that can step in and do the job."
RSL has enjoyed a good deal of success against San Jose already this season. The club earned four points in two home matches against the Quakes, netting a 3-1 win in May and a 0-0 draw in mid-June.
FRISCO, Texas -- Admittedly, FC Dallas wanted to take three points from San Jose on Thursday. But the Hoops will be happy with the single point they got after an 89th-minute penalty kick converted by Kenny Cooper answered a 58th-minute goal by San Jose's Ryan Johnson and left the teams with a 1-1 draw.
"Fast-paced game -- I think the game was too fast," said FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "It was a beautiful night. The weather was great. Both games knew the importance of this game. A lot of counterattack balls on both sides and I thought, a lot of lost possession balls on both sides. It's what you would expect two teams trying to get into the playoffs would look like -- a very exciting game from the beginning to the end."
Hyndman made one alteration to his starting 11 from the team that beat D.C. United 3-0 on Sunday. Captain Duilio Davino returned at center back and played the full 90 for the first time since July 27 against Los Angeles.
Davino was at least partially to blame on the goal by Johnson when he didn't close down a long ball near midfield. The Mexican international also could have very easily been sent off in the 71st minute for an intentional handball that prevented a decent scoring chance by San Jose.
"I thought he did fine," Hyndman said. "The difference (with Davino as opposed to Aaron Pitchkolan) is there is a calmness with him back there. There's also a reading of the game, reading where the second pass is going. And when he's on the ball, he's very good with it, laying balls back to the 'keeper and getting himself out of pressure."
The Earthquakes goal came when Jason Hernandez knocked a long ball forward that bounced over Scott Sealy as the San Jose striker tried to flick it on. That left Davino stranded, and Johnson raced in behind to collect the ball and slot it past goalkeeper Dario Sala.
"We were holding a pretty high line at that point," said FCD right back Drew Moor. "I tried to run across the line and see if he was offside. I feel like at times, the ref is going to try and give an advantage to the attacking player. After that, I tried to get back in behind Dario but just wasn't quick enough to do it. It was a tough call."
But the Hoops pulled level in the dying minutes when a penalty kick was awarded by referee Abbey Okulaja. FCD rookie Eric Avila knocked in a cross that caromed off San Jose midfielder Francisco Lima's body and then his hand in the area.
"Dominic (Oduro) gave me the ball," Avila said. "I was going to hit it with my right foot across but he was kind of blocking it. So, I cut it back. As soon as I cut it, I saw an opening and I crossed it. As soon as I crossed it, he moved and it went off him. It hit his hand after it came off his body. As soon as I saw that, I raised my hand to make sure they saw it."
While Hyndman and his players were disappointed by not getting a full three points, they were all still looking at the bigger picture.
"Getting a point there at the end did some good things," Hyndman said. "It gave us a point and it stopped them from getting three. So, there was some great value there in that situation. So, I'm walking away with what a great ending. We still have games to play and we still control our own destiny."
Said Moor: "Yeah, at the end of the day, we pick up a point and at the end, we stopped them from getting three points. But it's not the result we wanted. We got to pick our heads up and head onto the final three games with Toronto next and see if we can go on the road and get some points there."
Another bright spot for FCD was the return of left-sided midfielder Victor Sikora for the final eight minutes. He had missed the last five games with a right knee injury.
"I didn't have many minutes but I felt good," Sikora said. "I'm close to being match-fit. All I can do is work hard and be ready when they call me. Tomorrow I will play with the reserves. I will try to get 90 minutes there and play well. Next week, I will be back in training and we'll see what the coach decides."
Despite getting just one point, Moor said he and his teammates are still positive. For the moment, the tie left FC Dallas tied with Colorado and Real Salt Lake for third place in the Western Conference with 34 points, though those other two teams still have games ahead on Saturday.
"Obviously, we're still on a good run, seven points in the last three games," he said. "We're still on a good run of form and I don't think there's a lot we need to change. We had a lot of good opportunities tonight and we need to continue to get those as the season goes on, limit goals and get opportunities in the back as well."
Avila concurred. "We wanted a winning result but I think the momentum that we have right now, we're going and aren't losing," he said. "We're fighting to the end, which I think the team is doing great at. We're just going to keep going. We've got another home game and that must be a win. I think we're in a good spot right now."
COLUMBUS -- It was a hypothetical question but the answer from Crew veteran defender Chad Marshall reveals an attitude that nothing can be taken for granted.
Neither last week's clinching of the team's first playoff spot in four seasons, nor moving a giant step closer to earning the Supporters' Shield by going on the road to down New England 1-0 on Saturday is going to change that.
The victory enabled the Crew, now with 50 points, to surpass by one their previous best point total set in 2004 when they finished the season with an 18-game unbeaten streak. Marshall was a rookie back then and he, defender Frankie Hejduk and midfielder Duncan Oughton are the lone remnants of that squad still with the Crew.
So, Chad, in a match between the 2004 and '08 teams, who would win?
"That would be a good game. They had a lot of good guys on that team. There's some good players on this one. It's a tough call," he said. "I'll play on this one now because I know how the other one in '04 finished up."
Four years later it still burns. The Crew went into the 2004 postseason riding high after winning their first Supporters' Shield but were knocked off in the opening round by New England.
That's why Marshall and his teammates are not about to take the gas off the pedal despite an eight-point lead over the Revolution with four matches left.
"We understand the importance of each game and what it means to us as we move forward," goalkeeper Will Hesmer said. "I'm not sure we ever want to say we're comfortable."
There are major differences in the way this year's squad and the 2004 team approached matches. Back then, the Crew were content not to lose. They had 10 ties and only eight wins in setting the league unbeaten mark and did not play particularly appealing soccer. The Crew had three scoreless draws and four 1-1 games during the streak.
This season's team can play smothering defense yet produce at the other end. It is second in the league with 45 goals (1.73 per game) and has allowed the third fewest, 31 (1.19).
Columbus could have gone into the match at New England hoping for a tie without the service of leading scorer Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who missed his third consecutive match because of a strained hamstring. The artificial turf was wet and unpredictable and the Crew lost Hejduk in the 65th minute to his second yellow card but the Crew preserved Marshall's 35th-minute goal for the win.
"This team finds a way to win," Hesmer said. "A road win, especially 1-0 against the second-place team in the league, that's huge for us. It says a lot about the character and the focus of this team right now."
Instead of trying to maintain maintaining status quo in the Eastern Conference, the Crew now have a cushion with six wins and a draw in the past seven games.
"We're not going into any game right now looking for a tie. We want to win every game and get that Supporters' Shield," Marshall said. "It was tough the last half hour being down a man on the road. We kept numbers behind the ball and limited their chances. I don't think they had any super great chances."
Defender Danny O'Rourke could sense the desire the Crew have to dispel any notions that the former ragtag team is a fluke.
"More than anything it was a statement to ourselves. After not making the playoffs for a couple of years we were real hungry," he said. "We knew we were in (the playoffs) but we want to be as good as we can. We'll take every game very seriously from here on it just as we have done all year."
After Hejduk exited coach Sigi Schmid substituted defender Andy Iro for ex-Revolution forward Pat Noonan for a more defensive posture. He later replaced Eddie Gaven with the speedier Emmanuel Ekpo on the right flank in hopes of taking advantage of a counter then added defender Ezra Hendrickson late for central midfielder Brad Evans.
"They're a great attacking team 11 vs. 11 but being down a man we knew we had to bunker in a bit," O'Rourke said. "It was a great defensive effort. We made a good move bringing in Ezra and Andy to get those balls. It was a great team effort. It doesn't matter who's out there we're battling and playing for each other."
Unfortunately, not everything turned out positive for the Crew. Hejduk and Schmid, who was ejected in stoppage time for arguing with the officials after Hesmer was undercut by Taylor Twellman off a corner kick, will miss Saturday's match against Los Angeles in a sold-out Crew Stadium.
It will be the first Columbus appearance for David Beckham, who did not play before last year's overflow crowd of more than 24,000 because he was injured.
"It's going to be awesome. I missed the game last year when the LA Galaxy came in and we had the big crowd," said Marshall, who had a concussion. "It will be a good atmosphere and hopefully we can get three points."
A year ago fans bought tickets far in advance in anticipation of Beckham's arrival and were disappointed by his absence. There will be some people coming Saturday to Crew Stadium only because of him but the vast majority will be cheering the Crew's resurgent season.
The vaunted supporters' section in the northeast corner will no doubt not let Beckham forget the dive he took late in the first meeting this year that set up a penalty to help the Galaxy to a 3-3 tie June 21 in The Home Depot Center.
Losing those potential two points might not hurt the Crew after all, but the team would like to wrap up the Supporters' Shield and home-field advantage in the first two rounds as quickly as possible. It could happen this weekend. A Crew win coupled with a loss or tie by New England and Chicago plus a Houston loss would clinch the overall standings.
Although LA has one win in 14 matches the Crew will not be taking the top-scoring team in MLS lightly.
"LA is struggling right now. We're on a roll. Anytime you're going up against a team that has its back against the wall and is fighting for its life you know it's going to be a dogfight," Hesmer said. "They're an attacking team. On any given day they can be really, really dangerous. We definitely need to be prepared."
WASHINGTON -- In late January D.C. United introduced a flurry of ambitious new South American signings in an eventful week full of much fanfare and optimism ahead of the 2008 season.
Headlined by the capture of designated player Marcelo Gallardo, the roster additions were expected to help United vault into the upper echelons of the CONCACAF region with a squad tailor-made to maintain success in MLS, while also seizing the initiative in international competitions like the new-look CONCACAF Champions League.
Eight months later, D.C. find themselves in an unexpected position: struggling on all fronts and forced to temper their commitment to the competition. Regional glory remains as elusive as ever with shortcomings in two tournaments and an 0-2 record in a third -- and now, for the first time in five years, United's participation in the MLS postseason is in real jeopardy as nearly every team in an increasingly cutthroat league jostles for a prized playoff berth.
The weekend's results mean that if the MLS Cup Playoffs began tomorrow, the defending Supporters' Shield champs would miss out and with only four league matches left to rectify that situation, head coach Tom Soehn has little choice but to give precedence to the home front at the expense of CCL. Wednesday night's clash with Mexican side Cruz Azul at RFK Stadium is likely to feature yet another youthful lineup for the Black-and-Red as weary veterans are rested ahead of a crucial visit from Chivas USA on Saturday.
"Our primary focus is to make the playoffs," said Soehn. "Obviously we still want to represent ourselves well [in the Champions League] and until the point that I feel like we're out of it, then we'll adjust. But right now it's still going to be a balancing act. ... There's some subs you have to make as you try to keep guys fresh, and it's not necessarily subs you want to do, but you have to do."
Such pragmatism is a bitter pill for United and their fans to swallow, and it leaves many of the club's old hands wondering what might have been.
"You always love getting into these tournaments, because it's another chance to showcase an MLS team going against outside competition and some well-established teams," said veteran defender Bryan Namoff, who is likely to be rested against Los Cementeros.
"To be in this situation is, I guess, surprising because based on our tradition and based on the years of the past, we always have done so well throughout the league early on that it was never the case of not making the playoffs. So it's definitely an eye-opener."
Gallardo, the sophisticated star who was expected to lead the team to glory at moments like this, spent months wracked by complications from sports hernia surgery and has just returned from a rehabilitation stint in Argentina. He's probably arrived in time to play a role at the weekend, but doesn't expect to suit up against Cruz Azul.
Team captain Jaime Moreno would normally be another top candidate for a night off at this stage. But after Sunday's red card against FC Dallas he'll have to sit out the Chivas USA match so, depending on the whims of his sore knee, he could be called upon to lead the youngsters into battle against the Mexicans. Moreno's uncertain health has represented the latest blow in a luckless month for United, who won just one match over a crowded September calendar and have struggled to replace the creativity and experience of their injury-hit South American contingent.
"It really is a difficult task to try to fill their shoes when they are absent," said Namoff, discussing notable absences like Gallardo, Moreno, Fred and Luciano Emilio. "I'm not using that as an excuse to why we're losing, but when it comes down to winning a championship, you definitely want to have those kind of players on the field or at least healthy."
But for the time being, any hopes of a Champions League revival rest with United's greenest campaigners, as the likes of Craig Thompson, Quavas Kirk and Joe Vide are given another opportunity to make an impression against top-caliber international opposition while the veterans are reserved for the domestic dogfight.
"Nobody wants to be sitting here watching the playoffs. I've experienced that before and it's ridiculous. Nobody wants to be in that situation and we control our destiny, basically," said Santino Quaranta, another dinged-up linchpin who is a prime candidate for rest. "Going forward here, if we make the playoffs it'll be because of the work that we did, not with somebody helping us or [other] teams losing, winning."
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis wasn't smiling after his team rallied to beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, but he had every right to be.
"I'm very, very, very proud of the group," Kreis said after the win. "It's been a long time coming. I think we've played a lot of good soccer for a lot of games in a row, even our road games where we haven't gotten results."
Javier Morales' 25-yard free kick in the 59th minute capped Real Salt Lake's comeback, as they turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory. The win was just their second away from home all season, and keeps them tied for third place (and the last guaranteed playoff spot) in the Western Conference with 34 points.
Real were facing the hottest team in the league, as San Jose came into the match unbeaten in their last nine games. But RSL prevailed in a hard-fought contest that features two goals from Yura Movsisyan and San Jose's Darren Huckerby.
"Tonight, it wasn't the best soccer game," Kreis said. "It wasn't meant to be. It was always going to be a battle, and I'm glad to see that our guys know how to battle as well.
Real hadn't won on the road since June 14, a result that followed five consecutive losses on the road to begin the season. Kreis knew his team would have to change that record in one of its three remaining contests outside of Utah to reach the playoffs for the first time.
"We challenged the players this week," Kreis said. "I kind of took the gloves off a little bit and said it's time for you guys to step up. For me, big games call for big players to make big plays. Our big players showed up today and made big plays."
Part of that included a couple of changes to the RSL lineup.
"There were two changes to the starting lineup tonight," Kreis said. "It was Clint (Mathis) as a second forward, and then Robbie Russell in the midfield. (Russell) was a player that, before tonight, we had only looked at in the back, as a wide defender. We knew he was capable playing in the midfield, and I think tonight he had a fantastic game and put a monster effort in himself."
The big plays then began in the third minute, when Yura Movsisyan took a long chip from Morales that sent him into the box 1-on-1 with defender Nick Garcia. From the right side, Movsisyan cut inside Garcia and drilled home a left footed shot from 12 yards out for a 1-0 Real Salt Lake lead.
Darren Huckerby then put San Jose ahead 2-1, scoring goals in each half. But just a minute after Huckerby's second goal, Movsisyan ran down Kyle Beckerman's chip, fended off a challenge from Ronnie O'Brien, and flicked the bouncing ball over an on-rushing Joe Cannon to tie the game at 2-2.
"I honestly feel that Yura is a player that a lot of people that have been watching him for a while don't quite understand what he's made of, and what he's capable of," Kreis said. "The coaching staff that sees him day in and day out has a full understanding of what he's capable of, and he showed it tonight."
Movsisyan's second goal set the stage for the Morales game-winner. In the 59th minute, Morales hooked a free kick over the wall into the upper left corner of the goal to put RSL ahead for good.
"We knew coming in it would be a battle and we needed come here and fight," Movsisyan said. "We showed a lot of character today and obviously, we put our chances away."
Kreis called Morales' free kick "awesome, unbelievable. It's something that's also been a long time coming because last year he scored a great one, and we know he's very capable of it and he hadn't had one yet this year," he said. "Hopefully, that's a sign of things to come in our last four games."
Morales also was credited with an assist on Movsisyan's opener, giving him 11 for the season, now second in MLS behind the Columbus Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
"Javier Morales has been fantastic," Kreis said. "There's certainly been some games where I would have thought he could have done a little bit more, and so he was one of the players I was hoping would accept that challenge and he showed tonight that he did, because I thought he was absolutely fantastic. He created that first goal, an unbelievable pass, and then played through what was, I'm sure, a painful injury because he knows how important to our team he is. So for me, my hat's off to him. Fantastic."
With four games left in the regular season, Real Salt Lake are in contention to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in team history. Kreis thinks his team can make it.
"If we can put that kind of effort forth (like we did tonight), if we can put that kind of competitive spirit forth over the next four games, we're going to be just fine," he said.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A 59th minute free kick by Javier Morales was the difference as Real Salt Lake snapped their two-game losing streak, beating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Real Salt Lake came into the match with the worst road record in MLS, having earned just five points in their first 12 matches away from home (1-9-2). San Jose, on the other hand, was the hottest team in the league, unbeaten in their last nine matches. But Real prevailed in a hard-fought contest that featured a goal in each half from both Yura Movsisyan and San Jose's Darren Huckerby.
At the start of the night's play, a mere four points separated second place from seventh in the Western Conference, and with both teams in the thick of that fight, the game took on a playoff atmosphere.
Coming off a shutout loss to Chivas USA, coach Jason Kreis shuffled the RSL lineup a bit, pulling Andy Williams and Robbie Findley from the starting 11 in favor of Robbie Russell and Clint Mathis.
The Real Salt Lake offense sparked to life early, with Movsisyan opening the scoring in the third minute. The crowd was still settling into their seats when Javier Morales chipped a long ball that sent Movsisyan into the box 1-on-1 with defender Nick Garcia. From the right side, Movsisyan cut inside Garcia and drilled home a left-footed shot from 12 yards out.
San Jose answered in the 23rd minute, when Ryan Cochrane's chip found Huckerby bursting up the middle. In alone on goal, Huckerby easily beat RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando inside the right post to even the score 1-1.
It looked like San Jose had gone ahead in the 33rd minute, when Scott Sealy pounced on the rebound of a Ronnie O'Brien free kick, but his goal was ruled offside.
Just before halftime, it was Salt Lake's turn to threaten, as Movsisyan broke in alone on goal from the left wing. San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon made the initial save, but the rebound fell to Movsisyan for a second shot that was cleared off the line by defender Ryan Cochrane.
Then, in first-half injury time, a San Jose corner kick from Huckerby found Cochrane at the far post. His header caught the crossbar as it went over the top.
San Jose went ahead just after intermission, as Huckerby and Arturo Alvarez worked a give-and go in midfield. Huckerby took Alvarez's back heel pass and broke in on goal, slamming a shot from the top of the arc that beat Rimando inside the left post for a 2-1 Earthquakes lead.
But less than a minute later, Real Salt Lake came back. Kyle Beckerman chipped a long ball to Movsisyan, who fended off a challenge from Ronnie O'Brien and flicked the bouncing ball over an on-rushing Joe Cannon to tie the game at 2-2.
Then in the 59th minute, Real Salt Lake went ahead for good when Morales hooked a 25-yard free kick into the upper left corner of the goal for a 3-2 lead.
When San Jose brought on the speedy Shea Salinas in the 69th minute for Ronnie O'Brien, Salt Lake answered by bringing on Robbie Findley for Clint Mathis. Findley almost got on the score sheet in the 72nd minute, when on a 3-on-2 break, a Morales cross from the right side found him unmarked at the far post. But Findley's header from point-blank range was stopped by the San Jose goalkeeper.
San Jose continued pressing for an equalizer in the closing minutes. A 79th-minute Huckerby corner kick reached Jason Hernandez inside the six-yard box, but Rimando was there for a reaction save.
Then an 81st-minute Francisco Lima free kick from 25 yards out sailed over the crossbar, and with it the last San Jose chance.
With the win, Real Salt Lake now sit tied for third place in the West with 34 points, while San Jose remains tied for sixth with 29 points.
Real Salt Lake now travel to New England for a game next Saturday before returning home to open their new stadium in Sandy, Utah, Oct. 9 vs. New York. The Earthquakes also hit the road next week, facing FC Dallas on MLS Primetime Thursday.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- He was brought to Colorado in the offseason to be a game-changer, and the Rapids' 2008 attack was built around Christian Gomez, the 2006 MLS MVP, a four-time MLS All-Star, and an MLS Best XI honoree in each of his three full seasons in the league, leading all players in points those three years.
But as the Rapids make their homestretch push for a playoff position, that expected centerpiece of their attack has gone missing. After starting the first 11 games of the season and 17 of the first 19 games, Gomez has not started any of the Rapids last seven games, making only two substitute appearances, playing the final 32 and 45 minutes in Colorado's back-to-back losses to D.C. United and Real Salt Lake, Aug. 23 and 29.
Those were Gary Smith's first two games as interim coach of the Rapids, following a victory against Kansas City, when Smith filled in for head coach Fernando Clavijo, and the two coaches worked together to make significant changes to their starting lineup, including sitting Gomez for the entire match.
It's been four weeks now since Gomez has seen the field, as he spent the 90 minutes of last weekend's match in New York entirely on the bench as the Rapids battled to a 5-4 win, with Conor Casey scoring the game winner and finishing off a hat trick in the final minute of the match.
Even with Terry Cooke unavailable to start, Smith maintained the same system as he had employed over the balance of the New England match the weekend before, with Mehdi Ballouchy in a central midfield role and Nick LaBrocca in a wider position.
"Conor gave us a little extra strength and a slightly different angle up front, and [I wanted] to go with Mehdi in behind those front two and still have two creative players out wide," Smith said after the Revolution game.
It seems unconventional, to say the least, to keep a player of Gomez's caliber on the bench in the midst of a critical race for a postseason berth, but the Rapids are 3-0-1 in the games since Gomez has seen the field. Before the K.C. game, when Clavijo and Smith agreed to try a different attack, the Rapids had run a string of games in which they overwhelmed their opponents with scoring opportunities, but gave up goals and games on the limited chances they yielded to the other sides.
"There's no doubt in Christian's ability. There's no doubt in Christian's worth," Smith said. "At the moment, I think we're making the transition from a side that were quite creative at times but conceded too many goals to a side that hopefully over the course of time will show that we're very frugal with what we offer other teams."
The Rapids had allowed just one goal in three games before last weekend's wild match in New York, where they conceded a season-high four goals. But even then, they stormed back to score a club-record five goals for the victory.
"One goal in three games is a good foundation," Smith said. "And within that system, and within that shape that we play, I just feel the players that we're using at the moment are more beneficial for the way and the style that we're playing."
In Clavijo's last game actively coaching the Rapids, he alluded to the team's recent frustrating futility, calling the team's home loss to a short-handed Toronto an embarrassment.
"We have adapted to a different system to accommodate players, and you know what? The players never showed up to play," Clavijo said.
While Clavijo and Smith both recognize Gomez's value, they also agreed that the team needed a new formula to salvage their season. The formula was put together from the back, turning to Burpo in goal over Bouna Coundoul, who had started 15 of the team's first 19 matches. At the same time, Mike Petke returned to center back after missing much of the season to injury, and the Rapids acquired Cory Gibbs, adding consistency and experience to the foundation.
"I do think it helps that you've got the same four guys right now back there," Burpo said, speaking about the generally improved team defense down the stretch. "You've got the two guys [midfielders Pablo Mastroeni and LaBrocca] in front of them that have done great. Colin Clark and Terry Cooke have gotten on board defensively. You've got the guys up top, trying to push the ball to one side. Everyone is putting something into it, and I think it shows in the last three games."
Gomez, meanwhile, has been largely limited to reserve team action, playing 90 minutes against Dallas in the last reserve match, scoring a goal and making an assist.
The newly laid foundation has proven sturdy, and Smith's squad will continue looking to move further up in the playoff pack, hoping their newfound formula can push them up the field of contenders as they pursue a postseason berth in their remaining four matches.
With their principal Western Conference rivals, Chivas and Real Salt Lake also winning Saturday while first-place Houston tied, the table remains tight, with RSL and Colorado tied for third, two points behind Chivas. The two Rocky Mountain rivals also have moved into a tie for seventh place overall, improving their odds at securing one of the eight playoff berths.
"For sure the more you limit your opponents to opportunities, the more chance we have of winning, because you can see what we're capable of in front of goal," Smith said. "It's just making that transition where we're comfortable stopping opponents from creating chances and expressing themselves. And then going on and doing what we are very good at, which is creating our own chances. We have the players to do that. So I'm certainly not going to stifle that.
"At this precise moment, the players that we're using are giving the squad a platform from which to work from and move on to."
TORONTO -- As the Houston Dynamo entered the second match of their four-game, four-country, 12-day road trip, it would have been easy for the Orange to see this match in Toronto as something of a break. TFC stood last in the league, and given the BMO Field turf and Houston's busy CONCACAF Champions League schedule, it might have been a good opportunity to rest some regulars.
However, the Dynamo didn't win two consecutive MLS Cups by giving away points.
"We're trying to win," said Houston coach Dominic Kinnear. "You can see with the lineups we're putting out. We're trying to put a fresh team out there, or as fresh as possible every game. So, traveling and games definitely make you tired, but the guys have been good.
"We're unbeaten. We're not winning games, but we're not losing games. We're very competitive so I'm pleased with that."
It was the second consecutive draw for the Dynamo after playing San Francisco FC to a scoreless tie in Panama City last Tuesday in Houston's Champions League opener. The Orange have lost just two of their last 15 games in all competitions, which has led to Houston sitting atop the Western Conference and in good position to defend their MLS title.
Trying to juggle both a Champions League bid and a playoff race is difficult, but Houston had virtually their entire first-choice lineup starting in Toronto. Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching both made their first starts in Houston's last three games, as the two stars missed one game to international duty and were limited to reserve duty in the other two due to Kinnear's desire to keep the two fit for the upcoming month.
There was little chance that De Rosario was going to miss a game in his native Toronto, but the Canadian international wasn't pleased that his team was leaving town with just one point.
"We play to win, we never play to draw," said De Rosario. "We'll take the draw if it comes but our goal in every game is to get a result, whether it's in this league or in the Champions League. That's the thing about this team, we don't accept anything less than a win. That's why this locker room isn't as joyful as it usually is. We had some great chances to score some more goals."
The Dynamo jumped out to an early lead thanks to an own goal from TFC defender Hunter Freeman, but played back on their heels early in the second half due to increased pressure from the Toronto attack. It appeared as if the game had settled and Houston had weathered the storm, but Marvell Wynne scored in the 73rd minute to equalize.
De Rosario was on the spot to see Wynne's strike, as it was the Houston midfielder who was left flat-footed when Wynne created a bit of extra space and managed to pick the ball off the turf for a clean shot that fooled goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
"I don't know if it caught his heel or what, but that's the way it goes," De Rosario said. "We got a lucky break in the first half, they got their break in the second half, that's the game."
De Rosario had a chance to re-take the lead just a couple of minutes later when he rushed towards the TFC net on a partial breakaway. The midfielder couldn't quite control the ball, however, and as a result Wynne was able to break up the play.
"I was just trying to get the ball in the right position where I could hit it, and with the turf, the ball always runs on you and it's difficult to get good placement on the ball so you can hit it properly," De Rosario said. "That was a good example of trying to control the ball so I could hit it with my left foot and unfortunately I didn't get it in the right spot. [Wynne] was quick and he closed down that space."
The Dynamo and Reds each had nine shots in the second half, and Houston actually outshot TFC 4-3 in attempts on target, but it was Toronto who had the majority of better scoring chances in the period. The draw continued Houston's winless streak on artificial surfaces -- the Dynamo are 0-3-3 this season when not playing on a grass field.
"The draw is probably a fair result in terms of the chances, but overall ... I think it's a difficult place to play and we're not very good on FieldTurf so I think we're pretty happy overall," Onstad said.
Houston's next stop on their international sojourn is Mexico City, when the Dynamo face Pumas UNAM in Champions League play on Tuesday. The road trip concludes in Denver against the Colorado Rapids on Oct. 4, before the Dynamo start a five-game homestand beginning on Oct. 7 against San Francisco FC in the CCL.
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chris Rolfe and Cuauhtemoc Blanco came up big for the Chicago Fire Thursday night at Toyota Park. Rolfe tallied two goals, while Blanco had a goal and an assist. And defensively, the team got back into the swing of things, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1.
"In big games we put big players on the field," Fire head coach Denis Hamlett said. "We stepped up tonight. We created great chances and finished them. We believed in ourselves. And we put it together in front of a great crowd."
It's the first time the Fire tallied more than one goal since August 9 -- a 2-1 win at New England. It's also the first time the Fire scored three goals since May 25, a 5-1 win at New York. For Rolfe, it's the first time he's scored since July 12, a 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC. Rolfe now has five goals for the season.
"He found some good spots tonight," Hamlett said. "He never lost confidence."
Last week, Rolfe did not start the match. But it wasn't due to an injury -- it was a coaching decision. He's started in 19 of the 22 matches he's played in this season.
"A few weeks ago, I took a step back and re-analyzed my play," Rolfe said. "I made sure I was in the right frame of mind. Any time you're not in the starting 11, you're disappointed. You just want to help the team. Tonight I had a chance to help the team and I did."
Blanco leads the team with five goals and eight assists. He scored his first goal since May 25. Blanco went down in the 45th minute and looked as if he would not return. Instead, he marched back out on to the field and played 44 more minutes until Diego Gutierrez came in for him in the 89th minute as Blanco went off in a curtain call for the Toyota Park faithful.
"Cuauhtemoc is such a competitor," Hamlett said. "There was no way he was going to come out of the game of the game early tonight."
On the defensive side of things, the Fire returned to form, defending as a team. Los Angeles had 11 shots, sending four on goal. Goalkeeper Jon Busch saved three attempts, while the rest of the team cleared the box on separate occasions.
"Sunday's game was a wake up call for us," Fire defender Bakary Soumare said. "We regrouped, had a few meetings. Then we came out tonight and got the points. The Galaxy is a tough team to defend against because they're one of the best attacking teams in the league.
"We worked all week on how to defend Landon [Donovan] and Beckham. We did a great job as a team tonight. At the end of the day, that's what mattered."
Fellow defender Gonzalo Segares agreed.
"We're pretty ashamed of our performance on Sunday," Segares said. "We put in the extra effort tonight and everyone defended from the front to the back. We had a great performance."
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy had two chances Thursday to show off their new and improved self-confidence. Instead, they showed once again their inability to keep the other team from scoring.
Coming off their first win in the last 13 games, an impressive 5-2 win against D.C. United, the Galaxy let in two interesting second-half goals and the Chicago Fire won 3-1 before a sellout crowd in a vibrating Toyota Park.
The loss left the Galaxy with 29 points, still in sixth place in the Western Conference and in 12th place overall, with four games left to pull themselves up to one of the top eight spots.
"We need to pick it up because we are running out of opportunities," Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said.
The Galaxy entered the game hoping to capitalize on the outcome from Saturday, but they were playing a team that had been embarrassed defensively four days earlier. The Fire were coming off a 5-1 loss to FC Dallas, giving up more than two goals for the first time all season.
With their best 11 on the field for the first time in a long time, the Fire did not give up a shot through the first 25 minutes, as the Galaxy tried to find their attack using the same lineup that scored so often against D.C. United.
"Our confidence was maybe too high going into this game," Beckham said.
After Chris Rolfe of the Fire scored on a brilliant piece of individual workmanship, the Galaxy tied the game on their own style of teamwork. Landon Donovan sent the ball from above the box to the far right side, where defender Chris Klein gathered the ball then crossed it into the box to Eddie Lewis. Lewis got in front of his defender and flicked it inside the far post with his left boot for a 1-1 tie in the 35th minute.
Tied at 1-1 going into the half, the Galaxy had another chance to show they were ready to will themselves to a second consecutive victory. Instead, they gave up the two second-half scores.
The second goal featured Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco at his controversial best. Chasing a 50-50 ball outside the box in the 57th minute, Blanco collided with defender Troy Roberts while goalkeeper Josh Wicks ran up to make a play at the same time. The ball was popped forward out of the mix by Blanco, who hopped over Roberts and had an easy shot into an empty goal.
"That was the play that decided the match," Arena said. "I thought Troy had position and was about to clear it. Josh has to go through that ball if he is going make a play on it. That was maybe a little bit of inexperience on our part."
Two minutes later, Blanco earned an assist on Rolfe's goal. He found Gonzalo Segares with a nifty backheel in the center circle, and the Fire defender sent a through ball past Brian McBride to Rolfe running on from the right side. With just Wicks in front of him, Rolfe's shot glanced off Wicks' hands and bounced into the goal for a 3-1 Fire lead.
The Galaxy ended up with just four shots on goal, and none of them by Landon Donovan, the league's leading scorer. His best scoring opportunity came in the 70th minute on an offering from Lewis, who sent a cross from left to right, where Donovan had an open look at Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch. But Donovan's volley went up and over the net.
"I think Landon had a few good scoring opportunities," Arena said. "He was a little bit quiet in the first half."
The first goal of the game demonstrated the struggles the Galaxy have on defense. Rolfe hit the ground in a battle for the ball about 40 yards out, but got up and recovered the ball, then dribbled from right to left and picked the ball away from two Galaxy defenders before firing a left-footed shot into the left corner past Wicks in the 13th minute.
"We had opportunities to get that ball twice," Arena said.
It was the seventh time in 26 games the Galaxy have allowed three or more goals in a game.
Arena had to ask an assistant how many games were left in the Galaxy's efforts to get into the playoffs. He found out there are four games remaining, which is not a lot of time.
"Obviously we are a little bit behind the 8-ball," Arena said. "Likely we need to win three of them if we are going to have a chance. I feel confident we are going to make a great effort to get there."
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Kevin Souter knew the reporters would be coming for him. The look on the Kansas City Wizards midfielder's face was an expectant one, one that said not "Finally!" but "This is great!" It was a release. One that he knew he deserved. And he jumped in with both feet.
Souter had just played in his second MLS match seven months stepping onto the artificial turf at the K.C. Sports Lodge in Independence, Mo., in February as one of more than 200 open tryout hopefuls. He only played 14 minutes, but they were glorious.
Three minutes after coming on in the 76th minute, Souter had scored the Wizards' second goal to give them an all-important cushion in a match against Toronto FC that was closer than its final 2-0 scoreline. "I felt that a goal was going to come, whether or not I was going to play a part in the game, I didn't know, but I'm always available," said Souter, with his Scottish accent and a jolly demeanor that revealed the kind of guy anyone would love to hang out with.
Souter grew up in Portsoy, Scotland, playing soccer well enough that he became involved with the youth program of Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen. Eventually, he came to America to play soccer at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, after being discovered by one of their scouts.
Not everyone can make such an adjustment, but Souter triumphed, helping elevate the Jackets to the NAIA national championship in 2006 while earning honorable mention All-America status. The following season, the kudos kept rolling in: first-team all-conference and Heart of America Athletic Conference player of the year and second team NAIA All-American as a junior.
Then the 24-year-old Souter made another decision -- to forego his senior year to try and become a professional soccer player.
"He's a very motivated guy; we have a lot of confidence in him," said Kansas City head coach Curt Onalfo.
The 6-foot, 180-lb. center midfielder has guts and confidence. Confidence enough, after playing for Des Moines Menace of the USL Professional Development League in 2007, to head to the Wizards' open tryout. Through perseverance, patience and talent, Souter outperformed players from 15 countries to become one of two players -- the other midfielder Nelson Pizarro -- to earn a contract.
"As soon as I met [him], I could tell he had a dream and he was going to do anything to get it," said friend Ken Baldwin who played with Souter at Graceland.
"It's a big transition coming from college soccer, through the tryouts, and into the team," said Souter. "I've just been working hard. It's paid off."
Shortly after earning his contract with the Wizards, Souter had yet another challenge, this one not by choice. His right MCL suffered a sprain, and the injury kept him out a month-and-a-half.
But in the last month, he has been in fine form, resulting in his first MLS minutes in the Wizards' 2-0 win against the LA Galaxy two weeks ago and his goal against Toronto FC.
"He got a little bit ahead of himself once he scored the goal. If you looked at him, he was kind of all over the place," said Onalfo with a grin. "But once he settled down, he was fine. But that's all part of his progression as a player."
At the moment, Souter's role within the side is clear. He entered the fray against Toronto FC shortly after Jack Jewsbury's penalty kick put the Wizards up 1-0 in the 63rd minute.
"We're using him in a role to help preserve the lead. It's nice when you put a guy in to preserve the lead and he scores a goal," Onalfo said.
Souter understands that he's still an apprentice.
"I'm always watching and learning from these guys," he said.
And the amiable Souter is enjoying his time, especially when he was able to live out another dream when stepping on the field against idol David Beckham in his debut for 11 minutes against the Galaxy.
"I grew up back in the U.K. He's a big, big idol of mine. I'm a Manchester United fan, and I watched him since one of his first games all the way through. He's just a class act," Souter said. "Just walking out at Arrowhead last week and seeing him warming up, he just seems to have a presence about him."
And so does Souter, a presence that oozes friendliness and determination.
"When you approach [him], he always has a smile on his face and is happy to see you," said Baldwin.
It may only be a matter of time before Souter becomes someone's idol. He might already be.
FRISCO, Texas -- In a meeting of a pair of teams fighting for their playoff lives, FC Dallas got goals from Andre Rocha, Jeff Cunningham and Kenny Cooper for a 3-0 win against D.C. United on Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park.
Rocha scored after just nine minutes, then Cunningham scored early in the second half before Cooper's stoppage-time goal capped the win. United played the final six minutes a man down after Jaime Moreno was sent off in the 84th minute.
It was the first victory in three tries for FCD against United at Pizza Hut Park. It also ended a winless streak against D.C. that had reached six games. FCD won consecutive matches for only the third time this season, while United lost for the third time in their last four league matches.
Rocha gave FCD the early lead on a direct free kick from about 28 yards out. The Brazilian connected on a perfect ball that sailed some 24 yards in the air before bouncing just inside the six-yard box and floating into the far side of the net.
His goal came on the first shot of the game for either side and marked the first time this year that FCD had scored directly on a free kick. So far in 2008, the Hoops have found the back of the net seven times in the first 15 minutes of play and have a 5-0-2 mark when that occurs.
In the 22nd minute, D.C. United's Ivan Guerrero was booked after delivering a hard shoulder to FCD rookie Bruno Guarda. Once again, Rocha took the resulting free kick, from almost the same spot from which he scored but on the opposite side of the field. Rocha delivered another well-struck ball that found the head of Cooper, but his effort was right at Crayton and he made the save from close range.
For much of the first 30 minutes, play in general was choppy and inconsistent as neither side held possession for long periods. The visitors finally logged their first shot of the day in the 32nd when a ball from Luciano Emilio from just outside the FCD box went to the left of goal.
United head coach Tom Soehn was clearly not pleased with his side's performance in the opening half and in the 41st minute went to his bench. Gonzalo Martinez came on for Santino Quaranta, who was visibly less than pleased about coming out just before the break.
When Quaranta came off, Soehn made a tactical adjustment, switching to a 3-5-2. Guerrero moved into midfield and United employed a three-man backline of Devon McTavish, Gonzalo Peralta and Bryan Namoff for the balance of the match.
Right after halftime, that alteration resulted in a pair of chances for the visitors. In the 52nd, Guerrero struck a nice cross from the left flank that found Emilio at the far post, but his header sailed to the right of the FCD goal.
And in the 54th, Thabiso Khumalo received a nice cross inside the box but struck the ball too strongly and it sailed high. Then, just seconds later, Emilio dashed up the left flank and was met by FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala, who denied the chance. Emilio appeared to injure his left hamstring on the play and in the next minute was taken out in favor of Rod Dyachenko.
That set the stage for Cunningham to deliver a crushing blow to the visitors. His goal, his fifth in seven games since joining the Hoops, was set up by a spot-on delivery from Marcelo Saragosa. After losing the ball on the left flank, Saragosa won it back, quickly flashed up the flank and struck a ball in Cunningham's direction.
Cunningham, who had a step on Martinez, stuck out his right foot and got enough on it to put it past goalkeeper Louis Crayton to give his side a 2-0 edge. It was Saragosa's second assist of the season.
In the 62nd, Dyachenko had a chance to pull one back for United but Sala made a nice stop on his shot. Four minutes prior, the FCD 'keeper made another solid save on an effort by Khumalo.
FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman made a pair of changes with around 20 minutes left. In the 68th minute, he brought on Duilio Davino, who has missed the last seven games with a toe injury, for Aaron Pitchkolan. And one minute later, speedy Dominic Oduro came on for Cunningham. Both Pitchkolan and Cunningham received rousing ovations from the Hoops faithful as they left the field.
Moreno was shown the door with six minutes to play after a hard elbow on Rocha. With Rocha marking him tightly, Moreno visibly showed his frustration and delivered a punishing right elbow to his face. Referee Ricardo Salazar was right there and quickly went to his back pocket to show the MLS veteran the straight red.
Just before the final whistle, Cooper connected for his 15th goal of the year. The FCD striker dribbled into the United box, where he sidestepped United's Clyde Simms. Unchallenged, Cooper easily beat Crayton to his left. The Hoops are not 19-1-7 all-time when Cooper scores.
With the win, FC Dallas remains in fifth place in the Western Conference, but stay within three points of second-place Chivas USA. The Hoops will have a quick turnaround before hitting the field on Thursday night against San Jose. D.C. heads back home and will play host to Chivas USA next Saturday at RFK Stadium in league play, after a midweek date with Mexico's Cruz Azul in CONCACAF Champions League action.
1. Rising to the occasion: When it comes to marketing, Major League Soccer is just like any other professional sport: a big percentage of the enterprise is about the glam, wham and shazam of the big stars.
But when it comes to performance, when it comes to creating headlines in and around postseason money time, the DPs and the big earners just beneath DP status can't do it all. The teams that will rise over the last five weeks of Major League Soccer -- it wouldn't be a stretch to say these will be the most pressurized five weeks ever of regular season play, considering the number of teams contending fiercely for playoff spots -- are teams where a mid-rung player or two can find the next level.
We give you Chicago's Chris Rolfe and Wilman Conde.
The Fire's most acclaimed man, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, certainly did his part in Thursday's telling 3-1 match, one that pointed Chicago back in the right direction, while further tamping down the Los Angeles Galaxy's diminishing playoff hopes. Blanco was livelier than he's been in two months, and it showed in an enlivened Fire attack.
Brian McBride, as well-known, respected and popular as they come in U.S. soccer circles, had a relatively quiet night. And although Justin Mapp, a one-time poster boy for U.S. soccer's new generation, had his moments, he was somewhat contained as well.
Rolfe, meanwhile, following some time on the bench in Chicago's previous game, willed his team to an early 1-0 lead. He did it by scrappily refusing to quit on an early sequence, finally finding net when the Galaxy defense couldn't collectively match his spunk and persistence. Rolfe, a player on the fringes of national team consideration -- although that could be changing -- later added a second strike to punctuate a huge night at Toyota Park.
(Yes, Rolfe was also marking Eddie Lewis as the Galaxy midfielder scored his team's only goal. But let's give Lewis some credit for a highly athletic play despite Rolfe's satisfactory marking. And don't forget that Rolfe was tracking all the way back as a forward, who found himself matched with Lewis in front of his own goal.)
Speaking of huge efforts: Conde has that rare combination of skills, smarts and passion, all of which can be brewed up into quite a soccer stew. Five days earlier, as Chicago fell meekly to Dallas, Conde was perhaps the only man in a Fire kit who had acquitted himself adequately in that ugly 4-1 setback.
He was often a man among boys on Thursday, shepherding what suddenly looked once again like the league's best defense. Individually, Conde might be the best defender in the league at the moment. Similarly, it would be difficult to make the case that he and Bakary Soumare aren't the best central tandem.
Thanks in large part to Conde and Rolfe, the Fire once again had that look of a top MLS contender on Thursday.
2. A little more DP talk: As we look at the playoffs, considering above all who's in and who still wants in, one hard truth is hard to escape: once again we see that clubs do not necessarily require a designated player to turn over success in Major League Soccer.
Columbus is in the playoffs. No DP there.
Houston and New England are in great shape. DPs? Not so much.
Now look at the five teams with DPs currently attached: Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City, New York and D.C United. Some can like their playoff chances better than others, but none will book passage without sweating it a bit. (Chicago's big win Thursday can allow the Fire to breathe a bit easier, at least.)
So what's the point? That DPs can sometimes drive team performance, in addition to marketing initiatives, but they aren't the be-all, end-all. Just like horse racing, there are no sure things.
3. A little good news for RSL: Real Salt Lake's playoff chances may well come down to those two remaining home games. Problem is, the first of those two critical opportunities correspond with the club's new stadium debut in Sandy. And these midseason facility debuts aren't very helpful for the W-L mark. Dallas and Chicago managed only draws in similar circumstances, while Toronto FC fell on the day they raised the curtain at BMO.
But news from halfway around the world this week may be tilting matters back in RSL's direction for the big day in Sandy, the Oct. 9 opener of the league's seventh soccer-specific venue. That's because Venezuela has named important Red Bulls Gabe Cichero and Jorge Rojas to the roster for two World Cup qualifiers. Venezuela meets Brazil and Ecuador on Oct. 12 and Oct. 15, which would likely make the pair unavailable for the Oct. 9 MLS date.
Furthermore, there is a growing buzz that in-form striker Juan Pablo Angel could be in Colombia's plans for those same fixture dates, as a new manager tries to rebuild some burned bridges in that national team program.
If Angel goes south for the next round of qualifiers, that would be happy news, indeed, for RSL supporters. Angel has seven of New York's last 12 goals.
4. Dick's jinx?: If you've watched any soccer this year, you've probably seen the Dick's Sporting Goods commercial, where four prominent MLS players goof around with a soccer ball; boys-will-be-boys high jinks ensue. Odd thing is, misfortune has befallen three of the four. Ben Olsen, around whom the TV spot is built, has been hurt all year. Dallas' Duilio Davino has been hurt for weeks, mending more slowly than he or anyone else around Pizza Hut Park would like. Christian Gomez can't get out of the Colorado Rapids' doghouse.
Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching is the "last man standing." So, if I'm Ching, I'd be very careful getting in and out of the bathtub and such.
5. Respect is in, animosity out: Maybe you were looking for some of those rivalry-inspired U.S.A.-Mexico shenanigans to spill over into Thursday night's MLS contest at Toyota Park. Maybe you thought it would tumble out in the form of a little business-on-the-side between Landon Donovan and Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Well, you were surely disappointed.
Both have had their moments sowing and harvesting antics in the border rivalry. But they've seemingly made peace with it all. The pair spent time together a couple of months ago during the MLS All-Star break, and Donovan emerged with peaceful, easy feelings toward the Fire playmaker.
So, if you like your sports stars toting big bags full of fashioned animosity and acrimony when it comes to all rivals, you'll have to look elsewhere to find it.
Here's what Donovan told MLS Magazine for an upcoming article on Blanco:
"As a player, he's talented, he's fun to watch, he's entertaining," Donovan said. "And a lot of players are all those things, and then they're not productive. He's also productive. He gets goals, he get assists, he gets his teammates involved. From that aspect, you couldn't not want him on your team."
And about the renowned Blanco gamesmanship? Donovan seems pretty forgiving here, too.
"It's a Latin-American thing, and he's one of the masters at it," Donovan said. "It's weird because you see him off the field and he's so quiet -- a lot like Carlos Ruiz is. He's very quiet and contained. And then they get on the field and it's a whole different element, it's a whole different animal. It's just who they are, it's what they do, and it's just the way it goes."
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Through good times and bad, one thing the San Jose Earthquakes could usually count on was rock-solid defending. And when some attacking reinforcements arrived in midsummer, that defensive foundation allowed the team to embark on a nine-game unbeaten streak.
But in perhaps the biggest game of the year, San Jose's defensive steel turned into tinfoil, and visiting Real Salt Lake took full advantage, prevailing 3-2 in a match with playoff-like intensity.
"This is the worst we've played as a defensive unit all year long," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "It hurts. I think our fans were just getting excited and into this playoff chase. ... But as a unit, we let our team down. Any time you get two goals at home, you should win."
It's tempting to place much of the blame for San Jose's lackluster play on the two-week break they received when Hurricane Ike forced last weekend's match against Houston to be postponed. But RSL also came in with a well-conceived game plan that exploited the speed and power of forward Yura Movsisyan against some of the slower elements of the Quakes' backline. And no matter how many times Real sent long balls into the Armenian's path, the San Jose defense looked powerless to stop it.
"I was thinking that maybe we should have dropped off a little, and started deeper," said Cannon. "That's all they had, was the long ball over the top. But when that happened, the midfielders were so far pushed up that there was a big gap in between. I think the shape of the entire team was just off tonight."
As a result, Movsisyan tormented the Quakes for two goals either side of halftime, and he could have had a hat trick had San Jose defender Ryan Cochrane not cleared a goal-bound effort from the RSL forward off the line with just minutes remaining in the first half.
But the defeat was as much down to effort as it was tactics. Real showed no hesitation in laying in some heavy challenges and they were often first to claim loose balls, a prerequisite for earning results in the cozy confines of Buck Shaw Stadium.
"For me, it wasn't so much the physical, it was the running side of it," said manager Frank Yallop. "We weren't anticipating anything. We sort of standing, watching, and letting them play, and I think they took advantage of that."
In spite of their sub-standard play, the Quakes found themselves in a position to win the game shortly after halftime. Movsisyan had put the visitors ahead after just three minutes, but two goals from Darren Huckerby -- the second coming just two minutes into the second half -- had seemingly righted matters.
But in the 49th minute, a San Jose free kick deep in Real's half failed to clear the first man, and long ball from Kyle Beckerman sprung Movsisyan on a clear breakaway that he converted with a chip over Cannon. It was a turn of events that Huckerby chalked up to some tactical naivetŠ¹.
"We've got a free kick on the edge of their box, and we've pushed probably eight men forward," said Huckerby. "Why do we need to? We're winning the game. Keep five men back. ... All they've done is hit one long ball and they've scored. It's unacceptable."
Movsisyan's goal made it anybody's game, and RSL duly grabbed hold of it in the 59th minute thanks to a well-taken free kick from Javier Morales.
Now the Quakes must find a way to right themselves in time for next Thursday's away match at FC Dallas. In some ways, the quick turnaround is a blessing, given how eager the team will be to banish all memory of Saturday's match. But the Quakes will certainly need to address the physicality and higher intensity that late-season games can bring.
Yallop, for one, is still holding out hope.
"If we can go to [Dallas] like these guys have come to our place, get a result, then it throws it wide open again," he said.
