MLS Eastern Conference Round (11) Up

MY BEST XI

We have officially crossed the 30% mark of the season and some players are starting to stick to the the top of my player ratings.

F : Marco Di Vaio (MTL)

F : Claudio Bieler (SKC)

M : Mike Magee (LAG)

M : Jackson (FCD)

M : Will Johnson (PDX)

M : David Ferreira (FCD)

D : Matt Hedges (FCD)

D : Michel (FCD)

D : Zach Loyd (FCD)

D : Jeb Brovsky (MTL)

G : Troy Perkins (MTL)

On the Bench: Felipe Martins (MTL), Hassoun Camara (MTL), Marcelo Sarvas (LAG), Kofi Sarkodie (HOU), Graham Zusi (SKC), Will Bruin (HOU), Aurelien Collin (SKC).

You can see my full player rating list HERE. My highest Crew player is Josh Williams at 39th in the league.

THE PLAYOFF DIVIDE

Same as with the top players in the league; 30% of the season gone allows us to come to well reasoned conclusions about teams. In the Eastern Conference it appears we have a top four that are a pretty much a lock still:

Points per Game : Team

2.00 : Montreal Impact

1.82 : Houston Dynamo

1.67 : Sporting KC

1.62 : NY Red Bulls

From there it is anyone's guess. Top five get in but none of the remaining East clubs seem to have the quality to seize hold. Columbus still has to be the odds on favorite even though Philly is currently above them - but because the mediocrity of the teams below the top four- New England and Chicago still have a chance.

FROM LAST FIVE

Thing that gets me about Chicago. As bad or unlucky as they have been, they have still earned more points in the last five games than the Columbus Crew. Here's the list:

Pts in Last 5 : Team

13 : NY

8 : HOU

8 : MTL

7 : PHI

6 : CHI

6 : SKC

5 : NER

4 : CLB

2 : TFC

0 : DCU

This is what might be scary for Crew fans... Chicago. They completely dominated Philly last weekend but lost 1:0. Columbus on the other hand just played through one of the easier parts of their schedule. In fact, it's the only time the Crew have three in a row at home.

CHICAGO'S NEXT THREE

The Fire could find themselves jumping back into the mix by June 2nd. Three games from now. They take on Philly once again (but at PPL this week) then travel to a relatively inconsistent RSL, then back at home against a historically bad DC United.

Columbus is probably looking at three points from next three games. Chicago could get at least six, maybe nine. That puts the Fire right back into the playoff mix with a game in hand. You heard it here first.

ALRIGHT, NEW ENGLAND

Here's the deal with the Revs this week . They, unlike the Crew, went through a difficult set of games. A draw away in Portland, loss at home to RSL then another drawn match against a streaking New York. Not the most impressive thing, but still. Six goals scored and a full 10 points from it? It's taken 12 goals to get 12 points for the Crew.

CASTROL CREW, IN TOP 100

Here are the Crew players currently ranked in the Castrol Index top 100. This is on the year and not just last week.

League Rank : Player

23 : Josh Williams

26 : Dominic Oduro

44 : Chad Marshall

59 : Gláuber

80 : Ben Speas

96 : Andy Gruenebaum

97 : Federico Higuaín

Say what you will about Castrol, they are sticking with it. And it's one that is cared for. It's not random. Every player rating system has faults but, as long as they are maintained, should be taken in and digested. Castrol is doing just that.

A little late this week on the ol’ Round up... busy, but committed to 34! Thanks for reading, have a great weekend. May your favorite sports team win.