{"id":4395,"date":"2011-04-08T19:46:03","date_gmt":"2011-04-08T23:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=4395"},"modified":"2011-04-08T19:46:32","modified_gmt":"2011-04-08T23:46:32","slug":"mls-rankings-week-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=4395","title":{"rendered":"MLS Rankings: Week 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week, the New England Soccer Today crew will look beyond the standings to rank each of the 18 Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. This week Brian O\u2019Connell and Sean Donahue 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> (2 first place votes) (2-0-0, 6 points) \u2013 Nevermind that they\u2019re the best club in MLS \u2013 they\u2019re one of the best on the continent. Advancing to the CCL Final is just further validation of this team\u2019s greatness. (Brian \u2013 1) \u2026 They may not have played an MLS match this week, but you can\u2019t move RSL down after advancing to the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League. (Sean -1)<\/p>\n

2. Colorado Rapids<\/strong> (3-0-0, 9 points) \u2013Tops in the Western Conference and the defending MLS Cup champions are sporting a perfect record. Dominated D.C. this week. (Sean \u2013 2) \u2026 Best squad in MLS not named Real Salt Lake. Colorado\u2019s 4-1 thumping of D.C. shows that the defending champs are on a mission to gain the respect that somehow eluded them after lifting the Anschutz Trophy. (Brian \u2013 2)<\/p>\n

T3. Los Angeles Galaxy<\/strong> (2-1-1, 7 points) (+2)\u2013 Victory over Philly gets the Galaxy back on the right track. (Sean \u2013 3) \u2026 Although they have higher point totals than New York and Philly, I still think that this is an underperforming bunch. I mean, four goals in four games? Really, David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Juan Pablo Angel, and Juninho? Really? (Brian \u2013 5)<\/p>\n

T3. New York Red Bulls<\/strong> (1-1-1, 4 points) (+1) \u2013 The addition of Dwayne DeRosario may just be what the Red Bulls needed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference. But they\u2019ll need to do better than draw Houston to make that a reality. (Brian \u2013 3) \u2026 The Red Bulls can\u2019t be happy with another home drop if they want to be contenders. (Sean \u2013 5)<\/p>\n

T3.Philadelphia Union <\/strong>(2-1-0, 6 points) \u2013 The Union were taken back down to earth with a road loss to the Galaxy. (Sean \u2013 4) \u2026 Although they lost to L.A. in Hollywood, I still think that they\u2019re one of the stronger teams in MLS. Once Carlos Ruiz, Danny Mwanga, and Sebastien LeToux get on the same page, it\u2019ll always be sunny in Philadelphia. At least during the MLS season. (Brian \u2013 4)<\/p>\n

T6. New England Revolution<\/strong> (1-0-3, 6 points) \u2013 Unbeaten after four games, but they didn\u2019t look very impressive this past week. (Sean \u2013 6) \u2026 Stevie Nicol\u2019s boys are getting points by the skin of their teeth. Two draws to expansion sides \u2013 one thanks to a stoppage time goal (at Vancouver) \u2013 and you have to wonder how much of their form is sheer luck. But, Nicol won\u2019t complain with his club sharing first place in the Eastern Conference. (Brian \u2013 7)<\/p>\n

T6. Vancouver Whitecaps<\/strong> (1-1-2, 5 points) (+6) \u2013 Watch out for the Whitecaps. After their improbable 3-3 draw to Kansas City and nearly stealing a victory with only nine men against New England, the \u2018Caps definitely are not your father\u2019s expansion team. (Brian \u2013 6) \u2026 Amazing comeback against Kansas City and did well to hold on when shorthanded against the Revs. Rarely threatened, however, when it was 11 vs. 11 in the first half. Need to start stronger. (Sean -7)<\/p>\n

8. Chicago Fire<\/strong> (1-0-1, 4 points) (-2) \u2013 No match this week. The Fire remain unbeaten after two. (Sean \u2013 8 ) \u2026 Although they were idle last week, they\u2019ll have to do a number on a struggling Seattle squad to show that they deserve to stay in the upper half of the rankings.\u00a0 (Brian \u2013 9)<\/p>\n

9. Sporting Kansas City<\/strong> (1-1-1, 4 points) \u2013 High-scoring club should\u2019ve wrapped up three points against Vancouver, but their defense betrayed them. If they figure out how to defend, they\u2019ll be one of the most dangerous clubs in MLS. (Brian \u2013 8 ) \u2026 Epic collapse in Vancouver. Kansas City has a great team and should be doing better. (Sean \u2013 10)<\/p>\n

10. San Jose Earthquakes<\/strong> (1-1-1, 4 points) (-2) \u2013 A 2-2 home draw with a struggling Seattle side drops San Jose a few places. (Sean \u2013 9) \u2026 Back and forth match against the Sounders proves they can score, but they\u2019ll have to do it with greater frequency in order to improve their position in the rankings. (Brian \u2013 10)<\/p>\n

11. Columbus Crew<\/strong> (1-1-1, 4 points) (+4) \u2013 Impressive 2-0 victory over Dallas has halted the Chicken Little calls in Columbus. But, I still get the sense that unless Will Hesmer and his back four have a season to remember, it\u2019s going to be a long summer in C-bus. (Brian \u2013 11) \u2026 First win of the season comes at home against Dallas and the Crew are on their way up the rankings. (Sean \u2013 11)<\/p>\n

T12. D.C. United<\/strong> (1-2-0, 3 points) (-1) \u2013 Destroyed by Colorado. D.C. is looking poor after raising expectations with an opening day win. (Sean \u2013 12) \u2026 The memory of their impressive 3-1 win over Columbus is fading fast as Ben Olson\u2019s boys are quickly fading back toward the Eastern Conference basement. The thrashing they took to the Rapids should be a reminder that there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done in DC. (Brian \u2013 14)<\/p>\n

T12. Seattle Sounders FC<\/strong> (0-2-2, 2 points) (-2) \u2013 Besides L.A., this has to be one of the most disappointing clubs in MLS right now. Entering April, they\u2019re still winless, although the offense appears to finally be finding its rhythm after their 2-2 draw to San Jose. (Brian \u2013 12) \u2026 Winless after four games. Their offense showed signs of life at San Jose, but they need to start finding wins. \u00a0(Sean \u2013 14)<\/p>\n

T14. Houston Dynamo<\/strong> (0-1-2, 2 points) (+2) \u2013 A draw at New York would\u2019ve been a good result if the team wasn\u2019t still winless. Still earns them a move up the rankings. (Sean \u2013 13) \u2026 They haven\u2019t been playing terribly as they\u2019ve clinched draws against NY and Seattle and only lost by 1 to Philly. But, they\u2019ve got to start scoring some goals. (Brian \u2013 15)<\/p>\n

T14. Toronto FC<\/strong> (1-1-1, 4 points) \u2013 Drawing 1-1 to the Goats is the least of TFC\u2019s concerns, especially after they traded their best player to a conference rival. This may be the last time you see the original Canadian side this high in the rankings. (Brian \u2013 13) \u2026 A home draw against Chivas is nothing to be proud of. With De Rosario gone, Toronto will struggle to beat anyone. (Sean – 15)<\/p>\n

T16. FC Dallas<\/strong> (0-2-1, 1 point) (-3) \u2013 MLS Cup finalists last year, Dallas has yet to have a performance worthy of looking even like a contender for a playoff spot this season. (Sean \u2013 16) \u2026 Winless, and only a single point for their troubles. How far the mighty have fallen. But, given the number of promising youngsters, this could very well be a situation that rights itself before long. (Brian \u2013 18)<\/p>\n

T16. Portland Timbers<\/strong> (0-2-1, 1 point) (+2) \u2013 Showed a lot of life in their draw at New England. Now that Darlington Nagbe\u2019s back, things are suddenly looking up in Portland. (Brian \u2013 17) \u2026 Picked up their first points of the season and key players are returning from injury. (Sean – 17)<\/p>\n

T16. Chivas USA<\/strong> (0-2-1, 1 point) (+1) \u2013 1-1 draw to Toronto has to be seen as a step in the right direction as their defense appears to be solidifying. But, until they become more consistent, it may yet be another long season for the Goats. (Brian \u2013 16) \u2026 Finally picked up a point with a road draw against a poor Toronto squad. Might give them confidence, but they\u2019ll need more than that to turn the season around. \u00a0(Sean \u2013 18)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every week, the New England Soccer Today crew will look beyond the standings to rank each of the 18 Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. This week Brian O\u2019Connell and Sean Donahue contributed rankings. Comments are followed by the ranker\u2019s name and the rank they gave that team. 1. Real Salt Lake (2 first place votes) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":725,"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\/mlsfeature.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\/4395"}],"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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4395"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4399,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395\/revisions\/4399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}