who did what, what it means and what to look for next:
Colorado Rapids 1, Toronto FC 0
Man of the match: Veteran Mike Petke kept things buttoned up for Colorado from his center back spot as Toronto attacked for almost an hour with a man advantage. Thanks to tidy organization, the Rapids neutralized much of TFC's attack by maintaining a high defensive line, rejecting the tendency in that situation to sit in deep and absorb too much pressure.
Bigger picture: Colorado remains in the playoff hunt, although just barely. The Rapids need help and, for their part, must scoop up all six points still available. That starts with beating Chivas USA in Los Angeles, something no team has done this year. Plus, the Rapids must do so without both their starting center midfielders: Pablo Mastroeni and Mehdi Ballouchy were ejected from Sunday's win in Commerce City.
Pressure point: TFC missed a golden opportunity to gain ground in getting off the hook for that most dubious of offensive distinctions. Toronto surrendered possession all too easily all evening, even with the man advantage. Barring the most implausible offensive explosion over the remaining two matches, Mo Johnston's men will set the all-time MLS mark for fewest goals in a season.
Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 1
Man of the match: Galaxy right back Chris Klein had an outstanding match, using good positioning to deal with speedy Corey Ashe. The entire L.A. defense was stout right to the end, challenging Houston forwards as the home team desperately launched balls into the goal area.
Bigger picture: The Galaxy's surprising four-game winning streak is the third longest in MLS this year, behind only D.C. United (six games) and Houston (five). Los Angeles has allowed just three goals in those four matches as the rear guard, backstopped so capably by Joe Cannon, has gradually improved, even without injured veteran Abel Xavier. Outside back Mike Randolph (who came off the bench early) and center back Troy Roberts also had good afternoons dealing with Houston's assemblage of attacking options.
Pressure point: The win at Estadio Robertson was absolutely huge, surely the surging Galaxy's most impressive of 2007. Still, with Chicago's win Saturday night the Galaxy can't afford a loss or more than one tie in the trio of matches remaining. In other words, it's very close to a single elimination situation already for Frank Yallop and his resilient side.
FC Dallas 3, Columbus Crew 1
Man of the match: FC Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse, playing just down the road from his old Ohio State stomping grounds, was nearly unbeatable in the first half as Columbus pressed hard. Seven of Burse's eight saves came before the break as he kept his club in the match until the visitors got the goals that would secure a playoff berth.
Bigger picture: Two teams on a slide and desperate for points put on a heck of a match. Columbus had more of the attacking play as the sides totaled 39 shots, 16 shots on goal, 12 saves and 40 fouls, all above average MLS match totals.
Pressure point: The Crew, with wins against only Toronto and Real Salt Lake since June, now face an all-but-impossible climb into the playoffs. Facing matches on the road at Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United and New England, Sigi Schmid's team would need to win out and then get some help to avoid missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
Chicago Fire 2, New England Revolution 1
Man of the match: Chad Barrett had a rough go before halftime Saturday with some questionable choices on the attack and splotchy execution near goal. But he continued to work to put himself in dangerous spots and rallied to leave a big mark on the match. The Fire took all three huge points thanks largely to Barrett's goal and assist after intermission.
Bigger picture: For the first time in four matches the Fire was able to protect a late lead. Perhaps the key was in Chicago having to come back form a deficit instead of gaining the early lead and withdrawing too soon into a defensive posture. Chicago once again went very defensive toward the end (nearly paying for it when New England hit a post late) but survived this time to collect the full points.
Pressure point: Is Cuauhtemoc Blanco the most dangerous man in MLS when standing over a free kick? It seems so, especially one from the middle of the field. Blanco didn't score one this week, but did smack one off the crossbar. If Chicago can nail down a playoff spot, one of Blanco's set-piece efforts could well decide a match. Any team looking at Blanco taking one of his long run-ups will definitely be under stress.
Chivas USA 3, Real Salt Lake 2
Man of the match: Rookie forward John Cunliffe, in the lineup only because starters Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo were left back in Los Angeles to nurse injuries, struck for Chivas USA's first two goals. On a night when RSL had more chances and better chances, Cunliffe's clinical and opportunistic finishing carried the day and may have cleared the way for a Western Conference crown.
Bigger picture: Chris Seitz was in goal for Real Salt Lake instead of Nick Rimando, who has been absolutely heroic all year. Seitz wasn't particularly at fault on any of the Chivas goals, but Rimando has been finding ways to make the big saves. At the other end, Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan was, as always, consistently in the right spots as he keeps his game in tune for the coming playoffs.
Pressure point: Three massive road points keeps the Los Angeles bunch squarely in the Supporters' Shield chase. But Preki's side probably needs six or seven points to keep pace with front-running D.C. United.
Kansas City Wizards 1, D.C. United 1
Man of the match: Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman kept his team in the match early with a series of worthy saves. Plus, he was doing his business while wearing the pink jersey for breast cancer awareness, which put a stamp of bigger picture purpose on his night.
Bigger picture: At last, a break in the schedule for D.C. United, which capped its fifth match in 13 days with a well-earned road draw. Tom Soehn's team was without several key starters due to injury or illness. Now, they get two consecutive weeks with exclusively Saturday matches, something that hasn't happened since the All-Star break back in July.
Pressure point: It was just a single point for the Wizards, who can't seem to regain that crisp form from early summer, but an important one. That lone point really turned the screws on Colorado and Chicago, which suddenly found themselves a bit further adrift from the playoff picture as the weekend got started.
Toronto FC 2, New York Red Bulls 1
Man of the match: Marvell Wynne contributed one nice assist, provided the ball that turned into an own goal and forced Joe Vide to foul him in a dangerous area, which turned into a Red Bulls red card. Wynne certainly enjoyed the events a little more, seeing as they unfolded against the team that traded him earlier this year.
Bigger picture: The Red Bulls have allowed at least two goals in each of the last five matches, and have just one win over their last eight games. That's hardly a way to power into the postseason.
Pressure point: Besides escaping a 12-game winless streak, TFC also pulled level with Real Salt Lake in the chase to avoid last place. Each team has two matches remaining.
THIS AND THAT FROM ROUND 27
Technician's notebook:
You know what they say: Steven Goff of the Washington Post reported that several United players were weakened during their trip to Kansas City by stomach ailments. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but they had just returned from the midweek trip to Mexico.
Donovan proving his worth: So, who's stepping up for the Galaxy during the four-game win streak, which is keeping the team relevant in the playoff race? Gavin Glinton has struck two of the game-winners. And Landon Donovan is certainly carrying his share of the offensive burden. He has a goal and two assists during the streak, plus he supplied both balls last week that led to Galaxy goals in a road win at Columbus.
Looking toward '08 in Utah: Real Salt Lake manager Jason Kreis chose to keep Eddie Pope, who has been quite steady in his final MLS campaign, on the bench for Saturday's contest. Sure enough, a little central defense indecision probably contributed to one of the Chivas goals. But Kreis has made a decision down the stretch to keep Pope on the bench here and there, as he absolutely must continue to assess the talent with an eye toward 2008. Not all of the fans seem happy with the choice to keep the best performers of 2007 off the field, but Kreis has committed to the rebuilding effort.
Dorman's streak over: Andy Dorman began Saturday on the sidelines against Chicago, which marked the first time in the last 61 Revolution contests that he wasn't among the starters. You have to go back to October of 2005 to find a Revs' lineup without Dorman.
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.
