Week 15: Examiner.com's MLS Recap

June 29, 2:59 PMMLS ExaminerCharlie Corr

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Five of the six Major League Soccer matches were shutouts in Week 15. Some of them were expected, some not so much.

Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew blanked the New York Red Bulls - not a surprise. But the shocker of the weekend was the Los Angeles Galaxy's 1-0 defeat over the Western Conference-leading Houston Dynamo.

Here is the full rundown of what happened in Week 15:

WEDNESDAY'S MATCHES

• Toronto FC 2, New York Red Bulls 0: A second meeting within less than two weeks at BMO Field, and Toronto provided a similar result as the Reds' Pablo Vitti and Dwayne De Rosario provided all of the offense. Toronto tested the Red Bulls' defensive line. And if things were timed differently, Toronto probably could have gone into the half with more than a 1-0 lead. The Reds were offside four times in the first 45 minutes, and seven times for the game (De Rosario had four of them). (For more, check out New York Soccer Examiner Jeff Kassouf's coverage.)

• Colorado Rapids 1, FC Dallas 1: Dallas nearly escaped with a victory over the Rapids, which held the majority of the offensive possession Wednesday. But the man who has stepped up of late, Omar Cummings, came through once again with a game-tying goal in the 84th minute to extend Colorado's undefeated streak to seven games. Dallas has five draws on the season, and the previous four were the complete opposite of Wednesday, with Dallas rallying each time for the equalizer to salvage a point. (For more, check out Colorado Rapids Examiner Deron White's coverage.)

SATURDAY'S MATCHES

• Columbus Crew 1, New York Red Bulls 0: A Chad Marshall goal off of a corner kick was all the offense the Crew needed. The defending MLS Cup champs received their title rings before the game, but it was difficult to hype this game up as the big-time rematch between last year's MLS Cup participants. Everybody is beating up on N.Y. these days. The Red Bulls are winless in their last 22 road games, and this season they have now been outscored 17-1 on the road. Ouch! (For more, check out Columbus Crew Examiner Thomas DelSignore's and New York Soccer Examiner Jeff Kassouf's coverage.)

• Real Salt Lake 3, Toronto FC 0: Heading into this match, Real was starting to turn the corner and Toronto built up a couple wins against N.Y. But the Reds were clearly no match for RSL on Saturday. The absence of Jamison Olave and Will Johnson were not a factor for Real, with a host of players contributing on the offensive end. Once Toronto's defense provided a gift for Yura Movsisyan in the 21st minute, it was all RSL the rest of the way.

SUNDAY'S MATCHES

• Seattle Sounders FC 3, Colorado Rapids 0: Colorado took twice as many shots as Seattle, but the Sounders capitalized on practically every big opportunity they had as Fredy Montero netted a first-half goal and Nate Jaqua tallied two in the second half. Seattle also dodged a bullet when the Rapids' Omar Cummings hit the frame on a penalty kick in the 35th. It was an important match as host Seattle separated itself in third place in the West, four points ahead of Colorado and now just three points behind Houston. (For more, check out Seattle Soccer Examiner David Falk's and Colorado Rapids Examiner Deron White's coverage.)

• Los Angeles Galaxy 1, Houston Dynamo 0: The Galaxy made a heads-up move with a short corner kick and subsequent Todd Dunivant goal. Houston's Kei Kamara botched a fantastic 2-on-1 opportunity in the second half. And L.A. earned a surprising shutout of the Dynamo. Houston looked completely out of its game, and lapses on defense have been a rarity for this team for most of the season. (For more, check out Los Angeles Galaxy Examiner Richard Manfredi's coverage.)

• Fire, Revs advance in SuperLiga: This past week, the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution advanced to the semifinals of SuperLiga 2009. New England hosts Chicago on July 15 at Gillette Stadium. Among the other MLS participants, Chivas USA and the Kansas City Wizards did not post a victory in their three games in group play. The other semifinalists are Tigres UANL and Santos Laguna. (For more, check out Boston Soccer Examiner L.E. Eisenmenger's, Chicago Fire Examiner Roman Kashuba's and Chivas USA Examiner John Santos' coverage.)

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Send a message: E-mail your comments or thoughts to charliecorr@gmail.com.

Charlie Corr is a freelance sports writer based in Chicago. In addition to his Major League Soccer duties, he is the Chicago Sports Examiner and the creator of a Chicago-based soccer Web site, SlideTackles.net.

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