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MLS Weekly Newsletter

Published on May 4, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Jaime Moreno Wins MLS Player of the Week for Week 7

D.C. United forward Jaime Moreno was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 7 of the 2009 season. The League's all-time leading scorer (124 goals) added to his legacy, scoring two second half goals as D.C. United rallied to beat FC Dallas 2-1 on Saturday night.

Moreno, 35, hails from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia and is one of four remaining MLS Originals, having played at least one minute in every season in League history. Moreno is the only player in MLS history with 100 goals and 100 assists. He has appeared in 299 league matches and is a four-time MLS Cup Champion. Moreno also has 74 career appearances for the Bolivian national team. To read more about Jaime Moreno's Player of the Week award click here.

The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.

Houston Dynamo's Brian Ching to Chat live with fans Tuesday on ESPN Soccernet

Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching will chat live with fans via ESPN Soccernet at Tuesday, May 5 at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can submit questions and follow along with the chat by clicking here. Houston hosts intrastate rival FC Dallas on Saturday, May 9 at 9 p.m. ET in a televised match on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Ching leads the Dynamo in scoring with three goals this season including one on Sunday in a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution on the road.

MLS Clubs Honor Mom on Mother's Day

As a way of honoring all the hard work and commitment of soccer Moms everywhere Chivas USA is letting all Moms in free to their May 9 match against Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center. Eleven lucky Moms will receive a game-worn jersey at the end of the game.

Prior to the Seattle Sounders FC matchup against the LA Galaxy on Mother's Day - May 10 - the Sounders FC will host a Mother's Day Brunch at the Qwest Field Event Center. The brunch welcomes fans to eat up with their Moms before watching the Sounders FC in front of a sold out crowd at Qwest Field.

Chivas USA Win Their Sixth; Eastern Conference race heats up

Zach Thornton earned his League-leading fifth shutout of the season and Justin Braun scored his first goal of the season in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. The victory solidifies Chivas USA's spot atop the League with a 6-1-1 record and 19 points, six points more than Seattle Sounders FC. Sounders FC remain in second place in the Western Conference following a 1-1 tie with the Chicago Fire. Kasey Keller's all-time shutout streak to start a season came to an end at 457 minutes; it's the fourth longest shutout streak for a goalkeeper all-time.

D.C. United's 2-1 victory over FC Dallas places them tied with Toronto FC for first place in the Eastern Conference but ahead in the standings with a plus two goal differential. The Chicago Fire remain the lone unbeaten team (2-0-5) having tied their last four consecutive matches including back-to-back home ties in which they have given up second half leads in the final 20 minutes. The Fire only allowed one shot on goal, the equalizer, in their 1-1 draw with Seattle.

Rookie Spotlight: Sam Cronin Toronto FC Midfielder

Sam Cronin played a beautiful cross onto the head of a charging Chad Barrett in the 64th minute to give Toronto FC a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew in the second leg of the Trillion Cup. Plays like this one have solidified Cronin presence in the starting lineup for Toronto FC. He's building a reputation as a player who can fit in where needed, whether it is attacking the goal, holding in the midfield, or filling in on defense. The number two overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft has pitched in with two assists and helped Toronto FC to a 3-2-3 record. The 22-year-old Winston-Salem, N.C., product arrived in Toronto with a positive attitude and his hard work has paid off, starting seven games and playing 675 minutes in his young rookie season.

This Week's MLS Games: May 6-10, 2009

Wednesday, May 6

D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards, 8:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- D.C. United moved into first place in the Eastern Conference over the weekend, with Jaime Moreno leading the way as he has done so often in his career. Moreno scored two goals, Nos. 123 and 124 (to go with 100 assists) to give United their second consecutive victory. The Kansas City Wizards come into the game off a bye week; in their last match, they saw a four-game undefeated streak come to an end in a 1-0 loss at Toronto FC.

Los Angeles Galaxy at Real Salt Lake, 9:00 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- After falling 2-0 to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday -- their third 2-0 loss in three League road games this season -- Real Salt Lake return home to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy. At Rio Tinto Stadium it's been a different story for RSL: three wins in three games and 12 goals scored. The Galaxy won for the first time in 2009 last weekend, a 1-0 win against New York on a Landon Donovan penalty kick. Donovan has been involved in every one of LA's seven goals this season (four goals, three assists).

Friday, May 8

San Jose Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- A pair of teams in need of a morale-boosting victory meet Friday when the New York Red Bulls entertain the San Jose Earthquakes. The Red Bulls have lost three games in a row and have scored just five goals in eight matches this season, tied for the fewest in MLS. The Earthquakes are in the throes of a five-game winless run of their own and have now gone 265 minutes without finding the back of the net after their 1-0 loss to Chivas USA on Saturday.

Saturday, May 9

Kansas City Wizards at Columbus Crew, 7:00 p.m. (FSC, FSE )

- Expect offense: The past six encounters between these teams have averaged 3.33 goals per game. Their most recent meeting was a 3-3 thriller on July 17, 2008 at Crew Stadium. The Crew are hungry for a win - when this game kicks off, 167 days will have passed since they captured MLS Cup. On the way to that title, Columbus eliminated Kansas City, 3-1 on aggregate, so the Wizards have motivation, too. And the all-time regular season series is tied at 16-16-5.

Toronto FC at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- Tied for the Eastern Conference lead entering the week, these teams meet for the first time this season. United plays in the mid-week, so their depth will be tested, but they've defeated TFC in five out of six contests, and the only loss came at BMO Field. Several Rookie of the Year candidates will be on display in this game with Toronto FC boasting two stellar rookies in midfielder Sam Cronin and goalkeeper Stefan Frei. United midfielders Rodney Wallace and Chris Pontius are performing well beyond their years for D.C. and will be in the running for the Rookie of the Year nod at the end of the season.

New England Revolution at Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- Chicago, the only unbeaten team in MLS, welcomes its nearly-perennial playoff rival. The Fire ousted the Revs from the MLS Cup Playoffs last November with a 3-0 blanking at Toyota Park after a scoreless first leg. Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco had one of his best performances of the early season in last week's 1-1 draw with Seattle while the Revolution's injury woes led to captain Shalrie Joseph playing some forward in a 2-0 loss to Houston.

FC Dallas at Houston Dynamo, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes)

- Houston has dominated the series with their intrastate foes. The Dynamo are 5-1-5 all-time versus FC Dallas, with the only loss coming in 2006. All three games in 2008 ended in a draw. The Dynamo are trying to climb up the Western Conference. They notched a big road victory over New England last weekend and are 2-2-2 with 8 points, while FC Dallas has won only one game (1-5-1, 4 points) and sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- Even with a plethora of injuries to some of its marquee players, Chivas USA have sprinted out to a decisive lead in the Western Conference behind the stellar play of their defensive unit. They have the League's best record at 6-1-1 with 19 points. Veteran goalkeeper Zach Thornton has posted five shutouts in eight games played and has a miniscule 0.38 goals-against average. As for Real Salt Lake, on the road is where their woes occur. The club sits in the middle of the Western Conference pack with a record of 3-3-0 and 9 points. All three of their losses have come on the road this season. Chivas USA holds an 8-3-3 all-time record over Real Salt Lake, with two wins in their last three meetings.

Sunday, May 10

Los Angeles Galaxy at Seattle Sounders FC, 3:00 p.m. (TeleFutura)

- After a midweek clash on the road in Salt Lake, the Galaxy travel to their first encounter with Seattle Sounders FC. Led by Kasey Keller in goal, Sounders FC will attempt to shut down one of the League's most explosive players in Landon Donovan. The Galaxy will need to remain composed in front of the raucous Qwest Field crowd, and they will need to bury their chances if they want to earn points from an opponent with the second-lowest goals-allowed total (4) in MLS.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 4, 2009


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