The Money Shot: Sporting Kansas City still on top in ProSoccerTalk’s Weekly MLS rankings

We’ve already dropped knowledge and quasi-science on Parts II and III; here are your top money-makers and heart-breakers in our weekly MLS Rankings countdown, Nos. 1-6:

6. Seattle Sounders – How many nights will Marc Burch lay awake, pondering that stoppage-time header that cracked the crossbar against his old team? Well, a 0-0 draw in the Sounders’ first MLS road test of 2012 is hardly the worst of outcomes. They get back to CenturyLink Field this week as Mauro Rosales and Adam Johansson look set for a possible return.

5. New York Red Bulls – Everything is ice cream and lollipops for the first team in 16-plus Major League Soccer seasons to win three in a row by three goals or more. And holy extrapolation, Batman! Look what happens if we put pen and paper and deep ciphering to Thierry Henry’s early, league-leading total of seven goals: Over a 34-game season, he’d hit for 47! Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger would row across the Atlantic to beg personally if he thought Henry would exchange addresses once again at that point.

4. San Jose Earthquakes – There’s been so much said and written about New York’s high-scoring pair, it gets easy to forget a certain scoring machine quietly going about his business on the other coast. With two more last week, Chris Wondolowski is tied with Kenny Cooper on the MLS goal scoring chart at six, nipping at Henry’s seven. But to be fair, Wondolowski’s ongoing exploits are making it easier to overlook the real reason behind San Jose’s big success so far in 2012: guided by new center back Victor Bernardez, the Earthquakes have conceded just two goals in five matches.

3. Houston Dynamo – A two-week break that extended from March into April can hardly be considered ideal. “Let ‘em play!” But we’ll give the schedule maker a pass here since the idea was mitigating the strain of too many road matches while the paint dries and the bolts are tightened on BBVA Compass Stadium (opening date: May 12). This training ground injury to Brad Davis is unpleasant news as Dominic Kinnear puts his team on a plane for Chicago and this week’s visit to Toyota Park.

2. Real Salt Lake – Mark it down: This Saturday, 8:30 p.m., from Livestrong Sporting Park. Jason Kreis takes his team, atop the West with just one blemish in six matches, into Kansas City for a humdinger of an April matchup. In fact, this is the humdinger of all April matchups. Fabian Espindola, Ton Beltran and Kyle Beckerman are leading the charge at Rio Tinto, where last week’s businesslike, professional 2-0 win over Colorado helped arrange this week’s biggie.

1. Sporting Kansas City – Graham Zusi is getting the assists, Teal Bunbury and C.J. Sapong get ink for their ongoing U.S. international possibilities, Bobby Convey is the alleged “final piece” and everyone along the back line looks like a world beater. All fair enough. But the real driving force behind Sporting Kansas City’s record breaking start (15 of a possible 15 points) has been Kei Kamara. His aggressive, vertical-thinking play embodies what Kansas City is at best. He shares the team lead in goals with three.