MLS Weekend Oct. 2-4; A Look Back

Several teams locked playoff berths, others moved closer to doing so and others are now teetering on the brink of missing out.

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0 at the Home Depot Center on Friday night. That win along with Chivas USA's 2-0 win over DC United puts Los Angeles back in the playoffs for the first time since 2005, the year it won the MLS Cup.

The win also put the Galaxy in first place in the Western Conference. LA is still there, but it was to share it with the Houston Dynamo for the next two weeks. The Dynamo played to a 1-1 draw against the Kansas City Wizards in Houston on Sunday afternoon. The two teams will decide the conference title against each other in Houston on October 18. A draw will work to the Galaxy's advantage, as it defeated the Dynamo 1-0 at the Home Depot Center back on June 28.

So the Galaxy and Dynamo (44 points each) are tied atop the West, but Chivas and Seattle Sounders FC are both only three points back of the two clubs. Seattle picked up a 1-0 win over the host Columbus Crew on Saturday, making head coach Sigi Schmid's return to Crew Stadium very sweet for the man who a year earlier led the Crew to the MLS Cup. Chivas owns the tiebreaker over Seattle based on their 2-0-1 record against the Sounders this season. Both teams overtook the Colorado Rapids, whose 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution leaves them two points ahead of the Revolution and four ahead of DC United with two weeks left in the regular season.

Seattle's defeat of Columbus also prevented the Crew from putting a stranglehold in the Eastern Conference title. The Fire are five points back of the Crew and both teams won't have it easy finishing the season, as both teams face off against teams looking to further cement their playoff status.

Columbus will face the Revolutuion twice, the first time at New England on October 10th and the second time on the 24th. The Crew will also face DC United on the 17th. The Fire close out their regular season against the Revolution on the 17th and Chivas USA on October 22.

MLS Standings
Western Conference Standings
Los Angeles Galaxy; 11-6-1, 44 points
Houston Dynamo; 12-8-8; 44 points
Chivas USA; 12-9-5, 41 points
Seattle Sounders; 10-7-11, 41 points
Colorado Rapids; 10-8-10, 40 points
Real Salt Lake; 9-11-7; 34 points
FC Dallas; 9-12-6; 33 points
San Jose Earthquakes; 7-12-7, 28 points

Eastern Conference Standings
Columbus Crew; 12-5-10, 46 points
Chicago Fire; 10-7-11, 41 points
New England Revolution; 10-9-8, 38 points
DC United; 8-8-12, 36 points
Toronto FC; 9-10-8, 35 points
Kansas City; 8-11-8, 32 points
New York Red Bulls; 4-18-6, 18 points