who did what, what it means and what to look for next:
Houston 1, D.C. United 0
Man of the match: Houston's Stuart Holden continues to patrol the wing with authority in Brad Davis' absence. He provided the service on a couple of near misses and came close once himself. Plus, it was his corner kick that once again led to a Dynamo goal.
Bigger picture: Did we just watch a preview of the MLS Cup Final? If so, United will have to muster a little more in the attacking third if it doesn't want a repeat of the result. Houston's fifth consecutive shutout extended its scoreless streak to 515 minutes, third longest ever in MLS. And beware the Dynamo set piece. After striking three times off corner kicks or free kicks on Thursday against the New York Red Bulls, Sunday's lone strike came after a partially cleared corner kick.
Pressure point: Richard Mulrooney once again played destroyer, staying close to Christian Gomez to keep United's playmaker largely in check. Mulrooney continues to round into pre-injury form. But Ricardo Clark is back, and Dominic Kinnear must decide how to get his best players on the field, which may mean Mulrooney going to the bench. Don't look for him to take Dwayne De Rosario's place; The two-time league MVP runner-up is looking more and more confident by the game.
New York 1, at Colorado 0
Man of the match: Red Bulls rookie midfielder Dane Richards gave his team lots of energy, which isn't easy in the altitude of Commerce City. It was surely the kind of response Bruce Arena was seeking from Richards, who had slumped lately and didn't play in Thursday's 4-0 loss to Houston.
Bigger picture: The Red Bulls midfield looked a little better than it did in Thursday's lopsided loss. There's still some work to be done in linking up with Juan Pablo Angel, but the defensive structure and organization looked better. And a road win is a road win. That's a good thing for the club now at the season's midpoint, with nine of its remaining 15 matches at home. In fact, with the next five at home, the Red Bulls won't play on the road again until Aug. 22.
Pressure point: Even the reintroduction of Herculez Gomez and Kyle Beckerman to the Rapids rotation -- each played a half after returning from Copa America -- couldn't help Colorado shake the offensive doldrums. The Rapids have six losses and two ties since June 26. Worst still, they have just one goal in their last six contests.
Columbus 2, Real Salt Lake 0
Man of the match: Is there any question about the driving force behind Columbus' surging side? Guillermo Barros Schelotto made the passes that mattered as the home team dominated RSL (16-5 advantage in shots). And his 76th minute breakthrough penalty kick was hit with sure authority.
Bigger picture: Columbus's Eddie Gaven scored a sweet goal and saw one more nullified. It's not been the best of years for the young attacker, who is just back from Copa America duty. But if he can accelerate into the passing lane, Gaven's presence off the bench or as the occasional starter could further elevate Columbus, already on a six-game unbeaten streak.
Pressure point: Heavy irony in last week's big match in Canada, where the U.S. under-20s beat back Brazil 2-1. Four players evenly split from the rosters of Columbus and RSL started (and did quite well) in that match. Soon enough, they'll be back on MLS fields -- where three of them aren't starting. So, after big performances from Freddy Adu and Chris Seitz from RSL, and steady work from Robbie Rogers and Danny Szetela of the Crew, cries could rise to get these guys more playing time. Or in Adu's case, to get him time in the spot he covets, central midfield.
Toronto 1, at Chicago 1
Man of the match: A trip to Venezuela with the national team must have done Marvell Wynne some good. He was up and down the right flank, running at defenders -- and often by them. His crossing still needs work, but one of them found Maurice Edu (who also had a strong match) for the valuable equalizer.
Bigger picture: New Chicago Fire manager Juan Carlos Osorio will be in place by Thursday's match against the soaring league champs. His challenge looks substantial as Chicago clearly seems lacking in confidence. The Fire does have veteran scrapper Chris Armas, who seems to get a little better each match back from his recent injury. Justin Mapp's return to the team -- he came on Saturday and enlivened the attack immediately -- and Cuauhtémoc Blanco's impending arrival gives the Fire's new boss something to work with.
Pressure point: Chicago produced two shots on goal, which is a little above average lately for the Fire. Struggling with injuries and Justin Mapp's absence, the Toyota Park outfit has just eight shots on goal in its last five matches.
New England 1, Chivas USA 1
Man of the match: Chivas backup goalkeeper Preston Burpo might not take Brad Guzan's starting spot, but he certainly is making a decent case that he can stand among the ranks of full-time MLS starters. Burpo was steadfast with eight saves that tested his full range of attributes, helping Chivas snap a two-match road losing streak.
Bigger picture: It took longer than Steve Ralston would have liked -- he got stuck on assist No. 113 for a while -- but the veteran winger finally tied Carlos Valderrama's all-time MLS mark with his 114th assist. The big moment came on a corner kick, as Andy Dorman smashed in the service, allowing Ralston to pull even with his old Tampa Bay Mutiny teammate.
Pressure point: Steve Nicol's Revolution can't be happy with getting just six of a possible 15 points from a soft part of their schedule. (Five of the Revs' last six have been at home.) Now New England now faces three of the next four on the road, including this week's U.S. Open Cup fixture at Rochester.
Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Kansas City 2
Man of the match: Not only did Cobi Jones come off the bench to strike twice after the break, helping his team salvage a point at home, the standard bearer of MLS veterans spun and fired late in the match and very nearly secured all three points. This was Jones' first match with multiple goals in almost five years.
Bigger picture: Frank Yallop finally seems to have a few areas of his team settled, with the fellows in a few selected spots perhaps getting things figuring out. Kelly Gray looks like a good pickup, establishing himself with a couple of solid, if unspectacular, matches. Ty Harden seems to be benefiting from the tutelage of Abel Xavier in the back, and Kyle Martino continues to look determined on the left. Yallop still has issues to sort out at forward and still has tinkering to do along the right and at the outside fullback spots.
Pressure point: Swell passes by Landon Donovan helped set up both Jones' goals, and the U.S. standout's continued contributions will certainly be required if Los Angeles is to raise its game in the coming weeks. But where best to play him? And even Donovan can't help the defense. Misplays or poor choices by either outside back led to both K.C. goals.
THIS AND THAT FROM ROUND 15
Technician's notebook:
• Frank Yallop stationed Landon Donovan out wide to start Saturday against Chicago, and he did supply a couple of decent crosses. Perhaps when he and new striker Carlos Pavon have played more than a match and a half, that strategy will pay dividends. For now Donovan still looks more dangerous when playing as a second forward. The Galaxy attacked with more authority when Cobi Jones came in to play wide (where he is most comfortable) and Donovan replaced Edson Buddle at forward, playing behind Pavon.
• The Revolution, like other MLS clubs, are getting their full complement of international players back. Now, Steve Nicol just has to sort out how best to use them. The Revs started with Shalrie Joseph and Michael Parkhurst in defensive midfield spots. By the second half Nicol moved Parkhurst back to his more familiar spot in the middle of the three-man defense. Nicol slid Steve Ralston over into a central role and inserted Khano Smith on the left, as his team pressed to match Chivas USA's early equalizer.
Taylor Twellman, just back from Copa America duty in Venezuela, took over for Adam Cristman early in the second half.
• Chivas USA manager Preki, facing road matches in two cities just four days apart, kept Ante Razov and Paulo Nagamura out of the starting lineup on July 4 in Dallas. Claudio Suarez also missed that match due to a red card suspension. The veteran trio got back into the starting lineup Saturday (for Laurent Merlin, John Cunliffe and Lawson Vaughn) against New England, helping the road team earn a draw.
• Toronto striker Danny Dichio hasn't looked the same since his bad ankle sprain last month. So much of his game is about physical presence, and he just doesn't seem able to engage in the battles as well. Plus, Dichio and the hard-working Collin Samuel aren't yet reading each other. Then again, they've shared spots along the forward line for less than a game and a half now.
Odd things in Los Angeles: It's barely past July 4, but the Galaxy won't face another opponent in an MLS match until August. They'll be plenty busy in the meantime with U.S. Open Cup, SuperLiga, a high-profile friendly against Chelsea and lots of David Beckham clamor. But they won't play in one again that counts in the MLS standings until meeting Toronto at BMO on August 5.
Best quote from the weekend: Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston, in The Boston Globe, commenting on Chivas USA goalkeeper Preston Burpo and his eight big saves: "That was one of the best goalkeeper performances I have seen in my career. It was like he had a magnet on the ball in his chest."
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.
