The Columbus Crew made history with a 19th consecutive league game without a loss at their Crew Stadium, and in doing so reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference to highlight Week 19 of the Major League Soccer season.
The Crew got a goal from Jason Garey in stoppage time for a dramatic 3-2 victory against Toronto FC, moving back atop the East and again claiming the Trillium Cup. The Crew leapfrogged the Chicago Fire, who played to a scoreless draw against Seattle Sounders FC in a game that saw players from both teams sent off, and also pulled away from D.C. United, who were pegged back into a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Houston Dynamo lost for the first time at home in more than a year, falling 1-0 to the New England Revolution. The Los Angeles Galaxy moved closer to the top of the division, overcoming a wonder goal from Claudio Lopez for a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards.
The Colorado Rapids continued the New York Red Bulls' misery with a 4-0 drubbing, while Real Salt Lake also tightened things up at the bottom of the West, overcoming a two-goal halftime deficit for a 4-2 victory against FC Dallas on Friday night.
At Crew Stadium, the Crew were riding a four-game unbeaten streak and had lost just once since early April, while Toronto FC had three wins and a draw in their last five games.
The teams traded goals within three minutes in the first half. Eddie Gaven swept home a pass from inside the area after Danny O'Rourke skipped down the right flank (32), but Dwayne De Rosario knocked home a layoff from Pablo Vitti after Marvell Wynne had turned the corner to put in a centering pass.
Four minutes after the break, TFC went ahead. Ali Gerba finished off a one-two with Chad Barrett on a quick-strike counterattack for his first MLS goal in his league debut. Yet the Crew were even with 14 minutes to play, Steven Lenhart got to a through ball from Brian Carroll and flicked it past goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Then in stoppage time, a flowing movement across the field saw Frankie Hejduk freed on the right flank. He put in a soaring cross that Garey headed home for his third goal in two games.
Columbus broke the 18-game league unbeaten record set by San Jose in 2004-05. Its last loss in Crew Stadium was 2-0 to San Jose on June 7, 2008. The Crew are 13-0-6 during the stretch compared to a 9-0-9 mark for the Earthquakes. The Crew also own the record for longest overall unbeaten streak (19 in 2004-05) and road unblemished mark (nine, 2004).
At Qwest Field, the Fire were unbeaten in their last three games and had recorded shutouts in two in a row, while Sounders FC were on a five-game undefeated run in returning to league play after a week off.
Both teams were left a man short within five minutes in the second half. Chicago's John Thorrington received his second yellow card in the 54th minute to put the Fire shorthanded. But in the 59th, Freddie Ljungberg was booked by referee Baldomero Toledo for an apparent dive, then shown a second yellow for dissent after the call.
Fredy Montero, who came in with goals in each of the last three games, nearly snatched the full three points for Seattle but saw his effort come back off the woodwork.
At Buck Shaw Stadium, D.C. United had put a stop to a three-game winless run with a come-from-behind win against Colorado the weekend before, while the Earthquakes had suffered back-to-back losses.
Things didn't look good either, for the home side, as United were two goals to the good before the game was a quarter old. In the fifth minute, after Luciano Emilio had been tripped up in the area, Christian Gomez finished off from the spot. Then Gomez completed his double in the 21st minute after a shot from outside the area was blocked and fell invitingly for Gomez to stroke home all alone.
But the Earthquakes started their fightback in the 36th minute. Mike Zaher sent in a cross from the left that was flicked on by Cornell Glen and Ryan Johnson snuck in at the far post to volley home his seventh goal on the campaign.
Then the Quakes won a penalty of their own in the 62nd minute, after Darren Huckerby's cross was handled by Rodney Wallace. Glen converted the spot kick for his second goal with San Jose and gave the Quakes a share of the points.
At Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo were playing a league game at home for the first time in more than a month, having won just once in their last five, while the Revolution had put the skids on a three-game winless run the weekend before.
The game's lone goal came in the 76th minute. Steve Ralston latched onto a long through ball in the right side of the area and slipped it over a diving Pat Onstad, Kheli Dube tapping home from close range for his second goal in as many league games.
Matt Reis made eight saves to preserve the victory, including an acrobatic backwards parry of a Julius James header in stoppage time.
At CommunityAmerica Ballpark, an overflow crowd was on hand to see the first appearance by David Beckham in Kansas City. The Galaxy had won four games in a row, three of those coming by 1-0 scorelines, while the Wizards hadn't scored in two games.
Claudio Lopez put an end to the scoreless drought with a stunning strike in the 25th minute. Seeing goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts off his line, the Argentinean let fly from behind the halfway line, driving the ball into the back of the net. As Ricketts backpedaled, he crashed into the goalpost and was injured, forcing him from the game.
But the Galaxy drew level in the 33rd minute. Beckham stripped the ball and played Landon Donovan forward, and the 2008 Golden Boot drove a low shot from outside the box inside the left post for his second goal in as many games and eighth on the season.
At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids were back home after losing for the third time in four games at D.C. United the week before, while the Red Bulls had lost four in a row and were winless in 11 consecutive league games.
It took Colorado just five minutes to open the scoring. Omar Cummings drove in a low ball from the right flank that Jacob Peterson turned home past Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul; for Cummings, it put him into a tie for the league lead with seven assists.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic was sent off with a straight red card just before the break, and it took the Rapids just two minutes after the interval to take advantage. Pat Noonan carried a through ball toward goal and lashed it past an advancing Coundoul from the edge of the area for his first goal with the Rapids.
The Rapids put the game away with two goals in a six-minute span. In the 61st minute, Coundoul got down well to save a shot from Mehdi Ballouchy but couldn't hold it, and Nick LaBrocca raced in to sweep home the rebound. Then Ballouchy got his goal, whipping a freekick around the wall from the left corner of the box and high inside the far upper corner.
The loss extended the Red Bulls' winless streak to 12 games, their fifth loss in a row. The 12 games matches the club record winless run, set July 4-Sept. 5, 1999.
At Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake had lost for the first time in six games at Columbus the last time out, while FC Dallas had seen a three-game undefeated run come to an end in Colorado.
Jeff Cunningham came into the game saying he wanted to pass RSL coach Jason Kreis on the MLS all-time goalscoring list in person, and he pulled even with a 13th-minute opener, stealing the ball outside the Real penalty area and lashing a low shot that took a slight deflection on its way inside the left post.
FCD were two goals to the good just eight minutes, after a neat sequence of passes was finished off when David Ferreira played across goal from Dave van den Bergh to slot home from close range.
After the break, RSL began their comeback. In the 55th minute, Yura Movsisyan raced onto a ball played out of midfield and lashed home a low shot from just outside the box. Then seven minutes later, Real were level when debutant Jair Benitez was ruled to hauled down Robbie Findley as he tried to get on the end of a cross, and Findley converted his own penalty.
In the 71st minute though, Nat Borchers was ruled to have handled the ball, and Cunningham stepped up to the spot with a chance to score his fifth goal of the season, fourth in the last three games and 109th of his league career. But Nick Rimando made a stunning save, diving to his right.
Two minutes later, RSL coach Jason Kreis was sent off after Clint Mathis had first appeared to have been shown red. Still with 11 a side, Real went ahead in the 88th minute when a Fabian Espindola cross from the left deflected off FCD defender Daniel Torres for the go-ahead own goal.
Movsisyan then sealed the game with his second goal of the night and sixth on the year, again converting a breakaway from a loose ball in midfield. FCD finished the game a man down when Drew Moor was sent off seconds from the end.
