5 Things We Learned from MLS Week of October 2-5
With only three weeks left to go in the regular season, Major League Soccer continues to have a number of exciting battles going on.
This weekend, the New York Red Bulls picked up a big win, overcoming a number of off-the-field distractions, while the Philadelphia Union collapsed late to put a dent in their playoff hopes.
In the Supporters' Shield race, the LA Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders continued to battle for the regular-season championship, each picking up big wins.
Read about all of the action in this week's edition of "5 Things We Learned."
Despite Distractions Galore, the Red Bulls Win
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Most of the news about the New York Red Bulls this week came from action off the field. A report on Wednesday from Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl said that there was "zero chance" that Thierry Henry returns to the club for the 2015 season and that Red Bull itself was looking to sell the franchise.
And as if those two big pieces of news weren't big enough distractions, a report by Empire of Soccer's Dave Martinez suggested that Tim Cahill's benching was due to him accepting a call-up to the Australian national team for two October friendlies.
But despite all of that (and the fact that Cahill was ejected from the match only three minutes after entering the game in the 85th minute), the Red Bulls managed to pull off a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo with the lone goal scored by Henry.
With everything seemingly going awry off the field, it was a big three points for New York, who now find themselves in fourth place, holding a four-point cushion in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Philadelphia Union Threw Away 3 Big Points
2 of 5Taking on the Chicago Fire at home on Thursday night and embroiled in a tight race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Union missed a big chance to help themselves.
In the 88th minute, the Union finally broke the 0-0 deadlock on a goal by Amobi Okugo and looked set to take away all three points. But just three minutes later, the Fire's Robert Earnshaw took advantage of a botched clearance by Union keeper Rais Mbolhi to tie the game, 1-1.
The Union are now in seventh place with three games to go, one point behind Toronto FC (who also have a game in hand) and four points behind the Columbus Crew, who currently sit in fifth place, holding the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Sounders and the Galaxy Continue to Throw Haymakers
3 of 5In what is shaping up to be a fantastic finish to the MLS Supporters' Shield race, both the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy picked up big wins this weekend to remain tied at 60 points with three games to go.
Both the Sounders and the Galaxy are producing some of the best attacking football the league has ever seen with terrific strikes by Robbie Keane and Marco Pappa leading the way this week.
To make this title race even better, the Galaxy and the Sounders go head-to-head twice in the last six days of the MLS regular season.
The Eastern Conference Race Is Still Tight
4 of 5Beyond the Red Bulls' big win and the Union's late collapse, things still remain very tight in the East.
The Dynamo missed a big chance to put themselves back in the race on Saturday in New York, losing 1-0, and Toronto got smoked 3-0 by the Galaxy.
The other key matchup this weekend was the one between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew. The Revs won 2-1 on goals by Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones to virtually guarantee themselves a playoff spot. The Crew, on the other hand, are still stuck in the thick of the race, holding only a three-point lead on Toronto, who has a game in hand.
The Final Spot in the West
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In the battle for the final playoff spot in the West, both the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers picked up big wins this weekend.
Vancouver won 2-0 over FC Dallas, and the Timbers put together an inspired comeback with two late goals to win 2-1 at San Jose.
The Whitecaps hold a one-point lead with three games to go.
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