MLS Player Rankings: Kamara Edges Giovinco, Nemeth Surges After Week 13
The competition for the top spot in our weekly MLS Player Rankings heated up in Week 13, as a pair of stars staked their claim to be named the top player in the league.
Kei Kamara continued his ridiculous run of scoring with a goal against Orlando City, while Sebastian Giovinco carved up another opposing defense in the Toronto FC attack.
Further down the list of the top 20 players in MLS is a new arrival who is beginning to catch headlines on a weekly basis for one of the top clubs in the league.
Continue reading to see who landed where in the Week 13 edition of the MLS Player Rankings.
On the Way out
1 of 21
Recent lack of production up top cost these two players their respective spots in the top 20.
Players Dropped Out of Rankings
Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls; Previous Ranking: 16)
Gabriel Torres (Colorado Rapids; 20)
20. David Villa, FW, New York City FC
2 of 21
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
David Villa found the back of the net for the first time since April 11 in New York City FC's 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
Villa slotted the ball into the back of the net from the spot after Raul Rodriguez handled it in the penalty area.
Despite failing to put his name on the scoresheet for five straight games, Villa has been active in the final third for Jason Kreis' side. Since April 16, Villa has put 11 of his 21 attempts on target.
19. Mauro Diaz, AM, FC Dallas
3 of 21
Previous Ranking: 12
Mauro Diaz and FC Dallas ran into a familiar issue from the 2014 season Friday night as they went down a man in the first half against Sporting Kansas City.
After Zach Loyd was issued a second yellow in the 43rd minute, the FC Dallas attack was completely shut down by the hosts.
That meant Diaz was unable to shine on a big stage against one of the toughest midfields in the league.
18. Obafemi Martins, FW, Seattle Sounders
4 of 21
Previous Ranking: 18
Obafemi Martins was close to falling off the list this week, but he was able to pick up an assist on Marco Pappa's 69th-minute goal for the Sounders on Sunday.
Martins played a ball from right to left over to Pappa, who then danced around New York Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall before finishing off the first Seattle strike of the match.
The assist was the first for the Nigerian since May 3, when he contributed to three goals against NYCFC.
17. Ethan Finlay, RM, Columbus Crew
5 of 21
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
If you weren't aware of Ethan Finlay's spot atop the assist leaderboard in MLS, now you are.
The Columbus Crew winger handed out his seventh dish of the 2015 campaign in the buildup to Tony Tchani's sixth-minute opener at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday.
In four of his last six contests, Finlay has produced an assist. He scored his only two goals of the season back on April 25 against Philadelphia.
16. Lloyd Sam, RM, New York Red Bulls
6 of 21
Previous Ranking: 17
Lloyd Sam broke out of a two-game dry spell in the final third on Sunday, as he netted his fourth goal of the season at CenturyLink Field.
Sam pounced on the ball in front of the net after he made a smart run behind the Seattle defense on a free-kick. The 36th-minute goal provided the Red Bulls with a lead, which lasted 33 minutes before Marco Pappa equalized. The Red Bulls went on to lose the game on a late Chad Barrett tap-in.
The Red Bulls will once again be in the national spotlight Friday, when they visit the Dynamo. Sam will look to do much better than his last Friday contest, which saw him produce little against FC Dallas on May 15.
15. Osvaldo Alonso, CM, Seattle Sounders
7 of 21
Previous Ranking: 14
Osvaldo Alonso turned in a pair of solid shifts in both of Seattle's victories in Week 13.
Alonso completed 91 percent of his 89 passes and tied for the Sounders lead in tackles with four in the 1-0 victory over Colorado on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old did not attempt a high number of passes in Sunday's win over the Red Bulls, but he did complete 93.7 percent of his 63 attempts in front of the home crowd.
14. Felipe, CM, New York Red Bulls
8 of 21
Previous Ranking: 8
Compared to his recent performances in the Red Bulls midfield, Felipe was average at best for Jesse Marsch's side in Seattle on Sunday night.
The 24-year-old Brazilian recorded the fewest number of touches among the club's three central midfielders, with 56.
Felipe was also ineffective in his own half, as he made only two interceptions and one clearance against the stingy Seattle midfield.
13. Michael Bradley, CM, Toronto FC
9 of 21
Previous Ranking: 15
In Toronto FC's 3-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes, Michael Bradley produced one of his most efficient showings since joining the Reds last season.
Bradley completed 92.9 percent of his 42 passes, made 60 touches and produced two key passes for the Reds at BMO Field.
In 10 matches this season, Bradley has averaged 52.3 passes per game and completed 85.5 percent of them.
12. Kaka, AM, Orlando City
10 of 21
Previous Ranking: 13
Kaka struck the back of the net for the third consecutive match Saturday, as he put the ball past Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark from the spot in Orlando City's 2-2 draw with the Crew.
Outside of the penalty, the Brazilian made three key passes and attempted three shots in front of the raucous crowd at the Citrus Bowl.
Through his first 13 games in MLS, Kaka is averaging two key passes and 1.9 shots per game.
11. Charlie Davies, FW, New England Revolution
11 of 21
Previous Ranking: 10
Charlie Davies' recent scoring streak was halted by the weather and the L.A. Galaxy on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Davies, who is fighting to get onto USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann's radar ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, did not challenge Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo with a shot during his 69-minute shift.
The Revolution forward will look to get back on his scoring run in Week 14, when New England heads west to play the Portland Timbers at Providence Park.
10. Giles Barnes, FW, Houston Dynamo
12 of 21
Previous Ranking: 11
Giles Barnes' quest for his seventh goal of the 2015 season was unsuccessful in Week 13 at Yankee Stadium.
Barnes put two of his three shots on target, but he was unable to break the deadlock between Houston and NYCFC.
The Jamaica international, who has scored all six of his strikes at home, will look to break down the Red Bulls' back four in Week 14.
9. Omar Gonzalez, CB, LA Galaxy
13 of 21
Previous Ranking: 6
Omar Gonzalez had a rough week at the office, as he and the Galaxy back line let in two goals against New England and he was denied a spot on the USMNT roster for the two June friendlies in Europe.
Gonzalez, who has been one of the top players in the league this season, was expected to start in the middle of the USMNT back four against the Netherlands and Germany.
Instead, the center back will have to impress Klinsmann from afar next week, when he goes up against the dangerous Vancouver attack at StubHub Center.
8. Krisztian Nemeth, FW, Sporting Kansas City
14 of 21
Previous Ranking: 19
One of the hottest players in MLS at the moment is Sporting Kansas City's Krisztian Nemeth.
In Sporting KC's 4-0 thumping of FC Dallas on Friday night, the Hungarian produced a goal and an assist for the home side. The performance came nine days after he torched the New England defense for two goals and an assist.
With his goal in the 19th minute, Nemeth became the second player in MLS history to score on each of his first six shots on goal, per the club's game-day Twitter account.
7. Fabian Castillo, AM, FC Dallas
15 of 21
Previous Ranking: 5
FC Dallas superstar Fabian Castillo did not feature in FC Dallas' blowout loss at the hands of Sporting KC on Friday night.
The Hoops missed the dynamic play of the Colombian, who may have been able to spring forward on a few counters and open up the Sporting KC defense while his side was down a man.
6. Octavio Rivero, FW, Vancouver Whitecaps
16 of 21
Previous Ranking: 7
Why do we keep ranking Octavio Rivero so high despite his lack of finishing up top for the Vancouver Whitecaps?
If you look at the numbers beyond the goals column, Rivero has put 23 of his 54 shots on target, including two of his six in the 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Rivero will look to score his first goal in four games and his second in nine matches at Stade Saputo against Montreal in Week 14. A match against the Galaxy at StubHub Center follows.
5. Chris Wondolowski, FW, San Jose Earthquakes
17 of 21
Previous Ranking: 9
Second place in the Golden Boot race belongs to Chris Wondolowski after Week 13.
Wondolowski scored his fifth goal in six matches from the spot Saturday in San Jose's fifth loss of the season.
While many will not consider him for Player of the Month right away, it is worth bringing up his name in the discussion since Wondolowski scored in all but one of his games in May.
4. Benny Feilhaber, CM, Sporting Kansas City
18 of 21
Previous Ranking: 4
Benny Feilhaber extended his impressive run of form into Friday night, as he recorded his fourth goal of the season in the 51st minute against FC Dallas.
The central midfielder also attempted his highest number of shots in 2015, as he took five in the 4-0 victory at Sporting Park.
Unfortunately for Feilhaber, he was not rewarded for his recent play with a call-up by Jurgen Klinsmann for the upcoming USMNT friendlies.
3. Clint Dempsey, FW, Seattle Sounders
19 of 21
Previous Ranking: 3
Seattle's game-winning goal against the Red Bulls should have been credited to Clint Dempsey for his amazing individual effort, but it was awarded to Chad Barrett instead.
Dempsey made a surging run through the left side of the box and connected with a Tyrone Mears cross in the 91st minute before he played the ball across the goal for Barrett to poke in.
With seven goals and six assists to his name, Dempsey has contributed to the most tallies in the league this season.
2. Sebastian Giovinco, AM, Toronto FC
20 of 21
Previous Ranking: 2
Giovinco was fantastic in every aspect of Toronto's 3-1 win over San Jose on Saturday at BMO Field.
He played a role in all three of the goals scored by the Reds, as he handed out a pair of assists and made a tackle in the final third to set up the second Toronto strike.
The Italian has made a major impression on the Toronto attack so far this season with 4.9 shots and 2.4 key passes per game.
1. Kei Kamara, FW, Columbus Crew
21 of 21
Previous Ranking: 1
In the 61st minute of the Crew's 2-2 draw with Orlando City, Kamara became the first player to reach the double-digit goal mark this season.
Kamara rose above a defender and nodded in Waylon Francis' cross from the left wing to hand Columbus the lead.
During his superb start to the season, Kamara has scored on 41.7 percent of his shots on target.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
