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SBI MLS Power Rankings (Week 12)

Photo by : Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by : Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports

The New York Red Bulls stole the show with a 7-0 demolition of NYCFC, but the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners were far from the only team to make a statement during Rivalry Week.

Both the Colorado Rapids and LA Galaxy extended their unbeaten runs to eight and nine games, respectively, to continue dominance atop the Western Conference. Just behind them, FC Dallas pushed four past the New England Revolution, signaling their return to the picture following several poor results over the past few weeks.

In the East, the Philadelphia Union picked up another result to claim the conference lead, while Orlando City forced the Montreal Impact’s slide to continue with a 2-1 result.

Here’s a closer look at this week’s SBI MLS Power Rankings:

SBI MLS Power Rankings (Week 12)

1. (Last Week- 2) COLORADO RAPIDS (8-2-3)

RapidsLogo

LAST WEEK: Defeated Seattle Sounders KC, 1-0, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Philadelphia Union on Saturday

OUTLOOK: The Rapids went right into CenturyLink Field and marched out with all three points following yet another professional performance. The Rapids are now unbeaten in eight matches, a run of form not seen since the days of MLS Cup contention. The Rapids will now have to prove they can do it without Jermaine Jones, who heads to the Copa America with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
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2. (3) FC DALLAS (8-4-2)

DAL_Primary_COL

LAST WEEK: Defeated New England Revolution, 4-2, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday

OUTLOOK: Following a slight hiccup over the past month, FC Dallas appears to be back on track. Saturday’s win over the Revs showed the best of the FC Dallas attack, especially given the fact that they were 2-1 down. Saturday’s win also eased some concerns regarding the team’s road form ahead of a visit to the Earthquakes this weekend.

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3. (1) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (5-1-5)

LA Galaxy

LAST WEEK: Tied San Jose Earthquakes, 1-1, on Sunday

THIS WEEK: at Montreal Impact on Saturday

OUTLOOK: The Galaxy are unbeaten in nine matches, and Saturday’s result provided the fifth tie of that stretch. Truthfully, the Galaxy could easily have dropped Saturday’s contest if not for an own goal. With Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes set for national team duty, the Galaxy’s level of play can still rise a bit as the team enters the summer months.

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4. (4) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (5-3-4)

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LAST WEEK: Tied LA Galaxy, 1-1, on Sunday

THIS WEEK: vs. FC Dallas on Saturday

OUTLOOK: It took some grinding, but the Earthquakes escaped from StubHub Center with a point. Still, undone by an own goal, the Earthquakes may be a bit disappointed to take a tie away from a rivalry match that could have easily been won. Now without Chris Wondolowski for the next several weeks, the Earthquakes face a major test in continuing to contend without their talisman goalscorer.
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5. (5) PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-3-3)

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LAST WEEK: Defeated D.C. United, 1-0, on Friday

THIS WEEK: at Orlando City on Wednesday; at Colorado Rapids on Saturday

OUTLOOK: The first 90 or so minutes of Friday’s clash with D.C. United were about as dull as can be, but a late Richie Marquez winner earned the Union a late win. The victory pushes the Union’s unbeaten run to five while lifting the club to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with games in hand.
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6. (8) REAL SALT LAKE (6-3-2)

RSL Logo

LAST WEEK: Defeated Sporting KC, 3-1, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Columbus Crew on Saturday

OUTLOOK: Despite facing a majority of the chances, RSL’s opportunistic scoring and strong defensive unit led the way to a 3-1 win over Sporting KC. Even after conceding, it took RSL just three minutes to strike back, showing a bit of character from a team firmly in the picture as one of the West’s best.

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7. (6) TORONTO FC (4-4-4)

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LAST WEEK: Tied New York City FC, 1-1, on Wednesday; Tied Columbus Crew, 0-0, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at New York Red Bulls on Saturday

OUTLOOK: A disappointing week for Toronto FC, who mustered only two points from a pair of very winnable games. Saturday’s effort proved frustrating in particular, as Sebastian Giovinco took each and every one of TFC’s shots on the afternoon. Luckily for them, the Italian star will remain with the team through the summer after not being named to his country’s Euro 2016 squad.

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8. (7) MONTREAL IMPACT (4-4-4)

Logo Impact MLS

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-1, to Orlando City on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. LA Galaxy on Saturday

OUTLOOK: The Impact’s winless run is now at six games following Saturday’s loss to Orlando City. After such a blistering start, the Impact have crashed back down to earth and now sit right in the middle of the Eastern Conference. A tough task awaits against the Galaxy, and the Impact could fall even further down the ladder if they can’t produce a bounce back performance.

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9. (11) PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-6-3)

TimbersLogo

LAST WEEK: Defeated Vancouver Whitecaps, 4-2, on Sunday

THIS WEEK: at Chicago Fire on Saturday

OUTLOOK: A major bounce back against a Cascadia rival has restored a bit of faith in the MLS Cup champions. Even without Fanendo Adi, the Timbers proved dangerous with Jack McInerney filling in exactly as Caleb Porter would hope. The Timbers still have work to do, but Sunday’s result could prove a big one for a team still looking to recapture last year’s form.

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10. (16) NEW YORK RED BULLS (5-7-1)

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LAST WEEK: Defeated Chicago Fire, 1-0, on Wednesday; Defeated NYCFC, 7-0 on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Toronto FC on Saturday

OUTLOOK: Wednesday’s victory over the Fire was all well and good, but Saturday’s performance against NYCFC was one for the history books. It was one of the most dominant performances in league history, and served as yet another reminder of how good this Red Bulls team can be when firing. When the press is working and Bradley Wright-Phillips is scoring, there are few teams in MLS that can go toe-to-toe with the Red Bulls, as NYCFC found out so viciously on Saturday.

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11. (9) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (6-6-2)

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LAST WEEK: Lost, 4-2, to Portland Timbers on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Houston Dynamo on Saturday

OUTLOOK: Kekuta Manneh continues to shine, but the Whitecaps defensive miscues proved too much for even Manneh to overcome on Saturday. The Whitecaps backline was particularly lackluster against the rival Timbers, dooming the team to a loss following a pair of statement wins the week prior.
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12. (10) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (4-6-1)

Seattle Sounders FC

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0, to Colorado Rapids on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at New England Revolution on Saturday

OUTLOOK: Many teams have been handed losses by the Rapids, but the Sounders will certainly be frustrated after maintaining the bulk of possession. Jordan Morris in particular was a bit wasteful, understandable in the wake of his Copa America exclusion. Still, the rookie has plenty of motivation to go out and prove himself going forward, and the Sounders may reap the rewards of Morris’ omission.
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13. (17) ORLANDO CITY (3-3-5)

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

THIS WEEK: vs. Philadelphia Union on Wednesday; at New York City FC on Sunday

OUTLOOK: When healthy, Orlando City can prove as vicious as any team in MLS. Cyle Larin and Kaka combined to do the damage on Saturday with the latter assisting the former on a pair of goals. The victory ended a six-game winless run ahead of a crucial double-game week against a pair of contenders.

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14. (12) NEW YORK CITY FC (4-4-5)

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LAST WEEK: Tied Toronto FC, 1-1, on Wednesday; Lost, 7-0, to New York Red Bulls on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Orlando City on Sunday

OUTLOOK: As much as the team tried to claim it was just another game after the fact, NYCFC’s 7-0 demolition at the hands of the rival Red Bulls was a major setback. Frank Lampard made his long-awaited return and Jack Harrison looked good in his MLS debut, but NYCFC will have to show a bit of resolve to bounce back from such a disastrous result.
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15. (13) SPORTING KANSAS CITY (5-7-2)

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LAST WEEK: Lost, 3-1, to Real Salt Lake on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. D.C. United on Friday

OUTLOOK– Sporting KC just can’t score enough goals to win, a fact once again made evident in their defeat at the hands of Real Salt Lake. Despite creating several chances, Sporting KC could muster just one goal against an admittedly strong RSL team. To date, the attack just hasn’t been good enough, and several defensive mishaps on Saturday all but doomed the team to their fate.
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16. (14) COLUMBUS CREW (2-4-5)

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LAST WEEK:  Tied Toronto FC, 0-0, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday

OUTLOOK: The Crew may have earned a hard-fought point against Toronto FC, but the week as a whole yielded a net loss. With Gaston Sauro’s injury now confirmed, the Crew’s backline is very, very thin. Rookie midfielder Rodrigo Saravia filled in admirably at centerback, but the Crew will need to find more permanent answers at the position going forward.
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17. (15) D.C. UNITED (3-5-4)

D.C. United logo

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0, to Philadelphia Union on Friday

THIS WEEK: at Sporting KC on Friday

OUTLOOK: An absolute heartbreaker for D.C. United, who saw a point ripped from their hands on a stoppage time winner from the Union. D.C.’s attack failed to truly break things open against a sturdy Union team, while playmaker Luciano Acosta will be in need of a talking to after so publicly showing his displeasure with Ben Olson following being substituted off in the second half.

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18. (19) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (2-4-7)

NE_Primary_COL

LAST WEEK: Lost, 4-2, to FC Dallas on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Seattle Sounders on Saturday

OUTLOOK: The Revs’ defensive unit proved to be their undoing against FC Dallas. Up 2-1 at one point in Saturday’s clash, the Revs backline fell apart thanks to general sloppiness, conceding three straight goals to earn their fourth defeat of the year. It was another indication that the team has much bigger needs than just Kei Kamara up top.
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19. (20) CHICAGO FIRE (2-5-4)

Chicago-Fire-Main

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0, to New York Red Bulls on Wednesday; Defeated Houston Dynamo, 1-0, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Portland Timbers on Saturday

OUTLOOK– An up-and-down week for the Fire, who capped off a jam-packed stretch of games with their second victory of the season. In Saturday’s match, the Fire were a bit better than the scoreline indicates, but did well to end their seven-match winless run by falling back on their stellar defensive unit once again.
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20. (18) HOUSTON DYNAMO (3-7-2)

HOU_Primary_COL

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0. to Chicago Fire on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday

OUTLOOK: It was a rough, rough week for the Dynamo, who would expect to earn at least a point against a struggling Fire team. It was was another sign of the Dynamo’s road woes, as Owen Coyle’s side haven’t won away from home since last summer. Add in the injury concerns to DaMarcus Beasley, and the Dynamo could be in major trouble heading into a match against a difficult Whitecaps team.
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What do you think of the SBI MLS Power Rankings? Which teams do you see being ranked too highly? Who didn’t get enough respect?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Damn that’s a dumb comment. Colorado has to prove that they can do it without Jermaine Jones? Half the games they played we’re without Jermaine Jones. All of them have been without Tim Howard. Kevin Doyle missed a month. Marco Pappa hasn’t played in the last five or six. Gashi has missed games. Colorado is in first(by a huge margin over every steaming eastern turd) while missing their best players for LONG periods of the season.

    Colorado is going to be scary good(for MLS standards) when they can take Azzira and MacMath out of the line-up and replace them with Pappa and Howard.

    I’m glad the press has it all figured out. I’ll bet Colorado is getting about plum sick of hearing excuses and reasons from the press on why they’re just a fluke.

    Go Rapids. Keep proving them wrong.

    Reply
  2. I really disagree with some of these. First of all Philly is the best team in the weak East, that might be true because the East is truly that bad, but they are not the 5th best team. Not even close.

    And come on….New England is way better than 18th. That is ridiculous.

    I hope I am not saying this for the 40th time as LAG is holding up the MLS Cup. I just don’t think LA is that great.

    RSL is the best team in MLS

    Reply
    • I’m traveling the week of the Philly game on July 2nd. I booked airfare after the Dallas game to fly home Saturday morning so I could go instead of flying back Sunday. This team is such garbage, I’d be really mad if I was a Houston native and didn’t enjoy seeing the other teams. It’s always excuses like: Luis Angel Landin/Cubo/Mexican player X is injured/not acclimated to the team yet/finishing their stint abroad, we’ll be good once they start playing well; Demarcus Beasely/old player XYZ is injured but we’ll be good once they’re healthy; we’ll be good once the RGV team starts producing players. I think the biggest problem is fan support seems to be completely inelastic. The crowd seems to always look the same regardless of announced attendance. Canetti, Jordan and Coyle have no reason to be accountable for this dumpster file #CuncelDaSaeson

      Reply
      • Was Dom holding it all together and it was always a dumpster fire?
        Or was it inevitable that replacing maybe the best coach in MLS with a Euro coach was never going to work?

      • @Quit whinning I think it’s similar to what happened at UT and their football program with Mack Brown. Legendary Coach left a team rotting from the inside. Key difference is Coyel is no Charlie Strong

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