Pro Soccer Talk is trying something different for our power rankings this season. Instead of a week-to-week analysis of where teams in the league sit in relation to each other, we’re going to let our rankings breathe for a bit.
It’s been about three weeks since we last sorted the clubs of Major League Soccer, and plenty has changed at the top of the pops.
[ MORE: Klinsmann on 2018 World Cup goals ]
Here’s the new batch, different from the old batch. Check out the previous PR’s here.
| RANKING | Up/Down | ||
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1 | UP 6 | FC Dallas: Guess who’s back? Oscar Pareja’s bunch have won three of four, with the fourth a tie against Colorado (which only ties teams, so what else could one expect?). The four-spot they hung on Houston in the Texas Derby was especially impressive. |
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2 | UP 1 | DC United: Ben Olsen is doing a job (again) for the Black-and-Red, who have lost just a single match this season. There’s plenty to hang their hats on, especially back-to-back wins over Columbus and Vancouver. |
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3 | UP 3 | New England Revolution: Lost their first two games, and haven’t seen that column since. We’re being reminded of their strength on a weekly basis, although this weekend’s Orlando City tie isn’t on the map in high-five country. |
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4 | DOWN 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps: Stumbled against DC United and then suffered through a 0-0 draw against Portland in Cascadia action. Nothing major to worry about for ‘Caps fans, but they aren’t the hottest team right now. No shame in that. Now onto Saturday’s massive tussle. |
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5 | — | Seattle Sounders: Columbus cooled off their three-game hot streak, but the match was worth the price of admission. Huge Saturday match against Vancouver. |
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6 | DOWN 4 | New York Red Bulls: The New York Derby win over NYCFC was nice, but not enough to salvage the Red Bulls’ ranking after a loss to New England and twin 1-1 draws versus the West. |
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7 | DOWN 2 | L.A. Galaxy: Winless in four, but the only loss in the bunch came against high-flying FC Dallas. Will the addition of West Ham’s Sebastian Lletget help their midfield? |
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8 | — | Columbus Crew: Huge win over Seattle for Gregg Berhalter’s boys. Have pulled nine points out of twelve available, with the only loss coming at the hands of DC United. |
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9 | — | Real Salt Lake: Unbeaten in three after a two-match swoon of sorts. The 2-1 win over Chicago is a step in the right direction. |
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10 | — | San Jose Earthquakes: The Quakes stay mid-rankings after taking five of nine points. Have a pair of signature wins this season with triumphs over Vancouver and Seattle, and they don’t really have a bad loss in the bunch. |
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11 | — | Portland Timbers: Beaten Montreal isn’t kazoo-blowing territory, but it’s a start. Throw in the Vancouver tie, and the return of both Diego Valeri and Will Johnson, and the Timbers may be ready to make a move. |
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12 | — | Houston Dynamo: Giles Barnes ranks among the most overlooked stars in the league, and he made Toronto’s first day in new BMO Field a miserable one. DaMarcus Beasley is playing well and Cubo’s on the way, but their backdoor was exploited often by Jozy Altidore. |
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13 | UP 3 | Colorado Rapids: Taking over the mantle of “most likely to draw” from Chicago, who took it from Portland, Colorado has drawn 7 of 10 matches this season. Their only win? A 4-0 thumping of No. 1 FC Dallas. You forgive them out for us. Please. |
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14 | UP 3 | Sporting KC: That’s more like it! Unbeaten in three matches, Sporting is starting to make us believe. We know they have the talent, now they need to string together some 3-pointers. |
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15 | DOWN 2 | Chicago Fire: Streaks McGeeks! Chicago chased a three-game losing skid to start the season with three wins, and has not lost a pair on the bounce. With New York City, Columbus and Montreal on the horizon, Fire need to swing 7 points here. |
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16 | UP 4 | Toronto FC: Snared a pair of necessary road wins over expansion sides New York City and Orlando, but fell apart early against Houston in the Eastern side’s home opener. Every now and then, Michael Bradley has a shocker. The Dynamo reaped the benefits on Sunday. |
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17 | DOWN 3 | Orlando City: Back-to-back shutout losses to Columbus and Toronto followed up by a draw against New England. With Kaka, anything is possible, but they need better (than Saturday) from Brek Shea. And Cyle Larin’s progression could help both of the aforementioned players. |
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18 | DOWN 3 | Montreal: The Impact’s first Major League Soccer match in a month was a 2-1 loss to Portland. The CONCACAF Champions League final appearance was nice, but now it’s time to get back to MLS-based business. |
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19 | DOWN 1 | Philadelphia Union: One win on the season… over the No. 20 team. You can only say “unlucky” so many times. The last four matches were tough, but excuses only get you so far. Get a point somewhere. |
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20 | DOWN 1 | New York City FC: Jason Kreis admitted it’s been harder than he thought, and that’s an understatement. Between the tiny home pitch and the two months without a win, the obstacles and frustration are piling up in New York. Heck, a point in the New York Derby could’ve stopped the bleeding. |
