We’ve come a long way from that, haven’t we?

Gold Cup absences continue to be the story, as a number of clubs will be missing top players through this weekend and probably more. The success of U.S. and Canada will no doubt be a bane on a number of clubs, with a lengthy list looking to move on to the quarterfinal round in Philadelphia.

It’s a true test of both the new roster size and a coach/front office and their ability to build the right team or call in the right reinforcement. With the player window opening up soon, look for big moves to start.

Full rankings are after the jump. Don’t forget to follow MLS Offside on Twitter and to email ideas and tips to mlsoffside[at]gmail[dot]com.

1. Houston Dynamo
Record: 9-3-4
Previous: 1
Comment: No reason for them to budge.

2. Chivas USA
Record: 8-4-3
Previous: 2
Comment: Same with Chivas.

3. Seattle Sounders FC
Record: 6-3-7
Previous: 5
Comment: Big game for Seattle this weekend, with Houton coming to town. A win against the Dynamo would send a signal to the rest of the league that this team is a legitimate MLS Cup contender.

4. D.C. United
Record: 5-3-9
Previous: 5
Comment: Doing ok in handling their Gold Cup losses, but the health of Moreno and Emilio remain a concern. Fortunately, another weekend off.

5. Chicago Fire
Record: 6-3-6
Previous: 6
Comment: Rebounded nicely with a win in Colorado—their first since 1999.

6. Columbus Crew
Record: 5-3-8
Previous: 7
Comment: Held United to a draw, but can’t be ecstatic about their performance at home.

7. Colorado Rapids
Record: 5-4-6
Previous: 4
Comment: A disappointing loss for the Rapids who would have liked a better showing at DSG. Need Conor Casey to recover ASAP.

8. Toronto FC
Record: 6-6-4
Previous: 10
Comment: Quietly bounding back up the ladder—though with the East as tight as it is, everyone but the Red Bulls are in it.

9. Kansas City Wizards
Record: 5-6-4
Previous: 8
Comment: Struggling to score at home, and while their defense is doing just fine without Conrad, it’s the offense that is letting them down.

10. Real Salt Lake
Record: 5-6-4
Previous: 9
Comment: Inconsistency thy name is Real. Javier Morales and Clint Mathis are two very important players right now with Will Johnson and Kyle Beckerman away on Gold Cup duty.

11. Los Angeles Galaxy
Record: 4-3-9
Previous: 12
Comment: Will the return of Beckham cause their season to unravel, or will they put it all together and finish with aplomb?

12. New England Revolution
Record: 4-5-4
Previous: 11
Comment: Struggles continue for the Revolution who deserved more against Los Angeles. Steve Nicol has a lot of work to do if he wants to save this season.

13. FC Dallas
Record: 4-7-5
Previous: 13
Comment: What’s this you say? A Dallas victory? Sure, it was over the Red Bulls, but suddenly signs of life are creeping out of Frisco.

14. San Jose Earthquakes
Record: 3-8-4
Previous: 14
Comment: Blew a chance at a rare road victory with a Keystone Cops-like own goal.

15. New York Red Bulls
Record: 2-13-4
Previous: 15
Comment: Entrenched in this spot for a long, long time, even if they actually win a game for once.

What do you think? Am I completely mad with these rankings or do you agree?

Another weekly wrap up from ESPN.

• Real Salt Lake v San Jose




• Columbus v D.C. United
• Colorado v Chicago
• FC Dallas v New York
• Kansas City v Houston
• Los Angeles v New England

The fun for numerous coaches continues as the schedule starts to clog up. Between SuperLiga, U.S. Open Cup action, league play, and the Gold Cup, a number of managers have their work cut out for them in the month of July.

Full rankings are after the jump. Don’t forget to follow MLS Offside on Twitter and to email ideas and tips to mlsoffside[at]gmail[dot]com.

1. Houston Dynamo
Record: 8-3-4
Previous: 1
Comment: Even with the loss at Los Angeles, can’t move them off the top spot. The loss of Holden and Ching will prove to be quite the challenge.

2. Chivas USA
Record: 8-4-3
Previous: 2
Comment: Benefit from another weekend off after a loss in the U.S. Open Cup last night. Sacha Klejstan and Jonathan Bornstein are both slated to return after their Confederations Cup duty.

3. Seattle Sounders FC
Record: 5-3-7
Previous: 5
Comment: A rousing 3-0 victory at home against Colorado has the Sounders right back amidst the top of the charts. The health of Osvaldo Alonso is worth keeping an eye on, as the Cuban struggles to stay fit.

4. Colorado Rapids
Record: 5-3-6
Previous: 3
Comment: Omar Cummings can’t handle the scoring alone, as proved in their last two games. Conor Casey’s return comes at a time with Cummings heading out the door for Gold Cup duty.

5. D.C. United
Record: 5-3-8
Previous: 4
Comment: The loss of Dejan Jakovic and Santino Quaranta to Gold Cup call ups will provide a new challenge for Tom Soehn. Jakovic has quietly been one of the most impressive defenders I’ve seen all year, as he has only gotten better as the season goes on.

6. Chicago Fire
Record: 5-3-6
Previous: 6
Comment: Still on that three-game losing streak in the league. Probably itching to get back out there and put an end to it.

7. Columbus Crew
Record: 5-3-7
Previous: 9
Comment: The defending champs are beginning to look just like that recently.

8. Kansas City Wizards
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 7
Comment: A huge challenge for the Wizards defense with the call up of Jimmy Conrad. You can’t easily replace a veteran leader like Conrad, and for at least two weeks.

9. Real Salt Lake
Record: 5-6-4
Previous: 10
Comment: The RSL we saw against Toronto on Saturday was the one many expected to see throughout the course of 2009. With Kyle Beckerman and Will Johnson on their way out, it’s going to be harder over these next few weeks. Well see if Jason Kreis and his players have it in them.

10. Toronto FC
Record: 6-6-4
Previous: 11
Comment: Followed up a win against a toothless Red Bull side with a horrific showing out in Sandy, Utah. At least De Rosario and Guevara aren’t going to the Gold Cup. They could be higher, and are just in second in the East, but don’t have me convinced yet.

11. New England Revolution
Record: 4-4-4
Previous: 8
Comment: Seem to be in a world of trouble with the injuries they’ve had. Throw in a Gold Cup call up or two and the playoffs are looking like a tall task for Steve Nicol.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy
Record: 3-3-9
Previous: 13
Comment: Was the win over Houston a both fortuitous and ugly? Yes. But it was three points, and without Donovan. Interesting to see what’s going to happen with the return of LD and Beckham in just a little over two weeks.

13. FC Dallas
Record: 3-7-5
Previous: 14
Comment: A respectable point on the road last Wednesday. Is this team really climbing out of the cellar? With the loss of Cooper their road out just got a little steeper.

14. San Jose Earthquakes
Record: 3-8-3
Previous: 12
Comment: The injury bug is crushing any remaining hope that the Quakes must have right now.

15. New York Red Bulls
Record: 2-12-4
Previous: 15
Comment: <– left blank on purpose, as there is little to say about how bad the Red Bulls have been.

Once again, the best MLS recap video you’ll see.

The bottom saw some movement, as both Dallas and San Jose dusted off the win column at home to score rare victories.

The next few weeks will truly be season defining, as a number of clubs will lose players due to the Gold Cup. Or in some cases, players will refuse national team duty for the regional tournament. Either way, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on.

Full rankings are after the jump. Don’t forget to follow MLS Offside on Twitter and to email ideas and tips to mlsoffside[at]gmail[dot]com.

1. Houston Dynamo
Record: 8-2-4
Previous: 1
Comment: Even a draw against RSL at home can’t drop them out of the No. 1 spot. While they weren’t at their sharpest, I’d expect them to maintain this for awhile.

2. Chivas USA
Record: 8-4-3
Previous: 2
Comment: SuperLiga. Not going to move this week.

3. Colorado Rapids
Record: 5-2-5
Previous: 4
Comment: No Conor Casey, no problem. The Rapids were in fine form after a 10-day layoff, easily dispatching a rather toothless United team.

4. D.C. United
Record: 5-3-8
Previous: 3
Comment: Their 3-0 loss in Colorado was ugly, but considering their record there since 2000, they get somewhat of a free pass. The Gold Cup will cause some problems for them as it looks like Dejan Jakovic and Santino Quaranta will miss some time.

5. Seattle Sounders FC
Record: 5-3-7
Previous: 5
Comment: Two draws in four days not the worst performance. However, they should have clamped down on defense and defeated United at home, and were a bit lucky to escape NYC with a draw thanks to a rookie mistake by Jeremy Hall.

6. Chicago Fire
Record: 5-3-6
Previous: 6
Comment: SuperLiga. Need to return with a vengeance.

7. Kansas City Wizards
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 8
Comment: SuperLiga — by the way, Jimmy Conrad is hilarious.

8. New England Revolution
Record: 4-4-4
Previous: 9
Comment: SuperLiga. Hopefully no one else will get injured.

9. Columbus Crew
Record: 4-3-7
Previous: 7
Comment: Losing to Dallas necessitates a fall two spots behind two inactive teams.

10. Real Salt Lake
Record: 4-6-4
Previous: 10
Comment: Their draw against Houston is impressive — considering the circumstances as well as the tear that the Dynamo were on. This team has the talent, it’s just a matter of if they can keep their cool.

11. Toronto FC
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 11
Comment: A week off. Let’s see what happens when they come back.

12. San Jose Earthquakes
Record: 3-8-3
Previous: 14
Comment: A rather ho-hum victory against the Galaxy allows them to jump up two spots.

13. Los Angeles Galaxy
Record: 2-3-9
Previous: 12
Comment: A disappointing loss leaves LA struggling. Because of the USA success, Donovan will be missing longer, and without him their slim playoff hopes look even dimmer.

14. FC Dallas
Record: 3-7-4
Previous: 13
Comment: A win against Columbus sees this team improve to 2-1-1 in their last four. But is it too little to late?

15. New York Red Bulls
Record: 2-10-4
Previous: 15
Comment: Not bad — a draw against Seattle. But how many people actually think this team can make it all the way back to the playoffs.

As usual, your weekly wrap-up highlights from the WWL.

Sportscenter please?

Surveying the rest of league play, a couple of draws, maddening red cards and poor defending returned to mar the weekend. Both goals in the New York-Seattle game were marked by some atrocious decision-making at the back.

The cluttered schedule found a victim—D.C. United. Their performance out in Colorado was by far their worst of the season as they failed to get on the scoreboard. This was following their entertaining 3-3 draw out in Seattle that had fans clamoring for more.

All this and more on this week’s recap.

San Jose 2-1 Los Angeles
The confidence of an 11-game unbeaten streak has vanished as the Galaxy suffer their second defeat in a row. With Landon Donovan toiling in South Africa, the going has become all the more difficult as San Jose exposed the Galaxy’s old age. Pablo Campos, who had been as quiet as a mouse for the first three months of the season emerged with a goal and an assist in the victory. He took on Gregg Berhalter to win a penalty in the sixth minute and finished it himself. He then played a hand in Ryan Johnson’s eventual game winner. A Jovan Kirovski goal in the 65th minute would go on to mean very little as Bruce Arena counts down the days till the Beckham circus returns.

New York 1-1 Seattle
Best way to sum up these two goals? Calamitous defending. Whether you’re Tyrone Marshall or Jeremy Hall, this one could have ended in a 0-0 draw if not for their errors. Young keeper Danny Cepero continues to shine in goal, perhaps backing up the notion that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder back in 2008. The resurgence of Fredy Montero has played a big part in Seattle’s solid play, though their defense has been far from convincing as compared to the beginning of the year.

Houston 1-1 Real Salt Lake
It took a thunderous Brian Ching header to ensure a draw for the Dynamo at Robertson Stadium. A bit surprising because of the rampage that Houston had been on, and to the timid way Real has played on the road so far. Real took the lead on a Fabian Espindola goal in the 28th minute. Another Jamison Olave red card further prevented the potential three points. However, it’s still a good result on the road for RSL.

Dallas 2-1 Columbus
Eric Avila’s goal was the much-needed boost for FC Dallas in their come from behind win over the Crew. This set the table for David Ferreira’s dive late in the game, winning the penalty that Kenny Cooper slotted home. A massive win for Dallas if they are to rest in any hope of turning around their disastrous season. Columbus, on the other hand, is still only four games behind United with two games in hand. Plenty of time for the Crew, who still have looked solid of late.

Colorado 3-0 D.C. United
Omar Cummings took advantage of some shambolic D.C. defending to net two goals and a brace. The Rapids put in a solid effort, taking advantages of some miscues at the back. United came out in with four in the back for the second time all year — mainly because Dejan Jakovic will soon be called into Gold Cup duty — and yielded an early goal to Cummings. The speedy Jamaican had two nice finishes past Josh Wicks, then set up the third goal of the game. D.C. will gladly take these two weeks off to rest and recover.

Goal of the Week
The long range strike off the boot of Eric Avila turned things around for FC Dallas, not to mention it was a beautiful debut goal for the young midfielder.

What were the other storylines from this past weekend? Catch anything I missed? Share your thoughts below.