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Published on September 2, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


MLS Cup Playoff Race at a Glance

With Week 23 of the regular season completed, there were two significant changes in the in the playoff race and one game that left two teams fighting to hold on to the two wild card spots. With a 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in Week 23, coupled with a 2-2 tie between New England and the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Columbus Crew (12-6-4, 40 points) jumped into first place in the Eastern Conference. New England (11-6-5, 38 points) is now in second, while Chicago (10-7-5, 35 points) remains in third place after a 2-1 defeat to the Houston Dynamo.

In the Western Conference, Chivas USA overtook FC Dallas for the third and currently final playoff spot. A late goal by Atiba Harris gave Chivas USA (7-9-6, 27 points), a 2-1 win versus Toronto FC, while the loss to Columbus left FC Dallas in fourth place at 6-8-8 and 26 points.

D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls played to a 0-0 tie at RFK Stadium, leaving the regular season series deadlocked at 1-1-1. The teams are even with 32 points, but United holds the second tiebreaker after head-to-head, which is goal differential. If the season ended today, United would secure the first wild card and stay in the Eastern Conference, while New York would earn the other wild card and join the Western Conference playoffs.

San Jose (6-9-7, 25 points) is making a playoff push, as the Earthquakes are undefeated in their last seven games, including wins in three of their last four contests. Real Salt Lake look to gain ground on the Houston Dynamo and solidify their spot in the Western Conference playoff race in Los Angeles versus the Galaxy. RSL have yet to win consecutive games this season.

If the playoffs started today, the Galaxy (6-9-7, 25 points) would miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and two playoff teams from 2007 would be out - FC Dallas (6-8-8, 26 points) and the Kansas City Wizards (6-8-8, 26 points).

But the season does not end today.

Each team has eight games left to secure one of eight spots before the MLS Cup Playoffs begin Oct. 30.

2008 MLS STANDINGS

INCLUDES GAMES OF SUNDAY, August 31, 2008

---------- OVERALL ----------- ---- HOME ---- ---- ROAD ----

Eastern GP W L T PTS GF GA GD W L T GF GA W L T GF GA

Columbus (1) 22 12 6 4 40 36 29 7 7 2 2 21 14 5 4 2 15 15

New England (2) 22 11 6 5 38 31 29 2 5 3 3 17 14 6 3 2 14 15

Chicago (3) 22 10 7 5 35 29 18 11 4 4 2 11 8 6 3 3 18 10

D.C. United (x) 22 10 10 2 32 36 34 2 8 3 1 28 13 2 7 1 8 21

New York (y) 22 8 6 8 32 28 28 0 7 1 3 20 10 1 5 5 8 18

Toronto FC 22 7 10 5 26 23 29 -6 5 1 5 11 5 2 9 0 12 24

Kansas City 22 6 8 8 26 23 30 -7 5 2 3 13 12 1 6 5 10 18

---------- OVERALL ----------- ---- HOME ---- ---- ROAD ----

Western GP W L T PTS GF GA GD W L T GF GA W L T GF GA

Houston (1) 22 9 5 8 35 31 26 5 7 1 3 22 12 2 4 5 9 14

Real Salt Lake (2) 22 8 8 6 30 27 27 0 7 0 5 20 7 1 8 1 7 20

Chivas USA (3) 22 7 9 6 27 28 32 -4 6 3 3 17 11 1 6 3 11 21

FC Dallas 22 6 8 8 26 30 29 1 4 3 4 17 15 2 5 4 13 14

Los Angeles 22 6 9 7 25 42 45 -3 4 4 3 23 19 2 5 4 19 26

San Jose 22 6 9 7 25 21 26 -5 4 3 3 15 13 2 6 4 6 13

Colorado 22 7 12 3 24 29 32 -3 6 4 1 17 9 1 8 2 12 23

X - D.C. United currently hold first wildcard and remains in Eastern Conference

Y - New York Red Bulls currently hold second wildcard and switch to Western Conference

Highlighted teams currently out of the playoffs

MLS Week 24: Sept. 4-7, 2008

(All times Eastern)

Thursday, September 4

Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes)

Two clubs trying to claw back into the playoff picture need a win this Thursday night, as each team comes into the game off a loss and each would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. FC Dallas is only one point removed from playoff contention as an automatic qualifier in the Western Conference. With a win, Colorado would leapfrog FC Dallas into a tie for third place in the Western Conference. FC Dallas holds the lead in the all-time series at 23-15-7, but they are 0-1-1 against the Rapids this season.

Saturday, September 6

Chivas USA at Toronto FC 4:00 p.m. (TeleFutura, DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

Just a week after Chivas USA nabbed a victory on Atiba Harris' last-minute tally, the teams square off again at BMO Field. Absences due to national team duty affect both teams, but more so Toronto, whose roster depth will be put to a severe test. Chivas USA has won all three contests against Toronto FC the past two seasons, scoring three of their six goals after the 75th minute of those games.

New England Revolution at Columbus Crew 7:30 p.m. (HDNet)

This top-of-the-table clash will impact the race to the Supporters' Shield for best regular season record in MLS. Two players often mentioned as MLS MVP candidates - Shalrie Joseph of the Revolution and Guillermo Barros Schelotto of Columbus - go head-to-head. New England is struggling with injuries to multiple forwards and comes off a home match against Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. In their first meeting on May 24, New England's Kheli Dube converted the rebound of Shalrie Joseph's penalty kick in the 89th minute and the Revolution emerged 1-0 victors.

New York Red Bulls at Chicago Fire 8:30 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

- Red Bulls Coach Juan Carlos Osorio returns to Chicago for the first time since leaving the Fire for New York last December.

- Chicago dismantled New York, 5-1 at Giants Stadium on May 25.

- New York is undefeated in its past six games.

- If the Red Bulls can hold Chicago scoreless for the first 12 minutes of this contest, they will set the season high in MLS for longest shutout streak. New York has not allowed a goal in 344 minutes.

D.C. United at San Jose Earthquakes 10:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

- Including the inaugural MLS match, United has struggled in San Jose, going 2-5-4 at Spartan Stadium from 1996 to 2005. United's most recent victory in San Jose was June 3, 1998.

- Englishman Darren Huckerby has been a revelation for the Quakes. He has three goals and three assists in six games.

- San Jose has a chance to extend its unbeaten streak to eight games, which would be the longest in MLS this season.

- Argentine playmaker Marcelo Gallardo returned to action for D.C. on Saturday after missing two months due to hernia surgery.

Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles Galaxy 10:30 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

- The Galaxy hopes to break out of a 10-game winless streak and earn Bruce Arena his first victory as coach.

- Real Salt Lake seeks to improve upon its woeful road record 1-8-1.

- Landon Donovan is scoring a jaw-dropping 0.89 goals per game, the fifth highest single-season rate in MLS history behind Stern John (0.96 in 1998), Mamadou Diallo (0.93 in 2000), Carlos Ruiz (0.92 in 2002), and Roy Lassiter (0.90 in 1996).

- Javier Morales continues to dissect defenses with accurate long passing; his 10 assists and David Beckham's eight rank second and third, respectively, among MLS leaders.

Sunday, September 7

Kansas City Wizards at Houston Dynamo 3:00 p.m. (TeleFutura)

Houston has won three of its past four MLS games, including Saturday's big victory over the Chicago Fire. Kansas City is winless in three games, but looks to capitalize on Houston's missing players due to national team duty. The Dynamo will be without goalkeeper Pat Onstad (Canada), midfielder Dwayne De Rosario (Canada), Brian Ching (USA) and Ricardo Clark (USA). Kansas City's offense ranks 12th in the League with 23 goals scored, while Houston's defense ranks second in the League with 26 goals against.

Real Salt Lake Forward Fabian Espindola Wins MLS Player of the Week Award

Fabian Espindola was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 23 of the 2008 season. Espindola scored both goals in Real Salt Lake's 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Friday, Aug. 29. The win improved Real Salt Lake's record to 8-8-6 with 30 points, and gave them sole possession of second place in the Western Conference, five points behind Houston Dynamo and three points ahead of third-place Chivas USA.

The Argentinean forward signed with Real Salt Lake in August 2007 from Sociedad Deportivo Quito in Ecuador's first division. He has played in 23 games and started 15 during his MLS career. He scored two goals and registered two assists in 2007. This is Espindola's first Player of the Week award. Espindola returns to action with Real Salt Lake as they host Tigres of the Mexican first division on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The team returns to MLS action versus the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 10:30 p.m. ET. For more on Espindola's Player of the Week honor 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/.

U.S. Open Cup Final: D.C. United vs. Charleston Battery, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET (FSC)

There are three major domestic trophies for MLS clubs to pursue. The most prestigious is MLS Cup, but the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the Supporters' Shield are also coveted hardware. D.C. United already leads MLS having won eight major domestic trophies, and on Wednesday, they face the Charleston Battery with a chance to capture another U.S. Open Cup. RFK Stadium will host the 2008 final at 7:30 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel). Also on the line is a spot in 2009 CONCACAF Champions League.

Team Total MLS Cups Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups Supporters' Shields

D.C. United 8 4 1 3

Los Angeles Galaxy 6 2 2 2

Chicago Fire 6 1 4 1

San Jose Earthquakes 3 2 0 1

Kansas City Wizards 3 1 1 1

Houston Dynamo 2 2 0 0

Columbus Crew 2 0 1 1

N.E. Revolution 1 0 1 0

FC Dallas 1 0 1 0

Tampa Bay Mutiny* 1 0 0 1

Miami Fusion* 1 0 0 1

Chivas USA 0 0 0 0

Colorado Rapids 0 0 0 0

New York Red Bulls 0 0 0 0

Real Salt Lake 0 0 0 0

Toronto FC 0 0 0 0

*Inactive club

MLS Players Involved in World Cup Qualifying, Many to Face MLS Teammates

A busy week of World Cup Qualifying takes place in the next 10 days and includes 31 MLS players from 14 nations called into camp for their respective national teams. In CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, seven U.S. players were called in for games against Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago, while Mexican superstar Cuauhtemoc Blanco will face Jamaica and Canada. In COMNEBOL, Jaime Moreno and Bolivia play Ecuador and Brazil; and Jorge Rojas and Alejandro Moreno will help Venezuela against Peru & Paraguay. Representing UEFA are English superstar David Beckham for games versus Andorra and the Czech Republic and Carl Robinson is available for Wales. The following is a list of MLS players participating in World Cup Qualifying in the coming days.

United States (7) vs. Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago

Brian Ching (HOU)

Ricardo Clark (HOU)

Landon Donovan (LA)

Frankie Hejduk (CLB)

Sacha Kljestan (CHV)

Eddie Lewis (LA)

Marvell Wynne (TOR)

Canada (6) vs. Honduras, Mexico

Jim Brennan (TOR)

Dwayne De Rosario (HOU)

Ante Jazic (LA)

Pat Onstad (HOU)

Adrian Serioux (DAL)

Greg Sutton (TOR)

Bolivia (1) vs. Ecuador, Brazil

Jaime Moreno (DC)

Costa Rica (2) vs. Suriname, Haiti

Gabriel Badilla (NE)

Gonzalo Segares (CHI)

England (1) vs. Andorra, Czech Republic

David Beckham (LA)

Guatemala (2) vs. Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba

Marco Pappa (CHI)

Carlos Ruiz (TOR)

Haiti (1) vs. Costa Rica, El Salvador

Ricardo Pierre-Louis (CLB)

Honduras (1) vs. Canada, Jamaica

Amado Guevara (NY)

Jamaica (3) vs. Mexico, Honduras

Tyrone Marshall (TOR)

Shavar Thomas (CHV)

Andy Williams (RSL)

Mexico (1) vs. Jamaica, Canada

Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI)

New Zealand (3) vs. New Caledonia

Andrew Boyens (NY)

Duncan Oughton (CLB)

Jarrod Smith (TOR)

Trinidad & Tobgo (1) vs. Guatemala, United States

Julius James (TOR)

Venezuela (2) vs. Peru, Paraguay

Alejandro Moreno (CLB)

Jorge Rojas (NY)

Wales (1) vs. Azerbaijan, Russia

Carl Robinson (TOR)

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 2, 2008


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