It was as match a wrestling match as a battle of soccer teams on Saturday. Here, Brian Mullan tangles with two Dallas defenders. Colorado won 1-0. (Photograph by Joel Baud/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

The Saturday night showdown between FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids was not so much a rematch of the 2010 MLS Cup as it was a desperate 90 minutes for two teams stumbling toward the playoffs.

Colorado came in winless in its last five MLS matches (0-3-2) and Dallas arrived on a string of getting shutout in three straight matches. For the teams clinging to the top two wild card spots, neither side was in a position to allow for too many errors.

Mercifully for the Rapids, the team with the biggest chinks in its armor proved to be the visitors from Texas.

Drew Moor, whom FC Dallas traded to Colorado in 2009, rose to get a head on a Sanna Nyassi corner kick in the 25th minute and deliver the game’s only goal. Matt Pickens was solid in the net and the Rapids weathered a late challenge while a man down to win 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the team’s first home win since Aug. 5.

With the victory, the Rapids improved to 11-9-12, 45 points, with two matches remaining. Dallas — shutout for the fourth game in a row — dropped to 13-11-7, 46 points, with three matches remaining.

The result likely meant that both sides will make the postseason, but with several teams still having four games to play after the weekend, it’s too soon to start making playoff decisions in Dallas or Denver.

The LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake have all booked playoff spots. The top three spots in the Eastern Conference are still to be sorted with six teams bunched only seven points apart. The top three from the East will go through with the remainder battling FC Dallas and the Rapids for the four wild card spots.

Next Up: The Rapids get a rest. Colorado’s two regular season MLS matches include a home date with Salt Lake on Oct. 14, and a visit to the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 22.

In the final group stage match of the CONCACAF Champions League, Colorado travels to Santos Laguna on Oct. 19 to face a side that is already in the CCL quarterfinals. The Rapids need a win to advance in the champions league or a tie and some lucky circumstances to move forward.

Still Searching: Murphy Brown had greater success finding an assistant than coach Gary Smith has in finding a leftback. Moor, Anthony Wallace, Danny Earls, Scott Palguta and even Wells Thompson have spent some time in the spot. The latest choice, Miguel Comminges, was sent off for a second yellow card on Saturday. This means he will be sitting out on Oct. 14, and another back will have a chance in the unsettled corner.

Montero scored twice in his team’s 3-2 win over arch-rival Portland Timbers in front of a fervent sellout crowd at Portland’s JELD-WEN Field.

Montero’s first goal came on a 57th minute free kick. With the Sounders trailing 1-0, he curled a 25-yard shot over the Timbers wall and into the lower near corner of the goal behind goalkeeper Troy Perkins.

The Sounders fell behind again several minutes later, but Montero rescued them in the 74th minute when he capped a smooth passing sequence by tapping in a goal mouth feed from teammate Mauro Rosales. Seattle’s Osvaldo Alonso converted a late penalty kick for the winning goal after a foul by Portland’s Eric Brunner on Lamar Neagle. The win is the first by either team in the MLS chapter of the storied Pacific Northwest rivalry, after the two sides drew 1-1 in the season’s first meeting in Seattle on May 14.

The Player of the Week award is Montero’s first of the 2011 season, and third of his MLS career; he earned the honor on one occasion in March of 2009 and August 2010. He is the second Sounders FC player to be named Player of the Week this season, after defender Jeff Parke took home the award in Week 10.

The Colombian forward’s brace brings his 2011 goal total to five, and Seattle will hope he can continue his form as they aim to extend their unbeaten streak, which now stands at eight games. Montero has been one of the most dynamic forwards in the league since joining the Sounders in 2009, tallying 22 goals and 17 assists in his first two seasons, and earning MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2009.

CSN Vote: Nope, I went with Joel Lindpere of the New York Red Bulls for his one goal and two assists in the Wednesday 5-0 thrashing of Toronto. And, in a bow to sentimentality, I tabbed Dwayne De Rosario as the second for his play against his former teammates on Saturday in D.C. United’s 1-0 win.

And, if I look deep within my heart, I would pick Lindpere and DeRo for my team ahead of Montero.

Lindsey Horan delivered the lone goal of the evening in the 56th minute at Trail Winds Park in Thornton, Colo. Horan threatened several times during the night before her shot from inside the box found the upper left corner, giving her four goals in four games this season.

Horan had nearly given the 204 fans in attendance a lead in the first half when her hard strike brought a full-stretch save in the 45th minute.

The goal came after a long-run of attacking play for the Rush, and it seemed to snap Seattle back to life. The Sounders started to find the game, and delivered several dangerous chances, particularly off corner kicks. In the 71st minute, the Sounders nearly pulled even when a shot from Jane Mitchell pinged off the near post.

The back and forth nature of the evening continued as the Rush sought a second goal before seeking to kill the game in the closing 10 minutes.

With the victory, the Rush improved to 5-3-0, 15 points, in the Western Conference. Seattle fell to 2-5-1, 7 points.

Next, the Rush — who have played home matches in Commerce City and Thornton this season — return to the team’s normal home, Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, for a 1:30 p.m. Sunday match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Vancouver defeated the Rush 3-0 earlier this season and beat the Colorado Force 2-0 on Friday.

Seattle travels a short drive up I-25 to Loveland to face the Colorado Force at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Bruin scored a hat trick in the Dynamo’s 4-1 victory over D.C. United. Bruin becomes the first player of 2011 to record a hat trick and the first rookie this season to be named Player of the Week.

Bruin put the Dynamo ahead in the fourth minute after Geoff Cameron stole the ball in the D.C. half. Cameron slotted a pass behind the D.C. backline, putting in Bruin alone to face goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Bruin coolly fired a low shot inside the near-post for the 1-0 lead.

With the game tied 1-1 in the 41st minute, Cameron sent Brad Davis into the left corner with a through ball. Reaching the ball just before it reached the end line, Davis delivered a curling cross to Bruin, who beat his marker for an emphatic header into the net.

In the 57th minute, Bruin connected on another Davis cross to complete his hat trick. This time Davis’ pinpoint service came from a free kick on the left flank. In a crowded penalty area, Bruin timed his leap perfectly and smashed a header just beneath the crossbar, offering Hamid no chance.

Bruin was selected 11th overall by Houston at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft after scoring 33 goals in 66 games over three seasons at Indiana University. He was a finalist for the Hermann Award as a junior.

Bruin has four goals this season for Houston and is the fourth rookie in MLS history to score a hat trick; Brian Maisonneuve, Pat Noonan, and Zack Schilawski are the others. Bruin is the second youngest player in League history to score a hat trick (21 years, 187 days – 17 days older than Stern John was in 1998).

CSN Vote: Yes, I voted against a hat trick. I thought Brad Evans two goals and an assist for Seattle was the more impressive performance. Admittedly, Evans work came against a poor Toronto FC side as opposed to a poor D.C. United side, but I still thought it was more deserving.

 As the scars on my knees attest, injury is a part of soccer. Friday night, this point came home in an excruciating instant when  Colorado Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan tackled Seattle’s Steve Zakuani.

The collision came in the third minute on the west sideline near the Rapids bench. Mullan, fighting for the ball, went low. He swept the ball and Zakuani’s leg. It was a tackle Mullan has made thousands of times, but the result was much different.

Mullan was ejected for breaking Zakuani’s leg. After the incident several people, including Seattle coach Sigi Schmid, said they could hear the leg break. I was on the west side, 30 yards away, and I didn’t hear a thing. In fact, I was surprised Mullan got a straight red for the sort of tackle that gets made every day.

It was only several hours after the game that the magnitude of what happened emerged. It was then that I saw photographs my crew from ColoradoSoccerNow.com shot at the game.

The image of impact churned my stomach. In 1/100th of a second, a photograph had captured the tackle in its perfect awfulness. I have been flinching since then as I have debated what to do with this image. I decided not to include it in the game coverage, which can be read here.

Instead, the injury and what came next can be found at the end of this post. It’s here so readers, like you, can see why Mullan was sent out, and why he will face additional penalties. I only understood it after I saw the first image.

Sport involves injuries and milliseconds can determine the difference in any match. This was one of those moments.

In the minutes that followed, we also got to see some of what makes sport special. The image of Drew Moor as he hold’s Zakuani’s hand in comfort lingers with a poignancy that nearly overwhelms the shock of the tackle. It’s the image I hope stays with me in the coming weeks and months. Combined, it’s a reminder that it may be “just a game,” but it comes at a cost. And, even in the middle of competition, we retain our humanity. Hopefully. 

Steve Zakuani's leg buckles and breaks under the pressure of a tackle from Brian Mullan. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Trainers and players surround Zakuani after the collision.

Drew Moor offers comfort to Zakuani.

The weekend starts with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, as the Rapids attempt to shake-off a woeful two-game stretch. The Rapids, 3-2-0, fell apart in a 3-0 loss at FC Dallas, but came back five days later and played Real Salt Lake even until a 93rd minute goal from Fabian Espindola.

While the team has had time to forget the offsides strike, the break since April 13 also gave a key component of the midfield a chance to heal. Captain Pablo Mastroeni, who picked up a calf knock against D.C. United on April 3, returned to training on Monday. Mastroeni missed the two road losses while he healed.

Not There: Still missing is forward Conor Casey, who has been out with a hamstring tweak and has not returned to practice.

Also Better: The team’s reserves took out a bit of frustration on Tuesday in a scrimmage with the University of Denver. The Rapids reserves torched the Pioneers 5-1. Joseph Nane started the scoring from the penalty spot, and Ross LaBaeux scored twice from his forward slot.

Struggling to Score: Seattle, 1-2-3, has been stalwart in defense, but weak in attack this season. The team has given up seven goals in six games, but only scored six in that same time period.

The Sounders sandwiched road draws around a 2-1 home win over the Chicago Fire on April 9. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who plans to retire at the end of the season, picked up the CSN vote for player of the week after he spent the day stoning the Fire.

Hail to Keller: One of the best ‘keepers to pull on the U.S. jersey, Keller remains a wonder. He tends the nets and manages defenses as well as ever. If this is to be his last appearance in Colorado, Keller deserves an ovation for his professionalism and his skill. Watching him play since the early ’90s has been a treat.

On the Air: Fox Soccer Channel returns to Dick’s to broadcast the clash nationwide. Hopefully the Rapids will see a crowd similar to the one that filled the park and greeted the Portland Timbers to start the season.

Records: This is only the fifth meeting between the two teams. The Rapids are 1-2-1 against the Sounders, having been outscored 7-4 in those games. This is the first clash between the holders of the U.S. Open Cup (Seattle) and the MLS Cup (Rapids) this season.

The Sounders, the two-time U.S. Open Cup champions, have been the model of how to introduce a franchise to the MLS. Seattle took a well-known name, and an team with a good history at Second Division level, and turned it into a rabid fan base.

On the field, the Rapids and Sounders have tangled four times. The results:

Date                    Result
May 23, 2009: Rapids 2, Sounders 2
June 28, 2009: Sounders 3, Rapids 0
May 29, 2010: Rapids 1, Sounders 0
July 25, 2010: Sounders 2, Rapids 1

There was never an anemic, expansion-club experience for the Sounders, and Seattle’s results against Colorado bear witness. The Sounders at 2-1-1 against the Rapids, outscoring the men in burgundy 7-4 in four games.

Reeling after two road losses — a 3-0 stinker in Dallas and a controversial 1-0 loss in Utah — the Rapids face a team they have had a tough time cracking. If Colorado hoped for an easy home date, this does not appear to be the week for it.

Ten clubs will qualify for the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs:

• The top three finishers in each conference, based on regular season points (six automatic berths)
• The next best four clubs based on regular season points, irrespective of conference (four wild cards)
  • The four wild cards will play single elimination games against each other, with higher seeds hosting (1 vs. 4; 2 vs. 3). These play-in games are part of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
  • After the two play-in games conclude, the lowest remaining seed will face the Supporters’ Shield winner in the Conference Semifinals; the other will face the No. 1 seed in the opposite conference from the Supporters’ Shield winner.

The four Conference Semifinals will be decided by two-game aggregate series, with each club hosting one game. The two Conference Championships will be single games hosted by the higher seed. MLS Cup will again be a single championship match hosted at a predetermined site to be announced at a later date.

The 2011 MLS regular season concludes Oct. 23. The dates for the MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup will be announced at a later date.

The 2011 MLS season starts Tuesday, March 15, when the L.A. Galaxy travel to face the Seattle Sounders at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com). All 18 clubs are in action during First Kick presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Defending league champion Colorado Rapids kickoff on March 19 as the club starts its 16th season.

These were among the revelations from the commissioner during his annual state of the league speech. Along with roster expansion as the league grows from 16 to 18 teams and the schedule expands from 30 to 34 games, MLS is also moving up the season start date and wrestling with conference alignment, Garber said.

The competition committee is looking at the virtues of having a balanced or unbalanced conference schedule for 2011, an issue that will be further complicated by the addition of the Montreal Impact at the league’s 19th team in 2012. The league is also considering modifications to the current format of eight playoff teams, and the possibility of awarding the MLS Cup match to the highest-seeded team. This latter idea was strongly consider before awarding the game to Toronto this season.

Regardless of how the conferences are organized — or named — play will begin in early March. Matches will start March 19 or 20, with a possible “First Kick” game to start the season, Garber said. The MLS Cup will be Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011.

Fearless Forecast: The league’s first cold weather cup, with forecast highs in the 40s, will also bring a new champion to the MLS ranks, either the Colorado Rapids or FC Dallas. The two original league members have a combined one previous appearance in the finals, the Rapids 2-1 loss in the rain to DC United in 1997.

After noting that the league had been stingy in sharing the MLS Cup glory, having a new champion would be good for MLS, he said.

“Only a few teams that have a lot of stars,” Garber said in reference to past cup wins. He then commended the final opponents.

Dallas is “really good, really young, really fast; a tough team to stand up against,” Garber said. However “the Rapids are up to the task.”

He also singled out Pablo Mastroeni and Omar Cummings for praise.

Rosters: The key to this expansion is the requirement that roster spots 25-30 must be held by players 24 or younger, Garber said.

“We’re expanding our rosters to have more young players,” Garber said.

This announcement was probably good news for college and youth academy players, and bad news for veterans seeing spot duty.

Kit Sponsors: Each team in the league will have jersey sponsors signed within the next couple of years, Garber said. Selling corporate space on the front of jerseys means an additional $20 million to $30 million in revenue for clubs in the league, he said.

The Rapids and Dallas are among the minority of teams that do not have a sponsor’s logo on the players kit.

Playing Reserves: The reserve teams will be divided into three, six-team regions. Each team will play the other five times in its region twice. Eight of the 18 reserve teams will advance to a reserve league playoff after the 10-game regular season, Garber said. Unlike the previous incarnation of the Reserve League, players will have to be on team rosters, under trial or members of team academies, Garber said. Reserve games will be played on the day after first-team games when schedules allow, the commissioner added.

In his conference, Garber noted that the reserve games are “an essential part of the player development in the U.S.”

Some of the Reserve League success stories include Cummings, Jeff Larentowicz and Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski. Wondo was the all-time leading scoring in the four years of the reserve league, netting 31 goals, Garber added.

These are “key players who probably would not be in the MLS,” Garber said, without the reserve experience.

CONCACAF: MLS remains committed to the CONCACAF Champions League, Garber said. For the 2011 season, the league will send four clubs into the competition with Mexican and Central American clubs. Supporters Shield holder Los Angeles Galaxy, U.S. Open Cup winner Seattle Sounders, and MLS Cup finalists Colorado and Dallas.

COMNEBOL: Garber said the league was interested in overtures for joining the marquee South American club competition. However, he said there were no firm plans.

The 2011 campaign will kick off on Saturday, March 19, 2011, and the 34 matches will be played in the span of 32 weeks with the regular season coming to a close on Oct. 22.

The Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers will each start play in the league in 2011.

The league also announced that it will not break for the CONCACAF Gold Cup or any other international competitions next year. In 2010 there was a two-week hiatus in MLS league play during the World Cup group stage.

The 2011 postseason format, the date for MLS Cup 2011 and the format for the 2011 regular-season schedule will be announced by MLS at a later date.

Toronto Moves: Toronto FC fired general manager Mo Johnston and coach Preki, the club announced Tuesday.

Johnston selected Preki to lead the club before this season, with an eye on Toronto’s first playoff berth. Preki led Chivas USA to the playoffs three straight years before making the move north.

Assistant Nick Dasovic, a former Canadian international, was named as interim coach. Academy director Earl Cochrane will temporarily take over Johnston’s managerial duties and will be assisted by former player Jim Brennan.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as we had hoped,” said Tom Anselmi, executive vice president of TFC’s parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., at the team’s Tuesday press conference.

Anselmi said that the hunt for a permanent head coach and GM would begin immediately and that Dasovic and Cochrane would remain candidates.

Toronto is currently in ninth, five points out of the playoffs and in the middle of a six-game winless streak. The team has been shut out in five of  the past six league games, and has six games left.

Morales Fined: The Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee on Monday issued a fine and one-game suspension to Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales for actions taken against Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Osvaldo Alonso in the Salt Lake versus Seattle game on Saturday.      
 
The unsportsmanlike action which endangered the safety of his opponent was not seen by the officiating crew and Morales did not receive any discipline during the match.  After reviewing the incident, the MLS Disciplinary Committee decided that the action constituted a red card offense and Morales should be suspended for one game and fined $250. Morales will serve his suspension during Salt Lake’s next League game on Saturday against the Chicago Fire.
 
Fines collected are donated to MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative dedicated to addressing important social issues affecting young people and serves as a platform for both League and club philanthropic programs.