Versatile Noonan key to Crew success

COLUMBUS -- The insurance policy named Pat Noonan has paid off for the Columbus Crew.

When Noonan expressed interest in returning to MLS after a short and unsuccessful venture to Norway, Columbus was anxious to add his depth and versatility. A deal with New England, his previous club for five seasons, was reached and the former Indiana University standout was traded to the Crew Aug. 6.

Since his debut on Aug. 16, he helped fill the gap when right midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo was winning an Olympic silver medal for Nigeria and most recently, he replaced Guillermo Barros Schelotto when the crafty playmaking forward went to the sideline with a strained hamstring that will cause him to miss a third consecutive game Saturday when the Crew face the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.

Noonan has stepped in nicely. He scored the lone goal to rally Columbus to a 1-1 tie at Toronto on Sept. 13 and had the second assist on the Crew's final goal during 3-1 victory against New York Sept. 18 to run his point streak to three games. He also had an assist against his former club on Sept. 6 in Columbus.

Taking over the spot of a league MVP candidate in Schelotto is not easy but coach Sigi Schmid is thankful the Crew were able to obtain a talented veteran in Noonan.

"That's the reason we got Pat because we knew he play could that position. We knew he's give us depth," Schmid said. "It's exactly the reason we brought him in because he would be a very good option there, he might be the best option at that position and we're happy we did it."

The feeling is mutual. Noonan left the Revolution in January after deeming a new contract unacceptable. He landed in the Norwegian Tippeligaen with Aalesunds FK but a lack of playing time and injuries sent him to the conclusion that he was better off in MLS.

Shaking off a period of inactivity, Noonan went 58 minutes in his first Crew game then came off the bench for a total of 59 minutes in the next three matches. With Schelotto out, he started and played 78 minutes vs. Toronto and went 86 in the next match.

"I felt really good the last game against New York. It was good to get 80-some odd minutes out there. I felt good at the end, too, which was good," Noonan said. "The more you get 80-plus minutes, that's when you're game-fit and I'm getting there."

Schmid sees the improvement incrementally. "He's getting there. He'll be the first to admit to you he's probably 85-90 percent right now. It's always that last 10 percent that takes time, takes games. It's the sharpness and timing off your cuts, the timing of your passes. The more fine tuned stuff."

Noonan had to nurse a sore ankle this week but that won't prevent him from his first trip back to New England. He developed many friendships over the years while helping the Revolution to three consecutive MLS Cup Finals.

"It will be nice to catch up again. I obviously caught up with them from the first time we faced them here in Columbus," he said. "There's some old friends I'll say hello to and catch up to but for two hours you try to forget about it and try to win a game."

His first encounter produced a 4-0 Crew win and some on-field give-and-take with his former mates. He expects more of the same.

"I'm sure we'll have little conversations out there, pleasant or unpleasant. It will be forgotten about once the game is over but I'm looking forward to it,' he said.

How the fans will react is another story. Noonan made 110 starts and had 37 goals and 29 assists for the Revolution.

"I imagine there'll be some boos. That's how it always works," he said. "Hopefully, more cheers than boos."

Having spent so much time with New England leaves little doubt in Noonan's mind that Saturday's match will be physical.

"There's a lot of good players on that team. I liked to battle with (Jay) Heaps in training because we were pretty competitive. You go against Shalrie (Joseph). He likes to get in and get his hands in the mix. Those are the type of altercations you enjoy going against," he said. "They have good squad and they're talented all around. I'm sure I'll enjoy any of the battles and hopefully come away on top."

The Crew are atop the Eastern Conference by five points ahead of the Revolution and a win would go a long way toward sealing the title and the Supporters' Shield for the most points in the league. Columbus is the only team to have clinched a playoff spot, its first since 2004.

"It's an important chance to really push away with only a few games left and if we can go in and come away with three points that would be a big step for us," said Noonan. "It's going to be a big challenge for us, we know that. We've got to be ready from the opening whistle."

He and his teammates know the most recent meeting was less indicative of the Revolution than New England's 1-0 win in Columbus on My 24. The former came after a slew of league and international competitions that left the Revolution with no gas in their engine.

The real Revolution have a history of turning the play up a notch as the regular season winds down, much like the Crew are doing now on their 5-0-1 stretch.

"When you put a winning streak together and you're beating good teams home and away you get confidence and then you build on that confidence," Noonan said. "You expect to go in and win every game, which is what you need. Especially down that stretch run going into the playoffs you want to be winning games not losing games."

He noticed that the teams show some of the same traits.

"The similarities are the locker rooms. Both are great locker rooms where guys get along and enjoy playing with each other as well as the coaching staff. You've got a coaching staff that knows what they're doing," he said. "They have different approaches -- that might be one of the differences in how we prepare for games -- but they both know what they're doing. They both know how to win. It's a little more laid back here (in Columbus). Guys are very relaxed and enjoy being around the whole training atmosphere and hanging out in the locker room.

"There's plenty of similarities. That's why both teams are successful."

Davis: Evaluating the playoff race

In England, they might call this "squeaky-bum time."

Famously coined by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson himself, that's a witty way of saying that things are getting tight and tense, that nerves might be frayed and that courageous lions are likely to prevail over nervous Nellies.

Major League Soccer was once fairly forgiving where the playoffs were concerned. For a while, eight of 10 clubs made the "second season." Then it was eight of 12.

This year, the percentage of sides afforded playoff grace has shrank further, as just eight of 14 clubs advance into bonus soccer. In a league where accessing the playoffs has traditionally been seen as the absolute minimum performance standard, six clubs will share big slices of the disappointment pie.

Hence, "squeaky-bum time." So, let's take a look at where things stand.

For this week, to develop a bit of clarity in the race, let's make some assumptions: Let's go ahead and assume that New England and Houston will join Columbus in the playoffs. Only Sigi Schmid's Crew have essentially clinched, but it would take the least likely confluence of calamity too see those other two frontrunners lapped.

On the other end, well, sorry all you wonderful Toronto FC fans. Black armbands are the order of the day where your playoff hopes are concerned. It will probably take 36-38 points in the East to gain postseason grace. That means that John Carver's team, currently on 27 points with five matches remaining, needs an implausible burst of success, and probably some help, too.

Strange things do happen, of course. But for now, we'll make the assumption that 10 teams are chasing five spots. Here's a look at each of the teams that could fall either way (listed in order of current points):

Chicago (38 points): The time is "now" for Denis Hamlett's men, with four losses in their last six and leaking goals lately at an alarming rate. Los Angeles visits Toyota Park on Thursday, presenting a national TV stage on which to right the ship and spruce up those playoff ambitions. A win against Bruce Arena's team would all but mathematically secure a berth for the Fire -- assuming they can stabilize things in the back just a bit.

New York Red Bulls (35 points): Likewise, it's time for Juan Carlos Osorio's club to make a stand. Times two, in fact.

The men of the Bull simply can't win on the road; they have collected eight of a possible 39 points away from Giants Stadium this year. So home matches over the next two weekends represent the best shot at securing a spot. Colorado comes calling at Giants Stadium this week, followed by Toronto next week. Four points from the set should be considered the absolute acceptable minimum, because the schedule gets much tougher over the final three dates.

D.C. United (33 points): Tom Soehn's team has struggled since outlasting the Charleston Battery for the U.S. Open Cup crown in early September. United are winless in their last four (going into Wednesday's CONCACAF Champions League match in Honduras), including three MLS matches and a loss at home in Champions League play.

The MLS setbacks have suddenly left United's playoff chances on an uncomfortable dangle. And the RFK woes are complicated big-time by fixture congestion. Whereas most MLS clubs have five competitive matches remaining, United has 10 thanks to the Champions League calendar.

Soehn's travelers were in Los Angeles last weekend, are in Honduras on Wednesday and will be in Dallas on Sunday. That's good on the frequent flier budget, but bad for playoff aspirations.

Chivas USA (33 points): Jesse Marsch returned to the field last week, looking a little thinner but no less determined after the jaw injury that sidelined for a month. That's a great boost for Preki's determined men, who have remained relevant in the playoff chase despite the league's worst rash of injury misfortune.

The key for Chivas, currently second in the West, is in claiming six or so points off the next four contests -- two at home, two on the road. Kansas City visits The Home Depot Center this weekend, with Colorado visiting Carson three Saturdays later.

What Chivas needs is to avoid a final-day must-win scenario. Houston comes calling in the Chivas USA regular season finale, and even if Dominic Kinnear's Dynamo have a playoff place secure (and the South Texans almost certainly will), facing the reserves of the league's deepest team is no picnic.

Kansas City (32 points): Two weeks ago the Wizards were virtually written off for dead.

This week? Well, don't let anybody book up CommunityAmerica Ballpark for those few weeks in November, a.k.a. MLS playoff time.

Two consecutive wins by Curt Onalfo's team have the Wizards positioned just a single point behind D.C. United and just two points behind the Red Bulls. If the Wizards can somehow scratch up a point this weekend at Chivas USA, they'll be in a great position.

Even if the Wizards come and go in sunny SoCal without a point, things might still look promising in Wizard-land. That's because the next three matches will be in the Midwest at the patriotically named CommunityAmerica. Chicago, New England and San Jose wouldn't be anyone's first choice of visitors for three at home. But, heck, for a team written off for dead heading into September, Onalfo's men surely appreciate the opportunity afforded by all that home cooking.

Colorado (31 points): Here's yet another club that stubbornly clawed its way back into the race. The Rapids have collected seven of a possible nine points in their last three under interim manager Gary Smith, whose heavy English accent has apparently resonated inside the Dick's Sporting Goods Park changing room.

There are, however, still miles to go before they can dream of playoff plums; the schedule ahead is probably the toughest among all postseason pursuers. If the Rapids can somehow hang in there, things will set up nicely for a smash-bang closer Oct. 25, as Colorado finishes against bitter rival Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake (31 points): Dropping those points at home last week in a stinging loss to Chivas USA could wind up being calamitous for Jason Kreis' club. The men from Utah have been around since 2005, but have yet to feast on the playoff beast.

Now RSL plays three of its final five on the road, where the men from Utah have managed just one win all year. They have two home matches, including the highly anticipated Oct. 9 debut of the club's beautiful new home in Sandy. While new stadiums do amazing things for clubs in the long run, they don't tend to help the win-loss mark in the short term.

None of the last three teams that opened a stadium in midseason recently -- presumably distracted by all the attached hullabaloo -- could manage a win in the debut contest. That's a fact that can't make the good Utah soccer supporters fell all warm and fuzzy.

FC Dallas (30 points): Oddly enough, the best success so far for manager Schellas Hyndman has come on the road. It is last week's 4-1 confidence-boosting win at Chicago and a previous win in Toronto, not anything that's happened at Pizza Hut Park, which has FC Dallas still thinking "postseason."

But whatever has kept FC Dallas from scooping up more points at home under Hyndman (they have just five of a possible 15 points at Pizza Hut Park under the league's newest full-time boss), they'll have to identify and fix it fast. The North Texans play their next three in Frisco, starting with Sunday's afternoon contest against travel-weary D.C. United.

Los Angeles (29 points): A team that didn't record a victory over 12 matches (until snapping the winless streak Saturday) is suddenly just two points shy of third place in the West. That's a testament to a conference that, excepting Houston, hasn't had a bully to boldly push pass the mediocrity. That has kept Landon Donovan, David Beckham, et al, in the thick of things despite a summer of discontent.

If Bruce Arena can get this side into the postseason, the Galaxy certainly would have earned it. Matches loom at Chicago, Columbus and Houston. With a 2-6-4 road record and a minus-9 goal difference away from home, they'll need something extraordinary to make their first playoff appearance since 2006.

San Jose (29 points): The Earthquakes' ace in the hole is a game in hand. Houston has the same thing, but the Dynamo probably won't need the extra chance to gather up points. (Both teams have played one fewer due to last week's Hurricane Ike-related postponement.)

Frank Yallop's side also has the most favorable schedule ahead of all 10 teams still scrapping for their playoff lives, with matches at Buck Shaw against Real Salt Lake (this weekend), Chivas USA and Toronto FC. If the Earthquakes can keep any semblance of the current form, they should be OK in this thing. That's quite an achievement considering that the Bay Area bunch sat at the bottom of the entire league table two months ago.

Cunningham, Hoops shock Chicago

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Led by a pair of goals from Jeff Cunningham, FC Dallas scored three first-half goals against the stingiest defense in the league on the way to a convincing 4-1 road win against the Chicago Fire Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park.

FC Dallas became the first team to score three goals against the Fire this season. The Fire had given up just 20 goals in their first 24 games.

The victory ended a five-game winless streak for FC Dallas, which jumped out of the cellar in the Western Conference into fifth place with 30 points. The Fire remain in third place in the Eastern Conference with 38 points, nine points behind the New England Revolution.

Each of the Hoops' first three goals was significant beyond adding to the total on the scoreboard.

Cunningham scored in the game's second minute when a free kick by Andre Rocha squirted through a crowd in the box and Cunningham poked it past diving Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch. Cunningham celebrated the goal by miming rocking a baby in his arms, to signify the birth of his first child last week.

The goal was Cunningham's 17th against the Fire in his long MLS career. It was the sixth of the season overall for Cunningham, obtained a few weeks from Toronto FC.

Another free kick by Rocha led to the second goal, when his kick from 25 yards out far right lofted over the crowd in the box and landed at the right foot of Aaron Pitchkolan, who one-timed the ball to the far right corner while Busch was heading to his right toward Pitchkolan. It was Pitchkolan's first goal of the season.

The third goal was the real shocker, as Cunningham dribbled the ball off a FC Dallas counterattack down the left side, then sent it from 25 yards out to the far right side, where midfielder Bruno Guarda one-timed it out of the air to the upper right side of the goal for a 3-0 Hoops lead.

The victory was the third in the last 12 games for Dallas under coach Schellas Hyndman, who took over in June for fired coach Steve Morrow. Earlier this week, FCD general manager Michael Hitchcock reiterated his intention to retain Hyndman for next season.

The game had some decidedly chippy moments. In the first half, Guarda and Fire defender Gonzalo Segares mixed it up, with Segares putting Guarda down with a retaliatory shove. In the 55th minute, Marcelo Saragosa of FC Dallas received a yellow card for a tackle from behind on Fire second-half substitute Justin Mapp.

In the 53rd minute, FC Dallas came close to going ahead 4-0 when forward Kenny Cooper blasted a shot from 25 yards out that went over Busch's head and hit the upper right corner of the post and bounced away.

In the 61st minute, Cunningham got his second goal of the game, and his second chance to celebrate the birth of his child. Rocha sent a long clearance forward putting Cunningham in a foot race with Fire defender Lider Marmol to the ball. Cunningham had a step on Marmol, who shouted at Busch to come out. But Cunningham got to the ball first and had an easy shot past Busch for his seventh goal of the season.

In the 70th minute, Cooper missed a shot at a wide-open net. A goal kick by Dallas keeper Dario Sala was headed downfield by defender Adrian Serioux past the Fire defense to Cooper on the right side. Busch came out to cut off Cooper's shot, but the veteran Dallas forward dribbled past Busch. But his right-footed shot went wide right.

Seconds away from a shutout, the Fire finally got on the scorebaoard in stoppage time on a goal by Brian McBride, who headed home a cross from Justin Mapp.

The Fire remain home for an MLS Primetime Thursday match against the Los Angeles Galaxy, while FC Dallas also heads home for a match next Sunday against D.C. United.

Rapids lament lost points in draw

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- The Colorado Rapids' strong showing against defending Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution Saturday night kept the Rapids in the thick of the playoff hunt, maintaining a tie for third place in the tight Western Conference race.

The Rapids, however, can't be faulted for leaving the match with a bad aftertaste.

For the third game in a row, Colorado boasted a near bulletproof backline, following up their back-to-back shutouts of Chicago and Dallas by holding the Revolution to five shots and one goal, a chip over the head of goalkeeper Preston Burpo following a deflected header from center fullback Cory Gibbs.

"He got a good bounce," Burpo said of the equalizer from halftime substitute Kenny Mansally in the 50th minute. "It was deflected off Cory towards the back. My initial move was to go forward, but the way the ball popped up, I was in trouble at that point, and I decided to sit and hope he was just going to shoot it. But he decided to chip it. I was in trouble, and he did well with it."

The goal slammed the breaks on the momentum Colorado had built with a late goal in the waning moments of the first half, putting a new slant on a second half the Rapids had hoped to dictate with a hard-won lead.

"That was a bit of a kick in the teeth for us five minutes into the second half," said interim coach Gary Smith of New England's comeback goal. "But you see the way the team responded from that point. I couldn't give anything but praise for the players. We created a number of opportunities, and I thought their goalkeeper made some really good saves. I thought there were some terrific passages of play that found us in good areas. Some great delivery from both sides. Terry [Cooke] and Colin [Clark] were instrumental in a lot of things we created."

Cooke and Clark had proven a formidable pair of wingers for Colorado, combining for seven shots between them and teaming up for a first-half goal on an attack that began with Pablo Mastroeni and Tom McManus possessing the ball at midfield before finding Cooke on the wing.

"Tom drifted deep in the midfield, got turned and played the ball wide to Cookie," Clark said. "I was more central than I usually am and drifted into the box. With Cookie, he'll put a ball in there and you don't have to do much with it. You pretty much just have to let it hit your head and it'll go in with him serving the ball. I was fortunate to be right there, and there it was. There it goes in the goal."

Colorado maintained pressure throughout the second half, fending off New England as the visiting side was rejuvenated by leveling the score. The Rapids pressed their attack, adding fresh legs with Conor Casey and Mehdi Ballouchy in the 62nd and 71st minutes, respectively, and threatening Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis up until the final seconds, when referee Michael Kennedy whistled the end of the game just as Casey launched a long cross to a wide-open Clark on the left wing.

The unusual end to the game as an attack was developing induced an immediate melee at midfield as the Rapids argued their case to Kennedy, but the referee held his ground and the game ended in deadlock.

"The referee said that he played five minutes on his watch," Smith said about the intrusive whistle, coming after an announced stoppage time of at least four minutes. "I think we all know that to play that out would have taken another three seconds, maximum. Because you're getting the defender completely stranded, [Clark] has one touch, and he has to finish. So we're talking about three seconds. It's very disappointing.

"All I said was if you felt that time was over, why stop it at that point? Why not stop it down in the channel when Conor secures the ball? Once he gets to that point, you've got to play it out, surely. But there we have it."

The final whistle stood, and the two teams satisfied themselves with each taking a well-earned point out of the match, but Colorado -- with its sites firmly set on moving up in the Western Conference standings -- couldn't find cause to celebrate.

"It feels like a defeat in many ways," Smith said. "I thought the team conducted themselves in an extremely professional manner. The game was tight for a good period in the first half, and the one goal that separated it I felt was a very decent goal."

With Los Angeles defeating D.C. later Saturday night, the Rapids were left in a tie for third place with 31 points, squarely in the middle of a pack of five teams trailing conference leader Houston, each within four points of each other.

"On another day, we win the game I think," Smith said. "We have enough chances to win the game. Sadly today we come away with a point against a rejuvenated New England team who we all know have tremendous quality, and I think we've restricted them to few opportunities and scraps, to be honest."

Letting a solid New England side scrape together a tie on Colorado's home field would have to be enough for the Rapids this week. The team continues to click when it matters most, and with their season on the line, the Rapids are giving nothing away.

RSL, Morales agree to extension

SALT LAKE CITY -- In many ways, Javier Morales has developed into a key ingredient in the formula for success Real Salt Lake have worked hard to create this season. So it comes as no surprise that RSL has done everything it can to assure that Morales will remain in Utah for next several years.

RSL officials announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had come to terms with Morales on a contract extension that will keep him with the club through the end of the 2012 MLS season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by RSL.

Since joining Real in 2007, the 28-year-old Argentinean midfielder has scored five goals and handed out 12 assists in 31 games.

"It's definitely a good sign when the staff signs on a good player like that," fellow midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "We can really believe we're building something here."

In 2008, Morales has enjoyed perhaps the best season of any midfielder to don an RSL uniform.

He has racked up 10 assists so far, tying him for the second place among MLS assist leaders. His ability to score has shown through at times as well, with Morales tallying four goals -- putting him only one behind team leaders Robbie Findley and Fabian Espindola.

Morales' assist tally this season also puts him within one of tying Jeff Cunningham's single-season club record of 11, set in 2006. With 12 career assists for Salt Lake, he is also threatening the career club mark of 14 assists held by current teammate Andy Williams.

Locking up Morales for the immediate future became a front office priority after seeing his emergence in the midfield this season. Morales has been vital to the club's success thus far and Real were determined to include him in their future plans.

"It was a concerning factor for us going into next year that we could possibly lose him," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "To have that deal all signed, sealed and delivered is a very good thing for Real Salt Lake."

As part of the new deal with Morales, team officials announced they have purchased his contract rights from UD Vesindario, a team in the Spanish second division. Morales originally joined RSL on loan from Vesindario last summer.

Teammates and coaches hailed the news at Tuesday's practice in the new RSL stadium as a great development for the fans and for the club itself. Morales, they believe will become even more effective now that he is in a RSL uniform for more than a short-term basis.

"We're very happy with Javier," Kreis said. "We're happy with the work he put in (over) the offseason. We're happy with how dedicated he's shown himself to be to our club."

With a key contract situation out of the way, Morales can pour his focus into the remainder of this season. He and his teammates want to make sure this is the year they finally end the rebuilding cycle for RSL.

"Javier would say it himself: he's focused on this year and the next couple of games coming up," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "If we don't make the playoffs this year, it's just another year that went down the tubes."

Rolfe, Fire break out, stall Galaxy

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- After last Sunday's 4-1 loss to FC Dallas, the Chicago Fire came out with a gameplan Thursday night against the Los Angeles Galaxy. They looked to score early and defend, defend, defend. The plan worked to their advantage as the Fire topped the Galaxy 3-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Toyota Park.

Chris Rolfe scored a pair of goals, one in each half, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco added a third as the Fire snapped a quick two-game losing streak. Eddie Lewis scored the Galaxy's lone goal to send the teams into the locker room tied at 1-1.

The Fire nearly broke through after just 10 minutes, but Ante Jazic was perfectly placed at the right-hand post to head Bakary Soumare's header from Justin Mapp corner kick off the line.

But it didn't take long for the home side to gain the advantage.In the 13th minute, Rolfe intercepted the ball at midfield and knocked it forward. John Thorrington held it up for Rolfe to regain possession, and ran upfield. Rolfe broke through defenders, bounced off one and almost fell to the ground, then spun around and blasted the ball into the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 Fire lead.

The Galaxy's Ante Jazic sent a long shot toward goal in the 26th minute for the first Los Angeles shot of the match. On its way toward goal, it took a deflection off defender Wilman Conde, but Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch managed to tip it over to keep his net clean. David Beckham took resulting corner kick, which Conde again cleared to keep the lead at 1-0.

But the Galaxy were gradually coming back into the game, and tied the score in the 35th minute. Greg Vanney laid the ball off to Landon Donovan, who looped a pass to Chris Klein on the right side of the field. Klein crossed it into the box where Eddie Lewis got in front of his defender and flicked it inside the far post with his left boot, tying the game at 1-1.

LA almost jumped ahead in the 40th minute on a counterattack. At a full run, David Beckham passed a short ball to Edson Buddle on the right side of the field. Buddle ran a few steps and sent a long angled shot toward the far post, but it rolled just outside the goal.

Blanco went down in the 45th minute after colliding with LA goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Blanco lay motionless for a couple of minutes, before being attended to and walking off the field with assistance. Blanco then re-entered the game for the remaining two minutes of stoppage time.

The Fire put the game away with two goals in three minutes early in the second half. Chasing a 50-50 through ball outside the box in the 57th minute, Blanco collided with defender Troy Roberts while goalkeeper Wicks ran up to make a play at the same time. Blanco managed to touch the ball past the two Galaxy players, hopped over Roberts and had an easy shot into an empty goal.

Two minutes later, another long through ball from midfield, this from Gonzalo Segares, sent Rolfe racing in alone on goal. Rolfe fired a long shot from just outside the area. Wicks got a hand on it, then turned and watched as the ball bounced into the back of the net for a 3-1 Chicago lead.

The Galaxy had a couple of late chances to pull a goal back. Donovan sent a volley, on a cross from the left, over the net in the 71st minute. Then in the 86th minute, defender Sean Franklin had a clear header off a corner kick, but sent the ball wide left.

The Fire held out the rest of the way and now have 41 points, remaining in third place in the East, now six points ahead of the New York Red Bulls. The Galaxy are still tied for sixth place in the Western Conference with San Jose, both teams with 29 points (though the Earthquakes have two games in hand).

J.League delegation visits MLS clubs

NEW YORK -- Major League Soccer and its Japanese counterpart, the J.League, continued to develop their relationship this month, as a J.League delegation toured several MLS markets during the month of September. The 33-person delegation included representatives from 28 of the J.League's 33 teams, as well as documentary film staff.

The tour, which explored the operations of the Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Chivas USA, and the Los Angeles Galaxy, was launched as part of the J.League's 11 Million Project, an initiative that aims to increase aggregate annual attendance at official matches to 11 million spectators by 2010 (and the intermediate goal of 9.5 million for 2008). The goal of the visit was to support the 11 Million Project by learning about MLS's best practices in ticket sales, community relations, and database marketing.

Researching MLS was a component of the J.League's broader look at the industry, which consisted of similar visits to clubs Arsenal (England), Villareal and Osasuna (Spain), Ajax (Netherlands), and the U.S. leagues MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL. At the tour's conclusion, many of the J.League's delegates said they were impressed by the hospitable disposition of MLS personnel and were eager to adapt their customer-friendly practices to Japanese culture so that something similar could be implemented in the J.League. Many of the J.League representatives also noted the rapid growth and increasing relevance of soccer in the United States.

The J.League's analysis of MLS practices was informed by stadium tours and presentations followed by question-and-answer sessions with team general managers and executives in each market. The J. League delegation attended two MLS regular season games. In their final analysis, Shoji Fujimura and Hitoshi Sato, who have been charged with heading up the J.League's new ticket sales initiative, identified the need for teams to have stadium ownership as the most important discovery of their recent MLS tour, especially because most teams in the J.League do not own the stadiums where they play.

The participating MLS teams have opened the door for future collaborations and are considering the feasibility of conducting a similar information-gathering visits to Japan.