10 teams, five more playoff spots

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Once again, Sacha Kljestan wasn't recalled to the national team. But that's great news for his playoff-hungry club team, Chivas USA. Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

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

A call to action

Jonathan Bornstein's Chivas USA sits in the thick of the playoff race, tied with two other teams for fourth in the overall standings with 41 points. The team, however, will be without the services of one of its stars as Bob Bradley called the versatile left back -- along with seven other MLS-based players -- into camp in advance of the U.S. national team's World Cup qualifying matches against Honduras and Costa Rica. (The Colorado Rapids, seventh in the playoff standings with 40 points, are without high-scoring striker Conor Casey, but doesn't have a match this week.) Things could have been much worse for the Goats, as earlier in the year, Sacha Kljestan was a lock to be called into every U.S. camp. The 24-year-old midfielder, however, will have to settle for helping his club team qualify to play in November while teammate Bornstein helps the U.S. in its battle for a World Cup berth.

Neck and neck, to the wire

With less than three weeks left in the regular season, 10 teams still can claim to have a legitimate shot at the postseason. Columbus, Los Angeles and Houston are already in, while Chicago and Seattle are tied with the aforementioned Chivas. Two wins would put the Rapids into the playoffs, while four points would probably do the trick as well. New England has three games to state its case, although last week's 0-1-1 stretch doesn't bode well for the Steve Ralston-less team. D.C. United remains on the outside looking in and needs to win its final two matches to have any hope. Meanwhile, Toronto FC has one fewer point than United, but it has a game in hand and could figure into the week's final season if the ball bounces its way. In the end, however, the teams that occupy the top eight positions heading into this week's games likely will be there in some order at the season's death.

Three for four

Of the four matches on the MLS docket this week, Saturday's trio all figure into the playoff picture. (FC Dallas would like to argue its fixture with San Jose on Wednesday night has playoff implications, but with just 33 points, Free Kicks is officially booting the Hoops from the postseason race.) The Revs and TFC both desperately need three points from home matches against the Crew and the Quakes, respectively. Anything less and they'll watch the playoffs from their couches. Chivas USA doesn't necessarily have to win at home against Kansas City, but getting to 44 points essentially would stamp its postseason dance card. Everyone else, of course, will be watching World Cup qualifying.

Week 30 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Columbus Crew (12-5-10) Last weekend's loss to Seattle was surprising for sure, but not enough to remove MLS' best team from the top of these rankings. 2 2 Houston Dynamo (12-8-8) The Dynamo aren't exactly blasting their way into the postseason, but Luis Ángel Landín did open his MLS account in the clincher. 3 4 Los Angeles Galaxy (11-6-11) Can we officially say that year three of the Beckham Experiment was a success? Yes, we can. (If only it hadn't taken this long...) 4 6 Seattle Sounders FC (10-7-11) A win in Columbus is nice for Sigi Schmid, but he'd much rather best his former club in November. 5 3 Chicago Fire (10-7-11) The Fire managed to lose somewhere other than their home turf, as Cuauhtémoc Blanco missed another match, in L.A. 6 7 Colorado Rapids (10-8-10) Casey remains tied for the MLS goal-scoring lead, but has he forgotten how to strike from anywhere but the spot? 7 5 New England Revolution (10-9-8) The Revs, who seemed destined for the playoffs last week, have to be disappointed in their showings in Texas and Colorado. 8 9 Chivas USA (12-9-5) Dangerous San Jose-born Mexican Jesús Padilla looks more and more like a brilliant late-season addition for Preki's side. 9 8 Toronto FC (9-10-8) It's almost down to win or go home for Dwayne De Rosario & Co. How will TFC respond with their backs to the wall? 10 11 FC Dallas (9-12-6) Jeff Cunningham cannot be stopped. Too bad his teammates couldn't do more with his excellence earlier in the year. 11 10 D.C. United (8-8-12) The postseason will be strange without this perennial fixture, but United's players only have themselves to blame. 12 13 San Jose Earthquakes (7-12-7) Sure, the last win came against the Red Bulls, but that makes a run of four straight without a loss for the suddenly frisky Quakes. 13 12 Kansas City Wizards (8-11-8) The Wiz barely managed a draw in Houston despite playing a man up for the final 73 minutes of the match. 14 14 Real Salt Lake (9-11-7) On the bright side, there's always next year. That's about the only bright side for Jason Kreis' side. 15 15 New York Red Bulls (4-18-6) If the Red Bulls decide to rebuild from the back, they could do much worse than to start with Bouna Coundoul in net.