1. Darrius Barnes (New England)

Forget his own goal given as simply a consolation goal in the last five minutes of a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake. The Revs have been on a tear since the All-Star break and you have to point out the fact that two rookies and a newcomer are the ones manning an impressive backline (kind of like the Galaxy with Gonzalez, DeLaGarza, and Berhalter). New England should have had two shutouts in week 23 - a 1-0 squeeze by Seattle and the dominant win over Salt Lake and Barnes was all over the place.

2. Albert Celades (New York)

I don't really remember the last time a Red Bull made it onto this list but Celades' passing and vision vs. FC Dallas helped keep the Bulls defense from shooting themselves in the foot once again. Celades and Angel combined for a pretty chip as the Colombian striker finally got the service he had been waiting for all season. How must he feel about this current season? Regardless, Celades showed that If he was back next season and the ship was still floating, he could act as a pinpoint distributor in the midfield. Two assists as the Red Bulls continue their efforts to avoid the worst season in league history.

3. Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles)


The Galaxy have 9 more points than last season at this time. How many of those points would have disappeared if it weren't for the play of Donovan Ricketts? With the Jamaican in net and the over-performing backline in front of him, the Galaxy could break the club record of 11 shutouts on a season. Los Angeles need consistency last season and there was none to be found. At least on the defensive side of things in 2009, that consistency has arrived.

4. Maicon Santos (Chivas USA)

Forget last night's pitiful performance by the Goats and focus on Maicon Santos' debut last week vs. Toronto FC. With both the Brazilian and Jesus Padilla playing their first game with the club, the Goats entered their match vs. TFC needing a win to right the ship. Maicon - an imposing presence - provided the beautiful through ball that gave Kljestan one of his two goals (about time Sacha). The slide was temporarily halted but with their laundry list of injuries, it's uncertain whether or not reinforcements can help enough to keep from falling out of playoff contention (and yesterday's 4-0 loss to RSL is indicative of that).

5. Gregg Berhalter (Los Angeles)


You really can only say it so much. The Galaxy's defense has been incredible this season - especially compared to last. Week-in, week-out, it's the same guys in the back providing the Galaxy offense with a chance to win. Two shutouts in Week 23 certainly confirmed that. Berhalter's nurturing of Omar Gonzalez this season has allowed the Gals to continue their quest to end a 3-year playoff drought and possibly even compete for an MLS Cup.

6. Emmanuel Osei (New England)

Osei was massive in the Revs 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders mid-week. Even when assistant coach Paul Mariner was ejected and the goalkeeping coach took over, Osei seemed to keep his charges intact and ready for a Sounders onslaught. It's not easy to win a game at Qwest and the Revs were able to do so.

7. Luis Angel Landin (Houston)


He entered in the 76th minute vs. Seattle and had a nice impact almost finding Stuart Holden for the gamewinner. The DP should get a bit more time in Week 24 but if his standing ovation upon entrance at Robertson Stadium is any indication, there's a lot of expectations behind the striker.

8. Kevin Alston (New England)

How do you not include the player who not once - but twice - cleared a ball off of the goal line in the Revolution's 1-0 win over Western Conference contenders Seattle. Alston - despite an injury early on - has rebounded after some time off, regained his starting spot, and joins a host of surprisingly good rookie defenders this season.

9. Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle)

Low blood sugar couldn't keep Freddie down for long as he was all over the place for Seattle in their Sunday clash with Houston. They tied but the Sounders had to be happy to have their DP back in the line-up after he missed a couple games. As if to prove he was already up to speed, Ljungberg provided the first real chance of the game when he beat both Bobby Boswell and Wade Barrett and testing Kasey Keller. With Montero returning this week from suspension, the Sounders might finally be back at full strength.

10. Rauwshan McKenzie (Kansas City)


They lost once again as Peter Vermes continued as interim caretaker of the lost Wizards. McKenzie, however, has been a nice surprise for Kansas City and he's someone that can undoubtedly help them in the future.

OVERALL [pts/wk]

1. Freddy Montero (Seattle - 70 pts.)
2. Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles - 59 pts.)
3. Chris Pontius (DC United - 47 pts.)
Steve Zakuani (Seattle - 47 pts.)
Eric Brunner (Columbus - 45 pts.)
Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle - 45 pts.)
4. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle - 44 pts.)
5. Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles - 42 pts.)
6. Stefan Frei (Toronto FC - 35 pts.)
7. Andrew Hainault (Houston - 34 pts.)
David Ferreira (FC Dallas - 34 pts.)
Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA - 34 pts.)
8. Kasey Keller (Seattle - 32 pts.)
9. Gregg Berhalter (Los Angeles - 31 pts.)
Emmanuel Osei (New England - 31 pts.)
10. Kevin Alston (New England - 30 pts.)
11. Rodney Wallace (DC United - 26 pts.)
12. A.J. DeLaGarza (Los Angeles - 25 pts.)
13. Pablo Vitti (Toronto FC - 23 pts.)
14. Mariano Trujillo (Chivas USA - 22 pts.)
15. Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle - 21 pts.)
16. Sam Cronin (Toronto FC - 19 pts.)
Albert Celades (New York - 19 pts.)
17. Cam Weaver (San Jose/Houston - 18 pts.)
Pablo Campos (San Jose/Real Salt Lake - 18 pts.)
Darrius Barnes (New England - 18 pts.)
18. Dejan Jakovic (DC United - 17 pts.)
Kyle Davies (FC Dallas - 17 pts.)
Cornell Glen (San Jose - 17 pts.)
19. Brad Knighton (New England -16 pts.)
20. Alfredo Pacheco (Red Bull New York - 14 pts.)
Baggio Husidic (Chicago - 14 pts.)
21. Matt Besler (Kansas City - 11 pts.)
22. Alvaro Sanchez (FC Dallas - 10 pts.)
Santiago Hirsig (Kansas City - 10 pts.)
Michael Lahoud (Chivas USA - 10 pts.)
23. Bobby Convey (San Jose - 9 pts.)
Gerson Mayen (Chivas USA - 9 pts.)
Scott Palguta (Colorado - 9 pts.)
24. Sebastian Le Toux (Seattle - 8 pts.)
25. Jeremy Hall (New York - 7 pts.)
O'Brian White (Toronto FC - 7 pts.)
Maicon Santos (Chivas USA - 7 pts.)
26. Raphael Cox (Real Salt Lake - 6 pts.)
Edgaras Jankauskas (New England - 6 pts.)
Chukwudi Chijindu (Chivas USA - 6 pts.)
Andre Luiz (San Jose - 6 pts.)
Rauwshan McKenzie (Kansas City - 6 pts.)
27. Nick Zimmerman (New York - 5 pts.)
Peter Lowry (Chicago - 5 pts.)
Ramon Sanchez (San Jose - 5 pts.)
28. Bojan Stepanovic (Chivas USA - 4 pts.)
Stephane Assengue (New England - 4 pts.)
Luis Angel Landin (Houston - 4 pts.)
29. Chris Birchall (Los Angeles - 3 pts.)
Ali Gerba (Toronto FC - 3 pts.)
Emmanuel Gomez (Toronto FC - 3 pts.)
30. Luis Miguel Escalada (Real Salt Lake - 2 pts.)
Milos Kocic (DC United - 2 pts.)
Carlos Johnson (New York - 2 pts.)
Quincy Amarikwa (San Jose - 2 pts.)
Leo Gonzalez (Seattle - 2 pts.)
31. Alec Dufty (New York - 1 pt.)
Kyle Reynish (Real Salt Lake - 1 pt.)
Tony Sanneh (Los Angeles - 1 pt.)
Ange N'Silu (DC United - 1 pt.)
Jair Benitez (FC Dallas - 1 pt.)