The MLS break for the All-Star Game allows us to look back at the first half of the season as clubs prepare for the run-in, which looks set to feature some fierce battles for postseason places. As I write, 12 of the league's 15 clubs have at least 21 points, but only two -- Houston and Columbus -- have reached 30.

Here are my thoughts on what each team has done so far, as well as a pondering or two on how the second half of their season might play out:

Looking back: The defending champions did not register a win until their eighth game but since then have taken 25 points of a possible 36. Guillermo Barros Schelotto was the main man at the start of that run, but the Crew's last two wins have been achieved without the reigning MVP, or Robbie Rogers or Chad Marshall.
Looking ahead: The way Jason Garey and Steven Lenhart have seized the spotlight recently bodes well for Columbus to make a run at defending its title. While Barros Schelotto remains a key man, Robert Warzycha knows his squad has a depth that can handle its CONCACAF Champions League schedule and still be better than most in MLS.

Looking back: Inconsistency brought about by a lack of a settled starting XI blighted the Fire's early season, but its form has improved lately. Cuauhtemoc Blanco's aging legs have been carefully used by Denis Hamlett, while a back line that posted one shutout in the opening eight matches of the campaign conceded just once in four July games.
Looking ahead: Brian McBride's shoulder surgery is a devastating blow to Chicago. In the veteran's absence, Blanco has to elevate his game even further, and those around him -- specifically Marco Pappa and Chris Rolfe -- also need to step up. The wild cards might be the hitherto inconsistent Justin Mapp and Patrick Nyarko.

Looking back: After solving their early-season inability to retain leads, DC has hit form, losing just twice in 16, although half of those games have ended in draws. Josh Wicks has done well in goal, while rookie potential -- led by Chris Pontius -- has blended well with the veteran contingent on the roster.
Looking ahead: Commitments could compromise DC's hopes of clinching a fifth MLS Cup. In addition to the U.S Open Cup final, Tom Soehn's side has to contend with the Champions League. Success in a two-legged preliminary tie would lead to six group-stage games, meaning United would play 19 times between now and Oct. 24.

Looking back: There's rarely been a dull moment north of the border so far this season, where Toronto has won as many as it has lost. A slow start did in John Carver, but Chris Cummins has steadied the ship, though apparently not yet sufficiently to have the "interim" tag removed from his title as head coach.
Looking ahead: Only three clubs have conceded more than the 30 goals TFC has allowed, and each of those has yet to reach 20 points. The impressive Stefan Frei needs more solidity in front of him. If defensive profligacy continues, as important as are Amado Guevara and Dwayne De Rosario farther forward, even more vital is a regular scorer.

Looking back: Given the games missed in the first half by key men, including Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph, for New England to be where it is at the break is an achievement in itself. With at least two games in hand on each of the sides above them, the Revs are well-placed for a late-season run … if they can keep their best players fit.
Looking ahead: With the back solidified and the outlook for Twellman uncertain, Steve Nicol's main focus will be finding goals from alternative sources. Joseph has chipped in, as has Steve Ralston, but the likes of Kheli Dube and Edgaras Jankauskas have to make regular contributions, too.

Looking back: Three wins in four in April suggested that the Wizards were capable of making a push to the top in the East. However, since then, maximum points have been claimed just twice. The veteran trio of Josh Wolff, Claudio Lopez and Davy Arnaud have been consistent, but like many other coaches in MLS, Curt Onalfo remains a (predatory) striker short.
Looking ahead: Perhaps Zoltan Hercegfalvi is that man? Further boosts will come from the return of Arnaud and Jimmy Conrad following Gold Cup duty. Like New England, Kansas City have games in hand and its playoff hopes could be decided over the next six weeks, during which the Wizards play five of seven matches on the road.

Looking back: Must I? I am sure few Red Bulls fans would thank me for doing so. Two wins and 10 points from 21 matches (no other team in the league has played 20) tells the story of, to date, one of the worst seasons in the history of the league. Juan Carlos Osorio might still have a job simply because nobody on the planet could turn this campaign around.
Looking ahead: Thank goodness for 2011 and a new stadium. Other than that, perhaps a run in the Champions League could give long-suffering New York followers something to cheer. Their only ambition in league play for the rest of this season will be to spoil to their rivals' postseason hopes.

Looking back: When Houston is good, it is really good, as a run of 10 wins in 13 games between mid-April and mid-July shows. Before and after that, however, Dominic Kinnear's men struggled. The squad is among the strongest in the league but international absences as well as injuries and suspensions slowed the pace in the weeks before the All-Star break.
Looking ahead: Can the Dynamo sustain a season that began in February? Last season's Champions League will give way to this year's successor and Kinnear will need to work his magic if Houston is to battle for silverware on two fronts. Keeping Ricardo Clark until the end of the season will help.

Looking back: Attention-grabbers from the start, the Sounders have made plenty of noise in their maiden MLS season. From back to front, Seattle is solid through the middle and has a number of bona fide winners. Fredy Montero is the star, but do not underestimate the roles played by unsung heroes, including Nate Jaqua, Osvaldo Alonso and Tyrone Marshall.
Looking ahead: Can they sustain their form? Despite the franchise's rookie status, the experience and ability of the roster (and coach Sigi Schmid) suggests the answer should be yes, although a road-heavy remaining schedule -- four of 12 matches are at Qwest Field -- will make the task a little more challenging.

Looking back: After a hideous end to the 2008 season, making his team hard to beat was clearly a priority for Bruce Arena. Thus, although there were a few too many draws, the Galaxy's start to the season was acceptable. Four wins and a draw in the last five have built on those foundations.
Looking ahead: Talent-wise, this is a strong team. Aside from the flair offered by the usual suspects, the shrewd acquisitions of Donovan Ricketts, Gregg Berhalter and Stefani Miglioranzi have given Los Angeles real solidity. The combination of style and substance could make for a potent playoff participant.

Looking back: As one Home Depot Center inhabitant has ascended, so the other has slipped from top in the West back into the chasing pack. Four straight defeats were a poor way to conclude a first half that began at such a pace. The conference's lowest scorers, Chivas has yet to score three times in a game. Fortunately, the back line remains strong.
Looking ahead: Preki has to solve the offensive issues if the Goats are to make a fourth straight postseason appearance. Sacha Kljestan (no goals and one assist in 12 games) needs to wake up, while Paulo Nagamura's status as the club's second-leading scorer is an indictment of Chivas' strikers, Eduardo Lillingston apart.

Looking back: One of the league's more consistent teams, in that there have been few sustained peaks or troughs, Colorado has ridden the offensive output of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings -- the pair has scored 14 of the team's 28 goals -- through the first half. Home form has been key recently.
Looking ahead: Casey and Cummings will continue to get their share of goals but the front two could do with some support. New arrivals Jamie Smith and Pat Noonan could provide that assistance, as could Mehdi Ballouchy. We'll know more about this Rapids side in a month, after they have played four home games in five.

Looking back: A little like those of Colorado, RSL's results have been up and down all year. Only once has the club won two straight games, a number that is matched by its longest losing streak. Rio Tinto has not been quite the fortress it was in 2008, but it is away from home, where only five points have been taken from nine games, that the real problems lay.
Looking ahead: If the spine of Nick Rimando, Jamison Olave and Kyle Beckerman stays fit and in form in support of the enigmatic trio of Javier Morales, Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Findley, Salt Lake could yet push for the playoffs. The final day fixture at home to the Rapids could be a huge game.

Looking back: To win games, you have to keep goals out, and one shutout in 18 games is a big reason the Hoops have struggled this season. Going forward, they have some talent but not enough to cover for a back line that, in spite of Schellas Hyndman's tinkerings, has shipped goals consistently.
Looking ahead: Hyndman has to find a way to get makeshift defender Pablo Richetti back into midfield. Without him alongside, Dax McCarty has struggled to stem the flow of traffic toward the Dallas goal. Recent points have been won from losing positions, which suggests FCD's fighting spirit is still there.

Looking back: "San Jose could be the dark horse," I wrote at the start of the season, adding that the addition of Bobby Convey and Cam Weaver made the Earthquakes a contender to win the West. Oops. Weaver is gone and Convey would be if another club would take his salary. Meanwhile, Huckerby is a shadow of the player who needed just 14 games to win the 2008 Newcomer of the Year award.
Looking ahead: Ryan Johnson and Arturo Alvarez have been bright spots and offer a young base around which Frank Yallop can build for 2010, for this season is as good as over. Next year's squad list is likely to look vastly different from the current roster, which features too many underachievers.