Jaime Moreno’s first two goals of the season pushed DC past Dallas on Saturday night. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
COLUMBUS CREW 1, TORONTO FC 1
TORONTO—The MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew remain extended their season-opening winless streak to seven games with Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Toronto FC at BMO Field.
Emmanuel Ekpo gave the Crew (0-2-5) a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute, slashing through the Toronto defense and beating goalkeeper Stefan Frei one-on-one. TFC equalized ten minutes later, when Chad Barrett headed home Sam Cronin’s cross from point-blank range.
Frei helped Toronto (3-2-3) hold on to the hard-earned point with a pair of clutch saves, turning away a close-in header by Eddie Gaven, then getting a foot on a wide-open shot by Crew substitute Pat Noonan after a turnover just outside the box.
Dwayne DeRosario had Toronto’s best chances to snatch the win, but sent an open 18-yard shot high in the 72nd minute, and missed on a 25-yard free kick in the 86th.
DC UNITED 2, FC DALLAS 1
WASHINGTON, DC—Jaime Moreno scored twice in the second half to give DC United (3-1-3) a 2-1 win over FC Dallas (1-5-1) Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
Andre Rocha got a head on Dave Van Den Bergh’s corner kick at the near post to put the Hoops up 1-0 in the 28th minute. Although they dominated play from the opening kickoff, it took United until the 56th minute to equalize. Bryan Namoff found Moreno with a looping pass to the top center of the penalty area. The Bolivian striker split two defenders, settled the ball with his left foot and beat netminder Ray Burse with a low shot. Ten minutes later, Moreno repeated the feat, taking a pass from Christian Gomes at the top of the box, cutting between two defenders and drawing Burse well off his line before chipping the game-winner into the net.
United put nine shots on goal, to three for FC Dallas. Burse finished with nine saves, while rookie Milos Kocic stopped two in his MLS debut for DC.
CHICAGO FIRE 1, SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.—Marco Pappa and Tyrone Marshall traded goals as the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders FC battled to a 1-1 draw Saturday before 10,288 at Toyota Park.
Seattle played most of the second half shorthanded, after Fredy Montero was ejected for elbowing Chicago’s Gonzalo Segares in the face while the two were contesting a header in the 48th minute. The Fire capitalized on the advantage in the 68th, when Cuauhtemoc Blanco drew the Sounders defense toward the right side of the area, then cut the ball back to Pappa, who has a clean shot from the top of the box.
Marshall knotted the score in the 72nd, after Freddie Ljungberg’s corner kick cleared the goalmouth crowd and fell toward the ground on the left side of the box. Marshall stretched to get his left foot on the ball and redirect it just inside the left post.
The result leaves Chicago with 11 points at 2-0-5, while Sounders FC remain second to Chivas USA in the MLS West at 4-2-1 (13).
CHIVAS USA 1, SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 0
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—It wasn’t pretty, but Justin Braun’s 53rd-minute goal was all Chivas USA needed to slip past the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 Saturday in front of 10,049 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Braun’s goal came in the first minute of play after a four-plus minute injury delay that sent San Jose’s Chris Leitch to the sidelines with a suspected concussion. Chivas USA’s Jonathan Bornstein lobbed the ball into the box for Braun, who was a step behind defender Nick Garcia. While Garcia and ‘keeper Joe Cannon each waited for the other to take the ball out of danger, Braun leaned to get a toe on it and send it into the net.
Braun set a fast pace for Chivas from the opening kickoff, making the MLS West leaders’ first foray into the Earthquakes box seconds into the match. But San Jose had the first heartstopping chance of the game, a dangerous shot by Shea Salinas in the second minute, and it was goalkeeper Zach Thornton who kept the Red and White in the game early on, making three of his six saves in the first 24 minutes.
Saturday’s result left Chivas with a 6-1-1 record and league-best 19 points. San Jose remains well back in the Western Conference pack at 1-4-2.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 1, NEW YORK RED BULLS 0
CARSON, Calif.---Landon Donovan scored on a penalty kick to give the Los Angeles Galaxy their first win of the season, 1-0 over the New York Red Bulls at The Home Depot Center Saturday night.
Donovan converted a penalty kick in the 39th minute after Referee Abiodun Okulaja
called Red Bulls midfielder Seth Stammler for a hand ball at the top right edge of the penalty area as Donovan's shot hit his arm.
Not only have the Red Bulls failed to win in their 17th consecutive MLS regular-season match (0-10-7), they have not scored a goal on the road this season. The 2009 MLS Cup finalists are off to their worst start in their 14-year history of frustrating results. They fell to 1-5-2 and five points and remained in sixth place out of seven teams in the Eastern Conference.
With the win, Los Angeles improves to 1-1-4.
COLORADO RAPIDS 2, REAL SALT LAKE 0
COMMERCE CITY, COLO.– The Colorado Rapids secured their first shutout victory of the season against Rocky Mountain Cup rival Real Salt Lake with a 2-0 win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Saturday night. With the win, the Rapids remain unbeaten on their home pitch for the 2009 season with a 2-0-1 mark.
Rapids’ goalkeeper Matt Pickens, who was making his first start since March 28, registered the clean sheet, as Colorado kept RSL (3-3-0) still winless on the road this season.
Colorado (3-2-2) opened the scoring early off the head of Nick LaBrocca in the 11th minute for his first goal of the season. Conor Casey found Colin Clark on the left wing. Clark put a pinpoint cross into LaBrocca’s path for him to nod in.
Kosuke Kimura put in the insurance goal in for the Rapids, as he scored his first MLS career goal in the 60th minute.
RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando exited the game in the 35th minute after a collision with Casey left his hand severely cut. Three-year veteran Kyle Reynish entered the match at goalkeeper for RSL, his first career MLS regular season action.
