MLS Table Talk | Goat Got Your Tongue?

Who'd-a-thunk it? Just five games in to the new season, and Chivas are four points clear at the top with an astonishing lead in the points-per-game table (2.6 vs. the Revs at 2.0). And what about the other end? You'd expect to find Dallas and LA languishing, but the defending champs? And, predictably, you've got the usual scrum in the middle, with just two points separating the Rapids in 5th from the Red Bulls in 12th. That's a recipe for some rapid table changes on any given weekend, a formula that seasoned followers of MLS will no doubt be familiar with.

Other points of interest?

• The points-per-game table also throws out the interesting tidbit that RSL would be in 4th and the Revs in 2nd if we were sorting by that statistic.
  
• Note that no team currently residing in a playoff spot has a negative goal difference, while every single team that's not in a playoff spot does.
  
• Only two clubs, the Crew and Galaxy, have yet to win a game. On the other end of the spectrum, the Goats, Fire, and Revs have yet to lose.
• The Fire lead the way in offense, netting at a rate of two per game. The Red Bulls trail the pack at 0.6 goals per game, though that could have been much worse without the two they put past RSL this past weekend.
• Defensively, Chivas' 0.4 goals allowed per game leads the way, though major props have to go out to Sigi et al for the expansion Sounders' impressive 0.6 figure. Who can't keep them out? FC Dallas, shockingly (/sarcasm), who are letting in two per game.

Anything else jump out at you? It's probably a bit early to be drawing any conclusions, but some things that surprise me are...

• Chicago allowing 1.4 goals per game. That's about double their total for the majority of last season (some late high-scoring affairs padded their final total). Considering they're returning much the same defense, what's going on here? They're barely better than the woeful Gax (1.5), fercrapssakes!
  
• The Wiz and Chivas are banging them in at a rate of 1.6 goals per game, though many, myself included, thought they might struggle offensively.
• Nice how those win totals sort out, isn't it?