SBI MLS POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 25)

3. (1)  SPORTING KANSAS CITY (11-6-7)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 5-0, to San Jose Earthquakes last Wednesday; lost, 2-1, to Columbus Crew last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: At Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – A week to forget as Peter Vermes’ side suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season. The defense wobbled in uncharacteristic fashion, leaving us to wonder if it was just a case of fatigue after a busy stretch of matches, or something that could cause SKC to start to slide after such a strong first half of the season.

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4. (5) NEW YORK RED BULLS (11-6-6)

LAST WEEK: BYE

THIS WEEK:  At Chicago Fire on Wednesday, vs. D.C. United on Sunday.

OUTLOOK – The Red Bulls received some much-needed rest before gearing up for a two-game week. A pair of wins, including one against current East leader D.C. United, would propel them into first place in the East.

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5. (3) D.C. UNITED (13-9-5)

LAST WEEK: Lost, 2-0, to San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, beat Montego Bay United, 3-0, last Tuesday.

THIS WEEK: at New York Red Bulls on Sunday.

OUTLOOK – Ben Olsen’s side slipped in MLS play for the second straight week, and must now face red-hot New York Red Bulls with first place in the East potentially on the line. The attack continues to struggle without Fabian Espindola, putting more urgency on Alvaro Saborio to step up his production. Taylor Kemp will face a stiff test this weekend when he goes up against Red Bulls winger Lloyd Sam in what should be one of the key matchups of that Eastern Conference showdown.

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6. (6) PORTLAND TIMBERS (11-8-7)

LAST WEEK: Tied Houston Dynamo, 2-2, last Friday.

THIS WEEK: At Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

OUTLOOK – The Timbers fell victim to their inability to finish early chances, which left them in a 2-0 hole against Houston in a match in which they created more chances. The second-half rally was confidence boosting, particularly Lucas Melano’s performance. Caleb Porter will need Melano to step up against the Sounders if the Timbers are going to leave Seattle with any points.

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7. (7) FC DALLAS (11-8-5)

LAST WEEK: Lost to Vancouver Whitecaps, 1-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK:  vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – A third straight loss for FC Dallas has Oscar Pareja’s side suddenly slipping toward the bottom of the playoff places, and losing ground on a chasing pack. Mauro Diaz’s absence continues to hurt offensive productivity, as the limited central midfield pairing of Victor Ulloa and Kellyn Acosta simply doesn’t create, leaving too much for wide players Fabian Castillo and Michael Barrios to do. The good news is FC Dallas still has at least one game in hand on the teams chasing, but a loss to RSL could leave FCD in a precarious position.

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8. (11) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (10-10-5)

LAST WEEK: Beat Sporting KC, 5-0, last Wednesday; beat D.C. United, 2-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. LA Galaxy on Friday.

OUTLOOK – Clinical finishing, tough defending and impressive work on the flanks led the Earthquakes to a dream two-win week. Anibal Godoy continues to settle in well, and Quincy Amarikwa is looking like a steal as he offers just the kind of physical presence up top the Earthquakes have lacked since Steven Lenhart was sidelined by a knee injury.

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9. (10) TORONTO FC (10-10-4)

LAST WEEK: Beat Orlando City, 5-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Montreal Impact on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – Michael Bradley provided an emphatic answer to those questioning whether he was in a slump, delivering three assists and really driving the Toronto FC attack in a way we hadn’t seen in a while. Jozy Altidore’s second-half goals should provide a confidence boost, but the fact TFC was already up 3-0 before he entered the match shouldn’t be ignored. Jonathan Osorio’s inclusion in the lineup helped provide a spark, as did pushing Marky Delgado into a more advanced role.

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10. (9) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (9-9-7)

LAST WEEK: BYE

THIS WEEK: at Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – Some much-needed rest for the Revs, who did receive some good news in the form of Bobby Shuttleworth’s new contract.

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11. (12) COLUMBUS CREW (9-8-7)

LAST WEEK: Tied New York City FC, 2-2, last Wednesday; Beat Sporting KC, 2-1, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at New York City FC on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – The Finlay-Kamara show keeps on rolling, and opponents continue to struggle to find ways to stop the dynamic duo. Also impressive for the Crew in their four-point week was the play of newly-acquired fullback Harrison Afful, who has been tidy in defense and effective getting forward.

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12. (8) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (11-13-2)

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

THIS WEEK: vs. Portland Timbers on Sunday.

OUTLOOK – Just when you thought the Sounders were ready to make a run, they lay an egg in Utah. There’s no other way to describe what was a lackluster performance. Missing Clint Dempsey and Osvaldo Alonso didn’t help, but there was still more than enough attacking quality to justify producing more than one shot on goal.

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13. (14) HOUSTON DYNAMO (8-9-8)

LAST WEEK: Tied Portland Timbers, 2-2, last Friday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – A road point is usually a confidence booster, but squandering a 2-0 lead makes the draw in Portland a bitter pill to swallow. Having Erick Torres in the fold is a plus, and it will be up to Owen Coyle to figure out how to plug him in alongside Giles Barnes and Will Bruin, who have both been playing well. They will need the extra attacking punch against a tough Whitecaps side.

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14. (13) MONTREAL IMPACT (8-10-4)

LAST WEEK: Lost to Philadelphia Union, 1-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at Toronto FC on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – Losing in Drogba’s debut was a big letdown, particularly against a Philadelphia side the Impact would be expected to beat. The good news? The team is close to full strength now, and having the likes of Justin Mapp back along with Drogba could make the Impact one of the more dangerous teams in the East down the stretch. They’ll want to start with at least a point from this weekend’s derby against TFC.

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15. (17) REAL SALT LAKE (8-10-8)

LAST WEEK: Beat Seattle Sounders 2-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: at FC Dallas on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – Delivered the kind of comprehensive performance against Seattle that leaves you wondering just how RSL isn’t higher up the West standings. Injuries and international call-ups have taken their toll, but now RSL is at full strength and boasting the kind of potential that could see a late-season surge. Sebastian Jaime continues to play well, while the defense has stabilized with the return to health of Jamison Olave. A win in Texas this weekend would suddenly give RSL some serious momentum.

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16. (15) NEW YORK CITY FC (7-12-7)

LAST WEEK: Tied Columbus Crew, 2-2, last Wednesday; Lost to LA Galaxy, 5-0, last Sunday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Columbus Crew on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – There is no D in NYCFC, and that glaring problem reared its head again in LA. Now the expansion team is hardly the first to go to StubHub Center and get destroyed, but for a team that has leaked goals all season it was a tough result to take. A return home should offer a respite, but the Crew already showed last week that they’re capable of causing problems for Jason Kreis’ backline.

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17. (18) COLORADO RAPIDS (6-9-9)

LAST WEEK: Beat Chicago Fire, 1-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – It’s tough to figure out how much weight to give a win against the lowly Fire, but there’s no denying the Rapids benefited from the reintroduction of Dillon Powers and Dillon Serna to the starting lineup. The Colorado defense continues to be its strength though, and Maynor Figueroa has the look of quietly being one of the best signings of the summer. The playoffs are still a pipe dream, although a win against Sporting KC could start building some hope.

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18. (19) PHILADELPHIA UNION (7-13-6)

LAST WEEK: Beat Montreal Impact, 1-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. New England on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – The Union badly needed a victory and earned a tough one on the road in an atmosphere most would have expected them to crumble in. The defense was impressive, particularly given the absence of Maurice Edu, and Andre Blake looked very poised in goal. With Sebastian LeToux getting hot, and Blake looking like a good option in goal, the Union could be ready to surge. A win at home this weekend is a must, though the Revs won’t make it easy.

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19. (16) ORLANDO CITY (7-12-7)

LAST WEEK: Lost to Toronto FC, 5-0, last Saturday.

THIS WEEK: vs. Chicago Fire on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – Things have turned ugly for the expansion side after such a promising start to the season. Injuries have obviously taken their toll, but mistakes like Rafael Ramos’ latest red card are the sort of thing the Lions could absolutely do without. Kaka was invisible for a second straight match, and while it is tough to expect him to carry the team, any hope Orlando City has of turning things around will rest squarely on his shoulders and his recent form hasn’t been good enough, though he’s hardly alone.

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20. (19) CHICAGO FIRE (6-13-5)

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

THIS WEEK: vs. New York Red Bulls on Wednesday, at Orlando City on Saturday.

OUTLOOK – The nightmare continues for the Fire, and losing Shaun Maloney to Wigan only magnifies just had bad things have gotten. A two-win week might spark some confidence, but at this point it would likely be too little, too late.

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What do you think of this week’s rankings? Which team do you feel isn’t ranked highly enough? Which team do you think has too generous a place in the rankings?

Share your thoughts below.