Major League Soccer Power Rankings

A coach will always tell you that a big test of his team's character will be to see how they react to being down on the road late in the game. If this is the case, the Crew passed their character test with flying colors as they scored 3 goals in 10 minutes to turn defeat into yet another 3 points to stay top of the Eastern Conference. Sigi Schmid has to take some credit for the comeback as his decision to bring on Emmanuel Ekpo changed the game in his favor. The Crew is now only 3 wins away from their grand total of 9 last year, proving just how much they have improved over the last 12 months.

Chicago produced arguably their best performance of the season with a professional 2-0 dismantling of D.C. United last week. Denis Hamlett will have been particularly pleased with yet another performance that was built on a strong defensive display. Chicago has now conceded just 3 goals in their opening 7 games, and with match winners like Chad Barrett and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, this side has to be considered the favorite to dethrone Houston as MLS Cup champs, although Crew fans might argue with me on that.

New York didn't exactly win any new fans with their performance against Los Angeles, but they came away with 3 points and that is all Juan Carlos Osorio will really care about. Indeed the Galaxy almost made the Red Bulls pay for sitting on their one-goal lead by leveling the match but Juan Pablo Angel showed just how important he is to this side with the late winner. New York are proving to be a strong defensive side but will they create enough chances for Altidore and Angel to keep pace with Columbus and Chicago at the top of the east?

Taylor Twellman's timely return led New England to an impressive road win at Chivas last Sunday. Twellman showed all his predatory instincts with a superb strike while Steve Ralston continued his return to full fitness with another assist. With the return of his star duo and the likes of Mauricio Castro Sainey Nyassi and Kenny Mansally now part of the team, Steve Nicol may have assembled the deepest squad in MLS. The only problem for Nicol will be to keep all these great players happy as he tries to find the lineup that can lead his side back to MLS Cup.

Toronto will have enjoyed their week off to prepare for a potentially explosive encounter with league-leading Columbus Crew this weekend. I'm sure John Carver used the extra week to work new players like Rohan Ricketts and Olivier Tebily into his system as his side get ready for a tough spell of fixtures. You just know the Toronto fans are ready for this weekend and if the players can match their energy, Toronto could pull off a shock win.

K.C. is another side that will have welcomed the bye week as it gives them a chance to regroup and work out some kinks that has led to an inconsistent start to the MLS season. Onalfo has hopefully used the time to figure out who the best strike partner for Claudio Lopez is as both Ivan Trujillo and Scot Sealy have flattered to deceive. Lopez also needs to pick up his form from his indifferent start if the Wizards are to keep in touch with the top of the Eastern Conference.

Real Salt Lake picked up a massive win over Dallas to keep right in the mix in the Western Conference. The win was vitally important to Jason Kreis and his side as they now head out on a difficult 3-game road trip where points will be at a premium. RSL'S strong physical play will make them a difficult side to beat at home but I am not sure whether they can translate this to work well enough away from home to really worry the top teams in MLS. The next few weeks will give RSL the perfect opportunity to prove me wrong on this.

Dallas again struggled to make the most of their chances as they fell to defeat in Salt Lake. Kenny Cooper did manage to find the back of the net for his side's first goal in three matches but with his strength and skill he should be imposing himself even more on these kind of games. With the likes of Davino, Alvarez, Toja and Cooper, Dallas has enough talent to make a run at MLS this year, and if they don't I feel like Steve Morrow will only have himself to blame.

The Rapids continued their up and down form with a controversial late loss at Houston last weekend. The Rapids had put in a solid performance up until the late penalty call went against them but they could have shown a little more attacking ambition against a Houston side that was there for the taking. The quality is certainly there in this Rapids squad and if Fernando Clavijo can add some consistency to his side's play, they are more than capable of making a strong run at the Western Conference crown.

The Galaxy had plenty of possession but failed to make it count in a tough home loss to New York last Saturday. David Beckham didn't have his best day in his Galaxy shirt, which meant that Landon Donovan was starved of the service that has seen him jump to the top of the scoring charts this year. This game also showed the inefficiencies of a Brandon McDonald and Joe Franchino midfield partnership as neither seems to have a creative bone in their body. Translation: Stop Becks and Donovan and you beat the Galaxy.

Houston finally got their first win of the season against the Rapids, but it took a very dodgy penalty decision to seal the victory at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo played like a side struggling with their confidence and in fact still look a shadow of the team that has won back-to-back MLS Cups. Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching both finally opened their scoring accounts and yet again Houston's success will hinge on the form of these two attackers. The good news for Houston is that despite their bad start they are still only one victory out of top spot in the weaker Western Conference. Don't write the champs off just yet.

A fifth loss in their first seven games means it is now officially crisis time for Tom Soehn and his staff. United may still be without the influential Ben Olsen but there is so much talent in this squad that the loss of a player or two should not be missed. Last year's top scorer Luciano Emilio looks unfit and labored while Jaime Moreno is no spring chicken. It may be too early to write off my preseason pick completely, but if Gallardo, Olsen and co. don't return to full fitness and form soon, this D.C. side could find themselves too far behind the rest of the streaking Eastern Conference to mount a playoff push.

Chivas USA continued its poor start to the season with a disappointing home loss to New England last weekend. Preki has had to deal with a crippling injury list and that has really exposed his wafer-thin squad. The fact that Razov and Suarez are not getting any younger means that things really don't bode well for a repeat of last year's successful season. The only bright spot for Chivas fans is that the rest of the Western Conference is struggling so there is still plenty of time to turn things around.

San Jose showed their inexperience as a team when they failed to hold on to a lead late and allow Columbus to steal all 3 points last Saturday. The Earthquakes actually played some really good attacking football but missed the experienced defensive strength of Ryan Cochrane as they struggled to contain the Crew late on. Frank Yallop will know that with the rest of the west struggling, his side has a wonderful opportunity to make a playoff run, but he will need at least one or two more quality players for that dream to be realized.