It was a light schedule in Major League Soccer with World Cup Qualifying so the Power Rankings for this week have not changed much. A few teams who did play, the Colorado Rapids and Kansas City Wizards, did move up as they both had wins. The Rapids improved their playoff chances with a 1-0 win at home against Toronto FC while the Wizards won at New England with a 4-2 victory.

The other match this weekend was DC United against FC Dallas that ended in a 2-2 draw. Overall, the top teams remain the same as the Los Angeles Galaxy, Columbus Crew are in the top two spots. At the other end of of the rankings, the KC Wizards are not in last place anymore and the Earthquakes now own that spot followed by the Red Bulls. The bottom four remain the same but the other has switched. Here are the Major League Soccer Week 25 Power Rankings through Monday, September 7, 2009.

Major League Soccer Week 25 Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Galaxy – A much needed bye week for the Galaxy who have Donovan and Beckham away for World Cup Qualifying. If they can continue their great form, they will win the Western Conference.
2. Columbus Crew – Another team that had a bye and should benefit as their key player, Schelotto, is 36 years old.
3. Houston Dynamo – Not much new with the Dynamo as they also had a bye week. They have the fewest goals allowed all season (22).
4. Colorado Rapids – A nice win for the Rapids at home as Conor Casey is making a push for MLS MVP. They are dominate at home with 23 goals for and only 8 conceded.
5. Real Salt Lake – Like most teams they are very strong at home but struggle on the road. If they make the playoffs, they need a win or two on the road in the final month and half.
6. DC United – They had a busy week with the US Open Cup Final and a match against FC Dallas in MLS. With Champions League matches coming up, will they have enough down the stretch? When you have a lineup with Fred, Emilio, Gomez, Moreno, and Olsen, you should be one of top teams in the league.
7. Chicago Fire – The Fire had a bye week and still remain 2nd in the Eastern Conference. Brian McBride is ahead of schedule and could return for the last few matches and playoffs. The team could be in rebuilding mode after this season as McBride could be leaving, and Rolfe and Blanco will be gone.
8. Seattle Sounders FC – The US Open Cup win for Seattle earned this a spot in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League and could help them get back on track. Kasey Keller has been getting attention as a possible MVP candidate.
9. New England Revolution – After a strong showing in recent weeks to get themselves back in the hunt for a playoff spot, they lose 2-4 at home against the Wizards. It’s hard to predict how this team will respond and play the rest of the season.
10. Chivas USA – A bye week for a team that started out as good as any but has struggled to score goals in the last two months. Sacha Kljestan was wanted by several European clubs in the winter but with his lackluster performance in MLS, his stock has dropped significantly. He should be the player to provide an offensive spark for Chivas USA.
11. Toronto FC – This team is bipolar in that they’ve had great performances then a horrible showing at Colorado. They received two red cards in the second half and still looking for their first playoff berth in franchise history.
12. FC Dallas – A draw for FC Dallas against DC United who likes the Wizards still have a slight chance at making the playoffs. They will need to improve defensively as they’ve conceded 37 goals on the season for a -4 goal diferential.
13. Kansas City Wizards – They kept their playoff hopes alive with a much needed win against the Revolution but have to back it up in the following weeks.
14. New York Red Bulls – They’ve started to show life after Osorio resigned but their chances of the making the playoffs are over for this season. It’s time to start planning for 2010.
15. San Jose Earthquakes -Another team that can forget about making the playoffs with only 20 points on the season.

September 5, 20092009 – Eastern Conference Table
			Overall							Home						Away
RK		TEAM	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		W	D	L	GS	GA		W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Columbus	23	10	9	4	34	25		7	4	0	21	12		3	5	4	13	13		9	39
2		Chicago	24	10	8	6	33	28		4	4	4	11	13		6	4	2	22	15		5	38
3		DC United	24	7	12	5	37	36		5	5	0	15	8		2	7	5	22	28		1	33
4		New England	22	9	6	7	28	30		6	3	3	20	14		3	3	4	8	16		-2	33
5		Toronto FC	24	8	7	9	30	34		6	3	3	15	11		2	4	6	15	23		-4	31
6		Kansas City	22	6	6	10	24	31		3	3	5	11	13		3	3	5	13	18		-7	24
7		New York Red Bulls	24	4	4	16	20	41		4	3	5	18	18		0	1	11	2	23		-21	16

September 5, 20092009 – Western Conference Table
			Overall							Home						Away
RK		TEAM	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		W	D	L	GS	GA		W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Houston	25	11	7	7	31	22		7	4	1	19	10		4	3	6	12	12		9	40
2		Los Angeles	24	9	11	4	28	23		4	4	3	10	11		5	7	1	18	12		5	38
3		Colorado	23	10	6	7	36	27		8	3	2	23	8		2	3	5	13	19		9	36
4		Seattle Sounders FC	24	8	10	6	29	23		6	5	2	19	9		2	5	4	10	14		6	34
5		Real Salt Lake	24	9	6	9	35	27		7	4	1	28	10		2	2	8	7	17		8	33
6		Chivas USA	22	10	3	9	23	24		7	1	2	16	8		3	2	7	7	16		-1	33
7		Dallas	23	6	6	11	33	37		5	4	3	22	18		1	2	8	11	19		-4	24
8		San Jose	22	5	5	12	27	40		5	3	4	19	18		0	2	8	8	22		-13	20

Key

RK: Rank, GP: Games Played, W: Wins, D: Draws, L: Losses, GS: Goals Scored, GA: Goals Against, GD: Goal Difference, P: Points

Moved Up    Moved Down    Remained