{"id":14882,"date":"2012-08-22T12:42:57","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T16:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=14882"},"modified":"2012-08-22T12:42:57","modified_gmt":"2012-08-22T16:42:57","slug":"mls-rankings-week-24-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=14882","title":{"rendered":"MLS Rankings: Week 24"},"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

T1. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES<\/strong> (14-6-5, 47 points)
\nShocker in Montreal, but it\u2019s hard to take too much away from a game that featured three red cards. Still \u2018Quakes had but getting results, but hadn\u2019t been looking so dominant lately. (Sean \u2013 2) \u2026 There weren\u2019t any really impressive results from any of the top teams in the league this week, therefore I\u2019d keep San Jose at the top. (Ryan \u2013 1)<\/p>\n

T1.<\/strong> (+2) SPORTING KANSAS CITY<\/strong> (14-7-4, 46 points)
\nThree wins in a row \u2013 including two on the road \u2013 rockets Sporting Kansas City to the top of the East and the top of the rankings. (Sean \u2013 1) \u2026 The top team loses yet they are at number two? An unimpressive 1-0 win over Toronto will do that. (Ryan \u2013 2)<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> (-1) HOUSTON DYNAMO<\/strong> (11-6-8, 41 points)
\nNeeded an error from Andy Gruenebaum just to grab a point and it would be fair to call it a two game \u201cmini-slump\u201d for the Dynamo. Still Houston has only lost once in its last ten games (6-1-3). (Sean \u2013 3) \u2026 A tie against Columbus isn\u2019t the worst thing. It might have been 2 months ago, but a lot has changed and Brad Davis\u2019 wonder goal helped with the tie. (Ryan \u2013 3)<\/p>\n

4. NEW YORK RED BULLS<\/strong> (13-7-5, 44 points)
\nTwo wins in a row for New York, but frankly the ugly performance they had against Portland does not inspire any confidence. If this Red Bull team is a contender, they\u2019ll need to do a bit better at home against the league\u2019s worst team. (Sean \u2013 4) \u2026 Who says the West is better? The East holds three of the top 4 spots and New York stormed back to win a game they should have never trailed in. (Ryan \u2013 4)<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> (+3) SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC<\/strong> (11-6-7, 40 points)
\nImpressive win in Vancouver essentially locks up their playoff spot. \u00a0Defenses have to get nervous seeing Fredy Montero enter off the bench. (Sean \u2013 6) \u2026 An important shutout win over Vancouver shows how dangerous this team can be when they play good soccer. (Ryan \u2013 5)<\/p>\n

T6. CHICAGO FIRE<\/strong> (12-7-5, 41 points)
\nIt may have been only 2-1, but the Fire\u2019s attack looked creative and dangerous all night and their defense kept the Revolution from ever really threatening. Second best record in MLS over the last ten games (6-2-2) and three straight wins. (Sean \u2013 5) \u2026 They win and I drop them two spots?\u00a0 At this point, a 2-1 home victory over arguably the worst team in the league isn\u2019t that impressive anymore. (Ryan \u2013 8)<\/p>\n

T6.<\/strong> (-1) REAL SALT LAKE<\/strong> (13-10-3, 42 points)
\nCaught pushing numbers forward for the win on Dallas\u2019 late counterattack. Three MLS losses in a row, but a 2-0 win over Tauro in CONCACAF Champions League play could help snap them out of their funk. (Sean \u2013 7) \u2026 That\u2019s three straight losses from RSL, but none has to be as painful as the loss to FC Dallas.\u00a0 (Ryan \u2013 6)<\/p>\n

8. <\/strong>(-1) LOS ANGELES GALAXY <\/strong>(11-11-4, 37 points)
\nRoad draw without Landon Donovan or David Beckham against a Columbus team hungry for points? Good result for the Galaxy. Defeat Dallas on Sunday and the Galaxy should feel pretty comfortable in their playoff spot. (Sean \u2013 8) \u2026 I can\u2019t say that I\u2019m totally shocked at LA\u2019s resurgence. There is too much talent on that team for them not to be a top team in the West. (Ryan \u2013 7)<\/p>\n

9. D.C. UNITED<\/strong> (11-8-4, 37 points)
\nThey may be frustrated with how the end of the game went, but you know what? They never should\u2019ve been in that position at home against Philadelphia. The 1-1 draw isn\u2019t good enough and one win in the last five isn\u2019t either, but D.C. is still in great position to fend off their challengers for the fifth playoff spot. (Sean \u2013 9) \u2026 The final 15 minutes of their game against Philadelphia is something that I\u2019ve never seen happen before. It\u2019s a game they should have won, with Rosario scoring his 99th goal, but the majority of the calls were correctly made at the end of the game. (Ryan \u2013 9)<\/p>\n

10.<\/strong> (+2) MONTREAL IMPACT<\/strong> (11-13-3, 36 points)
\nHuge win over San Jose to make it four in a row for the Impact. With just seven games remaining, while D.C. has 11 left and the Crew are still in the hunt, a point out of the playoffs is a huge task to overcome. Anything less than a win over D.C. on Saturday and the good form will all be for naught. (Sean \u2013 10) \u2026 A huge win over the best team in the MLS. The upcoming game with D.C. United will be huge and have huge implications on their playoff hopes. (Ryan \u2013 11)<\/p>\n

T11. COLUMBUS CREW<\/strong> (8-8-6, 30 points)
\nNeeded more than a home draw against a depleted Galaxy and will feel they could\u2019ve had three points from Houston. Busy schedule continues with two games this week, but home vs. Toronto and New England should be and NEEDS to be six points for the Crew to keep the pressure on. (Sean \u2013 13) \u2026 Tying Houston and the Galaxy after a trying last couple of weeks is impressive. They are both top teams and they got results they needed. Their schedule eases up now with the two worst teams in the East, Toronto and New England \u2013 six points waiting to be taken. (Ryan \u2013 10)<\/p>\n

T11.<\/strong> (+2) FC DALLAS<\/strong> (8-11-8, 32 points)
\nThree wins in a row, the last two on the road, including a big one over RSL. The return of David Ferreira and Brek Shea to form is setting up Dallas for a run. (Sean \u2013 11) \u2026 \u00a0A big win over RSL and now they have won three in a row. They can make a huge statement with a win over LA on Sunday. (Ryan \u2013 12)<\/p>\n

13.<\/strong> (-3) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC<\/strong> (10-9-7, 37 points)
\nTwo consecutive 2-0 losses for the Whitecaps and suddenly Dallas is might be starting to become a worry. Need to turn things around soon or there will be lots of questions asked about their midseason moves. Just 3-5-2, in the last ten. (Sean \u2013 13) \u2026 They will certainly have to recover this weekend against Portland after dropping two straight to Dallas and Seattle. (Ryan \u2013 13)<\/p>\n

14. CHIVAS USA<\/strong> (7-9-6, 27 points)
\nPerhaps could feel hard done by the lack of a foul call on the Rapids\u2019 goal in the 1-1 draw with Colorado, but if Chivas continues to struggle to score, their four games in hand \u2013 which means they control their own playoff destiny \u2013 could be meaningless. (Sean \u2013 14) \u2026 It wasn\u2019t as bad as their loss to the Galaxy, but it was three points they really needed against Colorado. The Rapids are a team that they need to beat if they want to make a push for the playoffs. (Ryan \u2013 14)<\/p>\n

15.<\/strong> (+1) COLORADO RAPIDS<\/strong> (8-15-2, 26 points)
\nLate signing of Hendry Thomas could make a difference, but the reality is the Rapids can\u2019t afford to take anything less than three points against Western Conference rivals going forward. (Sean \u2013 15) \u2026 The same could be said for the Rapids. If they want to make people fear them or have any sort of hope, they need to win against beatable opponents. \u00a0(Ryan \u2013 15)<\/p>\n

16.<\/strong> (-1) PHILADELPHIA UNION<\/strong> (7-12-3, 24 points)
\nHeld on for dare life to grab a draw at D.C., but it\u2019s something positive they can take going forward in a lost season. (Sean \u2013 16) \u2026 A huge result on the road for the Union. The show at the end of the game was something else, but overall they did will to hold on for a tie, despite the man (at times, two man) advantage. (Ryan \u2013 16)<\/p>\n

17.<\/strong> (+1) TORONTO FC<\/strong> (5-14-5, 20 points)
\nOffense came to life and grabbed a draw against Portland even with some key international absences. Unfortunately those same chances weren\u2019t there, though the defense was better as they held the red hot Sporting Kansas City scoreless for 83 minutes before falling to a 1-0 defeat. (Sean \u2013 17) \u2026 They\u2019ve won two games in their last five. Yes, they\u2019ve gone winless in three, but they\u2019ve tasted victory more recently then the Revolution. (Ryan \u2013 17)<\/p>\n

T18.<\/strong> (-1) NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION<\/strong> (6-13-5, 23 points)
\nSaturday\u2019s loss in Chicago left no doubt about who was the better team. The Revs are winless in seven (0-6-1) and have shown no signs of turning things around. (Sean \u2013 18) \u2026 Rock bottom for the Revs. A dismal one point in their last seven and it doesn\u2019t get easier with a hungry Columbus team. (Ryan \u2013 19)<\/p>\n

T18.<\/strong> (+1) PORTLAND TIMBERS<\/strong> (5-13-6, 21 points)
\nConceded two goals and couldn\u2019t get a win against a depleted Toronto side then blew a two goal lead against a New York side that was playing some of their worst soccer of the year? This season can\u2019t end soon enough. Worst in MLS over the last 10 games (1-7-2) \u2026 Why not the worst ranked team? They\u2019ve earned two points in their last five games. (Ryan \u2013 18)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sporting Kansas City gives the Earthquakes some company at the top of the rankings, while Montreal moves into the top 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14883,"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\/08\/quakesskcfeature.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\/14882"}],"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=14882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14884,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14882\/revisions\/14884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}