|
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire each earned a point Saturday night, playing to a 0-0 draw.
With the draw, Real Salt Lake (6-6-6) took a one-point lead for first place in the Western Conference with 24 points. Chicago (7-5-4) remains in third in the Eastern Conference with 25 points.
Chicago almost scored late in the match when Justin Mapp blasted a ball at the net in the 87th minute, but Rimando jumped and deflected the ball out of play. Both teams came up short on opportunities to score early in the game. Chicago's Justin Mapp sent a corner kick into the box in the sixth minute and Cuauhtemoc Blanco headed it toward the goal, but the ball deflected off a defender and back into play.
Four minutes later, Real Salt Lake's Javier Morales bent a corner kick into the box and Yura Movsisyan headed it toward the goal. The ball appeared to bounce off the right bar and back onto the ground as Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch smothered the ball for the save.
Chris Rolfe had another chance for Chicago in the 33rd. Rolfe won a one-on-one battle with goalkeeper Nick Rimando, but sent the ball into the netting on the left side. In the 75th minute, Real Salt Lake's Dema Kovalenko tackled Blanco for a yellow card. Blanco attempted a free kick from the right side of the box, but couldn't come through.
• Galaxy 2, Red Bulls 2: At East Rutherford, N.J., David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy needed a goal in extra time to tie the New York Red Bulls before 46,754 fans, the largest crowd for a single Major League Soccer game this season. It appeared as if Juan Pablo Angel's goal in the 71st minute was going to be the game-winner for the Red Bulls. But the Galaxy's Landon Donovan knocked in a bending shot in the 92nd minute for the game-tying score.
• Earthquakes 0, Toronto FC 0: At Toronto, Toronto FC remained unbeaten at home, playing to a scoreless tie against the San Jose Earthquakes.
• Rapids 2, FC Dallas 2: At Frisco, Texas, Conor Casey scored in the 67th minute to forge the tie.
With the draw, FC Dallas' Schellas Hyndman remained winless (0-1-3) in four games since taking over as coach.
With FC Dallas (4-6-7) leading 2-1, Casey headed a shot inside the left post from the top left corner of the goalie's box for his third goal of the year. Terry Cooke started the scoring sequence with a chip shot to Christian Gomez from 20 yards out and Gomez one-timed a pass across the box to Casey to tie it for the Rapids (6-8-3).
FC Dallas' Dominic Oduro was ruled offsides on his goal in the 88th minute after attempting to rebound a missed shot by Marcelo Saragosa.
|
