After a month without a win to start the 2012 season, Peter Nowak’s squad took full advantage of a first half penalty to overcome the visiting Columbus Crew, 1-0.

Gabriel Gomez scored the lone goal, his second in Union colors. He stepped to the spot and coolly chipped the ball past Crew keeper Andy Gruenebaum. While it wasn’t a conventional penalty take, it counted the same as the Union defense was able to hold onto the goal lead for the remainder of the match.

Robert Warzycha sprung a surprise in his starting lineup, leaving Emilio Renteria on the bench for Aaron Schoenfeld. Schoenfeld, a 6’4″, 190 lb. forward who was drafted by Montreal before being acquired by Columbus, gave the Crew a large body up front as a size advantage against a smaller Union backline. Another rookie, Ethan Finlay, got a start as a midfielder.

The Union started in a conservative 4-1-4-1 formation, challenged by a prematch injury to central defender Danny Califf. Nowak pushed Sheanon Williams inside to cover the loss of Califf, while Raymon Gaddis, a 2nd round SuperDraft pick, got his first MLS start at right back. Freddy Adu earned his first start since returning from international duty in the US U-23 tournament, being positioned on the left in the formation.

In what became a physical match, the deciding moment came in the 38th minute, as Freddy Adu was sprung down the left-hand side by a Williams’ diagonal pass. Adu crossed into the area, and Eric Gehrig swung his elbow at the ball and drew the call. After some negotiations, Gomez took the penalty successfully.

Columbus had a few chances, including a late header by 2nd half substitute Bernardo Anor. The Venezuelan forward met his head to the ball off a cross, but he could not put the redirection on target. The Crew was frustrated throughout the match, especially by Zac MacMath, who earned his second clean sheet of the campaign.  After a shaky start in Portland, the University of Maryland product has regained the confidence he showed at the end of the 2011 campaign. Though he only notched one official save, MacMath seized many key crosses and corner kicks that came into his area.

While the Crew defense recovered from their 4-1 defeat to Red Bull New York, the offense was shut out for the second time in 2012. They will return to Crew Stadium a week from today to host the Houston Dynamo. Houston hasn’t played in 3 weeks, but will first face the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park tomorrow evening.

The Union will try to build on their two game home stand, where they earned 4 points against Vancouver and Columbus. They travel cross-country to face a Chivas USA team that has won 3 of their last 4 matches (including their only loss to hot Sporting Kansas City). While the Goats haven’t been scoring goals prolifically, they seem to have bolstered their defense, something that may hinder a Union team struggling in the final third. The match is the late start on Saturday night.

Henry And Cooper With A Brace Each

After two fantastic wins at Red Bull Arena the Red Bulls had a tough task at hand when they traveled to Columbus, Ohio to face the Crew. The last time they got a victory at Crew Stadium was in the 2006 season, capped by a highlight goal by Jerrod LaVenture.

It got started early for the Red Bulls as Kenny Cooper got on the board in the 3rd minute. Thierry Henry, at midfield, sent a long ball into the area and Cooper chests it down, then made a quick turnaround shot to his right and beat Andy Gruenebaum inside the far post.

His second of the match came ten minutes later as Dane Richards tried to send the ball into the area, but it deflected off a Columbus defender. With the ball in mid-air, Cooper found a way to put a head on it and the dream start became a reality.

Since the home opener against the Rapids, Henry has been on a goal scoring tear and continues to do so later in the first half. In the 40th minute Roy Miller delivered a nice ball towards Henry, who deposited it like the goal he converted against Leeds United in the FA Cup while on loan with Arsenal.

Then after Chad Marshall broke Ryan Meara’s clean sheet, Henry tallied his seventh of the season in the 90th minute when he settled down a Joel Lindpere cross. Henry blasted it inside the upper ninety of the near post to sew up the first road win of the season.

What has happened to the Red Bulls after starting with two straight losses to start the season? Did they decide to wake up all of the sudden and start scoring goals out of nowhere to dominate their opposition? It’s true that they haven’t played a team like Sporting Kansas City yet, but that time will come.

But as soon as Hans Backe decided to use Cooper up top to pair with Henry at Red Bull Arena against the Rapids, everything fell into place – and the goals have kept on coming. The early Golden Boot race is being paced by the starting strikers for the Red Bulls.

For the first time in his three year career with the Red Bulls, Lindpere was not in the starting XI. He came on in the 80th minute for Richards and delivered that fantastic cross to Henry. It’s clear though that Backe was sending a message. He hasn’t been happy with his wide players, but it appears his motivational tactic did the trick.

Out of the fourteen goals that have been scored by Cooper and Henry, only Mehdi Ballouchy has converted from the midfield. Once again Ryan Meara looked sharp in net, but sadly lost his clean sheet bid to a Chad Marshall header in the 89th minute. He is showing plenty of confidence between the posts.

Since losing the injured Wilman Conde, the Red Bulls have won three in a row and are reasserting themselves as a force in the Eastern Conference. Of course Sporting Kansas City is in first at the moment, but down the road this match-up will be enticing.

The Columbus Crew were certainly a surprise team last season.  After cutting ties with a number of veterans and going with a roster that looked lacking on almost every part of the pitch, head coach Robert Warzycha coaxed a great season out of a sometimes combustible team.  Robbie Rogers earned his way onto the U.S. men’s national team with superior MLS play while Dilly Duka is now an up-and-coming talent.  The team was in the playoff hunt from April on and by playing stout defense combined with timely goal scoring, this was a team that played tough all year.  They even treated the fans to a historic MLS moment when Jeff Cunningham broke the record for most MLS goals in a career.

Going into this offseason, this again looks like a rebuilding effort.  But can the team meet or exceed the levels they achieved last season?  Let’s continue the “three questions” series with the Columbus Crew:

(Two notes.  First, we continue the series via the 2012 Superdraft selection order.  Columbus, despite a better record than New York, drafts tenth, followed by FC Dallas then Toronto.  The Reds have New York’s pick from the Dwayne De Rosario trade, but we’ll do the Red Bulls Three Questions after Dallas.  Second, the series will take a short break tomorrow and Sunday with a “12 Predictions for 2012″ post.  We’ll pick up with Dallas on Monday.)

1. What (or with whom) is the deal with Rogers and Ekpo?

In baseball, going one for three is a good day.  In MLS contract negotiations, it is a miserable failure.  The Crew offered a long-term deal to team leader Chad Marshall and he signed on the 19th.  This was a critical move to lock up one of MLS’s best defenders and one of the team’s two best players.  However, their contract offers to Emmanuel Ekpo and Robbie Rogers have yet to be accepted.  As of now, Rogers has been linked with English Championship side Leeds United but has not signed a deal.  Ekpo was left on the Crew’s unprotected list in the expansion draft and has allegedly been working on a loan deal to a European club.

Both of these players are critical components to this team, Rogers even more so than Ekpo.  Depending on how their fates come down will dictate how this team’s offseason goes.  Losing Ekpo but not Rogers would be a minor victory, but losing both could be devastating.

2. Clumbus

As in no “o”.  The Crew lost Andres Mendoza to the Mexican league and Jeff Cunningham was let go.  Mendoza was a locker room problem (see his hogging of penalty kicks) and the game has passed Cunningham by (his form was painful at times last season) but they both at least provided credible goal threats, Mendoza especially.  Combined with the possible departures of Rogers and Ekpo, this team has a gaping hole at the top.  Emilio Renteria returns but the only other forwards under contract with this team are either unproven no names (Meram, Horton) or depth players (Heinemann).  The Crew have to invest in replacements up top or risk having to over-rely on their defense.  Which leads me to…..

3. Is there a plan in the front office?

For the second winter, the Crew are in rebuilding mode, and the fans are unhappy.  After their impressive run in 2008 and 2009, there was no doubt this team could not be kept together.  But looking at this squad, what’s the plan?  Last season Warzycha was firmly on the hot seat but earned his way off.  Is he the Crew’s coach no matter what?  What if they get off to a slow start?  Also, the team has not publicly given a strategy for building in 2012.  They added depth on defense by acquiring Carlos Mendes but they look totally unprepared to lose their big-named players.  They need to give some indications as to whether they are rebuilding, retooling, or some other strategy.

The Columbus Crew have a knack for late game heroics recently.  This past weekend it was Rich Blachan grabbing a goal late in stoppage time to salvage a tie with the Red Bulls.  Last night it was a furious second half rally full of controversy that saw home fans booing the game-tying goal and Will Hesmer playing the hero late in stoppage time.  The 2-1 win by the Crew moves them into third in the Eastern Conference, while the loss casts doubt on Real Salt Lake’s place in the MLS Cup race.

This was the first match between the two teams since their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match-up.  The scoring started early for the visitors when in the seventh minute they were awarded a corner kick.  The kick, taken by Nelson Gonzalez, was flicked past Hesmer by Jamison Olave for his first goal of the season.  Emmanuel Ekpo was the victim as he fell while trying to mark Olave and allowed the open shot.  It was the fourth time in six games, according to the MLS website, that the Crew have conceded a goal before the tenth minute of the game.

The Crew tried to equalize and had more chances throughout the first half and the beginning of the second.  The game changed in the 76th minute when Justin Meram was tripped in the box by Olave and the Crew were awarded a penalty.  What happened next can only be described as bizarre. Jeff Cunningham, who has struggled all season to score and was a goal behind Jaime Moreno for the all-time MLS goals record, had been designated by Robert Warzycha to take any penalties.  Despite this, Andrés Mendoza stepped up to take the kick and took the ball away from Cunningham.  Chad Marshall came over and tried to arbitrate, and then Cunningham, according to his account after the game, allowed Mendoza to convert the PK.  As relayed by Shawn Mitchell in Crew Xtra, Cunningham after the game said:

Despite converting the penalty, some in the crowd booed Mendoza when he was subbed off in the 85th minute.  But the night would be full of cheers for the Crew faithful, as Josh Garner in the 82nd minute sent a shot from about 20 yards out that hit the thigh of RSL defender Chris Schuler and deflected past Nick Rimando for the second, and decisive, goal.   The Crew had to defend the lead fiercely however, as the visitors made one last push to equalize.  Three minutes into stoppage time Tony Beltran had a great chance on goal with a quick shot off a corner that forced William Hesmer to extend and make an incredible finger-tip save to preserve the tie.

The Crew move into third place in the Eastern Conference with the win and have built a three game winning streak.  But good luck guessing where this team is going.  After beginning the season with an incredible shutout streak, the club gave up three goals to Portland in their draw and has begun a nasty habit of allowing early goals.  Readers, feel free to share where you think the Crew are going because I am having a hard time figuring it out myself.

As for Real Salt Lake, this team is not looking like the favorites for the MLS Cup like many thought they would be this season.  While their depth has been severely tested by injury and national team call-ups, they seem to lack creativity in their attack.  Since losing to Monterrey they are 2-2-3, not exactly world beaters.  There is still time to turn it around, and they have a few games in hand over their opponents, but it may be time to worry about RSL this season.

Photo by Greg Hickman

On March 19, the Columbus Crew dejectedly walked out of RFK Stadium in Washington on the wrong side of a 3-1 game.  The team allowed two Charlie Davies goals (one a penalty kick) and looked outclassed, out played, and in for a long season.  The result came after they were shown the door from the CONCACAF Champions League by losing 4-1 to Real Salt Lake.  After an offseason where the team jettisoned many of its bigger named players to make room in the salary cap and committed to a rebuilding effort, the team looked destined for a long, long season.

A month later, Columbus sits in a playoff spot.  The team has not allowed a goal since the second Davies’ goal and this weekend held the highest-scoring team in MLS to no goals.  While not an offensive juggernaut, the team is scoring enough to get results.  So are the Crew back to their normal spot near the top of the Eastern Conference for good, or is this an illusion that will wilt away in the summer months?  The answer is, of course, not that simple.

At first glance the schedule up to this point for the Crew has been daunting, but upon closer examination looks to have been quite easy.  After the trip to DC, the Crew hosted the Red Bulls and Dallas, two 2010 playoff teams and teams expected to compete for an MLS Cup this season.  But the Crew played New York during an international break and essentially forced a draw with a “B” team, while Dallas has struggled mightily this season and is still sorting out personnel issues.  The trip to Chivas led to a scoreless draw, not surprising how bad Chivas is, and while Sporting Kansas City is promising, they have a horrendous defense to go with a great offense.  So the schedule has not been a good guidepost to the season so far, except to say the Crew don’t lose to bad teams.

One constant this season has been the defense, which should not be a surprise considering that was one area the team didn’t unload their star power.  MLS star Chad Marshall was retained and paired with a number of new players who have excelled to this point.  Julius James was picked up off the smoldering heap that was DC United’s 2010 backline and has seen a career resurgence.  Rookie Rich Balchan has started all five games and played extremely well.  In net, Will Hesmer has played very well after some uncertainty this offseason as to who would be the starter due to injuries.  The team has not allowed a goal in four matches, a team record and an incredibly accomplishment.  In their last match, Dilly Duka had as many shots on goal (2) as all of the Kansas City players combined.

Another reason for their positive play has been Robbie Rogers, their one consistent offensive threat.  The rift that existed between Rogers and head coach Robert Warzycha has seemingly been resolved; the Crew team on the pitch in DC looked lost and without a real offensive threat until Rogers stepped on the pitch.  So far this year Rogers has scored as many goals (2) as he has the past two seasons.

The upcoming schedule also should be a reason for optimism among Columbus fans.  This weekend, they visit a Toronto team in flux then host the expansion Whitecaps and struggling Sounders (although the Sounders may be finally turning their season around).  Things get tough with back-to-back trips to San Jose and Portland, but they end May by hosting Chivas.  Conceivably, the Crew should pick up at least 12 points through the end of May.

But the reason why Rogers has been so good for the Columbus offense is that the play of the Crew forwards and midfield have been terrible.  Consider that Portland scored as many goals in its home opener as the Crew have scored this season, and that two of those goals came from penalties.  Eddie Gaven has been ok but not really good up front, and while it is still early Andres Mendoza has been a disappointment.  Jeff Cunningham looks his age and fails to convert quality chances.

So can the Crew continue this run and qualify for the playoffs?  In an Eastern Conference with few clear favorites, it is not out of the realm of possibility for them to grab a top three spot if their defense continues to play well.  But for this team to challenge New York for first or even challenge a resurgent Philadelphia or DC, they need to find more consistent offense.  Without a goal scorer either emerging or being acquired this summer, Columbus could be on the outside looking in this September.

Photo by greg.brock

On a cold afternoon in Columbus, Ohio the New York Red Bulls traveled to take on the Crew to try to earn any points possible and build on their season opening victory against the Seattle Sounders. But when you are missing five players on international duty and two starters through injury, how is this feat possible? How will you find a way to not just get a goal, but to get a positive result in any way possible?

You sign a rookie keeper who was on your pre-season squad in Alex Horwath, testing your depth and putting certain players out of position like Roy Miller. Miller is normally a left fullback, but when teamed up in the center with veteran Carlos Mendes, he was a workhorse. That’s just what the undermanned Red Bulls did as they stole a crucial point on the road at Crew Stadium.

Horwath answered the call a couple of times in this match. But it was Emmanuel Ekpo who had a great chance to score for Columbus when he received a good ball in the 39th minute. Even though the shot wasn’t taken well, Horwath was proactive and made the one handed diving save. Many other chances were taken by the Crew and either it was an easy grab for Horwath, or the ball just barely missed the goal by a hair. But what the Red Bulls did was frustrate the Crew for the full ninety minutes as they steal an important point. And for the second consecutive match, they delivered a clean sheet against their opposition.

“It was a massive result,” said Red Bulls coach Hans Backe. “To have a second clean sheet with the way we defended… I’m really, really impressed and proud to see these players show this kind of performance.”

Give Will Hesmer plenty of credit as well for his clean sheet performance. There were many times that the Red Bulls could have stolen the full three points by sneaking one in, but Hesmer made several strong saves and parried away a dangerous Joel Lindpere shot in second half stoppage time that could have been a match winner. But while Hesmer shined for the Crew, the rest of the side had some moments.

But for the New York Red Bulls who lost Juan Agudelo and Tim Ream for the USA friendly against Argentina, lost Rafa Marquez to Mexico, lost Dane Richards to Jamaica, lost Bouna Coundoul to Senegal; including injuries to Thierry Henry (left leg muscle strain) and Greg Sutton (concussion), this was a gutsy, gritty performance by an under-manned Red Bulls side that stole a point.

Once these international matches are done this coming Tuesday, it will be a full squad for selection by Hans Backe and hopefully that means there won’t be an interference until this coming June when the 2011 Gold Cup starts. There will be relief now but in two months Hans Backe could lose up to five players until the middle of June for those road matches in league play.

Last night was the unofficial start to the MLS season, as Real Salt Lake and Columbus faced off in their first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal.  In a night that was below freezing and in front of a sparse crowd, the two teams grinded out a 0-0 draw that was defined by the referee as well as missed chances by Columbus.

The first half set the tone for the entire evening, as Columbus came out attacking and had their first chance in the first minute as the Crew attacked down the left side with Renteria crossing a pass into to Mendoza who couldn’t corral it for a shot.  That sentence basically summarized the first half as Columbus controlled possession and attempted to create scoring chances, with most of them being thwarted by Real Salt Lake or being poorly executed.  Columbus consistently attacked down the left, which is something they must have seen in film sessions as a possible weakness.  RSL had two decent chances in the first ten minutes, but were content to sit back and play defense against a Crew team that is looking to replace some of their big name players this season.  The only other thing to note from the first half was Tony Beltran’s hard tackle on Emmanuel Ekpo in the 43 minute, which resulted in the game’s first yellow card.

The first goal in the second half, I thought, would be monumental for momentum, for it would come as a result of Columbus domination of play or a back-breaking counter from RSL.  Of course all this statistical analysis went out the window in the second half as referee Jair Marrufo decided to make his own impact on the match.

In the 52nd minute Tony Beltran was again carded for a rough tackle (this time on Fabian Espindola) and was sent off.  The tackle, while hard, might have deserved a first yellow card but was not severe enough to warrant a game-changing second yellow card.  By sending him off, Marrufo completely turned the match around.  Now RSL would be trying to hang on to a scoreless draw for forty minutes, which undoubtedly led to a slower match.

The red cards were flashed again in the 70th minute when Emilio Renteria went down to the ground holding his head.  At this point the CONCACAF television feed did a poor job of showing the post-whistle action, so for a few minutes the Fox Soccer crew and audience were left wondering what was going on.  But once Nat Borchers and Emilio Renteria started walking to the tunnel, it became very clear: Marrufo had sent both players off with straight reds, and the game was reduced to a 10 on 9 contest.  The commentators noted this could result in more wide-open and free-flowing play, but the exact opposite was the result: the game slowed to a halt as RSL understandably tried to run out the clock and escape without giving up a goal.

You’ll notice the second half analysis has very little talk of actual soccer, and that was because most of the half was similar to the first: RSL’s defense slowing down and stopping Columbus from having many good scoring chances.  The Crew only finished with two shots on goal.  Their best chance came late in the match when a Robbie Rogers free kick just missed the head of a wide-open Jeff Cunningham in front of the net, who would have easily scored the game’s only goal if he could have corralled the kick.  Instead, we were destined for 0-0.

Now the quarterfinals shift to Real Salt Lake, and RSL has to be feeling confident about their chances to advance.  Playing at home where a win of any score helps them advance gives them a leg-up, but their inability to score an away goal takes away that safety net they would have if Columbus can grab a goal at Rio Tinto; remember, the away goal rule is in effect.  In terms of what this match told us about this team, it didn’t reveal much that we didn’t know.  The RSL back line looks very good, and Rimando made saves when he had to.  Espindola and Saborio had a limited role in attacking, but we should see more of them on Tuesday.  A definite key to the return leg is how RSL can adjust without Borchers and Beltran, who are now both on red card suspension.

As for Columbus, Crew faithful have to be both heartened and disappointed by yesterday’s match.  For a club that some thought were a lock to be in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they hung with maybe the best team in MLS and looked like a pretty talented team.  That being said, they couldn’t score and created very few quality chances at home, and are now firmly underdogs in the next leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.  Plus they will be without Emilio Renteria, who before he was sent off looked to be the Man of the Match for Columbus.

What did you think about last night’s match?

The quest for the MLS Cup began last night with a late arriving crowd, an ironic “One Goal” MLS playoff video, and a match of two teams with vastly different playoff histories and playing styles.  The end result was a slightly disjointed match that put the Colorado Rapids up 1-0 over the Columbus Crew.

The atmosphere at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was loud as a crowd of over 12,000 blew their vuvuzelas and watched the home team come away with a critical home win.  At kickoff, the stands looked at best half full and while the crowd looked fuller as the match progressed, Stan Kroenke and Don Garber had to have been disappointed with the number of people they saw looking down from their box.

But two aspects of the match that were not disappointing for the Colorado faithful were the play of Omar Cummings and the Rapids’ midfielders.  Columbus controlled possession for the first ten minutes of the match but failed to do anything with it as the Rapids’ defense prevented any quality scoring chances.  It was Cummings who ignited the Rapids after the first few minutes by repeatedly breaking on the counter to set up the first few scoring chances.  After he missed Conor Casey on a two on one break in the eleventh minute, the Rapids basically camped out near the Crew’s goal for the next 60 minutes.

Despite Cummings abusing Bryan Carroll like a punching bag in the first half, the Rapids were only able to notch one goal thanks to a great play by their captain Pablo Mastroeni.  The midfielder sent a long pass to the right side of the pitch in the 23rd minute which found Cummings, who after breaking down the defense, sent in a cross that Casey whiffed but Mastroeni expertly buried in the net.  Surprisingly, it was only his first MLS playoff goal but it proved to be an important one.

The statistic of the first half that tells the story is this: Colorado had 10 shots on goal, Columbus 1.  The Rapids’ midfield repeatedly denied Crew star Guillermo Barros Schelotto any space to create plays and even when he did have space, he failed to take advantage.  On a rare scoring opportunity in the 53rd minute, Schelotto received a pass in the box that he promptly skied over the Rapids’ net.  Overall, it was a poor night from him but the Rapids’ midfield should receive a lot of credit for negating him and the Columbus attack for most of the match.

Two substitutions in the second half breathed life into Columbus and made this a match.  Schelotto came off Mendoza, and the Rapids replaced Thompson (who’d had a good match) for Kadji (who subsequently did not).  This led to a flurry of Crew chances to score but the keeper Pickens and some timely Colorado defending kept the visitors off the board.

So Colorado has the advantage going to Columbus next week for the second leg of this round, but both teams had to have been disappointed with the outcome.  For Columbus, the club looked outclassed and outplayed almost the entire match, save a flurry of attempts late in the second half.  Their star Schelotto looked old and they failed to really create quality chances.  They are lucky the final score was only 1-0.

For Colorado, fans have to be happy with the win but disappointed with the result.  Their margin of error next Saturday is very small and if Columbus can tweak their gameplan, it is perfectly possible that Colorado could be eliminated.  And they would have no one to blame but themselves; despite a number of very good chances (mostly created by Cummings) in the first half, the team could not find that decisive second (or third) goal.

Overall, last night was a good way to begin the playoffs, but neither team looked like a challenger for the MLS Cup.  I’ll chalk it up to conservative play and look forward to a more open match in the second leg.

What did you think about the match, the announcers, crowd, MLS video, etc.?  Share below or on Twitter @roberthayjr.

I have to say that after seven months of hardnosed football in Major League Soccer, we have been entertained with a great season with plenty of ups and downs. Tons of surprises as the western conference have more sides into the playoffs than the East.

Yet towards the stretch of this season we are seeing some sides losing steam after fantastic starts like the Los Angeles Galaxy or the Columbus Crew with their amazing fixture congestion competing in the league’s regular season, US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League. But in the case of the Seattle Sounders they found a way to survive a horrible start and were able to right the ship to clinch a playoff spot.

For the very first time in a long the last weekend of matches in the regular season was used for clinching a playoff spot. Now those positions have been filled in the last month or so, yet all that was left was positioning for opponents into the playoffs. All the Red Bulls needed on Thursday night was a win and they have home field advantage throughout the eastern conference playoffs.

But in the West it would be much more interesting to see who goes to the East or stays in the West and plays the top side. On the final Saturday of the regular season three spots were available as two would move to the East. All the Sounders needed was a draw or a win against the Dynamo to remain in the west, but after the second half started and the score leveled it was Cam Weaver with the go ahead goal to give Houston a win at home for the last game of the season.

After a fantastic performance from the surprising Chris Wondolowski to earn a hat trick at Buck Shaw Stadium against Chivas-USA, the Earthquakes had to travel into America’s heartland and face the Kansas City Wizards. But what they didn’t expect was a fantastic performance being created against them, as Birahim Diop scored a hat trick and kept the Quakes down in the eastern conference portion of the playoffs.

Now that meant the Colorado Rapids had a great chance to push down the Sounders into the East, so that they could face the top of the West table Los Angeles Galaxy. They had a two goals to nil lead on the defending champions Real Salt Lake, but unfortunately history came back to haunt the Rapids as they gave up two goals within the final moments of the match. Alvaro Saborio scored two goals inside second half stoppage time to get the comeback draw and that moved Real Salt Lake into a first place tie with the Galaxy for the league lead at the moment.

But it was a victory for the Galaxy on Sunday and they won the Supporters Shield for most points in the season. Let’s also not forget they will be starting next year’s tournament in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. But for the playoffs that start this coming Thursday, this will be an exciting time to watch these match-ups. Even though the system is a bit flawed, the concept is correct. I also agree that conference tables have to go and stick to a full league table where finishers one through eight make the playoffs.

But right now this is the time to get ready and see who will make the trip to BMO Field in Toronto, Canada and raise the MLS Cup high into the Canadian night. I am ready and I hope most of you guys are too.

MLS Cup Playoff Match-ups

Western Conference

Los Angeles Galaxy Vs Seattle Sounder
Real Salt Lake Vs FC Dallas

Eastern Conference

New York Red Bulls Vs San Jose Earthquakes
Columbus Crew Vs Colorado Rapids

Who will win the 2010 MLS Cup?

This is the final week of the group stages for the CONCACAF Champions League and as its self explanatory we are looking to see which sides will need their final games to advance into next year’s knockout stage, or who will earn a better position when the draw is held at the headquarters of CONCACAF.

As everyone already knows Real Salt Lake and Cruz Azul have already qualified for the knockout stages coming out of Group A, but the hope is to win the group and get a favorable draw for the quarterfinals. Don’t forget that Real Salt Lake had a two goal lead on Cruz Azul down in Mexico City before Javier Orozco came out of nowhere and scored a hat trick to take a lead.

Well this time at Rio Tinto Stadium it would be the defending MLS Cup Champions that got revenge and resting some players Jason Kreis decided to use some of his reserves including a gentleman that spent most of his season down with Miami FC of US Soccer Second Division, Paulo Araujo Jr.   He scored a brace in the 43rd and 67th minute to cement a lead with Collen Warner putting the final nail in the coffin two minutes later to help Real Salt Lake win Group A.

Meanwhile another American MLS side that was looking forward to get into the knockout stage of the Champions League were the Columbus Crew who were given a helping hand by Group B winners Santos Laguna. This was one of those situations where Robert Warzycha’s men didn’t have to break a sweat at all. As the Crew will face Trinidadian side Joe Public tonight on the road, this past Tuesday Guatemalan side Municipal got a thrashing as Laguna put six past them.

Oribe Peralta got the scoring started in the 20th minute and scored his second of the match in the 51st. Daniel Ludena also earned a brace in the 27th minute and late in the second half with Rodrigo Ruiz and Carlos Quintero finishing up on the score sheet. So the eight quarterfinalists starting play in next year’s knockout stages are from Group A Real Salt Lake and Cruz Azul. Group B Santos Laguna and Columbus Crew. Group C Monterrey and Deportivo Saprissa and Group D Olimpia and Toluca.

After tonight’s Champions League match the only thing all of us have to wait for is the draw for the quarterfinal pairings and then we can start to discuss possible favorites on who we think can win the tournament. While there are those who believe the four clubs from Mexico are the automatic favorites, something tells me that Real Salt Lake could be a favorite as Jason Kreis has found ways to get his squad competitive.

Of course the main question will be for any MLS side going into the knockout stages can they win on the road down in Mexico. In these past groups stage matches Real Salt Lake and an already eliminated Seattle Sounders had their chances to make history. They have to remember that to keep that precious lead on the road never take your foot off the gas pedal once the 75th minute reaches the match clock. Keep going and keep on fighting ’til the final whistle officially blows from the referee.

Next year is going to be a fantastic time to watch what will happen when all eight sides have their backs to the wall and try to win with the game plan their head coaches give them. As always the top prize is to be called the best club in the confederation of CONCACAF.