With a chance to reshuffle the top of the Eastern Conference table, only Chicago takes all three points. Meanwhile, a new signing makes the difference for Los Angeles while Houston adds three more points to the to of the Western Conference.
DC 1 - Columbus 1
Christian Gomez put DC United up in the 33rd minute and that carried into halftime. Columbus equalized through Alejandro Moreno in the 59th, splitting the points and keeping the total at the top of the Eastern Conference at 24. United stays top on goal difference to Chicago, with Columbus a point behind in third. "I'm happy with the point," Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. "I don't think it was our best game, but it was very important to get the point when you're not playing your best."
Chicago 2 - Colorado 1
The Fire returned to League play trying to forget about a two-game losing streak and now have the best record in the Eastern Conference by beating Colorado. Marco Pappa scored in the 30th minute and it was 2-0 Chicago through Wilman Conde seven minutes later. Jacob Peterson ruined Jon Busch's shutout attempt in the 76th minute. Bush is on the Gold Cup roster but was allowed to stay with his club. "Chicago were much better than us in the first period, and won the game in that period," Colorado coach Gary Smith said. "The second half was really just an opportunity for us to save some face. We got back in the game but the game was done for me in the first half. They played like a team who looked like they had something to prove."
New York 1 - Dallas 2
FC Dallas became the latest club to take advantage of Red Bull NY, with Jeff Cunningham making a case for Player of the Week with goals in the 15th and 17th minutes. Juan Pablo Angle pulled RBNY within one just before halftime, but that was it for the scoring. "I really wanted to have a good performance and I felt I had a lot to prove," Cunningham said. "After 12 years in the league I still feel I need to prove myself. Tonight was just that desire to come out and have that kind of impact on the game."
Houston 1 - Kansas City 0
Kansas City had another capacity crowd, but it was Houston getting the game's only goal. Kei Kamara scored in the 18th minute and did a Michael Jackson tribute as his goal celebration. "The celebration I had in my pocket," Kamara said. "It was all just fun. It's disappointing to see that Michael is gone, but it's the only thing I can do to celebrate Michael. I used to perform like Michael back when I was a little kid in Africa in talent shows. I had to bring that one out."
New England 0 - Los Angeles 1
Relying on backup keeper Jush Saunders to keep the clean sheet and getting a goal from new signing Alecko Eskandarian in the 8th minute, LA gets their fourth win of the season. "I know I timed my run perfectly... but I was just hoping the linesman wouldn’t blow the call, so I knew that I was on side," Eskandarian said. "It came on my right foot, which is my weaker foot, I just wanted to guide it into the goal."
MLS Depth Chart
1. Seattle (did not play) EVEN
2. Houston (back to winning) EVEN
3. Chivas USA (did not play) EVEN
4. Chicago (returned with win) +3
5. DC (split points) EVEN
6. Columbus (split points) -2
7. Colorado (fireworks night losers) -1
8. Kansas City (lost to Houston) EVEN
9. Toronto (did not play) EVEN
10. Los Angeles (two in a row) +3
11. New England (shutout in Carson) -1
12. Dallas (beat New York) +2
13. San Jose (point on the road) -2
14. Salt Lake (point at home) -3
15. New York (still losing) EVEN
