who did what, what it means and what to look for next:
Kansas City 3, Chivas USA 2
Man of the match: Kansas City was looking at yet another tie when Yura Movsisyan audaciously took on two defenders inside the penalty area, creating just enough space to hit a slightly deflected game-winner. If Movsisyan (or someone else) doesn't get the goal to pull ahead, the Wizards could have been looking at a 1-3-5 record since early June. A 2-3-4 mark isn't exactly dandy, but it's better.
Bigger picture: Despite the tough loss, it wasn't a bad week at all for Chivas USA. Taking three points out of the dreaded Thursday-Sunday road double is an accomplishment. (Preki's team knocked off the New York Red Bulls three nights earlier.) Shavar Thomas, whose fitness was an issue earlier this year, subdued Eddie Johnson on Sunday. And left midfielder Panchito Mendoza was fiery in the attack. Further dynamic performances like those could see Chivas USA into the playoffs.
Pressure point: Argentinean playmaker Carlos Marinelli doesn't appear to be at his best right now for the Wizards. He's losing the ball more than he should, and he even missed a penalty kick Sunday. The Wizards will need more from their playmaker when they visit New England in Thursday's nationally televised ESPN2 contest.
New England 2, at Real Salt Lake 1
Man of the match: Jeff Larentowicz has quietly become one of the New England Revolution's leading men. He still plays in the shadows of the more-established Shalrie Joseph. But here's one way to stand tall next to your central midfield partner: provide a nice assist on the opening goal, then hit a swell free kick for the game-winner and do all the usual chasing and distributing around the goal-scoring exploits.
Bigger picture: While New England would surely like to be better at home, who can argue with their road mark? At 5-2-2, the Revs are on pace to have one of the best road marks yet in MLS. United led all clubs with just six wins away from home last year - and Steve Nicol's team is almost there with six away matches remaining. (The Revs have a little more work, however, to match San Jose's gaudy 9-4-3 mark from 2005.)
Pressure point: Saturday's contest resulted in a slow start to a potentially telling time for Jason Kreis' club. The match against New England was the first in a stretch where RSL plays four of five at home. It might already be too late for a playoff push this year, but Kreis and Co. certainly doesn't want to wade into a tough September slate without tasting a little success.
Toronto 3, Chicago 0
Man of the match: Perhaps the credit goes to new manager Juan Carlos Osorio, or perhaps it had something to do with Toronto's decimated roster. But something seemed to make the Chicago Fire a far more confident team, and the most obvious candidate is Cuauhtemoc Blanco. His pinpoint perfect pass to Ivan Guerrero for the Fire's first goal set things in motion, and the veteran Mexican international was classy on the ball throughout the contest.
Bigger picture: Signs of life abound in the Fire, which possessed the ball better than it has all season. Osorio still has work to do, and the Fire still needs more width in the attack. Then again, Justin Mapp could easily provide that. Plus, the Fire is still missing Chris Rolfe and just-signed Paulo Wanchope.
Pressure point: A bushel of injuries in the TFC camp certainly seem to be exacting a toll. Mo Johnston's men gave the ball away far too easily in the midfield, and the defense was an absolute mess, especially after the break. TFC players, who were out-shot at home by a 14-5 margin, can make up for some of the injuries with more intensity and effort.
Chivas USA 2, New York Red Bulls 0
Man of the match: Ante Razov scored career goal No. 104 against the run of play, then assisted (again, against one-way traffic) on Sacha Kljestan's late strike to zip up matters.
Bigger picture: Looking for ways to amplify a muted offense, Bruce Arena reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a 4-3-3, with Jozy Altidore, Juan Pablo Angel and John Wolyniec up front. The trio didn't look comfortable in the arrangement, however, often duplicating each other's runs. A fourth shutout in six matches is likely to send Arena digging around that bag of tricks once again. The Red Bulls have two goals in those six matches.
Pressure point: Arena must find some way to get more from his team's left side. Defender Kevin Goldthwaite has yet to show he can be much of a bother in the attack, and Dave van den Bergh is slumping. Perhaps Clint Mathis is an option for the left side.
THIS AND THAT FROM ROUND 18
Technician's notebook:
• Think Kansas City manager Curt Onalfo doesn't like going hard for the full three points? With his team locked in a lively 2-2 match with Chivas USA, and with both teams getting chances, Onalfo boldly replaced a defender with another forward. So his usual 4-4-2 became an attack-minded 3-4-3. Oh, that replacement forward was Yura Movsisyan, who happened to nail the game-winner.
• Cuauhtemoc Blanco might not have the legs he once did, but his positioning in the attack is generally so smart that his movement off the ball is very efficient. In the 3-5-2 alignment that Juan Carlos Osario apparently favors, Blanco has plenty of defensive cover behind him, so he can mostly concentrate on offense.
• Without Ronnie O'Brien and Marvell Wynne (both injured) to work the right flank, the Toronto attack looked dreadfully one-dimensional. It's a big ball aimed toward Danny Dichio or nothing. And with Dichio clearly looking unfit due to injuries, the TFC attack had very little bite Sunday against Chicago.
• Kyle Beckerman, the former Rapids man who was traded to Real Salt Lake last week, obviously needs more time to get to know his teammates. Several one-touch entry passes from Beckerman went astray Saturday, as RSL attackers weren't on the same page.
• There was a slight change for New England, where Wells Thompson started for Khano Smith in the midfield. In a reversal of the more typical roles, Smith came in for Thompson in the 59th minute and immediately began making things happen. He had two near-misses, including one off the post, supplies a couple of nice crosses and was generally a nuisance on the left side. Has Revs manager Steve Nicol stumbled onto something here?
• Chivas USA, perhaps mimicking Colorado's somewhat successful effort to bait Kansas City through physical play, got a little mean with the Wizards at Arrowhead on Sunday night. But Colorado typically fouled closer to midfield, whereas Chivas gave up too many free kicks in dangerous spots. The Wizards got close a couple of times before the break, then finally broke through on the set-piece when Davy Arnaud's ball skipped through traffic and beat Brad Guzan.
• For a model of steady development, watch Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The third-year man took his lumps as a rookie in 2005, got better as he went in and out of the lineup last year and now is perhaps the league's standard bearer in goal. He does pretty much everything right technically, he's brave, quick off his line and and has a commanding presence inside the penalty area. If he can tidy up the distribution just a little more, he could be the pushing Tim Howard hard as the country's top choice in goal.
BMO looks like MASH: Looks like the U.S.S. Toronto set sail for Injury Island -- then picked up a couple of more mates along the way. Ronnie O'Brien, Marvell Wynne, Jeff Cunningham and goalkeeper Greg Sutton were already missing. Then Andrew Boyens, playing with a broken nose, had to leave after taking another knock on the noggin. Still, Mo Johnston was having none of it. He was clearly upset about the lopsided loss. "There's a challenge for certain guys in the locker room," Johnston said. "There [are] no guaranteed contracts next year, i.e. Canadian guys, i.e. European guys. If you don't step up to the plate, there is no home run for you at the end of the rainbow."
Watching the marks in Utah: With Real Salt Lake just now 16 games into their season, it might be time to start examining the club's chase to avoid a certain dubious distinction: not establishing the fewest wins ever in a season. Chivas USA in 2005 and Tampa Bay in the slightly abbreviated 2001 season posted just four victories.
Jason Kreis adding speed: New Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman not only gives Real Salt Lake a little more personality and bite in the center of the park, his addition is yet another step toward making Jason Kreis' group a more athletic team. Kreis has added Robbie Findley, Jean-Martial Kipre, Nathan Sturgis and Beckerman since taking over in May. In fact, with Freddy Adu's weekend departure for Europe, five of RSL's opening day starters are no longer with the club.
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
