A three goal first half by the Chicago Fire sparked the visiting team to a 3-2 victory over the struggling LA Galaxy on Sunday night. It was the highest number of goals the Fire have scored all season. Recent designated player signing Freddie Ljungberg replaced Marco Pappa in the 57th minute, but didn’t make much of an impact as the Fire decided to absorb the Galaxy’s pressure and relied on the counter-attack.

Since returning from the World Cup break, the Galaxy have hit a wall of sorts. Los Angeles is 2-2-2 in its last six MLS matches and has been bounced out of the US Open Cup and is in danger of sealing a similar fate in the CONCACAF Champions League Tournament. Los Angeles, which had only allowed four goals in its first 15 games, has conceded nine goals in its last three matches. “It’s a concern,” Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter told ASN’s Ivan Yeo. “We have to take a look at it and get back to the basics.”

Jeff Tobin has the happier recap from Chicago.

Ljungberg’s old team, the Seattle Sounders, also had a successful weekend, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday 1-0 in a game greatly disappointing Quakes fans. It was the kind of poor showing that had Yallop publicly criticizing his team and Quakes fans talking about wishing they had not come. Eric Pederson reports from San Jose, Calif.

The New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union fought to a 1-1 draw Saturday afternoo. Sebastien Le Toux continued his MVP form with a wonderfully-taken goal in the first half but the Revs hit back through the red-hot Marko Perovic, his fourth league goal this season.

The Revs picked up a much-needed road point to continue their league resurgence. Steven Stoehr provides the New England reaction. But the Union feel hard-done by the result, as Breton Bonnette reports from Philadelphia.

Despite holding the lead twice, being up a man for the final 47 minutes of the game, not to mention having Thierry Henry at their disposal, the New York Red Bulls only managed a meager point away to the Houston Dynamo. Daniel Karell has the RBNY reaction.

FC Dallas went up a Mile High and came down with a point. The boys from north Texas remained unbeaten for the eighth straight game, leaving Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO with a 1-1 draw versus the Colorado Rapids Saturday afternoon. Philip Woodruff recaps the match from an FC Dallas viewpoint.

Speaking of excursions to altitude, in Utah Real Salt Lake dismantled DC United 3-1. Patrick McShane has the blow-by-blow of that match, while from the nation’s capital, Steve Long writes that DC United are still poised to exceed the mediocre record they have established for themselves. Though the playoffs still won’t happen.

In a game that counted little if anything in the grand scheme of things, Thierry Henry dazzled a crowd of 20,312 at Red Bull Arena on Thursday night, beating his man off the dribble, playing passes into space and ultimately scoring his first goal in a Red Bulls kit. Surely this is the start of great things to come for the Thierry Henry reign at Red Bull Arena. No pressure though. Check out the Thierry Henry photo gallery in the match report!

Meanwhile, on the left coast it was Algeria all over again for Landon Donovan.

The Los Angeles Galaxy star came to the rescue again on Thursday night, only this time, instead of the stars and stripes, Donovan was representing the Los Angeles Galaxy, and instead of soccer’s biggest stage, it was an MLS regular season match against its in-state rivals, the San Jose Earthquakes.

Donovan again came through in the 90th minute in almost the same situation as the United States World Cup match against Algeria last month, but instead of the full three-points, Donovan’s last-minute rebound goal prevented the Galaxy from suffering it’s first home loss of the season and Los Angeles split the points with the Earthquakes courtesy of a 2-2 draw at the Home Depot Center. Ivan Yeo reports from Carson, Calif.

Sebastien Le Toux strengthened his bid for an All-Star spot with a goal and an assist as the Union got back to their winning ways in front of 17,251 at PPL Park. Breton Bonnette reports from Chester, Pa., with photo gallery supplied by Terry McLaughlin.

The New York Red Bulls played another listless performance Saturday night and this time were punished by an efficient Columbus Crew squad. By taking all three points from the match, the Crew move five points clear of the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings. John Zidar reports from Crew Stadium. The RBNY reaction.

The Colorado Rapids found themselves down by a goal 20 minutes into the match against the Kansas City Wizards at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night, but hometown striker Conor Casey scored the equalizer in the 74th minute and almost earned three points for his team with another shot in the 89th minute. Pat Shea reports from Commerce City, Colo., complete with player ratings from both teams so be sure to check it out!

"I am here to win a Championship." So many stars have made that statement in the past, but none have held the weight of a Thierry Henry. On a picture perfect summer afternoon, the New York Red Bulls unveiled their 'pièce de résistance' amongst a throng of media and local dignitaries. Like a Hollywood premier, Henry strolled passed the flashing lights and focused cameras to the center of Red Bull Arena, where he was met by Red Bull brass Erik Soler, Hans Backe, head of Red Bull Global Soccer Dietmar Beiersdorfer, and league commisioner, Don Garber. With the sun beating down on his brow, he unraveled his brand new number 14 Red Bulls kit, and dawned the scarf of the New York side, completing a journey nearly two years in the making. Finally, after 100 rumors, and 50 names, there truly was only one star. Dave Martinez reports from Red Bull Arena.

Red Bull New York announced today that it has signed star French forward Thierry Henry to a multi-year contract as its second designated player. The 32-year old is expected to debut on July 22 against Tottenham Hotspur, in the Barclays New York Challenge at Red Bull Arena. Not surprisingly, the press release announcing his arrival makes no mention of the infamous handball game or the recently-concluded World Cup. Read it here.

On the last weekend of World Cup action, Major League Soccer had a full schedule of games on tap. There were several results of importance, perhaps none bigger than the Landon Donovan-less LA Galaxy loss at the New England Revolution. In Seattle, the young Sounders provided a spark but it was 19-year-old Miguel Montano’s red card that changed the balance of the game and allowed FC Dallas to steal a late 1-1 draw from Seattle. Nick Schiffler has that report, complete with player ratings. A full photo gallery is available as well.

In front of a crowd of 17,158 at the second-ever game at PPL Park, two counter attacks led to two San Jose goals locking up three vital away points for the Earthquakes. In an otherwise engaging and entertaining performance, the Philadelphia Union defense on counter-attacks were best summed up by Piotr Nowak as “professionally naive”. Breton Bonnette reports from Chester, Pa., with Union player ratings supplied by San Toma.

The New York Red Bulls and DC United played a drab scoreless stalemate at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night, in a match that was short on highlights of any kind and from either team. The Red Bulls extended their MLS unbeaten streak to five and captured the Atlantic Cup – the regular season series between the two sides – for the first time since 2003. Short match report and full photo gallery.

The Philadelphia Union return to Chester for a second game in their new digs as the season really starts to heat up. Games vs. San Jose, Celtic FC, Toronto FC, and English giants Manchester United highlight a homestand that will help Union fans get over their World Cup withdrawal. First up, however, will be to solve a hardworking San Jose squad that sees itself above .500 for the first time since returning to the league several years ago. Seb Le Toux and Danny Mwanga hope to continue their impressive form as the Union’s quest to get back to breakeven starts in earnest. Breton Bonnette reports from the City of Brotherly Love.

The New York Red Bulls return home after a lengthy absence themselves. Red Bull Arena is old hat for the team by now, but not for the visiting DC United. The team from the nation’s capital are no longer playing like a last place club and have a number of new signings to integrate into the squad. Chris Snear updates us on that situation. Meanwhile, Red Bulls rookie sensation Tim Ream was the featured guest on a podcast co-hosted by ASN’s New York correspondent. Listen to that here.

The Kansas City Wizards (3-7-3) will host Chivas USA (3-9-2) at CommunityAmerica Ballpark with both teams hoping to turn around their disappointing seasons. The Wizards, currently in 5th place in the Eastern Conference, have won only once (a 2-0 home win over Philadelphia on June 10) since back to back victories in the opening two weeks of the season. Chivas USA just snapped a six game losing streak in league play last weak with a 1-1 draw at home to Philadelphia. Nate Brinson reports from Kansas City.

A whirlwind start to post-World Cup 2010 life produced goals galore for some and continued heartbreak for many. Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles continue to show that their the cream of the crop while D.C. United and New England - once virtual locks for the top of the Eastern Conference - fall to the bottom of the league table. Week Thirteen's player of the week is a maestro that has followed up a down 2009 season with a 2010 season that warrants all of the MVP talk surrounding him. ASN Philly's got the goods so check 'em out!

Fittingly on the Fourth of July, a sellout crowd made its way to the Home Depot Center on Sunday night to welcome back the Los Angeles Galaxy’s two World Cup players, Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle, after the two had proudly represented the United States in South Africa.

The two players immediately made their presence felt, as the two hooked up for a first half strike and two second half goals allowed the Galaxy to celebrate Independence Day with a bang with a 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders.

“There was a lot of energy and emotion at the beginning of the game,” Donovan said. “We put a lot of energy in the first half. I’m really happy to be back and it’s nice to be a part of this team.” Ivan Yeo reports from Carson, Calif.

Elsewhere, the New York Red Bulls appeared to take a page out of the U.S. National Team’s book, recovering after a very weak start to salvage a point at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday night. Juan Pablo Angel found the scoresheet again, equalizing off a corner kick to allow the team to earn a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids. It was the captain’s fifth goal in the last five MLS games. Read the match report or skip right to the player ratings.

Salou Ibrahim and Juan Pablo Angel combined to score three second half goals to give the New York Red Bulls an easy 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday night. In their first game back after league-mandated FIFA World Cup break, the Red Bulls got their third straight victory in MLS play. Read the match report.