2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 23

Yes indeed, as the old cliche goes, Irish eyes are smiling as Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy return to the top of the Bleacher Report MLS Power Rankings this week after a perfect week.

Also moving up are the Seattle Sounders, Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo, who picked up victories this week. It's been a great week for MLS, with all five teams picking up victories in the CONCACAF Champions League. Will the momentum continue?

Movers, shakers, cartwheels and somersaults all around. Here are this week's MLS Power Rankings on Bleacher Report.

18. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

It was a tough state of affairs for Tom Soehn's Vancouver Whitecaps, who dropped a 2-1 decision to the Portland Timbers in a Cascadia Cup clash at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Oregon.

Camilo Sanvezzo scored in the 88th minute for Vancouver.

“We talk about the fundamentals of how to play soccer,” Whitecaps FC captain Jay DeMerit told MLSSoccer.com's Martin MacMahon, "and when you give the ball away in midfield and they get a breakaway in the first two minutes, sometimes it’s hard to get back and defend it.

"Our fundamental errors are consistently costing us throughout a game. The only thing you can do is try and keep learning.”

"The way we started out, giving up a goal that early, is so disappointing," Soehn told whitecapsfc.com's Simon Fudge. "We knew the first fifteen minutes were going to be energetic from Portland, but we lost the first half in that regard. Second half, we did a much better job, but ultimately, the stat that counts is the 2-1 result."

It won't get any easier for the Caps, who host the high-flying Houston Dynamo on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Empire Field in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET and will be televised by TSN 2.

17. San Jose Earthquakes

The misery of it all. Frank Yallop's San Jose Earthquakes saw their four-game unbeaten streak against Los Angeles come to a crashing halt as they were shut out, 2-0, on Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

“Obviously losing 2-0 is not good," Yallop told the press. "On general play I thought we played well enough to maybe get something out of this game but obviously the Galaxy took their chances when they came along and we didn’t seem to do that. I am not faulting the guys for effort. 

"They did a terrific [job] of going for 90 minutes and obviously the last 12 or so games. It’s a tough place to come and play but I think we can walk away with our heads held high.”

“It’s a tale of finishing chances," goalkeeper Jon Busch said. "They finish theirs and we had some good chances and unfortunately we didn’t finish ours. I thought we played well again tonight but in the end we didn’t get anything out of it. That aspect is frustrating because it has been that way a lot this season where we have done the right things and haven’t gotten a just result. 

"I think tonight we had some very good chances when it was 1-0 to make it 1-1 and unfortunately we couldn’t find the back of the net. They get their second one late after the red card and that’s it.”

“It’s unfortunate. We did a lot of right things tonight. It just seems to be our M.O," added defender Jason Hernandez. "We can’t keep 11 guys on the field but I think the story of the game is you see the quality of players they have. They just need one or two looks or one or two final passes and they got some goals out of it. Unfortunately we weren’t able to capitalize on our chances on the other end and that is the story of the game.”

Can San Jose finish? The outlook for the team in terms of making the postseason seems very grim, and any more defeats will force the club to think about next season.

Up next for the Quakes is a match with Toronto FC at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

16. Toronto FC

Aron Winter's Toronto FC had a hit-and-miss week.

On Thursday, Toronto opened CONCACAF Champions League play with a 2-1 victory over Tauro FC of Panama City, Panama.

Ryan Johnson scored in the 22nd minute for the Reds while Julian De Guzman added a second in the 24th minute of play.

"First of all I must give the team very big compliments, when you play an away game in this competition it’s not easy and to get a good result," assistant manager Bob de Klerk told torontofc.ca's Asif Hossain. "The only thing we have to do is score more and we had opportunities but big compliments to the guys.

"First we will have to see what the damage is tomorrow in terms of injuries and sore legs and all those things from the players. But we have a couple of days and Sunday is a totally new game (in Chicago)."

Unfortunately for TFC, the travel time took its toll on the players, and their performance suffered in the 2-0 defeat to the Chicago Fire.

Up next for Toronto are some more CONCACAF and MLS action. First, a glorified MLS contest with FC Dallas in the CONCACAF Champions League beckons back at BMO Field on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. The match will be televised by GOLTV Canada.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, TFC take on the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised by GOLTV Canada.

15. Portland Timbers

Three out of six points were the story of the week for John Spencer's Portland Timbers. On Wednesday, they fell to Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at Livestrong Sporting Park.

Bright Dike scored for the Timbers in the 81st minute of play.

“I think that the window of opportunity for us to make playoffs is closing rapidly and obviously getting two games back to back at home [will help]," Spencer told reporters. "We’re a different team at home. We’re going to have to be better on the road to pick up a couple of wins for us to try and make playoffs. I don’t think we can just rely on winning at home. 

"It’s a tough week. I keep telling the players that it’s not an easy league to bring foreign players into and adapt right away. It’s a very physical league and a very underrated league so we need to get back we need to win games we want to make the playoffs the same as any other team in the country. But, the windows slipping quickly.”

The Timbers broke out the chainsaw in their 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday at Jeld-Wen Field.

Diego Chara opened his scoring account just two minutes into the match and Jorge Perlaza brought home the game-winner in the 33rd minute of play.

"I think [the first goal] gave us that shot of confidence and adrenaline. Two losses is two losses and it does take a dent out of the guys confidence wise," Spencer told the press. "We all want to make the playoffs. It's not just the fans, it's not just the owner, the players really have the desire, the coaching staff has the desire to make the playoffs. 

"When we go around the country and we have fans at every stadium and we lose, it kills the guys. We're so well-supported that we want to try and win every game. Tonight we showed a real strength of character. Some guys didn't play at the maximum, but they worked to over the maximum and I was so proud of them."

"Our mentality has been from the beginning of the season that we'll bend but won't break," said defender David Horst. "I thought we did very well tonight. There were a lot of corners for them, a lot of free kicks, but the guys dug deep and we were strong in the box."

Two matches are on the way for Portland this week.

On Wednesday, Aug. 24, the Timbers will face Chivas USA at Jeld-Wen Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET and will be televised by ROOT Sports.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, Portland take on D.C. United at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ROOT Sports.

14. Red Bull New York

It's been a free-falling year for Hans Backe's New York Red Bulls, who drew 2-2 to the New England Revolution on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Dane Richards scored a brace in the 53rd and 87th minutes for the Red Bulls.

“We started very poor today,” Backe told MLSSoccer.com's Kristian Dyer. “It was more individual defending that was poor today. We said at halftime that we couldn’t live like this, we need to just step up if it was marking or something [with] positioning and be so much more sharp.”

“Once again, we started flat today,” defender Chris Albright added. “We had a chance to make a couple plays on that first goals, myself included, you know could make a block in the end.” 

A big contest awaits New York in the form of the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, Aug. 28 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2.

13. New England Revolution

Steve Nicol's New England Revolution had a tough week ahead of them, but did well to record a couple of draws.

On Wednesday, the Revs drew 1-1 with the Houston Dynamo at Gillette Stadium. Ryan Cochrane opened his scoring account in the fourth minute of play.

"If you’re playing against a team that big and you’re just throwing balls in, then the chances are that you’re up against it," Nicol said to reporters. "And it was the same on the other side of the ball. As I said, they have seven guys six-foot-three, six-foot-four. But it’s not always about winning headers cleanly. 

"It’s about putting your body in the right place and just doing enough to put them off. And unfortunately at the end, we just didn’t do that."

"It’s really tough," defender A.J. Soares said of the draw. "We needed three for the standings, we needed it for the spirit too, but that being said we’re going to drop this game tonight and we’re going to move on to New York for Saturday. It’s a quick turnaround."

"We just have to try to hold our heads up and try to be positive for this Saturday. I mean it’s still ahead of us in terms of if we want to get to the playoffs," midfielder Shalrie Joseph argued. "We’re at home this Saturday and there’s not a doubt we have to get three points. 

"The last two games we talked about just getting six points and we’d be right in the thick of it, but we slipped up tonight allowing a late goal like that. So we have to keep our heads up and look forward to Saturday against New York."

Once again, as with the last match, New England were unable to hang on to a lead, drawing 2-2 with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Milton Caraglio scored a brace in the 15th and 37th minutes of play for New England.

"Déjà vu. We’ve left too many points. Not left too many – we’ve lost too many points," Nicol said to the press. "We made two mistakes tonight and we got punished and that’s kind of been the story so far this season: when we have made mistakes, we’ve ended up getting punished, which is why we ended up with another point.

"I didn’t think any more (substitutions) would’ve helped up. They obviously had the upper hand. We didn’t feel any changes would’ve made a difference – certainly wouldn’t made a difference on the second goal, that’s for sure."

"I think there’s been plenty of those games this season and this is definitely one of them," said midfielder Benny Feilhaber. "Getting a two-goal lead, in really every circumstance, you expect to get the three points. We didn’t and that’s really been the story this season: giving up points in the second half."

Joseph admitted that the team may just be happy to play for pride at this point in the season.

"I’m just going to be concerned with what’s going on on the field and the guys who are in the locker room and be ready to practice every week," Joseph conceded. "The guys did well. We put out a good 85, 80 minutes and unfortunately weren’t able to close it out tonight. It’s disappointing. We’re all frustrated and hopefully we can come back and bounce back next week better."

Next up for the Revolution is a match with the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, Aug. 28 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet and Galavision.

12. Philadelphia Union

Peter Nowak's Philadelphia Union were given a taste of their own doop when they were upended by the Columbus Crew 2-1. Veljko Paunovic recorded his third goal of the season in the 42nd minute of play.

“I believe everybody saw today, from the flow of the game, that I think in some capacity we didn't believe that we could score more goals, especially in the first half," Nowak told philadelphiaunion.com's Andy Jasner. "In the second half it was much better. But there was some hesitation in the first half. We can do better with the final pass in the final third. That needs to be improved.

“We have a lot of character and that goes a long way especially in the longer season this year,” said midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi. “We just have to bite down and get to the end so then by playoffs we can hopefully get a certain lift to carry us through to the end. We never doubted ourselves after going down one and I applaud my teammates for their effort tonight. I think we came out and played really hard but Columbus moves the ball pretty well.”

“We had a lot of opportunities,” Paunovic told MLSSoccer.com's Dave Zeitlin. “We just missed them. We showed we really wanted to tie and win the game. This is very hard for us. We’re very disappointed that we lost. I think we didn’t deserve to lose this game.”

“I think the referee changed the game,” Union striker Sebastien Le Toux said. “We tried to come back but unfortunately we didn’t tonight.”'

Two matches are on tap for the Union. First off is a friendly with the Harrisburg City Islanders of USL PRO, who are going through their playoff run in their respective league as of this article date.

Kickoff at Skyline Sports Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

On Sunday, Aug. 28, the Union take on the New England Revolution at PPL Park in Chester. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised by Galavision and Comcast SportsNet.

11. Chicago Fire

Frank Klopas's Chicago Fire had one of their better weeks to check in at 11th in this week's Power Rankings.

On Thursday, the Fire drew 1-1 with D.C. United at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. Sebastian Grazzini scored in the 59th minute for Chicago.

The situation was a little better for the Fire, who finally got the embers burning in a 2-0 victory over Toronto FC at Toyota Park.

Dominic Oduro recorded his eighth goal of the season in the 16th minute while Dan Gargan opened his scoring account in the 69th minute of play.

Next up for the Fire is an match with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Toyota Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by MY50.

10. Real Salt Lake

Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake are falling off the pace, dropping four out their last five matches including a 3-2 defeat to the Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Fabian Espindola scored his seventh goal of the season in the 28th minute of play while Luis Gil made it 2-1 at the hour mark.

“We’re heartbroken, there’s no doubt about it," Kreis told reporters after the match. "You look around the locker room and all of us are feeling devastated about that, because you never want to be in a position where you have two leads and walk away with nothing. 

"We would have at least liked to get the draw, and if we’re 30 seconds better there at the end, we walk away with at least a point, and we can pat ourselves on the back for all the hard work that we put into that. But to walk away with nothing, it feels very, very unfortunate.”

“Our coaches are going to look at the game tape and take a look at what we did right and wrong so we can correct our mistakes," midfielder Andy Williams mused. "I think with the amount of time the game was tied, we could have delayed the game a little longer and come away with a tie.”

Real Salt Lake need to figure something out when they head to the Home Depot Center on Saturday, Aug. 27 against Chivas USA. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

9. D.C. United

Ben Olsen's D.C. United didn't have the best of weeks. On Thursday, they drew 1-1 with D.C. United at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. Josh Wolff delivered the equalized in the 73rd minute of play.

"We didn’t sort out the midfield and really that was the story of the first half," Olsen told the press. "Overall not happy with the first half, revved them up for the second and I thought they came out [of the locker room] with a little more of a purpose right from the start.

"In the second half, we were probably the better team, but we were lucky. Very lucky to be 0-0 at the half. Game probably could have been over at that point. We’ve had those games where we’ve been playing a team where we didn’t finish and on the tying end of that."

Goalkeeper Bill Hamid suffered an injury and it did change the dynamics of the contest.

“You never like to see your keeper go down with a hamstring injury and when you look it as a coach in a game like this where you spent 45 minutes pretty much defending, so you lose a sub," said forward Dwayne De Rosario. "We only had two subs left in the game, so it’s not an ideal situation, but it is what it is and we just move forward to getting him healthy and getting ready for Sunday.”

"It’s not our best night in the first half," Wolff added. "Clearly we weren’t the better team. At times they used their pace and put you in some danger. Bill [Hamid] made some big saves in the first half and you have to give him credit because he stood some plays up with great saves and obviously it’s disappointing to see him go off at the end of the first half. 

"We hung in there, and the goal against us we could have dealt with better. But we keep plugging away and you get to one and at that point were kind of pushing to get forward, which was good to see."

The loss of Hamid also affected D.C.'s performance against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, which resulted in a 1-0 defeat at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, D.C. will take on the Portland Timbers at RFK Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

8. FC Dallas

Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas had a week of CONCACAF highs and Major League lows.

On Wednesday, the Hoops became the first American team to beat a Mexican opponent on Mexican soil with a 1-0 victory over Pumas UNAM in the CONCACAF Champions League at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City.

Marvin Chavez scored the game-winner in the 66th minute for Dallas.

“We are the first to beat a good Mexican team in Mexico,” Hyndman told MLSSoccer.com's Robert Casner. “I hope that more MLS teams will have the same courage to play good soccer and I hope that we can continue to find success here.”

“I am very happy for all of my teammates,” chavez added. “The most important thing of the group tonight was the attitude of the group and we hope to continue working in the same manner.”

However, the Seattle Sounders sent them flying down to earth in the form of a 1-0 defeat at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

Dallas will look to bounce back with a couple of important matches this week. First, there is CONCACAF Champions League action against Toronto FC at BMO Field. Kickoff is scheduled for Wedn esday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, it's back to league action when they travel to Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City to take on Sporting Kansas City. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

7. Chivas USA

Robin Fraser's Chivas USA welcomed former LA Galaxy forward Juan Pablo Angel with open arms, and he helped power the Goats to a 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

Angel scored in the 36th minute, while new acquisition Laurent Courtois delivered the equalizer in the 86th minute of play.

"It was an extremely poor start," Fraser said to reporters after the contest. "We, for whatever reason, didn’t put together a lot of passes, turned the ball over in bad spots, didn’t defend particularly well. It took us a while to get into it. We were fortunate to get to the half at 1-1.

"I thought in the second half we came out and our energy and our attention to detail was a little bit better, and as a result we were able to turn the game a bit more in our favor. Obviously giving up a set piece goal is disappointing, but I thought the team showed great character by coming back and creating a couple chances late and obviously getting one and tying the game."

"We’re looking forward and we’re moving forward still, but one thing that we can hold our heads up high about is the character we showed tonight," midfielder Michael Lahoud concluded. "At times, the game was going our way, we were fluid, and other times we were getting a lot of pressure on us, but we found a way to stay in it. We got a result, and that’s all that matters."

Two matches are on tap for Chivas USA. First, there is a match with the Portland Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field on Wednesday, Aug. 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET and will be televised by KWHY TV and Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, Chivas returns to the Home Depot Center to take on struggling Real Salt Lake. Kickoff at Victoria Street is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

6. Colorado Rapids

Gary Smith's Colorado Rapids had a decent week, earning a win in CONCACAF Champions League action and a draw in league play.

On Wednesday, the Rapids opened their CONCACAF Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory over Isidro Metapan at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Macoumba Kandji, returning from injury, was the spark plug for the Rapids, scoring a brace in the 16th and 45th minute. Andre Akpan delivered the game-winner in the 50th minute of play.

“It’s good not only to come back like that but for my confidence as well,” Kandji told MLSSoccer.com's Nick Thomas. “I was very hungry. I always try to give 110 percent, but it was a different story tonight because it’s been a while since I played and I am very grateful for that.”

“Mac Kandji scores two goals, that’s probably the biggest thing,” said Jeff Larentowicz. “Everybody’s been waiting for him to come back and he’s had nothing but a positive attitude, like he showed tonight. That’s a big positive.”

“What an influence on the game,” Smith said of Kandji. “The timing of the goals, the skill, the trickery — it was a wonderful performance.”

Returning to league action, the Rapids settled for a 2-2 draw with Chivas USA. Caleb Folan recorded his sixth goal of the season in the 13th minute while Larentowicz made it 2-1 in the 69th minute of play.

"It was never going to be easy," Smith told the press after the match. "This Chivas side is much improved and Robin’s done a terrific job there. They’re much more resilient, you can see that in their play. I think some fatigue certainly had an impact in our play in the latter stages of the game.

"I’ve got to make sure that the guys in the squad are capable of fulfilling a good job, which I’m sure they can achieve. Now, if I get the balance right we’ll be competitive, if I get the balance wrong we won’t be. It’s a big challenge for me to make sure that we stay fit healthy and competitive on two fronts now. Teams have done it before and they’ve done a very good job, and I’m now appreciating what they went through. For a couple of the teams that have pushed on into the latter stages of [the CONCACAF Champions League] I tip my hat to them."

"The other teams in front of us [in the standings] are winning so we have to continue winning as well," added defender Tyrone Marshall. "So it’s disappointing from that standpoint, that it’s a home game and we need to get three points. We’ve been doing that for the last couple of games, picking up maximum points. So tonight kind of hurts a little bit, but it’s a learning experience for us going forward. 

"We’ve been doing that in the past – correcting our mistakes and doing well the following game. We have a big game coming up now in CONCACAF and we have to change our mindset and get ready for that game in Honduras."

Up next for Colorado is a Tuesday night match with Real Expana f San Pedro Sula, Hondura. Kickoff at Estadio Francisco Morazan is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 8:00 p.m. MT/10:00 p.m. ET.

Colorado return to league action on Saturday, Aug. 27 when they take on the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Altitude.

5. Sporting Kansas City

Peter Vermes's Sporting Kansas City had a sensational week and continued their push towards the postseason.

On Wednesday, Sporting downed the Portland Timbers 3-1 at Livestrong Sporting Park.

Graham Zusi scored a brace in the 25th and 40th minute while Soony Saad opened his scoring account in the 72nd minute of play.

"I thought from the opening whistle we looked solid," Vermes told the press.  "One of our goals was to try to get not only the first shot but get the first couple attacks on them quickly to put them under pressure and to make them feel us.  I thought we were pretty dangerous."'

"I thought we played well as a team," said Saad. "It was very good to get two goals in the first half and after that it took a little wind out of them and then as the second half came it looked like we had to get a third goal.  Once I came on I knew I had to work on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively."

"We kept it sharp, and we worked on the little details that we sometime let slide," Zusi remarked. "You know, a week and a half is really big for us. Other teams are turning around and playing again only after a few days, but tonight we were able to kind of let loose a little bit. After a week roles around, you’re really itching to play again. We really wanted to come out at home and win another game."

"I thought it was a great performance by us. It’s good to get the first goal," said defender Matt Besler. "At the end, Soony’s goal pretty much wrapped it up. But looking at the whole game, it’s three points and we bounced back from last game."

"We needed this game," said midfielder Milos Stojcev. "We need wins now, and we are playing well as a team. Everyone has been playing very well, and most of all, we believe in each other. But now, we need more wins so we can go to the playoffs."

They got another in the form of a 1-0 victory over D.C. United. Kei Kamara recorded his seventh of the year in the 19th minute.

"I think probably the last three or four games we’ve played here at home I think our start has been very, very good," Vermes remarked. "Really pleased with the way we are putting teams under pressure offensively. We’re putting teams back on their heels a little bit."

When you have games once a week, it keeps you really fresh," Kamara said. "On the other hand, having games closer together allows you to get into a rhythm, and you just have to keep going and you have to just keep playing. Either way, we can play out there. That’s why we have 30 guys on the team. We can always stay fresh and whenever you are called upon, it’s your time to perform."

"I think we’ve learned so much," said goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. "You could see tonight that we were playing smart. We were running to the corners, we kept possession…we didn’t just clear it. We just kept coming again and again. 

"We played much smarter, especially after the Seattle game. That was a hard lesson. We watched a lot of video from that game, and I think that today we used that experience to stay focused."

On Saturday, Aug. 27, Sporting conclude a month of home-cooking with a match against FC Dallas at Livestrong Spoting Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by KSMO-TV.

4. Columbus Crew

Robert Warzycha's Columbus Crew move up to fourth after a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union.

Emilio Renteria scored in the 37th minute for his sixth of the season. Andres Mendoza converted the game-winning penalty in the 51st minute. The goal was Mendoza's eighth of the season.

“Normally I take the PKs now,” Mendoza told thecrew.com's Craig Merz. “Robbie [Rogers] asked and I said, ‘No, I would do it.’”

“I said I wanted to take it,” Rogers said. “He said he wanted to take it. I told him he better not miss.”
Mendoza wouldn't.

“It’s great to have both of them on the field,” Warzycha added, "but more than anything, the players behind them supported them and they were working for the guys who are defending."

Up next for the Crew is an important match with the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 at 4:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by ONN-TV.

3. Houston Dynamo

Dominic Kinnear's Houston Dynamo had a solid week, picking up four out of a possible six points.
On Wednesday, Houston drew 1-1 with the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. Bobby Boswell equalized in the 90th minute for the Dynamo.

“The guys were pumped because we put a lot into that game,” Kinnear told MLSSoccer.com's Darrell Lovell. “It took us a while to get the ball across the line, but sometimes, playing against a stingy defense and good goalkeeper, you need a scramble to win, and that’s what we got late.”

Houston would get right and deliver a 3-2 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Robertson Stadium.

Brian Ching scored his fifth of the season in the 47th minute, Bobby Boswell tallied his fourth in the 69th minute and Academy product Alex Dixon scored a last-gasp winner in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.

"I’m very happy, and it was a great ending," Kinnear told the press. "We had a lot of chances in that second half. Nick Rimando had a very good game. I’m happy for Alex [Dixon] to come in and make a difference. I’m happy for the guys. They showed great determination this week to come out of this week undefeated and score two goals late. We played well, keeping ourselves together."

“It means a lot to help the team build confidence," Dixon added. "Like I said before, the most important thing is the team, and we are just trying to get to the playoffs and make our run.”

Houston will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Empire Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET and will be televised by KHOU 11.2 and on tape delay by TV Azteca 51 on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 8:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. ET.

2. Seattle Sounders FC

Sigi Schmid's Seattle Sounders were flying this past week, with victories to show for it. First, they disposed of Comunicaciones 4-1 at CenturyLink Field in CONCACAF Champions League play.

Brad Evans equalized in the 35th minute, then Mike Fucito delivered a brace in the 61st and 67th minutes. An own goal from Comunicaciones's Rigoberto Gomez only added to the pain for the Guatemala City club in the 87th minute of play.

“In this tournament you have to win home games.  It was nice to be able to start off the tournament at home,” Schmid told SoundersFC.com's Matt Gaschk.  “I thought our team showed a lot of character to come back again from 1-0.  Being 1-1 and having a player ejected and playing a man down and being able to score two goals showed a little bit more.”

“I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunities,” Fucito said of his heroics.  “Just doing what I can to help the team when given the opportunity.”

“As we’ve said, we think our team is deep and to play in a tournament like this you have to rely on depth.  I told the guys before the game that every guy we’re putting out there has the ability to be a starter or is a starter on this team,” Schmid added  “Mike started for us in a series of games where we did well as a team and he had some moments.

"Sometimes you get in and out of form a little bit but I thought [Fucito's] training had gotten a lot better of late and he deserved the opportunity to get out there and play.  He rewarded me but mainly he rewarded himself.  When you do that you get more opportunities.”

Seattle then followed up their result with a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. Mauro Rosales delivered the game-winner in the 15th minute.

“I thought it was game where Dallas had more control of the game than we did but it was the same thing when we played in Seattle, we had more than they did,” Schmid told Gaschk after the match.  “That was a game we were unfortunate to lose while tonight was a game we were fortunate to win.  I thought we did well, we scored the opening goal, and we had some good chances early on and also later in the game.”

Two big matches are on the way for Seattle. First, there is a match with CF Monterrey, the defending CONCACAF Champions League winners. Kickoff in Monterrey, Mexico is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, the Sounders will face the Columbus Crew at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. PT and will be televised by KONG 6/16.

1. Los Angeles Galaxy

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy powered their way to a perfect week, conceding no goals and acquiring a new player in Irish international Robbie Keane along the way.

Desperate to exorcise the demons from 2010, the Galaxy defeated CD Motagua 2-0 in the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday at the Home Depot Center. Adam Cristman scored in the 13th minute while Landon Donovan put the game out of reach at the hour mark.

“I think it was a good win against a very good team. I think [if] we do a little bit better in the last 15 minutes we put ourselves in an even better position," Arena told the press. "This competition is going to be difficult. There are five more tough games in group play. I think our group is an outstanding group. Every game…every goal…every minute in this competition is going to require our utmost concentration. I think our team that has a number of inexperienced players at this level responded pretty well tonight.”

“It’s a mathematical equation really," Donovan said of the CONCACAF Champions League schedule. "You play six games, three at home—you got to win your three home games. Then you got to get one, two or three points on the road and that will put you through. 

"The goal is to get points at home. We know that goal differential comes into play later and if there is anything to be critical of is that we weren’t a little better in front of the goal.”

The same problems plagues Los Angeles in their California Clasico match with the San Jose Earthquakes. That didn't stop Keane from scoring his first goal as a member of the Galaxy in the 21st minute. Add a 90th-minute strike from Mike Magee and the result was a 2-0 victory over the Quakes at Victoria Street.

“This was a hard game for us tonight," Arena said to reporters. "I thought San Jose played well and did a good job turning us over in the last 10 minutes of the first half. They were dangerous and possessed the ball pretty well. They played a good game. Our guys, for the most part, did a good job defensively tonight."

“The first 30 minutes was good," Keane said after the match. "We kept the ball very well. We played good. The last ten minutes or so [of the first half] we were sloppy. We gave them chances, and we made mistakes. All in all we got the three points. 

"The most important thing was to get the three points. I’m sure myself, I will get better and better and then the team will get better and better.”

Los Angeles have another couple of big matches on the way. First, the Galaxy take on LD Alajuelense at the Home Depot Center on Thursday, Aug. 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET and will be televised by FoX Soccer Channel.

The Galaxy will then travel to Red Bull Arena for a match with the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, Aug. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.