MLS Power Rankings, Week 7: Hot and cold

Week 7 was the first week of the season that featured midweek matches, and it set the tone for a week that saw some teams that were leading the pack fall off while others made a statement. Last week's #1, Sporting Kansas City, took two hard losses, while the Colorado Rapids, now with Jermaine Jones in the lineup, screamed through the snow that the rest of the league better say their name when mentioning the best teams of this young season. Still, it's hard to take stock of how things are shaping up for the league through 45 days, as teams are still finding ways to stumble when the target's on their back.

The weather is getting warmer and, with the exception of a few cities, spring is in full effect. Still, winter has its death grip over quite a few teams. If you look at the conference standings, so far the Western Conference is full of the teams currently on fire, with 6 teams over 10 points. The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, may as well be renamed the Antarctic Conference. Only one team, the Montreal Impact, has double digit points and most teams currently reside in that purgatory between decent and mediocre. That frigid parity in the East, however, means that there's plenty of room for teams to make moves and find that spark to leave Old Man Winter behind.

With KC losing twice in Week 7, we once again have a new top dog in the Rankings: FC Dallas. Colorado makes the leap into the top 10, while our beloved D.C. United falls into the bottom 4. Finally, the team we love to hate, the New York Red Bulls, have lost the plot it seems and they get to figure out what's wrong all the way under the Rankings. What say you? Which Eastern teams can make a run? Can the Black-and-Red be one of those teams? Is the West really that much better than the East this year? Comment away and let's hear the hottest of takes.