who did what, what it means and what to look for next:
Colorado 1, Real Salt Lake 1
Man of the match: Freddy Adu had his best match this year. The new, simplified 4-4-2 setup employed by RSL manager Jason Kreis is getting the young attacker into wide positions where he has defenders isolated. Time and again Adu caused trouble by running at Rapids right back Dan Gargan. RSL's goal came off a deflected cross from the 17-year-old.
Bigger picture: Kreis picked up a point in his initial road test as the league's youngest head coach ever, which is certainly a decent start. On the other hand, RSL weren't terrible on the road last year, with a 4-9-3 mark. Only five teams had more points on the road in 2006 than Real Salt Lake. A deficient home mark kept the Utah club from the playoffs; nine MLS teams collected more points at home.
Pressure point: Two injuries along the Rapids back line are hurting Colorado. Pablo Mastroeni has filled in at center back to strengthen manager Fernando Clavijo's defense. But Mastroeni is missed in the midfield, where Jovan Kirovski doesn't have the same presence in partnering with Kyle Beckerman.
Toronto FC 2, Chicago 1
Man of the match: Toronto's midfield ran much smoother than past weeks, and much credit goes to Carl Robinson. More important than his competent passing Saturday were the Wales international's efforts in directing traffic, in quickly coordinating TFC's marking and in consistently making himself available for outlet passes from the back line.
Bigger picture: Toronto FC get their first goal, first win - and first red card. The Canadians still have some issues in linking the three lines (defense, midfield and strikers). Then again, that's not a huge surprise given that so many of Mo Johnston's men arrived late to the party.
Pressure point: Chicago has dropped its last two road matches (both 3-1 scores) after managing a win and a tie in its first two away from Toyota Park. But examine that early success a little closer and it looks a little suspect: The road tie came against 10-man Colorado. And the road win was 1-0 against Houston came as Dominic Kinnear's Dynamo struggled earlier this year to muster much offensive push.
Columbus 1, Chivas USA 1
Man of the match: Debuting Crew attacker Guillermo Barros Schelotto was all over the field, not just supplying wily touches but directing traffic for his new club. The longtime Boca Juniors standout was on the spot to help exploit a big mistake by Chivas USA for the home team's first-half equalizer.
Bigger picture: Schelotto directed more traffic than a wedding planner in June. He already looks like a leader, and perhaps that veteran wile can help summon the best from the Crew's significant stockpile of young midfield and striking talent. Eddie Gaven, Ned Grabavoy, Alejandro Moreno and Danny O'Rourke stand most likely to benefit.
Pressure point: Chivas USA took a point on the road, which is never a bad thing. On the other hand, Preki's men just can't seem to get the midfield mix back in their favor, the way they had for the first couple of games this year. Sacha Kljestan returned but was generally occupied by Eddie Gaven and unable to get forward much.
FC Dallas 2, at Kansas City 1
Man of the match: Dario Sala's suspension-delayed 2007 debut was stellar, with nine saves in the FC Dallas goal. Only Michael Harrington's injury-time header scuttled the shutout bid, which would have been FCD's first this year.
Bigger picture: Pablo Ricchetti debuted in FCD's midfield and immediately established himself as a leader and steely defensive force. He won balls all night not with menacing force but with astute positioning, stepping into passing lanes or identifying the perfect spot claim a tackle.
Pressure point: The Wizards seem to be missing Scott Sealy, who made good runs around Eddie Johnson and adds a lot to the team's counter attack. Ditto for Argentinean midfielder Carlos Marinelli, who adds composure and a big soccer brain to the attack. And, of course, they are going to miss Jimmy Conrad, who is out for a while with a fractured jaw.
New England 3, Los Angeles 2
Man of the match: Taylor Twellman, simply put, is having an amazing season. Goals come from the slimmest of chances - and they are frequently important ones. Twellman's two strikes Saturday included his third game-winner this year.
Bigger picture: Plenty of observers fancied Steve Nicol's side to struggle a bit in 2007, due to Clint Dempsey's absence, Shalrie Joseph's contract conundrum, etc. Well, here's the evidence of a side that has things sorted splendidly: a perfect 2-0 record at home and eight of a possible 15 points on the road during a rugged six-week stretch that that included five matches away.
Pressure point: The personnel choices don't seem to be easy for Frank Yallop. Cobi Jones and Santino Quaranta both seemed to inspire new ideas and energy into a flagging attack when they came in Saturday. Start them? How long could Jones, 36, be effective? And clearly Yallop hasn't settled on the perfect blend in attack; Landon Donovan wasn't as effective out wide on the right Saturday, as opposed to a more central role.
Colorado 1, New York 0
Man of the Match: Pablo Mastroeni was usually the man tasked with marking Juan Pablo Angel, and he was up to the job. Mastroeni was the best of a back line that was on its game, with Dan Gargan enjoying a strong match and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul doing his part in preserving the road shutout.
Bigger picture: Is this a little hiccup, or are the first chinks showing in the Red Bull armor? After such a prize start, the Red Bulls' last three outings have been a 3-3 tie in Salt Lake, a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup loss to the Galaxy and the setback at home to Colorado. Missing captain Claudio Reyna to injury Sunday didn't help Bruce Arena's club.
Pressure point: Rapids left back Greg Vanney was having a nice match, dealing quite well with speedy Red Bulls attacker Dane Richards. But Vanney's ankle gave way on the turf, and if the veteran defender can't return soon a Rapids back line that's already down two starters could be in trouble.
THIS AND THAT FROM WEEK 6
Technician's notebook:
• Frank Yallop deployed a 4-3-3, with Nathan Sturgis, Kevin Harmse and Peter Vagenas in the midfield. But none is at his best as a conduit to the forwards. The result: Los Angeles struggled to link up with its front three, leaving Landon Donovan, stationed on the right, moving too far back into the midfield to get more of the ball.
• A lack of service from wide positions was one major reason why Toronto needed five matches to score its first goal. Ronnie O'Brien, making his injury-delayed TFC debut on Saturday, certainly changed that. He opened things up in the defense by supplying troublesome balls from the right side. He and Marvell Wynne will need some time together, but they should prove to be a handful for opponents in short time.
• By comparison, Chicago struggled to create chances in part because its own attack rarely got wide. When Justin Mapp plays inside, as he's doing more these days, the Fire simply don't get into the corners or hit dangerous crosses.
• TFC's offense paid a price for Danny Dichio's 44th-minute ejection. Edson Buddle, the other starting forward, can't hold the ball and wait for help the way the more physical Dichio can. Buddle's game is more about movement off the ball.
• New Columbus forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto looks like the Crew's new dead ball server of choice - and he's pretty good at it. That's going to put additional pressure on defenses not to foul near their own goal - and that will provide just a wee bit more operating space for players like Alejandro Moreno, Eddie Gaven and Ned Grabavoy.
• In Colorado, Herculez Gomez and Nico Hernandez have switched roles for now. Previously, Gomez was at the left midfield spot, with Hernandez working as one half of the forward tandem. Now it's the other way around, and the results aren't bad at all. Hernandez is a good worker anyway, so his energy is useful in the midfield. And he got his first goal of the season on Sunday in Giants Stadium. Gomez formerly played forward at Los Angeles, so he's looked immediately comfortable, too.
• It was the rest of the Colorado midfield that didn't adjust quickly enough in the first half against Real Salt Lake. RSL were bent on having Freddy Adu go hard at right back Dan Gargan, and it was paying off big for the visitors. Only at halftime did Rapids manager Fernando Clavijo adjust and get a little more help for Gargan, having right-sided midfielder Terry Cooke drop back to more often to assist the right back, or sometimes getting one of the center backs to move over more quickly as a second defender.
• RSL had two free kicks (one earned by Jeff Cunningham, one by Adu) in dangerous spots near the end of their contest with Colorado. Neither effort amounted to much. Interesting to consider: what if Jason Kreis -- who retired as a player last week to become the team's new manager -- had been out there for one of his fierce set-piece offerings?
• Obviously, Clint Mathis and Juan Pablo Angel will need time together. Some of the communication missteps were apparent, and on one free kick both players made the same run and arrived at the exact same spot. Mathis got there first but took away what appeared to be a slightly better angle for Angel on the shot.
Getting it right: Match officials in Colorado got it right last week when they overturned Herculez Gomez's goal against Real Salt Lake - even if everyone else thought they got it wrong, including ESPN2's commentators.
Colorado's Jovan Kirovski fired a shot that goalkeeper Nick Rimando punched away. Kirovski's effort then bounced off an RSL defender before falling to Gomez, who was not in an offside position at the time of the shot but was by then standing alone in front of goal. He scored easily from that spot.
The referee's assistant immediately raised the flag, a seemingly bold call considering how quickly the ball had pinged around near goal. But he was absolutely correct, and there should have been little confusion, regardless of whether the final bounce came off an attacker or a defender. All that mattered at the moment was that Gomez had by then assumed an offside position.
This is from "Decision 2" of Law 11 (Offside) from the International F.A. Board: "Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position."
Clint Dempsey Award for creative goal celebration: Nico Hernandez sprinted to the corner Sunday in Giants Stadium and did a little "charging bull" imitation, with his fingers up around his head as "horns," the way kids do it. His goal did, indeed, take down the Red Bulls in the 1-0 Rapids victory.
Piercing Arrowhead: Kansas City had not conceded a goal at Arrowhead Stadium this year before Dallas' Kenny Cooper manufactured something out of very little in the first half Saturday. Then again, the Wizards pair of home shutouts had come over expansion Toronto FC and low-scoring Columbus. Those two clubs have combined for seven goals in 11 matches.
Thomas' travels: It's interesting to consider Shavar Thomas' early travels. He was traded away from Kansas City largely because he probably was not going to bump Nick Garcia or Jimmy Conrad from a starting spot anytime soon. Now Conrad is out for a few weeks with a fractured jaw, which means the Wizards would probably love to have the additional depth.
Thomas was moved to Los Angeles first, then late last week traded from Los Angeles to Chivas USA. Just as he was about to make his first start for Preki, the Galaxy's pair of center backs were mired in what was probably their worst day in a 3-2 loss at home to New England. What could Thomas possibly have done to create competition for Tyrone Marshall and rookie Ty Harden for the Galaxy?
With Chivas USA, Thomas' ability to play in the middle alongside Claudio Suarez allowed Lawson Vaughn to play at right back, where he is more comfortable. Plus, Thomas is a big body and should strengthen one of Chivas' weak points, defending on set pieces. Saturday, Thomas was assigned to mark the lanky Ezra Hendrickson on free kicks and corner kicks.
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.
