Photo by Brad Mills/USA Today Sports

By RYAN TOLMICH

A clash of the league’s New York teams took centerstage this past weekend, but a few of the league’s top contenders also took the chance to make some major statements of their own.

The New York Red Bulls captured the first victory in the newly formed rivalry with NYCFC. Meanwhile, the club’s more traditional rivals, D.C. United, took care of business by getting a draw with Sporting KC for the team’s seventh straight without a loss.

The Columbus Crew made a statement as well, as Kei Kamara and co. led the Crew to a big-time victory over the Seattle Sounders to shake up the rankings.

Here is a look at SBI’s MLS Power Rankings for Week 10:

SBI MLS Power Rankings (Week 10)

1. (Last Week- 2) D.C. UNITED (5-1-3)

LAST WEEK:  Tied Sporting KC, 1-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Orlando City on Wednesday; at Philadelphia Union on Sunday

OUTLOOK– Not quite a vintage performance from D.C. United, but one plenty good enough to earn a point against a tough Sporting KC team. Sporting KC did expose some concerns defensively, though, as Dom Dwyer could have easily earned his team all three points. Regardless, D.C. United remains unbeaten in seven straight, an impressive feat in MLS.

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2. (3) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (5-2-2)

LAST WEEK: Tied Orlando City, 2-2, on Friday

THIS WEEK: at Toronto FC on Saturday

OUTLOOK–  Charlie Davies continues to impress for the Revs, netting his fourth goal in as many games. The Revs attack has truly found its stride in recent weeks, but there will be frustrations stemming from blowing a two-goal lead against Orlando.

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3. (1) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (5-3-1)

LAST WEEK:  Lost, 3-2, to Columbus Crew last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday

OUTLOOK–  The Sounders’ goalscoring unit looked as potent as always Saturday, but were undone by one of the only strike units that can stand toe-to-toe with Dempsey and co. As much as the Sounders like to play a wide-open game, they played a bit to exposed Saturday, signaling a need to reign it in just a little bit.

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4. (5)  NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-1-4)

LAST WEEK: Defeated New York City FC, 2-1, last Sunday

THIS WEEK: at FC Dallas on Friday

OUTLOOK– The Red Bulls sent out the first shot in the team’s rivalry with NYCFC, overcoming a red card to snag a historic victory. This one meant a lot for the Red Bulls both in the standings and for team morale. With three points coming from the first of many heated encounters, the Red Bulls can once again turn their focus towards their continued ascendance up the Eastern Conference.

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5. (6) FC DALLAS (6-2-2)

LAST WEEK: Defeated LA Galxy, 2-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. New York Red Bulls on Friday

OUTLOOK– Once again, FC Dallas demonstrated that all it takes is a few minutes for its vaunted attack to turn a game on its head. A pair of late goals assisted by Mauro Diaz earned a statement victory over the shorthanded Galaxy. FC Dallas just continues to rack up points in impressive fashion.

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6. (7) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (6-3-2)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Philadelphia Union, 3-0, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Seattle Sounders on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Despite facing a Union team in absolute crisis mode, the Whitecaps’ performance shouldn’t be written off. It was thorough, it was ruthless, it was dominant, things that the Whitecaps needed to demonstrate after struggling in the previous five games.

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7. (9) COLUMBUS CREW (4-3-2)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Seattle Sounders, 3-2, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday

OUTLOOK: Just when you think the Crew have slipped back out of the league’s contenders, they go out like they did Saturday and totally redeem themselves. Saturday’s defeat of the Sounders was as impressive as any this season, as the Crew’s attack stood toe-to-toe with that of the Sounders, and emerged as victors.

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8. (4) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (3-2-4)

LAST WEEK: Ties Real Salt Lake, 0-0, last Wednesday; Lost, 2-1, to FC Dallas last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Orlando City on Sunday

OUTLOOK– Without Robbie Keane, the Galaxy continue to sputter. The Galaxy had chances to win both games, only to see both slip away in the waning moments through a PK miss and a pair of late goals. However, Steven Gerrard did score against Chelsea, so there’s that.

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9. (10)  SPORTING KANSAS CITY (3-2-5)

LAST WEEK: Tied D.C. United, 1-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado Rapids on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Sporting KC could have easily come away with a victory from RFK Stadium, but were forced to settle for just a point. Still, it’s a major positive to see Dom Dwyer getting more involved, as the forward has scored two goals in his past three, seemingly putting an end to his season-opening struggles.

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10. (8) TORONTO FC (3-5-0)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-1, to Houston Dynamo last Sunday

THIS WEEK: at New England Revolution on Saturday

OUTLOOK– New BMO Field, same old TFC. The team remains consistent only in it’s inconsistencies. Just as TFC starts to get hot, the team lays an absolute stinker in its home opener. Who knows what this TFC team really is, but they need to figure it out soon as concerns continue to mount.

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11. (12) PORTLAND TIMBERS (3-3-4)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Montreal Impact, 2-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Houston Dynamo on Saturday

OUTLOOK– The return of Diego Valeri made all the difference for the Timbers, as the Argentine’s goal helped spur the Timbers to victory. With the playmaker continuing to round into form, it could finally be time to see the Timbers emerge as the team that many thought they could be before being decimated by the injury bug.

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12. (16) HOUSTON DYNAMO (3-4-4)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0, to San Jose Earthquakes last Tuesday; Defeated Toronto FC, 2-1, on Sunday

THIS WEEK: vs. Portland Timbers on Saturday

OUTLOOK–  It was a bit of a mixed week for the Dynamo, but Sunday’s defeat of TFC definitely demonstrated that the team is better than that of Tuesday’s performance. Boniek Garcia and Will Bruin combined for what was perhaps the Dynamo’s best performance of the season, a positive as the club continues to hang around in a crowded Western Conference.

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13. (17) REAL SALT LAKE (3-2-5)

LAST WEEK: Tied LA Galaxy, 0-0, last Wednesday; Defeated Chicago Fire, 2-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Montreal Impact on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Snagging four points from a pair of games in quick succession yields a good spell for RSL as the team continues to improve week-to-week. Nick Rimando remains the league’s premier goalkeeper, stopping yet another penalty kick to help spur RSL on to two positive results.

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14. (11) CHICAGO FIRE (3-5-0)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-1, to Real Salt Lake last Sunday

THIS WEEK: at NYCFC on Friday

OUTLOOK– The Fire continue to fall back into their early-season hole, dropping a decision to RSL despite being the more aggressive side. Still, through eight games the Fire remain in a playoff position, something that should be viewed as a major positive in light of the team’s up-and-down start.

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15. (13) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Houston Dynamo, 1-0 last Tuesday; Tied Colorado Rapids, 1-1, last Friday

THIS WEEK: vs. Columbus Crew on Saturday

OUTLOOK– The Earthquakes were just moments away from locking up seven points in a one week span, but were forced to settle for five thanks to a late Rapids equalizer. Still, a good string of performances from the Earthquakes bodes well for a tough matchup with the Crew this weekend.

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16. (15)  ORLANDO CITY (2-4-3)

LAST WEEK: Tied New England Revolution, 2-2, last Friday

THIS WEEK: at D.C. United on Wednesday; at LA Galaxy on Sunday

OUTLOOK– Despite remaining winless at home, Orlando City did well to emerge with a point despite seeing themselves stuck with a two goal deficit. The Lions have seen extra-time finishes in four of their five home games, but the team needs to stop being so exciting and become more pragmatic in seeing results earned.

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17. (14) COLORADO RAPIDS (1-2-7)

LAST WEEK: Tied San Jose Earthquakes, 1-1, last Friday

THIS WEEK: at Sporting KC on Saturday

OUTLOOK– In what was probably the least surprising result of the week, the Colorado Rapids picked up yet another draw, their seventh in 10 games. Still, it showed plenty of character to push on for a late equalizer, but character doesn’t necessarily yield three points.

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18. (18) MONTREAL IMPACT (0-3-2)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-1, to Portland Timbers on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday

OUTLOOK– The Impact suffered a bit of a letdown in the team’s return to MLS action, falling to the visiting Portland Timbers. It certainly wasn’t a bad return to action with Dominic Oduro and Jack McInerney looking fairly lively throughout the contest, but the Impact have to play catch-up, starting Saturday against a tough RSL team.

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19. (19) NEW YORK CITY FC (1-6-3)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-1, to New York Red Bulls on Sunday

THIS WEEK: vs. Chicago Fire on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Last week’s rankings asked how things could get any worse for NYCFC, and then they did. A loss to a 10-man Red Bulls side is as frustrating as anything NYCFC has seen this season. With bragging rights, and the end of a losing streak, on the line, NYCFC once again struggled to muster enough to grab a result, digging their hole deeper while starting to draw plenty of questions of the team’s makeup.

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20. (20) PHILADELPHIA UNION (1-7-3)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 3-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps  last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. D.C. United on Sunday

OUTLOOK– With yet another new goalkeeper in net, things remained just as ugly for the Union, who were simply overwhelmed by the Whitecaps. As publicized as the goalkeeping situation has been, it is just one of many problems hampering the Union currently. The defense is leaving its keepers out to dry, the offense is sputtering and, overall, there isn’t much pride being shown by a team that just continues to take shots to the chin.