Portland 3 - New England 0
Portland started the Week 26 schedule with a resounding win over New England. Diego Chara opened the scoring at JELD-WEN Field in the 9th minute, with Kenny Cooper making it 2-0 in the 32nd. Darlington Nagbe finished off the scoring in the 66th, with Troy Perkins picking up the shutout.
"I said to the guys don't worry about it, we've got other games to play," Portland coach John Spencer said about pressure to make the playoffs. "Obviously, people are looking into it and saying our road form isn't the best. We want to win our home games, you need to win your home games in order to make the playoffs, but there's still going to be opportunities if we don't win at home."
Toronto 2 - Colorado 1
Toronto's Danny Koevermans scored both goals in the 52nd and 60th minutes, with Colorado's Sanna Nyassi spoiling the shutout with a 70th minute goal. Colorado exited BMO Field frustrated, with Drew Moor seeing two would-be goals cleared off the line.
"The first one I was trying to hold a guy off, just trying to get anything on it and it went right to the guy that was on the post," Moor said. "The second one I had to reach back for it a little bit but that is definitely the play that I will be thinking about for the rest of the night tonight. It would have been a different mood in here if that one goes in."
Chicago 3 - Chivas USA 2
In the stage of a season where any win is chased with the word "playoffs," the Chicago Fire are 7th in the Eastern Conference after their win over Chivas USA. They did it courtesy of an own-goal and playing an hour a man down. Cory Gibbs opened the scoring in the 2nd minute and Chivas USA helped out Chicago by putting the ball in the back of their own net in the 26th. Gibbs was ejected for a serious foul in the 37th, but Chivas USA wouldn't take advantage until the second-half. Juan Pablo Angel put the ball in the right net in the 63rd minute, with Nick LaBrocca pulling Chivas USA even two minutes later. Dominic Oduro scored the Fire's short-handed winner in the 85th.
“First of all, we are disappointed for the result," Angel said. "The own goal was something that happened that was an unlucky play. I was in the air when I think the ball was touched by a defender, then the ball hit me and I didn’t have anything to do with it. I think it was poorly defended by us. It was a poor goal to concede. I am disappointed obviously. "
Philadelphia 1 - Columbus 0
The Union finally got a win in what at one point earlier in the season would've been a battle for first in the Eastern Conference. Instead, Philadelphia used the three points to keep a tie-breaker advantage over Houston in 3rd-place. Sebastien Le Toux scored the game's only goal in the 32nd minute in front of 18,906 at PPL Park.
Dallas 0 - New York 1
The Red Bulls finally won, and they did it against a contending team. Luke Rodgers's 36th minute goal was the difference, with Frank Rost picking up the shutout.
"I can’t necessarily speak on behalf of the team. I can speak on behalf of myself and it doesn’t’ seem like we’re playing with the same type of intensity and we’re not having as much success as we had perhaps in the middle portion of the season," Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman said. "I don’t know if it’s because we have different personnel on the field, if it’s because we’re lethargic, we’re tired. I don’t know exactly what it is. I know we need to hurry up and rectify the situation as quickly as possible."
Houston 2 - San Jose 1
The Dynamo got the win at home to keep pace in the Eastern Conference, currently in 4th-place tied on points but trailing Philadelphia. San Jose got the opening goal form Khari Stephenson in the 40th minute, but that was it for their offense. Brad Davis had Houston level in the 48th and Will Bruin scored the winner in the 80th minute. If the season ended in Week 26, the Dynamo would make the playoffs, finishing just ahead of New York and facing them in the play-in game.
Salt Lake 1 - Kansas City 0
With Kansas City needing the points for 1st-place in the East and Real Salt Lake trying to stay close to Seattle in the West, it was RSL taking all three points at Rio Tinto Stadium. Nat Borchers scored the game's only goal in the 54th minute, with Sporting getting an unnecessary reminder of what life was like on the road over the first half of their season.
“I believe that this team can win in multiple ways," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "I think it sends a message to the rest of the league that if a brawl is going to break out and it’s going to be a wrestling match, well, we can win that way too."
Seattle 3 - DC 0
DC United was shutout on the road against a Seattle team trying to seal up 2nd-place in the Western Conference. Not exactly surprising considering Seattle's record is 10 points better than any team in the East. Mike Fucito opened the scoring in the 35th minute with Alvaro Fernandez doubling that lead just before halftime. It was Fernandez again, scoring in the 60th minute. Kasey Keller picked up the shutout.
Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid used his postgame comments to pay tribute to Erik Martin, the 14-year-old who in his superhero alter-ego saved the Sounders. Martin died on Friday. "To win three-nothing on a day where we lost a very special person like 'Electron Boy' who - that whole thing he did with us with the Make-A-Wish Foundation was just tremendous," Schmid said. "I know that was something that was on all the players' minds and that helped them move forward into this game today. I thought we were pretty solid."
LA 3 - Vancouver 0
Mike Magee scored two goals for the Galaxy as they added more points to the top of the Western Conference and Supporters Shield tables. Magee scored in the 40th and 75th minutes, with Robbie Keane getting his second MLS goal in the 64th. Keane assisted on Magee's opener, with David Beckham also picking up assists on both Magee goals.
“We are starting to figure him out more," LA forward Landon Donovan said of Keane. "The reality is becoming very clear that if you get the ball to him in good spots in front of the goal he is going to make plays. Not only scoring goals, but his cross to Mike was great.”
