Our predecessor here at Fanhouse used to incorporate some kind of "Cavernous Gaping Hole" (tm) into each week's "Powah" rankings, and we're finally starting to understand what was going through their minds. This year in MLS, said hole is located somewhere out West, possibly the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, or some similar actual natural wonder. The metaphorical chasm between East and West grows by the day, and while we've said it a few times before, please note once more that the top teams in the WC would be tied for 7th (!) in the East. Both Kansas City and Toronto had a Bye this week, and they still remained ahead of the pace. By our unofficial count, the West can only claim 2 victories over the East, Dallas over New York and Colorado over New England. We can't figure the disparity out ourselves, its not like the East is using a DH rule or something, so we'll just have to see how the rest of the season sorts out. However, it's already looking like a number of Eastern teams could get frozen out of the playoffs by mere geography.Full table after the jump. Please add in your own trademarked gaping metaphors.
Image courtesy of AP and MLSnet.com
| #(LW) | Team | The Table |
|---|---|---|
| 1(-) |
 Columbus Crew |
Last Week: W 3-2 at San Jose Season: 6-1-0, 18 pts |
| The Crew stay top of the league after coming back in San Jose. A flurry of 3 goals in 10 minutes keeps Columbus ahead of the pack with a scrappy road win. |
||
| 2(-) |
 Chicago Fire |
Last Week: W 2-0 at DC United Season: 5-1-1, 16 pts |
| The Fire's offense is looking deadlier by the week to complement their strong defense. After winning tough tests at NE and DC, they face new challenges at New York and Dallas. |
||
| 3(-) |
 New England Revolution |
Last Week: W 2-1 at Chivas Season: 4-3-1, 13 pts |
| Twellman and Ralston return to the lineup as the Revolution take care of business at the Home Depot Center. Now healthy, New England is prepared to make a run for the top. |
||
| 4(-) |
 Toronto FC |
Last Week: BYE Season: 3-2-1, 10 pts |
| No use punishing TFC for staying home. They're still worthy of a top spot, but can they keep up the momentum? |
||
| 5(9) |
 Red Bull New York |
Last Week: W 2-1 at LA Galaxy Season: 3-1-2, 11 pts |
| A bit of a jump for RBNY as they seem to be putting it all together. The defense was able to hold off LA, but next week's test against Chicago will challenge their attackers. |
||
| 6(5) |
 Kansas City Wizards |
Last Week: BYE Season: 3-3-1, 10 pts |
| Same situation as TFC, but the Wizards slowing pace gave us enough room to let New York jump them in the standings. |
||
| 7(6) |
 FC Dallas |
Last Week: L 1-2 at RSL Season: 2-2-3, 9 pts |
| Still tops in the West after struggling in Utah, a common theme this season, but right now FCD has to be feeling like the tallest midget. |
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| 8(-) |
 Colorado Rapids |
Last Week: L 1-2 at Houston Season: 3-4-0, 9 pts |
| Also tops of the West, but they get additional demerits for breaking Houston's winless streak. |
||
| 9(7) |
 LA Galaxy |
Last Week: L 1-2 vs New York Season: 2-3-2, 8 pts |
| A number of chances for the Galaxy against RBNY, but they'll need to improve their finishing if they want to win the tough games. They can only try to "out sexy" so many teams. |
||
| 10(-) |
 Real Salt Lake |
Last Week: W 2-1 vs FC Dallas Season: 2-3-2, 8 pts |
| Have we mentioned how much we like RSL? They're way more fun to root for than the Gals. |
||
| 11(-) |
 CD Chivas USA |
Last Week: L 1-2 vs New England Season: 1-4-2, 5 pts |
| The hits just keep on coming for Chivas. Defensive help is going to have to come from somewhere fast if they want to get back in the race. |
||
| 12(14) |
 Houston Dynamo |
Last Week: W 2-1 vs Colorado Season: 1-2-4, 7 pts |
| Houston is saved from the basement only by default. The bottom dwellers are just too dismal to be ranked any higher. |
||
| 13(12) |
 DC United |
Last Week: L 0-2 vs Chicago Season: 2-5-0, 6 pts |
| There seems to be too many problems at United to count. Question marks are all over the field, and there's a good chance that things could get worse before they get better. |
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| 14(13) |
 San Jose Earthquakes |
Last Week: L 2-3 vs Columbus Season: 1-4-1, 4 pts |
| San Jose may be this year's basement expansion team, but that's really not too much to be ashamed of. On the bright side, they're not much worse than DC United. The Quakes "rebuilding" may be easier too. |
