MLS / Liga MX Report: Ronaldinho, Queretaro Struggle Against Tijuana; Landon Donovan's Last Home Game,
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
The LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders, battling for the Supporters Shield -- given to the team with the best record -- ended their game 2-2 on Sunday, as Landon Donovan played his last game in front of his home crowd.
Baggio Husidic of the Galaxy drew first blood, capitalizing on the Seattle's defensive failure to clear Dan Gargan's cross by getting the ball past Sounders keeper Stefan Frei. Marcelo Sarvas extended the lead to 2-0 for Los Angeles in the 50th minute before Seattle woke up after Clint Dempsey cut the lead in the 69th minute with an assist from Obafemi Martins. Martins would later earn another assist three minutes later finding Lamar Neagle open in the box to tie up the game to tie up the game 2-2
Both teams clash again next week in Seattle with home-field advantage and the Supporters Shield on the line.
In other Western Conference action, the Portland Timbers, currently in sixth place with 46 points, failed to gain ground on fifth place Vancouver Whitecaps (47 points) for the last playoff spot. U.S. Men's National Team keeper, Nick Rimando of Real Salt Lake, helped shut out Portland, preserving a 0-0 draw against the Timbers and clinching a playoff spot for Real Salt Lake.
Vancouver could did not fare any better, with their three-game winning streak snapped against the San Jose Earthquakes off the strength of San Jose keeper Jon Busch's key saves in the second half to end the game in a 0-0 draw. Vancouver will host the Colorado Rapids on the last week of the season, while Portland is on the road against FC Dallas.
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Dallas currently holds third place in the conference with 54 points, looking to hold off Real Salt Lake (53 points), who plays eighth place Chivas USA, as both teams look to avoid playing in the single-elimination Wild Card round of the playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference playoffs race, Toronto FC was eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend after playing to a 1-1 draw against their Canadian rival, the Montreal Impact. Toronto FC failed to make the postseason despite having invested $100 million during the offseason on English Premier League (EPL) striker Jermain Defoe and U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley.
Toronto FC took the early lead after Warren Creavalle blasted a shot past Montreal keeper Evan Bush in the 20th minute, but Montreal recovered quickly, tying the game after Montreal midfielder Andres Romero found Felipe Martins open and rocketed a shot by Toronto keeper Joe Bendik to end their playoff hopes.
"They definitely wanted to end our playoff hopes," Toronto midfielder Jonathan Osorio said, regarding Montreal's effort. "They came out with a lot of energy, you could kind of feel that."
With Toronto's loss, the playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference have been all locked up with the New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, Sporting Kansas City, New England Revolution and DC United all headed to the postseason. The Red Bulls, the Crew and Sporting KC are jostling to stay out of the Wild Card single elimination game with New York currently in fifth place with 47 points, Columbus in fourth place with 49 points and Kansas City in third place with 49 points.
DC United clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference and home field advantage in the playoffs after their win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday just a year after finishing last in the conference. The win also earned Ben Olsen's club a berth into the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League tournament.
LIGA MX
Despite the big splashy signing of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, Queretaro has been struggling of late, mired in 12th place in the Liga MX standings with 15 points, battling Veracruz (14 points), León (15 points), UNAM (16 points), Cruz Azul (16 points), and Tijuana (16 points) for the last Liguilla playoff spot, currently held by Santos Laguna (17 points).
Ronaldinho has scored three goals since jumping from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A to Liga MX, including in Friday's 2-1 loss to Tijuana, but Queretaro has lost their last three games in a row to the Xolos, Atlas, and León. The streak may continue if they do not turn things around when they host league leader Club America on Friday as they attempt to halt their free-fall from the standings with four games left in the season.
Queretaro has not been able to take advantage of Santos Laguna's struggles, who have failed to win a game over a five-week stretch. Santos' position for the last playoff spot is tenuous, with Tijuana, who play lowly Guadalajara -- who is second-to-last in the standings -- nipping at their heels. Chivas were hoping to turn their fortunes around since hiring former Mexican national team head coach Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre, but have lost four out of their last five games.
America continues atop the league with 29 points, solidifying their lead after defeating Monterrey 2-0 on Saturday despite playing without their top scorer Miguel Layun. Toluca jumped into second place over the weekend, with 25 points, after beating Atlas 2-0, who slid down to third place with 24 points.
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