Believe it or not, the 2013 MLS season has reached its halfway mark. After 17 weeks of matches, teams can now assess where they stand in the table and what they need to accomplish to earn a playoff spot.

Scoring goals is a good place to start. Putting the ball in the back of the net is no easy task, but there are plenty of players knocking them in on a regular basis.

I have ranked five of these players not just by the number of goals they have scored this year, but by their recent form and production.

Ladies and gentlemen, the five hottest goalscorers in MLS.

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When New York F.C. takes to the field, MLS will be fielding 20 clubs. That's enough for four five-team divisions.  

So, is this a good idea?

Well, the MLB, NHL and NBA currently have six divisions, and the 32-team NFL has eight.

However, most other premier leagues around the world don't have divisions at all, including the English Premier League, which also has 20 teams.  

However, most other worldwide leagues have a smaller geographic footprint than the MLS (usually only one or two time zones instead of four), and many also have fewer than 20 teams. Though some of these leagues (including the EPL) play a double-round-robin regular-season schedule, other leagues have unbalanced schedules.

And how would the divisions ultimately line up?

Well, for starters, one team is going to have to move from the East to the West. Houston and Kansas City are the most likely targets for movement. I'd move the Dynamo to the West so it could be in the same division as its Texas derby rival Dallas.

Dividing the MLS is complicated by the fact that the MLS has a different geographical distribution than the "Big Four" leagues. With six teams on the west coast, the Whitecaps will have to be in a different division than the Galaxy or Chivas.  

The MLS also isn't fielding a team in the Southeast right now, and only fields three teams in the Midwestern United States.  By contrast, the MLB and NFL are each fielding nine teams in the Midwest, and the NBA is fielding six teams in the southeast.

Assuming mostly geographically distributed divisions (i.e. nothing like the AL/NL or AFC/NFC dichotomy, no "zipper"), here's what I perceive to be the only feasible scenario for a four-division MLS: 

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Northwest Division

Southwest Division

Central Division

Atlantic Division

Colorado Rapids

Chivas U.S.A.

Chicago Fire

D.C. United

Portland Timbers

FC Dallas

Columbus Crew

New England Revolution

Real Salt Lake

Houston Dynamo

Sporting Kansas City

New York City F.C.

Seattle Sounders

L.A. Galaxy

Montreal Impact

New York Red Bulls

Vancouver Whitecaps

San Jose Earthquakes

Toronto F.C.

Philadelphia Union

I know that these might not be the first divisions that come to mind, but on closer examination, they make a lot of sense, if for no other reason that they preserve many of the MLS' clásicos.

Start with the Atlantic Division. You have Red Bulls and their traditional rivals in the Revolution and D.C. United, plus their future Big Apple stablemates and Philadelphia because it fits in geographically. Looks almost like the NBA's Atlantic Division, except with Washington instead of Toronto.

Obviously, things look a little different in the West in that it's divided north-south instead of east-west. However, this way preserves the most rivalries: you've got a Northwest Division consisting of the Rocky Mountain and Cascadia Cups. It looks very much like the NBA's Northwest Division did from 2004-08, but with Vancouver instead of Minnesota.

As for the Southwest Division, you have the Honda SuperClasico, the Texas derby and the California Clásico.  It consolidates most of the MLS' large Hispanic markets in a single division, and shares four markets each with the current AL West and the final incarnation of the NHL Pacific (no teams in Phoenix or Seattle).

But, as you may have guessed, the Central Division is where it gets wacky. Composed of the five teams that couldn't find a place in the other divisions, its two farthest members (Montreal and Kansas City) are separated by over 1,300 miles. Only one clásico exists between these five teams: the Trillium Cup between Columbus and Toronto.  

Frankly, the Central Division alone is enough of a reason not to have divisions in the MLS.

Bottom line: Because of what the Central Division would end up looking like, and because most Premier Leagues operate without divisions, I don't believe splitting into four divisions will be necessary for the MLS at this time.

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The race for the top spot in the Major League Soccer power rankings is heating up just as the calendar officially switches over to summer.

Three clubs can make a case to be No. 1, but only one of them can reign supreme on top of the power rankings this week.

Find out who won the battle for No. 1 in this week's edition of the MLS Power Rankings.

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The summer heat intensified in MLS Week 17. Cooler heads did not prevail. 

Toronto FC and the Houston Dynamo played to another draw Saturday night. Unfortunately, there were no late dramatics. Both teams were unable to impact the scoreboard.

Real Salt Lake had no issues in that department. Goals from Kyle Beckerman and Robbie Findley secured a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. The Claret and Cobalt are now tied atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with 30 points.

But neither team was able to make the list of best and worst from MLS Week 17.

Read on to find out who did.

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For the first two seasons of their existence, the Portland Timbers were known more for their passionate fanbase and eccentric owner but now the team on the pitch is making noise with every match they play.

Currently, the Timbers are in the midst of a 14-match unbeaten run that was extended on Wednesday night at the newly-named StubHub Center in Carson, CA against the Los Angeles Galaxy. 

If you had told anyone who covers Major League Soccer week-to-week that the Timbers would be in this position after their Week 1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at home, they would have laughed in your face. In that draw, Caleb Porter’s club scored two second-half goals against a lackluster Red Bulls defense. That result was followed up the next week with a loss to the current Eastern Conference leaders, Montreal Impact, at home. 

Ever since those two early-season matches, the Timbers have shocked the league, earning eight draws and six victories in their last 14 matches.  During this 14-match spell, the Timbers have taken away results from clubs that they should have taken points away from like D.C. United, Chicago Fire and the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Timbers have also come away with some surprising results, as they have beaten Sporting Kansas City, FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo.

Now with the spotlight pointed directly on them, the one question to ask about the Timbers is how long their streak will last.  

Next on the schedule are the Colorado Rapids, a club that drew with the Timbers in Colorado back on March 30. The match against the Rapids Sunday is at the Cascadian fortress of JELD-WEN Field, and a result is expected out of the club that is tied for the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in the history of MLS.

After a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match with F.C. Dallas and an international friendly against Morelia, the Timbers will visit a depleted Columbus side that is without two key cogs in their midfield, Glauber and Eddie Gaven because of injury.

If the Timbers can hold their own at Crew Stadium on July 7, the unbeaten streak could extend all the way into August. 

Six days after the match in Columbus, the Timbers will host the Galaxy before they embark on a trip across the country to Philadelphia to play the Union at PPL Park. The month of July ends with a trip down the Western Seaboard to Buck Shaw Stadium to play San Jose.

If Portland are able to make it to August with their unbeaten streak, they will be licking their chops at what the schedule brings them in August. Three consecutive home matches against Vancouver, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake will await the Timbers, all three of which are winnable matches especially since they are at home.

While there are eight matches before their August 25 Cascadia Cup showdown with the Seattle Sounders, supporters of the Timbers must already have that match circled on their calendar as the biggest match of the season.

It is difficult to predict how far this Timbers side can go with their unbeaten streak, but if they keep their current form, all signs point to a Cascadia Cup showdown at CenturyLink Field in front of a potentially record-breaking crowd.

That match should be the first time the Timbers should legitimately fear for their streak before the match is even played.

Yes, the unexpected loss can always occur in the funny game of soccer, but given the current form of Portland, expect some type of historic run from the club dominating the MLS headlines right now. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90.

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After last week, I'm either lucky or good: I put two teams on upset alert, and both of them lost.

Considering one of those teams was D.C. United, I don't suppose that's saying very much. They haven't won since March 9, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time until Ben Olsen updates his resume (if he hasn't already).

With that in mind, let's look at the Upset Alert list for the weekend of June 22-23.

Upset Alert No. 1: FC Dallas vs. Sporting KC

FC Dallas is on the top of the Western Conference standings with 28 points (out of a possible 45) and have the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup to get ready for on Wednesday.

Sporting Kansas City sits in a three-way tie for third in the Eastern Conference and hasn't played a league game since June 1. They are also 2-4-2 in their last eight league matches.

I'm putting FC Dallas on Upset Alert because Sporting KC should be a team that is hungry, if not desperate, for a win. Their last competitive match, on June 12, was a disappointing home loss to Orlando City. Their last league match was also a disappointing home loss, this time to Montreal.

Sporting KC, however, has proven they can win on the road, most notably when they snapped Houston's long home unbeaten streak. With the return of USMNT players Graham Zusi and Matt Besler, Dallas will need to watch themselves.

Upset Alert No. 2: Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders

Real Salt Lake is on a four-match unbeaten streak and generally play very well at home.

The Seattle Sounders, after a rather disappointing start, have won six of their last eight league matches.

Jason Kreis's club is on Upset Alert because they shouldn't let where they are in the table give them any sort of comfort ahead of a match with Sigi Schmid's Sounders. Both clubs had last weekend off, so they should be well-rested ahead of their clash on Saturday at Rio Tinto.

I thought about putting the New York Red Bulls on Upset Alert for their match with Philadelphia this weekend, but there's one thing that stopped me.

Zac MacMath's performance is the X-factor in this match. Will he take the impending transfer of Oka Nikolov well and act like the starter John Hackworth says he is or will MacMath start looking over his shoulder? If he's looking over his shoulder, would he still have that "deer in the headlights" look he sometimes gets after allowing a goal?

Thoughts? Think I'm a loony? Tell me what you think below in the comments.

Follow @FntnCitySoccer

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School’s out. The youth of America is on vacation, but a majority of MLS teams will return from theirs in Week 17.

International duty severely hampered the MLS June schedule. With World Cup qualifiers out of the way, the action is ready to heat up. Twelve matches are scheduled for Week 17. Four were played on Wednesday. 

The Montreal Impact, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps all returned to the win column, while the Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers played to a scoreless draw.

Eight matches remain for this weekend. But with so much action on tap, what warrants your attention in Week 17?

Read on to find out.

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It was business as usual for the home teams in midweek action. All four of Wednesday's matches saw the host emerge with at least a point, but not without a bit of drama.

Chicago came from behind to beat Colorado, while Vancouver had to do the same against Chivas later in the evening.

The Timbers continued their remarkable unbeaten run in a closely contested match in SoCal, while Montreal showed why they are the pride of Canada with another impressive shutout at home.

There are plenty of goals to discuss, so read further to recap all the action from the day.

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During the time of the soccer calendar where plenty of European clubs are unveiling new kits, the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer had a kit unveiling of their own.

Just hours after the club acquired MLS veteran Pablo Mastroeni from the Colorado Rapids, they made a much bigger splash through social media with their new third kit (via MLSSoccer.com).

According to the press release on the club's official website, the kit was designed by a fan named Carlos Rodriguez.

The kit resembles the color scheme that the Galaxy used when they started as a franchise in 1996.

Rodriguez's inspiration came from attending a Galaxy match at the Rose Bowl in that inaugural season against the New York-New Jersey MetroStars, which is the franchise now known as the New York Red Bulls.

“That year set forth what this team is about. The team didn’t win MLS Cup that year, but this team is built to win and these colors represent winning to me,”

                                                    -Carlos Rodriguez via lagalaxy.com June 15, 2013.

Los Angeles president Chris Klein also chimed in on the fan contest that was in charge of choosing the new kit design.

“It’s important to involve our fans in anything that we do, so to do this in an innovative way where we, literally, put the design of our third kit in their hands was something that we’re really excited about,”

                                                   -Chris Klein via lagalaxy.com June 15, 2013.

According to the same press release quoted above on the club's website, the new kit will be worn for the first time on August 17 against Real Salt Lake.

What do you think of the new Galaxy kit?

Comment below or leave me a comment on Twitter, @JTansey90.

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It has taken three weeks for a new club to find their way to the top of the MLS Power Rankings and unseat Montreal from the top spot.

That is exactly what happened this week after a small but important group of five league fixtures played on Saturday.

Read on to see who is the new No. 1 in the power rankings this week.

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