Leave it to a 12-match week to throw the rankings into chaos. With teams like Columbus and Dallas losing twice and San Jose collecting four points, we not only have a wealth of new information on those teams, but we have new context for the teams’ recent results. As such, every team moves, some dramatically:
- New England moves up four spots after its win over Seattle, and that might not be enough;
- San Jose and D.C. United climb five and six spots, respectively, as the middle of the rankings crumble;
- Dallas, Columbus, and Colorado each fall at least five spots, with weekend results leaving little doubt: Their slumps are probably more than mere blips.
The swings reflect when happened on the field, where we had a nine-goal day, three teams score five goals, and road wins from both Chivas USA and D.C. United. That may not be good for Power Rankings, but it’s more fun for Major League Soccer.
Here’s our view on the league after Week 10:
MORE: Player of the Week | Team of the Week | Week 9 Power Rankings | Methodology
| RANKING | Up/Down | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UP 1 | Sporting Kansas City: There wasn’t much to do on Saturday, particularly after Collen Warner was sent off for Montreal. Kansas City put up an impressive result, but good teams are supposed to do that when presented with a man advantage. While the defending champions are deserving number ones, this week’s rise is due to Seattle’s fall. (5-2-2) | |
| 2 | UP 1 | Real Salt Lake: Like Kansas City, Real Salt Lake move up after Seattle’s fall, but with two straight wins, it looks like the reigning Western Conference champions have put their drawing ways behind them. Though their trip to Houston was made easier by Servando Carrasco’s early red card, RSL was already up 2-0 when the Dynamo were reduced to 10. (5-0-5) | |
| 3 | UP 4 | New England Revolution: In the first draft of these rankings, New England was number one. Ultimately, I went back to the list’s golden rule: “Neutral field, tomorrow, who wins?” I still give Kansas City and Salt Lake the slight edge (Sporting was 0-0 in Foxborough while at full strength), but you can’t begrudge the opposite view after Saturday’s rout. (5-3-2) | |
| 4 | DOWN 3 | Seattle Sounders: After two weeks in the top spot, Seattle falls, doing so in a way that may make it difficult to reclaim the top spot. Before being able to say they are the best team in the league, the Sounders have to prove their propensity to collapse is gone. If a change in personnel didn’t solve the problem, what will? (6-3-1) | |
| 5 | DOWN 1 | LA Galaxy: A strong performance at Portland, even in a draw, isn’t something that causes a team to drop, but thanks to New England’s revolution, the Galaxy slip a spot. (2-2-3) | |
| 6 | UP 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps: The Whitecaps finally solved their home-road duality and did so by sticking with their 4-2-3-1. Claiming its first road win of the year, Vancouver continued to show Carl Robinson’s influence, with a dominant performance at Crew Stadium understated by the 1-0 final. (4-2-4) | |
| 7 | UP 1 | New York Red Bulls: After this weekend’s result, the Red Bulls don’t deserve this rise, but fortune was on their side (in so far as fortunate cares about Power Rankings). Two teams above them (Dallas, Columbus) crashed, while teams like Colorado, who could have otherwise passed them, fell flat. Ultimately, even after this weekend’s loss, I still don’t think they’re likely to lose to anybody below them at a neutral site tomorrow. (3-3-5) | |
| 8 | UP 5 | San Jose Earthquakes: A four-point week, seven points in the last four games, and a series of teams falling have San Jose in the top half of this list. That speaks to the close quarters below the top six, but it also reflects the nature of this exercise. San Jose’s record isn’t good, but their recent form is decent. Slightly above average, even. (2-3-4) | |
| 9 | UP 6 | D.C. United: It’s not so much that D.C.’s win was so impressive (it was against Philadelphia, after all); it was what the result told us about D.C.’s continued recovery. That Ben Olsen’s team was able to put the Portland result in the past and resume its score early, hold tight ways speaks volumes. It says the team’s success may be more than a product of momentum or luck. While strength of schedule is still an issue, that’s why D.C. is nine, not five. (4-3-2) | |
| 10 | DOWN 5 | FC Dallas: With six teams playing twice last week, the swings on this chart are more drastic than usual. Dallas’s fall, however, is primarily due to its weekend result. A one-goal loss at Seattle wouldn’t have spurred a drop, but the team’s inability to get a result at San Jose despite playing up a man highlighted their post-Mauro Diaz problems. (5-5-1) | |
| 11 | DOWN 5 | Columbus Crew: Like Dallas, the Crew lost twice last week, with one loss more telling than the other. Losing Wednesday in Houston off a set piece goal? Hey, it happens. Losing to Vancouver at home in a game that could have ended in a blow out? We’ve been disillusioned about the Crew. (3-4-3) | |
| 12 | DOWN 1 | Toronto FC: More time off for Toronto, who fall as teams like San Jose and D.C. United continue to improve. (3-4-0) | |
| 13 | UP 1 | Houston Dynamo: The Sunday result was ugly, but the team was also playing with 10. That they were down 2-0 by the time Carrasco was sent off tempers the positives from the win over Columbus. This team will desperately miss Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia, leaving the team relying no Gilles Barnes and Andrew Driver to create goals. (4-5-2) | |
| 14 | UP 2 | Chicago Fire: Chicago finally broke through, on the road, against a quality team; hence its rise here. The underlying flaws are still there, though. Up 5-2 in the second half, the Fire allowed New York back into the game. Frank Yallop made it a point to reshape the defense in the offseason, but to this point, it’s been the weak spot. (1-2-6) | |
| 15 | DOWN 3 | Portland Timbers: As much possession (and, shots) as LA had on Sunday, Donovan Ricketts wasn’t tested any more often than Jaime Penedo. The Timbers were decent … except for that one, trademark defensive breakdown that cost them. That they needed a whiff from Penedo to get a point means three Eastern Conference teams pass them. (1-3-6) | |
| 16 | DOWN 6 | Colorado Rapids: San Jose was the better side in Santa Clara on Wednesday, but this weekend’s result is the real reason for the fall. If you lose by two at home to Chivas USA, you make a strong case to be 19. (4-3-3) | |
| 17 | UP 1 | Chivas USA: A 3-1 road victory? That’s cause for a bigger rise. Ultimately, I don’t think they’d beat Colorado if the teams played again tomorrow. Pablo Mastroeni over-rotated his squad, with the weather conditions making the match a weird one. The win was enough to move Chivas USA to the head of this three-team trough. (2-5-3) | |
| 18 | DOWN 1 | Philadelphia Union: It’s becoming far too easy. The Union can barely generate a decent chance, let alone score. If you score once, no need to take chances. No need to push for a second. Just .. wait. (1-5-5) | |
| 19 | DOWN 1 | Montréal Impact: Warner’s early red decided Saturday’s match early, with Montreal finding another way to drop points. Unlike teams like Chicago and Portland, there are no silver linings. There’s no sense of urgency. The Impact are adrift. (1-5-3) |
