MLS Notebook: A lot's happened in the last week, and of course we're talking about the Sergio Busquets signing

Really, Matchweek 25 last Wednesday could have supported a full notebook; it was just that good. But it's also been busy around these parts getting ready for the Women's World Cup and Leagues Cup starting later this week. 

Plus, if that wasn't enough, All-Star Week is upon us, and The Striker will be there for tomorrow's All-Star Skills Challenge (one of our favorite days on the global soccer calendar). 

Oh, and MLS's equivalent of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen — sorry, Sergio Busquets, but you know it's true — celebrated their dual signing on Sunday night in the former Lockhart Stadium. (That plot of land has certainly had a journey in the last five years!) 

Seriously, though, we're excited about MLS joining the Messi Era, though initially, we're curious to see if Miami can vault from its current Wooden Spoon status to break through into the playoff mix. We don't think it's going to happen, because the first 2/3 of the season have been cruel like that. It's not just like losing to Saudi Arabia in the first round of a playoff match. 

For the record, Messi comes into a squad that's managed a 5-14-3 record and a -14 goal differential, 12 points away from 9th-place D.C. That's a lot of ground to make up. 

If the playoffs started today

Cincinnati is now on 51 points, at 2.22 points a game, and need 23 points in the last 33 available to break the MLS points record. 27 points would clinch the Supporters' Shield even if the Revs went perfect the rest of the way and broke their own record in the process. Oh, and is that the Fire in 8th? 

In the West, RSL and Seattle make up a tier of top four teams with St. Louis and LAFC. St. Louis held on to the top spot thanks to beating Miami 3-0 on Saturday with only 37 percent possession. Austin heads up a second tier of six teams. While teams can still change positions along the way, this might be what we're looking at heading into the playoffs. 

West

1. St. Louis
2. LAFC
3. Salt Lake
4. Seattle
5. Austin
6. San Jose
7. Vancouver
8. Dallas
9. Houston

East

1. Cincinnati
2. New England
3. Philadelphia
4. Nashville
5. Orlando
6. Columbus
7. Atlanta
8. Chicago
9. D.C.

Surprise of the Week

Okay, we figured New England would beat D.C. on Saturday, but 4-0 is a lot, and you want to watch all the highlights just to see a pair of All-Star goalkeepers at their craft ...