MLS Power Rankings: Who Is the New No. 1 After Week 9?
MLS Week 9 has come to an end, and there were some monumental results that significantly altered the standings. The New England Revolution, D.C. United and FC Dallas picked up huge wins to move into a tie for first place in their respective conferences.
Elsewhere, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers battled to a scoreless draw and the New York Red Bulls finally lost.
These games not only influenced the MLS standings but this week's power rankings as well. There are a few teams on the rise, and one of them has claimed the No. 1 spot.
Here are the MLS power rankings after Week 9.
20. Montreal Impact
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Previous week: No. 20
The Montreal Impact haven't played a match since April 11 due to their CONCACAF Champions League commitments. Their surprising run came to a crashing halt after a 5-3 aggregate loss to Club America in the final.
Montreal faces the Portland Timbers on Saturday in what will be an important match for both sides. The Timbers have earned just two victories, while the Impact have yet to win a game.
19. Philadelphia Union
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Previous week: No. 19
The Philadelphia Union's winless streak stretched to four games after their 1-0 loss against Toronto FC on Saturday. If it wasn't for poor finishing by TFC, it could have won by a much more convincing margin.
Philadelphia has scored 10 goals, but the attack is wildly inconsistent due to the lack of service for Fernando Aristeguieta and Conor Casey. Both strikers don't like to drop deep and run at defenders. It's up to head coach Jim Curtin to utilize a system that allows them to run less and get in position to score.
If that doesn't happen, it will lead to even more unrest from fans, and significant change may come soon thereafter.
18. New York City FC
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Previous week: No. 18
New York City FC's defending continues to haunt the team. The Seattle Sounders capitalized on NYCFC's sloppy display to win 3-1 at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Jason Hernandez and Javier Calle are hurt, plus Josh Williams dealt with a niggling injury but still made the bench. However, the organization is poor. The Sounders caught NYCFC's back line playing too high up the pitch and made them pay with the first and third goals.
The second goal was just as bad. Every defender was slow in reacting to every pass, then Kwame Watson-Siriboe didn't close down Clint Dempsey quick enough, so he was able to place his shot into the bottom corner.
Because of the injuries, NYCFC remains at No. 18 and won't slip because once David Villa is back in the starting lineup, the results may improve.
17. Orlando City SC
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Previous week: No. 17
Orlando City was off this weekend, so it will remain in the 17th spot for this week.
However, the Lions received some terrible news on Sunday. Winger Kevin Molino tore his ACL in a friendly versus Brazilian side Ponte Preta on Saturday and will miss the rest of the season, per Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel.
Molino has been ever-present in Orlando's lineup on the right flank. The 24-year-old has started all but one game this season. Even though the Trinidad and Tobago international hasn't scored, he's been a threat to every defense he's faced.
Carlos Rivas and Eric Avila will be the two leading candidates to replace Molino now that he's been ruled out for the rest of the year.
16. Portland Timbers
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Previous week: No. 15
Once again, the Portland Timbers were let down by poor finishing. They controlled the majority of their game against the Vancouver Whitecaps, mustering 13 shots, per the official MLS website. The Timbers' best opportunity came via a penalty, but Darlington Nagbe hit the post.
Head coach Caleb Porter started Maximiliano Urruti over Fanendo Adi for the second week in a row, which raised some eyebrows. Urruti was ineffective last week against the Seattle Sounders and didn't deliver, and Adi was a nuisance for the Sounders back line once he was substituted into the match.
There was a silver lining for Portland on Saturday, as Diego Valeri returned from injury. Will Johnson is also nearing full fitness and played for Portland Timbers 2 recently. Now that Valeri is back, the Timbers attack may have the spark it needs.
As for the game on Saturday, the inconsistent finishing and lackluster result means the Timbers fall one spot to No. 16 this week.
15. Colorado Rapids
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Previous week: No. 16
The Colorado Rapids earned draws against the New York Red Bulls and L.A. Galaxy in both of their games this week. Earning a point against the defending champions was particularly impressive.
Colorado conceded a couple of quality chances, but goalkeeper Clint Irwin made the crucial saves and the Galaxy forwards couldn't convert in the first half.
Shortly thereafter, the Rapids capitalized with a swift counterattack. Omar Gonzalez turned the ball over to Michael Harrington, who immediately fed Gabriel Torres for the goal. They held on for another 35 minutes until Alan Gordon scored the equalizer on a corner.
Even though the Rapids conceded the goal, they still earned two huge results on the road against top-tier teams. It's also the fourth time Colorado has earned at least a point in its last five games. That's reason enough for them to move up in the rankings.
14. Chicago Fire
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Previous week: No. 13
The Chicago Fire were dealing with two absentees in midfielders Matt Watson (suspension) and Michael Stephens (calf injury) against Sporting Kansas City, per Fire Confidential's Guillermo Rivera. Stephens and Watson were missed because this was a wide-open game.
Both sides had plenty of chances, but Sporting had the best opportunities and turned one into a goal. The Fire still forced goalkeeper Tim Melia to make some quality saves, but the attack was ineffective with Guly do Prado up front.
Head coach Frank Yallop has to consider starting Kennedy Igboananike or even Quincy Amarikwa in future games, because both have better finishing abilities and can open up space by running at defenders.
The Fire were let down by their erratic display in the final third. This unconvincing performance moves Chicago down one spot because it was a narrow defeat and it's still in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
13. Houston Dynamo
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Previous week: No. 9
The Houston Dynamo slipped out of a playoff spot after a 4-1 loss in the Texas derby versus FC Dallas. It was a dreadful performance by the Dynamo, who have conceded a combined eight goals in their last two matches.
To put their defensive displays against Dallas and Sporting Kansas City into perspective, Houston conceded just four times all year prior to the SKC match.
Fabian Castillo and Mauro Diaz tormented the Dynamo back line for most of the game. The most surprising part of the game was that Houston controlled possession and outshot Dallas, but the Hoops kept exposing their opponents on the counter.
Conceding four goals in back-to-back games is inexcusable, hence the Dynamo have dropped from No. 9 to 14.
12. Toronto FC
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Previous week: No. 14
Two weeks ago, Toronto FC was in turmoil with head coach Greg Vanney's future up in the air. Since then, TFC has won two matches in a row to close out its seven-game road trip.
The Reds' most recent triumph came against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday in a 1-0 win. Sebastian Giovinco's free kick was the difference in the game.
Most significant of all, Toronto recorded back-to-back clean sheets. TFC also needs just one more victory to equal its best-ever wins total on the road, per the Toronto Sun's Kurtis Larson.
Recording back-to-back wins on the road with zero goals conceded moves TFC to 12th in the power rankings.
11. Real Salt Lake
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Previous week: No. 12
Real Salt Lake will be upset after drawing the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday, as Chris Wondolowski was in an offside position when he scored the opening goal.
Goal.com editor Thomas Floyd tweeted the deflection prior to Wondolowski's shot doesn't matter and that the striker was offside. RSL head coach Jeff Cassar and the rest of the bench were understandably frustrated.
RSL managed to nick an equalizer thanks to Victor Bernardez's own goal. It was a deserved point, especially without center back Chris Schuler. It was also an improved performance from last week's debacle at the New England Revolution. As a result, RSL moves up to No. 11.
10. San Jose Earthquakes
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Previous week: No. 11
The San Jose Earthquakes' lone goal was controversial, but given the circumstances, a draw is a solid result for San Jose.
Playing on the road at altitude is tough, but the Earthquakes nearly hung on for a win until Victor Bernardez's own goal. They deserve some credit for a gutsy performance.
The draw keeps San Jose in a playoff spot in the Western Conference and moves it into the top 10 in the power rankings after earning a solid road point.
9. Sporting Kansas City
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Previous week: No. 10
It wasn't pretty, but Sporting Kansas City defeated the Chicago Fire on Sunday. It was only a 1-0 victory, but Dom Dwyer and Kevin Ellis failed to convert on two terrific chances.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia had to bail out his team when called upon, because SKC's defense conceded too many chances through the flanks.
It wasn't a perfect performance, but given the player turnover this winter, it's impressive for SKC to have only lost twice this season. Recording another win and a clean sheet against a team who was on a winning streak moves Sporting KC into ninth.
8. LA Galaxy
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Previous week: No. 7
The L.A. Galaxy couldn't penetrate the Colorado Rapids defense until Alan Gordon struck in the 75th minute off a corner. Gyasi Zardes and Baggio Husidic had great opportunities to score the opening goal, but it was the Rapids who nicked it in the first half en route to a 1-1 draw.
Robbie Keane's injury has affected the team's goalscoring output, but despite the Irishman's absence, the Galaxy are still in fourth place.
L.A.'s recent form has been better, recording two wins and two draws in its last four matches. However, the underwhelming finishing and sloppy defensive mistakes move the Galaxy down a spot.
7. Columbus Crew
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Previous week: No. 5
The Columbus Crew's four-match unbeaten streak ended after D.C. United defeated the Crew 2-0. It was also the third time that Columbus did not score a goal.
Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch tweeted an interesting stat after the match. The Crew haven't won a game when conceding the first goal but are undefeated when they score the opening goal.
There's no doubt the Crew will be competing for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but this loss against a red-hot D.C. team has sent them out of the top five spots in the power rankings this week.
6. New York Red Bulls
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Previous week: No. 1
The New York Red Bulls' undefeated streak ended on Saturday with a 2-1 loss against the New England Revolution. The Red Bulls were the only unbeaten team left in MLS entering the weekend and were the No. 1 team in the power rankings.
New York conceded too much space to New England's attackers, which cost them on both goals. The Red Bulls can be forgiven because of the short turnaround after the Colorado Rapids game, but the Revs did a great job shutting down Bradley Wright-Phillips and Lloyd Sam.
After this loss and the draw against the Rapids, the Red Bulls slip to No. 6. The performances were average, and every team in the top five earned some crucial points.
5. FC Dallas
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Previous week: No. 8
FC Dallas demonstrated its attacking prowess on Friday by crushing the Houston Dynamo 4-1. Houston had chances, but the Hoops utilized one of their strengths and exposed the Dynamo defense on the counter.
Ever since Dallas lost to the Portland Timbers on April 4, it's been inconsistent. The Toros hadn't picked up points in back-to-back games until this week, which indicates the team has regained its mojo.
Fabian Castillo's stock continues to rise and will undoubtedly attract interest from several clubs in Europe soon. Mauro Diaz was exceptional as well, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy for months.
The impressive victory on Friday moved Dallas into a tie for first place in the Western Conference, and, subsequently, into the top five in this week's power rankings.
4. Vancouver Whitecaps
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Previous week: No. 4
The Vancouver Whitecaps had a plan going into their match against the Portland Timbers. Head coach Carl Robinson had his team soak up pressure and battle for a draw.
The Whitecaps earned that point, but it was a tumultuous night for the visitors. Pa-Modou Kah was called for a handball in the box, but Darlington Nagbe hit the post from the spot. Maximiliano Urruti and Diego Valeri also came close to breaking the deadlock, but the Vancouver defense weathered the storm.
The Whitecaps have won just once in their last four games but played with 10 men versus D.C. United and had to face the San Jose Earthquakes on three days' rest.
Tying the Timbers in Portland is a fair result, but because of this mini slump, the Whitecaps stay at No. 4.
3. Seattle Sounders
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Previous week: No. 6
The Seattle Sounders were virtually unstoppable on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. The Sounders defeated New York City FC 3-1 thanks to star strikers Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins.
Dempsey and Martins were lively and in sync throughout the game. The former had a goal and an assist, while the latter recorded two goals and was involved in the buildup to the second strike.
When the Sounders strikers are clicking, it's difficult to stop them. The defense wasn't as impressive as the attack, but that didn't stop Seattle from claiming the Supporters' Shield last year.
Seattle is currently riding a three-game winning streak and has lost just one of its previous five matches. That form is deserving of the No. 3 spot this week.
2. New England Revolution
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Previous week: No. 2
The New England Revolution handed the New York Red Bulls their first loss of the season on Saturday. It was a brilliant performance by the 2014 MLS Cup finalists, who remain in the top two of the power rankings.
New England's attack displayed its versatility again, with Charlie Davies scoring for the third match in a row. It seems like the Revolution striker is back on track and has built on his 2014 playoff performances.
The defense was relatively solid as well. London Woodberry has been a pleasant surprise, and Andrew Farrell has improved tremendously this year. Jermaine Jones has also been decent since moving into the back line, but he'll always be a better option in midfield.
Still, it hasn't hurt the Revolution, who are now tied for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
1) D.C. United
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Previous week: No. 3
D.C. United just keeps on winning. They've lost just once all season and have defeated the L.A. Galaxy, Vancouver Whitecaps and, most recently, the Columbus Crew, who became D.C.'s latest victims on Saturday.
Fabian Espindola, who returned from his suspension last week in Vancouver, scored a goal and assisted another in D.C.'s 2-0 victory. The team looks more threatening with the Argentinean up front, and with one of the best defenses in MLS, this form can continue for a while longer.
D.C. has been without Bill Hamid, Steve Birnbaum, Luis Silva, Fabian Espindola and Eddie Johnson at some stage during the young season. Those are all key players for head coach Ben Olsen, yet it hasn't derailed the team's campaign.
Despite those absentees, D.C. is off to its best start in franchise history, per Steven Goff of the Washington Post. This is reason enough for United to claim the top spot in this week's power rankings.
Peter Galindo covers MLS and U.S. soccer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @GalindoPW.
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