The league’s uneven scheduling means things are even tighter than they look (with several teams trailing in the standings, but extra games in hand.) So here is your weekly re-ordering of current quality following 27 rounds of league play:
19. D.C. United – They could not match New York even with Thierry Henry on the bench.
18. Toronto FC – Ryan Nelsen’s team had a goal disallowed late in a draw with New England as a phantom foul nullified a potential game-winner. That’s how it is this year for the Reds.
17. Chivas USA – Erick “El Cubo” Torres, with yet another two-goal performance has mercifully provided Chivas USA supporters something to smile about in 2013. And a 2-2 draw in Vancouver is not a bad result for the Goats.
16. Columbus – Five years of “success” that toggled between middling and non-existent for manager Robert Warzycha cost the Crew manager his job Monday.
15. Chicago Fire – When Mike Magee doesn’t score, the team struggles desperately to win – and he isn’t scoring much lately. Latest playoff-chase setback: Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home with Houston.
14. FC Dallas – Following an idle weekend a huge match is up this round as slumping Vancouver visits; if Dallas wants to see playoff soccer, winning in Texas against fellow playoff aspirants from the West is an absolute must.
13. San Jose Earthquakes – The Earthquakes ran up against a motivated Galaxy team at top gear and paid a dear price in a stinging 3-0 loss on the road.
12. New England Revolution – New England management and the league apparently blocked Stoke City’s effort to gain the services of Juan Agudelo (pictured above) a few months early; truly, Jay Heaps and Co. need all the help they can get as they try desperately to fight their way into the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
11. Houston Dynamo – The Dynamo hung around long enough in Chicago to grab a late equalizer and sneak out of Toyota Park with a valuable 1-1 draw. (Not just valuable for the point, but also for the two points that Chicago did not claim.)
(MORE: MLS Round 27 week in review)
10. Philadelphia Union – If the Union cannot get over the playoff hump this year, a hum-drum 6-3-5 home record will be the reason. While John Hackworth’s team can reliably grind out results on the road, too many draws in Chester are damaging the bottom line. Latest example, Saturday’s scoreless draw at PPL Park against Montreal.
9. Vancouver Whitecaps – Martin Rennie’s team needs to wake up – and in a hurry! The Whitecaps were 9-5-5 and purring along just six weeks ago. They are 1-4-2 since then and have tumbled all the way out of a playoff spot. The latest dropped points: a 2-2 draw Sunday at home against last-place Chivas USA.
8. New York Red Bulls – Do not say that manager Mike Petke lacks guts. Bench Thierry Henry? Who would do such a thing … especially a young manager in his first pro coaching assignment? But it paid off all the way around in a 2-1 win over D.C. United.
7. Portland Timbers – What Caleb Porter said after a young version of his slightly injury-dented team fell hard at Real Salt Lake: “They punished us, and we weren’t good enough to win the game.” He said the early red card was a factor, but not the reason his team fell, 4-2. The Timbers are a meager 1-3-3 since mid-July.
6. Montreal Impact – Philadelphia worked hard to neutralize Marco Di Vaio and the Impact counter attack, so a scoreless draw at PPL Park was a worthy result for the Eastern Conference co-leaders. Justin Mapp had yet another nice match, especially in the first half. (Di Vaio continues to lead in the Golden Boot chase with 15 goals.)
5. Seattle Sounders – There is so much to talk about after Sigi Schmid’s team gutted out a 1-0 win in Columbus despite playing most of the match a man down. Clint Dempsey has yet to find the score sheet, and Eddie Johnson decided the time was right for a “Pay me!” celebration.
Graham Zusi (R) of US Sporting Kansas City vies for the ball with Javier Portillo (R) of Olimpia of Honduras during their CONCACAF Champions League match at the National stadium in Tegucigalpa on August 27, 2013. AFP PHOTO /Orlando SIERRA. (Photo credit should read ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images
3. Sporting Kansas City – There hasn’t been much scoring around Sporting KC for a while, so Saturday’s 2-1 win over Colorado (on a late Graham Zusi (pictured at right) winner and a spectacular strike from Benny Feilhaber) brought much needed relieve around Sporting Park.
2. LA Galaxy – Landon Donovan crept to within two goals of the all-time league record in the Galaxy’s latest team-on-a-mission statement, a commanding 3-0 win over rival San Jose. Meanwhile, it is looking more and more like league the MVP honor will be Robbie Keane’s to lose.
1. Real Salt Lake – This team is scoring in bunches, having just recorded four in consecutive league matches for the first time in club history. (Having scored three in the match prior to that, no less.) Friday’s 4-2 win over Portland was dominant and stylish, with some wonderful movement and passing, so much orchestrated by that midfield of abundant balance and talent.