Goal.com MLS Rankings: Dynamo Holds Top Spot

1. Houston – The 11-match unbeaten streak is over. Can Houston start another one while Brian Ching, Andrew Hainault and Stuart Holden are away on Gold Cup duty? (1)

2. Chivas USA – After crashing out of SuperLiga this week, Chivas USA has to start wondering whether the wheels are getting just a touch wobbly heading into the second half of the season. (2)

3. D.C. United – United had the weekend off, but will face the surprising Ocean City Barons in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night. (3)

4. Seattle – Not many teams will hang a 3-0 result on the Rapids this year. Nate Jaqua (two goals) and Fredy Montero (one goal, two assists) are the men to thank for restoring the formidable Qwest home field advantage. (5)

5. Colorado – “I thought we deserved to get beat three to nil,” Rapids head coach Gary Smith said after that match. (4)

6. Columbus – It wasn't the best of performances, but the Crew collected another three points in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Red Bulls at the weekend. (6)

7. Chicago – After booking a SuperLiga semifinal date with New England, the Fire now face a tricky trip to Wilmington, N.C. in the Open Cup on Tuesday. Not the type of trip Denis Hamlett wants his team to make after playing three games in eight days. (7)

8. Kansas City – The Wizards made a brief SuperLiga appearance, but will have the chance to improve its extracurricular performance with a winnable Open Cup tie in Minnesota on Tuesday. (8)

9. Toronto FC – What were you thinking, Amado Guevara? (9)

10. Real Salt Lake – RSL better hope Javier Morales' ankle injury isn't a serious one. The Argentine schemer's form over the past couple of weeks has revived his team. (10)

11. Los Angeles – Bruce Arena's men snapped the Dynamo's lengthy unbeaten run with some fine defensive work and the occasional perky attack. Now it's time to see if Landon Donovan can come home and really make the offense hum. (12)

12. New England – Gutsy performances led the Revs to the top of SuperLiga and sealed home-field advantage. How can their depleted roster have anything left for an Open Cup date with Harrisburg on Tuesday and the trip to Los Angeles on Saturday? Despite the fine external performance, the Revs drop here due to circumstances outside their control. (11)

13. FC Dallas – The Hoops get kudos for a well-earned 1-1 draw in Colorado on Wednesday night. (14)

14. San Jose – Do the twin departures of Eric Denton and Kelly Gray suggest that the Quakes aren't particularly thrilled with their current defensive options behind the starting four? (13)

15. New York – It will take something really, really special for the Red Bulls to make the playoffs with just 12 games left to play. (15)

Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.