With the MLS season drawing to a close teams are making a final push for ranking heading into the second season and making last gasp efforts to make the playoffs.

Saturday, October 4

Chivas USA at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

• Separated by just three points, D.C. United (33 points) are currently chasing the playoff field while Chivas USA (36 points) occupy second place in the Western Conference.
• History is on D.C. United’s side; they hold a 5-1-1 all-time record against Chivas USA.
• Sasha Victorine, acquired at the trade deadline, is showing his value as he had a hand in both goals in Chivas USA’s 2-1 victory over his former club Kansas City. He scored what proved to be the game winner on a rocket shot from 20-yards that curled into the upper right corner of the goal.
• During 2007 and 2008, Chivas USA forward Alecko Eskandarian has scored five goals in nine games against his former employers -- one against D.C. United and one against Toronto FC last season and two against Real Salt Lake and one against Toronto FC this season.
   
  LA Galaxy at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m. (HDNet) 
• The Crew lead the all-time series versus the Galaxy 13-9-7 and have lost only once in their last nine meetings.
• Current Galaxy forward Edson Buddle is the Crew’s all-time leading scorer against LA with five goals against the Galaxy. He scored 42 goals in five seasons as a member of the Crew.
• With 111 MLS career coaching wins Crew head coach Sigi Schmid has recorded the second most wins in League history. He recorded 79 wins as head coach of the Galaxy from 1999 to 2004. 
• LA forward Landon Donovan could become only the second player in five seasons to reach the 20-goal mark. Luciano Emilio notched 20 goals in 2007, becoming the first player to do so since 2002. 
   
  Real Salt Lake at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.  (DK, MLSLIVE.tv) 
• Real Salt Lake cooled down the red hot Earthquakes last week with a 3-2 road victory – only the second road win for RSL this season.
• The Revolution hold a slight edge at 3-2-2 in the all-time series, although RSL won the only meeting this season 2-1 on June 21 at Rice Eccles Stadium their first win ever at home against New England. Real have not lost in their last two trips to Foxborough.
• Matt Reis will be looking for his 12th win of the season; he’s recorded 12 or more wins in the past three seasons.
• While New England’s 6-4-3 road record is tied for the best in MLS (along with Columbus and Chicago), they have the identical record at home – the 10th-best out of 14 teams.
   
  Toronto FC at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)  
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, the second in little more than a month at Giants Stadium. They played to a 1-1 draw May 1 in Toronto. New York won 2-0 on Aug. 17. The Red Bulls have yet to allow a goal to Toronto at Giants Stadium, scoring five goals in winning both previous meetings at the Meadowlands.
• The game in New York will be the first of back-to-back away games for TFC, which has three of its final four games on the road. With two wins in 12 games away from BMO Field, the Reds have the worst road record in MLS.
• Juan Pablo Angel has scored goals in three consecutive games, the second time in as many months he’s scored in three games in a row, also doing Aug. 10-24. Since returning to the lineup on July 10, the Colombian international has scored nine goals in 11 games.
• Toronto gets defender Marco Velez back from a two-game suspension and he’ll be needed against the Red Bulls’ potent attack that includes Juan Pablo Angel, Dane Richards and newly-acquired speedsters Matthew Mbuta and Macoumba Kandji. 
   
  Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids, 9:30 p.m.  (DK, MLSLIVE.tv) 
• The Rapids are undefeated in four straight with three wins and one tie. They tied a club record in a 5-4 victory over New York last weekend; Colorado’s only other five-goal game was a 5-2 win against the New England Revolution on May 22, 2002.
• Conor Casey tied the Rapids club record with three goals, becoming the fourth player in club history to score a hat trick, joining John Spencer (2001), Chris Carrieri (2002) and Jeff Cunningham (2005).
• After completing a four-game run in four different countries on Tuesday against Pumas UNAM in Mexico in the CONCACAF Champions League, the Dynamo return home for five consecutive games at Robertson Stadium beginning with the Colorado match, three in MLS play and two in the CCL.
   
  Sunday, October 5

Chicago Fire at Kansas City Wizards, 3:00 p.m.  (TeleFutura)  

• The Fire have yet to score against the Wizards this season. Kansas City took a 1-0 victory on April 20 at Toyota Park – just the second road victory ever for the Wizards against the Fire – then the teams played to a scoreless draw July 27 in Kansas City.
• When the Fire scored three goals last Thursday evening against the Galaxy, it was the first time they’d scored more than two goals in a game since May 25, when they defeated New York 5-1 at Giants Stadium, a span of 17 games.
• The Wizards last lost at home on June 14, 5-0-2 in the seven games since. The game against Chicago starts a three-game homestand before Kansas City concludes the regular season on the road.