5 things we learned in MLS Week 6: D.C. wins at last, Red Bulls burning out

Week 6 of MLS action saw plenty of pretty goals, a few defenders score agonizing own goals, and the first (of probably many) Nigel De Jong horror tackles.

The Montreal Impact continued racking up wins despite Didier Drogba's absence, while all three Sunday games ended in lackluster draws. Toronto FC welcomed back Jozy Altidore, while Alberto Quintero opened his MLS account with a nice smack-home goal.

Here's what we learned in Week 6:

Real Salt Lake is the real deal

Five games, three wins, two draws, and, most importantly for Real Salt Lake, not a single loss. That's the story of the start of RSL's 2016 season, and, in truth, it's been something of a fairy tale.

Playing in a rare 4-3-3 formation, Real Salt Lake came into the season looking bereft of the sort of quality needed to compete in an ever-increasingly tough Western Conference. But with Joao Plata, Yura Movsisyan, and Juan Manuel Martinez up top, RSL has been scoring freely, despite the team not playing particularly well:

They're one point off from the top of the table and, if this form holds, Real Salt Lake can very much be back in the conversation come playoff time. The club's owner certainly wants the team to be considered one of the big players in MLS, too.

Related: Real Salt Lake unveils plans for $50M training complex

The Red Bulls may be burning out

Last season, the New York Red Bulls proved themselves a tireless, tenacious, run-and-gun side playing a high-pressure style of football that saw them charge to the top of the table relatively unchallenged. This year, Jesse Marsch's side looks a bit fatigued.

Last weekend, the Red Bulls still dominated possession, still created more chances, and still completed more successful dribbles than Sporting Kansas City, when comparing this year's match to last season's.

But the Red Bulls aren't finding the back of the net with any regularity and that's alarming. The team has only four goals and has conceded 11, MLS' worst goals against tally. Defensively, the Red Bulls have been ravaged by injuries and, as a result, the team looks utterly burned out.

If only there were some sort of energy drink to give the Red Bulls a boost in these trying times.

De Jong is going to get in trouble

Notorious Dutch midfielder Nigel De Jong got away with one heck of a challenge during the LA Galaxy's last match against the Portland Timbers. Opposition midfielder Darlington Nagbe went in to collect a loose ball before De Jong pummeled him with a studs-down tackle, forcing him from the game.

"It was a 50-50 ball," De Jong said after the match, according to MLSsoccer.com. "Normally, I always have those balls."

Right ... we'll have to see if the MLS Disciplinary Committee agrees with that assessment, or with the yellow card the tackle earned. We're willing to bet it's the latter.

D.C. United is back

It took a huge 4-0 effort over the Vancouver Whitecaps to give D.C. United their first win of the season, but that hurdle has finally been overcome.

D.C. United won partly because of the cleanup efforts of poachers like Fabian Espindola and Alvaro Saborio, but also in part due to returning to the one basic metric that helps those two strikers score - taking shots. D.C. had 13 of its 24 shots land on target and Espindola in particular swooped in to score when some of those shots were deflected by the goalkeeper.

It helps Vancouver has demonstrated an inability to maintain possession; the Whitecaps have the league's lowest total possession percentage with 41.8 percent.

Andrea Pirlo isn't quite so intimidating in New York

New York City FC star Pirlo is something of a cult icon in his native Italy, known for his penchant for fine wines, his astute sense of fashion, and his unimpressed demeanor.

This child mascot isn't buying it, though: