By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor
The Metros clinch a playoff spot; D.C. gets a valuable road point as the Crew chokes again; the Fire says good riddance to Naperville by outclassing the Galaxy; Kansas City rolls past the Rapids and the Revs roast Dallas.
BEST GOALS: In another week rife with sweet strikes, there are several worthy of special mention.
Colorado's Mark Chung curled a left-footed free kick from the left side into the near-post top corner last Wednesday in a 1-1 tie with Chicago. The ball cleared the wall and then dipped sharply over keeper Zach Thornton's lunge and under the crossbar.
STATS: The goal was Chung's 11th of the season, tying his career mark of last year.
Pat Noonan danced past two defenders in a crowded penalty area to put away the fourth goal in the Revs' 4-1 rout of the Burn.
FACT: It was the first time in team history New England had scored four goals on the road and gave the Revs a four-point lead over Columbus (36-32) with three matches remaining.
DOUBLE-DIPS: Chris Klein scored twice last week while playing the left side of midfield in a 2-1 win over the Galaxy. He played on the left again Saturday and again scored twice as the Wizards won, 4-2, over Colorado.
FACT: Kansas City won its second straight game after going the previous nine without a victory.
Also netting twice was Taylor Twellman, who scored the first and third goals of the Revs' romp.
FACT: Twellman, injured in August when kicked in the face by Danny Califf, hadn't scored since Aug. 16. STAT: Twellman took over the league's goalscoring lead with his 14th and 15th tallies of the season.
BEST ASSISTS: Top prize goes to DaMarcus Beasley, whose spectacular lateral dribble from the right touchline took him past Hong Myung Bo, Simon Elliott and Alexi Lalas before serving up a ball Jesse Marsch blasted home in the Fire's 2-0 defeat of Los Angeles.
FACT: Chicago went 4-0 against the Galaxy this season, winning all three regular-season meetings as well as an Open Cup semifinal. Jose Cancela carved open the Dallas defense with a determined dribble right up the gut, then pushed a perfect through ball that Twellman drilled home for his second goal.
FACT: The Revs are on a mini-run of four games without a loss. Preki logged three assists against Colorado, including two of the primary variety. His free kick fell to Jimmy Conrad to head the first goal and he headed a ball that Klein fired home to make the score 2-0.
STAT: Preki leads the league in assists with 16 and in scoring with 38 points (11 goals).
CREW CUT: Columbus again squandered points at home by tying a decimated D.C. United team 1-1 after taking the lead on a Ross Paule goal. D.C. United used U.S. under-20 keeper Clint Baumstark in goal and was without Ben Olsen, Dema Kovalenko, Nick Rimando and Mike Petke.
STAT:Columbus is 2-1-4 in its last seven home games. FACT: In three of those ties it held a 1-0 lead but couldn't notch the victory.