• New York v Los Angeles




• Chicago v San Jose
• D.C. United v Colorado
• Columbus v Real Salt Lake
• Toronto v Houston
• New England v Chivas USA (not up yet)

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.

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.

The race in the East is close — except for New York — with six teams within six points of each other. D.C. is leading the way, and has done well as of late. They’ll be on the road for two games this week, traveling up to Seattle to take on the new boys.

At the bottom, nothings changed. San Jose, New York, and Dallas all lost and remain mired at the bottom.

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: 8-2-3
Previous: 2
Comment: A club on fire. No one can spot them now, with eight wins from 10. Cam Weaver is also looking good after just two games.

2. Chivas USA
Record: 8-4-3
Previous: 1
Comment: Slipping in the rankings, as they’ve struggled in the past few weeks. The SuperLiga is up next, giving Preki a chance to rest and retool his lineup.

3. D.C. United
Record: 5-2-7
Previous: 6
Comment: The next two months are a huge test for United, starting with this week. Two games on the road, Wednesday against Seattle and Saturday against Colorado. If they can succeed on the road, they’ll establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the MLS Cup.

5. Seattle Sounders FC
Record: 5-3-5
Previous: 5
Comment: Bouncing back with a win against San Jose was important. D.C. comes to town tonight in what is a test for both teams.

4. Colorado Rapids
Record: 4-2-5
Previous: 4
Comment: Can’t punish them for not playing, but since Seattle won, they drop one spot.

6. Chicago Fire
Record: 5-3-6
Previous: 3
Comment: A SuperLiga break for Chicago is welcome after dropping three in a row. Important for Dennis Hamlett to rest starters in order to keep them fresh for the regular season.

7. Columbus Crew
Record: 4-2-7
Previous: 8
Comment: Back in the thick of things, now just three points back of first place. I knew that they would be back, and with GBS playing so well, it’s hard to see who will stop them.

8. Kansas City Wizards
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 9
Comment: The SuperLiga is up for the Wizards now, which gives them a week and a half break in the league.

9. New England Revolution
Record: 4-4-4
Previous: 7
Comment: A slip on the road for the Revolution who seemed to be back on the right track. The health of Taylor Twellman is huge for New England, and with his future in doubt, it’s hard to know how they’ll respond.

10. Real Salt Lake
Record: 4-6-3
Previous: 11
Comment: A road win for Real? I’d never thought we’d see the day. It will only mean something if they can put more than one win together on the road.

11. Toronto FC
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 12
Comment: A win against New York is a start, but to impress both fans and pundits they’ll need to do it in more convincing fashion than that.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy
Record: 2-2-9
Previous: 10
Comment: A loss to RSL ends the Galaxy’s unbeaten streak. While most of those were draws, they have enough points for a respectful platform to build something positive on. Hard to say what they’ll actually accomplish in the long run.

13. FC Dallas
Record: 2-7-4
Previous: 13
Comment: Not much to say about Dallas. Wake me up when they win again.

14. San Jose Earthquakes
Record: 2-8-3
Previous: 14
Comment: Darren Huckerby has to stay healthy for this team to have a shot at looking respectable.

15. New York Red Bulls
Record: 2-10-3
Previous: 15
Comment: Danny Cepero was the only positive to take away from yet another loss. How Juan Carlos Osorio still has a job is beyond me, though I don’t know what removing him would even do.

Time to get this on Sportscenter please? Thanks.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other talking points to glean from another hectic weekend. A matchup of the Fire and United provided top drawer entertainment, with United now supplanting the Chicago side on the top of the East. Seattle snapped their winless streak with an antidote of San Jose, while the Dynamo continued to rampage through MLS. One of the biggest surprises was Real Salt Lake scoring and winning on the road, against a flat-looking Los Angeles squad.

Some of the norm was still around — New York Red Bulls still lost, despite playing hard on the road against Toronto. The clock has to be ticking ever closer to an end for Juan Carlos Osorio, whose squad sits on a league-worst record of 2-10-3.

D.C. United 2-1 Chicago
Perhaps the pick of the weekend’s games, this feisty conference rivalry had it all — dubious penalties, quality finishing, and sparkling free kicks. The Fire can count themselves a touch unlucky to not pull out a point, but United played well for 90 minutes. Perhaps the first time they’ve managed that all year. It’s a momentum builder sorely needed as they face two tough road games this week, and will be without Jaime Moreno for the duration. Ben Olsen might be back in the fold, however, which would provide a much needed boost. On the Fire’s side, they are now mired in a three game losing streak that includes losses to Dallas, Houston, and now D.C. The absence of Blanco hurt them, but will be important in the long run as they need the aging playmaker well-rested.

Toronto 2-1 New York
The bad season for the Red Bulls continues to get worse. Despite a valiant effort by Danny Cepero, and pretty much their team overall, they still managed to lose. That’s 20 games without winning on the road, surely something that makes you wonder how Osorio hasn’t gotten sacked yet. The only positives to note were the play of Cepero and the fact they scored their first goal on the road, a bizarre goal by Albert Celades. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Toronto can count themselves lucky, as Sam Cronin’s first goal came off a missed penalty, and Danny Dichio’s second came after Pablo Vitti was unable to beat Cepero in a one on one situation. While this is something to build on, it wasn’t the dominating victory TFC fans probably wanted.

Dallas 1-3 Houston
Like I said in the previews: anyone surprised by the result? Houston’s MLS domination continues, as their ever impressive unbeaten streak goes to 10. And this isn’t your L.A.-like streak of mostly draws — the Dynamo have eight wins from these 10 results. A brace from Cam Weaver was accompanied from a Richard Mulrooney blast. There isn’t really anything new to say about Dallas, other then the crowd at Pizza Hut Park was once again quite paltry. And that’s not even breaking news.

Kansas City 3-1 New England
Referees in MLS were becoming insistent — they were going to keep giving the Wizards a man advantage until they could prove to win a game. And win they finally did, as goals from Davy Arnaud and Aaron Hohlbein (along with an own goal), proved to be a difference out on the microscopic CAB field. New England wasn’t convincing anyone, before or after relatively new signing Emmanuel Osei was sent to the showers. They need Taylor Twellman to be healthy in order to put a cohesive unit on the field. They’ve proved they can play without him, but have yet to show they can truly succeed.

Seattle 2-1 San Jose
A steady dose of Freddie and Fredy relieved the pains of a winless streak for Seattle. The sooner these two learn how to play well together, the more dangerous this club can be. San Jose didn’t play all that bad themselves, and perhaps could have enjoyed more of this one had Ryan Johnson decided to scuff an easy chance. This club needs Darren Huckerby to be fit and on the pitch to have any kind of chance to win. That much is blatantly obvious. I wonder what Frank Yallop is thinking after watching Cam Weaver score two goals in two games for San Jose, when all he could muster was one goal in nine appearances for the Earthquakes.

Los Angeles 0-2 Real Salt Lake
I consider this the most surprising result of the weekend — simply because of Real’s road record coming into it. After the Galaxy had a shock road result of their own in the previous week, they were undone at the Home Depot Center by goals from Yura Movsisyan and Nat Borchers that exhibited some slack defending. An Eddie Lewis red card in the 65th minute put any hopes of a two-goal comeback to bed, and for RSL a chance to actually put their fortunes on the right track. Man of the match in this one was Nick Rimando, who put together a highlight reel of saves to ensure himself a shut out. Just about a month remains until Beckham returns, and it’ll be interesting to see what that means for Bruce Arena’s side.

Columbus 2-1 Chivas USA
The solid, organized defense of Chivas went into hiding on two moments Sunday, allowing Guillermo Barros Schelotto to score twice. If a game can be summed up in one sentence, that would just about do it. Once again Eduardo Lillingston gave the Goats the lead, and it would reasonable to expect them to hunker down and protect it. Unfortunately, this isn’t the same Chivas defense, as a goal kick from Andy Gruenebaum, who has deputized nicely for Will Hesmer, bounced all the way to Schelotto who subsequently evened the score. The defensive lapse would creep up on Chivas again, leaving Schelotto unmarked for the game winning goal with just three minutes remaining. A tough way to lose, especially considering how well the Chivas defense have played this season.

Goal of the Week
The nod goes to Christian Gomez this week for his game-winning free kick against the Chicago Fire. Hats off to him for that one. Make sure to have your vote here.