MLS Player Rankings: Villa Remains at No. 1 Following Wild Week 22
Everywhere you turned in Major League Soccer on Saturday and Sunday, goals were flying into the back of the net, except if you had to sit through Sunday's painfully awful scoreless match between San Jose and Portland.
The players scoring the goals were some of the league's best as Cyle Larin, David Villa and Robbie Keane helped contribute to the highest scoring day in league history on Saturday. Thirty-nine of Week 22's 41 strikes were scored during the eight-game Saturday slate.
Thanks to the impressive output of the star forwards, the top four players in our latest MLS Player Rankings are forwards. Four midfielders, a defender and another forward round out the top 10.
Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches, with the player's most recent performance holding more stock than the other three.
Continue reading to see which 20 players were named to the MLS Player Rankings after Week 22.
On the Way out
1 of 21
A pair of lackluster performances in Week 22 cost two players their respective spots on the list of the top 20 players in MLS.
Players Dropped Out of Rankings
Krisztian Nemeth (Sporting Kansas City; Previous Ranking: 17)
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 19)
20. Ignacio Piatti, CAM, Montreal Impact
2 of 21
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
After being dumped from the top 20 a week ago, Ignacio Piatti returns after his two-goal performance at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
The Argentinian midfielder scored his seventh and eighth goals of the year in the Impact's vital 3-2 road win that put them in the sixth and final play-off spot in the Eastern Conference.
Montreal will have a chance to rise further up the standings in Week 23 if they take care of business against the Red Bulls and D.C. United.
19. Kendall Waston, CB, Vancouver Whitecaps
3 of 21
Previous Ranking: 15
Kendall Waston didn't necessarily have a bad game on Saturday to force him down four spots, but the circumstances surrounding his decent performance put things into perspective.
Against a Seattle attack trying to find itself amidst a wretched bout of form, Waston was overshadowed by his defensive partner Pa Modou Kah, who scored a delightful brace at CenturyLink Field.
Waston and his teammates will now have to back up their play from Saturday on Wednesday in their first CONCACAF Champions League group match against the Sounders at BC Place.
18. Matt Miazga, CB, New York Red Bulls
4 of 21
Previous Ranking: 14
Matt Miazga's tumble down the rankings is also due to an average outing on Saturday and the performances turned in by other stars this weekend.
The United States U20 international helped contain Philadelphia's pressure throughout the Red Bulls' 3-1 win at PPL Park, but he was a part of a defense that allowed the opponent to take 17 shots.
Luckily for the Red Bulls, a second-half turnaround and poor shooting form from the Union allowed the Red Bulls to leave with three points.
17. Darwin Ceren, RM, Orlando City
5 of 21
Previous Ranking: 20
Darwin Ceren entered the list last week as a central midfielder, but even though that is still his primary position, we listed him as a right-sided player due to his exploits at the Citrus Bowl versus Columbus.
Ceren delivered his first strike since May 17 in the 38th minute of the 5-2 victory. Although the El Salvador international deserves credit for his effort in the box, the goal wouldn't have happened without the hustle of Kaka.
Even in his new spot on the pitch, Ceren was able to put up some strong numbers in the defensive stat categories with four interceptions and three clearances.
16. Fabian Castillo, LM, FC Dallas
6 of 21
Previous Ranking: 10
To say FC Dallas' Sunday night at Toyota Park was dreadful is a bit of an understatement.
Fabian Castillo and his partners in attack were silenced by impressive youngster Matt Polster and the center-back pairing of Jeff Larentowicz and Eric Gehrig.
During his 90-minute shift in search of winning the Brimstone Cup, Castillo made 36 touches and sent one shot off target.
15. Bradley Wright-Phillips, FW, New York Red Bulls
7 of 21
Previous Ranking: 18
Bradley Wright-Phillips triggered countless Brotherly Love headlines across the American soccer lexicon on Saturday night, when he finished off a pass from his brother Shaun in the 74th minute of the Red Bulls' win over Philadelphia.
The more experienced of the two brothers in MLS earned his ninth goal of the season in a match where the Red Bulls didn't come alive until the entrance of his older brother.
Since a goalless run of six games that spanned from May 15 to June 24, the 30-year-old has four goals and two assists in his last five matches.
14. Matias Laba, CDM, Vancouver Whitecaps
8 of 21
Previous Ranking: 16
There is no doubt MLS is a scorer's league as we witnessed this weekend, but one player who is capable of silencing an entire attack by himself is Matias Laba.
The rarely talked-about defensive midfielder allowed Vancouver to leave Seattle with three points as he shut down the Sounders attack led by Clint Dempsey.
Laba made five tackles and five interceptions for the top side in the Western Conference on Saturday night. Carl Robinson's squad will now enter a crucial stretch in the next eight days with matches in three different competitions.
13. Mauro Diaz, AM, FC Dallas
9 of 21
Previous Ranking: 6
Sunday's match with Chicago presented Mauro Diaz a golden opportunity to showcase his abilities on a national stage. Instead of turning heads, Diaz was quiet for the majority of the match.
The creative attacking midfielder did touch the ball 62 times, but he only attempted one shot, which went off target.
The 2-0 loss to the Fire was not only a disappointing result for Diaz on a personal level, but for the club as a whole as the Hoops entered the contest on a five-game winning streak.
12. Juninho, CM, LA Galaxy
10 of 21
Previous Ranking: 12
Fresh off a second-half appearance in the MLS All-Star Game, Juninho put in another quality performance in the middle of the park for the LA Galaxy.
Against his former midfield partner Marcelo Sarvas and the Colorado Rapids, Juninho picked up his fourth assist of the year on Sebastian Lletget's equalizer.
The 26-year-old also impressed in the passing department by completing 89.7 percent of his passes in the 3-1 win.
11. Kaka, AM, Orlando City
11 of 21
Previous Ranking: 13
Every young soccer player should watch Kaka's hustle on Orlando City's 38th-minute goal as an example of how to never give up on a play.
Instead of ending a run forward, like most superstars would do, Kaka chased down his deflected pass on the right flank and played a terrific pass to the feet of Ceren, who went on to score on his second shot.
There is no doubt there will be better assists earned in MLS this season, but few will have witnessed the tremendous hustle Kaka displayed late in the first half on Saturday night.
10. Sebastian Lletget, LM, LA Galaxy
12 of 21
Previous Ranking: 11
The noise you currently hear is the cacophony of fans voicing their opinions to United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann about the play of Sebastian Lletget.
On Saturday, the 22-year-old left-sided midfielder scored his sixth goal since entering the Galaxy starting lineup on June 13.
While Steven Gerrard and Giovani Dos Santos will get plenty of press for the skills they bring to the Galaxy squad, the acquisition of Lletget will probably turn out to be Bruce Arena's top signing this season.
9. Ethan Finlay, RM, Columbus Crew
13 of 21
Previous Ranking: 4
Sometimes a creative player like Ethan Finlay just needs some time off to rest his legs.
That is what Finlay received during the second half of the Crew's defeat in Orlando on Saturday night. Finlay, who featured in the MLS All-Star Game in Colorado on Wednesday, was removed at the half in favor of new signing Cedrick Mabwati.
The league leader in assists should be back in action in Week 23, when Columbus visits Colorado.
8. Kei Kamara, FW, Columbus Crew
14 of 21
Previous Ranking: 5
Kei Kamara's three-game scoring run came to an end in Week 22 despite his best efforts to bring Columbus back into the match at the Citrus Bowl.
The league's top scorer put two of his four shots on target in the blowout loss at the hands of Orlando City.
In six of his last eight games, Kamara has put at least two shots on goal. The only two matches in which he was unsuccessful at putting an attempt on target were the June 27 clash against Real Salt Lake and the July 11 match against the Impact.
7. Benny Feilhaber, CM, Sporting Kansas City
15 of 21
Previous Ranking: 7
Benny Feilhaber climbed within one assist of the league's best total in Week 22 as he set up Dom Dwyer's sixth-minute strike against the Houston Dynamo.
Since May 20, Feilhaber has recorded at least a goal or an assist in eight of 10 matches. Only twice has he lent a hand to more than one Sporting Kansas City goal during that stretch.
Feilhaber will look to further extend that run of impressive form in Week 23, when Peter Vermes' side make a trip up to BMO Field to face Toronto FC.
6. Laurent Ciman, CB, Montreal Impact
16 of 21
Previous Ranking: 8
Laurent Ciman added to his already impressive 2015 resume on Saturday with an assist on Dominic Oduro's fifth-minute goal that opened up the scoring at Yankee Stadium.
The perfect long ball played by the Belgian exploited one of the many weaknesses in the New York City FC back four at the moment.
The 3-2 victory also handed Ciman and the Impact a massive boost heading into a busy stretch of matches. Due to their run to the CONCACAF Champions League final earlier in the year, the Impact have a handful of games in hand to make up.
5. Javier Morales, CAM, Real Salt Lake
17 of 21
Previous Ranking: 9
Few attacking midfielders are as consistent as Javier Morales when he rounds into form for Real Salt Lake.
In the wild 6-4 loss to D.C. United, Morales moved his assist total from seven to nine while dealing three key passes and putting a pair of shots on target. The Argentinian also led all players with 109 touches.
Since the start of July, Morales has played a role in six of RSL's 10 goals.
4. Cyle Larin, FW, Orlando City
18 of 21
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
There is only one name in the discussion for the Rookie of the Year award, and that is Cyle Larin.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft followed up his hat-trick against NYCFC in Week 21 with a brace in Orlando City's three-goal win over the Crew at home in Week 22.
While some may see two matches as a small sample size on which to judge a forward's ability, Larin has thoroughly impressed with his actions in front of goal since returning from the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
3. Sebastian Giovinco, FW, Toronto FC
19 of 21
Previous Ranking: 2
Sebastian Giovinco and Toronto FC were nowhere to be seen in the headlines after Week 22 due to an awful red card earned by Jozy Altidore in the first half against the New England Revolution.
Giovinco, who contributed to eight goals in three games entering Week 22, was removed from the pitch before the second half began in order to rest up for a vital week in the play-off race.
Just like Finlay's situation in Columbus, Toronto boss Greg Vanney rested Giovinco to get him ready for the upcoming Week 23 matches against Orlando City and Sporting KC.
2. Robbie Keane, FW, LA Galaxy
20 of 21
Previous Ranking: 3
In the waning moments of the Galaxy's win over Colorado, Robbie Keane netted his 10th tally of the year.
Thanks to his late strike against the Rapids, Keane is now the owner of four consecutive 10-goal seasons. The Republic of Ireland international has 63 goals in 93 career MLS matches.
Keane will have a chance to extend his scoring reach to the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday as the Galaxy begin their quest for continental glory at StubHub Center against Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago.
1. David Villa, FW, New York City FC
21 of 21
Previous Ranking: 1
Although it may seem hard to find positives out of another NYCFC defensive disaster, David Villa did continue his terrific form in the final third in the loss to Montreal.
The Spaniard's 13th goal of the year came from the spot in the 68th minute, and he contributed his fifth assist of the season on Tommy McNamara's 85th-minute strike.
If Villa can keep up his scoring record from the last month in Week 23, NYCFC stands a chance of earning a positive result in the third Hudson River derby of the season against the Red Bulls.
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
