MLS Rankings: Week 10

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 Ryan Lanigan contributed rankings. Comments are followed by the ranker’s name and the rank they gave that team.

1. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (7-2-2, 23 points)
Tough loss in the road in Vancouver is followed by a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Chivas. Yes, San Jose had the better of the play, but you expect three points against Chivas.  San Jose’s victory over Salt Lake last month keeps them on top for now.(Sean – 1) … They should have taken a full 3 points against a less talented Chivas squad, but they did well to at least get one out of it. (Ryan – 1)

2. (+2) REAL SALT LAKE (8-3-2, 26 points)
It doesn’t get much bigger than a win in Seattle, but RSL struggled to create much of anything in their midweek scoreless draw with Chicago. (Sean – 2) … An absolute huge win for RSL, who had struggled here and there this season. With KC fading and San Jose not exactly pushing the envelope, RSL could be the top team soon. (Ryan – 2)

3. (-2) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (7-2-1, 22 points)
Impressive win in Dallas, but in their biggest match of the week, at home against RSL, they failed to even test Nick Rimando. Still, the Sounders have looked in great form lately. (Sean – 3) … Despite the loss against RSL, the win over FC Dallas shouldn’t be overlooked. (Ryan – 3)

4. (+3) NEW YORK RED BULLS (7-3-1, 22 points)
Four wins in a row for the once struggling Red Bulls. They had a bit of help from the ref on Sunday, so it will be interesting to see if they can really keep it up with the often disruptive Rafa Marquez now back in the lineup. (Sean – 4) … Two wins in the week and now they own the first spot in the East….all without Henry for the last handful of games. (Ryan – 4)

5. (-2) SPORTING KANSAS CITY (7-3-0, 21 points)
The wheels seem to have fallen off in Kansas City with three losses in a row after the perfect start to the season. Errors doomed them against Chicago. (Sean – 5) … The arrogance on Kei Kamara’s ‘defensive’ play was absolutely absurd and Chicago got a big win. (Ryan – 5)

6. (+1) HOUSTON DYNAMO (3-3-2, 11 points)
The Dynamo had been in a bit of a slump lately, but home cooking is just what the doctor ordered. Finally returning to Houston and playing in front of their home fans brought new life to the team. (Sean – 6) … Despite the mid-week loss to the red-hot NYRB’s, Brad Davis helped secure a huge win over D.C. United. (Ryan – 6)

7. (+4) CHICAGO FIRE (4-2-3, 15 points)
They may not be playing the prettiest soccer, but you can’t argue with the results. Chicago is establishing themselves as a tough opponent for even the best clubs in the league this season. (Sean – 7) … A tie against RSL and then a win over Sporting KC? That’s beyond a successful week for the Fire. (Ryan – 8 )

8. (+1) COLORADO RAPIDS (5-5-0, 15 points)
With an extra week off to get bodies healthy, Colorado know has a big week with games against D.C. and Kansas City to show what they’re made of. (Sean – 10). The odd week/weekend in the MLS was very beneficial for the Rapids. (Ryan – 7)

9. (-3) D.C. UNITED (5-4-3, 12 points)
It’s hard to punish D.C. too hard for a loss most probably would’ve expected. It’s never easy to get a result against a team opening a brand new stadium. (Sean – 8 ) … A tough loss but a tough environment to get a win in. (Ryan – 10)

T10. (+2) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (3-5-2, 11 points)
Grabbed a road point and dominated possession in a difficult situation. (Sean – 11) … David Beckham’s strike was pure class. (Ryan – 9)

T10. (-5)  VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (5-3-2, 17 points)
Ugly showing in New England. They clearly looked fatigued after a busy week and cross-country flight. (Sean – 9) … Just an absolute disaster for VWFC. They took care of business midweek in their Canadian Championship match but then faltered against New England.   (Ryan – 11)

12. (-2) MONTREAL IMPACT (3-5-3, 12 points)
In front of 60,000+ at home, you’d like to see them grab a win, but still Montreal is exceeding expectations. (Sean – 12) … What an environment in Montreal this past weekend. It was a game they probably could have come away with three points, but what more can you do about that free kick? (Ryan – 12)

13. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-6-0, 12 points)
Took advantage of a fatigued Vancouver squad to grab a huge victory. Still, another slow start isn’t a good sign. (Sean – 13) … The Revolution have been red hot at home this season.  (Ryan – 13)

14. (-1) FC DALLAS (3-6-3, 12 points)
If Dallas can’t solve their discipline issues ASAP, it’s going to be a long, disappointing season for a talented squad. (Sean – 14) … A very, very rough week for Dallas. After a tough mid-week loss, they took another hard hit when they traveled to Columbus. (Ryan – 14)

15. (+2) COLUMBUS CREW (3-4-2, 11 points)
An important three points for the Crew, but with San Jose up next, it’s hard to see their unbeaten run extending past two games. (Sean – 15) … The win over FC Dallas was exactly what this team needed. (Ryan – 15)

16. CHIVAS USA (3-6-1, 10 points)
Keep up the impressive road form with a draw in San Jose. You’ve got to wonder why this team can grab big results on the road, yet can’t get it done at the Home Depot Center. (Sean – 16) …A point against arguably the best team in the league is never a bad result. (Ryan – 16)

17. (-2) PHILADELPHIA UNION (2-6-1, 7 points)
In the midst of his best performance in a long time, Freddy Adu sees an unfortunate second yellow card. Just another disappointment for Philly this season. (Sean – 17) … Danny Califf could be on his way out of town. (Ryan – 17)

18. PORTLAND TIMBERS (2-5-2, 8 points)
Will some extra rest have done the team good? (Sean – 18) … They could really use a win with their early week game against Houston. (Ryan – 18)

19. TORONTO FC (0-8-0, 0 points)
They say winning breeds winning, but doing well in games outside of MLS hasn’t translated into wins in MLS yet for Toronto. Will that finally change? (Sean – 19) … Well they won this week, just not in MLS Competition. Maybe the addition of Jim Brennan to the coaching staff will help. (Ryan – 19)