It's a good time to be a Vancouver Whitecaps fan.
After back-to-back wins, the Whitecaps are unbeaten in four and have pushed up to the No. 5 slot in this week's SBI MLS Power Rankings. And to make matters better, Designated Player signing Barry Robson will finally be eligible to play come June 27.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Real Salt Lake and D.C. United retained the top spots in the pecking order, while Sporting Kansas City rode its second-straight win to a position back in the top three.
Here are this week's SBI MLS Power Rankings (as voted on by SBI staff):
SBI MLS POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 15)
1. (Last week — 1) REAL SALT LAKE (10-3-2, 32 points)
Last week: Beat Chivas 3-0 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday vs. Los Angeles, 9 p.m.; Saturday vs. San Jose, 9 p.m., Saturday
Outlook: RSL got back at a Chivas side that stole a win at Rio Tinto Stadium earlier this season, grabbing a 3-0 result on the road behind Fabian Espindola's brace. The coming week brings a Western Conference final rematch against the Galaxy and a tough clash with San Jose.
2. (2) D.C. UNITED (9-4-3, 30 points)
Last week: Beat Philadelphia 1-0 on Saturday
This week: Sunday at New York, 7 p.m.
Outlook: United didn't control the match against Philadelphia, but Ben Olsen's side absorbed pressure and capitalized on Branko Boskovic's superb set-piece service to Chris Pontius. In a scary development for the rest of the Eastern Conference, United are as healthy as they've been all season.
3. (5) SPORTING KANSAS CITY (9-3-1, 28 points)
Last week: Beat Toronto 2-0 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday at Seattle, 10 p.m.; Saturday vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Kansas City is looking like its old self again, winning back-to-back contests after being mired in a four-game winless stretch. Seeing C.J. Sapong get back on the score sheet is particularly encouraging, as is seeing the team's depth get tested — and pass.
4. (4) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (8-3-3, 27 points)
Last week: Idle
This week: Wednesday at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.; Saturday at Salt Lake, 9 p.m.
Outlook: After going nearly a month without playing a league game, San Jose returns to action with key Western Conference matches against Colorado and Salt Lake. The return of Chris Wondolowski from U.S. national team duty will be most welcome.
5. (9) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (7-3-4, 25 points)
Last week: Beat Colorado 1-0 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday vs. New York, 10:30 p.m.; Saturday at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
Outlook: As disappointing as it was to see surging rookie Darren Mattocks sent off, it was just as rewarding for Vancouver fans to see the team hold the fort defensively and then grab the late winner against Colorado, courtesy of Sebastien Le Toux.
6. (3) NEW YORK RED BULLS (8-4-2, 26 points)
Last week: Lost to Chicago 3-1 on Sunday
This week: Wednesday at Vancouver, 10:30 p.m.; Sunday vs. D.C. United, 7 p.m.
Outlook: With Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez again sidelined and Heath Pearce a bust in defensive midfield, New York had its long unbeaten run snapped against Chicago. But New York can jump back into first place with wins over Vancouver and rival D.C. this week.
7. (6) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (7-4-3, 24 points)
Last week: Lost to Montreal 4-1 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday vs. Kansas City, 10 p.m.; Sunday at Portland, 5 p.m.
Outlook: What is going on in the Emerald City? After expansion Montreal thrashed the Sounders on Saturday, Seattle is now winless in five games. The return of Osvaldo Alonso from suspension will be absolutely critical.
8. (7) HOUSTON DYNAMO (5-4-4, 19 points)
Last week: Beat Dallas 2-1 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday vs. Toronto, 9 p.m.; Saturday at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: After claiming El Capitan for the second straight year with a win over rival Dallas on Saturday, Houston will enjoy another match at BBVA Compass Stadium before going on the road to see another team's new digs: Montreal's renovated Saputo Stadium.
9. (8) COLUMBUS CREW (5-4-4, 19 points)
Last week: Tied New England 0-0 on Saturday
This week: Saturday at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Outlook: Don't look now, but after a scrappy point on the road against New England, the Crew are unbeaten in six and moving up the Eastern Conference standings. With just 13 goals allowed this season, Columbus is playing disciplined soccer.
10. (11) CHICAGO FIRE (6-5-3, 21 points)
Last week: Beat New York 3-1 on Sunday
This week: Saturday vs. Columbus, 8:30 p.m.
Outlook: Even with Arne Friedrich sidelined, Chicago still grabbed a 3-1 win over the Red Bulls thanks to goals from Gonzalo Segares, Patrick Nyarko and Chris Rolfe. With Rolfe back from injury, this team's attacking depth can be imposing.
11. (10) COLORADO RAPIDS (6-7-1, 19 points)
Last week: Lost to Vancouver 1-0 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday vs. San Jose, 9:30 p.m.
Outlook: Colorado's struggles on the road continued Saturday, as the Rapids dropped to 2-6-0 away from home with a loss to 10-man Vancouver. With Edu now firmly in the mix, it'll be intriguing to see what buttons Oscar Pareja chooses to push up top.
12. (15) MONTREAL IMPACT (4-7-3, 15 points)
Last week: Beat Seattle 4-1 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday at Chivas, 10:30 p.m.; Saturday vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
Outlook: Sure, it made sense that Montreal would be fired up for its first game at renovated Saputo Stadium. But a 4-1 shellacking of Seattle? That was a surprisingly thorough performance from the expansion side. Look for rookie Andrew Wenger to get into the flow of things now that he is finished commuting back and forth from Duke.
13. (13) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (5-7-2, 17 points)
Last week: Tied Columbus 0-0 on Saturday
This week: Saturday at Toronto, 5:30 p.m.
Outlook: Considering New England is 1-6-0 away from Gillette Stadium, the Revolution can't afford to drop points at home the way they did against Columbus on Saturday. They will, however, have a good chance to improve upon that road mark this weekend at lowly Toronto.
14. (12) CHIVAS USA (4-7-3, 15 points)
Last week: Lost to Salt Lake 3-0 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday vs. Montreal, 10:30 p.m.; Saturday at Dallas, 9 p.m.
Outlook: The pre-hiatus optimism sparked by the savvy acquisitions of Danny Califf and Juan Agudelo was quickly snuffed by Salt Lake, which traveled to the Home Depot Center and easily dismissed the home side. But this week brings two very winnable games: home against Montreal and at Dallas — that is, if Chivas can find a way to turn around its home form, as they are 1-6-1 at the HDC.
15. (16) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (4-8-2, 14 points)
Last week: Beat Portland 1-0 on Sunday
This week: Wednesday at Salt Lake, 9 p.m.; Saturday vs. Vancouver, 10:30 p.m.
Outlook: The Galaxy are a team desperately in need of a turning point. Will Sunday's shutout win over Portland end up being it? If Los Angeles fares well this week against the likes of Salt Lake and Vancouver, it just might.
16. (14) PORTLAND TIMBERS (3-6-4, 13 points)
Last week: Lost to Los Angeles 1-0 on Sunday
This week: Saturday vs. Seattle, 5 p.m.
Outlook: The new forward partnership of Danny Mwanga and Kris Boyd needs time to mesh, but this season may be a lost cause by the time they find some chemistry. Perhaps a Cascadia Cup win over the struggling Sounders will be the spark Portland needs?
17. (18) PHILADELPHIA UNION (2-8-2, 8 points)
Last week: Lost to D.C. United 1-0 on Saturday
This week: Saturday vs. Kansas City, 7 p.m.
Outlook: The start of the John Hackworth era looked an awful lot like the Peter Nowak era, as the Union's league-worst attack again failed to score and they paid dearly for a single lapse defensively. On the plus side, Freddy Adu continues to show glimpses of truly breaking out.
18. (17) FC DALLAS (3-9-4, 13 points)
Last week: Lost to Houston 2-1 on Saturday
This week: Saturday vs. Chivas, 9 p.m.
Outlook: It's hard enough for Dallas to play without 2010 MVP David Ferreira, and playing without 2011 MVP finalist Brek Shea these past few matches has turned out to be too much, especially when Dallas' defense, with 26 goals allowed, is the league's worst.
19. (19) TORONTO FC (1-10-0, 3 points)
Last week: Lost to Kansas City 2-0 on Saturday
This week: Wednesday at Houston, 9 p.m.; Saturday vs. New England, 5:30 p.m.
Outlook: Paul Mariner made some notable tactical adjustments in his first match since taking over for Aron Winter, but he can't repair Toronto's dilapidated roster with a couple lineup tweaks. It's time for Toronto to start rebuilding its personnel — again.