Week in Review: Chivas keep rolling
Red-and-White pad West points lead; United pull even with TFC for East lead
Chivas USA lengthened their lead atop the Western Conference and MLS overall table, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on Saturday night. Meanwhile, D.C. United moved into a tie atop the Eastern Conference as Jaime Moreno, the league's all-time goalscoring leader, scored twice in the second half to carry them to a 2-1 victory against FC Dallas.
There was a first victory of the campaign for the Los Angeles Galaxy, who defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0, but not for the defending MLS champion Columbus Crew, who traded second-half goals for a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC.
Seattle Sounders FC went a man down and a goal down yet still came back for a 1-1 draw at the Chicago Fire, while the Houston Dynamo continued the New England Revolution's misery, winning for the first time ever in Foxborough in a 2-0 victory. The Colorado Rapids took the first installment of the Rocky Mountain Cup with a 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake.
At Buck Shaw Stadium, Chivas USA had rebounded from their first loss of the season with a win against FC Dallas the weekend before, while the Earthquakes were riding a four-game winless streak.
The game's lone goal came in the 53rd minute. Jonathan Bornstein floated a harmless cross from the left flank, and as it dropped in between goalkeeper Joe Cannon and defender Nick Garcia, they hesitated, and Justin Braun was able to slip in and poke the ball home for his first goal of the season.
At RFK Stadium, D.C. United were coming off their second win of the season, a dramatic last-minute win against New York, while FC Dallas weren't able to build on their first victory of the season the weekend previous at Chivas USA.
The teams were meeting for the second time in 10 days, after United had defeated FCD 2-0 in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match. This time it was Andre Rocha who put FCD into the lead in the 28th minute, stooping to send home a glancing header at the near post from a corner kick.
But after the break, Moreno once again brought United to victory. After becoming the first-ever MLS player to hit triple digits in both goals and assists, he added to his all-time goals lead with strikes 11 minutes apart. First, in the 56th minute, the Bolivian was sent in alone by a long ball from Bryan Namoff over the FCD backline, and he sent a low shot home past goalkeeper Ray Burse.
Then in the 66th minute, a sublime through ball was filtered through the Dallas defense from Christian Gomez, and Moreno was again in alone, this time lofting a lovely chip over Burse for the 124th goal of his MLS career.
At The Home Depot Center, the Galaxy had played to draws in three consecutive games but were still looking for a first win on the campaign. The Red Bulls had suffered back-to-back defeats following their only league win of 2009.
Landon Donovan had been a part of each one of the Galaxy's six goals on the season, and he was again. In the 39th minute, he tried to quickly turn and fire goalward from inside the area. The ball bounced up and hit Red Bulls midfielder Seth Stammler in the arm, and after consultation with the linesman, referee Abbey Okulaja pointed to the spot.
Donovan slipped the penalty under the dive of Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway for his fourth goal on the season.
At BMO Field, Toronto FC came into the game as the Eastern Conference leaders, following a pair of wins on home turf the weekend before, while the Crew entered at the foot of the division, still winless and off to the worst start for a defending champion.
The Crew finally broke through nine minutes into the second half. Emmanuel Ekpo picked off a bouncing ball in midfield and raced goalward, splitting a pair of defenders on his way into the penalty area. There he rounded TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei and rolled the ball into the empty net, the first goal allowed by Toronto in 240 minutes.
But Toronto FC pulled even in the 64th minute. Sent down the left flank, Sam Cronin flighted in a cross that dropped perfectly between defenders and Chad Barrett stole in to snap a header past Andy Gruenebaum for his second goal on the season.
At Toyota Park, the Fire were still undefeated on the season yet had played to draws in three consecutive games. Sounders FC returned to their winning ways against San Jose at home the weekend before, following two losses in succession.
The game burst into life after the break. Sounders FC striker Fredy Montero was sent off in the 48th minute after striking Fire defender Gonzalo Segares with an elbow.
The home side then took the lead six minutes later. Cuauhtemoc Blanco tracked down a loose ball to the right of the area, and after a spin move inside the box, laid the ball back to Marco Pappa. The Guatemalan lashed home a low drive from just outside the box inside the near post for his third goal on the season.
But Sounders FC hit back for the leveler just six minutes later. A corner kick was swung in from the right and fell right in the heart of the six-yard box where Tyrone Marshall side-footed it home for his first goal with the expansion club.
At Gillette Stadium, the Dynamo had never won in six previous league visits to Foxborough, and were coming off a bye week and their lone victory on the campaign. The Revolution were coming off the worst defeat in club history, a 6-0 loss at Real Salt Lake.
The Dynamo opened the lead after 22 minutes. Stuart Holden stepped forward in the midfield and let fly with a speculative shot from all of 30 yards. The ball skimmed along the ground and through the legs of New England goalkeeper Matt Reis, making his first appearance in five matches after returning from a knee injury.
The visitors finished off the match just before the hour. Brad Davis put in a corner from the right and Brian Ching rose up to power home a snap header from the top of the six, his second goal in as many games and third on the season.
At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids were carrying a three-game winless streak while RSL were coming off the club-record 6-0 win against New England at home but had yet to win -- or score -- on the road.
The Rapids continued that theme with the 11th-minute opener. Colin Clark took off down the left flank and swung in a cross to the heart of the box where Nick LaBrocca raced in unmolested to nod home his first goal on the season.
In the 35th minute, RSL reserve goalkeeper Kyle Reynish was called upon to make his MLS debut when Nick Rimando suffered a cut hand that forced him from the contest. RSL was dealt a further blow four minutes from halftime when defender Jamison Olave was sent off with a straight red card after a tackle on Conor Casey.
The Rapids finally took advantage at the hour mark. Jordan Harvey's long cross from the left found Terry Cooke on the opposite side of goal. He laid the ball back for Kosuke Kimura just outside the edge of the area, and the Rapids fullback lashed home a low angled shot for his first professional goal.
