Portland has a little opening this week in its quest to get off rock bottom, a home date against Chivas USA. But for this week … still on the bottom. Here are Nos. 11-19 in ProSoccerTalk’s weekly rankings countdown.
(Nos. 1-10 are on deck …so check back)
19. Portland Timbers – About the big managerial change: this thing is not working out very well. You really have to wonder where this team’s mind is? Interim manager Gavin Wilkinson called that weekend collapse down in Dallas (a 5-0 loss) “humiliating.”
18. Colorado Rapids – Goalkeeper Matt Pickens (pictured) just re-upped his deal at DSG Park. Otherwise, not much good to say about a team that has lost five in a row. That’s getting to be pretty disturbing total in a league of abundant parity; Losing streaks that go any further usually mean significant player or coaching upheaval.
17. FC Dallas – Is Lady Luck finally starting to look Dallas’ way? The Texans took advantage of Portland’s malaise, taking the Timbers behind the woodshed in that 5-0 beat-down referenced above. Now comes a home date vs. Los Angeles, which is without its top two players, David Beckham and Landon Donovan – quite convenient for Dallas.
16. Montréal Impact – The Impact’s home record doesn’t look much like something an expansion team could cook up, 6-3-2 after last week’s win over Montreal at Stade Saputo. So cheers to you guys for that. But 1-10-1 road mark: blek! New York comes to visit this week, and it looks like a fun one. Can we get that with a side of Alessandro Nesta, please?
15. Toronto FC – Does wily old MLS hand Paul Mariner know how to work a deal in this league, or what? He swiped Eric Hassli from Vancouver for a Canadian song, and now Danny Koevermans injury (unfortunate as it is) doesn’t look quite so devastating.
14. Chivas USA – Losing to L.A. last week had an extra sting; the Galaxy is ahead of Chivas for the fifth and final Western Conference playoff spot. Robin Fraser’s team is still hanging around, but at this point they probably have a better chance of reeling in Seattle than Los Angeles, where the DPs have all found their groove.
13. Philadelphia Union – The club has won three of its last five, but the latest test was a forgettable loss to the Red Bulls. Now that the All-Star game has come and gone at PPL Park, we can all go back to wondering about Freddy Adu and what his absence last week was all about.
12. New England Revolution – Saer Sene’s goal-scoring has fallen right into Boston’s Back Bay, and who knows if the divers can recover it? The Revs are winless in three matches, and this week’s trip into PPL Park, home to the much improved Union, doesn’t look like the best spot to upend a spiral.
11. Columbus Crew – Following two consecutive losses, the men in yellow surely needed last week’s three points against D.C. United. Dilly Duka was a first-half beast; his ability to stay healthy and remain in the lineup could be the difference in reaching the playoffs or watching the playoffs.
