SBI MLS Power Rankings (Week 12)

1. (Last Week- 1) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (6-3-2)

LAST WEEK:  Tied Sporting KC, 0-0, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado Rapids on Wednesday; vs. New York Red Bulls on Sunday

OUTLOOK–  In what proved to be a lackluster performance by their standards, the Seattle Sounders were held scoreless in a draw with Sporting KC. Props to Stefan Frei for a big stoppage time save, bailing the Sounders out with a draw in a game where the attack never truly threatened. Not much room for concern, though, as the return of Obafemi Martins should give Seattle their usual attacking spark

————————-

2. (4) D.C. UNITED (6-2-4)

LAST WEEK:  Tied New England Revolution, 1-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Portland Timbers on Wednesday; vs. Philadelphia Union on Saturday

OUTLOOK– A draw against the surging Revs would appear to be a welcomed result, but failing to capitalize on a two-man advantage isn’t quite up to snuff. Still, the result keeps D.C. United atop the east with a two-point cushion heading into a double game-week against the struggling Timbers and Union.

————————-

3. (2) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (5-2-3)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 4-2, to Sporting KC on Wednesday; Tied D.C. United, 1-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. LA Galaxy on Sunday

OUTLOOK–  Not exactly a banner week for the Revs, whose loss put an end to a nine-game winning streak. Still, battling to earn a draw with D.C. United despite being down to nine men is an impressive feat. The Revs now face yet another test: an MLS Cup rematch with the LA Galaxy.

————————

4. (7)  SPORTING KANSAS CITY (4-2-6)

LAST WEEK: Defeated New England Revolution, 4-2, on Wednesday; Tied Seattle Sounders, 0-0, on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. FC Dallas on Friday

OUTLOOK– Sporting KC will surely be happy with four points from matches with the Revs and Sounders. Quietly putting together some good results, SKC has done well in recent weeks, with a a reinvigorated Dom Dwyer joining Benny Feilhaber and Krisztian Nemeth leading the way in what has turned out to be a potent attack.

————————-

5. (5) FC DALLAS (6-3-3)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-1, to Montreal Impact on Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Sporting KC on Friday

OUTLOOK– Following a scoreless draw against the Red Bulls, FC Dallas were disappointing in loss to the Impact. Despite fighting back admirably, the Impact are a team that FCD needs to best to stay near the Supporters’ Shield race. If FC Dallas wants to be mentioned among those at the top of the league, a bit more consistency will be the name of the game going forward.

————————

6. (3)  NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-2-5)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-0, to Philadelphia Union last Sunday

THIS WEEK: at Seattle Sounders on Sunday

OUTLOOK– Who saw that coming? In what was surely their worst performance of the season, the Red Bulls laid an absolute egg against the Union. Lacking a scoring touch and sloppy against a lackluster Union team, the Red Bulls face a much tougher challenge next time out against the Sounders, an opponent much more fierce than the lowly Union.

————————-

7. (8) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (4-4-5)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Houston Dynamo, 1-0, last Friday

THIS WEEK: at Real Salt Lake on Wednesday; at New England Revolution on Sunday

OUTLOOK– Alan Gordon struck again. Needing a goal late, the forward once again provided, something Gordon has done time and time again. With Robbie Keane back in the fold, things should be looking up for a Galaxy team that sorely missed its Irish talisman.

————————-

8. (9) COLUMBUS CREW (4-4-3)

LAST WEEK: Tied Chicago Fire, 2-2, last Friday

THIS WEEK: at Orlando City on Saturday

OUTLOOK: It’s tough to truly pinpoint where the Crew fit in the grand scheme of things. The team dominates some weeks, while faltering miserably in others.  Friday night’s performance against the Fire falls somewhere in the middle, but blowing a two-goal lead is far from satisfactory. The Crew still need just a little bit of a push to get back into the conversation atop the league.

————————-

9. (6) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (6-5-2)

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

THIS WEEK: at Real Salt Lake on Saturday

OUTLOOK– The Whitecaps are now on a two-game slide, and a loss to the Rapids is far from what the doctor ordered for a team looking to compete out West. The Rapids are solid defensively, sure, but the Caps can’t be dropping games to the Rapids in the ever-crowded Western Conference.

————————

10. (12) TORONTO FC (4-5-1)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Portland Timbers, 1-0, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday

OUTLOOK– With Jozy Altidore out for the next month or so, Sebastian Giovinco stepped up big time in the win over the Timbers. Menacing throughout, the Italian forward proved to be the spark needed to boost a TFC side in need of a major victory. Also impressive is the clean sheet for a TFC defense that has struggled keeping opponents off the board this season.

————————-

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

LAST WEEK: Tied Orlando City, 1-1, on Sunday

THIS WEEK: at Toronto FC on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Chris Wondolowski snagged his 100th goal as the Earthquakes picked up a point against an Orlando City side that has looked better of late. The Earthquakes would have liked to take advantage of being a man up, sure, but a point is a solid step for a team that truly looks like the league’s most improved this season.

———————–

12. (10) HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-5-4)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0, to LA Galaxy last Friday

THIS WEEK: at NYCFC on Saturday

OUTLOOK–  After two straight wins, the Dynamo were just moments away from snagging a point from the reigning champions before Alan Gordon stepped up. The Galaxy loss snaps a decent run of form for the Dynamo. Still, the Dynamo find themselves in the playoff conversation, exactly where they would hope to be at this point in the season.

————————-

13. (15) REAL SALT LAKE (4-3-5)

LAST WEEK: Defeated NYCFC, 2-0, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. LA Galaxy on Wednesday; at Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday

OUTLOOK– After a horrendous showing against the Impact last time out, RSL really got up for a meeting with former coach Jason Kreis and NYCFC. Dominating through most of the game, RSL looked like the team that many expected them to be. A win over a team that is a circumstantial rival could prove to be a turning point, but RSL will either sink or swim in a week that sees matches with two Western Conference contenders.

————————-

14. (18) COLORADO RAPIDS (2-2-7)

LAST WEEK: Defeated Vancouver Whitecaps, 1-0, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Seattle Sounders on Wednesday; vs. Portland Timbers on Saturday

OUTLOOK– The Rapids picked up a big-time victory over a tough Whitecaps side, adding another shutout to the resume of what might be the league’s best defense. The lack of goals is still a major hindrance to their ability to contend, but it’s pretty much impossible to lose a game if you don’t concede. If the attack can find its wings, the Rapids could have a decent side on their hands.

————————-

15. (13)  ORLANDO CITY (3-5-4)

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

THIS WEEK: vs. Columbus Crew on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Down a man due to a Brek Shea dismissal, Orlando City did well to snag a point against an Earthquakes team that has proven tough. That’s four points from two games for Orlando, a much improved haul from prior weeks. Forward Cyle Larin once again proved to be threatening, drawing the decisive penalty while continuing to show that he could just be Orlando’s answer up top.

————————-

16. (17) MONTREAL IMPACT (2-3-2)

LAST WEEK: Defeated FC Dallas, 2-1, last Saturday

THIS WEEK: at Chicago Fire on Saturday

OUTLOOK– It might be time to start wondering if the Impact are for real. With the CCL loss behind them, the Impact have now picked up back-to-back wins, and couldn’t have looked more impressive in doing so. Still playing catchup, the Impact have plenty of time to keep amassing points, and if they continue playing like they did in the last two weeks, we may have a playoff contender on our hands in Montreal.

————————-

17. (14) CHICAGO FIRE (3-5-2)

LAST WEEK: Tied Columbus Crew, 2-2, last Friday

THIS WEEK: vs. Montreal Impact on Saturday

OUTLOOK– After capitulating late the prior game against NYCFC, the Fire proved deadly in the closing minutes to steal a point from the Crew with a Jason Johnson equalizer in extra time. The Fire are a bit of an enigma at this point, but a meeting with the improving Impact should serve as a good measuring stick next week.

————————-

18. (16) PORTLAND TIMBERS (3-5-4)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 1-0, to Toronto FC last Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. D.C. United on Wednesday; at Colorado Rapids on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Positives: The Timbers backline allowed just one goal. Negatives: they still lost. Sebastian Giovinco proved to be a nuisance all night, testing a Timbers backline that has struggled in recent weeks. The fault lies up top this time for a Timbers team that needs improvement all over the field if they are to hop into postseason contention.

–————————-

19. (20) PHILADELPHIA UNION (3-7-3)

LAST WEEK: Defeated New York Red Bulls, 2-0, on Sunday

THIS WEEK: at D.C. United on Saturday

OUTLOOK– One week after knocking off D.C. United, the Union repeated the feat against the Red Bulls, completing the most unlikely two-game win streak of the season. The Union have looked disciplined, clinical, and most importantly, motivated, leading to two spectacular results. The return of CJ Sapong should help boost the Union even further, as Jim Curtin’s side looks to continue to climb out of an early-season hole that has left the team way down in the Eastern Conference standings.

————————-
20. (19) NEW YORK CITY FC (1-7-4)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-0, to Real Salt Lake on Saturday

THIS WEEK: vs. Houston Dynamo on Saturday

OUTLOOK– Another week, another loss. NYCFC’s struggles continued out West in a loss to RSL, adding to what has now become a 10-game winless streak. After picking up what could have been a turning-point draw against the Fire the previous week, NYCFC reverted to its old ways against RSL. Without much creativity, NYCFC need to fill much more than a Frank Lampard-sized hole this summer.

————————-