Philadelphia Union

Chivas USA today AT PHILADELPHIA When: 1 p.m. PDT. Where: PPL Park, Chester, Pa. On the air: TV: TeleFutura, FSW. Radio: 690. Records: Chivas USA 7-13-4, Union 6-12-6. Record vs. Union: 0-0-1. Update: In its most recent match, a 2-0 loss at home against the Kansas City Wizards, Chivas USA managed only one shot on target, forward Alan Gordon's slow roller to the goalkeeper in the second minute of injury time. It was an abject performance by the team and left Chivas Coach Martin Vasquez perplexed by the players' inconsistency from game to game.

Michael Farfan's goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 2-1 victory over the Galaxy, a devastating home loss for L.A. in front of a sellout crowd of 27,000 Wednesday night at the Home Depot Center. The Galaxy failed to muster an important point in the standings after what had looked like a game-saving goal by Chad Barrett in the 73rd minute to tie the Union. The reserve forward scored from a few feet in front of the net on a strike from Todd Dunivant.

If the Galaxy is to go far in the MLS playoffs again this fall, it will have to dominate the matches it is supposed to win, play well against teams that pose a challenge and get lucky when those first two options don't work out. The Galaxy got a chance to work on some of that Thursday in a 1-0 win over a game Philadelphia Union before a record crowd of 18,779 at PPL Park on the banks of the Delaware River. First came the dealing-with-a-challenge part. For nearly a third of the match, the patient Galaxy seemed content to let Philadelphia be in control.

The Galaxy's Omar Gonzalez, Major League Soccer's defender of the year in 2011, was activated Tuesday and could make his season debut Wednesday, less than seven months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee. At the same time the team announced that forward Adam Cristman, limited to two games this season because of concussion-related issues, is retiring after six MLS seasons. Gonzalez sustained his ACL injury during a winter training camp with FC Nuremberg of the German Bundesliga and returned to Southern California for surgery in mid-January.

GALAXY TONIGHT vs. KANSAS CITY When: 7:30. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: FSW; Radio: 1150 and 1330. Records: Galaxy 4-2-5; Sporting 1-4-1. Record vs. Sporting (2010): 0-1-1. Update: The first-place Galaxy dropped two points by allowing the Union to score a late goal in a 1-1 tie at Philadelphia on Wednesday night. David Beckham was "rested" for that match but should return Saturday. The bigger news out of Carson this week, however, was the announcement that the Galaxy will play Manchester City of the English Premier League on July 24 at the Home Depot Center, eight days after playing Real Madrid at the Coliseum.

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, KWHY. Records: Chivas 3-3, Philadelphia 1-3-1. Record vs. Philadelphia: 0-1-1 (2011). Update: Not only is Chivas USA winless at home this season, in its three matches at the Home Depot Center it hasn't even scored. And the Union hasn't allowed a goal in its last 242 minutes. Something will have to give because Philadelphia is winless on the road. Chivas is riding a two-match winning streak, victories Coach Robin Fraser says have resulted in renewed confidence.

In the MLS reentry draft Wednesday, 11 players, including five former U.S. national team members, were selected in the following order: 1. D.C. United: Josh Wolff 2. Chivas USA: Jimmy Conrad 3. Philadelphia Union: Pass (no selection) 4. New England Revolution: Ryan Cochrane 5. Galaxy: Juan Pablo Angel 6. Chicago Fire: Cory Gibbs 7. Sporting Kansas City: Frankie Hejduk 8. Seattle Sounders: Chris Seitz 9. Columbus Crew: Jeff Cunningham 10. Galaxy: Luke Sassano 11. Colorado Rapids: Tyrone Marshall 12. D.C. United: Fred

Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens and defender Jorge Villafana of Chivas USA both made the final cut for the U-23 U.S. soccer squad Tuesday, two days before the team opens play in the CONCACAF Olympic Trials in Nashville. The U.S. is grouped in a four-team pool with Cuba, Canada and El Salvador. It must finish in the top two in group play to advance to next week's semifinals, where a berth in this summer's London Games will be at stake. Competition in the other four-team pool will be held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, beginning Friday.

SERIES The Event: NBC encores the pilot of this new sci-fi drama starring Jason Ritter, Blair Underwood and Laura Innes (8 p.m.). 48 Hours Mystery: The true-crime newsmagazine is back for another season (10 p.m. CBS). Saturday Night Live: Former cast member Amy Poehler returns to host the season premiere, with musical guest Katy Perry (11:29 p.m. NBC). SPECIALS What the Pope Knew: The sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church is examined (5, 8 and 11 p.m. CNN)

A very stoppable force met an immovable object Saturday at the Home Depot Center. And not surprisingly the immovable object won, with Philadelphia running Chivas USA's shutout streak to four games in a row at home in a 1-0 victory the Union finished with only eight players on the field after losing defenders Sheanon Williams and Gabriel Farfan to red cards. Freddy Adu's goal in the 40th minute accounted for the only score. But if Chivas still has nothing to show on the scoreboard at home, at least it's getting closer.

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, KWHY. Records: Chivas 3-3, Philadelphia 1-3-1. Record vs. Philadelphia: 0-1-1 (2011). Update: Not only is Chivas USA winless at home this season, in its three matches at the Home Depot Center it hasn't even scored. And the Union hasn't allowed a goal in its last 242 minutes. Something will have to give because Philadelphia is winless on the road. Chivas is riding a two-match winning streak, victories Coach Robin Fraser says have resulted in renewed confidence.

There might be more at stake than simply a summer trip to London when the U.S. team opens play in the CONCACAF men's Olympic qualifying tournament Thursday in Nashville. Because with 14 of the 20 players on the American soccer squad coming from Major League Soccer teams, the eight-nation tournament can rightly be seen as a referendum on the progress of MLS as well. "It's a strong statement about our league and the development of young players that the Olympic tournament — a reflection of the strongest young players in each country — includes so many that are on our clubs," MLS spokesman Will Kuhn said.

Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens and defender Jorge Villafana of Chivas USA both made the final cut for the U-23 U.S. soccer squad Tuesday, two days before the team opens play in the CONCACAF Olympic Trials in Nashville. The U.S. is grouped in a four-team pool with Cuba, Canada and El Salvador. It must finish in the top two in group play to advance to next week's semifinals, where a berth in this summer's London Games will be at stake. Competition in the other four-team pool will be held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, beginning Friday.

He's a real-life action hero to the Occupy protest crowd -- a gray-haired, mustachioed retired police captain who happens to love the Occupy movement, especially in Philadelphia. Ray Lewis, 60, who served for 24 years as one of Philly's finest, has appeared in public to support Occupy protests in the city -- while wearing his old police uniform and cap. That hasn't sat well with current Philly cops who wear the uniform, or with the local police union. The Philadelphia police department and the union have demanded that Lewis stop wearing his old captain's uniform to Occupy protests.

When: 5. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, Radio: 690 AM. Records: Chivas 8-12-11, Philadelphia 10-7-13. Record vs. Union : 0-1. Update: Chivas USA's postseason hopes aren't dead just yet — but the breathing is shallow and the pulse is weak. To keep those flickering hopes alive Chivas, which ended a seven-match winless streak with a win over Toronto on Sept. 24 — will need quite a bit of cooperation from the teams ahead of it in the standings.

GALAXY TONIGHT vs. KANSAS CITY When: 7:30. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: FSW; Radio: 1150 and 1330. Records: Galaxy 4-2-5; Sporting 1-4-1. Record vs. Sporting (2010): 0-1-1. Update: The first-place Galaxy dropped two points by allowing the Union to score a late goal in a 1-1 tie at Philadelphia on Wednesday night. David Beckham was "rested" for that match but should return Saturday. The bigger news out of Carson this week, however, was the announcement that the Galaxy will play Manchester City of the English Premier League on July 24 at the Home Depot Center, eight days after playing Real Madrid at the Coliseum.