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Playoff Spots up for Grabs - This Week in MLS

Published on September 22, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


With the MLS playoffs inching closer, the race for the final spot in both conferences is rounding the final curves. The Philadelphia Union will look to get back to their winning ways when they take on Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN). A win could see the Union jump to fifth place as they sit two points off of the fourth-place Columbus Crew (40 points). Looking to maintain their playoff hopes, Gregg Berhalter's men will host the Montreal Impact who will miss out on the playoffs despite a 2-0 win over the weekend.

Further up the table in the East, it will be a clash of the titans as the New England Revolution travel to Kansas City with hopes of taking all three points and second place from the reigning MLS Cup holders, SKC. This Friday night game will be broadcast nationally on NBCSN at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Coming off a statement win over the Seattle Sounders, the New York Red Bulls head to California take on the red-hot LA Galaxy on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes and TSN2). After earning a hat-trick against the Sounders, Bradley Wright-Phillips is now just three goals from tying the all-time MLS single season goal scoring record. The Red Bulls enter the matchup on a four-game unbeaten streak in MLS play, and are a point above the fifth place Crew with 41 points. The Galaxy are on an 8-game unbeaten streak and have already clinched their playoff berth.

The Western Conference could mathematically welcome a third team into the playoffs as Real Salt Lake will clinch a spot with either a win or tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Both teams come into the match on opposite sides of high-scoring results. RSL downed Colorado 5-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium, while the Whitecaps took a heavy defeat at the hands of the Portland Timbers (3-0). The defeat does not count the Whitecaps out as they sit two point below fifth-place Portland.

With the playoff season in full effect - check out the PLAYOFF SCENARIOS section of This Week in MLS below.

CONCACAF Champions League Rolls On

Four of the five MLS teams in CONCACAF Champions League are in action this week with Sporting Kansas City and Portland playing on Tuesday night. SKC are coming off a win in their last game and will look to solidify the top spot when they host Real Esteli at 8:00 p.m. ET (Fox Sports 1). With a game in hand on the other teams in their group, the Portland Timbers will welcome Alpha United to Providence Park at 10:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) looking to separate themselves from the rest of their group with a win.

On Wednesday, D.C. United will take on Panamanian side, Tauro F.C. (8:00 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 2). Last week, Ben Olsen's team scored an important road win over Waterhouse. The Red Bulls will be in action on Wednesday in a massive game for their chances of winning their group. Coming off a loss against the group leading Montreal Impact, the Red Bulls need three points at CD FAS (10:00 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Plus) to keep pace with their MLS counterpart.

NYCFC and Orlando City SC take part in Expansion Priority Draft

On Wednesday. MLS newcomers New York City FC and Orlando City SC will take part in the Expansion Priority Draft. The draft, which will be streamed live on www.MLSsoccer.com, will determine priority order for the eight mechanisms available to acquire players for the 2015 season, including the MLS Expansion Draft and MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas.

National MLS Broadcasts

Friday, September 26

Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution, 8:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN, TSN2)

Saturday, September 27

Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers, 1:00 p.m. ET (TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS2)

D.C. United vs. Philadelphia Union, 3:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Rea Salt Lake, 7:00 p.m. ET (TSN2, RDS2)

Sunday, September 28

Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago Fire, 3:00 p.m. ET (UniMas)

LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, TSN2)

Sweet Tweets

@ChrisPontius13 - September 18 - Chris Pontius, D.C. United

Digging the new @MLS logo

@LeeNguyen24 - September 18 - Lee Nguyen, New England Revolution

That moment when you figured out how to play golf on the 18th hole

@Oneswitz - September 19 - Jose Goncalves, New England Revolution

My warrior takes his coffee quietly in the trunk before he start to jumps on you... #WARRIORBROTHERS pic.twitter.com/Ps9xoS3PDK

@yedlinny - September 20 - DeAndre Yedlin, Seattle Sounders FC

close enough #gameday #fifaface http://instagram.com/p/tK8pB8GGL0/

@bobbyboswell - September 21 - Bobby Boswell, D.C. United pic.twitter.com/lMmjygGiRs

Sock game is on point today! @SFranklin5 @InkoomSamuel

@TiaN_Futbol - September 22 - Sebastian Velasquez, Rea Salt Lake

That Awkward Moment When People Really Confuse U With Neymar Here In Vegas

@Ryan_Finley9 - September 22 - Ryan Finley, Chivas USA

It is Monday, you know what that means......39th week in a row for everyone's same #mcm this lipton hit the spot tho

Quotables

"I think it creates more unity and laughter. We kind of make fun of each other and that creates more unity within the team."

Portland Timbers forward Fanendo Adi on how the different languages makes for fun in Timbers locker room

"We have to move on, it's an objective for this team and we are six games away from that. And we have to win at home, and it's a home game. So we have to get our bodies fixed and make sure we are ready to play."

Philadelphia Union midfielder Sebastien LeToux on moving on from the U.S. Open Cup loss

"I think Kelyn's been really good (on) both sides of the ball. I think when Kelyn is working on both sides of the ball (and) finding the gaps defensively, then his defense turns to offense -- he's at his best."

New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps on the performance of Kelyn Rowe

"He was traveling from France. He'd have to travel from Bastia (a French island) to Paris, then connect somewhere in the U.S. before finding us in Central America. He'd come on every trip like he took a 30-minute car ride to the stadium. He was always in it mentally and physically and never had excuses. To me, that was remarkable. Hopefully those traits carry on to his coaching and eventually to his players. As I've said, he has always been extremely dedicated and never complained about anything and got the job done."

LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena on TFC's new coach Greg Vanney's dedication to his job

"He's just done an outstanding job for us. He knows his job, he's an experienced player [and] understands tactically what needs to be done at the end of the game."

LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena on the performance of Alan Gordon since joining the team

"They are a classy group of guys. It's an awesome locker room and they're a reflection of the leadership of this club. We didn't lose. We won the silver medal, and I'm very proud of that, I never announced he's our interim coach. He's taking care of the team and he's doing a fine job of it. I don't know if I'm going to re-engage the coaching search. That's an honest answer. I don't have to make any decision. Everybody wants me to make a decision. What decision should I make? He's our coach."

Philadelphia Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz on the job Jim Curtin has done since becoming manager

"He's our best player. He is. He is our best soccer player. So, I think everyone has a different view on what that would mean but he is our best soccer player. I don't know what else I could say."

Real Salt Lake midfielder Ned Grabavoy on the play of Joao Plata

Week 29 Game Previews

Wednesday, Sept. 24

FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 9 p.m.

- Blas Perez scored his third goal in the last two matches, but FC Dallas lost for the third time in the last four matches in their 2-1 defeat at the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening.

- Sounders FC had their four-game MLS winning streak come to an end in a 4-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night. Clint Dempsey scored the lone Seattle goal; he now has a goal and/or an assist in five consecutive MLS games (with three goals and three assists in that time).

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Lamar Neagle and Kenny Cooper scored late goals, the game-winner in the 88th minute, bringing Sounders FC back for a 2-1 on May 7 at CenturyLink Field. Clint Dempsey scored a pair of goals, his second in the 85th minute capping a second-half comeback to give Sounders FC a 3-2 win on April 12 at Toyota Stadium.

- FC Dallas have won just once in the last nine meetings between the teams, a 2-0 win last Sept. 19 at Toyota Stadium. Sounders FC have won seven of those encounters, with one draw. Sounders FC have also won their last four home meetings with FC Dallas.

Friday, Sept. 26

Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution, 8 p.m.

- Sporting KC return to action after putting their four-game losing skid to rest in their last MLS match, a 4-0 win against Chivas USA on Sept. 12 at StubHub Center.

- Dom Dwyer broke a record that had stood since the inaugural MLS season of 1996, scoring his 19th goal for Sporting Kansas City in the win vs. Chivas. It is a club record for goals in a single season, passing the mark set by Preki with the then-Kansas City Wiz.

- The Revolution had their five-game winning streak come to an end in a 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday evening. The Revolution are the only team, besides D.C. United in 1999, with multiple winning streaks of five or more games in one season.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Lee Nguyen scored a pair of goals as the Revolution claimed a 3-1 win Sept. 3 at Gillette Stadium; Teal Bunbury and Nguyen each scored in second-half stoppage time as the Revolution took a 2-0 victory on April 26 in Foxborough.

- New England haven't won in Kansas City since 2008, a 3-1 win April 9. Sporting have six wins in eight home matches in all competitions since, with two draws. The Revolution victory in the first meeting ended a six-game Sporting undefeated streak in league play, and the goals were the first scored in the series since July 30, 2011.

Saturday, Sept. 27

Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers, 1 p.m.

- Toronto FC put an end to their six-game winless skid, defeating Chivas USA 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at BMO Field. Gilberto scored his seventh goal of the season; he has a goal and two assists in the last two games, and he has scored five of TFC's last 12 goals they have scored, dating back to Aug. 2.

- The Timbers scored three goals for the third time in the last four games, extending their undefeated streak to four games in their 3-0 Cascadia victory against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday afternoon at Providence Park.

- Fanendo Adi again scored a pair of goals in the Timbers' win against Vancouver. Adi has scored eight goals this season, hitting for a brace in four separate games: May 28 vs. Chivas, June 7 vs. Real Salt Lake and Aug. 24 vs. Seattle as well as the win Saturday.

- The Timbers defeated Toronto FC for the first time ever last Sept. 7, a 4-0 win in Portland. The teams had played to consecutive draws.

- TFC defeated Portland 2-0 in the first meeting ever between the clubs, March 26, 2011. Each team has won once in two meetings on their own home ground, with one draw.

D.C. United vs. Philadelphia Union, 3 p.m.

- Luis Silva scored multiple goals in a game for the third time this season, but D.C. United saw their winless streak extended to three games in a 3-3 draw at the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Silva has 10 goals this season; he had eight goals over his first two MLS seasons before this year.

- Union extended their league undefeated streak to five games with a second consecutive draw, after their scoreless result with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Chris Rolfe scored the game's only goal after just six minutes for a United victory May 10 at PPL Park.

- The win was the first for United since 2012. Union took victories in the first two league encounters a year ago before a draw in the third. United did win a U.S. Open Cup tie last year, the third year in a row the clubs met in that competition.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Chivas USA, 4 p.m.

- Chivas USA lost for a sixth consecutive match and saw their winless streak extended to 11 games overall in their 3-0 loss at Toronto FC on Sunday. The losing streak is one game away from the Chivas club record; the winless run matches the third-longest in club history. Chivas were also shut out for a third consecutive game and the ninth time in the last 10 games.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Obafemi Martins and Andy Rose each scored twice in the first half as Sounders FC rolled to a 4-2 win Sept. 3 at StubHub Center. A Martins goal in the 81st minute snapped a deadlock as Sounders FC took a 2-1 victory April 19 in Carson.

- Sounders FC are unbeaten in their last 13 meetings with Chivas USA, with wins in their last seven encounters, since Chivas won the first two meetings ever between the clubs in 2009. Seattle has won nine times with four draws.

- Sounders FC are unbeaten all-time vs. Chivas USA at home, with four wins and two draws in six meetings in Seattle.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 7 p.m.

- Real Salt Lake scored five goals in a game for the second time this season in their 5-1 win Friday against the Colorado Rapids. RSL had also scored five in a 5-2 win against Houston on May 11; it's one goal short of the club record set in a 2009 win vs. New England.

- Whitecaps FC suffered their second consecutive defeat, falling 3-0 at the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon, the first time since April 5-12 they've lost back-to-back games this season.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Joao Plata scored in the 81st minute to pull Real back into a 1-1 draw July 19 at Rio Tinto Stadium; on April 26 in Sandy, Plata and Álvaro SaborÃ-o gave Real a two-goal lead before the game was 10 minutes old, but Nicolás Mezquida and Sebastian Fernández each scored after the 86th minute to leave the teams in a 2-2 draw.

- RSL has a six-game undefeated streak alive vs. Whitecaps FC, dating back to Oct. 27, 2012. Whitecaps FC have never won at Rio Tinto Stadium, with Real having won three of the six meetings there all-time (with three draws).

Columbus Crew vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m.

- Federico HiguaÃ-n scored his second goal directly from a free kick this season, sending the Crew on their way to a 1-0 win against New England on Saturday evening. HiguaÃ-n now has 10 goals this season; he has converted four penalty kicks in that total. HiguaÃ-n also scored two goals directly from free kicks during the 2012 campaign, his first in MLS.

- Jack McInerney scored his first goal since June 29 to lead the Impact to a 2-0 win Saturday against San Jose, but they still became the first team eliminated from playoff contention this year.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Ignacio Piatti scored twice to lead the Impact to a 2-0 win Aug. 30 at Stade Saputo. On July 19 at Crew Stadium, Bernardo Anor scored twice in the second half to haul the Crew back from a first-half deficit for a 2-1 victory.

- The Crew have won all four encounters lifetime in Columbus. The Crew won 2-1 last Sept. 14 at Stade Saputo, the only victory by the away team in eight meetings in the all-time series.

Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 9 p.m.

- The Rapids had their winless streak stretched to nine games in their 5-1 defeat by Rocky Mountain rivals Real Salt Lake on Friday. The streak is one game away from the club record set in 2007; the Rapids have been hit for three or more goals six times during the winless skid, conceding 13 goals in their last three games.

- The Quakes had their winless streak stretched to nine games in their 2-0 loss at the Montréal Impact on Saturday. It's their longest stretch without a victory since the club-record 13-game winless run set during the 2011 season.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, having played to a pair of scoreless draws, April 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and May 7 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

- The Rapids last defeated San Jose in the first meeting in the 2011 season. The Quakes have won five of the nine meetings since, with four draws.

- The Quakes have taken points on their last four trips to Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids haven't defeated San Jose at home since the 2010 season.

Sunday, Sept. 28

LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls, 8:30 p.m.

- Bradley Wright-Phillips hit for his third hat trick this season, leading the Red Bulls to a 4-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday at Red Bull Arena. The three hat tricks match the MLS single-season record set three times previously; Wright-Phillips now has 24 goals, equaling the fifth-highest total in a season in league history.

- Robbie Keane scored a goal and added an assist as the Galaxy extended their undefeated streak to eight matches in their 2-1 win against FC Dallas on Saturday. Keane now has 15 goals this year, one away from his MLS single-season high set each of the last two seasons; his 14 assists are the most he's had in any of his four MLS campaigns.

- The Red Bulls have won the last three meetings between the teams, all by shutouts and in 1-0 scorelines each of the last two seasons, winning the only meeting last year on May 19 at Red Bull Arena.

- The Red Bulls have come away with victories on their last two league visits to Carson to play the Galaxy. The Galaxy's last home victory in the series came in 2009; their last victory overall came in 2010, a 1-0 win Aug. 14 at Red Bull Arena.

Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago Fire, 3 p.m.

- The Fire matched the all-time MLS record with their 16th draw, coming back for a late 3-3 tie with D.C. United at Toyota Park on Saturday. It equals the mark set in 2011 by the Fire and the New York Red Bulls.

- The Dynamo have now gone four games without defeat - their longest undefeated run of the season - following a second consecutive draw in a scoreless result at Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening.

- In league play, the Dynamo last won in Bridgeview in 2009. The Fire won at Robertson Stadium in 2006 and 2007 in their first two trips ever to Houston - and have not won there since.

- The teams also met in 2012 in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Dynamo taking a 2-1 victory at Toyota Park on their way to an eventual appearance in MLS Cup.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

Real Salt Lake will clinch a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs IF

- Real Salt Lake win or tie vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday

Chivas USA will be eliminated from playoff contention IF

- Chivas USA lose or tie vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday

OR

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC win vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday

OR

- Portland Timbers win or tie vs. Toronto FC on Saturday

Seattle Sounders FC have clinched a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs

LA Galaxy have clinched a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs

Montréal Impact have been eliminated from playoff contention

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 22, 2014


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