Following Round 7 of league play, here are Nos. 1-10 in ProSoccerTalk’s weekly MLS quality rearrangement.
10. Columbus – A draw in Montreal is a good result for Robert Warzycha’s team. They get another on the road this week as Columbus pushes through its away-heavy March and April schedule. (Psst: All the pressure will be on Chicago on this Week 8 kickoff; the Fire is desperate to win at home.)
9. Vancouver Whitecaps – Interesting that Darren Mattocks seems to have lost his spot to Corey Hertzog. At least Mattocks made the field this week, appearing for about 30 minutes (unlike last week when manager Martin Rennie left his talented young striker on the bench, apparently sending a message.) The Whitecaps drew with RSL in Vancouver, 1-1.
8. New York Red Bulls – A big move up the chart as Week 7 saw the best result yet in Mike Petke’s young coaching career, a 2-0 win at rival D.C. United that was no fluke. The Red Bulls played well – and so did Tim Cahill, who still cannot crack the goal code but did have one of his better matches of 2013. MSG’s Steve Cangialosi and Shep Messing talk about the big win here.
7. Real Salt Lake – Nick Rimando was quite sharp in a 1-1 draw in Vancouver with at least three game-changing saves. He needed as many, in part, because team leader and stalwart defensive midfielder Kyle Beckerman went off injured in the first half, a concerning injury for Jason Kreis’ team, for sure.
6. Montreal Impact – Marco Di Vaio (pictured above) can hit some wonderful goals, can’t he? The Italian veteran struck No. 3 on the year Sunday, blowing one past Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum in the Impact’s 1-1 draw at Stade Saputo. (It’s up for MLS Goal of the Week.) Italian center back Alessandro Nesta stood tall along the Impact’s back line.
5. Chivas USA – Will things get a little harder now for Chivas USA, now that the Home Depot Center’s second tenant can no longer sneak up on anyone? Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Colorado in Southern California suggests so.
4. LA Galaxy – It was a tough assignment, traveling north to Texas from Monterrey following last week’s CONCACAF Champions League disappointment. Tactically sound (for 80 minutes, at least) the Galaxy nearly pulled a point out of Dallas, but fell 1-0 to George John’s late goal in Texas. This week the tables get turned; LA should be rested as Sporting KC travels across country following a mid-week match in New Jersey.
3. Houston Dynamo – Dominic Kinnear’s team is perfect in four at home this year, having just established the league record with 35 consecutive unbeaten matches at home. It’s really quite an accomplishment, now beyond Real Salt Lake’s 34-game streak that ended back in 2011, the previous MLS best across all competitions.
2. Sporting Kansas City – Peter Vermes’ team plays a mid-week match in New York on Wednesday, and it should be a humdinger. The Red Bulls come in confidently off a huge road win (at D.C. United) and Sporting is unbeaten in its last four, having not allowed a goal in that time. Graham Zusi, Claudio Bieler, Matt Besler and the rest of SKC’s well-drilled bunch should be well rested after an idle weekend in Round 7.
1. FC Dallas – FC Dallas has figured out its midfield. Andrew Jacobson and first-year Brazilian Michel have provided the skill and balance in Dallas’ 4-2-3-1 behind playmaker David Ferreira. And those three strikers (Blas Perez, Kenny Cooper and Eric Hassli) are being worked into the rotation, which puts tremendous pressure on opposition defenses. The club used a late goal to get past the LA Galaxy, 1-0, on Saturday to extend its first-place lead in the West.