The first-place Columbus Crew. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Sure, it only lasted until Wednesday, when New England beat D.C. to move back on top of the East, but for four days the Crew enjoyed the rarified air of first place in the brutal Eastern Conference.

The fact that Columbus beat red-hot FC Dallas to move into first made the accomplishment even more impressive.

The red-hot Hoops of FC Dallas will take their five-match unbeaten streak to Crew Stadium tonight to take on a Columbus team that has struggled in recent weeks (1-2-2 in past five).

Dallas will be looking to keep pressure on Real Salt Lake and Houston at the top of the Western Conference standings while Columbus tries to regain second place in the East, as well as avoid falling into the pack chasing the final playoff spots in the East.

The Houston Dynamo lost to the New England Revolution in the SuperLiga final on Tuesday night, but that setback didn't overshadow the fact that the defending MLS Cup champions are rounding into form at just the right time in MLS play.

Houston's 2-0 win over a quality Columbus squad showed just how well the Dynamo is playing as it moves toward its rightful place atop the West standings.

Lost in the shadow of Matt Reis' MVP-like season, as well as Jon Busch's comeback player of the year-like season, has been the extremely solid season being put in by Columbus goalkeeper Wil Hesmer, who has done his part to make Crew fans stop counting the days until Brad Friedel returns.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto won't be in the MLS All-Star game later this week and last Thursday he provided a strong case for being the worst snub in the league. The Argentine star dazzled the crowd at Crew Stadium, helping Columbus fight back from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead against the Wizards.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good morning all. The end of a very busy and news-filled week is upon us and as we wind down toward Saturday's MLS schedule (and David Beckham's return to the New York area), it is time to catch up on some news and notes from the soccer world.

A red-hot Real Salt Lake rode its stingy defense to a shutout win against a strong Columbus squad to move into first place in the Western Conference.

Okay, I'll wait while everybody takes in that last sentence. And no, you aren't dreaming.

RSL is enjoying the best run of form in club history (and yes, I know that's not saying a lot) and now sits in first place in the extremely weak Western Conference.

The Chicago Fire still hasn't won an MLS match in a month, so you would think a road point against the Columbus Crew would be a moral victory of sorts.

Well, it wasn't. Not when Chicago held a two-goal lead early on and looked like it might find that long-awaited victory.

That Columbus Crew team that tore up MLS the first month of the season just might be back. Okay, so it was just one win against a shaky Colorado squad, but seeing Robbie Rogers work his magic and Emmanuel Ekpo run rampant sure made the Crew look pretty dangerous.

Unfortunately for Rapids fans, the under-achiving and points-dropping squad they have grown accustomed to in Colorado also appears to be back.

Watching the Columbus Crew and Los Angeles Galaxy do battle it last Saturday it was tough to believe that both these teams missed the playoffs last year. The Crew and Galaxy have boasted exciting attacking soccer this year and they both look to have the firepower to reach the post-season in 2008.

Call them the Starsky and Hutch of MLS. Jesse Marsch and Jorge Flores have formed an entertaining tandem that keep finding new ways to defeat opponents. Now if only they could get the orange Dodge Charger.

Chivas USA fans won't care what Marsch, Flores and the Goats drive as long as they keep the three-match winning streak going tonight against the New York Red Bulls.

Let's talk about the soccer.

While other incidents at the Revs-Crew match have garnered more attention, let's take this moment to look back at the actual soccer match that took place. New England traveled to Columbus and put on a display of physical soccer that would have made the old Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia Flyers proud.

It was supposed to be a great showdown between two of the hotter teams in MLS. The first-place Columbus Crew against a surging Toronto FC in front of a sold-out crowd at BMO Field.

Wind, rough tackling, diving, bad officiating and worse finishing turned the highly-anticipated encounter into an ugly one.

Fans in San Jose must have thought they were dreaming when their Earthquakes not only scored a goal, but scored to take a lead against the hottest team in Major League Soccer, the Columbus Crew. The lead was enjoyable, though short-lived, as the Crew showed why they are the best team in the league through seven weeks.

Who can stop the Columbus Crew? The Kansas City Wizards couldn't, becoming the latest victim of Sigi Schmid's Crew express, which has rattled off four straight wins and established Columbus as the top team in MLS.

Yes, that still sounds strange to say but few signs point to it being a fluke.

When the Columbus Crew traveled to RFK Stadium last Thursday it was expected to be a predictable match. D.C. would get its attack going and post a win while the Crew would struggle on the road and lose in D.C. yet again.

The outcome was anything but predictable. The Crew thoroughly outplayed D.

If the Columbus Crew offense sleep-walked through its 2-0 loss to the Red Bulls a week earlier, the Crew attack was WIDE awake against Chivas USA as four goals helped Columbus topple the Goats and stay perfect at Crew Stadium.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto erased the memories of his invisible showing last week by scoring a goal and setting up two others, including one on a beautiful laser-like assist to Robbie Rogers.

The Columbus Crew will be looking to erase the memories of last week's lackluster performance against the Red Bulls, but it won't be easy against a Chivas USA team that has managed to get results despite not playing its best soccer.

Crew Stadium won't have an army of visiting fans so look for the Crew to be pushed by a home team eager to see its team show the form that helped Columbus win the season opener against Toronto FC.

Admit it Crew fans, the season-opening win against Toronto FC had you buzzing about a great season. That vibe lasted less than a minute into Saturday as the Red Bulls handed Columbus a 2-0 loss in what could be best described as a drab performance by the Crew.

So was it just a case of the Crew having an off night or is the club's need for a target forward going to become an issue that dogs the team all year?

MLS opening days at Giants Stadium are traditionally known for two things, fans dreading what the new year will bring and rain putting a damper on the opening-game festivities.

Well, one out of two ain't bad. The concerns about the Red Bull season are there, but the skies are clear here at Giants Stadium.

Good morning everybody. Hope you enjoyed your Easter weekend, though I'm sure Arsenal and Liverpool fans were probably not in the most festive mood.

We will get back to European soccer later today. For now, I want to point out that the lengthy MLS off-season is almost over and we are just a few days away from the start of the 2008 MLS season.

Good morning everybody. Hope you enjoyed your Easter weekend, though I'm sure Arsenal and Liverpool fans were probably not in the most festive mood.

We will get back to European soccer later today. For now, I want to point out that the lengthy MLS off-season is almost over and we are just a few days away from the start of the 2008 MLS season.

The Columbus Crew's reported deal for Argentine left back Gino Padula is still in the works and has not been finalized.

According to Patrick McCabe, Padula's U.S.-based agent, the Crew and Padula are still in negotiations. French publication L'Equipe reported on Friday that a deal had already been reached.

Good morning all. There have been a bunch of news nuggets in MLS and American soccer and SBI hasn't been able to get to all of them, so here is a rundown of some of the better tidbits to emerge in recent days:

Friedel signs extension- Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel will have a little more time to hone that British accent.

Photo by ISI Photos

Maciej Zurawski has been one of the most commonly mentioned names during this MLS off-season. Linked with Los Angeles and most recently with the Columbus Crew, the Polish striker looked like a good bet to join Major League Soccer.