THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES for Major League Soccer and its fans. The league is doing what it can to build off the momentum of the 2014 World Cup. The All-Star Game is right around the corner. The playoff races are tight and look like they could go down to the wire. The league's marquee team looks like a true juggernaut. And at least two American players—Dax McCarty and Gyasi Zardes—are flying high.

Here's a quick weekend roundup.

Dax McCarty's wonderful chip

Less than two minutes into the second half of Saturday’s game, Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty performed a bit of magic. Not only did he score one of the most skillful goals of the MLS season, he scored one of the most important. With the Red Bulls down a man and trailing New England 1-0, McCarty hit an equalizer with a stunning chip over Revolution keeper Bobby Shuttleworth to spark a short-handed rally. The Red Bulls went on to win 2-1.

With New England entering the game with a one point lead over the Red Bulls for the fifth and final playoff spot, loss would have moved New York four points back. But the Red Bulls played its best half in years on Saturday night—despite being down a man. McCarty’s Man-of-the-Match performance was remarkable and a few months from now we may look on his goal and see that it saved the Red Bulls' season.

Galaxy, Gyasi on the Rise

The Los Angeles Galaxy has lost just one MLS game in its past 11, and it seems as if everything is coming together perfectly for Bruce Arena’s squad. Robbie Keane and a rejuvenated Landon Donovan are perfect designated players. Omar Gonzalez is playing like the best defender in the league since his return from injury. And Gyasi Zardes is emerging as a difference-maker.

The sequence below from Saturday's 3-1 come-from-behind win over Portland—Gonzalez to Donovan to Keane to Robbie Rogers to Zardes—demonstrates what the Galaxy are all about.

With seven goals in his last eight MLS games, the 22-year-old California native is blossoming into one of the best forwards in the league. With his rise to form, along with the production from the DPs, how will Los Angeles be stopped this season?

Bradley Steps Up for Toronto FC

On Saturday, Toronto faced off against Montreal, needing a win on the road against a last place team. Coming off a pair of difficult losses, three points was a necessity to remain in good standing in its goal to make the playoffs for the first time in club history.

Toronto paid a lot of money this past offseason for Michael Bradley and the American delivered with a complete performance in the midfield. His passing was terrific and defensively he shut down the Impact’s struggling attack. Bradley was part of the build-up for both Toronto goals but his through ball on Luke Moore’s goal could not have been better.

D.C. United squanders opportunity

D.C. United’s suffered through a disastrous 2013 campaign but has bounced back well so far this season.

Ben Olsen's men will no doubt regret Sunday's shoddy performance, in which it squandered a golden opportunity to take over first place in the Eastern Conference. From the opening whistle, United came out flat against a very beatable Houston Dynamo team. Worse, however, D.C. gave the game away with a series of blunders late in the contest.

The end result: a 1-0 loss.

For Bruin, it was his eighth goal of the season. For United, the poor defensive display at the end of the contest will be a point of focus as the team heads into the All-Star break.