Winners

STEVE RALSTON, who last season scored the goal that clinched NEW ENGLAND a playoff spot, repeated the feat on Saturday when he hit the winner in a 2-1 victory over 2003 runner-up Chicago on a deft volley following a perfect service from Jose Cancela. Ralston is one of four MLS players who played every minute of the 2004 season, along with keeper goalkeeper Joe Cannon (Colorado), Jim Curtin (Chicago) and Richard Mulrooney (San Jose).

SAN JOSE, the 2003 champion, earned a playoff spot in its last game by ousting Dallas, which misses the playoffs for the second straight season. After Ed Johnson's 12th strike of the year, the Quakes responded with goals by Brian Ching and Ramiro Corrales. The Burn's Oscar Pareja made the final scored 2-2, which maintained San Jose's 2-point lead in the standings.

HANNOVER 96, with American defender Steve Cherundolo making his eighth straight start, downed Bundesliga leader Wolfsburg, 3-0, and climbed to eighth place after spending the first phase of the season near the bottom of the standings. American Clint Mathis did not see action for Hannover.

Losers

BLACKBURN fell, 4-0, to Middlesbrough as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink notched a hat trick against American keeper Brad Friedel and Rovers sank into the relegation zone, having notched just six points in nine games.

OLIVER NEUVILLE of Borussia Monchengladbach has been suspended for two matches after replays confirmed he scored with his hand in a 2-0 win over Kaiserslautern.

RAUL MARTINEZ has been fired as Honduran national team coach and replaced him with Jose de la Paz Herrera (also known as Chelato Ucles), who has twice previously coached the Catrachos. The first game for Herrera, Honduras' third coach this year, will be a must-win encounter with Costa Rica in November.

DEN HAAG was down 2-0 to PSV Einhoven with 10 minutes left when referee Rene Temmink abandoned the game because of insults chanted at him by Den Haag fans. Temmink, whose wife was also a subject of the insults, told the Dutch press, ''I was associated with an illness under which very many people suffered and died. 'Hamas, Hamas, Temmink to the gas' was also unacceptable.'' (American DaMarcus Beasley did not see action for PSV in the game.)