ProSoccerTalk’s weekly MLS rankings – Part II of III

12. Chicago Fire – Can anyone get too excited about a win at Toronto? Saturday’s 3-2 result falls under “getting the business done,” and fair enough for that. But if we’re looking for “quality wins,” then Pavel Pardo and Co. will have to keep scanning the MLS landscape. Three points this week over visiting Seattle would probably qualify.

11. FC Dallas – Schellas Hyndman’s team remains on the lookout for its first road points of 2012. The back spasms that made goalkeeper Kevin Hartman a late scratch last week must be concerning, although backup Chris Seitz was at no fault for the swell goal in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Vancouver. Midfield reinforcements are on the way as Jackson has received his visa, but late this week is the earlier he’ll be seen around North Texas.

10. Los Angeles Galaxy – Things are definitely moving in the right direction for Bruce Arena’s team. The Galaxy didn’t look particularly great in the second half off last week’s 2-1 win at Colorado, but picking up points on the road is the mark of a good team, no matter the aesthetics. Landon Donovan and Mike Magee stood out in the win (along with Josh Saunders’ late heroics), and David Beckham was at his finger-wagging, PK-delaying best; His stalling prior to the late, controversial penalty kick was classic stuff – and his improving play on the field was a boon, too.

9. D.C. United – What a crew of young attackers Ben Olsen now has at his choosing – not to mention one crackerjack of a veteran scorer/creator in Dwayne De Rosario. Between Chris Pontius, Andy Najar, Danny Cruz and early Rookie of the Year candidate Nick DeLeon, Olsen hardly needs those two DPs who can’t seem to find their MLS feet. United leap-frogged the Red Bulls into second place in the East with that 4-1 thrashing Sunday at RFK.

8. Colorado Rapids – Oscar Pareja’s team pressed Los Angeles at the end, nearly turning up the late equalizer on a highly dubious penalty kick award. That unfortunate decision is a different discussion, however. What we’d like to know is this: don’t they have anybody who can hit a better PK than Omar Cummings, whose slow, short run-up looked like a miss waiting to happen? It’s yet another reason the Rapids need a healthy Conor Casey, a striker’s striker, who is 4-for-4 from the spot over the last two years. Cummings, by the way, failed to convert the only other penalty kick he’s taken for the Rapids, back in 2009.

7. New York Red Bulls – Say this for the Red Bulls: there’s rarely a shortage of goals. Every week Thierry Henry and/or Kenny Cooper are knocking ‘em home at one end. Of course, a bungling back line is doing everything except tossing ‘em in themselves at the opposite end. Center back Wilman Conde can’t get healthy quickly enough. Meanwhile, there’s one positive from the comically poor defending: at least we’re not talking about Rafa Marquez.