MLS Major League Soccer

Red Line for Some, Supporters' Shield for Others - This Week in MLS

Published on October 6, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


With only three games left in the regular season, the battle for the best record in Major League Soccer heats up with the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders FC playing at the top of their game. Obafemi Martins and the Sounders will look to put themselves three points ahead of the Galaxy on Friday (10:00 p.m. ET; NBCSN) when they take on Cascadia rivals, Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Whitecaps currently hold the fifth and final spot in the west for the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs presented by AT&T. Not far behind, however, are the third team in the Cascadia contingent, Portland Timbers. This game also has implications in the race for the Cascadia Cup trophy. A win by either Seattle or Vancouver will see that team hoist the 2014 Cascadia Cup.

The LA Galaxy will also have no easy task when they take on another playoff hopeful in FC Dallas on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and TSN2). After downing the Red Bulls 4-1, the LA Galaxy scored another emphatic win over the weekend, beating Toronto FC by 3-0. The game held historical significance as Landon Donovan broke the MLS all-time assist record. On the opposite side of fortune, FC Dallas enter the game following a tough loss to the Whitecaps. �scar Pareja will look to his dynamic scoring duo of Blas Perez and Fabian Castillo to upend the Galaxy's back line. In the two team's most recent matchup, goals from Robbie Keane and Alan Gordon helped the Galaxy secure a 2-1 win.

Eastern Conference leaders DC United claimed their passage to the playoffs when Ben Olsen's men drew 0-0 with reigning MLS Cup champions, Sporting Kansas City, this past Friday at RFK Stadium. This is a complete turnaround for the four-time MLS Cup champions as last year saw DC United bottom of the table with their worst MLS regular season performance (3-24-7). A win on Saturday would see the New England Revolution join United as the second team in the east to secure a playoff berth. The red-hot Revs travel to the "Great White North" to take on the Montreal Impact (4:00 p.m. ET; UDN, TSN1, TSN4, TSN5).

Toronto FC will be the busiest of the playoff hopefuls as they play twice this week. The team will welcome the Houston Dynamo to BMO Field on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN) and then travel to the Tri-State area to take on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday (7:00 p.m. ET; UDN and TSN). A win on Wednesday could see Toronto come within a point of the Red Bulls before their clash.

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

International Call-ups

CHI: Benji Joya (U.S. U-23)

CHV: Erick Torres (Mexico, vs. Honduras, Oct. 9; vs. Panama, Oct. 12); Marvin Chavez (Honduras, vs. Mexico, Oct. 9; vs. USA, Oct. 14)

CLB: Kevan George (Trinidad and Tobago, vs. Dominican Republic, Oct. 8, vs. St. Lucia, Oct. 10, vs. Antigua and Barbuda, Oct. 12)

COL: Deshorn Brown (Jamaica, vs. Japan, Oct. 10); Dillon Serna, Marlon Hairston (U.S. U-23)

DAL: Blas Perez (Honduras, vs. Mexico, Oct. 12), Je-Vaughn Watson (Jamaica, vs. Japan, Oct. 10)

DC: Bill Hamid (USA, vs. Ecuador, Oct. 10)

HOU: Boniek GarcÃ-a, Luis Garrido (Honduras, vs. Mexico, Oct. 9; vs. USA, Oct. 14); Jermaine Taylor (Jamaica, vs. Japan, Oct. 10)

KC: Jorge Claros (Honduras, vs. Mexico, Oct. 9; vs. USA, Oct. 14)

LA: Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland, vs. Gibraltar, Oct. 11; vs. Germany, Oct. 14); Omar Gonzalez, Landon Donovan (USA, vs. Ecuador, Oct. 10); Oscar Sorto (U.S. U-23)

MTL: Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Karl W. Ouimette (Canada, vs. Colombia, Oct. 14); Eric Miller (U.S. U-23)

NY: Tim Cahill (Australia, vs. United Arab Emirates, Oct. 10; vs. Qatar, Oct. 14); Roy Miller (Costa Rica, vs. Oman, Oct. 10; vs. South Korea, Oct. 14); Ambroise Oyongo (Cameroon, vs. Sierra Leone, Oct. 10, 15); Matt Miazga (U.S. U-23)

PHI: Michael Lahoud (Sierra Leone, vs. Cameroon, Oct. 10, vs. Cameroon, Oct. 15), Rais M'Bolhi (Algeria, vs. Malawi, Oct. 11)

POR: Alvas Powell (Jamaica, vs. Japan, Oct. 10)

RSL: Luis Gil, Nick Rimando (USA, vs. Ecuador, Oct. 10); Joao Plata (Ecuador, vs. USA, Oct. 10); Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica, vs. Oman, Oct. 10; vs. South Korea, Oct. 14); Carlos Salcedo (Mexico U-21)

SJ: Victor Bernardez (Honduras, vs. Mexico, Oct. 9; vs. USA, Oct. 14)

SEA: DeAndre Yedlin (USA, vs. Ecuador, Oct. 10); Sean Okoli (U.S. U-23)

TOR: Quillan Roberts, Doneil Henry, Kyle Bekker, Manuel Aparicio (Canada, vs. Colombia, Oct. 14)

VAN: Carlyle Mitchell (Trinidad & Tobago; vs. Dominican Republic, Oct, 8; vs. Saint Lucia, Oct. 10; vs. Antigua and Barbuda, Oct. 12); Darren Mattocks (Jamaica, vs. Japan, Oct. 10); Christian Dean (U.S. U-23)

National MLS Broadcasts

Wednesday, October 8 Toronto FCs vs. Houston Dynamo, 7:30 p.m. ET (TSN)

Friday, October 10 Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN, TSN)

Saturday, October 11 Montreal Impact vs. New England Revolution, 4:00 p.m. ET (UDN, TSN1, TSN4, TSN5) New York Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC, 7:00 p.m. ET (UDN, TSN)

Sunday, October 12 Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United, 3:00 p.m. ET (UniMas) FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy, 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, TSN2)

Sweet Tweets

@MattBesler - October 1 - Matt Besler, Sporting Kansas City

Sock game was on point for our visit to the White House #USA #SKC https://pbs.twimg.com/media/By5G-m0IAAALhGv.jpg

:large

@SFranklin5 - October 4 - Sean Franklin, D.C. United

That Keane guy is pretty good.

@brad_evans3 - October 4 - Brad Evans, Seattle Sounders FC

macopappa I have a question. What are you doing? http://instagram.com/p/twEjPOM5Bu/

@2Fast2Farrell - October 4 - Andrew Farrell, New England Revolution

Guess who is ready for game day!? #NERevs #2rough #3pts https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzICbz6CQAEM8rb.jpg

@RobertEarnshaw - October 5 - Robert Earnshaw, Chicago Fire

After game media.Even if you are naked. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzOGajuCMAEdeor.jpg

:large

@EthanWhite15 - October 5 - Ethan White, Philadelphia Union

Jazz on Fresh Prince was the dopest dude lol

Quotables

"That was a big lift for everyone to see him again. I know it was for me. He basically told us that we can do this again. We can win another one and come back here next year. That's going to resonate with me for the rest of the season." Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer on the speech given to team by 2013 captain Jimmy Nielsen

"There's nothing I would love more than to be on this field celebrating with my teammates in front of our fans at the end of the season, but there's a lot of work to be done until that can happen. If it doesn't happen, that's OK, but I promised my teammates that is my main goal." LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan on his hope for the end of his final MLS season

"I don't feel I can be at my best if I am trying to be a nice person, I am not good enough to stroll through the game. There are some guys who can get away with that. I am not one of those guys. If I don't have that, I am not being myself. I can't change that about myself. I can't survive without it." D.C. United midfielder Davy Arnaud on his mentality when he plays in a game

"I'm just hungry to play, regardless if it's Clint Dempsey or Joe Bloggs, I just want to play. It could be the best team, could be the worst team. I've been itching to play in MLS for a while and getting the opportunity. I want to take it." Colorado Rapids defender Zat Knight on getting to make his MLS debut for the Rapids

"It truly is going to be a battle until the end. Thinking about earlier in the season - we had a 10-point cushion - we knew that wasn't going to be that easy. It's never going to be that easy. So we came in today, put in a real workman-like performance and did what we needed to do." Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Brad Evans on the battle for the 2014 Supporters' Shield

"Our backs have been against the wall several times. Every time you think we're down, we get up and we respond. This is another big result on the road after we swallowed a bitter pill last week...I like our team's chances when our backs are against the wall." Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter on the confidence of his team headed into the final stretch

Week 31 Game Previews

Wednesday, Oct. 8

Toronto FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 7:30 p.m.

- Toronto FC suffered their first loss in three games - after back-to-back wins - in a 3-0 defeat at the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening.

- The Dynamo had their five-game undefeated streak - their longest of the season - put to an end in a 1-0 loss at the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, after playing in a home-and-home series over two weekends July 12-19. Jermain Defoe scored twice in the second half as TFC came back from a 2-goal deficit for a 4-2 victory at BMO Field in the first match; Brad Davis scored twice for the Dynamo in the return match, but the teams settled for a 2-2 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium.

- The teams have played to draws in four of their last five meetings, including the first encounter this year at BMO Field. TFC has come away from Houston with points on each of their last four visits, though they have not won there since 2010.

Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, the back end of a home-and-home series over five days and the third encounter in a 31-day period.

- On Saturday, Rodney Wallace was credited with a pair of goals three minutes apart as the Timbers came back for a 2-1 victory at Buck Shaw Stadium, officially eliminating the Earthquakes from playoff contention. It was the first career two-goal game for Wallace in his six MLS seasons.

- The Earthquakes had their winless streak extended to 11 games, the second-longest in the club's history (after 13 games, in 2011).

- The Timbers victory was the first by a visiting team in the all-time league series. The Timbers have won two of five matches in Portland, with three draws, including a 2-2 result in the first meeting this season, Sept. 7 at Providence Park.

Friday, Oct. 10

Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m.

- The Fire were officially eliminated from contention for the MLS Cup Playoffs as they played to a league-record 18th draw this season in a scoreless result with the Montréal Impact on Sunday.

- Sporting Kansas City have come away with a win in just one of their last seven league matches following their scoreless draw at D.C. United on Friday evening.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Mike Magee scored a pair of goals in the opening 15 minutes, both on penalty kicks, to send the Fire on their way to a 2-1 win May 18 at Toyota Park; Magee scored again as the teams ended in a 1-1 draw July 6 at Sporting Park.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10 p.m.

- Obafemi Martins scored a pair of goals for a second consecutive match to lead Sounders FC to a 4-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on Sunday, the second four-goal game in a row for the club. Martins has 17 goals this season, sitting in fourth place in the MLS Golden Boot standings; it was also his league-leading fifth multiple-goal game of the year.

- Sebastian Fernández scored a pair of goals in a game for the first time in MLS, leading Whitecaps FC to a 2-0 win against FC Dallas on Saturday, their second consecutive victory. Mauro Rosales assisted on both goals; he has three assists in eight games since arriving in a trade from Chivas USA.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Sebastian Fernández scored the game's lone goal to give Whitecaps FC the victory July 5 at BC Place; Gonzalo Pineda converted a late penalty kick to bring Sounders FC back for a 2-2 draw when the teams met May 24 at BC Place.

- After going the first six meetings between the clubs in MLS play winless, Whitecaps FC are undefeated in the last four meetings vs. their Cascadia rivals, with victories in three of those contests.

Saturday, Oct. 11

Montreal Impact vs. New England Revolution, 4 p.m.

- The Impact saw their scoreless run stretched to 182 minutes in a second consecutive shutout, reaching a goalless draw with the Chicago Fire on Sunday afternoon.

- Jermaine Jones scored his second goal in as many games, netting the game-winner midway through the second half to lead the Revolution to the verge of playoff clinching with a 2-1 win against the Columbus Crew on Saturday, their seventh win in the last eight games.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen scored two minutes apart to send the Revolution on their way to a 2-1 victory Sept. 13 at Gillette Stadium; on May 31, Andrés Romero and Jack McInerney scored first-half goals to lead the Impact to a 2-0 win at Stade Saputo.

- The first meeting was Montréal's second home win vs. New England; the Revolution had won on their two previous trips to Stade Saputo, both coming by 1-0 scorelines. The last meeting was the Revolution's first-ever home win against the Impact.

New York Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC, 7 p.m.

- The Red Bulls extended their home undefeated streak to nine games - matching the sixth-longest in club history - with a 1-0 victory against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena. Thierry Henry scored the game's lone goal, his 10th of the year, the fourth consecutive season he's reached double figures in goals in MLS.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Bradley Wright-Phillips scored deep into second-half stoppage time to bring the Red Bulls back for a 2-2 draw June 27 at Red Bull Arena. Jermain Defoe and Luke Moore netted goals early and late as Toronto FC claimed a 2-0 win May 17 at BMO Field.

- Toronto FC's win in May snapped a 10-game winless streak against the Red Bulls, their first victory in the series since 2009.

- The Red Bulls are undefeated at Red Bull Arena all-time vs. Toronto FC, with four wins and a draw (and a 14-3 goal differential). TFC's only away win vs. New York came in 2008, a 3-1 win at Giants Stadium.

Philadelphia Union vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m.

- Union had their winless run extended to four matches in cruel fashion in their last match, the Chicago Fire scoring a late equalizer to leave the teams in a 1-1 draw Oct. 2 at PPL Park. Amobi Okugo had scored his second goal of the season just minutes before to give Union the lead.

- The Crew had their two-game winning streak put to an end in a 2-1 loss at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Ethan Finlay scored for a second consecutive game, his third goal in the last four.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season, the first of two meetings over the final three weeks of the campaign. Bernardo Anor scored a pair of first-half goals to lead the Crew to a 2-1 victory March 22 at Crew Stadium.

- Philadelphia won 3-0 at PPL Park a year ago, after losing at home the season before. The Crew have won twice on their five trips to Chester. The Crew have never lost at home to Union, with four victories and a draw in five meetings all-time in Columbus.

Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 9:30 p.m.

- Real Salt Lake were unable to claim a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs officially after their four-game home winning streak came to an end in a 1-0 loss to Chivas USA on Sunday afternoon.

- Chris Wondolowski scored his 14th goal of the season for the Quakes in their 2-1 home loss to Portland on Saturday, sitting a tie for seventh in the MLS Golden Boot standings following the weekend.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. San Jose's Sam Cronin and RSL's Javier Morales traded first-half goals to leave the teams in a 1-1 draw Aug. 30 at Buck Shaw Stadium; Quakes center back Victor Bernardez scored two goals - including a dramatic equalizer five minutes into second-half stoppage time - to leave the teams in a 3-3 draw March 15 in Santa Clara.

- The Quakes have won at Rio Tinto Stadium each of the last two seasons, including a 2-1 victory last Sept. 21. All-time at Rio Tinto Stadium, each team has won twice in the all-time series, with three draws.

Chivas USA vs. Colorado Rapids, 10:30 p.m.

- Chivas USA put an end to their winless streak after 12 games, the third-longest in club history, and ended their losing slide at a club-record tying seven games, with a 1-0 win at Real Salt Lake on Sunday afternoon at Felix Borja scored his first MLS goal.

- The Rapids were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their 4-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday, setting a club record in extending their winless streak to 11 games. They have allowed four goals or more in five of their last eight games.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Nick LaBrocca, Drew Moor and Gabriel Torres all scored as the Rapids took a 3-0 win July 25 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park; MarvÃ-n Chávez scored twice and Erick Torres also netted as Chivas USA roared back for a 3-1 victory May 11 in Commerce City.

- The Rapids have taken points from each of their last five visits to take on Chivas in Carson (4-0-1), over the past four seasons. The Chivas USA victory in the first meeting this season ended an 11-game Chivas USA winless streak vs. Colorado, their first win since March 21, 2009, going 0-8-3 in between.

Sunday, Oct. 12

Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United, 3 p.m.

- United officially claimed their berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs after reaching a scoreless draw with Sporting Kansas City on Friday evening at RFK Stadium, just the second time in the last seven seasons they've made it to the postseason.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Will Bruin scored the game's lone goal in second-half stoppage time to hand the Dynamo the victory Aug. 3 at BBVA Compass Stadium; Chris Rolfe and Fabian EspÃ-ndola scored on either side of halftime to pace United to a 2-0 victory May 21 at RFK Stadium.

- The Dynamo have never lost to D.C. United in Houston, winning 10 of 11 meetings there all-time in league and cup play (with one draw). The United victory in the first meeting snapped a five-game Dynamo winning streak in the series in league play.

FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy, 7 p.m.

- Robbie Keane scored his 18th and 19th goals of the season - now sitting in third place in the MLS Golden Boot standings - to lead the Galaxy to a 3-0 win against Toronto FC, a third consecutive victory that extended their undefeated streak to 10 games.

- Landon Donovan recorded an assist on the second Keane goal to become the all-time leader with 136 career league assists, surpassing the mark set by Steve Ralston. Donovan has 19 assists this season, leading MLS and matching the second-highest single-season total in MLS history.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Robbie Keane scored the equalizer then set up Gyasi Zardes for the game-winner to lead the Galaxy to a 2-1 win Sept. 20 at StubHub Center; Keane and Zardes scored first-half goals to send the Galaxy on their way to a 2-1 win May 21 at Carson.

- FC Dallas have won just once in their last three home meetings vs. the Galaxy, a 1-0 victory April 13, 2013. The Galaxy are undefeated in Carson over the last seven meetings vs. FC Dallas in league play, dating back to the start of the 2010 season, going 6-0-1 in that time.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

New England Revolution will clinch a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs IF

- New England Revolution win vs. Montreal Impact on Saturday

OR

- New England Revolution tie vs. Montreal Impact on Saturday AND

- Columbus Crew lose to Philadelphia Union on Saturday OR

- Toronto FC lose to Houston Dynamo on Wednesday OR New York Red Bulls on Saturday OR

- Toronto FC tie BOTH Houston Dynamo on Wednesday AND New York Red Bulls on Saturday

OR

- Toronto FC lose to one and tie with other: Houston Dynamo on Wednesday OR New York Red Bulls on Saturday

Sporting Kansas City will clinch a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs IF

- Sporting Kansas City win vs. Chicago Fire on Friday AND

- Columbus Crew lose to Philadelphia Union on Saturday

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

- Real Salt Lake win vs San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday OR

- Real Salt Lake tie vs San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday AND

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC tie or lose vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday OR

- Portland Timbers tie or lose vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday

OR

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC lose vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday OR

- Portland Timbers lose vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday

FC Dallas will clinch a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs IF

- FC Dallas win vs. LA Galaxy on Sunday

OR

- FC Dallas tie vs. LA Galaxy on Sunday AND

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC lose vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday OR

- Portland Timbers tie or lose vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday

OR

- Portland Timbers lose vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday

Philadelphia Union will be eliminated from playoff contention IF

- Philadelphia Union lose to Columbus Crew on Saturday AND

- New York Red Bulls win vs. Toronto FC on Saturday

Houston Dynamo will be eliminated from playoff contention IF

- Houston Dynamo lose to either Toronto FC on Wednesday or D.C. United on Saturday AND

- New York Red Bulls win vs. Toronto FC on Saturday

- Columbus Crew win vs. Philadelphia Union on Saturday

OR

- Houston Dynamo tie with both: Toronto FC on Wednesday AND D.C. United on Saturday AND

- Columbus Crew tie or win vs. Philadelphia Union on Saturday

OR

- Houston Dynamo lose to one and tie with other: Toronto FC on Wednesday OR D.C. United on Saturday (OR lose to both)

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

LA Galaxy have clinched a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs

D.C. United have clinched a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs

Montréal Impact have been eliminated from playoff contention

Chivas USA have been eliminated from playoff contention

Chicago Fire have been eliminated from playoff contention

Colorado Rapids have been eliminated from playoff contention

San Jose Earthquakes have been eliminated from playoff contention

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 6, 2014


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