A look back at Round 26

who did what, what it means and what to look for next:

Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Columbus Crew 1

Man of the match: Landon Donovan served both balls that led to the Galaxy goals. He also found the cracks in the Columbus defense on a couple of other occasions before LA settled in to protect the lead. He continues to pull more than his share of the weight in keeping the Galaxy relevant in the playoff chase.

Bigger picture: Los Angeles moved the ball fairly well before the break, especially for a team playing on two days rest. The HDC bunch looked quite tired in the second half. But the Crew, obviously missing offensive fulcrum Guillermo Barros Schelotto, couldn't exploit a flurry of late chances.

Pressure point: The Galaxy may still need nine or 10 of a possible 12 points remaining -- but they are keeping the postseason dream alive for now. Remaining: matches at Houston and Chicago, sandwiched around home dates against Toronto and New York. Columbus, meanwhile, must lament the chance at three critical points against a team playing its second road match in four days.

Houston Dynamo 3, FC Dallas 0

Man of the match: Eddie Robinson did everything he could to quiet Carlos Ruiz, then got forward to score Houston's second goal. Robinson and his back line mates were so clean that goalkeeper Pat Onstad needed to make just one save to secure a road win.

Bigger picture: Dwayne De Rosario is starting to bounce around and attack people more like the 2006 "De Ro." His first-half stoppage time goal, which came as he raced forward and boldly called off Brian Ching, was surely a crusher for the home team's spirits.

Pressure point: Ricardo Clark's mad moment could cost the Dynamo dearly in the postseason. Similarly violent action warranted six-match suspensions for Andy Herron and Dario Sala. That would put Clark on the sidelines until the MLS Cup Final, if Houston makes it that far.

Chivas USA 1, Chicago Fire 1

Man of the match: Wilman Conde had another rock-solid game on Chicago's defensive behalf, but Brad Guzan deserves the honor if only for two plays at the end. His one-handed, stretching stop of Diego Gutierrez's shot was superb. And his anticipation and aggressive action in intercepting a through-ball a few minutes later, one that Cuauhtemoc Blanco was about to get hold of, was another game-saver.

Bigger picture: This match bristled with energy and played out before a jam-packed Home Depot Center. Both clubs fed off the energy. Generally speaking, Houston and New England are probably the hardest working teams in the midfield. But Chivas is catching up, and Chicago's busy bunch is making a run to join the champs of midfield industry. Even Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who wasn't signed to be a midfield ball hawk, is chasing and defending with a purpose.

Pressure point: Haven't we seen this before? For the third consecutive match, Chicago took a 1-0 lead, bunkered in defensively and paid for the choice. At the time Chivas struck for the 82nd-minute equalizer, Chicago had gotten forward enough for only two shots.

New York Red Bulls 2, Real Salt Lake 2

Man of the match: Kyle Beckerman was the best midfielder in the match, and he got forward to supply his team's important second goal.

Bigger picture: It's a "soft" four-game unbeaten streak -- three ties and a win -- but a four-game unbeaten streak nonetheless, which has to be pretty encouraging for Real Salt Lake. Since two of the draws were outside of Utah, Jason Kreis' team can be pretty proud of its form lately.

Pressure point: The Red Bulls do a good job of pressuring the midfield, but the defense remains all kinds of wobbly. Defenders allow forwards to get inside them with alarming regularity. And the New York defenders seem timid about clearing balls from dangerous spots. Against New England or D.C. in the playoffs, that's a roadmap for an early exit.

New England Revolution 1, Colorado Rapids 0

Man of the match: Khano Smith followed 90 uneventful moments with one terrific burst. Smith swiped the ball from Ugo Ihemelu and finished nimbly. His goal earned all three points for the Revs and kept them within striking distance of D.C. United for the Supporters' Shield.

Bigger picture: The Revs certainly won't remember this as one of their better matches. Several players in the midfield were uncharacteristically erratic. But good teams find a way to victory when not at their best, or when they are missing players, such as injured striker Taylor Twellman.

Pressure point: The Rapids played a fairly conservative match, appearing all along to be happy enough with a draw. That's probably because home matches are upcoming against Real Salt Lake and Toronto. Well, the first one is upon us: Sunday, in Commerce City against RSL. If Fernando Clavijo's team is to make a postseason appearance, three points from the match in an absolute must.

D.C. United 4, Toronto FC 1

Man of the match: Fred had a wonderful goal and a clever little assist as his side rallied from an early deficit with all four goals after the break.

Bigger picture: Clyde Simms was hustling about early when the rest of United looked a little lethargic, holding things together until Ben Olsen and Jaime Moreno breathed some life into the team after their halftime introduction. Simms, who has displaced Brian Carroll at the holding midfield position, has been a major part of United's good form over the last two months. In fact, the club is 19-2-7 overall with Simms in the starting lineup.

Pressure point: Mo Johnston's team now has 20 goals, and has just four contests remaining. They'll need to turn up the offense substantially if they are to avoid the distinction of lowest scoring team yet. Colorado's 2004 team managed just 29.

Los Angeles Galaxy 1, Kansas City Wizards 0

Man of the match: Gavin Glinton scored nine minutes after his insertion, striking athletically with a twisting header from an awkward spot to steal the points.

Bigger picture: The win kept Los Angeles in the playoff hunt -- for a little while longer, at least. The result is also significant because it was the first Galaxy road win since 2006 and because it was the second in a row. Win streaks haven't come regularly this year for the Galaxy.

Pressure point: Teams have a lot less room on which to operate in Kansas City these days. Because the NFL's Chiefs prefer not to have the soccer games played on top of their end zone logos, the goals are moved in a few yards. So the field is now playing at a tight 105 yards long.

THIS AND THAT FROM ROUND 26
Technician's notebook:

Against Kansas City, Galaxy manager Frank Yallop removed Kyle Martino in the second half, pushed left back Mike Randolph into the midfield and inserted Ante Jazic along the back line. It worked just as planned, giving the Galaxy more offense on that side.

Eddie Johnson got behind the Galaxy defense twice along the left side. Both times, he twisted his body around so he could shoot with his right foot, instead of keeping his shoulders squared and shooting with his left. Both turned into somewhat meek efforts. To become a world-class striker, Johnson must learn to trust that left-footed shot a bit more.

Red Bulls youngster Francis Doe manages to be dangerous in different ways. But he'd be even more of a menace if he could figure out how to bring Juan Pablo Angel into the attack more often when he has the ball.

The Red Bulls miss so much in terms of possession when Claudio Reyna isn't around. It was evident Saturday when RBNY's ability to hold the ball fell off noticeably after Reyna's 58th-minute departure due to a sprained toe.

Chicago playmaker Cuauhtemoc Blanco and forward Chad Barrett have a nice little thing going. Their connection seems to get a little better each match.

FC Dallas manager Steve Morrow tried Denilson in a third different spot Sunday. The Brazilian attacker had lined up previously as a central playmaker in the 4-2-3-1 and as a left-sided attacker in the 4-3-3. Sunday at Pizza Hut Park, Denilson played as a second forward, tucked in behind striker Carlos Ruiz, much the same way Landon Donovan has been lining up for the Galaxy lately.

Curious thing in the Colorado-New England match: Rapids left-sided attacker Colin Clark has been on a pretty good tear lately. Against New England he forced defender Jay Heaps to take an early yellow card. Still, the Rapids failed to exploit the opportunity to get Clark in one-on-one positions against Heaps, who would have been somewhat handicapped. One reason was Steve Ralston, who had a quiet evening on the attack because he expended lots of energy chasing back and trying to deny the passing lanes into Clark.

Real Salt Lake outside back Chris Wingert had his second consecutive solid match Saturday. And on the other side, Willis Forko was generally outstanding in containing feisty Red Bulls rookie Dane Richards.

Once again, Chicago boss Juan Carlos Osorio went defensive quite early with a 1-0 lead. This time he even changed formations, having Logan Pause retreat from his right midfield spot. Instead, Pause played as a fourth defender as the Fire moved out of its favored 3-5-2.

Houston's Brian Mullan, nursing a slight injury and somewhat ill, could have probably played Sunday. But why risk it? Manager Dominic Kinnear has a stockpile of depth. Nate Jaqua manned Mullan's right midfield spot and, while he's a different player from Mullan, held things together just fine.

Rookie race up for grabs: The race for Rookie of the Year has gone into a four-corner stall -- or so it seems. Michael Harrington started with a flourish, but has slowed along the rest of his team. Adam Cristman isn't having a terribly productive spell for New England. Robbie Findley isn't starting for Real Salt Lake. Maurice Edu continues to start and is doing OK in Toronto, even if his team hasn't won since July 4. Dane Richards, meanwhile, has come alive again after a summer slump.

FC Dallas' DP is struggling: Denilson left the match after 64 minutes, following another ineffective performance. Manager Steve Morrow acknowledged that his recent signing, Major League Soccer's fifth under the Designated Player salary exception, isn't doing enough. He lost the ball 10 yards in his own half just before the break, providing Houston the chance for its important goal just before the break.

Angel sets a club record: Juan Pablo Angel's penalty kick equalizer against Real Salt Lake also gave him the Red Bulls club record for goals in a season. He passed Adolfo Valencia, who struck for 16 back in 2000.

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.