It comes down to goals and points

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C.J. Brown (left) and Chicago will try to slow down Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Eastern leader Columbus on Sunday at Toyota Park. Brian Kersey/MLS via Getty Images

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

What a difference a goal makes

It's basic math: All it takes to win a game is to score more goals than the other guys. How does this theory hold up for the 2009 MLS season? Actually, remarkably well in the Eastern Conference. The first-place Columbus Crew boast a plus-10 goal differential, while the lowly New York Red Bulls have a remarkable minus-22. In between, the goal differentials of the other five teams separating them in the standings steadily decrease. The Western Conference, however, is an entirely different story. Three teams -- Houston, Colorado and Real Salt Lake -- lead with a plus-eight. Those squads sit in first, fourth and sixth place, respectively. The Los Angeles Galaxy, second in the standings, have the fifth-best goal differential. What does this mean? Expect to see a bit of correction during the last quarter of the season.

Road ties dictate success

"Win at home, tie on the road" is a mantra known across the world. Nowhere is that more true than in MLS. Four of the league's top five outfits in terms of points have earned at least five draws on the road. And it's not as though all these teams have been dominant on their home pitches. While the Crew are undefeated and the Dynamo have suffered only one defeat, both L.A. and the Fire are a piddling 4-4-4 on their respective home fields. This shows that the road to the postseason lies not so much in defending your turf but in uprooting your opponents on theirs.

Reviving regional rivalries

Once again, the best game of the week is the last, as the Crew invade Chicago in Sunday's lone game in a battle for Midwest bragging rights. As previously noted, the Fire struggle to win at home, but three points for the Windy City side would draw them even with the Eastern Conference leaders. Another regional match see the New England Revolution head to Gotham on Saturday in search of an important victory. Can the Red Bulls continue to play their role as spoiler, this time against Steve Nicol's squad? Finally, in a battle for the West Coast, Chivas USA flies to Seattle to face the Sounders in a match with serious playoff implications.

Week 27 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Columbus Crew (11-4-9) Ageless Frankie Hejduk scored and hit the cross that drew a game-winning PK as the Crew eked out a home win over Houston. 2 4 Chicago Fire (10-6-9) Perhaps Denis Hamlett could petition the league to let his club play all its games on the road next season. 3 2 Houston Dynamo (11-8-7) A questionable injury-time foul on Geoff Cameron forced the Dynamo to return home, unfortunately, pointless. 4 3 Los Angeles Galaxy (9-5-11) What are the odds of L.A. playing a game in which nine goals were scored yet Landon Donovan didn't appear on the score sheet? 5 8 Seattle Sounders FC (9-6-10) Fredy Montero's tally six minutes from time ensured a win over a D.C. squad that was undefeated at home in MLS play. 6 6 New England Revolution (9-8-6) Shalrie Joseph's absence was obvious, as the Revs couldn't manage a single shot on net at Chivas USA. 7 7 Colorado Rapids (10-8-6) Conor Casey tallied No. 13 on the season although his team was unlucky not to get a point in Toronto. 8 5 D.C. United (8-6-12) Different competition, same result: In a rematch of the Open Cup final, United fell to Seattle at RFK Stadium. 9 10 Toronto FC (9-9-7) O'Brian White (we told you he was good) broke a 1-1 deadlock two minutes after coming to keep TFC's faint playoff hopes alive. 10 9 Real Salt Lake (9-9-7) RSL came back against the Fire thanks to Jámison Olave, but desperately needed three points instead of one. 11 12 Chivas USA (11-9-3) Maicon Santos broke Goats' 229-minute scoreless streak with his first MLS tally; Sacha Kljestan also returned to the score book. 12 13 FC Dallas (7-11-6) FCD treated Home Depot Center fans to an offensive clinic as Jeff Cunningham scored two, moving within one of Colorado's Casey. 13 11 Kansas City Wizards (7-11-6) After going 1-1 on their East Coast swing, Wiz need Josh Wolff's excellent form to continue if they hope for postseason soccer. 14 14 San Jose Earthquakes (5-12-5) The Quakes are simply running out the string, but seriously could dent the Rapids' playoff hopes in the next two matches. 15 15 New York Red Bulls (4-17-4) The Richie Williams honeymoon came crashing to an end, as the Red Bulls couldn't score in East Rutherford vs. K.C.