Well it was a light week of MLS action, with just 5 matches and 3 of them ended in draws. Only Columbus and Seattle were able to get wins and each have moved up the rankings.
16. DC United (-1)
No MLS action for DC United this weekend, and yet with Chivas doing well on the road against RSL, United moved down the rankings. United sent just one player to the MLS All Star match, Jamie Moreno, in what many believe is a more honorary selection by the comish to honor one of the all time greats in MLS. Up next will be a trip to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Real Salt Lake and their 19 match home unbeaten streak.
15. New England (-1)
Well it might just be that New England should consider a move down south of the border, they went 3-0 in their SuperLiga group. That doesn't help their 4-9-2 record in league play, and up next for them is a trip to PPL park to face off against the Philadelphia Union. The Rev's need to find some offense their 13 goals scored is 3rd worst in MLS.
more after the jump:
14. Chivas USA (+2)
Chivas is on a roll, a win over KC and then a tough fought draw against RSL, enough to move them up a couple spots. I still think they are clearly in the rebuilding mode, they didn't come to Salt Lake to play an attacking or open style, they simply tried to adsorb the attack and try to counter and thanks to a rare mistake by Nick Rimando they got a result. Their next trick will be trying to do the same thing against Columbus on Saturday at the Home Depot Center.
13. KC Wizards (-)
No league matches since their loss to Chivas USA, they did well against the Man U reserves but a better test will be how they do against Toronto FC on Saturday, this one won't be at Arrowhead but at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
12. Houston Dynamo (-1)
Well Houston got spanked 3-0 by Columbus this weekend, and they will need to recover from their All Star match hosting duties because they will be going from one media circus right into another as the New York Red Bulls and TH14 come to town to face them at Robertson Stadium. Can they plug the defense that gave up 3 and find some offense, they only have one goal in MLS action in the month of July.
11. Philadelphia Union (+1)
Philly moves up despite not being in action, and they can thank the horrible performance by Houston for that. The Union will play host to the New England Revolution, in a matchup of teams looking to get out of the cellar of the East and maybe make a run for a playoff spot.
10. Chicago Fire (-)
Well the Fire took part in SuperLiga, but this weekend they will travel to LA for a Sunday showdown with the best team in MLS as they will teak on the Galaxy.
9. Colorado Rapids (-)
The Rapids showed heart when they got an equalizer just 30 seconds after the Sounders took the lead, but they gave the lead back and couldn't crack the Sounders defense after that. I keep waiting for their offense to take off, but so far Conor Casey hasn't been as impressive as his stat line, where half his goals have come from the PK spot. Up next for them is another Western conference showdown as they play host to FC Dallas on Saturday.
8. Seattle Sounders (+1)
With a lineup of walking wounded, a superstar on the outs, and the Sounders found a way to get their first win over a conference foe as they got a 2-1 win over Colorado, can they make it two in a row? We will find out Saturday as they head down to San Jose to face the Quakes. The Sounders are trying to get themselves back into the playoff hunt, a win Saturday would let them leapfrog San Jose in the standings.
7. Toronto FC (-)
The Red's still haven't lost a match at home, but a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas keep them at the same point in the standings. Conditions were nasty during the match and neither side looked overly impressive, now TFC will head down to KC to take on the Wizards and look try and keep pace with New York and Columbus as they try to make the playoffs.
6. New York Red Bulls(-)
No league action for the Red Bulls, but they did well in their little tournament against the teams from Europe. Can they find a way to keep that momentum going? There is no rougher place to play in the dead of summer than Houston, and while the Dynamo might be struggling I am sure they will find a way to give Henry a hand getting used to MLS action.
5. San Jose Earthquakes (-)
The Quakes almost found a way to beat the Galaxy on Thursday night, just a last second goal by Landon Donovan kept them from getting their 7th win of the season. San Jose sit on the edge of the playoffs right now, if the season ended they would be in, but this weekend they play host to the Sounders who want to take that spot away from them in what should be one of the top matchups of the weekend.
4. FC Dallas (-)
FC Dallas went to Toronto and did what they do best, find a way to get a result, a 1-1 draw was their 8th of the season. This Saturday they will head to Colorado to face the Rapids as the two teams battle for 3rd place in the Western Conference.
3. Real Salt Lake (-1)
I had to move RSL down, not because of their 1-1 draw with Chivas in a match they clearly dominated but because the Crew got a win. I almost wonder if RSL have become a victim of their own early success this season, it seems over the last 3 matches that they are waiting for good things to happen for them, instead of going out and taking them. Next up is a chance to get some revenge on the team that eliminated them from the US Open Cup and then fought them to a tough 0-0 draw at RFK, DC United will come to Rio Tinto on Saturday and for RSL this is a must win match if they want to try to close the gap on LA.
2. Columbus Crew (+1)
Beating Houston is never an easy thing to do, but the Crew got revenge from their 0-0 draw at Houston by beating them 3-0 on Saturday. Now their final 2 goals did come against a shorthanded Dynamo squad, but I am going to give them their due and move them up to #2 in my power rankings. Now they get to head out to face an improving Chivas team, but they should be able to extend their lead in the East with a win over a weaker team.
1. Los Angeles Galaxy (-)
A little over a month ago nobody questioned LA's spot at the top, but in their last 6 matches they have been a very average 2-2-2 and a number of teams are looking to prove themselves against the Galaxy. LA will need to deal with a very busy week, the travel to Puerto Rico to face the Islanders in a CCL qualifier on Tuesday, then Houston for the All Star Match on Wednesday, and Sunday they will be back home to face off against the Chicago Fire. Any slip ups in league matches could see LA drop from their top spot.
Every team will be in action this weekend, and with some interesting matches we could see a lot of movement in the Power Rankings next week.