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SBI MLS Power Rankings: Week 9

Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It was a high-scoring week in MLS this time around, as all but two matches saw at least two goals, with three matches seeing four or more!

One of the latter such matches saw FC Dallas and the Portland Timbers battle to an inconclusive 2-2 draw at the top of the Western Conference and our Power Rankings. It was a good week for teams at the top, as none of the top six lost, and Atlanta United and the Houston Dynamo are the only top 10 teams to suffer defeats.

It was quite the opposite story at the bottom of the rankings, where none of the bottom six teams managed to win. The Philadelphia Union remain winless and the LA Galaxy continue to struggle after a snoozefest, scoreless draw, the only match without a goal this week. The Colorado Rapids continue to struggle, dropping their fourth straight and winless in their last six, as they fell to Orlando City, who is now on a four-match winning streak and has won six of seven to start the season.

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

SBI MLS POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 8)

1. (Last week: 1) FC DALLAS (4-0-3)

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LAST WEEK: Tied the Portland Timbers, 2-2, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: Twice FC Dallas surrendered a lead against the Portland Timbers, and twice they battled back to earn equalizing goals. Ultimately the match ended in an indecisive 2-2 draw, but you have to beat the best to be the best, and FCD remain undefeated.

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2. (2) ORLANDO CITY (6-1-0)

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LAST WEEK: Beat the Colorado Rapids, 2-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at Toronto FC on Wednesday; at the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: Make that 5-0-0 to open Orlando City Stadium. The Lions won yet again this week, dispatching the Colorado Rapids 2-0 at their fortress and continuing to stake their claim to a top spot in the Power Rankings.

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3. (3) SPORTING KANSAS CITY (4-1-3)

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LAST WEEK: Beat Real Salt Lake, 3-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday; at Minnesota United on Sunday.

OUTLOOK: Just like that, Sporting Kansas City bounced back from a difficult defeat against FC Dallas by putting together one of their best performances of the year in defeating Real Salt Lake 3-0 on Saturday. Nobody can argue their contender status at this point.

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4. (4) PORTLAND TIMBERS (5-2-2)

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LAST WEEK: Tied FC Dallas, 2-2, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The Portland Timbers pulled off one of the most difficult feats of the season over the weekend: They didn’t lose to FC Dallas. While not a decisive victory, a draw against FCD is as good a result as any and helps the Timbers retain the top spot out West.

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5. (5) TORONTO FC (3-1-4)

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LAST WEEK: Beat the Houston Dynamo, 2-0, on Friday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Orlando City on Wednesday; at the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: Sebastian Giovinco didn’t find the back of the net on Friday, but he did help Jozy Altidore get there. Altidore fired in a brace to lead Toronto FC to their third victory of the year in convincing fashion.

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6. (8) NEW YORK CITY FC (4-3-1)

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LAST WEEK: Beat the Columbus Crew, 3-2, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Atlanta United on Sunday.

OUTLOOK: A week after their painful home loss to Orlando City, New York City FC played the spoiler on the road to another team. After falling behind to the Columbus Crew, Patrick Vieira’s men battled back to seize three valuable road points.

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7. (10) NEW YORK RED BULLS (5-3-1)

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LAST WEEK: Beat the Chicago Fire, 2-1, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday; at the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The New York Red Bulls continue their hot streak as they end their latest homestand perfect, with three wins in three attempts. They also spoiled the homecoming of Chicago Fire midfielder Dax McCarty. Now it’s back on the road twice this week.

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8. (6) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (2-2-4)

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LAST WEEK: Tied the New England Revolution, 3-3, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Toronto FC on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The Seattle Sounders fell down big early against the Revolution, but showed great resolve in battling back to earn a 3-3 draw. Still, being forced to battle back from 3-0 down represents an issue for this team.

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9. (7) ATLANTA UNITED (3-3-2)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to D.C. United, 3-1, on Sunday.

THIS WEEK: at New York City FC on Sunday.

OUTLOOK: Though Atlanta seized an early lead in under 10 minutes, they were unable to hold off a patient D.C. United counter attack that eventually found the back of the net three times. Points dropped at home are a missed opportunity that teams can rarely afford in MLS.

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10. (9) HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-3-1)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to Toronto FC, 2-0, on Friday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Orlando City on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The Dynamo ran into a team getting hot at the wrong time as Toronto FC continued their effective play by defeating the visiting Dynamo 2-0. They’ll need to bounce back as they return home against another challenging opponent this weekend.

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11. (11) CHICAGO FIRE (3-3-2)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to the New York Red Bulls, 2-1, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at the LA Galaxy on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: Red Bull Arena is a difficult place to win for any team, especially when the Red Bulls are hot. The loss isn’t a bad one for the Fire, but they’ll want to bounce back against the struggling Galaxy this weekend.

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12. (12) COLUMBUS CREW (4-4-1)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to New York City FC, 3-2, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the New England Revolution on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The weekend’s loss will surely be disappointing for the Columbus Crew, who held a 2-1 lead before allowing NYCFC to battle back and seize three points at MAPFRE Stadium. They won’t want to let it happen again this weekend against the Revs.

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13. (16) D.C. UNITED (3-3-2)

LAST WEEK: Beat Atlanta United, 3-1, on Sunday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the Montreal Impact on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: Despite falling behind early to the potent Atlanta United attack, D.C. United remained patient and ultimately knocked in three of their own to take all three points on the road.

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14. (13) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (3-3-3)

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LAST WEEK: Beat Minnesota United, 1-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the Portland Timbers on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The San Jose Earthquakes did well to put an end to Minnesota United’s recent positive results, as they went into the cold north and came out with three points. They’ll return home to the West coast for a battle against the Western Conference’s best.

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15. (14) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (3-4-1)

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LAST WEEK: Beat the Montreal Impact, 2-1, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at the Colorado Rapids on Friday.

OUTLOOK: Their road woes are finally over. The Vancouver Whitecaps fell behind early while visiting the Montreal Impact last weekend, but ultimately battled back to steal three points on the road in a 2-1 victory.

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16. (15) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (2-3-4)

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LAST WEEK: Tied the Seattle Sounders, 3-3, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: While surrendering a 3-0 lead and finishing with a draw leaves a bitter taste, a point stolen from the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink is a point well-earned. They’ll hope to take a bit more in Columbus this weekend.

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17. (17) MINNESOTA UNITED (2-5-2)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to the San Jose Earthquakes, 1-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.

OUTLOOK: It was Minnesota United’s attack that failed them last weekend, as they were held scoreless at home as the Quakes stole a 1-0 victory and all three points. It gets no easier as Sporting Kansas City comes to town.

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18. (19) LA GALAXY (2-5-1)

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LAST WEEK: Tied the Philadelphia Union, 0-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: It isn’t getting better for the LA Galaxy, as they were unable to beat the league’s only winless team in a listless scoreless draw at home last weekend. The Galaxy stay at StubHub this weekend as they take on the Chicago Fire looking to bounce back.

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19. (18) MONTREAL IMPACT (1-3-4)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at D.C. United on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: The Montreal Impact took an early lead against their Canadian opposition, but were unable to hold it. Two goals from the Whitecaps, including a stunner from Andrew Jacobson, left the Impact dropping all three points at home.

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20. (20) REAL SALT LAKE (2-5-2)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to Sporting Kansas City, 3-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. FC Dallas on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: A week after being dismantled by Atlanta United, Real Salt Lake were on the receiving end of another beat-down at the hands of Sporting Kansas City. Things go from bad to worse, as they now need to visit FC Dallas this weekend.

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21. (21) COLORADO RAPIDS (1-5-1)

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LAST WEEK: Lost to Orlando City, 2-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday.

OUTLOOK: The Colorado Rapids failed to bounce back from recent struggles as they fell to Orlando City 2-0 last weekend. The attack needs to figure things out, or they’ll struggle again this weekend at home.

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22. (22) PHILADELPHIA UNION (0-4-4)

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LAST WEEK: Tied the LA Galaxy, 0-0, on Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

OUTLOOK: In isolation, a draw on the road against the Galaxy isn’t bad. When taken in the context of the season, it’s another failure for the Union, who need to find a win after eight straight without one this year.

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