Just like last season, FC Dallas has embarked on an extended unbeaten run to shoot up the league standings.
The defending Western Conference champions haven't lost in nine games and find themselves second in both the Supporters' Shield standings and SBI MLS Power Rankings after another clean sheet victory and a sweet goal from Marvin Chavez.
The lack of goals and wins this week as a whole kept things relatively the same elsewhere in the table, although Chivas USA and San Jose each climbed two spots, while Portland and Houston took a bit of a tumble.
Here are this week's SBI MLS Power Rankings (as voted on by SBI staff):
SBI MLS POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 12)
1. (Last week – 1) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (8-2-6, 30 points)
Last week: Tied D.C. United, 0-0, on Friday.
This week: vs. Toronto FC, 10:30 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: The Galaxy failed to generate many chances against D.C. in its draw, but the team hasn't lost in its last seven matches (4-0-3) while being the first team in the league to reach 30 points. A TFC side that will be short a few players shouldn't pose too big a threat to L.A.'s unbeaten home record, although the teams did play to a scoreless draw in Toronto back in April.
2. (3) FC DALLAS (7-3-4, 25 points)
Last week: Beat New England, 1-0, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m., Sunday.
Outlook: It's deja vu for the Red Stripes. A year after starting off a bit slow and then turning on the jets for a long unbeaten run on the strength of its defense and goalkeeper, FCD finds itself in the same position after its shutout of the Revs, the record 100th of keeper Kevin Hartman's career. Whether FCD can reach last year's unbeaten run of 19 games without David Ferreira is uncertain, but the club is in top form right now.
T-3. (2) PHILADELPHIA UNION (6-3-3, 21 points)
Last week: Tied Colorado, 1-1, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Real Salt Lake, 4 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: Danny Mwanga scored for the second consecutive game to rescue a point for the Eastern Conference leaders, who now turn their attention to another Rocky Mountain side in Real Salt Lake. The Union is one of four teams in the league to not have lost at home (that includes Sporting Kansas City, which has yet to play a home game), and RSL, no stranger to home unbeaten streaks, will put Philly's 4-0-2 record at PPL Park to the test.
T-3. (4) REAL SALT LAKE (6-2-2, 20 points)
Last week: Beat Vancouver, 2-0, on Saturday.
This week: at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday; at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: After getting back to its winning ways at Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL faces a grueling two-game swing against Eastern Conference foes. After going to Columbus midweek, RSL must face the Union in a high-profile match in the early game on Saturday. The three-games-in-seven-days stretch will test RSL's depth and will force Jean Alexandre to show that his performance against the Whitecaps was no one-time deal.
5. (5) NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-2-7, 19 points)
Last week: Tied Columbus, 1-1, on Saturday.
This week: vs. New England, 8:30 p.m., Friday, Fox Soccer Channel.
Outlook: The Red Bulls let more points slip away by failing to close out Columbus in stoppage time and playing to a fourth consecutive draw. Making matters worse, Jan Gunnar Solli went down with an injury and could be forced to miss time in addition to all of the club's international absences. Every man on New York's roster must be on call for the duration of the month.
6. (6) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (5-4-6, 21 points)
Last week: Tied Chicago, 0-0, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Vancouver, 10:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox Soccer Channel.
Outlook: The Cascadia triangle has another one of its rivalries get underway as the Sounders welcome the Whitecaps to Qwest Field. Seattle will be facing its second consecutive team with a new coach, doing so a week after being Frank Klopas' first test in Chicago. The club's attack was stifled by Sean Johnson, though, which begs the question: How much longer can Fredy Montero be used as a reserve?
7. (8) COLORADO RAPIDS (4-3-7, 19 points)
Last week: Tied Philadelphia, 1-1, on Saturday.
This week: at Portland, 10:30 p.m., Saturday, Galavision.
Outlook: Make that an MLS-record six consecutive draws for Colorado. The Rapids are taking the "slow and steady wins the race" approach by accumulating single points each game, but the club's blown leads has forced it to fall to fifth in the congested Western Conference table, with the three teams behind it — Portland included — eaching having at least one game in hand.
8. (T-10) CHIVAS USA (4-4-5, 17 points)
Last week: Tied Vancouver, 1-1, on Wednesday; Beat Portland, 1-0, on Saturday.
This week: at Houston, 8:30 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: The Goats probably should have collected six points in its two matches last week, but they couldn't put the Whitecaps away after Eric Hassli was sent off. Nevertheless, Chivas got Marcos Mondaini back from suspension and his return immediately paid off, as he scored the game-winner against the Timbers.
9. (T-10) D.C. UNITED (4-4-4, 16 points)
Last week: Tied Los Angeles, 0-0, on Friday.
This week: vs. San Jose, 7:30 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: Ben Olsen must be thrilled at United's four-point haul after games at Portland and Los Angeles. D.C. had its fair share of chances to steal a win at the Home Depot Center, too, but Josh Wolff and Charlie Davies had difficulty finishing in opportune spots. Regardless, what made the results more impressive is the fact that they were achieved despite injuries to key players. One of those players, Dejan Jakovic, was expected to be gone for the Gold Cup, but he hurt himself in Canada's friendly against Ecuador and is out for the next 4-6 weeks.
10. (12) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-4, 16 points)
Last week: Beat Houston, 2-0, on Saturday.
This week: at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: The Earthquakes took a big step forward by shutting down the Dynamo and winning without Chris Wondolowski. Steven Lenhart delivered in the clutch for the Earthquakes and should be a handful for D.C.'s rookie centerback tandem of Perry Kitchen and Ethan White. Getting Simon Dawkins back is also a big lift for Frank Yallop's side.
11. (7) PORTLAND TIMBERS (5-5-2, 17 points)
Last week: Lost to Chivas USA, 1-0, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Colorado, 10:30 p.m., Saturday, Galavision.
Outlook: The Timbers still have yet to find a remedy to its road woes. The club couldn't find a way to beat Dan Kennedy and the Chivas defense and fell to 0-4-2 on the road this season. Fortunately for Portland, it returns home to Jeld-Wen Field, where it will try to claim its first win after D.C. United snapped its five-game home winning streak.
12. (9) HOUSTON DYNAMO (3-5-6, 15 points)
Last week: Lost to San Jose, 2-0, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Chivas USA, 8:30 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: The Dynamo hasn't won in seven games, and its lackluster performance against San Jose was one of the club's worst showings this season. As well as Brad Davis has been playing and as solid as Geoff Cameron was in his return to centerback, more players need to step up for Houston to start seeing the same results it got earlier in the season.
13. (13) COLUMBUS CREW (3-3-6, 15 points)
Last week: Tied New York, 1-1, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday; vs. Chicago, 4 p.m., Sunday.
Outlook: The Crew's two first-round draft picks, Rich Balchan and Justin Meram, combined to produce a dramatic equalizer at Red Bull Arena over the weekend, and the youngsters will hope to build off that moment in the Crew's two home games. Meram likely won himself some more first-team minutes, while Balchan, whose goal was the first of his career, showed his ability to play forward after manning the left fullback position for most of the season.
14. (14) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (3-6-4, 13 points)
Last week: Lost to FC Dallas, 1-0, on Saturday.
This week: at New York, 8:30 p.m., Friday, Fox Soccer Channel.
Outlook: The Revs received good news that Shalrie Joseph will stay with the club instead of playing for Grenada in the Gold Cup, but his presence alone wasn't able to rescue the club in Dallas. Despite the scoreline, the Revolution never looked like it had a puncher's chance at winning that match and will need to find another gear while Benny Feilhaber recovers from his ankle injury to get back in the hunt.
15. (15) CHICAGO FIRE (1-4-7, 10 points)
Last week: Tied Seattle, 0-0, on Saturday.
This week: at Sporting Kansas City, 10 p.m., Thursday; at Columbus, 4 p.m., Sunday.
Outlook: The Klopas coaching era got off to a listless start, as the Fire was unable to crack the Sounders' defense at Toyota Park. Now the club has the misfortune of being the first visiting team at Sporting Kansas City's new stadium in addition to having a second road game this weekend.
16. (17) TORONTO FC (2-5-7, 13 points)
Last week: Tied Sporting Kansas City, 0-0, on Saturday.
This week: at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., Saturday.
Outlook: The Reds failed to capitalize on a weary Sporting Kansas City side and will now have to take on the league-leading Galaxy without Dicoy Williams and Julian de Guzman, who are both on Gold Cup duty. The good news for TFC is that Alan Gordon is nearing his return from injury and could make a difference up top for a team that has lacked a scoring punch, averaging less than a goal per game.
17. (16) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (1-6-7, 10 points)
Last week: Tied Chivas USA, 1-1, on Wednesday; Lost to Real Salt Lake, 2-0 on Saturday.
This week: at Seattle, 10:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox Soccer Channel.
Outlook: The Tom Soehn era in Vancouver started off the same way the Teitur Thordarson one ended — a 1-1 draw. It didn't get much better after the team's trip to Sandy, Utah, although DP Eric Hassli was unavailable after picking up his third red card of the season against Chivas. For a team that still hasn't won since opening day, a rivalry win in Seattle would do wonders going forward (easier said than done).
18. (18) SPORTING KANSAS CITY (1-6-3, 6 points)
Last week: Tied Toronto FC, 0-0, on Saturday.
This week: vs. Chicago, 10 p.m., Thursday, ESPN2; at FC Dallas, 7 p.m., Sunday.
Outlook: Welcome home, Sporting Kansas City! With Livestrong Sporting Park opening for business on Thursday, SKC will finally have a home game after its 10-game road trip to start the season. The time to make up for lost points is now. That is, until SKC has to go to FC Dallas three days after its home debut. Regardless, we'll start to get a look at the real SKC now that it is on a level playing field with the rest of the league.
With quality teams like Vancouver and SKC at the bottom, this really shows how competitive this league has become. These teams would be competitive with any bottom tier teams in the world.
He can’t do it all himself….This is why they are looking at that Irish kid
Even without Javi, RSL has so much more depth than LA
It’s nice to see DCU in the top ten. Amazingly they are only 3 points behind Red Bulls with one extra game to spare. It’s quite a change from the last season.
Oh yeah, Salt Lake is better than LA. I never understood the lack of PPG being used by soccer fans/writers.
In case you didn’t notice, there is some controversy around Montero. A few difference of opinion.
I think he is a guy that needs to adjust to MLS defenses that are killing him, but he has a ton of talent and isn’t helped by a team that has put out a different lineup almost every game this year.
Scapegoat or Slacker ?
Either way Seattle needs Obrian White to come back.
I love how everything is Montero´s fault. In case you guys havent noticed he is a creating forward he needs to have the ball adn help from the other forward. Seattle second forwards are skilles.
I admit that he could be doing better, but the coach is putting all the blame on him. Scapegoat=Montero
It is a week power ranking.
“Which begs the question, how long can Fredy Montero remain a reserve.”
Really? Apparently you have absolutely no idea what’s been going on in Seattle. Montero wasn’t performing when he WAS starting. Yes, the occasional goal/assist, but mostly the offense was bogging down and losing traction the second the ball got to Fredy. Turnovers abounded. Depending on who you listen to, Montero is just unable to adjust to the defensive attention he gets in MLS play or he’s simply in a long funk. Either way, he doesn’t belong in the starting line-up until he starts to play a whole lot more dynamically.
LA lost to FCD in head to head, just saying. And they should have been the first team to 30 points having played more games than anyone, thanks to MLS not wanting Lando to miss too many of their games I am sure 😉
Was that before or after he missed the team flight to buy candy?
If you look at points-per-game, RSL is out front with 2.0 PPG. LA is at 1.875. And RSL’s defense has 7 shutouts in 10 games, with 4 goals against.
which canadian team is 16 and which one is 17? I guess it doesn’t realy matter much.
That was Mwanga’s third goal in 2 games. He scored twice against TFC.