Photo by ISIphotos.com
Alecko Eskandarian wasted no time making an impact with his new club and the result is another Galaxy win and another LA move up the SBI MLS Power Rankings.
The Galaxy won its second straight match, a week after upsetting Houston, with a 1-0 win against injury-ravaged New England. The win moved LA into a tie for the final Western Conference playoff spot just as David Beckham prepares to make his return from Europe (and Landon Donovan gets set to return from Confederations Cup). That move, and the looming reinforcements, has the Galaxy making a big jump in this week's rankings.
The Western Conference is running the show in this week's rankings, holding the top three spots in the pool. Eastern Conference powers D.C. United, Chicago and Columbus are hot on their trails.
Here are this week's SBI MLS Power Rankings:
SBI MLS Power Rankings (Week 16)
1 (Last week- 1). Houston Dynamo (9-3-4)
Last week– Beat the Austin Aztecs, 2-0, last Wednesday (U.S. Open Cup); Beat Kansas City Wizards, 1-0, on Saturday, beat Charleston Battery, 4-0, on Tuesay night.
This week– at Seattle Sounder on Saturday (4pm, Direct Kick).
2 (2). Chivas USA (8-4-3)
Last week– Lost to Charleston Battery, 3-1, last Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup).
This week– vs. Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday (11pm, FSC)
3 (3). Seattle Sounders (6-3-7)
Last week– Beat Portland Timbers, 2-1, last Wednesday (U.S. Open Cup; Beat Kansas City, 1-0, on Tuesday night (U.S. Open Cup).
This week– vs. Houston Dynamo on Saturday (4pm, Direct Kick)
4 (7). Chicago Fire (6-3-6)
Last week– Lost to Wilmington Hammerheads, 1-0, last Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup), Beat Colorado Rapids, 2-1, on Saturday.
This week– vs. Columbus on Saturday (8pm, ESPN2)
5 (5). D.C. United (5-3-9)
Last week– Beat Ocean City Barons, 2-0, last Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup), Tied Columbus Crew, 1-1, on Saturday, Beat Harrisburg City Islanders, 2-1, on Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup).
This week– Bye week
6 (6). Columbus Crew (5-3-8)
Last week– Lost to Rochester Rhinos, 1-1 in PKs, last Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup), Tied D.C. United, 1-1, on Saturday.
This week– at Chicago Fire on Saturday (8pm, ESPN2)
7 (4). Colorado Rapids (5-4-6)
Last week– Lost to Chicago Fire, 2-1, on Saturday.
This week– vs. FC Dallas on Saturday (9:30pm, Direct Kick)
8 (13). Los Angeles Galaxy (4-3-9)
Last week– Beat New England Revolution, 1-0, on Saturday.
This week– at Chivas USA on Saturday (11pm, Fox Soccer Channel)
9 (9). Real Salt Lake (5-6-5)
Last week– Tied San Jose Earthquakes, 1-1, on Friday.
This week– Bye week
10 (11). Toronto FC (6-6-4)
Last week– Bye week.
This week– at San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday (10:30pm, Direct Kick)
11 (8). Kansas City Wizards (5-6-4)
Last week– Beat Minnesota Thunder, 3-3 in PKs, last Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup), Lost to Houston Dynamo, 1-0, on Saturday, lost to Seattle Sounders, 1-0, on Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup).
This week– at New England REvolution on Saturday (4pm, Direct Kick)
12 (14). FC Dallas (4-7-5)
Last week– Beat New York Red Bulls, 2-0, on Saturday.
This week– at Colorado Rapids on Saturday (9:30pm, Direct Kick)
13 (10). New England Revolution (4-5-4)
Last week– Lost to Harrisburg City Islanders, 2-1, last Tuesday (U.S. Open Cup), Lost to Los Angeles Galaxy, 1-0, on Saturday.
This week– vs. Kansas City Wizards on Saturday (4:30pm, Direct Kick)
14 (12). San Jose Earthquakes (3-8-4)
Last week– Tied Real Salt Lake, 1-1, on Saturday.
This week– vs. Toronto FC on Saturday (10:30pm, Direct Kick)
15 (15). New York Red Bulls (2-12-4)
Last week– Lost to FC Dallas, 2-0, on Saturday.
This week– Bye week
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I will add some team outlooks to this post before noon, as well as some other MLS observations, but I wanted to get the day started with these rankings. One thing I will point out is that team movements in the rankings are not always predicated solely on that previous week's results, and that sometimes a previous week's results help bolster or diminish the results of previous weeks.
Also, be ready for a great slate of MLS matches next weekend as we will have one of the best lineups of the season to date. Seattle-Houston, Chivas USA-LA and Columbus-Chicago are all top-notch match-ups.
Feel free to share your thoughts on this week's MLS Power Rankings in the comments section below.
I dunno, I thought the Fire pretty much dominated the Sounders like no one else had before that. They got a goal against the run of play, and Keller did the rest. But I remember that before that game Seattle fans were a little cocky, they hadn’t given up a goal yet and they hadn’t played a really good team yet. After that I think all Seattle fans were more than happy with the point.
And Fire fans were wondering why the Fire don’t place anyone at the far post on set pieces.
u take down my comment Ives? Very weak. I guess when u say “team outlooks by noon” u mean noon of the next day, eh? What an F-ing joke. I’d be embarrassed to have my name on this page, and to censor loyal readers who expect more.
Barney – Sounders played Chicago on grass and earned a draw playing half the match with 10 men. Since then Montero’s rounded into form and the team’s dealt with a myriad of injuries and absences to become a deep squad by expansion team standards. I think Seattle’s right there with Chicago and Houston right now.
Ives, the Sounders are not that good, by any stretch. With a full squad on GRASS not TURF DC or Columbus or Chicago would clean them out.
I agree with Drew from SJ that Salinas isn’t all that. I’ve never been impressed with the guy.
It’s also nice to see the East Coast bias has gone by the wayside. Top three teams are all in the West!
Tony in Quakeland: I totally agree with you on the fact that the Quakes screwed up by not keeping O’Brien and Lima. What the quakes dont have is a holding midfielder like Lima. Lima orchestrated much of the offense last year. With O’Brien on the right it kept teams honest because they couldn’t put all their focus Huckerby on the left side.
The team is very one sided… you have Arturo, Huckerby and Convey who are all left wingers. I always thought the Quakes should play Convey at left defender, instead of attacking midfielder.
Now I disagree about Shea Salinas. I really don’t think he’s all that exciting as Quakes fan thinks he is. His only skill is that he can run very fast. He hasn’t really done anything for the Quakes when he has played.
In order for the Quakes to become a better team, I feel they need to get rid of John Doyle as GM
I think very soon I could be getting the call from Steve Nicol. Seriously though what a horribly unlucky season. The only reason for 13th and not 15th (other the NYRB being the worst team in the world) was the unbelievable play of Sharlie Joseph.
No thanks, I would rather have talent than home grown “talent”.
Union JAmes: He actually said “an assistant coach”. Nowak was my assumption. If you want him, we’ll happily send him to you.
well, at this point we’d gladly trade Convey– and his lingering hamstring injury for a conditional draft pick. it’s now become our reflexive, textbook method for saying ‘well, that one didn’t work out’.
Tony in Quakeland: I guess that disproves all of the rumors that B Convey is going to the Union next year.
New England must have really had a bad week to fall behind Dallas. Even though we won this week it was against the worst team in the league so that should not give us to big a boost but I guess we are on a run. Here is hoping that FCD continues this run and maybe can make the playoffs.
The only good thing about this awful season is that all of the fluffing of Osorio has stopped.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner get injured too. There are only so many injuries a team can sustain until things break down. I thought the Revs did some good things against LA but were missing that final good pass and good touch in the attacking zone. I’m afraid to think that Taylor may never come back – he’s our Cam Neely.
The thing with NY is that for all of Osorio’s acquisitions of foreign players in the past year, watching that team I’d rather have guys like Zimmerman, Stammler, and Sassano instead.
Oh, I left out the highlight of our season: Bobby Convey’s claim that he’s not on the National team because Petr Nowak doesn’t like him. Sounds like something Brad Pitt would say in Twelve Monkeys.
Ives… Should I wear my FIRE OSORIO poncho next week for the hell of it? I think I’ll make a t-shirt instead. You want one? I hope we lose 5-0 so we can clean house with upper management.
Sign Dilly and X already!
I’ve been arguing – politely- with some fellow Quakes fans on Bigsoccer who seem to think that we don’t suck, that we are an “average to above average” MLS team. I wonder – politely – if some of them actually watch non-Quakes MLS games.We’re awful, which I cn live with. What I can’t live with is that we were not awful at the end of last year and that guys we lost are either contributing to winning teams elsewhere (Reiley, Kamera, Gabavoy) or huge contributers to our second half run (Lima, O’brien). Worse, we have filled the attack with left sided players, forcing guys to play out of position and keeping our one exciting young talent, Shea Salinas on the bench.
We’re a mess. Sigh…we used to have crappy owners and a great team. Now we have great owners and…oh well. I just wish I had confidence that there is a plan…
Agreed J1mbr0wn,
I had my Red Bulls below Sky Blue FC and just above my little brother’s recreational team…
FC Dallas beat Ny 2-1, though it should have been 3-1 *grumbles* lousy stinking offside cost Cunningham his hat trick…
I’m a NYRB fan, and I think you have them ranked too high. They should be below Sky Blue. Perhaps somewhere around 36 or 38.
LA has to make the damn playoffs for the sake of attendance / publicity boost
Superclassico will definitely be worth watching this weekend. A full night of football with the Gold Cup and LA vesus LA.