John Cunliffe helped shorthanded Chivas USA take sole possession of first place in the West, FC Dallas secured a playoff spot and Los Angeles kept their second season hopes alive with a win at Houston.

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FC DALLAS CLINCH POSTSEASON
Victorious for the first time in 13 attempts at Crew Stadium, FC Dallas punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 3-1 win over Columbus on Saturday night.

Trailing at the break after conceding an Eddie Gaven goal, Arturo Alvarez tied the game minutes into the second half and Abe Thompson added a late brace to push the Hoops into the postseason. Back-up goalkeeper Ray Burse came up with eight big saves for Dallas in a game that featured 39 shots between the two teams.

A Gaven free kick got things started offensively for the Crew in the second minute, bending around the Dallas wall and skipping toward the goal. Burse was able to leap to his left to punch the ball away, however, denying Columbus a quick lead in the match. Another Gaven set piece two minutes later drew another punching clearance from Burse.

Burse spilled a Duncan Oughton shot from long-range in the 10th minute, forcing Clarence Goodson to send it out for a corner kick. On the ensuing set piece, the ball squirted out to Robbie Rogers, whose volley forced a diving save from Burse. Only able to get his palm on the ball, it sat at the goal line he Burse could recover to clear it away as a Columbus attacker closed on it.

Dallas got their first chance in the 15th minute as Goodson headed the ball to the far post off a Denílson corner kick, but Hesmer was all over the attempt, snatching the ball out of the air to deny the FCD defender.

Keeping the pressure on, Juan Carlos Toja ran through the midfield and released another skipping shot from 25 yards out that Hesmer had to parry away.

An 18th minute flurry from Columbus looked promising, but left them with nothing to show for it. The chance began when Rogers released Andy Herron down the left side of the field. With two defenders moving in on him, Herron produced a wicked half-volley from just outside the box that sailed just wide of Burse and the Dallas net.

In the 26th minute, a mental lapse by Goodson allowed Alejandro Moreno to pick up the ball just feet from the goal, but Burse continued to be on top of his game, making a kick save on the Venezuelan's close range shot.

Columbus should have scored two minutes later, as Burse was caught off his line while trying to intercept a Rogers cross. With the ball skipping through to the back post, Herron got his head to it, pushing it goalward, but somehow the keeper was able to recover and slap the shot away at the last possible second, denying the Crew once more.

Having a quantity of chances in the first-half hour, Columbus finally cashed in with a 31st minute goal from Gaven. Receiving the ball from Moreno on the left side, Gaven was given some space by the Dallas defense, which allowed him to blast a 25-yard shot that skipped past Burse at the far post to give the Crew a 1-0 lead.

Not tested for a 20-minute span, Hesmer was forced into a 37th minute save on a Denílson shot. Diving to his left to grab the Brazilian's left-footed effort, Hesmer ensured that Columbus would take the lead into the break.

Unfortunately for the home side, their advantage would be erased just three minutes into the second half as Alvarez would strike for the third time this season to level the score. Receiving the ball from Dominic Oduro as he ran across the top of the box, Alvarez's bending left-footed shot squeezed in between Hesmer and the far post.

Alvarez nearly scored a brace within the span of a minute as he made a penetrating run with the ball down the right side, cutting back at the top of the box and shooting from nearly the same spot as he scored from 60 seconds earlier. This time, however, his shot would sail around the wrong side of the near post.

Rogers missed a prime opportunity to put Columbus back ahead at the hour mark, shooting wide of the far post from inside the box.

It would be Rogers creating another opportunity five minutes later, breaking in on goal all by himself. Defender Bobby Rhine had the fresher legs after coming on for Goodson earlier in the half and was able to race back in time to break up the opportunity.

At the other end of the field, Oduro broke through the defense in the 69th minute and rounded Hesmer with a full head of steam, leaving only an empty net to tap in to, but the Birdman was unable to put his effort between the pipes, instead rattling the side netting to the astonishment of the home crowd.

With Columbus needing three points to keep pace in the playoff race, they continued to push for a second goal. Tim Ward's low shot in the 76th minute was well-struck but could not get by Burse, who made his eighth save of the night.

A Kei Kamara rocket in the 83rd minute made its way through the crowd in front, but went inches wide of the goal, keeping the game knotted.

The Crew would have their spirit broken in the 86th minute when Abe Thompson tallied the first of his two goals on the night, receiving a Ricardinho pass in the box and slotting the ball past Hesmer from close range to give Dallas their first lead of the night.

Any hopes of Sigi Schmid's club salvaging a tie would go by the wayside when Thompson struck again three minutes later. Hesmer's initial save on an Alvarez shot was spilled in front, allowing Thompson to tap it home to give Dallas a 3-1 victory.

Scoring
CLB - Eddie Gaven 4 (Alejandro Moreno) 31'
FCD - Arturo Alvarez 3 (Dominic Oduro) 48'
FCD - Abe Thompson 4 (Ricardinho) 86'
FCD - Abe Thompson 5 89'

Line-ups
FCD - Ray Burse; Drew Moor, Aaron Pitchkolan, Clarence Goodson (Bobby Rhine 58'), David Wagenfuhr, Arturo Alvarez, Juan Carlos Toja, Adrian Serioux, Denílson (Dax McCarty 80'), Abe Thompson, Dominic Oduro (Ricardinho 70')

CLB - Will Hesmer; Frankie Hejduk, Ezra Hendrickson, Marcos Gonzalez, Tim Ward, Robbie Rogers (Jacob Thomas 84'), Duncan Oughton (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 83'), Stefani Miglioranzi, Eddie Gaven, Alejandro Moreno, Andy Herron (Kei Kamara 63')

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CUNLIFFE BRACE LIFTS CHIVAS
Chivas USA got a brace from unlikely starter John Cunliffe to extend their unbeaten streak to 10 games by downing Real Salt Lake 3-2 on a cold, wet Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Resting normal starting forward Ante Razov as Maykel Galindo sat out a suspension, Chivas sent out the pairing of Cunliffe and Laurent Merlin up top. The move paid off with Cunliffe and Merlin connecting for the first goal of the night and Cunliffe adding a second goal later. Paulo Nagamura's long range blast proved to be the difference as RSL answered back early in the second half with goals from Chris Brown and Robbie Findley.

Brown would get the first crack at goal in the 10th minute, beating the offside trap to get behind the Chivas defense. With the ball taking strange hops on the wet surface, Brown was unable to completely control it, taking an off-balance shot that Brad Guzan easily ripped out of the air.

Chivas created their first chance in the 20th minute when Cunliffe broke in on goal and chipped over back-up keeper Chris Seitz, but his effort was too tall for the goal.

Seconds later, however, Cunliffe would atone for his mistake, receiving a cross from Merlin and redirecting it with his left thigh past a flummoxed Seitz to give Chivas a 1-0 lead.

Trying to even things up, RSL's Fabian Espindola unleashed a left-footed blast from 15 yards out in the 26th minute, but Guzan was able to slap the ball away from goal, keeping the home side in search of an equalizer.

Seitz made his first save of the night in the 37th minute, grabbing Merlin's long range shot to keep the deficit at one heading into the break.

RSL's opening salvo of the second half was a well-struck shot by Brown as two defenders dogged the veteran. Cutting the ball through Alex Zotinca's legs, Brown's attempt beat Guzan at the far post and leveled the game minutes into the second half.

The lead would only last two minutes, however, as Cunliffe added his second goal of the night in the 54th minute. Sacha Kljestan released the Englishman with a perfect through ball, allowing Cunliffe to break in on goal and slot the ball past Seitz to the right side, helping Chivas regain the lead.

Another unlikely goal scorer would further Chivas' lead in the 58th minute as Nagamura found the back of the net for only the second time in his career. Gathering the ball in midfield, the Brazilian struck a rocket of a shot from 35 yards out that sailed past Seitz and dipped under the crossbar to extend the Chivas advantage to two goals with a half hour left to play.

Real Salt Lake would continue to fight on, pulling one back in the 63rd minute as Findley finished a spot-on cross from Andy Williams, beating Guzan to make it a 3-2 game on the rookie's seventh goal of the year.

Cunliffe's quest for a hat trick nearly came to fruition in the 67th minute, but his long range shot missed just wide of the RSL net.

Neither team could manage much in the way of offense after RSL cut the deficit to a single goal, with Salt Lake's best chance coming in the 88th minute as Yura Movsisyan hit the woodwork with a bullet. The rebound fell directly to Guzan, however, and he covered it up to extinguish any remaining hope of a comeback for the RSL faithful.

The victory closes the gap between Chivas and league leading DC United to three points in the race for the Supporter's Shield, but Preki's club has a game in hand that could be crucial down the stretch. Two of their final three games will come at the Home Depot Center, where Chivas is 10-0-3 this season, including Sunday's home tilt against the Colorado Rapids.

Salt Lake has already been eliminated from playoff contention, and is locked in a fight with Toronto FC for the worst record in the league. Their next league action will come a week from Monday as they host Houston before finishing up the season at Colorado.

Scoring
CHV - John Cunliffe 2 (Laurent Merlin) 22'
RSL - Chris Brown 5 (Chris Lancos) 52'
CHV - John Cunliffe 3 (Sacha Kljestan) 54'
CHV - Paulo Nagamura 2 58'
RSL - Robbie Findley 7 (Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman) 63'

Line-ups
CHV - Brad Guzan; Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas, Alex Zotinca (Orlando Perez 82'), Francisco Mendoza, Jesse Marsch, Sacha Kljestan, Paulo Nagamura, John Cunliffe (Ramon Nunez 70'), Laurent Merlin (Jason Hernandez 84')

RSL - Chris Seitz; Willis Forko (Chris Wingert 68'), Matias Mantilla, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Lancos, Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley, Andy Williams, Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 61'), Robbie Findley, Chris Brown (Atiba Harris 77')

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FIRE CLOSE ON POSTSEASON BERTH
The Chicago Fire took a big step in securing a postseason birth, coming from behind to defeat the New England Revolution by a score of 2-1 on Saturday night at sold-out Toyota Park.

Chris Rolfe and Chad Barrett scored on either side of halftime to erase a long range Jeff Larentowicz goal as the Fire extended their unbeaten streak to six games. The victory also moved the Fire five points clear of the Columbus Crew for the final playoff spot with only two games remaining.

Chicago would have to go into battle without their head coach, as Juan Carlos Osorio was forced take in the game from a luxury suite after being sent off at the end of last week's match against Chivas.

Designated player Cuauhtémoc Blanco came inches from putting the home team ahead in the 20th minute when his sensational free kick beat a flat-footed Matt Reis, but did not have enough dip to get under the crossbar, caroming off the woodwork before ending out of play.

It would not take New England long to field a response, with Larentowicz pushing the Revs on top just four minutes later. With Steve Ralston controlling the ball deep in the area, his cross into the middle was deflected by Wilman Conde back to the top of the box where the orange-haired midfielder wound up a vicious shot. Taking a little off it, Larentowicz's perfectly-placed shot traveled through traffic and past Matt Pickens to give the US Open Cup champs a 1-0 lead.

The advantage would be maintained throughout the entirety of the first half, only to see the Revolution concede a goal in the only minute of stoppage time. Barrett took the ball down the left side and then cut into the middle of the field, eluding several New England defenders in the process. At the top of the box, he laid the ball off for Rolfe, whose low line drive shot beat Reis at the near post to bring the game level at halftime.

Chicago would come out of the break looking like the better organized team, and it would pay off at the hour mark as the Fire moved in front for good. Hopping over a defender, Barrett dished the ball off to Paulo Wanchope, whose shot was turned away by Reis, only to leave a rebound sitting in front of the goal. Barrett, who hadn't given up on the play, came charging through to bury the ball into the back of the net, putting Chicago on top and in the driver seat for the remainder of the match.

New England's only chance to equalize came 10 minutes later when a low Shalrie Joseph shot from distance drew iron, but did not find its way in, sealing the defeat for the Revolution.

Even with the loss, New England has already wrapped up a playoff spot and they remain in the hunt for the Supporter's Shield, trailing DC United by five points for the best record in MLS. Steve Nicol's team will host a floundering Columbus side on Saturday, hoping to gain ground on DC.

By securing three points, Chicago gains a little breathing room in the tight playoff race, extending their advantage over ninth-place Columbus to five points with only a pair of games remaining. The Fire's next match sees them travel to DC to take on a hot United team with a chance to lock up a playoff spot.

Scoring
NE - Jeff Larentowicz 3 24'
CHI - Chris Rolfe 6 (Chad Barrett, Diego Gutierrez) 45+
CHI - Chad Barrett 7 60'

Line-ups
NE - Matt Reis; Jay Heaps, Steve Ralston, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley, Wells Thompson (Andy Dorman 74'), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Khano Smith, Pat Noonan (Abdoulie Mansally 76'), Taylor Twellman

CHI - Matt Pickens; Dasan Robinson, CJ Brown, Wilman Conde, Diego Gutierrez, Gonzalo Segares, Chris Rolfe (Calen Carr 87'), Chris Armas, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chad Barrett (Bakary Soumare 66'), Paulo Wanchope

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SHORTHANDED RAPIDS HOLD OFF TFC
The Colorado Rapids picked up a hard-fought 1-0 win over Toronto FC on Sunday afternoon, keeping themselves in the thick of the playoff race despite finishing the game with just nine men.

In a game punctuated by very few scoring opportunities, a Jovan Kirovski penalty kick proved to be the difference, separating the two sides for good just before halftime. Mehdi Ballouchy and Pablo Mastroeni would not be around to see the final whistle, however, as both men were sent off fifty minutes apart in the match.

Before receiving his red card, Ballouchy was an offensive threat, getting a good look at goal in the 10th minute. As Conor Casey held the ball in the Toronto end of the field as Kirovski made an overlapping run. Receiving the ball from Casey, Kirovski cut the ball back into the middle of the box where he spotted an open Ballouchy, but the Moroccan midfielder's shot was batted away from the far post by a diving Kenny Stamatopoulos.

Ballouchy would receive a straight red  card from referee Kevin Stott in the 36th minute for leading his tackle on Carl Robinson with his studs at knee level, giving Toronto the man advantage.

A penalty kick was whistled for in the 43rd minute, as Colorado defender Facundo Erpen fought to get on the end of a ball into the box before getting pulled down from behind by Toronto's Chris Pozniak.

Stepping up to the spot, Kirovski calmly blasted the PK into the upper left corner, over a diving Stamatopoulos to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Rapids should have extended their lead in the 63rd minute when substitute Omar Cummings tracked down a ball over the top before sending it into the middle of the area. Waiting there was Kirovski, who managed a decent side-volley on net, but was denied by the TFC goalkeeper to keep the Rapids from a two-goal lead.

Toronto had a chance to equalize in the 76th minute when Miguel Canizalez headed the ball forward to himself and broke in on goal, but his shot ended wide left of Bouna Coundoul in the Colorado net.

Mastroeni would take himself out of the game just two minutes from full time when he picked up his second yellow card of the match for pulling down defender Todd Dunivant from behind, leaving the Rapids to defend with just nine men for the final minutes.

A 90th minute shot almost undid Colorado's hard work as Tyler Hemming stepped up to drill a shot from the top of the box that forced Coundoul to poke it over the crossbar to preserve the shutout and the victory for the Rapids, a much-needed boost in their playoff chase.

Playing much more like an expansion team over the last few weeks than they had for a good stretch of the summer, Toronto FC continues to be mired in a tie with Real Salt Lake for the last position in the league standings. They will travel to southern California on Saturday to meet a red-hot Los Angeles Galaxy team.

Colorado's slim playoff hopes remain alive with the win, keeping them four points behind the Chicago Fire for the last playoff spot with two games remaining for both teams. They face a tough task of trying to defeat Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center a week from Monday, and will have to attempt doing so without the services of Ballouchy and Mastroeni, who will be serving their one-game suspensions during the clash.

Scoring
COL - Jovan Kirovski 6 (PK) 44'

Lineups
TFC - Kenny Stamatopoulos; Adam Braz (Tyler Hemming 46'), Tyrone Marshall, Todd Dunivant, Chris Pozniak (Joey Melo 63'), Maurice Edu, Carl Robinson, Marvell Wynne, Gabe Gala (Miguel Canizalez 46'), Jeff Cunningham, Collin Samuel

COL - Bouna Coundoul; Kosuke Kimura, Facundo Erpen, Mike Petke, Brandon Prideaux, Terry Cooke, Mehdi Ballouchy, Pablo Mastroeni, Colin Clark, Conor Casey [Omar Cummings 57' (Stephen Keel 90+)], Jovan Kirovski

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GALAXY CONTINUE PLAYOFF HUNT
The Los Angeles Galaxy kept pace with the Chicago Fire in the playoff race by defeating the Houston Dynamo on the road by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Under dark skies, LA's slim postseason chances looked to be in jeopardy as former Galaxy player Nate Jaqua found the back of the net first. A Carlos Pavon goal in stoppage time of the first half brought the teams level before super sub Gavin Glinton headed home the game winner in the 77th minute. It was the first time all year that the Dynamo had lost after scoring the opening goal.

Another former Galaxy player, Joseph Ngwenya earned the first quality chance for Houston in the 10th minute, receiving a through pass from Brian Mullan and driving deep into the box before readying a shot. Galaxy keeper Joe Cannon came off his line quickly to cut down the angle, making himself large as the ball ricocheted off him for the save.

Cobi Jones registered the first opportunity for the Galaxy, but his shot hardly troubled Houston netminder Pat Onstad as the Canadian international smothered the attempt without moving.

Ngwenya broke in on goal in the 19th minute before being caught from behind by Ty Harden. The striker appealed for a penalty kick as it appeared he was pulled down in the box by Harden, but referee Abbey Okulaja waved to play on.

Another former Galaxy player would cause headaches for Los Angeles fans in the 21st minute when a cross got through the box to Jaqua in the middle of the area. Burying his first-time effort at the far post past Cannon, Jaqua's fifth goal of the season gave Houston the early lead.

Los Angeles couldn't get much going offensively in the first half. A 32nd minute cross by Kyle Martino was weakly directed goalward by Pavon, with Onstad again making the easy save.

Having a disappointing stay thus far in Los Angeles, Pavon would finally break through in first half stoppage time, nailing his left-footed attempt from inside the box past Onstad just before the halftime whistle to level the game.

Los Angeles captain Landon Donovan tried to take matters into his own hands in the opening minutes of the second half, splitting a pair of defenders on his way into the box before a defender could make the tackle, slamming the ball off the US international and safely into the reach of Onstad.

Dwayne De Rosario blasted a shot on goal from 10 yards out in the 54th minute, just as a heavy rain started falling. Galaxy keeper Cannon was unable to control the initial shot, but the rebound was cleared away from danger before Houston could get another boot to it.

Houston would have a prime chance to take the lead back at the hour mark as Mullan stole the ball from Chris Klein deep in the attacking third and moved into the box, sending a pass back to the top where a wide open Corey Ashe was waiting. The rookie got on top of the ball, however, producing a less-than-stellar bouncing shot Joe Cannon, but also over the empty Los Angeles net.

After a 15-minute lull in the action, the Galaxy picked things up again in fine fashion in the 77th minute, beginning with a Donovan set piece swung in to the back post. Jones outleapt Wade Barrett to get his head to the ball, sending it into space at the far post where second half substitute Gavin Glinton was stationed to head home to give the Galaxy a 2-1 lead on the road.

Houston tried to answer two minutes later, but Ryan Cochrane's header sailed over the bar and out of play.

The Dynamo's best chance to equalize and salvage a point was also their last chance, when De Rosario connected with Ngwenya in the 87th minute after a well-timed run into the box. Trying to round the keeper, Cannon came off his line to take away the angle, forcing Ngwenya to shoot into the side netting.

The win allows Los Angeles to keep pace with the Chicago Fire, six points adrift in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot with a game in hand. Next up for the Galaxy is a crucial home game against Toronto FC on Saturday, as they continue their late push for a postseason birth.

For Houston, the loss drops them three points behind Chivas USA for the Western Conference lead, with Chivas also having a game in hand. Their next league action takes them into Real Salt Lake a week from Monday needing a win to keep their hopes of winning the conference alive.

Scoring
HOU - Nate Jaqua 7 (Joseph Ngwenya, Craig Waibel) 21'
LA - Carlos Pavon 3 (Landon Donovan) 45+
LA - Gavin Glinton 4 (Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan) 77'

Line-ups
LA - Joe Cannon; Ante Jazic, Ty Harden (Mike Randolph 26'), Troy Roberts, Chris Klein, Peter Vagenas (Kevin Harmse 71'), Josh Tudela, Kyle Martino (Gavin Glinton 46'), Cobi Jones, Carlos Pavon, Landon Donovan

HOU - Pat Onstad; Wade Barrett, Eddie Robinson, Ryan Cochrane, Craig Waibel (Brad Davis 79'), Richard Mulrooney, Dwayne De Rosario, Corey Ashe (Stuart Holden 61'), Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya (Chris Wondolowski 87'), Brian Mullan