Power Rankings Week 10

Well, we are huge fans of 4 consecutive kickoffs on Sunday. Heck, we could start with an east coast match at 1 PM ET, and make it 5 MLS matches each Sunday, keeping 10 matches on Saturday. Apple, you have a brilliant idea here that we urge you to take advantage of.

1. Vancouver Whitecaps (Last Week: 2)-That might have been the greatest week in club history. Beating up Miami in front of a sold out BC Place and then using squad rotation to win 3-1 in Minnesota was simply incredible. Obviously, they could blow the second leg in Miami tonight, but we’ll be rooting on the Caps here at the compound.
2. FC Cincinnati (5)-It’s been really fun to see Denkey get settled into this team. I would not be surprised to see if him become the eventual Golden Boot winner this season, especially as Brian White will likely miss a number of matches for the Gold Cup.
3. Columbus Crew (4) -The Crew didn’t look great, but they beat San Jose in a pretty normal match by MLS standards, which is an accomplishment in of itself. Their U-22 signing this week may help but I fully expect them to get a DP striker over the summer.
4. Inter Miami (1): Two losses in a week will move the Herons down the Power Rankings. Yes, they played their B side against Dallas at home, but they also blew a 3-1 lead!!! And the A-side got smoked up in Vancouver. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Miami come back tonight against Vancouver, but it is far from a guarantee.
5. Portland Timbers (7): Assuming they aren’t playing Austin, this team has become free scoring and one of the most watchable teams in the league. Going to San Jose on Saturday night should be must watch TV.
6. Philadelphia Union (6): Another straightforward home match and another 3-0 win. The road should continue to pretty smooth with a trip up to Montreal where they haven’t scored in 3 matches.
7. Charlotte FC (3): Well, this magic run at home of dodges and twists finally ended in a match where they frankly outplayed New England. However, the scoreboard didn’t favor the Carolinians, and now they have a tough trip to Columbus next week.
8. Orlando City (13): This team did not concede a goal in the entire month of April, and getting Atlanta at home was a great path to getting their scoring back on frame. Playing the Fire next week in Chicago should help continue their attack’s health.
9. Nashville SC (16)-Well, damn. Dropping 7 goals in the first 60 minutes against any MLS team will raise eyebrows, even if it’s a second string Chicago Fire team. It was a heck of a rebound after getting crushed in Seattle. They should be able to continue the momentum against a free falling Atlanta side, but MLS may MLS.
10. Minnesota United (8): The Loons got Vancouver exactly where they wanted them with the B side at home and still lost 3-1. Yes, some of their A team subs came in, but losing 3-1 at home when Brian White doesn’t play a minute is fairly brutal. A trip down to Austin may not make their scoring woes any better.
11. Colorado Rapids (12): The Rapids really should have beaten the Sounders on Saturday night, but a questionable foul prevented that. They have a great opportunity to snag 3 points in DC this weekend.
12. LAFC (11): LAFC is better than St. Louis and they were the first team to score twice against them all season. However, they can’t afford to miss PKs and other opportunities, which led to an ugly two points dropped at home.
13. Austin FC (9): The performance against Houston was pretty dreadful. This team only scored twice in April, and the compounds wants to know where are the goals going to come from.
14. FC Dallas (17): Sure, it was against Miami’s B side, but any 3-1 comeback on the road is impressive. They continue on the road on the other coast this weekend for their first ever match against San Diego.
15. Seattle Sounders (14): The Sounders feel underrated on here, but they have not hit their stride yet. Feels like it’s coming in the second half of the season
16. New England Revolution (19): Another away win for the Revs! They are exceeding expectations and have another great chance at 3 points on the road up in Toronto.
17. New York Red Bulls (18): The Red Bulls did beat Montreal, but this performance won’t quiet their skeptics. Their next week involves a trip to Inter Miami and then the Open Cup in Colorado Springs 3 days later. That’s a brutal schedule, and we’ll be surprised if the Switchbacks don’t win.
18. San Diego FC (10): Losing at home to Real Salt Lake is rough especially for a team that was previously undefeated at home and won away at RSL. If they lose to Dallas at home this weekend, they may tumble down to the final third.
19. NYCFC (20): Beating Toronto away was a good confidence boost for the Pigeons even if they only got a lucky one on a PK. They’ll need that with the high flying FC Cincinnati coming to Citi Field on Sunday.
20. Chicago Fire (15) Yikes!!!!!!! Giving up 7 goals in the first 60 minutes of a match will lead a crash in the power rankings. They did recover for 2 consolation goals, and they need that momentum with Orlando’s stout defending coming to Soldier Field.
21. Houston Dynamo (27): The Dynamo didn’t look great in the first half against Austin, but they hit their stride in the second half and put together their best half of the season. If they can continue that form, then this team can be in the playoff race.
22. Real Salt Lake (25): Diego Luna appears to be more motivated than we have ever seen him before especially as the officially undeserved and rescinded red card from last week. Getting a win in San Diego was impressive, but getting a win in Vancouver (even after their return from Miami) would be stunning.
23. St Louis CITY (23): There is a very wide range among our compound voters on St. Louis CITY. Despite their relative offensive explosion in LA, they were unable to get all 3 points at the Banque, but a point there is always respectable. A trip to Seattle is no easier as this brutal stretch continues.
24. San Jose Earthquakes (21): Dropping the Quakes 3 spots for losing respectably to the Crew feels a little harsh here, but we did have some wins at the bottom of the table. As we mentioned earlier, Quakes vs San Jose should be must watch Saturday night viewing.
25. Sporting Kansas City (26): There is no issue with losing 2-1 to Cincy when Denkey puts in the goal of the year. This team seems to be stabilizing under Kerry Zavagnin, and he may earn his way as the full time manager.
26. Toronto FC (28): TFC is looking better, and was unlucky to get come away with 0 points at home against NYCFC. Since the Leafs are still in the playoffs, they get more cover for however long that lasts.
27. DC United (24): They looked entirely devoid of life against Philly. When this team decides not to get full effort, they are the worst team in this league.
28. Atlanta United (22): It is borderline insane to spend $50 million in an offseason in this league and somehow look worse than they did before, but that’s sure seems what has happened in Atlanta. Maybe they will somehow turn it around against the Nashville side that dropped 7 last week, but it doesn’t look likely.
29. (Tied) (T-29) CF Montreal and the LA Galaxy: Neither of these teams did anything to change the minds of our voters in their respective losses to the Red Bulls and Portland. Someone will have to get a point to move ahead of the other one here.