MLS Player Rankings: Fresh Face Jumps Past Established Stars Following Week 3
In a week where some of the top names in Major League Soccer were sidelined by bye weeks, one of the league's new faces showed up in a major way at the Citrus Bowl.
Because the likes of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore had the week off, a few fresh faces climbed into high spots on the list of the league's best 20 players.
Our new top player made a jump of nine spots to claim the top spot after Week 3.
Continue reading to see who earned the No. 1 position on the MLS Player Rankings for the first time this season.
On the Way Out
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Thanks to a mixture of bye weeks, average performances and other stars surging into the top 20, these four players were left on the outside looking in.
Players Dropped out of Rankings
Victor Ulloa (FC Dallas; Week 2 Ranking: 15)
Stefan Ishizaki (LA Galaxy; 16)
Fernando Aristeguieta (Philadelphia; 18)
Justin Meram (Columbus; 19)
20. Tyler Deric, GK, Houston Dynamo
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Week 2 Ranking: Not Ranked
A week after he made a terrible blunder in a loss to Orlando City, Tyler Deric returned to his point-saving heroics between the pipes for the Houston Dynamo.
Deric leaped into action in stoppage time and batted away a dangerous header from Alan Gordon. The save allowed Houston to leave StubHub Center with an unlikely road point.
Through three games, Deric is one save behind San Jose's David Bingham for the league lead. The Houston netminder has made 12 saves and earned four points for the orange-clad club.
19. Wil Trapp, CDM, Columbus Crew
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Week 2 Ranking: 14
Wil Trapp was one of a few players on this list who did not participate in Week 3 because of an odd scheduling quirk which allowed bye weeks this early in the season.
The young defensive midfielder has averaged 74.5 passes per game in his first 180 minutes of play in 2015.
He will look to improve on his already strong numbers on Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls.
18. Chris Wondolowski, FW, San Jose Earthquakes
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Week 2 Ranking: 13
The San Jose Earthquakes attempted 13 shots in their home opener at Avaya Stadium, but star forward Chris Wondolowski was responsible for only one of them.
The 32-year-old American recorded 33 touches in the 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire in the first game at the club's new soccer-specific stadium.
Wondolowski's lackluster performance came a week after he scored a brace against the Seattle Sounders.
17. Fanendo Adi, FW, Portland Timbers
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Week 2 Ranking: 12
Just like Wondolowski, Fanendo Adi had a rough day at the office after bagging a brace in Week 2.
The 24-year-old was only able to take one shot (which did go on target) in Portland's 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas City.
Adi will look to regain his scoring form in Week 4 at BC Place against Vancouver. In three games against the Whitecaps last season, Adi scored two goals and earned one assist.
16. Fabian Castillo, LM, FC Dallas
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Week 2 Ranking: Not Ranked
It was only a matter of time before Fabian Castillo secured a spot on this list.
The dynamic 22-year-old winger was one of the best players on the pitch on Saturday afternoon in FC Dallas' 2-0 road victory over Philadelphia.
Castillo should have scored in the 57th minute, but one of his two shots on target nicked the crossbar on its way out of play. The Colombian made up for his near miss two minutes later when he assisted on Ryan Hollingshead's goal.
In 269 minutes for the Supporters' Shield leaders, Castillo has averaged 3.3 shots and 1.7 key passes per game.
15. Ike Opara, CB, Sporting Kansas City
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Week 2 Ranking: 20
Ike Opara turned in his second strong performance of the season in the Sporting Kansas City back four on Saturday night against the Timbers.
The 26-year-old won five aerial duels, made eight interceptions and earned four clearances in the 0-0 tie at Sporting Park.
In the two games he has partnered Matt Besler at center-back, the Sporting back four has conceded one goal.
14. Kekuta Manneh, LM, Vancouver Whitecaps
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Week 2 Ranking: 8
Kekuta Manneh was unable to torch the Orlando City defense in Vancouver's 1-0 win at the Citrus Bowl.
The 20-year-old, who impressed in the club's first two matches, was limited to 37 touches and one shot by Lions right-back Rafael Ramos on Saturday night.
In the club's second win of 2015, Manneh did not record a shot on goal for just the second time in his last six games.
13. Kei Kamara, FW, Columbus Crew
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Week 2 Ranking: 9
Kei Kamara's fast start to the young season was not halted by an opposing defense in Week 3. Instead, the bright forward was slowed down by the schedule-makers.
The 30-year-old Sierra Leone international has recorded the fifth-highest total in the shots department with 11 in two games.
The last time Kamara faced his Week 4 opponents, the New York Red Bulls, he recorded a goal and an assist for Sporting Kansas City on August 3, 2013.
12. Bradley Wright-Phillips, FW, New York Red Bulls
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Week 2 Ranking: Not Ranked
The winner of the 2014 Golden Boot opened up his 2015 account with a tremendous bit of skill in the final third in the 25th minute of the Red Bulls' 2-0 win over D.C. United.
Bradley Wright-Phillips, who was a fixture at the top of this list last season, also notched his first assist of the season on Lloyd Sam's second-half strike.
The four shots on goal taken by the English forward made for his highest regular-season total since August 23, 2014.
11. Mix Diskerud, CM, New York City FC
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Week 2 Ranking: 17
Mix Diskerud has had a quietly impressive start to his career in the sky blue of New York City FC.
In 263 minutes over three games, the United States international has averaged 68.3 passes per game, which is the highest total among players who have seen action in three matches.
The majority of Diskerud's passes have come in tight spaces, as he has recorded an average of 58.7 accurate short passes.
If he keeps producing high numbers in the passing department throughout the season, NYCFC will have few worries about its midfield.
10. Harry Shipp, RM, Chicago Fire
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Week 2 Ranking: Not Ranked
Harry Shipp is the best player on the worst team in MLS.
The midfielder has turned in an impressive showing in each of the Chicago Fire's three defeats to start the season. In Sunday's 2-1 loss at San Jose, Shipp scored his first goal of the season on a run that exploited the gaps in the Earthquakes defense.
In 270 minutes of action this season, Shipp has attempted 10 shots and has made 1.3 key passes per game.
Without Shipp's work ethic in the final third, the Fire may still be searching for their first goal of the season.
9. Sebastian Giovinco, AM, Toronto FC
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Week 2 Ranking: 6
Italian ace Sebastian Giovinco was introduced to one of the quirks of MLS in Week 3, as he and his Toronto FC teammates had the week off from game action.
In two matches in Toronto red, Giovinco has attempted 11 shots and picked up one assist.
He will be a part of one of the most intriguing individual battles in Week 4 when he goes up against the tenacious Kyle Beckerman at Rio Tinto Stadium.
8. David Villa, FW, New York City FC
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Week 2 Ranking: 11
For the second consecutive week, NYCFC forward David Villa attempted six shots for the Eastern Conference leaders.
Unfortunately for the expansion side, only two of those shots were on target, and Villa did not score for the second straight week.
Despite the lack of a goal in Week 3, Villa seems to be fitting in quite nicely with his new side.
7. Kaka, AM, Orlando City
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Week 2 Ranking: 5
Kaka also continued his strong MLS start in Week 3, attempting four shots and making three key passes in Orlando's loss to Vancouver.
Although he once again impressed with his work rate in midfield, Kaka failed to put a single shot on target for an Orlando side in need of a consistent target man.
The team's reliance on the Brazilian, who has attempted 12 shots in three games, could eventually cost them in the long run. But until someone proves he can shut down Kaka, the Lions will continue to run their attack through him.
6. Jozy Altidore, FW, Toronto FC
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Week 2 Ranking: 4
Altidore was unable to add to his tally of two goals before leaving for the United States men's national team's two games in Europe due to Toronto's bye week.
The USMNT forward is expected to miss the trip to Real Salt Lake and potentially the Week 5 visit to Chicago due to his international commitments.
With that being said, we should expect Altidore to drop further down the list in the next few weeks because of his inactivity in red.
5. Obafemi Martins, FW, Seattle Sounders
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Week 2 Ranking: 3
Another player who dropped a few places thanks to his team's bye week was Obafemi Martins.
Martins, who has scored a goal in each of his two games this season, has played a part in a Seattle goal in six of the club's last seven regular-season contests.
Seattle will visit FC Dallas in Week 4 in a matchup of two of the top clubs in the Western Conference. Martins assisted on two goals in the three regular-season meetings between the two sides last season.
4. Robbie Keane, FW, LA Galaxy
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Week 2 Ranking: 7
Robbie Keane put himself on level terms with Martins, Altidore, Wondolowski and a few others in second place in the early race for the Golden Boot with a goal on Saturday night.
The Republic of Ireland international scored his second goal of 2015 in the third minute of LA's 1-1 draw with Houston. Keane scampered straight through the middle of the pitch and delivered a shot into the back of the net with the help of a deflection.
In three games this season, Keane has netted two goals on four shots on target.
3. Blas Perez, FW, FC Dallas
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Week 2 Ranking: 2
Not only did Blas Perez fail to score his fourth goal of the season on Saturday afternoon, but he didn't even attempt a shot in FC Dallas' 2-0 victory.
The Panamanian's lack of productivity up top in a single game isn't as rare as you would think it is. Saturday marked the third time since August 22 that Perez put up a goose egg in the shot column.
Fortunately for Perez, he can make us forget about his showing at PPL Park with a big game for the Hoops against the Sounders on Saturday evening.
2. Clint Dempsey, FW, Seattle Sounders
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Week 2 Ranking: 1
Dempsey was knocked off his throne at the top of the list because he also did not step foot on an MLS pitch in Week 3.
The co-leader of the Golden Boot race was originally supposed to miss Seattle's clash with FC Dallas because of international duty, but he will know be absent from the match due to a hamstring injury.
U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday that Dempsey will be out for two to three weeks, which leaves his status for the April 12 game against the LA Galaxy up in the air.
1. Octavio Rivero, FW, Vancouver Whitecaps
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Week 2 Ranking: 10
Vancouver forward Octavio Rivero continued to take the league by storm in Week 3, scoring a 96th-minute winner against Orlando City.
Rivero, who leads the league in shots on target with eight, has scored a goal in each of his first three games in MLS.
In three contests against opponents from the East, Rivero has scored all three of Vancouver's goals.
Rivero will be tested by a Western Conference defense for the first time in his MLS career when the Whitecaps host Cascadia rival Portland at BC Place on Saturday.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
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