MLS Player Rankings: Kamara Moves Back to Top, Feilhaber Makes Big Gain
With 12 weeks of play in Major League Soccer in the books, it is becoming clearer who the top stars of the 2015 season are going to be.
During the 12th week of action across North America this weekend, players such as Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco and Benny Feilhaber continued to star for their respective sides.
Due to their tremendous efforts on the field, the trio occupy three of the top four spots in the MLS Player Rankings. The other one is reserved for an attacker who had a rare off week.
Continue reading on to see which order these stars were aligned in on the list of the top 20 players in MLS.
On the Way Out
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Two lackluster performances in Week 12 forced this pair of players out of the top 20.
Players Dropped out of Rankings
Cyle Larin (Orlando City; Previous Ranking: 15)
Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo; 20)
20. Gabriel Torres, FW, Colorado Rapids
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Gabriel Torres unleashed a filthy assist in the 51st minute of the Colorado Rapids' 1-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.
The Panamanian delivered a perfect flick to the boot of Lucas Pittinari to earn his second assist of the season.
Torres, who also has four goals to his name, has recorded a goal or assist in five of his last seven matches.
19. Krisztian Nemeth, FW, Sporting Kansas City
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Sporting Kansas City's top offseason acquisition provided the club with two goals and an assist in the 4-2 home win over New England on Wednesday.
Krisztian Nemeth scored his fourth and fifth strikes of the season on his only two shots on goal at Sporting Park.
The Hungarian was forced up top minutes before Saturday's clash with Seattle due to Dom Dwyer's removal from the lineup. Nemeth attempted three shots in the 0-0 draw, but he could not begin a scoring streak.
With Dwyer in the lineup, Nemeth has been productive on the wing in Peter Vermes' 4-3-3 system.
18. Obafemi Martins, FW Seattle Sounders
4 of 21
Previous Ranking: 7
Obafemi Martins was missed a ton up top in the Seattle attack on Saturday, as the Sounders produced a single shot on target in the goalless draw with Sporting KC.
The good news for the player, and for the club, is the Nigerian is over his injury, according to manager Sigi Schmid, per Matt Pentz of the Seattle Times.
17. Lloyd Sam, RM, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 13
Lloyd Sam failed to live up to expectations on Sunday night, as he could not breeze through the Philadelphia defense like many expected him to.
The 30-year-old Englishman did not attempt a shot in the 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Union.
In the 10 matches he has started in 2015, Sam has not fired off a shot in just two of them.
16. Bradley Wright-Phillips, FW, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 12
One Red Bull player who was able to take a substantial amount of shots on home soil against the Union was Bradley Wright-Phillips.
However, only one of the six shots taken by the forward tested Bryan Sylvestre in the Philadelphia net. The last time Wright-Phillips attempted six or more shots in a regular-season match was against Sporting KC in the final game of the 2014 season.
Wright-Phillips will look to break the club's recent scoring drought in Seattle on Sunday night.
15. Michael Bradley, CM, Toronto FC
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Previous Ranking: 18
Believe it or not, Toronto FC currently look like a playoff-bound team.
One of the main reasons why the Reds appear to be a competent contender in the Eastern Conference at the moment is the play of Michael Bradley.
Bradley extended his impressive run of form into Toronto's 1-0 win over Portland, as he recorded 75 touches, four key passes and a pass-success rate of 86.8 percent.
14. Osvaldo Alonso, CM, Seattle Sounders
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Previous Ranking: 17
Welcome to our weekly recap of Osvaldo Alonso's absurd passing statistics.
While the action in the final third was nothing close to thrilling at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, Alonso dominated the midfield battle for long stretches.
The 29-year-old completed 93.1 percent of his 116 attempted passes and converted 10 of 12 longballs in the scoreless draw.
13. Kaka, AM, Orlando City
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Previous Ranking: 14
Kaka's slow climb back up the rankings continues this week after a goal from the spot on Sunday night against San Jose.
The strike was the fifth of the season for the Brazilian, but there are still a few questions out there about his productivity.
In his last six matches, Kaka has produced three shots, two of which have been on target.
12. Mauro Diaz, AM, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 10
Mauro Diaz and FC Dallas dropped points in a surprising result at Stade Saputo on Saturday, as they lost 2-1 to Montreal.
Although the Hoops did provide us with plenty of excitement over the final 15 minutes of the match, they didn't produce a constant threat for the entire contest.
Diaz picked up four key passes and took two shots in the loss, but he failed to test Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush during his 90-minute shift.
11. Giles Barnes, FW, Houston Dynamo
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Previous Ranking: 9
Giles Barnes was handed a perfect opportunity to shine in front of a larger audience on Friday night, but he was unable to strike the back of the net at StubHub Center.
Barnes, who entered the match with at least one shot on target in his last eight games, could not find a way past the sturdy LA Galaxy defense in Houston's 1-0 defeat.
The good news for Barnes is he faces New York City FC's less-than-stellar defense in Week 13.
10. Charlie Davies, FW, New England Revolution
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Previous Ranking: 16
We won't shove our Charlie Davies to the Gold Cup campaign down your throats this week, but we are going to make you aware he scored once again in Week 12.
Davies popped up in the right place at the right time in the 45th minute of New England's 1-1 draw with D.C. United, as he knocked in a rebound created by a Teal Bunbury shot.
The United States international also earned his first assist of the 2015 campaign in the Revolution's 4-2 loss at Sporting Park on Wednesday.
9. Chris Wondolowski, FW, San Jose Earthquakes
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Previous Ranking: 19
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and Chris Wondolowski scoring in MLS.
The San Jose forward became the ninth player to record 100 regular-season goals on Sunday, as he pounded the ball into the net from the spot in the 68th minute of the Earthquakes' 1-1 draw with Orlando City.
Wondolowski, who has found the back of the net in four of his last five matches, is already halfway to matching his 2014 goal total of 14.
8. Felipe, CM, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 5
Unlike Week 11, Felipe was not extremely productive during a disappointing team performance put in by the Red Bulls.
Felipe did make 80 touches in the loss to Philadelphia, but possession can only get you so far in certain matches.
The 24-year-old also had a quiet day on the defensive side of the ball, as he recorded two interceptions and a tackle against the surprisingly hot Union.
7. Octavio Rivero, FW, Vancouver Whitecaps
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Previous Ranking: 6
There is no doubt that Octavio Rivero is an active player in the Vancouver attack, but it would help his cause if he were a bit more accurate.
Rivero leads the league in shots with 48, but only 21 of them have reached the target in his debut season in MLS.
In the month of May, the Whitecaps forward has challenged opposing goalkeepers with six of his 15 attempts.
6. Omar Gonzalez, CB, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: 8
Omar Gonzalez staked a claim for himself in the Most Valuable Player race on Friday night, thanks to his stellar play at the back for the LA Galaxy.
One week after the Galaxy let in four goals without the United States international in the lineup, they held the Houston attack to two shots on target.
In the 1-0 victory, Gonzalez led the Galaxy in interceptions and clearances, with five and four, respectively.
5. Fabian Castillo, AM, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 3
Despite failing to break his scoreless streak, Fabian Castillo produced a solid shift in the final third for FC Dallas at Stade Saputo.
Castillo contributed two shots on target and two key passes in the Hoops' third loss of the season.
In order to keep his goal drought from extending to four matches after Week 13, Castillo will need to break through the stingy Sporting KC back four.
4. Benny Feilhaber, CM, Sporting Kansas City
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Previous Ranking: 11
If you watched both of Sporting KC's matches in Week 12, Benny Feilhaber's work rate made an impression on you at some point.
The pulse of the Sporting KC midfield extended his lead atop the league assist chart on Wednesday, as he contributed key passes on both of Nemeth's goals against New England.
With an unfavorable situation staring him in the face at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, Feilhaber turned in a terrific individual display in every area of the pitch.
He almost handed Sporting KC an unlikely victory in Seattle, but his shot in stoppage time was turned away by Stefan Frei.
3. Clint Dempsey, FW, Seattle Sounders
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Previous Ranking: 1
Clint Dempsey's impressive scoring streak came to an end on Saturday night, as the Sounders tested Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia with a single shot.
Before coming up short in the attacking department in Week 12, Dempsey produced either a goal or an assist in 10 consecutive games.
He will get a chance to start a new streak in Week 13, as Seattle hosts Colorado and the Red Bulls.
2. Sebastian Giovinco, FW, Toronto FC
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Previous Ranking: 4
Sebastian Giovinco netted his first goal since May 2 on a superb shot from outside the box that flew past Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey.
The bright Italian playmaker did not slow down after his fifth-minute goal, as he tested Kwarasey with two other shots in an attempt to bring more joy to the home fans at BMO Field.
Giovinco will receive yet another chance to dazzle in his home stadium in Week 13, when the Earthquakes visit Toronto.
1. Kei Kamara, FW, Columbus Crew
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Previous Ranking: 2
When Kei Kamara initially inked a deal with the Columbus Crew last year, many wondered if he would be the missing piece in attack manager Gregg Berhalter was searching for.
Kamara has been that and then some throughout the first three months of the season, as he has scored nine goals in 11 matches.
His latest pair of strikes came against the Chicago Fire on Friday night at Mapfre Stadium. If he continues scoring at this rate, Kamara will shatter his previous MLS season high of 11, which he earned in 2012 with Sporting KC.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
