Ching scored two goals and an assist on Saturday, leading the Dynamo to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids.

With the win, Houston (11-5-10) became on of three MLS teams to clinch a berth for the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs.

The Wizards' chances at a playoff spot took a hit, with the home-draw leaving them a point out of a wildcard spot with just three games to go in the regular season. There's a lot of competition for the league's two wildcard spots, with seven teams within four points in the middle of the league's overall table.

The Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored the game's first goal in first-half stoppage time when Kansas City defender Michael Harrington was called for a hand-ball in the penalty area.

With the win, Houston takes a four-point lead at the top of the Western Conference table with a game in hand on second-placed Chivas USA.

The Rapids, on the other hand, fall to fourth in the table, two points from the third and final automatic playoff spot in the West.

Moreno scored the lone goal in the 43rd minute and Columbus goalie Will Hesmer posted his fourth shutout during the unbeaten run.

Columbus (16-6-5) moved one step closer to wrapping up the Supporters' Shield, which goes to the team with the best record in Major League Soccer. The Crew have 10 more points than next closest team.

Goals from veterans Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman were enough for the Revs (12-8-7) to escape a disappointing home defeat and earn a point, which keeps them in second place in the Eastern Conference table ahead of the Chicago Fire's match at Kansas City on Sunday. The Fire are currently two points back of the Revs.

RSL built its lead early, capitalizing in the 13th minute. Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis came out to knock the ball away from an attacker at the top of the penalty area - which he did with his head. But the ball went right to RSL attacking midfielder Javier Morales, who lobbed a perfect shot from distance under the crossbar for his sixth goal of the season.

Toronto FC (8-12-7), which got its other goal from Abdus Ibrahim, is still last in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference but snapped its seven-match winless streak and is just four points out of a playoff spot.

New York (9-10-8) lost three straight for the first time all season and now has four teams within three points for one of the final two wildcard playoff spots.

(Sports Network) - Chivas USA won its third straight Major League Soccer fixture, and fifth in the last six - 3-0 at D.C. United - to solidify its position in the second spot in the Western Conference table.

Alecko Eskandarian and the newly signed Dejair each had a goal and an assist to lead the Goats to their 11th victory of the season. Chivas USA (11-10-6) is now just one point behind Houston for the top spot in the West before the Dynamo's match at Colorado late Saturday night.

The Fire are coming off a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy that snapped a two-gamelosing streakand willlook totake thatmomentum into CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

"In big games we put big players on the field," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said. "We stepped up [vs.

The Rapids (10-12-2) are locked in a three-way tie for the third and final automatic playoff berth in the Western Conference and desperately need a win to break out of the pack.

The Dynamo (10-5-10), who have just one loss in their past 12 league fixtures, are just four points up at the perch of the Western table, but have a game in hand on the teams chasing them. Regardless, a win Saturday would go a long way toward helping the Dynamo earn the top seed in the Western bracket.

New York's previously solid playoff footing is starting to slip and it needs to find its form quickly if it doesn't want to be out of the cold when the playoffs start in a little over a month.

A positive for the team is it squares off against a Toronto team that is last in the entire league and has just one win in the last 14 league fixtures, including going 1-6 on the road during that span.

On top of having to earn a victory over visiting Real Salt Lake at Gillette Stadium, the Revs need D.C. United to lose or draw against Chivas USA and New York to lose to Toronto FC, all on Saturday.

Easier said than done, especially when considering RSL is fighting for its playoff life, Toronto has been arguably the worst team in the league over the last couple months and United is at home vs. Chivas USA.

The Crew (15-6-5) are unbeaten in seven straight - a stretch including six wins - and could clinch the Supporters' Shield for the league's best regular season record with a win over Los Angeles on Saturday.

If Columbus beats Los Angeles at Crew Stadium, it needs New England and Chicago to either lose or tie and for Houston to lose this weekend to wrap up its first Shield since 2004.

While a draw on the road would normally be a positive result, the Earthquakes aren't happy because it could have been three points if not for the questionable penalty.

Bruno Guarda fired a ball into the San Jose penalty area and it deflected off midfielder Francisco Lima's hand, prompting the call from referee Abiodun Okulaja.

United forward Jaime Moreno would be suspended for one additional game and fined $250 for endangering an opponent with a blow to the head during United's game versus FC Dallas on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Moreno struck FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha in the face in the 84th minute and was issued a red card for the offense.

He netted three goals and tallied one assist during the month and led the Earthquakes to a 1-1-1 record, while helping keep alive a nine-game unbeaten streak that lasted until the 'Quakes final game of the month.

Huckerby scored crucial goals in two of his club's three league matches in September, including the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over a visiting D.C.

"We have to [take care of] business away from Buck Shaw," Cannon said.

San Jose is just 2-6-4 on the road, but even though Cannon wants a win, a draw at Pizza Hut Park against FC Dallas should be enough for the team to regain its confidence for a playoff push.

Casey scored three goals, including the game winner in the 90th minute, to help lift Colorado to a 5-4 victory over the New York Red Bulls Saturday night in the league's highest-scoring match of the season.

"It's probably been a while since I scored a goal, so it feels really good," said Casey, who has eight goals this season. "It gives me a lot of confidence, but the main thing is the way the team performed entirely and the result we showed.

Rio Tinto, the parent company to Kennecott Utah Copper, Kennecott Land Company and Kennecott Exploration, has signed a multi-year naming rights agreement for the brand new sports and entertainment venue located at the heart of the Wasatch Front in Sandy.

"With Rio Tinto, we have found a very special sponsor with deep local ties and one who shares the unique vision for what this Stadium provides," RSL owner Dave Checketts said. "Rio Tinto and the Kennecott Utah Companies exemplify that vision with their collective commitment to our Utah community, the perfect match for what Rio Tinto Stadium represents." "This opportunity helps us tell our story and lets people know who we are on a local and global level," Rio Tinto Copp

United, 3-0, at Pizza Hut Park in Major League Soccer action on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Hoops are now tied with United for the ninth spot in the league's overall table with four games to go. If the playoffs started today, neither team would make it, but they are both within striking distance of a wild card spot.

Alecko Eskandarian and Sasha Victorine scored first-half goals for the Goats, who hung on in the second half to hand the Wizards (8-10-8) their third loss in their last five league fixtures.

Eskandarian got the game's first goal just 26 minutes in when Ante Razov played a ball over the top to the left side of the Wizards' penalty area to Victorine, who played a ball across to the New Jersey native. Eskandarian then one-timed a blast past Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman for his fourth goal of the season and second in as many games.

Yura Movsisyan scored two goals and Javier Morales - fresh off signing a contract extension that will keep him with RSL through the 2012 season - added a goal and an assist, including the game winner, to lead the visitors to victory.

With the win, RSL stays in a tie for third in the Western conference table and keeps its playoff hopes alive. San Jose, on the other hand, is now stuck in the Western Conference basement and is five points from a guaranteed playoff spot. The loss also snapped a nine-game unbeaten run for the 'Quakes.

Chad Marshall scored the game's only goal, his fourth of the season, while also playing shut-down defense from his center back position to lead the Crew to their franchise-record 15th win of the season.

It was the third straight game in which the Crew were forced to play without their best player, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, because of a hamstring injury, and it was the third straight game the team has earned a favorable result.

With the game tied at four in the closing minutes, Casey deflected home a perfect cross from the left side by Mehdi Ballouchy into the far post side netting, sending his side into jubilation.

With the victory, the Rapids (10-12-4) now have 34 points after 26 league fixtures, solidifying their chances of finished in the top three in Major League Soccer's Western Conference table, which would guarantee them a playoff spot. There are four games to go in the regular season.

D.C.

is on a four-game winless streak - including a 2-2 draw at home vs. the Hoops on Sept. 13 - and finds itself fifth in the Eastern Conference, just one point up on the Kansas City Wizards for the last spot in the 2008 MLS Cup playoffs.

Even with the draw against the two-time defending champions, TFC still sits in the Eastern Conference basement, four points back of Kansas City, ahead of the Wizards' clash at Chivas USA on Saturday night, with just four games to play.

Houston (10-5-10) also had its chances at earning the Supporters' Shield - given to the league's top team in the regular season - take a hit with the draw. Even though the Dynamo have a comfortable lead in the Western Conference table - now seven points ahead of the Saturday evening fixtures - they are seven points back of the league-leading Columbus Crew.