{"id":12989,"date":"2012-06-20T22:18:42","date_gmt":"2012-06-21T02:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=12989"},"modified":"2012-06-20T22:18:42","modified_gmt":"2012-06-21T02:18:42","slug":"mls-rankings-week-15-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=12989","title":{"rendered":"MLS Rankings: Week 15"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week the New England Soccer Today crew will look beyond the standings to rank each of the 19 Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. This week Sean Donahue and Brian O’Connell contributed rankings. Comments are followed by the ranker\u2019s name and the rank they gave that team.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. REAL SALT LAKE<\/strong> (10-3-2, 32 points)
\nThe Claret and Colbalt thrashed the Goats in a 3-0 win at The HDC. Their seven-game unbeaten streak is tops in MLS, and makes their USOC loss to Minnesota somewhat less embarrassing. (Brian \u2013 1) \u2026 Big 3-0 win away against Chivas. Salt Lake hasn\u2019t lost a league game since April 21st. (Sean \u2013 1)<\/p>\n

T2.<\/strong> (+3) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES<\/strong> (8-3-3, 27 points)
\nThe last time San Jose played, they were wearing garish, multi-colored kits and were called the Clash. Or so it seems. But the road back to regular season will force them to go from 0 to 60 with four games in the next 11 days. (Brian \u2013 2) \u2026 Mired in a somewhat rough patch in MLS play. Will their Open Cup run spark them back to life? (Sean \u2013 3)<\/p>\n

T2.<\/strong> (+1) D.C. UNITED<\/strong> (9-4-3, 30 points)
\nAvoided the potential embarrassment of a scoreless draw to Philly thanks to the underrated Chris Pontius. Four straight wins has them atop the standings, even if K.C. has three games in hand. (Brian \u2013 3) \u2026 Four wins in a row and up until their 1-0 victory against Philly, the offense has been lively. Easily the hottest team in the East currently. (Sean -2)<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> (-1) SPORTING KANSAS CITY<\/strong> (9-3-1, 28 points)
\nIn a game that Toronto could have won had it not carried the worst luck in the world to Barbeque City, the Kei Kamara-less K.C. get a 2-0 win nevertheless. Still, a win\u2019s a win. And this win put Peter Vermes\u2019 crew within two points of first place. (Brian \u2013 4) \u2026 After a rough patch, Kansas City has won two in a row in MLS and four in a row overall, but they haven\u2019t had to leave home to do it. A trip to Seattle Wednesday night will tell a lot. (Sean \u2013 4)<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>(-3) NEW YORK RED BULLS<\/strong> (8-4-2, 26 points)
\nTamed by the Fire in a 3-1 loss, the Red Bulls see their six-game unbeaten streak snapped in the Windy City. A mid-week game in Vancouver may make it hard to resume a new one, especially without Thierry Henry available. (Brian \u2013 5) \u2026 A pair of back-to-back 3-1 losses \u2013 one to Harrisburg City Islanders in the Open Cup and one to Chicago Fire in MLS \u2013 and suddenly it\u2019s time to start wondering again when Henry will be back. (Sean \u2013 5)<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong> (+1) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS <\/strong>(7-3-4, 25 points)
\nSurvive a Darren Mattocks ejection to steal a 1-0 win over Colorado. Even so, you have to wonder when their arsenal of attackers will finally unleash the punishment its capable of. LeToux finding the back of the net for the first time in nearly two months is a positive sign. (Brian \u2013 6) \u2026 Two home wins in a row against decent competition, but I\u2019m still not convinced this team is as good as its record suggests. (Sean \u2013 6)<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong> (+2) COLUMBUS CREW<\/strong> (5-4-4, 19 points)
\nBelieve it or not, but the Crew\u2019s 0-0 draw to the Revs brings their unbeaten streak to six, despite a 1.16 goals\/game average in that set. It may be unattractive soccer, but it\u2019s getting them results. (Brian \u2013 7) \u00a0\u2026 Even with a boatload of injuries, the Crew are finding ways to get results. If the keep wasting chances the way they did against the Revs, it won\u2019t last. (Sean \u2013 8)<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong> (-2) SEATTLE SOUNDERS<\/strong> (7-4-3, 24 points)
\nThe Sounders\u2019 fifth straight game without a win was a lesson in humiliation. A 4-1 loss to Montreal is something they\u2019ll have leave on the cutting room floor, but not before they figure out what needs to happen to reverse their fortunes. (Brian \u2013 10) \u2026 Five games winless for Seattle, including a shock 4-1 loss to Montreal. Back-to-back blowout wins in the Open Cup looked like a good way to turn things around, but apparently it didn\u2019t. A return home Wednesday to face Kansas City will tell a lot. (Sean \u2013 7)<\/p>\n

T9.<\/strong> (+2) CHICAGO FIRE<\/strong> (6-5-3, 21 points)
\nA lack of goal line technology robs Dominic Oduro of a legit goal, but fortunately for the Fire it doesn\u2019t deprive them of three points. Speaking of Oduro, someone may want to take the salt and pepper shakers and review the offside rule with him after he\u2019s been whistled for it a league-leading 21 times this season. (Brian \u2013 8) \u2026 Consistency\u2019s what\u2019s been missing for the Fire, will the win over New York start a run? (Sean \u2013 10)<\/p>\n

T9.<\/strong> (-2) HOUSTON DYNAMO<\/strong> (5-4-4, 19 points)
\nClaimed a 2-1 win over the undisciplined Dallas FC in a game that nearly became a street brawl in the second half. Once tempers cooled, Adam Moffat\u2019s strike sealed it in the battle for El Capitan. (Brian \u2013 9) \u2026 Got the win over their Texas rivals and have suffered just one MLS loss since May 9th. (Sean \u2013 9)<\/p>\n

11.<\/strong> (-1) COLORADO RAPIDS<\/strong> (6-7-1, 19 points)
\nFailed to capitalize after Vancouver was left shorthanded for much of the second half. They\u2019ve got the horses, but finding out how to get everyone on the same page is proving a difficult taks for Oscar Pareja. \u00a0(Brian \u2013 11) \u2026 Colorado can always get points at home, but that 2-6-0 road record? In the West, that\u2019s just not good enough \u2013 even if they are in 5th for now. (Sean \u2013 11)<\/p>\n

12.<\/strong> (+1) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION<\/strong> (5-7-2, 17 points)
\nA 0-0 draw leaves the Revs begging, especially at home against a beatable opponent. But they played right into the Crew\u2019s hands – a sure sign that the Revs maturation process is still ongoing. (Brian \u2013 12) \u2026 Against an injury weakened Crew at home, anything less than a win was a disappointment and thus a scoreless draw falls in that category. In fact, things could\u2019ve been far worse if the Crew finished off some of their gilt-edged chances. (Sean \u2013 12)<\/p>\n

13.<\/strong> (+2) MONTREAL IMPACT<\/strong> (4-7-3, 15 points)
\nThe Impact smash the champagne bottle on Stade Saputo with a 4-1 win over Seattle. The attack looked lively, and even though Seattle may have been its own worst enemy, a convincing win will certainly put a smile on Jesse Marsch\u2019s face. (Brian \u2013 13) \u2026 Who saw that coming? Huge win for Montreal, but will it translate to a run? (Sean \u2013 13)<\/p>\n

14.<\/strong> (+2) LOS ANGELES GALAXY<\/strong> (4-8-2, 14 points)
\nEek out a 1-0 win over an anemic Portland attack and put an end to their lengthy winless streak, which was snapped at seven. With Keane\u2019s return around the corner, the Galaxy need to make a serious move soon, lest their season slip away before Labor Day. (Brian \u2013 14) \u2026 A much needed three points thanks, in part, to a Beckham free kick. How will the already struggling Galaxy handle it if Beckham goes to the Olympics? (Sean \u2013 14)<\/p>\n

15.<\/strong> (-1) PORTLAND TIMBERS<\/strong> (3-6-4, 13 points)
\nSaw their four-game unbeaten streak snapped in a listless performance against L.A. Cause for alarm: the Timbers have only scored 10 goals (not including a pair of own goals that put the official total at 12) in 13 games. (Brian \u2013 15) \u2026 Who would\u2019ve thought the Timbers would be sitting in 8th place with just 3 wins in 13 games? Disappointing. (Sean \u2013 15)<\/p>\n

16.<\/strong> (-5) CHIVAS USA<\/strong> (4-7-3, 15 points)
\nA pathetic attacking effort (three total shots) yields a humbling loss to Salt Lake. The Two Juans \u2013 Agudelo and Pablo Angel \u2013 better figure it out quick with the summer upon us. (Brian \u2013 16) \u2026 The worst home team in MLS. 1-6-1 at the Home Depot Center, yet just one loss in six road games? Amaizing. (Sean \u2013 16)<\/p>\n

17.<\/strong> (-1) FC DALLAS<\/strong> (3-9-4, 13 points)
\nIt\u2019s been 10 games since Dallas grabbed a win, and in its latest loss, Jair Benitez gets booted. \u00a0It\u2019s crazy to think that Dallas was one of the best teams in the league at this point last season. (Brian \u2013 17) \u2026 How many red cards does it take to ruin a season? Dallas is trying their best to find out. (Sean \u2013 17)<\/p>\n

18.<\/strong> (+1) PHILADELPHIA UNION<\/strong> (2-8-2, 8 points)
\nWhat a mess. John Hackworth takes over for chemistry killer Peter Nowak and promptly witnesses the Union fail to register a goal against D.C.\u00a0 What\u2019s worse: the Union have only collected three assists, which only emphasizes the point that the phrase \u201cPhilly attack\u201d is turning into a league-wide punchline. (Brian \u2013 18) \u2026 That Philadelphia isn\u2019t last shows just how bad someone else is\u2026 (Sean \u2013 18)<\/p>\n

19.<\/strong> (-1) TORONTO FC<\/strong> (1-10-0, 3 points)
\nIf it wasn\u2019t so bad, it\u2019d be funny. The Reds resume their losing ways in Paul Mariner\u2019s debut on the bench. What\u2019s worse: a trio of players getting booked for public intoxication. On a bright note, the loss is a step closer to solidifying that #1 pick in 2013.\u00a0 (Brian \u2013 19) \u2026 It\u2019s far, far too late for Paul Mariner \u2013 or anyone else \u2013 to save this season. (Sean \u2013 19)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Salt Lake maintain their hold on first place in our rankings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nesoccertoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/rslfeature.jpg?fit=490%2C225","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12989"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12989"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12990,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12989\/revisions\/12990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}