The end of the regular season is in sight, which means the pressure is being ratcheted up on players, coaches and, yes, even referees as the postseason approaches. The last of that trio seemed to be feeling the strain more than most over the last week. From Fabian Espindola's controversial red card in D.C. United's midweek defeat against New York to dubious penalties deciding the Portland/Colorado match as well as the New York/Philadelphia tilt, the number and impact of suspect decisions seemed to increase exponentially. There was even the bizarre sight of two penalties being waved off in the Houston/Columbus match.
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At least referee Ricardo Salazar appeared to get the decisions right in Houston. The same couldn't be said regarding what took place in Chicago, where an apparent game winner by Toronto striker Gilberto was waved off for goodness knows what reason by referee David Gantar. An apoplectic Michael Bradley pleaded for an explanation from Gantar after the final whistle, but to no avail.
It seems likely that such emotions will be the norm over the coming weeks.
In the midst of sorrow, DeLaGarza returns
Just days after burying his infant son Luca in Maryland, A.J. DeLaGarza returned to the playing field for the L.A. Galaxy, appearing in a match for the first time in two weeks. And after putting in a solid 90 minutes against the San Jose Earthquakes in a 1-1 draw, DeLaGarza took time out to thank everyone who had shown support for him, including an Earthquakes organization that held a moment of silence prior to Sunday's kickoff.
"I appreciate everything everyone has done," said DeLaGarza. "All the different teams and players that are wearing armbands, having moments of silence and donating to our cause, it's been amazing."
DeLaGarza's son died on Sept. 4 from complications related to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. DeLaGarza had trained only once since then; manager Bruce Arena was ready to give the Galaxy defender as much time off as he needed, but the player was eager to get back on the field. Understandably, DeLaGarza admitted there were moments when his thoughts were elsewhere, but felt he did "all right" over the course of the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
"I can't really say I didn't think about my son obviously, but I don't think it hampered me in any type of way," he said.
DeLaGarza has been encouraging those interested to donate money to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where his son was treated.
Seattle gains separation in Supporters' Shield chase
The respective schedules this week for Seattle and L.A. -- the Sounders hosting Real Salt Lake, L.A. traveling to Montreal and San Jose -- appeared like another opportunity for the Galaxy to gain ground in the race for the Supporters' Shield. Instead, a Galaxy team that is threadbare in the back could only summon up two draws, while Seattle produced a frenetic finish that saw Andy Rose score in stoppage time to secure a 3-2 win.
Arena said after another physical California Clasico that the Supporters' Shield won't be decided by Sunday's game. But Seattle has to be liking its chances more after extending its lead to three points over L.A. with a game in hand.
In terms of the run-in, L.A. has four of six at home while Seattle plays four of seven on the road. But the teams face each other twice to end the season -- including the season finale at Seattle -- meaning any kind of slip-up by the Sounders could see the Shield race go down to the very end. That said, at this stage, advantage Sounders.
Fire's penalty kick woes
The late histrionics regarding Toronto's goal in a 1-1 draw weren't quite enough to conceal another blown opportunity for the Fire. Chicago was poised to build on Lovell Palmer's early goal but Toronto keeper Joe Bendik saved Jeff Larentowicz's second-half penalty, marking the fourth penalty miss of the season for Chicago. (Only L.A. has missed as many, having converted just four of eight attempts.)
The Fire still managed to win one of those matches, but the other three have ended in draws. Add those six dropped points to Chicago's total and they are right on the fringes of the fifth and final playoff place with a game in hand. Instead, they're in danger of dropping out of the race entirely.
There are other reasons for Chicago's woes. Mike Magee is now out for the season following hip surgery, while the Fire's attempts to retool its back four -- including moves that saw the departure of Jalil Anibaba and Austin Berry -- appear to have backfired. But missing penalty kicks that result in dropped points is soul-crushing in the extreme, and conceding a late equalizer to Toronto is another massive blow to the team's psyche.
New England's revival
When New England was mired in an eight-game losing streak, its inability to grab the all-important first goal was cited -- quite logically -- as a big reason for the club's struggles. Now, thanks to the offensive firepower of Lee Nguyen, it doesn't seem to matter.
Against Montreal last weekend the Revs conceded first for the third match running, and once again it was Nguyen to the rescue. His game winner in a 2-1 victory gave him three goals and an assist during that span; a total of five goals and two assists in New England's five-game winning streak. As a consequence, Kansas City -- once thought to be out of sight in the Eastern Conference -- is just three points ahead in second place with one more match played.
So is Nguyen a true MVP candidate? It's tough to see the one-time U.S. international leapfrogging over the likes of L.A.'s Robbie Keane or the Seattle duo of Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey. But Nguyen's current form has helped make up for the drop in production this year of Diego Fagundez and combined with a defense that has found itself after some early-season struggles, New England should be a formidable playoff foe.