The fifth week is in the books and the league looks like it is divided into three groups.

The top teams are Los Angeles, New York, and Columbus. I don’t know if these teams will stay the elite come October but, for now, these are the top performers in the league.

The second group consists of teams working their way into the top 3. Kansas, Colorado, and Seattle have the talent to finish at the top of their respective conferences. In the first 5 weeks, they’ve been less consistent than the three teams above them. While Colorado is moving up, both Kansas and Seattle have staggered a bit and move down the rankings.

The third group, and the largest group, is composed of everyone else. Each team has a few issues to resolve before they can start moving towards the top of table.

Houston and New England are missing key players due to injury. Their combined injury list is comprised of All Star caliber players: Shalrie Joseph, Taylor Twellman, Matt Reis, Geoff Cameron, and Brian Ching. Accordingly, both teams continue their dissent down the rankings.

The Chicago Fire, DC United, Toronto FC, and Chivas USA are going through the natural struggles associated with change. All four lost key players and brought in new coaches. Chicago and Chivas seem to be adapting a little bit more quickly than Toronto and DC, and are slowly moving up the rankings.

While DC has the talent to turn their season around, Toronto is a one man show at the moment. De Rosario is the only difference maker. The club needs DP de Guzman to prove his worth and the front office needs to look at bringing in some quality players. Even though Toronto earned another victory, I still think they are the worst team in the league. DC, probably the better team on paper, keeps the bottom spot and will stay there until they earn a win.

San Jose and Dallas are underachieving at the moment. San Jose had a promising preseason and some penciled them in as real contenders. Although they’ve put in some solid performances, they still aren’t living up to their promise. Dallas was on a tear at the end of last season. Most believed Dallas would carry their form into this season, but their lack of offseason acquisitions foretold their early struggles in the first 5 games. San Jose isn’t punished for their failure to win on the road, but Dallas drops a few spots after earning another tie at home.

The one team that I can’t figure out is Real Salt Lake. Although their surprisingly bad start to the season isn’t unprecedented, both Columbus and Houston struggled after winning their MLS Cup, RSL aren’t getting played off the park by anyone. It seems like they are just missing something at the moment. RSL stays 8th, and in the top half, despite another loss. The fact that they’ve come up short against the top teams in the league works in their favor.

Finally, the Union is suffering because they are an expansion team. Their inconsistent and, at times, inept performances will continue until the summer time. Hopefully Nowak has some veteran acquisitions in mind. Philly moves down to round out the bottom 3 for week 5.

MLS Power Rankings after Week 5:

1. - (1) Los Angeles Galaxy: Still undefeated.

2. - (2) New York Red Bulls: Another win, but still unconvincing.

3. ↑ (4) Columbus Crew: Beat RSL, still undefeated

4. ↑ (6) Colorado Rapids: Pablo and Mehdi scored . . . weird.

5. ↓ (3) Kansas City: Kei Kamara with the blooper of the year.

6. ↓ (5) Seattle: Result that makes you go hmmm

7. - (7) Houston: Attacking players are dropping like flies.

8. - (8) RSL: MLS Cup hangover.

9. - (9) San Jose: Out classed by Chivas.

10. - (10) NE Revolution: Lose at home without Joseph.

11. ↑ (13) Chicago: Finally turning things around.

12. ↑ (14) Chivas USA: Kljestan scores, Chivas win.

13. ↓ (11) FC Dallas: Dallas can’t get it together.

14. ↓ (12) Phil. Union: Orozco with the requisite F-up of the week.

15. - (15) Toronto FC: Win at home, but Seattle made it easy.

16. - (16) DC United: Bye week to sulk in their misery.

I’m a little bit late with these this week but here are the Green Army’s MLS Power Rankings.

The Galaxy stay on top for another week after defeating Real Salt Lake.  RSL is slowly making its way towards the bottom of the table.  Going in the opposite direction is San Jose. The Earthquakes earned another victory at home this weekend, against New England side without Shalrie Joseph.  Rookie defender Ike Opara scored his second professional goal.  The Revs looked better than anticipated, but still need a healthy Joseph if they want any hope of reaching the playoffs.

In the category of underachievers and overachievers are New York, Kansas City, Seattle, and Dallas.  New York moves up the table, although unconvincingly. The Red Bulls need to clean it up, but I’m sure the franchise is just happy to get points.  Kansas City dominated at home but lost their first game on the road. They didn’t play poorly, but Seattle isn’t the dominating home team of last season.  Speaking of Seattle, where has their offence gone? Their land slide down the table halted this weekend with a victory against Kansas. But this club should be ranked top 3 every week.  Another team underachieving is FC Dallas. Dallas is starting to move away from the bottom of the rankings but their record would argue otherwise. They played better than New York but still managed to cough up a late PK to lose the match.

The Colorado Rapids and Houston are on pace. They aren’t over achieving by any stretch of the imagination but their record indicates that they aren’t underachieving either.  They are winning winnable games and losing some tough matches.  Both sit in playoff spots at the moment, and I expect them to stay there for most of the season.

In the screw up of the week category are Philadelphia goalkeeper Chris Seitz and defender Danny Califf.  Seitz spilled the ball into his own net on De Rosario’s free kick, and Califf made a stupid play and received a red card early in the match.  Way to let your team down boys.

Chivas, Toronto, Chivas, and DC United . . . suck.  Right now I think Toronto is in the worst shape.  While DC has yet to win a game, Toronto doesn’t have the quality on the roster to move up the table.  DC and Chicago both have talented teams but are feeling the repercussions of shake ups and big departures in the offseason.  Chivas just isn’t clicking.  I wonder if coach Vasquez will abandon his attractive soccer mentality and go after results.

MLS Power Rankings after Week 4:

1.     - (1) Los Angeles Galaxy: Edson Buddle is the Galaxy’s “O Rei.”

2.     ↑ (3) New York Red Bulls: Won but didn’t convince.

3.     ↓ (2) Kansas City: Played well but lost away from home

4.     - (4) Columbus Crew: Bye week face Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

5.     ↑ (7) Seattle: Fucito saved them, but where have the goals gone?

6.    ↑ (8) Colorado Rapids: Won a winnable game.

7.     ↑ (9) Houston: Kinnear gets the best out of his players.

8.     ↓ (5) RSL: Valiant against LA, but Buddle is on fire.

9.     ↑ (10) San Jose: Two wins in a row, Opara ROY candidate?

10.   ↓ (6) NE Revolution: They need a healthy Joseph.

11.   ↑ (13) FC Dallas: Not nearly as bad as their record indicates.

12.   ↓ (11) Philadelphia Union: Chris Seitz, are you F-ing kidding me!!

13.   ↑ (14) Chicago: Beat DC United, but who hasn’t.

14.   ↓ (12) Chivas USA: Team will struggle on the road all season.

15.   - (15) Toronto FC:  Won one, lost one.

16.   - (16) DC United: The misery continues.

A record breaking weekend of MLS action in the books. There were a total of eight matches played on Saturday, the most in MLS history. The biggest winners of the weekend were the New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union.  The Revs came back from a 1-0 deficit to smash Toronto 4-1, thanks to a hat trick by rookie Schilawski.  The Union recorded their first home victory in franchise history in front of 34,000 fans.  The Union defeated DC United 3-2 thanks to a hat trick by Sebastian LeToux.

The LA Galaxy take the top spot in the rankings this week. They are undefeated in three matches and have yet to concede a goal.  Kansas moved to 2nd after posting another win at home against the Colorado Rapids.  Kansas travels to Seattle next week and hosts LA the week after, so we’ll see how long they can hold on to that 2nd spot. NY drops a spot after their frustrating 2-0 loss to Chivas.

Chivas stays in 12th despite their first win of the season.  Similarly, the Rapids hold on to the 8th spot after dropping a tough match at Kansas. They’ll plummet down the rankings if they get anything but a victory when they host Toronto next week. Columbus stays 4th after a 2-2 draw at Dallas.  Toronto and DC United remain at the bottom of the pack.  The good news is that United finally scored some goals and Toronto . . . didn’t lose by 5.

The big movers are the Philadelphia Union, San Jose Earthquakes, and the New England Revolution.  All posted big wins this weekend.  Struggling champs, Real Salt Lake, drop a few notches despite earning a tie at Seattle. Seattle, Dallas, and Houston both drop a few spots after struggling at home this weekend. Finally, the Chicago Fire, now winless in 3 matches, drop to 14th.

MLS Power Rankings after Week 3:

1.     ↑ (5) Los Angeles Galaxy: Buddle 5, opposing teams 0.

2.     ↑ (3) Kansas City: Home field advantage gets KC another W.

3.     ↓ (2) New York Red Bulls: Unlucky, and can’t connect up top.

4.     - (4) Columbus Crew: 2nd half surge and almost had a road win.

5.     ↓ (1) RSL: Champs fought back to earn a tie at Seattle.

6.     ↑ (11) NE Revolution: Rookie hat trick, Nicol is the Superdraft king.

7.      ↓ (7) Seattle: Home woes continue, at least Zakuani scored.

8.      - (8) Colorado Rapids: Attack is MIA.

9.      ↓ (6) Houston: No Ching and now no Landin, not looking good.

10.   ↑ (13) San Jose: Alvarez and Opara punished the Fire.

11.   ↑ (14) Philadelphia Union: LeToux hat-trick, 34,000 in the stands.

12.    - (12) Chivas USA: First win with a little help from NY’s keeper.

13.   ↓ (10) FC Dallas: Squeak out tie at home thanks to Avila.

14.   ↓ (9) Chicago: Pappa with a blast but not enough, still winless.

15.   - (15) Toronto FC:  Preki is feeling the heat, 4-1 loss to Revs.

16.   - (16) DC United: Moreno up top + Castillo on the bench = goals, but not Win.

Only five matches were played this weekend.  Columbus, Kansas, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Jose, and Toronto had a bye week.  The LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, and NY Red Bulls all secured victories over Chivas, Real Salt Lake, and Seattle Sounders respectively.  The Chicago Fire and the Colorado Rapids settled for a 2-2 tie.

Salt Lake hold on to the spot by a hair despite a disappointing 2-1 loss at Houston.  New England jumped up four spots after their 2-0 victory over an ineffective DC United.  The second biggest movers, up three spots, are Houston and New York. Both notched big victories over very good opponents. Because LA and Houston moved up the charts, Seattle, Colorado, and Chicago dropped a few spots.  Similarly, Kansas and Columbus dropped a spot to make way for New York. Chivas, San Jose, Philadelphia, and Toronto all dropped a spot.  Dallas holds on to the tenth spot. While DC United spends another week at the bottom.

MLS Power Rankings after Week 2:

1.     - (1) RSL: Bad day for Jamison Olave.

2.     ↑ (5) New York Red Bulls: Win at Seattle shows this team is for real.

3.     ↓ (2) Kansas City: Bye week; host Colorado on Saturday.

4.     ↓ (3) Columbus Crew: Bye week, at Dallas on Saturday

5.     ↑ (7) Los Angeles Galaxy: Edson Buddle could have a career year.

6.     ↑ (9) Houston: Victory marred by Ching injury.

7.     ↓ (4) Seattle: Played well but need more from their attackers.

8.     ↓ (6) Colorado Rapids: Tied Chicago but let the lead slip twice.

9.     ↓ (8) Chicago: Got their act together in 2nd half to tie Colorado.

10.   - (10) FC Dallas: Bye week, host Columbus on Saturday.

11.   ↑ (15) New England Revolution: Mansally scores a brace to down DC.

12.   ↓ (11) Chivas USA: Struggling to score and defense isn’t much better.

13.   ↓ (12) San Jose: Bye week, at Chicago Fire on Saturday.

14.   ↓ (13) Philadelphia Union: Bye week, host DC United.

15.   ↓ (14) Toronto FC:  Bye week, at New England on Saturday.

16.   - (16) DC United: Two games, negative six goal differential.

Matchday 1 has come and gone.  It was a great weekend for teams out west, 4 wins 2 ties and 2 losses. The East didn’t fair quite as well with only 3 wins and 5 losses.  Kansas and RSL picked up big wins at the expense of DC and San Jose.  Columbus, LA, Colorado, Seattle, and NY started the season off on the right foot. Houston and Dallas were the only teams to tie. Chicago were a little unlucky not to earn a tie. Toronto, Philadelphia, New England, and Chivas have some work to do.

Here are the Green Army’s first power rankings of the season:

MLS Power Rankings after Week 1

1.       RSL: Champs crushed San Jose, Morales is back.

2.       Kansas City: New and improved Wizards.

3.       Columbus Crew: Goal and assist from Schelotto.

4.       Seattle: Zakuani, Montero, and Ljungberg . . . enough said

5.       New York Red Bulls: Lindpere new comer of the year?

6.       Colorado Rapids: Big Wynne on the road.

7.       Los Angeles Galaxy: Sloppy but New England looked worse.

8.       Chicago: Unlucky, but they’ll bounce back.

9.       Houston: Missing Holden . . . maybe.

10.   FC Dallas: Happy with a tie and 8,000 in attendance . . . sigh.

11.   Chivas USA: They have talent, but need more time

12.   San Jose: Lost 3-0 at home, same old Earthquakes

13.   Philadelphia Union: Working class, bordering on no class.

14.   Toronto FC:  Things are different but results are the same.

15.   New England Revolution: No Joseph, no goals. Schilawski is good.

16.   DC United: Just plain ugly.

Share your thoughts on matchday 1.

1. (+2) Columbus Crew: Are in stellar form despite missing Schelotto for a long stretch. They had a much needed break this weekend to get some players fit.

2. (-1) Houston Dynamo: Reaching the end of a brutal 15 game stretch and it is starting to show.  They have done enough to stay high in the rankings despite some lackluster results.  Mexican striker Landin should be a key player come playoffs.

3. (-1) Chicago Fire: Things are little shaky at Toyota Park these days but they still put together a great comeback performance against Colorado.  Bakary Soumare will heading to French club Boulgne after an altercation with Fire coach Denis Hamlett made it clear he would no longer dress for the Fire.

4. (+3) Los Angeles Galaxy: Somehow they are getting points but they still don’t convince. Beckham has been average, Mike Magee’s is the teams assist leader with 6, and Donovan is the best player in the league.

5. (+1) Toronto FC: They have too much talent to not make the playoffs.  Loss to Chivas hurts in the tight playoff race.  Rookies White, Frei, and Cronin are playing big roles.

6. (-2) Seattle Sounders: Relax everybody . . . they are an expansion team.  Tied Houston 1-1 this weekend and have had Houston’s number all season, not many teams can say that.

7. (+1) Chivas USA: Still not looking like the team that started the season but Sacha Kljestan might be back in form and that means the West needs to watch out.

8. (+2) New England: Despite a poor start to the season and injuries to key players the team is still in the playoff picture and looking like one of the better teams in the league. Steve Ralston (6 goals 6 assists) and Shalrie Joseph (6 goals 7 assists) are carrying the team to the playoffs.

9. (-) Colorado Rapids: Nearing the end of a tough month. Giving up a two goal lead in Chicago was rough but they never expected to win that game anyways.  Still on pace to make the playoffs and are getting some great performances an unlikely group consisting of Kimura, Harvey, and Omar Cummings.

10. (-5) DC United: Dropping too many points. Still one of the best offenses in the league but the defensive weaknesses is starting to become costly. One win in the last 30 days and a scoreless tie against the Galaxy this weekend is a major set-back to making the playoffs.

11. (-) Real Salt Lake: Not far behind the teams in the playoff picture but they aren’t really making a case for themselves. Lost to the 3-1 Revs this weekend.

12. (-) FC Dallas: FC Dallas is discovering new and more humiliating ways to lose. A 3-2 loss to NY should be the low point of the season after it looked like they were turning things around.

13. (-) San Jose: A 1-0 victory over Kansas City this past weekend proves that there are at least two teams in the league worse than the Earthquakes. The bright side is the roster looks much stronger now than at the beginning of the seasons.

14. (-) Kansas City: Vermes has the tough task of turning this team around. The team has a good core of veterans and national teamers but it needs a system that works.  Losing 1-0 to San Jose isn’t going to cut it.

15. (-) New York: They won!!!! A brace by Angel and a goal by Dane Richards saw them get their 3^rd win of the season.  It’s a moral victory and a great way for Williams to start off his second stint as interim coach.