Playoff race is crowded out West

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Stuart Holden (right) and Houston will try to get some space from the hard-charging L.A. Galaxy, who visit Robertson Stadium Sunday. German Alegria/MLS via Getty Images

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

Winning the West

With its victory over New England last weekend, Columbus essentially wrapped up its second straight Supporters' Shield and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. But who will come out on top in the Western Conference? Los Angeles, Houston and Chivas USA all have 44 points, although Preki's men boast a game in hand. With the Galaxy and Dynamo meeting on Sunday in Texas, the loser likely will have to settle for the runner-up spot. Likewise, a tie could kill both teams' chances, as Chivas should earn three points against lowly San Jose. Could the season's second-to-last fixture -- Houston taking on the Goats at the Home Depot Center -- determine the West's winner?

Crashing the playoff party

Four teams already are into the playoffs, but another four golden tickets remain up for grabs. Three squads -- Chicago (41 points), Seattle (also 41) and Colorado (40) -- need just one win in their final two matches to clinch a spot. On the other hand, New England (38), which looked to be sitting pretty before a 0-2-1 streak, is just two points ahead of D.C. United, Toronto FC and FC Dallas (winner of four of its last five and featuring a red-hot Jeff Cunningham). Can the Revs, who are without Steve Ralston and finish up home against the Fire and away at Columbus, hold on? (The success of Shalrie Joseph's MVP campaign rides in the balance.) The winner of this weekend's Rapids-FCD tilt at Pizza Hut Park will state its case, while D.C. could still slip into the playoffs if it can hold serve at home this weekend against the Crew.

The best of the rest?

With eight games taking place this week, starting Wednesday when New York attempts to win its fifth match of the season in Salt Lake City (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2), there's something for everyone. The Galaxy-Dynamo match up serves as the highlight -- as well as Sunday's lone fixture -- but Saturday sees must-win tilts for Toronto, which hosts RSL, and Seattle, which travels to Kansas City. Anything less than a victory for TFC will leave the Reds sitting at home come playoff time. The Sounders might seem to have a bit more leeway, but need to earn three points with FCD coming to town next weekend.

Week 31 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Columbus Crew (13-5-10) New coach, no prob. Robert Warzycha kept Guillermo Barros Schelotto on the bench but Crew still clinched home-field. 2 2 Houston Dynamo (12-8-8) Stuart Holden will return from national-team duty, but how much playing time will he see after two straight likely U.S. starts? 3 3 Los Angeles Galaxy (11-6-11) Unlike Holden, Landon Donovan might not play more than a half against Costa Rica, leaving him fresh for Sunday's Western battle. 4 4 Seattle Sounders FC (10-7-11) If nothing else, the Sounders' diehard fan base deserves a playoff appearance to cap their team's first season. 5 5 Chicago Fire (10-7-11) Brian McBride bringing a championship -- his first on any level -- to Chicago would be a great 12th anniversary present for the Fire. 6 8 Chivas USA (13-9-5) After a midseason swoon, Preki has his guys rolling again and tied for the league lead in wins. 7 6 Colorado Rapids (10-8-10) U.S. hero in Honduras Conor Casey is back to help the Rapids reach the playoffs (and fight for the Golden Boot). 8 7 New England Revolution (10-10-8) Steve Nicol can't be happy, as his team's poor play doomed it to a dogfight for the eighth and final slot. 9 10 FC Dallas (10-12-6) Last week, Free Kicks declared FCD's playoff hopes dead. We're sticking by our stance --but the Hoops just won't quit. 10 9 Toronto FC (9-10-9) Allowing San Jose's Cornell Glen to equalize in the 93rd minute likely doomed TFC to a November spent planning for 2010. 11 11 D.C. United (8-8-12) Somehow, United remains in the hunt, despite losing its last three regular-season matches. 12 14 Real Salt Lake (9-11-7) RSL has the pieces to make a run next year, but will Jason Kreis be at the helm to put them together? 13 12 San Jose Earthquakes (7-13-8) The good news: Team MVP Ryan Johnson and the Quakes are guaranteed not to finish with MLS' worst record. 14 13 Kansas City Wizards (8-12-8) The Wiz have been anything but magical this season, but the striking duo of Josh Wolff and Kei Kamara shows promise. 15 15 New York Red Bulls (4-18-6) How's that stadium coming? We'll do anything to forget RBNY's 2009 campaign.