{"id":14796,"date":"2012-08-15T18:42:33","date_gmt":"2012-08-15T22:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=14796"},"modified":"2012-08-15T18:42:33","modified_gmt":"2012-08-15T22:42:33","slug":"mls-rankings-week-23-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=14796","title":{"rendered":"MLS Rankings: Week 23"},"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 Ryan Lanigan contributed rankings. Comments are followed by the ranker\u2019s name and the rank they gave that team.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES<\/strong> (14-5-5, 47 points)
\nHuge last second win over Seattle as San Jose improves to 6-2-2 in their last ten, best in the West and tied top overall.\u00a0 The \u2018Quakes just keep finding ways to win \u2013 and to make it exciting. (Sean \u2013 1) \u2026 It\u2019s unbelievable what this team has done in stoppage time this season. They\u2019ve broken the record for extra time goals and consistently finding ways to win. (Ryan \u2013 1)<\/p>\n

2. HOUSTON DYNAMO <\/strong>(11-6-7, 40 points)
\nThey lost to the Red Bulls in the reverse of last weekend\u2019s score, but still have the best record in the East over the last ten (6-2-2), tied with Chicago. Until proven otherwise, count this as a minor bump on the road of a contender. (Sean \u2013 2) \u2026 Despite the 2-0 loss to New York on Friday, this is a very dangerous things that can go deep in the playoffs. (Ryan \u2013 3)<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> (+3) SPORTING KANSAS CITY<\/strong> (13-7-4, 43 points)
\nFollow up the Open Cup win with an important win over D.C. Has KC turned the corner? Still just .500 in their last 10. (Sean \u2013 4) \u2026 There was no U.S. Open Cup hangover with their big win over D.C. United. (Ryan \u2013 2)<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> (+2) NEW YORK RED BULLS<\/strong> (12-7-5, 41 points)
\nBig win over the Dynamo and good news for the Red Bulls to have Cahill fitting in and playing well. Still though, will they build off it or continue their recent inconsistency? (Sean \u2013 3) \u2026 It was a huge win for the Red Bulls after just falling to the Dynamo recently. Even better was Tim Cahill\u2019s header to set up a easy goal.\u00a0 (Ryan \u2013 4)<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> (-2) REAL SALT LAKE<\/strong> (13-9-3, 42 points)
\nSecond disappointing loss in a row to a conference foe, this time the Whitecaps. This team is way too talented and well coached to be slumping down the stretch, so expect a turnaround soon. (Sean \u2013 5) \u2026 \u00a0When this team is on, they are great. But they haven\u2019t been on for a consistent period this season. (Ryan \u2013 5)<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong> (+2) CHICAGO FIRE<\/strong> (11-7-5, 38 points)
\n3-1 win over Philly keeps the Fire rolling with the best record in MLS over the past ten along with Houston and the Quakes. If the attack keeps going like it did against the Union, the sky\u2019s the limit. (Sean \u2013 6) \u2026 They are clicking on the majority of their cylinders right now. The bad news is that Marco Pappa is moving on, but the good news is that he will be here the rest of this season. (Ryan \u2013 6)<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong> (+2) LOS ANGELES GALAXY<\/strong> (11-11-3, 36 points)
\nRecovered from their disaster in Seattle with a 4-0 thrashing of Chivas USA that gives them some safety in the playoff hunt. Can the Galaxy prove the Seattle drubbing was a fluke and keep rolling? (Sean \u2013 8) \u2026 A huge rout of Chivas was a huge result. Sometimes, the Galaxy look like they could be really good\u2026.sometimes not. (Ryan \u2013 7)<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong> (-3) SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC<\/strong> (10-6-7, 37 points)
\nSeattle\u2019s great run came to a crashing halt with a heartbreaking US Open Cup loss, followed by a last second disappointment in San Jose. Will their confidence have taken a beating? (Sean \u2013 7) \u2026 A tough loss followed by another tough loss. It\u2019s not every week you\u2019ll have to play SKC and San Jose, two of the top teams. (Ryan \u2013 9)<\/p>\n

9.<\/strong> (-5) D.C. UNITED<\/strong> (11-8-3, 36 points)
\nThe slide continues as D.C. drops their third in four games and slips to fifth in the conference. Playoffs still look secure, but they need to re-find their impressive offensive form of late Spring if they hope to make any noise in the postseason. (Sean \u2013 10) \u2026 \u00a0A tough loss against SKC, but Nick DeLeon is a strong candidate for MLS Rookie of the Year. (Ryan \u2013 8)<\/p>\n

10. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC<\/strong> (10-7-7, 37 points)
\nHuge win over the Whitecaps. If it\u2019s any indication, their midseason reshuffling might just work out for the \u2018Caps after all as they head into the home stretch. (Sean \u2013 9) \u2026 A very big win over Real Salt Lake, and their veterans are playing the right role for them. Great finish from Dane Richards, too. (Ryan \u2013 10)<\/p>\n

11. COLUMBUS CREW<\/strong> (8-8-4, 28 points)
\nGot the week off to honor Kirk Urso (R.I.P.), but they\u2019ll have to quickly get back into things with two huge games against the Galaxy and Houston as they hope to make a push for the fifth spot in the East with their games in hand. (Sean \u2013 11) \u2026 A very tough stretch here for the Crew, more so off the field. Hopefully these players and staff can find peace when they get back on the field. (Ryan \u2013 11)<\/p>\n

12. MONTREAL IMPACT<\/strong> (10-13-3, 36 points)
\nBeat the listless Revolution, but in the post-Shalrie era, it\u2019s not much of an accomplishment. Still, their slim playoff hopes remain alive. (Sean \u2013 12) \u2026 A big (?) win over the Revolution. At this point, a win over the Revolution seems like a given, but they still had to play the game. (Ryan \u2013 12)<\/p>\n

13.<\/strong> (+4) FC DALLAS<\/strong> (6-11-8, 26 points)
\nSure, it was against the Rapids, but the offense sparking to life is a great sign for Dallas. Unfortunately, it\u2019s likely too little, too late. (Sean \u2013 13) \u2026 A win\u2019s a win, even if it is over the Rapids. They still have a chance at the playoffs, but it isn\u2019t likely in the West. (Ryan \u2013 13)<\/p>\n

14.<\/strong> (-1) CHIVAS USA<\/strong> (7-9-5, 26 points)
\nHuge, disappointing loss to the Galaxy in Shalrie Joseph\u2019s first game, but the four games in hand means Chivas still can\u2019t be counted out. (Sean \u2013 14) \u2026 The acquisition of Sharlie Joseph wasn\u2019t enough for their showdown with the Galaxy, as they suffered a tough 4-0 loss. (Ryan \u2013 14)<\/p>\n

15. PHILADELPHIA UNION<\/strong> (7-12-2, 23 points)
\nBack-to-back losses for the Union means the post-Nowak run is officially over. Still, a loss to the Fire is understandable and the Union are building towards 2013. (Sean \u2013 16) \u2026 A 3-1 loss at home to the streaking Chicago Fire is more acceptable than a 1-0 loss at home to a beatable side. (Ryan \u2013 15)<\/p>\n

16.<\/strong> (-2) COLORADO RAPIDS<\/strong> (8-15-1, 25 points)
\nAfter finally getting a win last week, the Rapids were back to their losing ways again at Dallas. Time\u2019s up if the Rapids were hoping to make a run. (Sean \u2013 15) \u2026 A tough loss to Dallas and now they have some soul searching to do. (Ryan \u2013 17)<\/p>\n

17.<\/strong> (-2) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION<\/strong> (6-12-5, 23 points)
\nIf the Revs feel calls are going against them, they could use it to rally together and as motivation. Instead they\u2019re using it as an excuse for losses as they quickly enter the hunt for the wooden spoon and number 1 draft pick. Not making the postseason was OK for the 2012 Revs, progressively getting worse as the season went on? Not so much. (Sean \u2013 17) \u2026 All hope is quickly going down the drain. This team has 11 left and most people are predicting they won\u2019t win half of them. (Ryan \u2013 16)<\/p>\n

18. TORONTO FC<\/strong> (5-13-4, 19 points)
\nGot the week off before a busy stretch, but missing a ton of stars for the international fixture date should make for an last-place matchup with Portland. (Sean \u2013 18) \u2026 A battle of the bottom of the barrel awaits as the host Portland. (Ryan \u2013 18)<\/p>\n

19. PORTLAND TIMBERS<\/strong> (5-12-5, 20 points)
\nBye week and now the Timbers face a very winnable match-up with a depleted Toronto. Still, who is confident of them getting the result? (Sean \u2013 19) \u2026 A chance to climb out of the last spot awaits with their date with Toronto. (Ryan \u2013 19)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quakes and the former Quakes (Houston) remain as the top two, but the rest of the rankings see quite the shuffle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12002,"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\/2012\/05\/earthquakesfeature.jpg?fit=490%2C240&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14796"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14796"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14797,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14796\/revisions\/14797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}