The Chicago Fire kicked off the MLS reserve division stretch run Sunday with a 4-1 victory against D.C. United that vaulted the Men in Red into first place with only a handful of games remaining. Just as their respective first teams are making their push toward the playoffs, the MLS reserves are making a dash toward the finish line.
With their win Sunday, the Fire reserves pushed their record to 5-2-2 for a total of 17 points. United sit two points back, followed by the San Jose Earthquakes with 14 points, Los Angeles Galaxy on 13 and MetroStars on 11.
With only 12 games on the schedule for each team, both the Fire and United are nearly finished with their reserve campaigns, while the New England Revolution and FC Dallas - both of whom have 10 points - still have six games left to play and plenty of time to move up the table. The bottom of the reserve division standings closely resembles the first team standings, as Chivas USA prop up the table with just three points, Real Salt Lake sit just above them on four points, and the Colorado Rapids are in 10th place with eight points.
In addition to leading the reserve division in the standings, the Fire lead the competition in goals scored and Fire forward Chad Barrett leads the individual scoring race. Thanks to a four-goal outburst against United on Sunday, Barrett has seven goals in eight matches, one strike more than Columbus Crew forward Jamal Sutton. San Jose rookie Chris Wondolowski has five goals, while seven players are tied with four goals apiece.
What may be more important than the results and statistics, though, is the fact that in its first season of existence, the MLS reserve division has provided countless players with an opportunity to play week-in and week-out and gain valuable experience that has led some into their club's first team.
Case in point: When Robert Warzycha - who had been coaching the Columbus Crew reserves - took over as the interim head coach of the club, a number of players got a chance to see first-team action. Eric Vasquez has been a revelation for the Black and Gold in the midfield, scoring a long-range blast against the Chicago Fire on July 16 to earn his team a 1-1 draw. Second-year player Sutton and rookies Knox Cameron and Marcus Storey have also seen the field more thanks to their experience with the Crew reserves. Other players around the league who have contributed to their first team after making a mark with the reserves include FC Dallas' Abe Thompson, the Kansas City Wizards' Ryan Pore and the Galaxy's Herculez Gomez.
The reserve division schedule continues Sunday morning when FC Dallas host the New England Revolution and finishes on Oct. 16, the final weekend of the MLS regular season.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
