and it was an important one. It helped create the only goal of the game as the New England Revolution defeated the New York Red Bulls and moved back to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Houston Dynamo recorded a shutout for the seventh consecutive game and in so doing extended their shutout streak to 695 minutes, the longest in league history, while maintaining their advantage atop the Western Conference with a scoreless draw Sunday against Toronto FC.
Also over the weekend, FC Dallas staged a remarkable comeback against D.C. United, going down by three goals early in the second half before storming back to claim a 3-3 draw. The Kansas City Wizards were happy to have striker Eddie Johnson as they ended their six-game unbeaten streak -- all with him on international duty -- with a victory against Real Salt Lake as he scored the game's lone goal. And an own goal late in the game put an end to the Columbus Crew's long unbeaten run, as Chivas USA claimed a 2-1 victory to remain unbeaten at home.
At Giants Stadium, the Revolution were back on the road after five home games in six had seen them win just once, while the Red Bulls had moved to the top of the East with a victory in Colorado in their last game that put an end to a four-game winless streak and were now starting a five-game homestand.
The Red Bulls found the woodwork twice in the early going through Clint Mathis and Juan Pablo Angel, but it was the Revolution who scored the game's only goal in the 38th minute. Ralston started the play with a backheel in the center circle to Shalrie Joseph, and he hit a brilliant first-time ball over the left side of the New York defense for Andy Dorman to run onto. After a touch, Dorman lashed a low drive inside the far post from just outside the area for his seventh goal on the season.
Angel's game ended in frustration when he was sent off at the 90-minute mark by referee Ramon Hernandez after delivering an elbow to Joseph's face. It was the fourth consecutive game he'd gone without scoring after hitting for goals in six games in a row.
At Robertson Stadium, Dynamo came into the game riding a nine-game league winning streak following their 4-0 win against the Chicago Fire three days earlier, while Toronto FC were in the fifth game of a six-game road swing, unbeaten in their last three.
Dynamo came closest to scoring -- and in fact, did see Joseph Ngwenya put the ball in the back of the net, only for it to be ruled out for offside. Brian Ching hit a low drive from the left side of the area in the 32nd minute that hit the base of the far post and came back out.
The game turned in the 42nd minute when TFC midfielder Maurice Edu was sent off by referee Abbey Okulaja following a mid-air challenge with Houston's Brian Mullan that left the Dynamo midfielder bloodied and shaken.
Dynamo piled on the pressure over the closing 45 minutes, but were unable to break through the TFC defense. But Houston kept the clean sheet to extend their shutout run to better than 11-1/2 hours, besting the mark of 681 minutes set by the Kansas City Wizards in 2000.
At RFK Stadium, D.C. United returned home after suffering just their second loss in 10 games, while FC Dallas were returning to the league wars for the first time in 10 days, though they had an Open Cup match and two friendlies in between.
United got off to a brilliant start. Fred's cross-field ball found Jaime Moreno on the right, and he drove a low ball to the near post that Luciano Emilio got on the end of to poke home from close range, after just eight minutes. Then Fred doubled the lead just before the break, getting onto the end of Moreno's looping ball from the right and squeezing a header inside the post.
The Black-and-Red made it 3-0 in the 47th minute. Ben Olsen corraled the ball on the right side of the area and sent in a short pass that Emilio flicked past FCD 'keeper Dario Sala from the spot. It moved Emilio into a tie for the MLS Golden Boot with 10 goals, his sixth in the last six games, and the rout was on.
But FC Dallas had other ideas. Carlos Ruiz powerfully headed home the first just four minutes later, when Arturo Alvarez chased down an errant ball and hooked a cross back into the heart of the goal area.
In the 71st minute, Juan Toja started to put his imprint on the match. Ruiz looped a ball over his head into the United area, and while holding off Brian Carroll from behind, the Colombian playmaker rifled a shot over Troy Perkins to pull the Hoops within one.
Then 10 minutes later, Bobby Rhine had time to pick out Toja from the left flank, and he made no mistake with his header, snapping it home after Perkins came out too late to claim the cross and the Dallas fight-back was complete.
At Arrowhead Stadium, the Wizards hadn't won since June 2 -- coinciding with the departure of Eddie Johnson to the U.S. national team, while Real Salt Lake had suffered back-to-back losses after capturing their first victory of the season.
In Johnson's last two games before leaving for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, he had scored a hat trick in each, becoming the first player in league history to do. And in the 19th minute, he picked up right where he left off in league play.
Jose Burciaga, Jr., lofted a long ball from the left side and Johnson skillfully brought it down before ripping a low drive in the area. It beat RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando -- but not the near post -- though Johnson coolly got to the rebound and side-footed home for his 10th goal on the campaign, putting him into a tie for the league lead.
At The Home Depot Center, Chivas USA were returning home after back-to-back road games -- in their final home game for more than a month. The Crew hadn't lost in more than a month as they moved into the thick of the Eastern Conference race.
Chivas took the lead after just 19 minutes. Jesse Marsch won the ball outside the area and found Maykel Galindo. He rounded a Crew defender in the area and drove a low ball into the goalmouth that skipped past a second defender for Ante Razov to tap in.
But the Crew leveled matters just four minutes later. Guillermo Barros Schelotto served a corner from the right and Stefani Miglioranzi got up to smash a header that hit the underside of the bar and came nearly straight down, but still over the line.
Chivas scored the winner in the 69th minute through some good fortune. Francisco Mendoza received a corner outside the penalty area and sent a half-shot, half-cross toward the far post that took a deflection off Eddie Gaven past goalkeeper Will Hesmer.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
