Things we learned in MLS Week 13

1. League leaders, RSL, are human after all.

Ask anyone around if Real Salt Lake would suffer from losing their coach, Jason Kreis, to NYCFC and they would tell you that common sense says "yes."   Well, a thirteen game unbeaten streak to start the 2014 season let us know that, sometimes, even common sense is an idiot.   With three players missing for World Cup duty and two more out due to injury, RSL went as far as they could with the depth they had but couldn't extend their streak to fourteen.  Over the weekend, the Seattle Sounders handed Salt Lake their first loss of the season and proved to the rest of the league that RSL does have an Achilles heel.....bad luck and depth.

2. NYCFC promised a big announcement and they delivered.

Early last week, New York City FC let slip that they would be making a major announcement in the following week.  Not long after, rumors surfaced all over twitter that NY2 would be signing Atlitico Madrid striker David Villa.  After the initial panic/excitement/way the internet reacts to everything passed, NYCFC did indeed make the big reveal.  At 32, Villa is still a huge signing and someone that every fan of MLS should be looking forward to seeing in the league.  Recent rumors have said that Villa will be going on loan to Australia's A-League before NYCFC officially takes the pitch in 2015.  If Major League Soccer is a physical league, the A-League is mixed martial arts with a soccer ball.  Villa is still a world class forward, but he's far from being a young player and such a physical league could see the Spanish international hurt before making his grand entrance in Yankee Stadium.  Regardless, this signing put the entire league on notice.  New York City plans on hitting the infield running.  If David Villa is any indication, they're going to have the players to do it.

3. The New York Red Bulls are in a bit of trouble.

Last week, Dax McCarty tweeted this.  Twitter immediately exploded with rumors of a trade which sparked mass depression among the RBNY faithful.  Today we learned that, like every other bit of information we get out of the Red Bulls, there's good news and bad news.  The good news is that McCarty has not been traded.  The bad news is that he's still going to be missing from the pitch for a few weeks with a knee injury that requires surgery.   The worse news is that his absence could hardly come at a worse time.  With Thierry Henry off to Brazil to work with the BBC, Roy Mill and Tim Cahill away for World Cup Duty, Dax hurt and Jamison Olave most likely missing next week's match because of New England's concrete passed off as turf pitch, the Red Bulls dicey season is looking to get even more so.  Mostly likely, it will be Eric Alexander to take over as the center defensive midfielder, a thought that makes most Red Bull supporters nervous.   No matter who takes over McCarty's spot, his absence will make an already shaky midfield a lot more worrying and a questionable defense down right scary for all the wrong reasons.

4. Chivas USA has checked out.

Last Wednesday, Chivas USA played the Portland Timbers in LA, in front of a massive crowed.  With a reported 3,702 tickets sold, the actual number in the Stub Hub Center looked to be much lower.  Not only was it the lowest recorded attendance in MLS history, but it seemed to to be the high water mark insofar as Chivas' season is concerned.   A lame duck club, due for a re-brand and looking for a new owner, it appears as though the California side is just treading water until this season is over.   They may get a result here and there, but, from the outside looking in, it seems like the players, much like the majority of the fans, have already moved on to next year and, hopefully, better things to come.