MLS Rankings: Week 11

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

1. (+1) REAL SALT LAKE (8-3-2, 26 points)
On a bye week, Salt Lake hopes to remain on the throne with a win against a floundering FC Dallas. (Brian – 1) … Other teams didn’t get the result they needed and now RSL has the most points in the league. (Ryan – 1)

2. (+1) SEATTLE SOUNDERS (7-2-2, 23 points)
Fredy Montero’s last-minute equalizer helps Seattle steal a point from Vancouver. They’ll look for a full three against the Crew this week. (Brian – 2) … Vancouver is a much better team than they played against New England so for Seattle to grab a point is important. (Ryan – 2)

3. (+1) NEW YORK RED BULLS (8-3-1, 25 points)
Make it five in a row for a team that still has major question marks hovering above it. Even so, it’s hard to argue with the results. (Brian – 3) … The only reason this team isn’t higher is because they haven’t exactly established an impressive resume. The results are wins, but they aren’t overly impressive. (Ryan – 3)

T4. (-3) SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (7-2-3, 24 points)
Earn a last-gasp draw to a mediocre Columbus side. Only thing that kept the ‘Quakes from three points was, well, themselves. (Brian – 4) … They should have done better facing a inferior Columbus side. Now they have to deal with struggling, but talented LA a and KC. (Ryan – 4)

T4. (+5) DC UNITED (7-4-3, 24 points)
DeRo catches fire with three goals in two games, and the United are soaring. Looks like the pieces are fitting quite nicely in the Nation’s capital. (Brian – 4) … Two huge wins this week but now they have a huge match up with New England this week. (Ryan – 5)

6. (-1) SPORTING KANSAS CITY (7-3-1, 22 points)
Conceded a two-goal lead in Colorado to make four straight without a win. It won’t get any easier with a game against San Jose this weekend.(Brian – 6) … It’s almost unbelievable that they have gone on this streak after the hot start they had. (Ryan – 6)

7. (+3) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (5-3-3, 18 points)
A back and forth game against the Sounders forces Vancouver to settle for a draw. But it was encouraging to see the offense show some vital signs. (Brian – 7) … A much better result after the disaster against New England (Ryan – 7 )

T8. (-2) HOUSTON DYNAMO (3-3-4, 10 points)
Two very different draws against Portland and New England keep the Dynamo out of the loss column. But, they need to start establishing an attacking rhythm if they want a return trip to the MLS Cup finals. (Brian – 9). Houston did well to get a solid draw against a very good Revolution team at home. (Ryan – 8 )

T8. (-1) CHICAGO FIRE (4-4-3, 15 points)
Inconsistent Fire fall to the Timbers in Portland. Tough to gauge where this team is going. (Brian – 8 ) … Just not a good result from the Fire after losing to a team they should have beat. (Ryan – 9)

T10. (+2) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-6-1, 13 points)
Shades of 2011 appeared when the Revolution D conceded a late equalizer. A tough test in D.C. awaits. (Brian – 11) … It won’t sit well with fans after seeing a late game collapse, but they have played well at home this season, only losing once in 5 games. (Ryan – 10)

T10. (-5)COLUMBUS CREW (3-4-3, 12 points)
Andy Gruenebaum comes up big against San Jose, but we’ll see how he and his teammates hold up against Seattle’s attack this week. (Brian – 10) … A great result for a Columbus team that hasn’t exactly been impressive this season. (Ryan – 11)

12. (-4) COLORADO RAPIDS (5-6-1, 16 points)
Dropped a 2-0 loss to D.C., but rallied late against K.C. to keep them from walking away from last week empty handed. With Montreal in town, a win has to be on the agenda for Oscar Pareja’s squad. (Brian – 12) … The rally against KC is huge, especially down 2-0. (Ryan – 12)

13. (-1) MONTREAL IMPACT (3-6-3, 12 points)
Tough loss to a 10-man Red Bulls side gives the Impact with their first home loss. An unenviable trip to Colorado awaits. (Brian – 13) … It would have been better if Montreal came away with the win but NYRB is playing to win right now, which is tough to stop. (Ryan – 13)

14. (+2) CHIVAS USA (4-6-1, 13 points)
With Juan Agudelo and Danny Califf on board, the Goats get their first win against the Galaxy in their last nine tries. But they can’t dwell on it for long with the Red Bulls on tap this weekend. (Brian – 14) … Great trades for the goats and even better, they got a huge win over the team they share a city with. (Ryan – 14)

15. (+3) PORTLAND TIMBERS (3-5-3, 12 points)
A draw in Houston followed by a win against the Fire keep Portland out of the basement. But they have to start finding a way to get the attack going. (Sean – 15) … This could be looked at as the best week of the season for the Timbers with their 1-0-1 record. (Ryan – 15)

16. (-2) FC DALLAS (3-6-4, 13 points)
Three points in their last seven have kept Dallas hovering near the bottom of the table. And without Brek Shea for another two games, the immediate future doesn’t look promising. (Brian – 16) … They aren’t getting the results they want and they aren’t going to have the player they want now either. (Ryan – 16)

17. (-7) LOS ANGELES GALAXY (3-6-2, 11 points)
How the mighty have fallen. A loss to in-facility rival Chivas USA is just the latest blow. Max Bretos said it best at the conclusion of the telecast: “They are now the whipping boys in their own city.” (Brian – 17) … They can’t seem to find the result they are looking for, but something tells me they are going to turn it around sooner than later (Ryan – 17)

18. PHILADELPHIA UNIOR (2-6-2, 8 points)
Peter Nowak continues to tinker, but the Union aren’t showing any signs of benefiting from it. It’s starting to look like a lost season already. (Brian – 18) … They traded away the captain; not sure if they are trying to make this team better or focusing on the future. (Ryan – 18)

19. TORONTO FC (0-9-0, 0 points)
If I could, I’d rate them lower than 19 and give this spot to a deserving NASL club like Puerto Rico. But, hey, they’ve got a CHANCE to get a point against the hapless Union this week. (Brian – 19) … This has to be an exciting week for Toronto, despite Koeverman’s remarks. (Ryan – 19)