Well it was an exciting week in MLS with 4 matches on Wednesday and 8 more on the weekend. Perhaps the biggest news was that only 3 matches ended in draws and only one of them was a 0-0 draw. So how did all of this impact my power rankings?
18. Toronto FC - down 1
Well you can't lose two matches by a total of 7-0 and not drop in my rankings and there is no spot lower than 18th. I thought TFC quit after the 2nd goal against New York on Wednesday and it appears they didn't even bother to really show up in Houston. Perhaps it was all waiting for their 2 new DP's that should be eligible shortly, but I think this team is further away from the playoffs than ever and I don't know if any two players could change that. The upside for Toronto is they don't play this week.
17. Vancouver Whitecaps - up 1
The only reason the Whitecaps moved up is that their 1-0 loss to Columbus at home and 2-1 loss at Colorado were far less disappointing than was the performance of Toronto. This is still a team with a lot of issues, and from the rumors running around the interweb there is chaos in their locker room and it has been spilling over to the pitch. They better get their act together quickly because RSL is coming to Empire Field on Saturday and will be looking to get 3 points.
the rest of the rankings after the jump:
16. New England Revolution - even
Hard to move up or down when you don't play and so the Revolution stay were they were. They will play a friendly match on Wednesday against Manchester United, and then the Rev's will get back to MLS action on Sunday when they will host the Philadelphia Union.
15. Portland Timbers - even
Well ESPN made sure to tell us about how old your stadium is, they told us about how great your fans are, and we even got to see how exciting your team can be at home but in the end it was another loss as Seattle comes out on top 3-2. Thing might look up a bit for the Timbers on Saturday as they head to Chicago, nothing more exciting than a 0-5-2 road team facing a 1-1-6 home team.
14. Chicago Fire - down 1
Oh my, one has to wonder if the decision to let Jon Busch go has ever cost the Fire more than watching Sean Johnson get beat by a David Beckham corner kick that bounces around and past Johnson and the Fire defense, that just has to hurt. In the end it is another loss as LA comes out on top 2-1, now the Fire get to play host to a team that has never won on the road as Portland comes to Toyota Park on Saturday, I am picking a 1-1 draw in that one.
13. Chivas USA - up 1
It could have been a bigger move for Chivas USA had it not been for a late goal. Wednesday night they got a big 2-0 win over San Jose, and then on Saturday they had a 1-0 lead at Sporting KC going into stoppage time. Only a 93rd minute goal by Omar Bravo which lead to the 1-1 draw with SKC kept this from being a great week for Chivas USA as they show enough life to keep them in the hunt for a playoff spot. Saturday night will be a huge test for the team as they will play host to the New York Red Bulls.
12. DC United - even
I thought about moving DC United up after their 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls, but then I thought it might just be a fluke. DC has shown great moments like this and then they have had moments where they just look awful, so it will take more than one win for me to believe they may have turned the corner on their season. I do think that a creative playmaker like Dwayne De Rosario may be just what it takes to get them going but time will tell. Saturday they head to Pizza Hut Park to face FC Dallas, a win there will move them up the rankings.
11. San Jose Earthquakes - down 4
It might be a bit drastic but after a 2-0 loss at Chivas and a 0-0 draw with the Philly Union at home the Quakes look a bit out of sorts. Now that being said this is a club that does usually make a couple summer moves, but at 5-6-7 on the year and no wins in their last 5 matches those better be big moves. Saturday San Jose will head to Columbus to face the Crew.
10. Sporting Kansas City - down 2
Well last week they were one of the hottest teams in MLS, but this week it was back to back home draws. A 1-1 midweek draw with the Colorado Rapids and then a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA, seems funny that the hottest team in MLS got cooled down at home by a couple of Western Conference teams. This weekend SKC will make one of their last 4 trips away from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park as they will head to Houston to face the Dynamo.
9. Houston Dynamo - up 2
Hard to believe that a 2-0 home win against Toronto FC would move you up in my rankings but it does this week. Houston is one of those teams that is so inconsistent they are consistent at it, since May 28th they have either scored 2 goals or no goals. It is gets better, as after each match where they score 2 goals they follow it up with a no goal performance, which is of course followed by a 2 goal match, and then another 0 goal match. So I have to believe that they will not score a goal on Saturday when they play host to Sporting KC.
8. Colorado Rapids - up 2
Well the Rapids finally got a win, heck it was a great week for them with a 1-1 road draw on Wednesday against Sporting KC and then a 2-1 home win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. If they can find a way to get a big road win at CentryLink Field over the Sounders on Saturday they could move up even more.
7. Columbus Crew - up 2
The Crew got a big 3 points on the road as they got a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday, it seems fitting that it was Jeff Cunningham who came on late in the match that got the goal, his 133rd goal in MLS which ties him at the top of MLS history as the all time regular goal scoring leader. On Saturday they will play host to the San Jose earthquakes.
6. New York Red Bulls - even
I thought the Red Bulls might just force me to put them in the top 4, on Wednesday they destroyed Toronto FC 5-0, but honestly TFC laid down after the second goal but then on Saturday they lost 1-0 to DC United. It is that level of inconsistency that has them with just 6 wins so far this year. Saturday night they will travel to the Home Depot Center to face Chivas USA, a win might help them break the top 5.
5. Philadelphia Union - down 1
A 0-0 draw on the road at San Jose wasn't awful, I thought Philly was the better team but when the team below you gets a road win it can move you down. Rumors are flying about Carlos Ruiz leaving, what will the Union do with the allocation money they got for Jordan Harvey? I doubt we will find out before they head to Gillette to face the New England Revolution on Sunday.
4. Seattle Sounders - up 1
Well the Sounders did on Saturday what they couldn't do at home they got a win over the Portland Timbers, the 3-2 match saw a boring first half but the second half was almost non-stop action. It was the Fredy Montero show as he got his 4th and 5th goals of the season. On Saturday they will play host to the 2010 MLC Cup Champs as the Colorado Rapids come to town.
3. FC Dallas - down 2
A bit drastic to drop FC Dallas down two spots, but it is more about LA continuing to get wins when they need them to keep the top spot and Kevin Hartman fumbling a shot. The 2-0 loss at Real Salt Lake was a huge 6 point swing to the negative, and they only have to wait for Tuesday for a measure of possible revenge as the two sides will meet in US Open Cup action. On Saturday Dallas will get back to MLS action as they play host to DC United.
2. Real Salt Lake - up 1
RSL did what they had to do to get the 2-0 win over FC Dallas on Saturday and the points per match gap with the LA Galaxy is less than 1/10th of a point. RSL could have closed the gap more had it not been for some bad calls the last couple week, but now they will need to focus on getting a US Open Cup win on Tuesday at FC Dallas and then heading to Vancouver to get some points on the road against the Whitecaps on Saturday.
1. LA Galaxy - up 1
Well when the opposing keeper and defenders stand around and watch a corner kick go past them and into the back of the net, you should get a win. LA did just that as part of the 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire and their lead is now 4 points over Seattle, 5 points over FC Dallas who have 2 matches in hand, and 9 points over RSL who have 4 matches in hand. LA is out of MLS action this weekend, and no matter what happens they will still be at the top of the table when next weeks rankings come out.
There you have my rankings, make of them what you will.
OFF MY SOAPBOX