With four of the last five expansion teams in the Western Conference you would figure the more established squads would have a leg up on their younger brethren. However, when the playoffs roll around this fall I would not be surprised to see three of the four new kids in the post-season.

Parity is the big word out West. While the Texas teams are clearly two steps ahead of the competition, you could pretty much throw the other six teams into a hat and pick the playoff sides. When the dust settles though, I think two of the newest kids on the block holding tickets to the post-season dance.

1. DALLAS
In some ways, FC Dallas will finish atop the west by default. A good team, but not a great team yet. The addition of Dave Van den Bergh should give Kenny Cooper some good service from the left flank, and with a pre-season under his belt Jeff Cunningham will provide even more firepower – and some insurance in case that long awaited move to Europe finally occurs for Cooper in August. The real reason why the Hoops will finish above Houston is that while the Dynamo will struggle to replace the departed Dwayne De Rosario, Dallas adds veteran Colombian playmaker David Ferreira, brought in on loan from sister club, Atletico Paranaense. Ferreira will wear the mantel of a number 10, but he is not a true playmaker, but that is not a slight. He is a very good passer of the ball, but he is a complete midfielder who will make Dallas’s midfield the best in MLS. The one area that will keep them from winning everything is in defense. Adrian Serioux is the latest to leave Big-D – and they still have not adequately replaced Clarence Goodson after his departure a year ago.

2. HOUSTON
Another quality performance by Houston last year, but eventually Dominic Kinnear has to run out of his supply of rubber bands and paper clips that keep the Dynamo running. This time, it is the departure of Dwayne De Rosario. That will put instant pressure on Stuart Holden to step up to the challenge. Kinnear says there will be several midfielders who will share the burden, but his fellow Scottish-born Dynamo is the only one that comes close to De Rosario’s skill. Even worse for the Orange nation, the once-potent flank play is looking a little long in the tooth. Brian Mullen and especially the injury-prone Brad Davis will need a lot of help from the likes of Corey Ashe. The Dynamo’s saving grace is on defense. Eventually Pat Onstad is going to play like a 40-year-old keeper, but it will not be this season. And with Eddie Robinson, Bobby Boswell and Ricardo Clark in front of him – and the rumored pick-up of Canadian international Andrew Hainault – Onstad will have plenty of protection. The front office’s inability to add depth up front will be their undoing though. With Brian Ching busy with Bob Bradley’s 2010 effort, Kinnear will need to count on more than Kei Kamara if Houston is to shine.

3. SEATTLE
Sure, they are a debutante to the ball, but the job the Sounders have done in putting together their inaugural team is unprecedented. With Kasey Keller providing veteran leadership and Freddy Montero youthful exuberance the only thing that will stop Seattle from making the playoffs could be the turf at Qwest Field. It might be the best artificial turf in the league, but how quickly can the newcomers adjust and can the neon green avoid the injury bug? If so, not only do I think Seattle makes the post-season but makes some noise once they get there. I pick them to get to the final four. The flash signing for Seattle was Freddie Ljungberg, but his loan contribution so far has been eating up the medical budget with hip surgery. The fact that the Sounders look so promising without the former Gunner shows what a good job they have done. I was looking forward to Drew Carey’s pre-game parades even before the job that the Sounders front office did in putting together their debut squad. Now, I think the pied piper will be playing a happy tune come playoff-time. If the veterans can gel quickly, Seattle’s raucous fans should have a lot to cheer about all year long.

4. SALT LAKE
The merry-go-round continues to spin in Salt Lake, but it should be a fun ride for the RSL fans that make the trek to beautiful Rio Tinto. Goalkeeper Nick Rimando gets better with age, and Real has the best backup in the league in Chris Snitko. Jamison Olave is ready for a bust-out season in the backline. Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales might be the best central midfield tandem in MLS and last season Yura Movsisyan proved to be a solid target up front. That is a strong spine for Jason Kreis to build around. That should not be hard to do with talent like Chris Wingert, Robbie Findlay and a revitalized Clint Mathis at his disposal. With his wife ailing, Andrew Williams will face some distractions this season but last year Williams proved that he still has a lot to offer off the bench and in spot starts. Getting off the hard artificial turf at Rice-Eccles and on to the pristine surface of their new home ground will make a real improvement in Real’s style. And nothing is more attractive than wins. Last year, RSL made the post-season for the first time. They should make it two in a row this time around.

5. SAN JOSE
It took about half the season for the Earthquakes to get their boots tied, but in the second half, they were hard to beat, and fun to watch. In goal, fan favorite Joe Cannon is back, and with Nick Garcia and Ryan Cochrane leading the backline, the defense should be solid again. Last year they finished fourth in team defense and should be near the top again this season. However, goals were hard to come by. A season under their belt should help the chemistry of the players that return, and Quakes fans have to be looking forward to a full season of Darren Huckerby and Bobby Convey marauding down the flanks, maybe enough to forget the departure of Ronnie O’Brien. Frank Yallop’s side is still a bit light up top, even after the acquisition of former USL big man Cam Weaver after a stint in Norway. The former USL-Sounder checks in at a powerful 6’4” and will be able to handle a lot of the physical abuse from opposing defenses. That should leave Ryan Johnson and Arturo Alvarez the freedom to run. If they can be productive, San Jose could challenge for the playoffs.

6. CHIVAS USA
There are a few more missing pieces in Preki’s puzzle this year, not to mention a few more in need of mending. Chivas USA fans will have to keep their fingers crossed that nothing else breaks or it will be a long season for Southern California soccer supporters. The last original goal is gone, as Francisco Mendoza is trying to hook up with the parent club – and Sacha Kljestan looks likely to follow him out of town before the season is over. The club did pick up Ante Jazic from the Galaxy, but could lose the Emperor, Claudio Suarez to a contract squabble. Moreover, with a limping front line of Ante Razov, Alecko Eskandarian and Maykel Galindo – the goat making the most runs is likely to be Josh Beaumont, their trainer. Former Tecos big man Eduardo Lillingston is one of the foreign players Preki has brought in for a look-see, but there have been better Mexican forwards that have tried and failed before in MLS. There is plenty of veteran leadership on the side, but not enough difference-makers. The team is still trying to sort out the goalkeeper situation after Brad Guzan left last year. However, I think their real problems lie elsewhere. There is too little oomph in the midfield and too little depth up front to consider Chivas a serious contender.

7. LOS ANGELES
Even if David Beckham and Landon Donovan return, the Galaxy are not going to be a thrilling team, and it takes some imagination to see them make the playoffs. However, with or without L.A.’s prodigal pair, Bruce Arena has had a full pre-season under his belt and that will make LA hard to beat, especially after the signing of Jamaican National Team keeper Donovan Ricketts. For all their problems last year, the Galaxy finished with the league’s best offense. (Just like the financial disclaimers, though: past performance is not a measure of future success.) So far in the pre-season Alan Gordon (yes Alan Gordon) has showed signs of taking it to the next level and whether it’s Chris Klein or Beckham serving the ball in, someone’s got to do something with it and Gordon seems to have the edge over Edson Buddle at this point. Jovan Kirovski continues to fall short of the potential he showed when he was playing alongside Beckham as a teenager at Manchester United. Maybe a return to Beckham’s side might do the trick. The pairing of National Team veteran Tony Sanneh and 6’5″ rookie Omar Gonzalez in the central defense looks to be a pleasant surprise. However, that forces Sean Franklin out to the right, and that is where opposing offenses will put a bulls-eye for their attack. The only Beckham-effect this season might be fans putting their money down for a few hearty boos – a sort-of soccer equivalent of the dunk tank at the church fair. Whether Galaxy fans will be singing at the end, could well depend if Beckham can turn those boos to cheers with a more productive effort than he has shown over the past two seasons.

8. COLORADO
If all the pieces fall in place perfectly, the Rapids could finish as high as fourth, but that is asking a lot for an aging team that has not been able to get over the hump yet. They missed the playoffs last year by just one point, but there are too many questions to imagine positive answers for all of them. Can Conor Casey stay healthy enough to build on his 11-goal haul from last season? Can Cory Gibbs and Pablo Mastroeni actually play three straight games without getting hurt? That is not to say there are no redeeming qualities to the Rapids. With Terry Cooke, Ivan Guerrero and the underappreciated Colin Clark Colorado has some of the best in MLS on the flanks. The pickup of Guyanese speedster Gregory Richardson from Toronto could be a big positive. Matt Pickens is a solid choice in goal now that Bouna-time has struck midnight. Gary Smith was an unknown when he joined the Rapids as an assistant coach last year. He did have the team playing well as the interim head coach down the stretch, but if he can get this team across the wire this season, he is a lock for Coach of the Year.

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