Sports stats



MLS Major League Soccer

Three Teams Occupy Playoff Spots

October 6, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


This past week, the Houston Dynamo and New England Revolution clinched berths in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs, while the Columbus Crew clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Columbus could clinch the Supporters' Shield trophy this weekend with a win or the help of other results. The Galaxy could be eliminated from playoff contention this weekend. Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire are knocking on the postseason door. The regular season concludes Oct. 26

MLS Week 29: Oct. 9-12, 2008

(All times Eastern)

Thursday, October 9

New York Red Bulls at Real Salt Lake, 10:00 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes)

- This is the grand opening of Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, a state-of-the-art, $110 million, 20,000-seat facility custom made to be the home of Real Salt Lake.

- In the first official MLS game played at each of the six venues built for MLS teams to date, the hosts have gone 3-1-2. In their respective new-stadium debuts, Columbus, LA and Colorado won, FC Dallas and Chicago tied and Toronto FC lost.

- The teams are tied in points, both on the bubble of the MLS Cup Playoff race. A loss for either team would be detrimental, but neither will be happy with a tie.

- New York has won just once in 13 road games; RSL has lost just once in 13 home games.

Saturday, October 11

New England Revolution at Kansas City Wizards, 8:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

- Having clinched a playoff spot for the seventh straight year, the Revolution now look to secure home field advantage for the first round.

- New England has won the past three contests against the Wizards, including a 3-1 victory at Community America Ballpark in April.

- These teams close the regular season against each other with New England hosting on Oct. 25.

- Watch for late goals: 24 percent of the goals in the all-time series have been scored in the last 15 minutes of the second half.

Toronto FC at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

With LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan (19 goals) representing the U.S. Men's National team this week, FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper (16 goals) has a chance to close the gap in the race for the Budweiser Golden Boot award. Toronto's Chad Barrett (4 goals, 1 assist) and FC Dallas' Jeff Cunningham (5 goals, 2 assists) have boosted their respective teams' offenses since joining via midseason trades. The teams have faced each other only three times with FC Dallas leading the series 2-1-0. Toronto sealed their victory over New York last week with a goal from teenager Abdus Ibrahim, who was drafted #14 overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. He was acquired via a trade between in the clubs in June 2008.

Chivas USA at San Jose Earthquakes, 10:00 p.m. (HDNet)

San Jose did not score in its two previous games against Chivas USA this season. The only team to shut out the Earthquakes in their past nine games was Chivas USA in a scoreless draw on Aug. 23. With six goals and four assists in 10 games, Darren Huckerby has become the catalyst for San Jose's recent success. Brazilian forward Dejair made his Chivas USA debut on Saturday with a goal and an assist in a huge road win against D.C. United. Chivas USA forward Alecko Eskandarian has three goals in three consecutive games, all wins, for the LA-based club. He is tied for the team goal-scoring lead with two other players despite only playing in eight games this season due to injury.

Sunday, October 12

Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire, 3:00 p.m. (TeleFutura)

The Crew would capture the Supporters' Shield trophy outright with a victory over the Fire on Sunday. If Columbus loses or ties Chicago, the trophy may be decided when Houston plays D.C. United later in the evening. Two of the League's top goalkeepers, statistically, face each other in this match. Chicago's Jon Busch leads MLS with a 0.96 goals against average and 10 shutouts. The Crew's William Hesmer ranks second in shutouts with nine and ranks first with 16 wins. This is the second and final meeting in 2008. The teams tied 2-2 at Crew Stadium on July 5. The Fire lead the all-time series 17-10-9 and have not lost to the Crew since Oct. 7, 2006.

D.C. United at Houston Dynamo, 7:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

This is the second and final meeting this season between the clubs. The Dynamo lead the all-time series 3-2-0 and defeated United 2-0 at RFK Stadium in their meeting in July. Houston's Brian Ching has equaled his career-high goal total with 12, a number he also achieved in 2004 as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes. If Chivas USA lose to San Jose on Saturday, Houston could clinch the top spot in the Western Conference with a win. D.C. United have allowed 31 goals on the road, the second highest total in the League; the Galaxy have allowed 32.

Colorado Rapids at Los Angeles Galaxy, 8:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

After a hot month of September in which they went 3-0-1 and jumped up the standings, the Rapids were cooled by a 3-1 loss to Houston to start October. The game will be missing two of League's top scorers in Landon Donovan (19 goals) and Conor Casey (9 goals). Donovan will miss the game due to international duty for the U.S. Men's National Team. Casey received a red card in the Rapids loss to Houston last weekend. The Galaxy's playoff hopes are dwindling and hinge on getting victories in their final three games. In 2007 the Galaxy closed the season 1-1-1 with a tie and loss in their final two games.

Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching Wins MLS Player of the Week Award

Brian Ching was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 28 of the 2008 season. Ching scored two goals and tallied an assist on Saturday, lifting the Dynamo to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. With the win, Houston (11-5-10) became the second MLS team to clinch a berth for the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs. This is Ching's second Player of the Week honor this season and the fourth of his career. He has recorded 56 goals in seven MLS seasons and his 12 goals this season equal his career high. Houston begins a three-game home stand on Sunday, Oct. 12 when they face D.C. United at 6 p.m. ET.

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/.

New York Red Bull Forward Macoumba Kandji on ESPN.com Web Chat, Tuesday 3 p.m. ET

New York Red Bull forward Mac Kandji will chat live with fans, Tuesday, October 7 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.com. Kandji, who registered an assist in his MLS debut less than two weeks ago, will discuss a range of topics including the Thursday Night Primetime game on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes against Real Salt Lake. Thursday's match kicks off at 10 p.m. ET at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

Major League Soccer's Top Performers in October

The following lists show the top active players in goals scored and assists during the month of October in their careers (regular season games):

Goals Scored in October

Christian Gomez 10

Taylor Twellman 8

Jeff Cunningham 7

Steve Ralston 7

Edson Buddle 6

Amado Guevara 6

Landon Donovan 5

Eddie Gaven 5

Alejandro Moreno 5

Pat Noonan 5

Assists in October

Landon Donovan 7

Steve Ralston 7

Eddie Gaven 5

Alejandro Moreno 5

Ronnie O'Brien 5

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from October 6, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central