MLS Rankings: Week 23

12 - Columbus Crew (5-12-8)

Let the Revs slip past them while they remain in the dark, fumbling around the basement.

11 - Real Salt Lake (8-11-5)

It was a nice run but getting slaughtered 6-0 by the Red Bulls just won't do.

10 - New York Red Bulls (6-7-10)

They get the nod over RSL this week for the exclamation point of a win over the Monarchs and The Bruce gets his first win.

9 - Kansas City Wizards (8-12-5)

Another simple 1 goal win. It's good that it's against West leaders FCD but other teams in the East ahead of them got simple 1 goal wins also.

8 - Chicago Fire (8-8-7)

At least they won at home. Yeah.

7 - New England Revolution (7-7-10)

It used to be that the Revs would go as far as Twellman would take them. Now it's Dempsey (for however long they get to keep him.) They did get the win.

6 - LA Galaxy (8-11-5)

This is not the same team it was earlier in the season. That's obvious by now to even those with their heads in the sand. Depending on how LA finishes, Coach of the Year will be a race between Frank Yallop, Piotr Nowak, and Bob Bradley with the nod probably going to Yallop or Bradley.

5 - Colorado Rapids (9-9-5)

Still doing just enough. I wonder how much more love Beckerman would get from the media if he were on a different team?

4 - Houston Dynamo (9-7-8)

Ching is the only Dynamo forward that seems able to put the ball in the back of the net. It's been forever since their forwards have provided goals. They also have a hard time winning without Ching period.

3 - Chivas USA (8-6-10)

Good win over Houston. It's amazing the difference a year, a new coach, and a group of hard working, ethnically diverse players can do.

2 - FC Dallas (12-8-3)

It's like Driver's Ed: Dallas is in the driver's seat but someone else gets to brake the car. They need to pick it up and win some games.

1 - DC United (13-3-8)

Talking about needing to win games. The LA game was an embarrassment and exposed more than a few weaknesses. Olsen, God love him, is not an AM and Jamil Walker is not a winger. Gomez needs to be on the field always, even not at 100%. It's the time of years teams need to be playing their best and DC isn't doing it.

This is why I'd be driving a Nova if I bet on games.

Talk about sucking big time on my predictions this past weekend. I pick DCU to win and they go off and get drilled at home by LA 5-2. I have Bruce Arena and the Red Bulls settling for a tie against RSL and they take them to the woodshed with a 6-0 thrashing. I tabbed the Chicago-Colorado game to be a low scoring affair but the other team won and FC Dallas botched a pathetic game losing to KC 1-0.

If I wagered real money on these games I'm pretty sure Hatchet Harry would sick Big Chris on me quick. There would be no stopping the massive blood loss.

Speaking of the DCU-LA game: isn't it nice when Landon Donovan actually shows up for games? To bad you couldn't find in him Germany this past summer.

The Good Ship United also seems to have run ashore. Their last league win came back before the All-Star break in mid-July and teams seem to be figuring them out. They're quickly getting into the part of the season where that's going to be a real problem. Losing Dominic Mediate to a broken leg for the remainder of the season effectively snuffed out a promising bright spot.

Congrats to Bruce Arena for his first win with the Red Bulls and what a dominating performance it was. Of course this just typifies the hot/cold existence of New York (mostly cold.) Edson Buddle picks up the hat track and even our favorite left back Hot Toddy gets his first goal of the season. Dunivant just hasn't seemed to get back in form since his pre-season injury but hopefully he's coming along. I hate to say it, but when Todd's on top of his game and Marvel Wynn has some more experience under his belt, along with Bruce Arena's masterful coaching ways, the Red Bulls are going to have the best outside backs going forward in the league which will pay huge dividends. It'll be a tandem he wishes he had had in Germany.

Last year the Western Conference was a joke and the East was the place to be. This season we flip flop that in true MLS style. Outside of DC, no East team is really worth their weight in salt while the West are duking it out and keeping it close. The success FCD was enjoying at the beginning of the season is rapidly slipping away and LA is coming on strong, quickly embracing all that is Frank Yallop and showing it on the field.

We've got 4 mid-week games this week, 3 of them on TV and none really capturing the imagination unless you're a fan of one of the teams.

The college and pro football seasons are upon us so hope you have Direct Kick if you want to see any of the games. There are some lucky enough to have FSC and HDNet though.