MLS' best flex; Revs warming up

PRINT EMAIL FACEBOOK DIGG TWITTER RSS SHARE

Shalrie Joseph (right) and the Revolution may be tied for fifth in the East, but they're only eight points back with two games in hand. AP

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

Shakin' out

With a week to go before the All-Star Game, MLS' top teams are asserting themselves. While Houston has crashed back to earth a bit in July, the squad remains the class of the league and will get Stuart Holden and Brian Ching back at the conclusion of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Likewise, Columbus and Chicago -- second and third, respectively, in the Free Kicks Power Rankings for the third straight week -- only get stronger once the international competition wraps up. At the other end of the scale, San Jose and New York should start planning for 2010 -- this year's essentially over and done.

New England knocking

The Revs -- owners of five wins, five ties and five losses -- have 20 points, tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with Kansas City and six points out of the playoffs. With only 15 matches played, however, Steve Nicol's squad has two games in hand on first-place Chicago (28 points) and three on Columbus (27), D.C. United (27) and Toronto FC (26). Although New England lost to the Fire in the SuperLiga semis, it posted a solid league win against Chivas USA last weekend. Given the veteran leadership of Matt Reis, Steve Ralston and Shalrie Joseph, the Revs still could help paint the postseason picture.

A push, then a pause

Fans get treated to some excellent matchups before MLS takes a break. The Sounders and Fire clash Saturday in Seattle with both clubs needing three points to keep pace in their respective playoff races. TFC visits Columbus with hopes of leapfrogging the Crew, while Houston plays host to the Revs as Dominic Kinnear's team looks to return to its winning ways. The Galaxy, fresh off a solid 2-2 draw against AC Milan, seek to continue their recent run of fine form in Kansas City. Colorado gets a break when the Red Bulls come to the Mile High City, and three points could help the Western Conference side reconnect with the four teams north of it in the standings.

Week 19 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Houston Dynamo (9-4-5) After six straight road games, the Dynamo -- lucky to leave BMO Field with a draw -- will relish the prospect of returning home. 2 2 Columbus Crew (6-3-9) Reserve strikers Steven Lenhart and Jason Garey scored all three goals vs. RSL and demonstrated Crew's depth. 3 3 Chicago Fire (7-3-7) Cuauhtémoc Blanco came off the bench vs. San Jose to assist on Patrick Nyarko's goal and then added his own in the 92nd. 4 5 D.C. United (6-3-9) Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio both scored their sixth of the season to give United the victory over the Rapids. 5 4 Seattle Sounders FC (7-3-7) The Sounders lost to Chelsea 2-0, but the experience of playing in front of a massive crowd surely was worth the defeat. 6 7 Los Angeles Galaxy (6-3-9) A resounding victory in Gotham answered questions about the team's focus in light of the Goldenballs-Landon Donovan drama. 7 9 Toronto FC (7-6-5) Dwayne De Rosario scored on his former club, but TFC allowed a late strike from Bobby Boswell and settled for a single point. 8 10 New England Revolution (5-5-5) Kheli Dube and Ralston scored in the Revs' win, but it was Joseph's inspiration that urged his mates to victory. 9 6 Colorado Rapids (6-5-6) It's been 10 years since the Rapids have won in the nation's capital, a trend that didn't change over the weekend. 10 8 Chivas USA (8-6-3) How the mighty have fallen. The early-season world-beaters have gone 0-6-1 in their last seven games. 11 12 Kansas City Wizards (5-6-5) The Wiz got a week off to regroup and find some offense as Davy Arnaud continues to tear it up in the Gold Cup. 12 11 Real Salt Lake (5-7-5) Despite pressuring the cage, RSL couldn't solve William Hesmer until the 76th minute as the team fell well short in Ohio. 13 13 FC Dallas (4-8-5) If FCD wants to put itself in the playoff picture, three points in Salt Lake City could be a nice place to start. 14 14 San Jose Earthquakes (3-10-4) The Red Bulls' ineptitude continues to be the only thing preventing the Quakes from slipping back into the bottom spot. 15 15 New York Red Bulls (2-13-4) At least New York can say it scored in David Beckham's return to MLS action.