Wow. Sometimes I'm so damn witty it hurts. Right, moving on. There was definitely a lack of "top 10" performances but out of the MLS newcomers, these were the best of the best for Week 5. Tonight starts week 6 and it'll be interesting to see how the Goats do on the road vs. the Reds.


1. Brad Knighton (New England)

Is Reis now expendable?? Of course not, but if the performance vs. DC is what he'll bring to the table every week then Steve Nicol has found himself yet another gem. Seven saves is busy for even a Matt Reis and Knighton looked collected and, more importantly, reliable.

2. Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles)

The goalkeepers have ruled this year and Donovan Ricketts is the only thing so far keeping the Galaxy defense together this season. He wasn't tested as much as last weekend but he certainly had his share of circus variety saves.

3. Chukwudi Chijindu (Chivas USA)

There's a good chance Chijindu shouldn't be this high, but we'll reward him on his first MLS goal. He was only signed 2 weeks ago and "Chucky" - according to the LA Daily News - made his second MLS appearance a memorable one. by tapping in a Bojan Stepanovic cross. This guy was a supplemental draft pick last year. We won't get carried way but it's hard to not to root for him.

4. Alfredo Pacheco (Red Bull New York)


The mystery man Pacheco arrived and delivered a great debut for Red Bull New York after what seems like a whole offseason of waiting. As the Bulls continued their home domination of Real Salt Lake, Pacheco looked like the quintessential fullback - getting into the attack, delivering crosses, but tracking back efficiently to shut down counters and keep the wings quiet. Definitely interested to see how he pans out.

5. David Ferreira (FC Dallas)

Ferreira grabbed his first MLS point with a smart assist to Kenny Cooper to put Dallas up 2-0 on Toronto FC. The little playmaker is really starting to settle in and no one is going to like that more than Kenny Cooper. Ferreira had his hand in all three goals in their first win of the season.

6. Pablo Campos (San Jose)

After the Cam Weaver experiment didn't particularly work, Frank Yallop decided it was time for Campos to get a chance. The former GAIS Goteborg striker was given a sitter to open his MLS account but he caused the Berhalter-less Galaxy defense significant trouble throughout the match. Will a goal be enough to warrant yet another start?

7. Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle)

He didn't have his best game vs. the Goats but he still ran the Sounders offense, helping produce their best chance (which Fredy Montero probably should have put away). He put in his first full 90 for Seattle, another big thing. That alone probably pushes him past Claudio Reyna on the DP success list.

8. Bojan Stepanovic (Chivas USA)


Stepanovic got his first assist to go with his first MLS goal scored earlier this year. Until he substituted in the 76th minute, in favor of the guy right below him, a lot of the Goats' offensive traffic went through him.

9. Gerson Mayen (Chivas USA)

He isn't lighting things up but Mayen, who came off the bench this week, continues to help produce for the Goats. The youngster is one of the biggest reasons that Preki's squad sits on top of the standings. It's as if Chivas USA is now used to never having a fully healthy squad.

10. Rodney Wallace (DC United)


Wallace was all over the place for DC on Friday, playing the midfield and on the backline. He performed admirably after Marc Burch was pulled. I wonder if Wallace would have finished any of those Pontius misses?

Debut: Luis Angel Escalada (Real Salt Lake), Alfredo Pacheco (RBNY), Chris Eylander (Seattle)

Awaiting Debut: Kyle Davies (RSL), Ade
Akinbiyi (HOU), Andrew Hainault (HOU), Emmanuel Gomez (TFC), Emmanuel Osei (NER), Stephane Assengue Ombiogno (NER), Eric Brunner (DF-CMB), Amadou Sanyang (TFC), Alvaro Sanchez (FCD)

Scoring goes 10 pts. for first spot, 9 pts. for second spot, 8 pts. for third spot, etc.

OVERALL [pts/wk]

1. Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle - 23 pts.) [4-0-10-5-4]
2. Freddy Montero (Seattle - 19 pts.) [10-9-0-0-0]
Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles - 19 pts.) [0-0-0-10-9]
3. Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle - 16 pts.) [0-7-9-0-0]
Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle - 16 pts.) [9-0-0-7-0]
4. Kasey Keller (Seattle - 14 pts.) [0-10-4-0-0]
Chris Pontius (DC United - 14 pts.) [6-6-0-2-0]
5. Steve Zakuani (Seattle - 13 pts.) [0-5-8-0-0]
6. Brad Knighton (New England - 11 pts.)
7. Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA - 9 pts.) [0-3-6-0-0]
Kevin Alston (New England - 9 pts.) [5-4-0-0-0]
Bobby Convey (San Jose - 9 pts.) [0-0-0-9-0]
Gerson Mayen (Chivas USA - 9 pts.)
8. Cam Weaver (San Jose - 8 pts.) [0-8-0-0-0]
Sebastian Le Toux (Seattle - 8 pts.) [8-0-0-0-0]
Mariano Trujillo (Chivas USA - 8 pts.) [0-0-0-8-0]
David Ferreira (FC Dallas - 8 pts.)
9. Santiago Hirsig (Kansas City - 7 pts.)
Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles - 7 pts.)
Alfredo Pacheco (Red Bull New York - 7 pts.)
10. Matt Besler (Kansas City - 6 pts.)
11. Sam Cronin (Toronto FC - 5 pts.)
Pablo Campos (San Jose - 5 pts.)
Darrius Barnes (New England - 5 pts.)
Stefan Frei (Toronto FC - 5 pts.)
12. Bojan Stepanovic (Chivas USA - 4 pts.)
13. Pablo Vitti (Toronto FC - 1 pt.)
Alec Dufty (New York - 1 pt.)
Rodney Wallace (DC United - 1pt.)

Until week 6...