Power trio breaks away from pack

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The arrival of Luis Ángel Landín could make Houston a favorite for its third MLS Cup. Thomas B. Shea/MLS via Getty Images

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

No changes up top

For the fourth week in a row, Columbus, Houston and Chicago find themselves first, second and third, respectively, in the Free Kicks Power Rankings. Despite the Crew's off-week and the Fire's loss to Los Angeles, the two Eastern Conference teams are running away from their nearest competition. Meanwhile, out West, the Dynamo sit five points clear of Landon Donovan's hard-charging Galaxy. The trio clearly has been, and will remain, the class of the league. Houston should only get stronger, as Brian Ching landed a new strike partner in Mexican Luis Ángel Landín. The Dynamo used their Designated Player slot on the former Cruz Azul forward, so expect him to produce for MLS' points leader.

Playoffs? We're talking about playoffs?

While the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the East look about wrapped up, and Houston appears to have one of the two Western Conference automatic bids solidly within its grasp, five playoff slots remain entirely up for grabs. Seven teams -- Chivas USA, Colorado, D.C. United, Los Angeles, New England, Seattle and Toronto FC -- own 29 to 35 points. Despite a brutally bad July, Preki's Chivas side looks to be in the best position as it has earned 33 points in a mere 20 matches and features a rejuvenated Sacha Kljestan. The Revs, coming off a six-point week, also have 10 matches remaining and should slip into the postseason. The suddenly struggling Sounders (33 points from 23 matches) might miss out, a sad fate for their diehard fans.

A great eight

Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake will double up and Colorado will sit out as part of an eight-match week. In the game of the week, a desperate D.C. United team visits the Fire, who have been shaky at home all season. The Sounders return home to greet TFC in a match the expansion team can't afford to lose. On Sunday, New York attempts to keep interim manager Richie Williams perfect when the Crew come to Giants Stadium.

Week 24 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Columbus Crew (10-3-9) Three road points are ripe for the taking when the Eastern Conference's best meets its worst. 2 2 Houston Dynamo (11-6-7) Geoff Cameron scored on Brad Davis' team-high eighth assist vs. Seattle, but the game will be remembered for Landín's debut. 3 3 Chicago Fire (10-5-8) Denis Hamlett's side avoided a terrible week as thee goals in the final 18 minutes beat Colorado and rescued a 1-1 four-day stretch. 4 5 Los Angeles Galaxy (8-4-10) Bruce Arena's side showed off its defensive prowess by shutting down two of MLS' better offenses, Chicago and D.C. 5 9 New England Revolution (8-6-6) Hats off to Kheli Dube, who watched as three of his five shots on goal flew past RSL keeper Nick Rimando. 6 4 Seattle Sounders FC (8-6-9) Nate Jaqua's tally against his former Dynamo mates was the lone bright spot during a week where little went right for the Sounders. 7 10 Chivas USA (10-7-3) Goats haven't returned to their early-season form, but anything's an improvement from the atrocious displays of the past month. 8 6 D.C. United (6-5-11) Ben Olsen returned to the Black-and-Red lineup, but he couldn't help his side break a four-match MLS winless streak. 9 7 Toronto FC (8-8-6) Traveling to the Pacific Northwest isn't what the doctor ordered for unraveling TFC, but the Reds will have to make do. 10 8 Colorado Rapids (8-7-6) Omar Cummings continued his good form with two tallies in the first hour, but the Rapids lost their momentum in Chicago. 11 12 Real Salt Lake (7-9-6) The postseason isn't out of reach, but Kyle Beckerman, Robbie Findley & Co. will need to stretch, stretch, stretch their arms. 12 13 San Jose Earthquakes (5-11-5) If Quakes somehow make the playoffs, Chris Wondolowski's injury-time game-winner against K.C. will be remembered fondly. 13 14 Kansas City Wizards (5-9-6) Along those lines, Wondolowski's strike likely doomed the Wiz to a seat on the sidelines in the battle for the MLS Cup. 14 11 FC Dallas (6-11-5) New Free Kicks rule: Any squad that loses to a team that hasn't won in two-plus months falls at least three spots. 15 15 New York Red Bulls (3-16-4) Juan Pablo Ángel broke the NYRB record for regular-season goals as his team found a victory for the first time since May 8.