As the clock moves towards September, it is not surprising to find traditional MLS contenders, New England, Dallas, Houston, New York and DC United beginning to make their moves.
NY Red Bulls 3, Houston 0
Mike Magee scored once and set up another goal as the New York Red Bulls extended their winning streak to three games with a 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. Sparked by the recent play of Magee, the surging Red Bulls (7-7-7) evened their record and improved to 3-0-2 in their last five matches.
Playing uninspired and without passion at times, the Dynamo (8-5-8) had a four-game winning streak stopped and a seven-game unbeaten streak halted. Houston still is in first place in the Western Conference with 32 points.
Toronto 1, New England 1
Chad Barrett’s goal earned Toronto FC a 1-1 tie against league-leading New England on Saturday night. Playing his fourth game for Toronto since being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Fire, Barrett took a pass from Rohan Ricketts in the penalty area before turning and firing a left-footer past New England goalie Doug Warren in the 66th minute.
The goal seemed to energize Toronto, which just missed going ahead 2-1 in the 73rd minute when Marvell Wynne shot wide on an outstanding chance from in close.
Chivas USA 0, Earthquakes 0
Zach Thornton made three saves for his first shutout in two years to preserve Chivas USA’s tie. The Earthquakes (5-9-7) extended their unbeaten streak to six games. Chivas USA (6-9-6) is winless in its past six.
FC Dallas 1, Wizards 1
A goal in stoppage time by Jimmy Conrad gave Kansas City a share of the points here. With the draw FC Dallas (6-7-8) missed a chance to move past Real Salt Lake into second place in the Western Conference. Kansas City (6-7-8) avoided its first home loss since a 3-0 defeat by Columbus on June 14.
Crew 3, Real Salt Lake 0
Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored one and laid on two as Columbus (11-6-4) equaled the 37 points it had in 30 matches last season. Real Salt Lake (7-8-6) is 1-8-1 on the road.
DC United 3, Rapids 0
Kouis Crayton had his second shutout in three matches and Joe Vide and Quavas Kirk scored their first career goals. Colorado has only one victory in its last six matches and extended its road winless streak to seven. The Rapids haven’t won at RFK Stadium since 1999.
