Major League Soccer Recap: Week 30

Landon Donovan has been on a tear this season, and that continued Saturday night, as he added another record to his already impressive résumé. Donovan recorded his 136^th career assist moving him past Steve Ralston for first all-time in Major League Soccer history. Donovan broke the record on an assist to Robbie Keane in the 25^th minute of a 3-0 win over Toronto FC. Keane finished with two goals, and the LA Galaxy showed why they’re one of the favorites to win it all this season.

The week started on Thursday with a 1-1 draw between the Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire in a match that the Union desperately needed the full three points. The Union, currently four points out of the playoffs, missed an opportunity to capitalize on a Columbus Crew 2-1 loss versus the New England Revolution. Jermaine Jones sealed the victory for the Revolution with a header off a set piece in the 67^th minute. One team that did capitalize on the Crew’s loss was the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls, led by Thierry Henry, beat the Houston Dynamo to move into fourth place and one point ahead of the Crew. The Eastern Conference also saw a scoreless draw between top-seeded DC United and the defending champions, Sporting Kansas City.

Out west, the Vancouver Whitecaps got a much-needed win against FC Dallas. The Whitecaps posted a 2-0 shutout that would prove to be even more important after the Portland Timbers defeated the San Jose Earthquakes. The Timbers won 2-1 thanks to two second-half goals from Rodney Wallace and remain outside of the playoffs with 42 points, one point behind the fifth-seeded Whitecaps.

Sunday saw three more games to conclude this week’s MLS action. The Seattle Sounders moved atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with a rout of the Colorado Rapids. Obafemi Martins led the way scoring two goals, with Clint Dempsey and Marco Pappa adding one a piece. In its second match of the week, the Fire played the Montreal Impact to a scoreless draw, which officially eliminated Chicago from playoff contention. The week concluded with Chivas USA hosting Real Salt Lake, and in a shocking 1-0 win, Chivas shutout RSL, who will now have to wait another week to clinch a playoff berth.

With the playoffs just around the corner, there are only three teams safely in the bracket.  Although nobody knows how the table will look when the playoffs begin, one thing that is known is that Landon Donovan’s final season will not end on Oct. 25 against the Sounders. Donovan looks to add to the final chapter of his career by leading the Galaxy to its fifth MLS Cup title and his sixth.