MLS Player Rankings: Lampard, Giovinco Dominate Headlines After Week 21
The two players dominating the headlines in Major League Soccer at the moment are names we're used to seeing on the marquee.
Frank Lampard and Sebastian Giovinco have taken the league by storm in recent weeks due to their performances in front of the net.
One week after Giovinco busted out of his slump with a hat-trick, Lampard extended his terrific form with a three-goal performance.
Joining the dynamic pair near the top the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings are a record-setting goalscorer and one of the best defenders in the league.
Our player rankings take into account the last four performances from a certain player, with the most recent one holding more weight.
Continue reading to see which players landed where in the Week 21 edition of the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings.
On the Way out
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A suspension, a red card and the performance of a superstar in one player's lineup knocked three players out of the top 20 after Week 21.
Players Dropped out of Rankings
David Villa (New York City FC; Previous Ranking: 11)
Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact; 14)
Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC; 20)
20. Benny Feilhaber, CM, Sporting Kansas City
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Previous Ranking: 17
Benny Feilhaber barely remains on the list this week thanks to his assist in Sporting Kansas City's 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers.
The dish was the fifth of the season for the 31-year-old who scored three goals in four games after the Copa America Centenario break.
The win by Sporting KC kept them in fourth place on 34 points in the Western Conference. They have another chance to distance themselves from the Timbers in Week 22 as they make a trip to Providence Park.
19. Diego Valeri, AM, Portland Timbers
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Previous Ranking: 9
Diego Valeri hasn't been able to find the back of the net since his two-goal performance against the Seattle Sounders on July 17.
The 30-year-old handed out four key passes in Portland's defeat at Children's Mercy Park to Sporting KC, but he was unable to get off a shot in the 1-0 loss.
Valeri will be looking to score his first-career goal against Sporting KC on Sunday at Providence Park.
18. Steven Gerrard, CM, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: 18
Steven Gerrard contributed to a LA Galaxy goal for the second straight game on Sunday as he assisted on Sebastian Lletget's 78th-minute equalizer.
The goal allowed the Galaxy to take a point out of the struggling Sounders at CenturyLink Field, but the final result hurt them in the Western Conference standings after FC Dallas downed Vancouver.
The former Liverpool man is up to eight assists to go along with his three goals in 15 matches. Both are respectable totals given the time Gerrard has spent on the pitch in 2016.
17. Chris Wondolowski, FW, San Jose Earthquakes
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Chris Wondolowski has quietly moved his season tally in goals up to nine over the last two weeks.
The United States international leveled San Jose's match with Houston on Sunday to earn a key road point in the Western Conference playoff race.
Wondolowski appears to be rounding into decent form as August approaches, and so do the Earthquakes, who have earned five points in their last three games. However, there is still work to do for Dominic Kinnear's men as they sit three points back of sixth-place Vancouver.
16. Maximiliano Urruti, FW, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Maximilano Urruti may not have been on the pitch for all six of FC Dallas' matches in July, but when he appeared he played a role in at least one goal.
The 25-year-old Argentinian extended his scoring streak to three games in his side's 2-0 win over Vancouver at Toyota Stadium.
If Urruti, who has six goals and three assists this season, continues to thrive in front of goal during the final three months of the year, FC Dallas could be an unstoppable force in attack.
15. Jelle Van Damme, CB, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
The LA Galaxy were widely criticized for their offseason transfer strategy, but once again Bruce Arena has proved us wrong.
Center-back Jelle Van Damme is one of a few contenders to earn a MLS Best XI nod in the middle of defense. The Belgian's strong season continued on Sunday as he made a few crucial blocks to keep the Galaxy in the match against Seattle.
The 32-year-old defender is averaging 5.4 clearances, 1.9 tackles and 1.1 blocks per game for the third-place side in the Western Conference.
14. Axel Sjoberg, CB, Colorado Rapids
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Previous Ranking: 8
One of the other defenders is the running for the MLS Best XI spot at center-back suffered his worst performance of the season on Saturday.
Axel Sjoberg and the Colorado Rapids gave up a season high of five goals in their roughest loss of the regular season at Yankee Stadium.
The loss also ended Colorado's 15-match unbeaten run that dated back to April 16. The Rapids will look to bounce back in the Western Conference playoff race on Saturday at home against the Whitecaps.
13. Walker Zimmerman, CB, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 11
Walker Zimmerman didn't do anything particularly bad in FC Dallas' win over Vancouver, but he slipped two spots due to the superb attacking performances from players above him.
The 25-year-old made five interceptions while holding the Whitecaps attack to one shot on target on Sunday.
The shutout victory moved FC Dallas' home record to 9-0-3 and it pushed them six points ahead of Colorado in second place.
12. Robbie Keane, FW, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: 6
Robbie Keane came close to scoring his fourth goal in six games, but Chad Marshall cleared his attempt off the line late in the draw between the Galaxy and Sounders.
Keane put two of his three shots on target in the match at CenturyLink Field.
In four matches against Week 22 opponent New York Red Bulls, Keane has two goals. Both of those tallies came in a 4-0 win on September 28, 2014.
11. Thomas McNamara, CM, New York City FC
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Previous Ranking: 13
The lasting memory of Thomas McNamara from Week 21 is not his flick-on assist on Frank Lampard's opener, but his scuffle with Tim Howard near the end of the first half at Yankee Stadium.
The assist on NYCFC's first tally of the 5-1 win over Colorado was McNamara's ninth of the season and fifth since the Copa America Centenario break.
McNamara has contributed to at least one goal in some fashion in four of the last five games. He'll try to extend that impressive run on Friday night as City visit San Jose at Avaya Stadium.
10. Cyle Larin, FW, Orlando City
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Previous Ranking: 18
A new breath of life was once again put into Orlando City's season on Sunday as they defeated New England 3-1 at the Citrus Bowl.
Cyle Larin notched his third tally in three matches in Jason Kreis' first game in charge as Lions boss.
Since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, Larin has scored 28 goals in 47 matches. That total should allow the Lions to earn quite the transfer fee off the forward when he decides to leave MLS.
9. Kevin Molino, AM, Orlando City
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Previous Ranking: 16
Five of the last six goals recorded by Orlando City in the last three weeks have seen some sort of involvement from Kevin Molino.
The Trindad and Tobago international bagged his first-career brace in MLS on Sunday in the Lions' win over the Revolution.
In addition to his explosive night in the scoring column, Molino produced an assist on Larin's goal as well.
The recent surge has moved Orlando level on points with New England, but they are still under the red line due to goal differential.
8. Mauro Diaz, AM, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 4
Mauro Diaz moved into double digits in assists on Sunday as he contributed a handout on Kellyn Acosta's opener in the 56th minute at Toyota Stadium.
As hard as it is to believe, the assist was the first for Diaz since he recorded a pair on July 4 against Orlando City.
Diaz should receive more support in the final third as the regular season concludes since Fabian Castillo will not be moving to Trabzonspor in Turkey, per the club's official Twitter account.
7. Sacha Kljestan, CM, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 3
The New York Red Bulls were unable to carry over momentum from their big win over NYCFC on Sunday as they drew 2-2 with the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park.
Sacha Kljestan, who played a role in three goals a week ago at Red Bull Arena, was active with four key passes and 96 touches, but he couldn't fire off a shot over 90 minutes.
The Red Bulls will begin a difficult week on Wednesday as they embark on their CONCACAF Champions League group stage against Antigua CFC of Guatemala. Four days after that match, Jesse Marsch's men have to travel to StubHub Center to play the Galaxy.
6. Ignacio Piatti, CM, Montreal Impact
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Previous Ranking: 1
It was going to be hard for Ignacio Piatti to replicate his Week 20 performance no matter how hard he tried.
The 31-year-old could only muster one shot on goal and was held without a key pass in Montreal's 1-1 draw with D.C. United.
Earning a late point at RFK Stadium may turn out to be a valuable result in the Eastern Conference playoff race that is snug at the moment.
The Impact will try to climb higher than their current fifth-place position in Week 22 at home against lowly Houston.
5. Bradley Wright-Phillips, FW, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 12
All of a sudden Bradley Wright-Phillips is in contention to win his second Golden Boot in three years.
The 31-year-old Englishman netted his third goal in the last 180 minutes on Sunday in the Red Bulls' 2-2 draw with the Fire.
The 90th-minute tally made Wright-Phillips the most successful scorer in franchise history. He surpassed Juan Pablo Angel with his 63rd goal in a Red Bulls shirt.
4. Matt Hedges, CB, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 7
Matt Hedges helped FC Dallas earn their fourth clean sheet in seven matches on Sunday at home against Vancouver.
Since June 19, Oscar Pareja's men have outscored their opponents 13-7 in seven games, with five of those goals coming in the midweek loss to Seattle on July 13.
In addition to earning a shutout on Sunday, the FC Dallas back line limited Vancouver's attack to one shot on target.
If FC Dallas extend their terrific form into August. they could open up a further advantage on Colorado and LA at the top of the Western Conference table.
3. Ola Kamara, FW, Columbus Crew
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Previous Ranking: 2
The blazing-hot form of Ola Kamara was finally halted on Sunday by Toronto FC.
The owner of 10 regular-season goals sent two of his four attempts in the direction of the net, but he was unable to beat Alex Bono at BMO Field.
Columbus' 3-0 loss to Toronto further confirmed the dire straits the club is in. If the Crew can't turn things around by the end of the season, manager Gregg Berhalter may end up on the hot seat.
2. Sebastian Giovinco, FW, Toronto FC
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Previous Ranking: 15
Sebastian Giovinco is back where he belongs on the list of the best players in MLS.
The Atomic Ant, who took up residency in the top five in 2015, turned in a second straight superb showing for Toronto FC at BMO Field on Sunday.
Giovinco played a role in all three of the club's goals as he provided one goal and two assists in the victory over the Crew.
In the last two games alone, Giovinco has recorded four strikes and a pair of assists.
1. Frank Lampard, CM, New York City FC
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Previous Ranking: 6
The only player able to keep Giovinco from reaching the top after Week 21 is another import from Europe.
Frank Lampard netted the first-ever hat-trick in NYCFC history on Saturday at Yankee Stadium and he also put all seven of his attempted shots on frame.
The trio of tallies moved Lampard's season total up to eight, all of which have come after the Copa America Centenario break.
If his stellar run continues, Lampard could go from being in the conversation of the worst designated player in MLS history to the discussion about being one of the best.
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
