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1 2 That may have been the best crowd in the history of not only Kansas City soccer, but in the history of KC anything. They had a direct impact on the game without being idiots who toss stuff on the field – a true 12th man. Oh, and Graham Zusi is decent, right? Last Week: Beat Chicago, 2-0

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

W-D-W-D-W This Week: Sunday at Columbus (4 pm ET; MLS Live)

2 1 They're actually even on points over the last five with Sporting, but have now dropped four points from their last two home games. On balance, we go with the team that keeps pitching shutouts ahead of the one that keeps finding miracle comebacks. Last Week: Drew vs. FC Dallas, 3-3

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

This Week: Saturday at Colorado (9 pm ET; MLS Live)

3 5 Our weekly "We just don't know what to do with this team" entry. You know what would help? Hans Backe sticking with the same lineup that eviscerated TFC. Let Dax McCarty be a No. 6, let Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper run together up top, and play to your strengths. Last Week: Beat Toronto FC, 4-1

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

D-W-L-D-W This Week: Saturday vs. Chicago (3:30 pm ET; NBC in the US, TSN2 in Canada)

4 3 Even with 21,000 blue lunatics screaming their lungs out, the Fire were able to find the types of chances that have been the cornerstone of their surge up the table. The difference is this time Chris Rolfe didn't calibrate his sights, and nobody else in red picked up the slack. Last Week: Lost at Sporting KC, 2-0

Lost at Sporting KC, 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 (3:30 pm ET; NBC in the US, TSN2 in Canada)

5 7 There is precisely one team in MLS with a winning streak, and this is them. Granted, their winning streak is two games against two teams they absolutely should beat nine times out of 10, but hey, a win's a win. Big test on Saturday, though – that's the one that'll say whether RSL is back for keeps. Last Week: Won at Chivas USA, 4-0

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

D-W-L-W-W This Week: Saturday at LA (9 pm ET; NBCSN in the US, TSN2 in Canada)

6 4 The Power Rankings Politburo is very concerned about A.J. DeLaGarza's knee. When the Galaxy have their preferred back four together, they tend to play at their 2011 level. Anything less than that, though, and they're there for the taking. If he's out for any duration, it could have serious postseason implications. Last Week: Drew at Colorado, 1-1

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

W-W-W-W-D This Week: Saturday vs. RSL (9 pm ET; NBCSN in the US, TSN2 in Canada)

7 6 Just when it looked like they were ready to climb the table, Seattle went into a funk. They've now won just once in their last five, which is something far less than the elite team they looked like from July through mid-September. Will the real Seattle Sounders please stand up? Last Week: Drew at Vancouver, 0-0

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

D-W-D-L-D This Week: Sunday vs. Portland (9 pm ET; ESPN in the US, TSN2 in Canada)

8 8 Back to the 4-4-2, and with it a utilitarian – if uninspiring – 2-0 win over the Revs. We still think the 4-3-3 is the better formation for this team in the long run, but it's hard to argue with a result when the team's been in an eight-week long funk. Last Week: Beat New England, 2-0

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

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

9 9 Brutal, brutal way to drop points they'd thought they had earned. Let's talk, just for a moment, though, about that 50-yard ball David Ferreira put on a plate for Fabián Castillo in second-half stoppage. By our reckoning, it's one of the very best passes of the season, one that very, very few players could hit. Castillo should have finished it. Last Week: Drew at San Jose, 3-3

Drew at San Jose, 3-3 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

W-L-D-W-D This Week: Sunday at Chivas USA (7 pm ET; Galavision)

10 10 The winning streak ends, but a point on the road – three time zones away, no less – is probably something to be proud of. United look set to break their playoff drought, and three points from a very winnable trip to Toronto this weekend would probably do the job. Last Week: Drew at Portland, 1-1

Drew at Portland, 1-1 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

-W-W-D This Week: Saturday at Toronto FC (1 pm ET; TSN/RDS in Canada, MLS Live in the US)

11 11 Yeah, there's still a little bit of magic left in this team. How they got the linesman to keep his flag down on the winner we'll never know, but however it plays out, you have to admire the way the Crew have rallied over the past two months in the wake of the Kirk Urso tragedy. Lesser competitors would have fallen apart. Last Week: Beat Philadelphia, 3-2

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

L-L-W-L-W This Week: Sunday vs. Sporting KC (4 pm ET; MLS Live)

12 13 Still not sure how Camilo missed that one. As unlucky as they were with that, fate did them a solid with Steven Lenhart's late equalizer against Dallas. The 'Caps still control their own playoff destiny, which is about all you can ask for after a slump like this one. Last Week: Drew vs. Seattle, 0-0

Drew vs. Seattle, 0-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

L-L-L-D-D This Week: Wednesday vs. Chivas USA (10 pm ET; MLS Live)

13 12 It pretty much all went wrong for them during the bye, as both Columbus and Houston got late wins. That pretty much rules the Impact out of the playoffs, but they can still play the part of spoiler. Last Week: Bye

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

W-W-L-L-D This Week: Saturday at Houston (8:30 pm ET; MLS Live)

14 14 Amobi Okugo picked the wrong week to have his worst game as a central defender, as the Union ended up squandering one of their best offensive performances in months. We still want to see Freddy Adu in the trequartista role for a decent stretch of games, for what that's worth. Hopefully he's healthy. Last Week: Lost at Columbus, 3-2

Lost at Columbus, 3-2 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

D-D-L-W-L This Week: Wednesday at Chicago (8:30 pm ET, MLS Live); Saturday vs. New England (7 pm ET; MLS Live)

15 15 The Timbers have been so, so close to being a good team for the past six weeks, but just can't seem to put it all together. Caleb Porter most likely enjoys what he's seeing from Bright Dike, Franck Songo'o, Sal Zizzo and Darlington Nagbe, though. It's a nice, young attacking core to build around. Last Week: Drew vs. D.C. United, 1-1

Drew vs. D.C. United, 1-1 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

L-D-D-L-D This Week: Sunday at Seattle (9 pm ET; ESPN)

16 16 After chasing shadows for about 20 minutes the Rapids tightened things up and did a very nice job against LA. Still not sure the 4-4-2 is the right choice for them – though it certainly did allow right back Hunter Freeman to be effective. Last Week: Drew vs. LA, 1-1

Drew vs. LA, 1-1 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

L-W-L-D-D This Week: Saturday vs. San Jose (9 pm ET; MLS Live)

17 17 The lack of defensive recognition on Rico Clark's game-winner was pretty staggering. The good news is that Bobby Shuttleworth is getting plenty of run, and he looks like he can be a No. 1 'keeper in 2013. Last Week: Lost at Houston, 2-0

Lost at Houston, 2-0 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

D-W-L-D-L This Week: Saturday at Philadelphia (7 pm ET, MLS Live)

18 18 It's ugly right now, but that's what happens when you've got 70 percent of your salary budget on the training table. Finding quality depth – via the academy, draft or shrewd signings – has to be a top priority for the winter. Last Week: Lost at NY, 4-1

Lost at NY, 4-1 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

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

This Week: Saturday vs. D.C. United (1 pm ET; TSN/RDS in Canada, MLS Live in the US)