Power Rankings - Week 2

Here is the second weekly edition of The MLS Zone Power Rankings. Last week's ranking is in parenthesis.

1. (1) D.C. United
Despite their sub-par performance against Colorado, D.C. is still the team to beat in the league. Getting off the road should help rejuvenate this club and get them back to their winning ways.

2. (2) L.A. Galaxy
Holding the defending MLS champs to a scoreless tie on the road is a decent result to begin the year. Head coach Frank Yallop rolled out a bit of an unexpected lineup for the game, but Thursday's upcoming home game against FC Dallas should result in the first win of '07 for the G's.

3. (5) Colorado Rapids
I thought they would be strong on Saturday - they dominated the first half and then held on late. Bouna Coundoul has the atleticism and instincts to be one of the top keepers in the league over the next few years. Herculez Gomez showed a lot of fire - with his skills in midfield and with his mouth - and will be a solid performer all year.

4. (4) Real Salt Lake
Jeff Cunningham has picked up right where he left off last season, scoring both of RSL's goals against FC Dallas. If Freddy Adu can catch fire with Cunningham this year, RSL may not be able to be stopped in '07.

5. (3) Red Bull New York
Not a bad effort against Columbus in less-than-perfect weather, but not getting on the scoreboard highlights their need for a true striker up front. John Wolyniec will not cut it all season - expect RBNY to bring in their DP striker this summer.

6. (7) Chivas USA
Impressive 2-0 win, albeit against an expansion team. The offense looks very good, especially young star Sacha Kljestan and soon-to-be-star Maykel Galindo. Keeper Brad Guzan may just be the best keeper in MLS and showed on Saturday why he was recently called into camp with the USMNT. This weekend's trip to Houston will be a good early test for Preki's team.

7. (6) Columbus Crew
I still pick Columbus to be the surprise of the year - most people have them picked as last or second-to-last in the East. Rumor has it that Boca Juniors winger Guillermo Barros Schelotto is on the verge of joining the team. He should help Columbus score a few goals - something they were unable to do on Saturday. Maybe using their DP to bring Kasey Keller over from Germany would have been more productive?

8. (9) Houston Dynamo
Solid start to the season for Houston. Pat Onstad looked lost on a few plays and looked spectacular on others. That kind of inconsistency doesn't bode well for the defending champs, who are looking to Brian Ching for offense. Am I the only one who thinks Dwayne De Rosario isn't the same guy we saw even last year?

9. (12) Chicago Fire
Originally had them pegged much lower than they should have been. They are the biggest jumpers this week, up three spots, but I want to see if Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp are the real thing before saying they are a playoff team.

10. (8) Toronto FC
Not the team I had expected to show up. TFC really could have used a healthy Ronnie O'Brien against Chivas. Still, if not for Brad Guzan's spectacular saves, TFC could've stolen a point in this one. Look for this team to get going once their season-opening road trip is over.

11. (11) Kansas City Wizards
The extra week of preparation probably won't be enough to stop what D.C. is going to throw at them on Saturday. Still, K.C.'s defense is probably the team's strongest feature and maybe has a chance to pick up a point??

12. (13) FC Dallas
It was a toss-up between FC Dallas and the Revs for the last two spots. I gave FCD the edge as they actually picked up a point and NE didn't. Still not playoff material.

13. (10) New England Revolution
Too many injuries. This team needs to be completely overhauled.