What happens when a playoff race involves almost a dozen Major League Soccer team? Every single game becomes vital.

There are no throwaway matches on this MLS Matchday 28. The league-worst New York Red Bulls aren't in the playoff hunt, but tonight's opponent, Chivas USA, absolutely needs three points in its quest for a playoff berth and high seed. FC Dallas isn't in the playoff race either, but it's recent goal-scoring exploits will have Real Salt Lake fans worried tonight as RSL holds on to playoff hopes.

Toronto FC? The Canadian club is on the playoff fringe, but a win tonight vs. Chicago could catapult Dwayne DeRosario and Co. right back into the middle of the chase.

Here is a rundown of tonight's matches:

7:30pm- Los Angeles Galaxy at Columbus Crew

7:30pm- Seattle Sounders at New England Revolution

8:30pm- Colorado Rapids at Kansas City Wizards

8:30pm- Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas

8:30pm- Toronto FC at Chicago Fire

10:30pm- New York Red Bulls at Chivas USA

I will be providing a commentary on all of tonight's matches combined in this one thread (Don't you love Direct Kick?), so feel free to follow all of tonight's action here. If you plan on watching any or all of the matches, or if you just want to share your own view on the action, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Commentary after the jump).

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12:30am– That's all for a busy Saturday in MLS. New England posts a big victory, Real Salt Lake suffers a critical blow and Toronto FC drops precious points. Share your thoughts on Saturday's matches in the comments section below.

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12:28am– FINAL- Chivas USA 1, Red Bulls 1. A great performance by Coundoul and Angel finds the equalizer on a great finish off a nice Ubiparipovic cross.

Chivas USA drops some points in painful fashion as Kljestan sent a last-gasp penalty wide of the net. That could be a season-turning miss, or Chivas USA can regroup and make a late surge. We will soon find out.

As for the Red Bulls, they showed great heart in fighting back and Richie Williams gains some more points in his quest to keep the head coaching job for 2010.

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12:25am– An Andrew Boyens handball is giving Chivas USA a penalty in the final seconds. Kljestan misses wide left. WOW (Full disclosure-I typed out that he made it, so yes, the SBI jinx struck again. Apologies to Kljestan and Chivas USA fans).

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12:24am– 89th minute- Chivas USA running out of time. Could the Red Bulls steal a win here?

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12:18am- GOAL RED BULLS!!!! Juan Pablo Angel finds the equalizer and Chivas USA has six minutes to find a game-winner.

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12;18am– Coundoul has kept the Red Bulls in this match with some great saves.

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12:11am– A win for Chivas USA pulls Preki's team into within a point of LA for second place in the West with a game in hand.

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12:02am- GOAL CHIVAS USA!! It's Sacha Kljestan with the finish and the Goats can now look to finish off the Red Bulls, who don't look poised to recover. Chivas USA 1, Red Bulls 0. 64th minute.

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11:52pm– Luke Sassano set to come in, perhaps for Celades, who looks to be tiring.

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11:49pm– Chivas USA sending some numbers forward. Celades with the first yellow card of the night for a sliding tackle on Maicon Santos. 57th minute.

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11:44pm– Lahoud shot at Coundoul forces a save.

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11:44pm– Much better movement from the Red Bulls, passing well and keeping some possession here. Now if only they could do that in the final third.

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11:40pm– It isn't as if the Red Bulls are playing defensively. They're trying to attack as well, but just can't connect for the final pass.

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11:37pm– Maykel Galindo comes in for Padilla, who was largely invisible. And we're off. Second half is underway.

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11:22pm– HALFTIME- Chivas USA 0, Red Bulls 0. A bit of a snoozer so far, with Kandji the only player offering much in the way of anything creative. Kljestan and Padilla haven't done much for Chivas USA while Angel and Richards have yet to get going either.

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11:21pm– Almost halftime. Neither team with chances this half.

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11:19pm– Some good work from Richards defensively this half, though he has yet to get involved in the attack much. In fact, Juan Pablo Angel has spent more time on the right flank sending service than Richards.

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11:11pm– Bad offside call against Juan Pablo Angel.

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11:11pm– Good ball movement from the Red Bulls tonight, but other than Kandji and his one-on-one moves there's not much in the final third.

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11:03pm– The 28th minute for Chivas USA-Red Bulls and neither team has taken control. Chivas USA is starting to press more and has forced a few corners lately. Not doing enough with them though.

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11pm– Kandji with a nice move on Bornstein, who grabs a lot of jersey but gets no foul called on him. Chivas USA playing with a make-shift forward tandem, you wonder where the goals will come from. Kljestan? Padilla? They're both capable.

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10:57pm– Kandji bashes his head against a table on the sidelines. He's up and okay, but why in the world isn't there some padding there? Seems an odd place to have that table so close to the field.

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10:53pm– Mike Petke moved into 10th place all-time in MLS minutes played. Not a bad accomplishment at all.

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10:49pm– Interesting to watch Jonathan Bornstein play in central defense for Chivas USA in the past few weeks. I wonder if that's helping him develop the defensive aspects of his game.

One player who's slid into the Chivas USA lineup is rookie Michael Lahoud, who was one of the first-rounders that took some time to become a starter. He's a real talent.

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10:45pm– One player for the Red Bulls who has been much better over the past month or so is defender Andrew Boyens. Earlier in the year he looked awful and I called him out as someone who needed to go. Now, he's become a regular starter and has done well.

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10:44pm– Kandji with a nice run at the CHivas USA defense. Forces a corner kick. 7th minute.

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10:40pm– Drinking games for Chivas USA-Red Bulls? Angel scoring chances, Carlos Johnson cards, Dane Richards turnovers and Christopher Sullivan uses of the word "synchronization" and "interplay".

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10:39pm– Chivas USA storms out of the gates with pressure. Can the Red Bulls back-line hold up tonight? Interesting to see Jeremy Hall at left back tonight. He's been a staple at right back this year, but was a standout left winger in college at Maryland.

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10:37pm– With Angel back in the lineup after missing a few matches due to injury, the Red Bulls have a forward tandem in Angel and Kandji that will keep Chivas USA very busy tonight.

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10:34pm– The Red Bulls haven't won a road game in 24 matches, but will try to do so tonight vs. Chivas USA.

Here's Chivas USA's lineup:

—————Santos———-Braun————–

Kljestan——Nagamura—Lahoud——Padilla

Jazic———–Bornstein—Cuesta——–Talley

———————–Thornton——————-

Here is the Red Bulls lineup:

————–Angel———-Kandji—————-

Borman————–Celades——————Richards

———————-Stammler————————–

Hall———-Boyens———Petke————Johnson

———————-Coundoul———————-

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10:31pm- FINAL- Wizards 0, Rapids 0. Colorado forced to settle for yet another draw while KC misses a chance to close more ground on the playoff pack.

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10:28pm- FINAL- Chicago 2, TFC 2. Calen Carr had a chance to tap in a Nyarko pass across the goal-mouth, but instead of burying it with his left foot, he tried to guide it with the left and didn't get to it. The tie doesn't really help Toronto's quest to get back into the race while Chicago loses more ground on Columbus.

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10:28pm– Chicago with a minute left to try and win. TFC holding on.

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10:22pm– Chicago keeps pushing for the game-winner. TFC is looking like a team content to hold on for the point it has.

Marvell Wynne tries a bicycle kick in his own penalty area. Not the smartest move ever attempted.

Whoa, Dimitrov with a header high. Chicago looking good here.

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10:20pm– Hey, an Amado Guevara sighting. He hasn't had many good games in recent weeks.

Justin Mapp comes out, Stefan Dimitrov comes in. Mapp had a very good match tonight playing in place of Rolfe.

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10:18pm– That was Nick Garcia losing McBride in the penalty area. An own goal and that play. Not a great night for Garcia at all. Can Chicago pull off the comeback victory?

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10:17pm- GOAL FIRE!!! And it's Brian McBride heading home a perfect cross from Mapp. Fire 2, TFC 2. 78th minute.

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10:15pm– Real Salt Lake doesn't look like a team that has a goal in it tonight (Let's see if we can pull the SBI jinx twice in the same night).

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10:12pm– In Dallas, A handled back-pass by Sala leads to an indirect free kick for RSL just seven yards from goal. RSL wastes the chance as Marvin Chavez races out to block a Movsisyan shot.

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10:09 pm– DeRosario and Conde collide and DeRosario is nursing his hip. He hasn't come out yet, but is laboring. 76th minute.

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73rd pm– Calen Carr comes in for Prideaux for Chicago. The Fire continue to press, but the possession isn't equating to dangerous chances.

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10:04pm– Speaking of dropping to fifth place, Seattle will drop to fifth in the West with its loss, a Colorado tie/win and if Chivas USA beats the Red Bulls tonight. Colorado can move into a tie for second in the West with a win vs. KC. They're still tied 0-0 in the 65th minute.

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10pm– One team that may be rooting for the Chicago equalizer is D.C. United, which could fall to fifth in the East after New England's win and if TFC wins.

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9:57pm– Ali Gerba comes out, Carl Robinson comes in. At least now we don't have to hear him called Ali "Gerber" anymore.

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9:55pm– Real Salt Lake with the rare triple sub. Fabian Espindola, Clint Mathis and Andy Williams coming into the match in the 62nd minute. Will Johnson, Javier Morales and Campos are out.

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9:52pm– Chicago is pressing hard but can't beat Frei. Toronto's midfield has let up a bit, giving Chicago a bit too much of the ball. 59th minute.

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9:51pm– Still 2-0 FC Dallas vs. RSL. FC Dallas left back Jair Benitez has impressed tonight with his speed and anticipation.

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9:49pm– Chicago still searching for an equalizer. 56th minute.

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9:45pm– Brian McBride just tried a bicycle kick. Someone might want to remind him that he just got his shoulder repaired.

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9:42pm– Chicago's defense has been too lax tonight. Missing Blanco and Rolfe to injuries is one thing, but the defense has been very shaky. Gonzalo Segares and Tim Ward can't come back soon enough.

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9:40pm- GOAL TORONTO FC!! And it's Chad Barrett scoring against his old team. He goes right to the TFC fans at Toyota Park.DeRosario sends the ball in and Barrett taps it home. TFC 2, Chicago 1. One minute into the second half.

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9:36pm– We're about to start the second half of the 8:30 games. Can Chicago find a go-ahead goal? Can Real Salt Lake get back into the game? Can Colorado break through the KC defense?

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9:33pm– It's KC 0, Colorado 0. The Rapids can't afford another tie tonight, but KC has been very tough lately and still have faint playoff hopes to try and keep alive.

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9:31pm– FINAL- Crew 2, Galaxy 0. LA never could get going, and David Beckham's absence was clearly felt. The Crew, playing without Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno and Chad Marshall, win another one at home and steps closer to the Supporters Shield.

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9:27pm– FINAL- New England 2, Seattle 1. Shalrie Joseph scores both goals in the second half to give the Revs a vital win and leave Seattle on shaky ground in the playoff race.

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9:22pm- Shalrie Joseph for MVP. The star midfielder gave New England an 87th minute lead when he headed home a Larentowicz cross to make it 2-1 Revs over Seattle. 

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9:18pm– Dario Sala makes a point-blank save on Pablo Campos to keep it 2-0 Dallas (Campos shot it right at him, but still). Tell you what, this FC Dallas team isn't a team anybody wants to play these days. 43rd minute.

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9:15pm– Still 1-1 in New England, still 2-0 in Columbus.

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9:11pm– Dallas' offense has been very impressive tonight and Heath Pearce has looked good playing on the right side.

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9:09 pm– Still 1-1 in Chicago. Still 2-0 FC Dallas vs. RSL.

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8:58pm- GOAL CREW!! And it's Steven Lenhart tapping home a loose rebound of a Renteria saved shot. Renteria gets in deep, turns and shoots. Ricketts makes the save but leaves a bad spill and Lenhart races in as Berhalter and Dunivant get caught napping. Crew 2, Galaxy 0.

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8:56pm– Fire 1, TFC 1. A Nick Garcia own goal brings Chicago back into the match in the 11th minute.

Mapp nearly makes it 2-1, but sends the shot just wide.

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8:54pm– Nightmare start for Real Salt Lake. FC Dallas 2, RSL 0. Dave Van Den Bergh with two assists, setting up goals for Jeff Cunningham and David Ferreira.

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8:51pm– So much for New England not finding a goal. Revs 1, Sounders 1. Shalrie Joseph converts the penalty kick and Seattle is back to the drawing board.

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8:48pm– Toronto's midfield has so many interchangeable parts in midfield that Chicago can't keep up with where DeRosario and Guevara are going.

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8:46pm– Awful start for the Fire and TFC is buzzing around the field. You can sense the urgency coming from the Canadian squad while Chicago looks set for another disappointing start at home.

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8:42pm- GOAL TORONTO FC!!! Dwayne DeRosario with the finish. CJ Brown with a clearance blunder that DeRosario races onto and finishes. TFC 1, Fire 0. 6th minute.

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8:41pm– Chris Rolfe pulled his left hamstring before the match (or sooner), which is why he isn't starting tonight.

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8:40pm– Here is Toronto's starting lineup:

————–Gerba——–Barrett—————-

Guevara—DeRosario——DeGuzman—–Cronin

Brennan—–Garcia——–Attakora——-Wynne

————————-Frei————————–

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8:37pm– Here's the Fire lineup:

————-McBride——-Nyarko—————

Mapp—————-Lowry—————–Pappa

———————–Pause———————–

Prideaux——–Conde—Brown———–Banner

———————-Busch————————-

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8:34pm– Going to drop the Seattle-Revs match to see Fire-TFC. New England doesn't look too lively tonight. I'll still be checking in periodically.

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8:31pm– I wonder if these commentating crews realize that their mics are live at halftime on the Direct Kick package. No, they haven't said anything regrettable (yet), but you always know when a mic is on that shouldn't be.

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8:29pm– We've got three more games ready to kick off. Chicago-TFC, Colorado-KC and RSL-Dallas. That Fire-Toronto match should be a good one.

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8:25pm– HALFTIME- Sounders 1, Revs 0. Montero's blast is the difference as Seattle leads a New England team that lost Ralston to a knee injury and doesn't look like it has a goal in it.

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8:23pm– HALFTIME- Crew 1, Galaxy 0. Nice header by Gaven, who beat Todd Dunivant to an Ekpo cross into the area. LA looks flat tonight.

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8:20pm– STill 1-0 Seattle, in the 43rd minute. Joseph and Alonso having a good battle. With Ralston out of this match, New England needs Joseph to step up his offensive contribution. As of right now, New England's offense isn't showing much.

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8:16pm– Still 1-0 in Columbus, Brunner doing a nice job tonight in place of Chad Marshall. The Crew is doing a good job of pressuring the LA attack and keeping it from finding a good rhythm.

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8:11pm– Gaven did so well to send a floating header across the goal-mouth and past Ricketts as he was running away from goal. Nice bit of skill on that finish.

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8:09pm- GOAL CREW!! And it's Eddie Gaven with the goal in the 33rd. Heads home an Ekpo cross back across the face of Ricketts. Crew 1, Galaxy 0.

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8:06pm– Ekpo and Miglioranzi clash in a strange play. Migs comes from behind with a tackle attempt, sending Ekpo to the ground, but then goes down himself. Can't tell what happened but Miglioranzi is coming out.

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8:05 pm– Frankie Hejduk gets a yellow for a clash with Donovan. He's not too happy about that card, probably didn't deserve it, but it looked worse than it was.

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8:03 pm– If we were going to have a drinking game for Crew-LA, we could have Lenhart dives, Berhalter fouls and shots Arena looking disgusted. The TV crew might also want to look into some training on how to use the telestrator. Somewhere, John Madden just puked.

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7:59pm– Kheli Dube coming in for Ralston. That's a tough one. Dube wastes no time getting a shot at goal, but it's high.

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7:56pm– Steve Ralston is injured and clutching his knee after a clash with Osvaldo Alonso, wasn't even a tackle. Ralston went up for a ball and planted his leg on the landing. Could be serious.

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7:54pm– In the battle of commentating crews, I'll give the edge to the Crew/LA team over the Seattle/NE team.

A wide angle shot of the crowd at Gillette makes it look like there's a decent crowd for a Revs home game. Good to see that, as well as to see some green jerseys in the house.

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7:52pm– Back in Columbus, Frankie Hejduk puts a nice move on Landon Donovan down the right flank. Yes, you read that right. Nice to see the vet playing with confidence.

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7:50pm– Revs won't be in panic mode but you hope they've figured out they can't let Montero roam free with the ball at his feet.

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7:48pm- GOAL- Fredy Montero just hit a ball from about 30 yards away that blasts off the bottom of the crossbar. Beautiful goal. Seattle 1, Revs 0. WOW. 6th minute score.

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7:46pm– Donovan with some early free kicks that don't pose any threat. Wil Hesmer is playing with a slight knock. Not sure how smart that is.

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7:45pm– Funny how Crew Stadium's field looks like Old Trafford when compared to the NFL-marked mess at Gillette.

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7:44pm– Nice dive by Steven Lenhart. Diving is bad enough, but isn't it worse when big guys dive?

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7:43pm– Nice crowd at Crew Stadium tonight. The Blackout promotion went over well, at least in the Nordecke area.

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7:42pm- Seattle with the better of the play in the early minutes, but still too early. Man, football lines sure make a game painful to watch.

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7:30pm– Two of the nights bigger matches start things off. LA-Crew might be a potential MLS Cup preview, but Seattle-Revs has bigger playoff implications. 

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7:26pm– Count me among those who wants to see what kind of impact new signing Emilio Renteria can make for the champs. He'll be up against the Gonzalez-Berhalter tandem, which has been known to struggle vs. speed.

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7:24pm– Beckham is reportedly out with an Achilles injury. If any fans went just to see Beckham, and haven't been watching the best team in MLS before this weekend, they probably deserve the cruel twist of fate (then again, if they stick around they'll see a Crew team without Schelotto, so who knows). 

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7:19pm– The match of the night is arguably the Columbus-LA tilt. Here are lineups for that one, according to the league's VW Game Navigation system:

CREW- Hesmer-Hejduk-O'Rourke-Zayner-Brunner-Carroll-Gaven-Burns-Ekpo-Renteria-Lenhart

GALAXY-Ricketts-Berhalter-Dunivant-Franklin-Gonzalez-De La Garza-Miglioranzi-Birchall-Buddle-Donovan-Jordan.

No Schelotto or Beckham? Beckham is injured and Schelotto played at mid-week so he's being rested.

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7:15pm– We're 15 minutes from kickoff and lineups for the early matches are out. Seattle is starting Brad Evans tonight over Peter Vagenas in the Sounders-New England match. Both teams need three points to create some breathing room. Here are the Seattle-New England lineups:

SEATTLE- Keller – Riley, Hurtado, Marshall, Gonzales – Zakuani, Alsonso, Evans, Ljungberg – Jaqua, Montero

NEW ENGLAND- Reis – Alston, Barnes, Osei, Heaps – Nyassi, Joseph, Larentowicz, Thompson – Ralston, Jankauskas

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