Wild Wild West

While the American League continues to make the National League look like the Cape League, the MLS boasts a relatively equal level of play across its two conferences. While the East has MLS' best team, the top five teams in the Western Conference are within 10 points of each other.

Each league took a turn embarassing the other last night, with the Galaxy routing D.C. 5-2 as the Red Bulls kicked Salt Lake back to the stone age in a 6-0 drubbing. If anyone predicted either of those scores, they should get a cookie. After those tilts came to their merciful end, though, the Houston-Chivas kicked off and showed us just how competitive the playoff race out West might be.

Chivas emerged from the first half in good shape - at home, up 2-1 and with a man advantage after Ricardo Clarke was red carded in the 31st minute. They looked deadly on their home surface, taking advantage of the short grass by playing the ball quickly and with pace. They looked tough to beat at home this night no matter who the opponent might be but, to make it easier for them, Houston came out as flat as roadkill in the second half, failing to string together passes or create any rhythm on the attack.

But at least the Dynamo were also slow to recover on defense. Chivas took advantage, playing the ball wide to an unmarked Sasha Kljestan who hit Ante Razov in stride atop the box. Razov then let the ball run by his right beg and hit a left-footed strike that swerved away from Pat Onstad and into the left corner of the net. 3-1 Chivas, up a man at home. It should have been over. And it would have been, if Dwayne DeRosario didn't play for the other guys.

While his teammates appeared enamored with finding out just how many times they could knock the ball out of bounds with no pressure on them, DeRosario took over, smacking home his eighth goal of the year in the 67th minute. It was a clinical finish, with the Canadian international half-volleying a bouncing ball past Burpo by placing it just outside the keeper's shins. That's how they teach you. 3-2 Chivas.

I stayed that way until the final seconds when DeRosario almost struck again. After receiving the ballthirty-five yards from goal, DeRosario juked one defender and sped past Chivas defender Jason Hernandez. So Hernandex took him out, plain and simple. The ball was a good two yars ahead of DeRosario when it happened. The referee signaled to continue play and Chivas got three points.

So to recap: Chivas looked deadly and Houston looked done. In the end, though, only a referee's blown call kept this one from being a draw. There's parity out west, I tell you, and it's going to be a wild finish.