It's been a relatively calm week for the newest franchise in Major League Soccer. Think of it as the calm before the storm, as the team continues to build its front office.

The big question facing CEO Nick Sakiewicz and team President Tom Veit is who to hire as the team's first head coach. Sakiewicz spoke with Glenn Davis on The Soccer Hour radio show last week and gave some insight on how they plan on setting up the organization:

"We're going to set up a little bit differently than the other MLS clubs. We're going to take a page out of a team like Manchester United or Arsenal," Sakiewicz told Davis.  "We're hiring a team manager slash head coach. This is a very experienced, very high profile individual which I cannot talk about. We're going to make that hire because that model is the best model in the world."

Sakiewicz also indicated on Fox Soccer Channel the night before this interview that the process is just one or two weeks away from being completed. That means they have  spoken to this individual, and perhaps the decision is a lot closer to being made. When pressed if their candidate had MLS experience, Sakiewicz wouldn't reveal much:

"I really can't say, because I'm under a confidentiality and if I started talking about if he was in Major League Soccer, I don't believe there's a lot of people like this, so you wise public relations guys and media guys would figure it out," Sakiewicz said.

The insight that Sakiewicz brings implies that whomever they are considering, this person is an obvious choice. That leads me to believe that this person has not spent time within MLS—something made even more obvious because the regular season is in full swing.

Might that someone be Sven-Govan Eriksson? It's pure speculation on my part, but worth considering. It's no secret that the Swede is looking for work, and claims to have a number of offers on the table. But would he consider coming to work in MLS? That's a big question that may be answered over the next week or two. It's all based off pure speculation, but Eriksson is a high-profile coach with the European experience that the Union is hoping to model.

There are a number of other well-qualified coaching candidates that the Union are surely considering. One of those is Piotr Nowak, assistant to Bob Bradley with the U.S. Men's National Team. Nowak's biggest project, coaching the U-23's in the 2008 Olympics, is long in the past, and he could be in position to step into a role with the Union. Nowak has the kind of championship experience that Philadelphia would be hoping to bring to the area.

Top tier collegiate coaches, such as the University of Maryland's Sacho Cirovski or Wake Forest's Vidovich might be considered. Both have built a solid University program, with Cirovski's Terrapins winning the College Cup in 2008. However, because they've both recently brought in new recruits, and I don't think either would take the new position.

Other names that are out there include ESPN broadcaster John Harkes, who has experience as an assistant coach with the New York Red Bull a couple years ago. Another overseas coach with MLS experience is Octavio Zambrano, who spent time as an assistant and head coach with the L.A. Galaxy and the New York Metrostars. He's been at the helm of FC Tatabanya, a club in Hungary.

Whoever becomes the head of the Union, he'll have his work cut out for him. While a number of the pieces in place, building a team is no easy task.

UPDATE: Ives is reporting that the coach has been hired. We'll see who it is shortly.

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This picture of Fredy Montero says it all. The Sounders, in the last three weeks and beyond have had some bad officiating.

Now the Sounders recent results can not blame it all of bad refs but they did have some missed shots and opportunities that they passed up. But looking at it, the refs have really impacted the Sounders FC in recent weeks.

This week, when the Sounders FC faced FC Dallas something that MLB,NFL and NBA use would have come in to play. FC Dallas MF Andre Rocha scored a goal in extra "extra" time.

There was two problems with the goal. One Rocha looked, well not looked, Rocha was very offsides when he scored the goal. And Two, there was two minutes of added time. When the goal was scored the clock read 2:15, fifteen seconds after the game should have been ended for the half time.

Now I understand that the refs can never be exact but 15 seconds is too long.

That's why I think it has come time that the MLS adopt instant replay. It would allow the refs to have a second look at a goal that maybe the opposing coach thought that the player who scored the goal was offsides.

Each team would have two "challenges" per game. That way it's a fair amount, and it makes the game that much better, because a game that would result in a tie could be turned around into a win for the team that played completely clean.

SO that, for example the FC Dallas vs. Sounders FC game would have been won by the Sounders if there was instant replay, because the refs would have seen that Rocha was completely offsides and reversed the goal.

And in the event that the goal does not count, the team that had the ball (the team that had the goal reversed) would start with the ball at the midfield line just like after a goal.

So in that event FC Dallas would have started with the ball at midfield because  the goal was not legit.

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The historically inconsistent New York Red Bulls came out Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo at Giants Stadium looking to maintain some uniformity and to win two consecutive games for the first time this season. However, the roller coaster that is the New York franchise was in full swing, staving off a man-down situation to tie the game 1-1.

One week after a resounding 4-1 victory against the San Jose Earthquake, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio kept the starting lineup almost exactly the same as the previous game, with the lone exception of John Conway starting in net in place of Danny Cepero, who was out with a hand injury. It would not stay that way for long.

Right fullback Carlos Johnson was subbed off the field in the 26th minute with what was said to be a sprained ankle. Then in the 35th minute, in a moment of inexplicable behavior, veteran midfielder Jorge Rojas was given a red card and ejected, after elbowing and attempting to kick Houston midfielder Brian Mullen.

The veteran mistakes continued to come. A ball came out of the air down to the normally dependable defender Mike Petke, but instead of heading the ball forward and clearing it out of danger, Petke headed the ball up and backwards, allowing Dynamo forward Ade Akinbiyi to get behind him and put the ball in the back of the net for what seemed to be the first goal of the night. The officials saved New York, however, and ruled that Akinbiyi had pushed Petke before shooting, resulting in no goal.

Even though they were shorthanded, the Red Bulls were more aggressive in the second half than they were when they had 11 players. Yet the Dynamo counter-attack was even more impressive.

In the 79th minute, substitute Dynamo midfielder Corey Ashe broke loose on the left flank and sent in a ball to the unmarked Chris Wondolowski, who put the cross home for the lead.

It seemed as if it would be another New York loss but the Red Bulls came back from the dead to play a spirited final five minutes. In the 88th minute, Dane Richards corralled in a stray corner kick and looped it back into the box where sub John Wolyniec chested the ball in traffic, dropped it to his feet, and turned and fired at the net, scoring the equalizer.

The Red Bulls had a chance in the 90th minute to score the game winner, but shots by Macoumba Kandji and Wolyniec were both blocked.

While some thought the win against San Jose would be a turning point for New York’s season, tonight’s game left the team with more unanswered questions.

Should one plaudit the team for coming from behind and down a man to tie the match? Or should fans be discouraged that the Red Bulls were forced to play short-handed again, hurting the chances of taking home three points?

Who plays in place of Jorge Rojas next week?

How many changes will the never-happy Osorio make to the lineup?

It will be another week before anyone knows the answer to those questions, when the Red Bulls take on the Chicago Fire next Sunday. For now, New York will take the point and try to continue an unbeaten streak.

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This week's rankings don't feature a ton of dramatic changes...until you get to the bottom half of the table. New York grabbed a huge victory, and Columbus finally got themselves into the win column, a mere eight matches into the season.

San Jose and Real Salt Lake are plummeting towards the cellar, while Los Angeles seems content to draw every time out. I bet their fans are thrilled.

Last week's rankings in parentheses

1. Chivas USA (1)

Chivas holds steady atop our power rankings with yet another victory, a 1-0 shutout over Real Salt Lake.

2. Chicago Fire (3)

Chicago still has yet to lose, but they'll need to win at a higher clip than their current 25 percent pace if they want to make an impact in the postseason.

3. DC United (2)

Two unimpressive draws lead to a slight drop for DC, but the offensive remained dangerous. Jaime Moreno is still playing at a high level, and it seems like DC just needs to figure out a solution in the back line.

4. Seattle Sounders FC (4)

Somebody finally managed to score on a full-strength Seattle squad with Kasey Keller in goal. An even bigger concern for Seattle has to be the high number of cards they are accumulating this season. Three red cards and 13 yellows will result in a few games missed through suspension.

5. Toronto FC (5)

D-Ro probably thought he had won the game with his 87th minute strike against DC. Toronto was unlucky to walk away with a draw, but they've scored in all but one match this season. They're a good bet to make the playoffs.

6. Houston Dynamo (7)

Houston is quietly and steadily accumulating points, this week with a shutout victory over FC Dallas. After a slow start to the season, Houston sits in third place in the Western Conference.

7. Colorado Rapids (6)

Colorado was not in action this week.

8. New England Revolution (10)

On paper, the draw at Chicago looks pretty decent, but the Revs were dominated for the fourth straight week. It's pretty clear that their time has passed.

9. Kansas City Wizards (8)

After giving last week's 15th-ranked team their first win of the season, Kansas City is lucky to only drop a single spot.

10. New York Red Bulls (14)

New York's offense finally came to life in a 4-1 victory over San Jose. Two goals apiece from Jorge Rojas and Juan Pablo Angel sparked the victory. Is this an aberration or a sign of things to come?

11. Columbus Crew (15)

Finally. Columbus grabbed a lead as they have done so many times this season, but this time they were able to hang on for all three points. It's still an uphill climb toward the top of the table, but the 3-2 win over Kansas City was huge.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy (12)

Los Angeles had a fairly decent week in the sense that they picked up points in both matches. Los Angeles is also having a frustrating season because through eight matches, they've got six draws. They're just treading water above San Jose and Dallas right now.

13. Real Salt Lake (9)

Real Salt Lake is 0-for-May right now. Things will only get tougher with just two of their next six games at Rio Tinto.

14. San Jose Earthquakes (11)

San Jose is in free-fall mode. They just look flat and uninspired and haven't managed to take three points home since the second match of the season, against Houston.

15. FC Dallas (13)

Apparently their lone win over Toronto was an anomaly. Eight matches played, four points taken. Ugly football, thy name is FC Dallas.

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After two years of waiting, the Sons of Ben have achieved what they set out to do.

Around noon today at Philadelphia's City Hall, the name and colors of Major League Soccer's 16th team became official. Aptly named the Philadelphia Union, the real work now begins for the league's newest addition. The new team has much to do between now and March 2010, when they begin league play, but the ingredients of success are beginning to fall in place.

Expansion teams, no matter what league you are in, have a tall task before the first whistle. Things like getting to know coaches, teammates, and even the league itself make success elusive for most teams in their freshman season. T

here is still a long check list to sort through before worrying about success on the pitch.

The first step to that is well underway, as a brand new soccer specific stadium is under construction in Chester, Pennsylvania; a short drive outside the Philadelphia city limits.

The team hopes to sell out the 18,500 capacity stadium before play begins, and if today's support is any indication of things to come, then that shouldn't be a glaring concern.

Pieces of the front office have been slowly but surely coming together, as recently named President Tom Veit took the podium today. Last week he was joined by Carl Cherkin, Vice President of Communications. Both are now part of the team, charged with the task of building a new team in a new place.

Competition for attention will be tough, as the Union will try and attract new followers in an over saturated sports market. The Flyers, Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers all commandeer a large fan base and while the new Union won't be trying to steal fans from their ranks, press and media attention could be hard to come by.

Philadelphia can learn a lot from a place like Seattle, the 2009 newcomers who have taken the league by storm. The new team has averaged more than 29,000 fans in their first MLS season and have taken their city by storm. Tickets to Sounders' games are sold out through the end of June.

Success like that would no doubt please the Union's front office.

For the Sons of Ben, the supporters group who can take credit for bringing MLS to Philadelphia, the two year wait has now become just ten months until the first kick. The anticipation and fervor will reach new heights. A team will be built, and the fans will eagerly await the debut of their newly established Union.

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Well it is the beginning of May and the snow is finally gone all over Canada. The weather is heating up and along with it so is the Canadian club teams qualifying rounds to the CONCACAF Champions League.

Last year the Montreal Impact USL outfit shocked the North American soccer world by beating out current MLS squad Toronto FC and one of the next arrivals to MLS, the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Montreal did surprisingly well in the Champions League advancing to the quarterfinals before blowing an aggregate lead in the second half of their second leg game against Santos Laguna.

With the new season all three Canadian teams compete once again for the sole berth into the most prestigious club competition in North America.

Toronto FC is trying to prove that MLS is the most dominant league in Canada, while Vancouver and Montreal are playing for the USL and trying to show that they, too, belong in MLS and last year's success was no joke.

The action kicked off last night at BMO Field in Toronto, where the raucous FC supporters gave the tournament a proper beginning as Canada's future MLS rivalry kicked off the tournament with style.

The game conditions were rainy which in BMO Field equals a disastrous playing surface, which is one of the kinks that needs to be solved with FieldTurf.

Toronto FC was in control for most of the match and showed the skill of MLS throughout the game and Canadian legend Dwayne De Rosario, who has been a winner wherever he has been in MLS, set up the game's lone goal in this one-nil affair.

The Whitecaps also impressed with Canadian and Steve Nash's brother, Martin Nash, playing excellently, but it seemed like the Whitecaps opted to go to a more conservative approach in contrast to TFC's attacking style with their skilled forwards.

Toronto FC Player Ratings For The Game:

Frei - 8: Solid all-around performance from the young Swiss and a great fingertip save near the end.

Wynne - 7: Very involved today in all aspects of the game. He controlled his area well and looked to cause trouble when moving forward.

Attakora - 7: Replaced the injured Serioux and did very well, I was impressed. He had one slightly sketchy moment near the beginning but the fact that I can't remember what it was is a good sign. He dealt effectively with the supposed dangerous Vancouver strikers. The pair were left to bemoan their wretched lives all match long. Sweet.

Velez - 7: Cross your fingers and hope the clangers are a thing of the past. He is well on the way to convince me that he's worth more than a piece of meat (if you're interested, a player from the fourth division in Germany somewhere was sold to another club for something like 75 lbs of meat). Looked composed tonight and did well to sweep away threats.

Brennan - 6.5: Effective when called upon but didn't seem all that solicited in this match, at least to me. He gets a slightly lower grade through no fault of his own.

Robinson - 7: His passes looked a little more accurate than usual and was effective in locking down the middle. As I've said, the commentators made a point to say that the Vancouver strikers were dangerous but they never really got a sniff at goal.

Harmse - 7: I was surprised to see him start over Cronin but I guess in hindsight it was a good idea since he got the goal. And I suppose it is more important to rest a rookie and give them a chance to recover from the long season. Other than the goal, I was pleased with Harmse's play, he did more than just boot it around. Booked.

Guevara - 6: Played an excellent first half but seemed more lethargic in the second.

De Rosario - 8.5: Good god! He was the most dangerous man on the pitch on either side. Looked so lively, and a big handful to whoever was marking him and managed to elude double-coverage with regularity. Was effective the whole game and set up the lone goal of the match. Booked.

Barrett - 5.5: Got so many chances by the virtue of his great effort (as usual) but boy would I have been angry at him had we not gotten the three points. He had several chances to put the game away but couldn't do so. Subbed.

Vitti - 5: Had some flashes of brilliance but didn't really play a factor in the match. Subbed.

Subs:

Dichio - 6: Solid but didn't make TFC more dangerous than before. He did give the team and supporters a moral boost by coming on, however. Booked.

Ibrahim - 6: Got forward on occasion but lost the ball by trying to run through a blockade of Vancouver players. He'll learn that that doesn't work all that well.

Coach Rating

Cummins - 8: Made an enforced change to the starting line-up by inserting Attakora, and an elective change with Harmse. Both players performed very well tonight. He also subbed out the two players that I've identified as underperforming tonight. He has done wonderfully in stepping in since John Carver's resignation from the club.

MOTM: De Rosario. I think I've explained that fairly well above.

Referee Rating - 7: I recently complained about how 50-50 penalty calls always seem to go against us but of course, fate has conspired to make me eat my hat. Early on, there was a decent shout for a penalty as one Vancouver player got a bit of a shirt tug.

Otherwise, the match was competently arbitrated and the only thing I can really disagree with was the yellow to Harmse. He was completely innocent during that sequence. Vancouver supporters would no doubt give the referee something near 0 if they believed the amount of unwarranted by the 'Caps.

Vancouver's Stars: Tough to pick, really. Charles was a beast but made a few errors so I'll go with Martin Nash. He seemed into the match more than anyone else and didn't make any glaring errors.

Next game in cup - Wednesday May 13: Toronto FC hosts again against the defending Canadian champion Montreal Impact, who will be hungry to prove that they deserve to be in MLS after being horribly overlooked in the expansion process. I will break down the action next week.

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The strong start of Chivas USA is not a uncommon theme. Since the club's inception in 2004, they've qualified for the playoffs three out of four seasons. Early in 2009, head coach Predrag Radosavljevi? (known as Preki) has his team off the best start in Major League Soccer. But can the Goats keep it up?

The early recipe for success has been simple: a dash of timely scoring, mixed in with solid and consistent defense, all topped off with a slimmer and rejuvenated Zach Thornton. Those three elements have been crucial in picking up 19 of a possible 24 points this season.

As with 2008, Preki has chosen not to rely on one or two proven goal scorers. A lot of that is due to injuries—but credit Preki's ability to get goals out of the likes of Mexican journeyman Eduardo Lillington and Chukwudi Chijindu.

Two surprises have marked their early run—the sensational play of Zach Thornton, and the struggles of Sacha Kljestan. The former came into the season having dropped a significant amount of weight, and the results have shown already.

The defense in front of him is always well organized as well; but I was among those surprised that Chivas didn't pick Stefan Frei. The play of Thornton, who has five shutouts in eight games has made people quickly forget about Frei.

Kljestan's play is more of an enigma. Coming off a solid 2008, in which he played in the Beijing Olympics, and was named the U.S. Soccer 2008 Young Player of the Year, Kljestan seemed destined to head to Europe. There was an air of inevitability around a switch to Scottish power Celtic after his hat trick in a friendly against Sweden.

However, it never materialized and Kljestan has been off to a slow start this season. He has yet to score or notch an assist and has not looked his usual self. If he finds his groove as the season progresses, this team becomes even more dangerous

Success has been no stranger to Chivas—t's the postseason success that has continued to elude their grasp. Three consecutive losses in the Western Quarterfinals has equated to no trophies out West.

This season could be the difference. With Thornton at the peak of his game, and the usual injuries continuing to be a non-factor, look for the Goats to actually contend this season.

Verdict: Contender

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Seattle Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid says there's too much flopping in soccer. We couldn’t agree more. That’s why we have a plan to revolutionize the international game of football. And yes, it involves weapons.

Around America, soccer still takes a back seat to other sports, like competitive hot dog eating, mixed martial arts, and hockey. Americans don’t like soccer because it’s too soft, with an abundance of the aforementioned flopping. The last thing we want to see is a bunch of pansy cheaters compete against one another to see who can alter the game more by bending the rules and manipulating the officials. So what can we do about that?

Here’s our five-step plan.

1. Allow fighting

We can look to hockey as the example. The purist may tune in to watch the action, but the casual fan wants to see guys beat the hell out of each other. That’s where soccer is completely missing the boat.

Leaders of the soccer movement must realize that fighting should be embraced, not shunned. Instead of handing out yellow cards for inadvertent body contact, why not stop the clock and stand back as a midfielder and defender settle their hissy fit like two men? Instead of rewarding the first player to fall to the turf and grab his knee in mock agony, take an honest approach to these on-field disputes.

Once the fisticuffs is complete, send both players to the sidelines for two minutes apiece before they’re allowed back on the pitch. A small price to pay for the millions of dollars in entertainment revenue they’ve brought the sport.

2. Punish flopping

Instead of decrying physical acts of retribution, why not eject the cheater that turns a blind eye to moral ethos by flopping?

And don’t stop there, either. If you’re going to eject someone, do it right. Suspend that black-hearted pirate for two additional games after his criminal act of deceit,then make him pay a $10,000 fine to charity.

Everyone wins in this situation. Except the bad guys.

3. Broadcast games on Spike TV

Nothing says “Men” like Spike TV. The MLS shouldn’t settle for ESPN2 when there are better networks out there.

ESPN2 is the Siberia of television sports. Sandwiched between a rerun of Nascar Now and a teenage cheerleading competition is the MLS Game of the Week. That’s just cold.

Instead, MLS games could be adjacent to a showing of Pros vs. Joes and a UFC undercard match. Talk about appealing to a whole new fan base.

4. Add a 12th player to each side: Enforcer

Striker, Keeper, Midfielder, Defenseman, Enforcer. Yes, Enforcer.

The Enforcer would be the 12th man of soccer, stepping out onto the lush green grass in attempts to soil the turf with blood.

A beast of a man, the Enforcer could be a former college linebacker, or perhaps a just-released ex-con. Not necessarily blessed with tremendous foot speed or soccer skills, the Enforcer would patrol a limited area of the field (probably the defensive backfield) and wreak havoc on opponents.

Sending lithe forwards flying through the air with well-timed slide tackles, and setting earth-shattering picks for his teammates to utilize, the Enforcer would bring a whole new element to the game and quickly become a fan favorite of the hometown crowd.

5. Give the players weapons

In hockey, we give the players sticks and let them skate around on well-sharpened steel blades. In soccer, we ask that opposing team members gently refrain from harming one another. In the world of New Soccer, those days would be over.

Since soccer players can’t use their hands as it is, my theory is we hand each of them paintball guns and let them run around shooting at each other.

Imagine carrying out a bicycle kick while being pelted with pint-size cylinders of paint that explode on impact.

Imagine drawing up a play on a corner kick in which one player comes flying in for a header, while the rest of his teammates fire away at the goalie.

Imagine the goalie firing a well-timed shot at a would-be scorer’s gonads.

These are the possibilities we can look forward to in the world of a revolutionized game of soccer.

Now, who’s with me?

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We wrote last week that Everton will be playing the MLS in this year’s all-star game in Salt Lake City.

In announcing the game, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, “We are very excited about Everton FC agreeing to be the opponent for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game. Everton is an elite European club that features many world-class players.”

Is Everton really an elite European club, Mr. Garber? Inter Milan, AC Milan, Chelsea, and Barcelona are all scheduled to be in the U.S. this summer. These are elite European clubs. Everton is not.

You received $10 million from AC Milan for David Beckham. Why are they playing the Galaxy and not the MLS All-Stars, Mr. Garber?

There has been a noticeable decline in the quality of opposition for the all-star game. We have gone from Chelsea, to Celtic, to West Ham, to Everton. Who is next, Fulham or Bolton?

Americans own or are majority shareholders in five Premier League teams: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Sunderland. Four of those teams are bigger clubs than Everton. Why can’t the MLS get one of those teams to play in the all-star game?

Or look outside the MLS. There are certainly top teams in Europe that I am sure would be interested in playing in the U.S. Or what about a top Mexican or South American team?

I like the idea of pitting the MLS All-Stars against elite European clubs. I just disagree that Everton is one of those elite teams.

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The power rankings have been...remarkably unstable, to put it simply.

Outside of Chivas, Chicago and Seattle, most teams are just struggling to put together a consistent run of good form, and even those three have suffered hiccups early on.

This week isn't going to be any different than the previous six. This season is just begging for somebody to rip off a long winning streak and seize control.

Somebody besides Chivas needs to separate themselves from the pack to make the 2009 season exciting.

Last week's rankings in parenthesis.

1. Chivas USA (2)

Three goals allowed on the season and a six-point lead in the Western Conference.

Even with Sacha Kljestan failing to meet expectations so far, Chivas have quickly established themselves as the favorite to take home the 2009 MLS Cup.

2. DC United (3)

Jaime Moreno opened his 2009 goalscoring account with a brace on the weekend.

Six different players have scored at least one of DC's 11 goals this season, and that kind of diversity on offense will only help them later in the season.

3. Chicago Fire (1)

MLS' only remaining undefeated team, but they're sitting at third place in the East thanks to five draws against just two wins.

When their offense is firing on all cylinders, the defense sputters. When the defense is in lockdown mode, the offense shuts down.

If they ever play well at both ends of the field in the same match, they could quickly rise to the top.

4. Seattle Sounders FC (4)

Kasey Keller surrendered his first goal, after a 457 minute shutout streak to begin his Sounders career. But, the goal came when they were down to 10 men.

Seattle has still not surrendered a goal when they've had Keller between the sticks and been at full strength.

5. Toronto FC (7)

Even though they only managed a draw with Columbus on the weekend, Toronto showed a lot of grit by equalizing quickly after Emmanuel Ekpo had put the Crew on top.

The next three matches will show us a lot about this club, as they face DC, Chicaco and New England in succession.

6. Colorado Rapids (9)

Beating Salt Lake without leading scorer Conor Casey makes a big statement. A lot of folks were questioning their ability to get contributions from other players, and they silenced some doubters with a convincing 2-0 victory.

7. Houston Dynamo (10)

Houston's two best players, Stuart Holden and Brian Ching, came through with the goals for the Dynamo this weekend. If they start getting consistent contributions from those two, it will go a long way towards erasing the disappointment of 2008.

8. KC Wizards (6)

Kansas City was idle this past weekend.

9. Real Salt Lake (5)

Salt Lake is having a yo-yo of a season.

In their last five, they've beaten Columbus and DC, lost to New York, blown out New England, and fallen to Colorado.

There's been no consistency to their play this season and will be in trouble if they can't figure out which team is going to show up on a given night.

10. New England Revolution (8)

Two straight bad losses for the Revs.

They've only scored five times in six games this season, but the defense has shipped 11 goals. This is clearly not the same New England team that we've become used to over the years.

Will things change when Taylor Twellman returns?

11. San Jose Earthquakes (10)

No shame in losing to Chivas, but if they can't pick up a win this week against New York, they'll plummet down the rankings even further.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy (15)

Los Angeles finally broke into the win column with their 1-0 victory over the dysfunctional New York Red Bulls.

They still haven't gotten a meaningful contribution from anybody not named Landon Donovan and look to be headed for another postseason at home.

13. FC Dallas (n/r)

As has been their modus operandi this season, Dallas took a lead in the first half and surrendered it in the second.

Did I really think that their defense would be okay once the season began? My preseason rankings have been completely turned on their head.

14. New York Red Bulls (13)

New York charitably gifted Los Angeles their first victory of the season by conceding a penalty. Giving Landon Donovan an unimpeded shot from 12 yards out is not a sound strategy.

Have we ever had a playoffs where both of the previous year's finalists were absent? It might happen in 2009.

15. Columbus Crew (14)

Were these guys really atop my preseason power rankings? They are desperate for a victory, but might have to wait until May 27th, when San Jose visits Columbus.

Forget about defending the MLS Cup, if they keep this up for too much longer, they'll have to scramble to just make the playoffs.

With every good performance turned in by Seattle, Columbus looks even dumber for letting Sigi Schmid walk away. Clearly he had a lot to do with the success of the 2008 squad.

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