With all eyes on the Confederations Cup yesterday, it was easy to forget the small portion of MLS action served up over the weekend. Real Salt Lake’s home dominance re-emerged with a thumping of Toronto FC at Rio Tinto Stadium. It was the kind of showing RSL desperately needed in order to have any chance at a playoff spot.

As the midpoint of the season is essentially here–all teams have played between 14 and 16 games–there’s a lot to weigh-in on with regards to legitimate contenders. Teams like Chivas USA and D.C. United have surprised some, while the likes of San Jose, FC Dallas, and New York Red Bulls are lagging far off the pace. A complete midseason recap will be left for another day.

The shock of the weekend has to be Los Angeles dropping league-leading Houston by a 1-0 last night at the Home Depot Center. In what turned out to be a particularly ugly game, a lone goal from Todd Dunivant maintained the difference. There was little aesthetically pleasing about the match–the HDC pitch, Houston’s possession game, or an obvious no-call on Gregg Berhalter hauling down Brian Ching in the box, MLS enthusiasts were left with nothing to trump about.

That being said, a win for the Galaxy provides a massive boost ahead of Landon Donovan’s return. The U.S. international is coming back on sparkling form, with his goal against Brazil yesterday one of the prettiest international tallies we’ve seen since Benny Feilhaber’s rocket against Mexico.

There is plenty more to dive into, so welcome to my first week of MLS Monday Morning Recap, which will finish with eleven observations from the past week.

First XI Observations

1. Another goal conceded during injury time must drive Juan Carlos Osorio beserk. These moments of madness at the back are just one of several reasons why he may no longer have a job. At the same time, will it even make a difference to bring in a new coach?

2. As much that can be made about Kasey Keller’s importance to Seattle’s hot start, the role that Fredy Montero plays will determine the success of the Sounders over the remainder of this season. His goal and two assists made their win over the Rapids look easy. Let’s not forget Nate Jaqua’s two goals either.

3. Despite the 1-0 win against New York, Columbus wasn’t particularly convincing, especially against a team that perenially struggles on the road. If you’re New York, not only do you let up a goal so close to the half, but you also concede it to Chad Marshall–such an obvious target, right?

4. One of the interesting anecdotes from last night’s game was the Galaxy blanking Houston. A.J. DeLaGarza looked solid at right back, while his fellow rookie Omar Gonzalez looked tidy until being subbed out in the 62nd minute due to cramps. Both need to play well in order for this team to have any chance at a playoff run, especially with Gregg Berhalter and Tony Sanneh as other defensive options.

5. As soon as Omar Cummings missed his penalty kick yesterday, it was game over for the Rapids. It was a chance to silence the crowd, to get his side back in the game. Instead of equalizing, he smashed the ball off the woodwork. The Rapids would have other chances, but with the crowd on Seattle’s side

6. The injury issues that plagued Columbus are beginning to finally dissipate. Frankie Hejduk and Will Hesmer both started against New York on Saturday. Hejduk realizes he still has some work to do in order to get to full fitness. “You have to pace yourself, I’m still trying to get my fitness back and I think I’m about 90 percent. Defensively I felt solid, I tried to keep my ground and make it tough on them.”

7. Donovan Ricketts’ shutout last night was his third cleansheet of the season–that’s more than LA had in all of 2008. A staggering statistic.

8. You have to think that Colorado won’t have to worry about losing Conor Casey to another USMNT call up for awhile. The strong forward is a good contender for a reserve role, but he didn’t seize his opportunity in the Confederations Cup. What you’d want to see from him is a tireless work-rate, chasing every ball down, especially when he’s coming off that bench–he loafed around the pitch a bit too often for my liking.

9. That being said, MLS ranks are going to be decimated with the start of the Gold Cup this week. Look for a lengthy piece about that this week. It will certainly add a wrinkle to the playoff chase, that much is sure.

10. A memo to Juan Carlos Osorio: let Nick Zimmerman and Danny Cepero start for the remainder of the year. The two young players have played well in recent weeks and deserve a long look, especially since the Red Bulls don’t seem to have a chance to make the playoffs.

11. Real Salt Lake badly needed that victory over Toronto FC. Their resounding win should boost their confidence and perhaps we’ll see another late-season run towards the playoffs. Yura Movsisyan is beginning to heat up, a good sign for the enigmatic club.

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