Fire, Dynamo road victories have big effect on conference racesA pair of road victories had a big effect on each of the conference races as the Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo each came away with three points from their travels in Week 16 of the Major League Soccer season.
The Fire did something done just once before in MLS history -- defeat the Colorado Rapids in their annual Fourth of July home game -- claiming a 2-1 victory in Commerce City to pull into a tie atop the Eastern Conference. And the Dynamo rebounded from a rare two-game winless skid thanks to a thrilling Kei Kamara goal for a 1-0 victory at Kansas City, extending their lead to four points in the West.
D.C. United maintained a share of the Eastern Conference lead by also coming away with a point on the road, playing to a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew. Alecko Eskandarian announced his move to the Los Angeles Galaxy with the lone goal of the game in a victory against the New England Revolution.
Real Salt Lake got a late own goal to ensure a share of the points in a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes to kick off the weekend, and FC Dallas got a pair of goals from Jeff Cunningham to continue the New York Red Bulls' road misery in a 2-1 win.
At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids were again playing host to their annual Fourth of July extravaganza after seeing their club-record eight-game undefeated run come to an end the week before in Seattle. The Fire were returning to MLS action after three weeks off for SuperLiga play, having lost their last three MLS games and with five losses in their last seven games in all competitions.
The Fire took a two-goal lead before the first half was out. In the 30th minute, a well-worked move led to the opener. A ball into the area was chested down by Brian McBride into the path of Baggio Husidic, and he cut a rolling pass to the top of the box for Marco Pappa. The Guatemalan international coolly converted with a left-footed strike inside the left post for his fifth goal on the season.
Seven minutes later, the Fire won an contested corner kick, and the visitors took advantage. Cuauhutemoc Blanco put in the ball from the right and Colombian center back Wilman Conde rose up to powerfully head home his second marker of the year.
The Rapids created a tense final quarter-hour, getting a goal back in the 76th minute. Conor Casey sent a snap header toward the lower right corner and Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch got down well to make a terrific save. But he couldn't hold the ball, and Jacob Peterson swept in to poke it home from almost on the line for his first goal of the campaign.
But the home side couldn't find an equalizer, and went down to defeat for just the second time on July 4 (along with just one draw), their only previous Independence Day loss coming in 1999 to Columbus.
At CommunityAmerica Ballpark, the Wizards were back in league action after putting a stop to a three-game winless run in their last MLS game, a win against New England. The Dynamo had seen their club-record 11-game undefeated streak put to a stop the week before in a 1-0 loss at Los Angeles.
The game's lone goal came in the 18th minute. Mike Chabala was freed down the left flank and put in a fine cross that dropped just over Wizards center back Rauwshan McKenzie onto the head of Kei Kamara, and the Sierra Leonian striker powered it home.
Kamara celebrated his third goal of the season with a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, putting a white glove out of his shorts and striking a pose familiar to the pop singer. It was the seventh time this season the Dynamo have played in a 1-0 game, winning five.
At Crew Stadium, the defending MLS champion Crew had lost just once in their last 11 league games, pulling to within a point of the Eastern Conference lead. United had lost just twice in their last 12 MLS games.
United dominated the early exchanges and deserved took the lead on 33 minutes. A continual attack saw a clearance put back into the area where Chris Pontius headed it goalward. Defender Danny O'Rourke was able to block it with his chest, but Christian Gomez swooped in to knock home the rebound for his fourth goal, third in the last four games.
The visitors continued with the upper hand into the second half, but couldn't find another way past Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer, who ended with 10 saves.
The Crew made them pay in the 59th minute. Emmanuel Ekpo sent in an early cross from the left and Steven Lenhart sent a flick-on header across the box, finding Alejandro Moreno. The Venezuelan international made no mistake for his third goal of the year and the eventual equalizer.
At The Home Depot Center, the Galaxy had stopped back-to-back losses -- just their second and third of the year -- with a win against Houston the week before. The Revolution were back in league competition after advancing to the semifinals in defense of their SuperLiga title, their last MLS game a loss in Kansas City.
Alecko Eskandarian had completed a move just down the hall in a trade with Chivas USA just days earlier, and even with Landon Donovan's return from international duty, he made the start in attack for the Galaxy.
It took him just eight minutes to open his account with his new club. Todd Dunivant sent in a high ball from the left flank and Eskandarian timed his run perfectly, volleying the ball home at the right post back inside the left stick, his second MLS goal on the season.
At Rio Tinto Stadium, Real hadn't lost in four games, with two wins in their last three, while the Earthquakes were looking for their first victory away from home on the season with two wins and two draws in their last five games.
The visitors finally broke through in the 63th minute. Arturo Alvarez played a neat one-two with Pablo Campos at the edge of the area, skipping through a host of RSL defenders on his way into the area and then stabbed a left-footed shot past Nick Rimando inside the right post for his fifth goal on the campaign.
Just went it seemed the Quakes would leave Utah with the full three points, heartbreak hit. Javier Morales tried to bring down a loose ball in the San Jose area, and defender Chris Leitch was able to get a foot in. But he knocked the ball past goalkeeper Joe Cannon and inside the right post for an equalizing own goal.
At Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas had a win and a draw in their last two games, playing host to a Red Bulls team that had lost seven of their last eight games and hadn't won on the road in league play in a record 22 games.
With Kenny Cooper away on international duty, Jeff Cunningham was given the start up top -- and he struck for a pair of goals within a three-minute span. First, in the 15th minute, his pace allowed him to strip a defender of the ball and he cut into the area before slotting home a left-footed shot.
Then in the 17th, Dave van den Bergh -- playing on the right flank in his first meeting against his former club -- swung in a cross that Cunningham slipped between defenders to get onto the end of, knocking a low volley into the goal. It was Cunningham's first two-goal game since Sept. 21, 2008 at Chicago and gave him 107 for his MLS career, one behind Jason Kreis for third on the all-time list.
The Red Bulls were able to pull a goal back two minutes before the break. Jorge Rojas found an overlapping Danleigh Borman on the left and he played a quick ball into Juan Pablo Angel in the six-yard box, who was able to get his first-time shot past FCD 'keeper Ray Burse.
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