Dynamo rule, but here come Rapids

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Omar Cummings (at flag) scored twice and had two assists in Colorado's 3-0 rout of D.C. Garrett Ellwood/MLS via Getty Images

Our weekly dose of Major League Soccer quick takes, plotlines to watch and Power Rankings.

Rapid ascension

Quietly, Colorado has been playing impressive fútbol. The Rapids are on a seven-match unbeaten streak, including a 3-0 thumping of D.C. United last week, and sit tied with Houston for the fewest losses in MLS. With Conor Casey off on national-team duty at the Confederations Cup, Omar Cummings picked up the scoring slack by netting two and bagging an assist against D.C. for Player of the Week honors. No one will confuse Matt Pickens for Kasey Keller between the pipes, but he has been solid, allowing just nine goals in eight matches. With at least two games in hand on the three teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings, the Rapids could climb even further up the table.

Cutting ties?

After the opening three months of the season were littered with draws, June has been pleasantly full of wins and losses. Only five of the 22 games played thus far this month have ended in ties, although that does include three of the past week's six matches. With only half a dozen games remaining, MLS' fourth month will certainly go down as the most tie-less. Soccer purists might appreciate a draw, but the average American sports fan doesn't. With the league desperately trying to convert those people into casual fans, the fewer ties, the better.

Red Bulls' rough stretch

SuperLiga interrupts another week of the MLS schedule, with four teams missing in action. Of the squads that do have league games, New York faces the toughest task, traveling to Toronto on Wednesday and then to Columbus on Saturday. For a team that's struggling -- although it did snap a five-match losing streak with a tie against Seattle last weekend -- the timing couldn't be worse. Meanwhile, the Dynamo attempt to return to the win column in Los Angeles while Colorado will try to prove it's the real deal with a victory at Qwest Field four days after hosting FC Dallas.

Week 15 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Houston Dynamo (8-2-4) Brian Ching's late goal salvaged a point for MLS' best team, which played the final 30 minutes vs. Real Salt Lake up a man. 2 4 Chivas USA (8-4-3) Preki's men, who fell to Tigres in the SuperLiga opener, look less and less like the world-beaters they were earlier this year. 3 9 Colorado Rapids (5-2-5) New acquisition Pat Noonan got his first start, pairing with Cummings at the top of the Rapids formation vs. D.C. 4 5 Chicago Fire (5-3-6) Brian McBride again showed he can hit under any circumstances, netting the only goal in the Fire's SuperLiga match with San Luis. 5 3 Columbus Crew (4-3-7) The Crew, which hadn't lost since April 5, were bound to have an off game and conceded two strikes in the final 10 minutes at FCD. 6 2 D.C. United (5-3-8) After an impressive comeback vs. Seattle, with another tally from rookie Chris Pontius, United looked outclassed in Colorado. 7 6 Seattle Sounders FC (5-3-7) Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg continue their fruitful partnership, but Sigi Schmid's club needs to shore up its defense. 8 7 Toronto FC (5-5-4) After winning the Canadian Cup in shocking fashion, a rematch with the Red Bulls and a trip to Salt Lake await the Reds. 9 8 Kansas City Wizards (5-5-4) Brutal conditions forced a slow pace during the SuperLiga tilt between the Wiz and Atlas, resulting in a scoreless draw. 10 11 Real Salt Lake (4-6-4) Nick Rimando was unlucky not to keep clean sheet after stuffing a Brad Davis PK, but Jámison Olave's ejection doomed RSL. 11 10 New England Revolution (4-4-4) Revs opened SuperLiga defense with a win over Santos Laguna, but may lose Steve Ralston -- who left the match -- to injury. 12 12 San Jose Earthquakes (3-8-3) Frank Yallop's mish-mash lineup against the Galaxy rewarded him with an important victory against the Quakes' intrastate rivals. 13 14 FC Dallas (3-7-4) U.S. U-20 back Anthony Wallace keeps making most of his PT, helping FCD win at home for first time in more than two months. 14 15 New York Red Bulls (2-10-4) Juan Pablo Ángel scored for only the fifth time this season, but the Bulls conceded another stoppage-time goal vs. Seattle. 15 13 Los Angeles Galaxy (2-3-9) The Galaxy, without Landon Donovan, Dema Kovalenko and Eddie Lewis, had their chances but failed to convert vs. San Jose.