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1 1 "Weekend off" included a friendly against San Luis of Liga MX. Best part about that for Quakes fans? Chris Wondolowski scored. If that means he's out of his slump, they'll cruise to the Shield. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: D-W-L-W-W

D-W-L-W-W This Week: Saturday at Chivas USA (10:30 pm, MLS Live)

2 2 A week of rest and recuperation for the hardest-working team in the league, and nobody needs it more. Their schedule is packed with six-pointers against Houston and New York from here on out. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: W-W-W-D-W

W-W-W-D-W This Week: Friday vs. Houston (8:30 pm, NBCSN)

3 3 Came out sluggish against Chivas but dominated the game's final 70 minutes, looking like a contender every step of the way. Their defense still leaves you shaking your head at times, but we're pretty sure they can outscore just about anyone. Last Week: Defeated Chivas USA, 2-1

Defeated Chivas USA, 2-1 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: L-W-W-D-W

L-W-W-D-W This Week: Saturday at Portland (3:30 pm, NBC)

4 4 Five of the next seven at home. All are going to be huge games for a team in search of its first piece of meaningful hardware in franchise history. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: L-W-W-D-D

L-W-W-D-D This Week: Saturday vs. Columbus (7 pm, MLS Live)

5 5 Rich get richer as Landon Donovan returns for 30 minutes in Reserve League action (one goal, one assist) and is expected to play Friday. Edson Buddle's been playing, too. And the kids – Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal – have been phenomenal. LA's for real again, folks. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: L-W-D-W-W

L-W-D-W-W This Week: Friday vs. Colorado (11 pm, Univision Deportes)

6 7 RSL's loss is Chicago's gain. Fact is, they probably should have been moved up to sixth last week – and they'll get a chance to prove they're Eastern Conference contenders with two very winnable games in the next five days. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: W-W-W-L-W

W-W-W-L-W This Week: Wednesday at Toronto FC (7 pm, TSN2), Saturday vs. Montreal (8:30 pm, MLS Live)

7 6 The slow descent continues. They'll have a weekend of rest, which will hopefully mean a bit more sharpness for Fabián Espíndola and a step closer to recovery for Jámison Olave. RSL need those two to regain their May form or they may be cooked. Last Week: Lost at Houston, 1-0

Lost at Houston, 1-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: L-L-D-W-L

L-L-D-W-L This Week: Bye

8 9 Watching Houston gut out 1-0 wins ... seems like old times. They need to rediscover the dynamism (pun honestly not intended) that drove them through July and most of August. Seeing Mac Kandji look lively for most of his outing was a good start. Last Week: Defeated Real Salt Lake, 1-0

Defeated Real Salt Lake, 1-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: L-D-D-L-W

L-D-D-L-W This Week: Friday at Sporting Kansas City (8:30 pm, NBCSN)

9 8 Houston's win was enough for us to have them leapfrog the idle Crew. And let's face it: Nobody needed the week off more than Columbus. Bravo to them on going 4-1-2 over 22 days, but they were absolutely spent vs. the Revs. Can they rediscover the magic at Red Bull Arena, now? Last Week: Lost at New England, 2-0

Lost at New England, 2-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: W-W-W-W-L

W-W-W-W-L This Week: Saturday at New York (7 pm, MLS Live)

10 10 The Power Rankings Politburo still feels somewhat uneasy about Montreal. Nobody's won the MLS Cup with aging, injury-prone central defenders since the 2001 Quakes (and the pair of Troy Dayak and Jeff Agoos wasn't really all that injury-prone). Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: W-W-W-W-L

W-W-W-W-L This Week: Saturday at Chicago (8:30 pm, MLS Live)

11 11 Maicon Santos says he's ready to put the "awful" summer behind him, and United fans better hope he's serious. Without consistent center forward production, D.C. may be the odd men out in the crowded East race. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: D-W-L-D-L

D-W-L-D-L This Week: Saturday vs. New England (7:30 pm, MLS Live)

12 12 If they lose on Saturday at Dallas, then it's truly squeaky bum time. Vancouver would hold a one-point lead with five games to go – but four of those at home and one in hand. Things would have to go very wrong for them to come up short – but things have been going very wrong for quite awhile now. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: W-L-L-L-L

W-L-L-L-L This Week: Saturday at FC Dallas (8:30 pm, MLS Live)

13 13 Five games left. Four wins – provided one of them is this weekend – may not even be enough to do it. Every single game for FCD has to be played like it's a cup final from here on out. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: W-W-W-L-D

W-W-W-L-D This Week: Saturday vs. Vancouver (8:30 pm, MLS Live)

14 15 Seems like John Hackworth is determined to build around Jack McInerney and Michael Farfan, which is probably the right choice. It may mean scrapping the 4-3-3, however, since both players seem like they'd fit better in a 4-4-2. Last Week: Bye

Bye Last Five: L-D-D-L-D

L-D-D-L-D This Week: Saturday at Toronto (1 pm, TSN/RDS in Canada, MLS Live)

15 17 There's the Tony Cascio everybody's wanted to see all year! He may very well lead rookies in "almosts" – nobody's hit the woodwork more, sent the pass just an inch too long, or been just a half-step slow on a run. Looked like everything finally clicked against Portland – and he very much looks like a player to build around next season. Last Week: Defeated Portland, 3-0

Defeated Portland, 3-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: L-D-L-L-W

L-D-L-L-W This Week: Friday at LA (11 pm, Univision Deportes)

16 18 Did a very good job of denying Federico Higuaín time and space to work his magic – really, it was one of the best defensive performances of the season from them. Now it's time to flip one of their surfeit of central midfielders for a young asset or three before the roster deadline. Last Week: Defeated Colmbus, 2-0

Defeated Colmbus, 2-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: L-L-D-D-W

L-L-D-D-W This Week: Saturday at D.C. United (7:30 pm, MLS Live)

17 14 The Timbers were very, very good at defending set pieces and crosses from the run of play in 2011. In 2012, they've been miserable. Maybe we underrated Eric Brunner last season? He probably would have had the backline more organized than they looked to be in Colorado. Last Week: Lost at Colorado, 3-0

Lost at Colorado, 3-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: D-L-W-W-L

D-L-W-W-L This Week: Saturday vs. Seattle (3:30 pm, NBC)

18 16 Well, at least they didn't give up four or five. Shades of 2011 with that 89th-minute dagger, though. Last Week: Lost at Seattle, 2-1

Lost at Seattle, 2-1 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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Last Five: D-L-D-L-L

D-L-D-L-L This Week: Saturday vs. San Jose (10:30 pm, MLS Live)