DC United 1 Houston Dynamo 2 27 October
After last weeks loss the visitors got the victory they needed to claim a place in the playoff as they finished fourth in the East. The win sealed a sweep of the season series against DC which started with a 2-0 success on the opening night of the campaign in Houston and continued with a comprehensive 4-0 victory when they last met here in May. The Dynamo took the lead on 11 minutes when they were awarded a penalty kick. United defender James Riley brought down Giles Barnes and Oscar Boniek García stepped up to convert low to keeper Bill Hamid right, even though he dove that way. After 27 minutes the fat was back in the fire as far as the Houston fans were concerned as DC got back level. Chris Pontius reached the byline and flighted a cross to the far stick that allowed Kyle Porter to out jump the defence and head home past Tally Hall in the visitors goal. 9 minutes late and the hosts had a chance to take the lead. Conor Doyle lead a 2-on-0 break and having reached the area with only Hall to beat he then quickly passed the ball to Dwayne De Rosario who was in-support instead of shooting and the forward was caught off guard and unable to control the ball with the goal gaping. That was to prove costly as 3 minutes later Houston converted what turned out to be the winner. First Will Bruin then Brad Davis were denied by flying saves from Hamid, but from the resulting corner he was powerless to prevent a Barnes header finding the target after he had beat his marker. Despite the odd chance in the second stanza the hosts could not get back level and the loss for DC was their second on the spin and fifth in their last six games as they gained an unwanted MLS record for the least number of victories in a season, three, one fewer than Chivas in 2005, to end thirteen points adrift of Toronto at the foot of the Eastern Conference.
Columbus Crew 0 New England Revolution 1
The visitors swept the season series with the Crew, but the 2-0 win here back in July and the 3-2 win on home soil last week did not have significance of this result as the Revs made sure that they were competing in the playoffs for the first time since 2009 as they finished the regular season occupying the third place spot in the East. The all important goal came after 28 minutes. Fullback Andrew Farrell found Juan Agudelo on a long pass into the box and he played it to Lee Nguyen who was breaking towards the goal, with Columbus keeper Andy Gruenebaum advancing towards him he cut the ball back to Agudelo who had the simple task of sliding it into the net. Despite pressing for the leveller the Crew never could create any real clear cut opportunities and the frustration got the better of Dominic Oduro. As the 8 minutes of stoppage time were about to start he was given a straight red-card for an off-the-ball kick from behind on Revs midfielder Kelyn Rowe. The defeat for the Crew was their third on the bounce and left them in eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
New York Red Bulls 5 Chicago Fire 2
The hosts claimed their first Supporters Shield title and their first Eastern Conference crown since 2010 with this come-from-behind victory that avenged the 3-1 loss to the Fire when the teams met in Chicago all the way back in April. The visitors got on the board first when they struck after only 6 minutes. Mike Magee was on hand to score for the third game running as he recorded his then league-leading twenty-first goal as he tapped in a rebound after Luis Robles parried a strike from Dilly Duka. The Reds Bulls got level after 24 minutes. Captain Thierry Henry chested down a pass from Péguy Luyindula before hitting a superb strike that looped over Fire keeper Sean Johnson and nestled in the back of the net via the underside of the crossbar. After that it was all New York but it did take them until 4 minutes after the break to go in front. Ibrahim Sekagya scored for the second match in a row as he managed to poke the ball home from a Tim Cahill touch, after a Dax McCarty header was saved by Johnson but not cleared inside the six-yard box. 7 minutes later and the game was put to bed. Lloyd Sam cut inside of Gonzalo Segares before unleashing a gorgeous left-footed curler that Johnson could do nothing about. Eric Alexander then joined the party when he netted with 13 minutes left after being played in close to the goal by Luyindula. Their final tally coming 7 minutes later when Henry turned provider as he hit a cross field pass to Jonny Steele who finished passed Johnson. The Fire got a consolation strike 1 minute into stoppage time when Quincy Amarikwa, who had replaced Patrick Nyarko just after the hour mark, headed in a corner kick from fellow substitute Joel Lindpere who had come on with 15 minutes left for Gonzalo Segares. The loss for the Fire saw the end of their four game unbeaten run, which had included three consecutive wins and meant they ended the season just outside the playoff places in sixth place as the final spot in the East when to Montreal who had being sat at home watching the drama unfold after their loss the previous day.
Vancouver Whitecaps 3 Colorado Rapids 0
The hosts finish their season on a high note as they finally defeat the Rapids at the third time of asking to end the season in seventh spot in the West. After two defeats in Colorado 2-0 in August and 3-2 last week a Camilo Sanvezzo hat-trick not only stopped them being swept in the season series but gave him the Golden Boot as the leagues top goal scorer with twenty-two strikes. The hosts took the lead from the penalty spot 2 minutes before the break. Rapids defender Marvell Wynne brought down Kekuta Manneh and in touching moment Sanvezzo rushed over to give the ball to the retiring Lee Young-Pyo, who had the honour of captaining the Whitecaps. The South Korean turned down his offer though and it was left to the Brazilian to smash the ball past Clinton Irwin in the visitors goal. After 74 minutes the hosts doubled their advantage when Sanvezzo nutmegged Rapids defender Drew Moor before placing a shot into the bottom right corner of the net. 6 minutes from time Sanvezzo rounded off his special night latching on to a through ball from Russell Teibert before dispatching it past Irwin to register his fourth goal in his last two games. The loss for Rapids was their second in their last three outings and keeps them fifth in the Western Conference.
Seattle Sounders 1 LA Galaxy 1
A win for Seattle would have meant they would have Jumped LA in to third place but having scored first they had to settle for a draw and fourth position as they snapped their four game losing run. The hosts broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark. Clint Dempsey scored his first tally for the Sounders after he just got enough on an effort after LA keeper Jaime Penedo had just managed to get a touch to a Lamar Neagle cross. 3 minutes before the break it looked like the Galaxy had equalised when Omar Gonzalez’s header from a corner seemed to have crossed the line before midfielder Osvaldo Alonso managed to clear it away, but the assistant-referee kept his flag down and play was waved on. 12 minutes from time though the visitors did get level. Substitute Hector Jimenez, who had replaced Michael Stephens around 20 minutes earlier headed the ball into the path of captain Robbie Keane and he volleyed an unstoppable shot past Michael Gspurning in the hosts net. The point for LA extends their unbeaten run to four games.