2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 18

This just in: The 2011 United States women's national soccer team have pulled off one of the biggest chokes in history, a 3-1 defeat on penalties to Japan at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup after a 2-2 draw.

Wait a minute—that's the women's game! We're talking about the men's game here. So, while the women descend into the halls of ignominy, the men of MLS turn a blind eye and soldier on with their battles to attend to.

We've got movers. We've got shakers. We've got a new team on top. All that and more in this week's Major League Soccer Power Rankings.

Spare a thought for the ladies though, will you?

18. Toronto FC

Aron Winter's Toronto FC were off this week.

On Wednesday, July 20, the Reds face FC Dallas at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by TSN.

On Saturday, July 23, TFC faces Sporting Kansas City at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by GOLTV Canada.

17. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Tom Soehn's Vancouver Whitecaps, thanks to Mother Nature, were also off this week, but they do have a couple of games in three days to worry about.

They were spared the worst from Real Salt Lake, as the pitch at Empire Field in Vancouver, British Columbia was ruled unplayable on Saturday. The match will be rescheduled later this season.

Today, they take on Manchester City in the 2011 Herbalife World Football Challenge in the hopes that the pitch will hold up a bit better. Kickoff at Empire Field is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by TSN.

On Wednesday, July 20, the Caps travel to Buck Shaw Stadium in San Jose, California to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by TSN.

16. New England Revolution

It's been one loss after another all week long for Steve Nicol's New England Revolution, who are still soul-searching in the middle of their already sorry season.

Kenny Mansally scored in the 56th minute as the Revs lost 4-1 to Manchester United in the 2011 Herbalife World Football Challenge.

"I thought we were pretty solid, defended well," Nicol told reporters following the match. "We were fitter and sharper than them, so it was important that we kept things tight and we did. We changed the whole back four because we have a huge game coming up on Sunday.

"We knew it would cause us some problems, but we know what we have to do to look after ourselves for Sunday. Obviously for the fans, it was good to see some goals—and obviously, a good night for everybody. I’m sure (Sir) Alex (Ferguson) is happy with what he saw. It’s a training session, basically, for them, so he’ll be pleased, I’m sure."

"It felt great," Mansally said after the match. "This is big year for all of us. A team like Manchester United, one of the best teams in the world, so coming in to compete with them, at least the first half and we kept the ball and in the second half we were kind of misunderstanding each other. But I think for us it was a great game for us and a great experience for us."

"We can take some positives in terms of how we moved the ball, defensively we were sharp, especially in the first half," said midfielder Shalrie Joseph, "and we created a little bit of chances but, as I said, at the end of the day, we got beat 4-1 by a better team."

"We hung with the biggest club in the world. You couldn’t ask for anything more—0-0 at halftime," said defender A.J. Soares. "Fortunately for the fans, they got some action in the second half. As a fan, for myself personally, it’s amazing to watch those guys play. They’re great, but no disrespect to them, I think we hung and did well."

"There’re always things that can improve," added midfielder Benny Feilhaber. "You’re playing against one of the best teams in the world so it’s just good to be out there and kind of challenge yourself against that kind of competition. So it was really fun."

Unfortunately, the loss to Man United was no fluke, as they were immediately pounded by the Philadelphia Union 3-0.

"It was like watching a bunch of schoolboys," a glum-faced Nicol told reporters. "As bad as we were, if we hadn’t given the two goals away, we might have gotten it nil-nil. But we didn’t deserve it.

"We haven’t done the basics of the game well, and every successful team and every team that wins games, at the very least, they do the basics well and then they add their own quality on top of that. We just individually as much as anything else aren’t doing the basics well. And it’s a domino effect after that."

"I think everybody needs to realize that they’re playing for their jobs," said goalkeeper Matt Reis. "It‘s their livelihood. I think everyone is out here thinking everything is great and everything is fun but in the end if we keep sucking like this, then guys are going to be out of jobs."

"There’s no two ways about it, we sucked," said defender Chris Tierney. "We came out flat in the first half, made dumb, schoolboy mistakes, gave up two goals and we were pretty much (sucked) from there."

"We didn’t come out with, I guess, a distinct game plan," admitted defender Kevin Alston. "I guess we didn’t come out and try to put the game in our hands. We kind of just let them dictate it early."

It could get worse for the Revs, who hit the road for a couple of matches this week.

On Wednesday, July 20, they travel to RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to take on D.C. United. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet. On Saturday, July 23, New England travel to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado to take on the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

15. San Jose Earthquakes

Frank Yallop's San Jose Earthquakes were left to rue their wasted chances after settling for a scoreless draw with the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

The Quakes will have a couple of matches to deal with. On Wednesday, they host the Vancouver Whitecaps at Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

On Saturday, July 23, San Jose will travel to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah to take on Real Salt Lake. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

14. Colorado Rapids

Gary Smith's Colorado Rapids were ambushed by an angry Seattle Sounders side still seething from Brian Mullan's challenge on Steve Zakuani that literally ended his season. The result: a 4-3 defeat.

Wells Thompson opened his scoring account in the first minute. Jeff Larentowicz made it 2-1 Rapids in the 42nd minute. Caleb Folan scored a consolation goal in the 89th minute of play for his third of the season.

In all honesty, who would want to be a defender in burgundy? No one on a day like Saturday.

“When you score three goals you expect to get something coming out after the game,” Smith told MLSSoccer.com's Nick Thomas. “The second-half performance started in a poor fashion. After feeling pretty good about ourselves going into halftime up 2-1. The second goal we gave up was a big dent to us.”

Up next for the Rapids are a couple of games. On Wednesday, July 20, they host the New York Red Bulls. Kickoff at Dick's Sporting Goods Park is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT/9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Altitude.

On Saturday, July 23, Colorado hosts the New England Revolution. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Altitude.

13. Chicago Fire

A week of Open Cup highs and Major League lows awaited Frank Klopas's Chicago Fire.

On Tuesday, the Fire blazed to a comprehensive 4-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls in the 2011 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Dominic Oduro scored in the seventh minute and Yamith Cuesta made it 2-0 in the 48th minute before Orr Barouch recorded a brace in the 51st and 69th minutes of play.

“It doesn’t matter who you put on the field,” Oduro told MLSSoccer.com's Sam Stejskal. “You’re just representing your team. That’s what we’re doing and I think that’s what they did...and regardless of whoever they brought out there, we played against the New York Red Bulls. We didn’t play against a reserve team, we played against New York and we came out victorious and that’s all that matters.”

“It’s pretty big,” said Fire defender Gonzalo Segares. “[A lot of teams] don’t take the Open Cup seriously, but we always do. It’s a very important trophy, it gives us a chance to get into the CONCACAF Champions League and that’s a pretty big tournament internationally. It’s always good to be competing on that level.”

The Fire will face the Richmond Kickers in the semifinals on August 30. Chicago, however, could not translate that open Cup success to a victory in league play, as they fell 1-0 to the Portland Timbers.

In the meantime, the Fire have a friendly with Manchester United to deal with. Kickoff at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois is scheduled for Satueday, July 23 at 4:00 p.m. CT/5:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2.

12. Portland Timbers

John Spencer's Portland Timbers held firm in their 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. Jack Jewsbury scored his fifth of the season off a penalty in the 25th minute for the Timbers.

"The guys have been down in the dumps. We want to play well every week and win games, but we are still a young team in the making," Spencer told reporters after the match. "We are only 18 games into our life as a professional team. We are learning and making mistakes as we go along.

"We have some young players playing some incredible minutes for us, whereas if you have a bigger squad of players in more strength and depth, maybe you can bring them out to learn the game a little bit more. But the young guys are learning the game during the game. It’s a steep learning curve.”

"It’s a double victory for us, getting off a streak here and getting our first one on the road," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins. "(It was a) huge confidence builder for the team and winning 1-0 in a place like this is big for us.”

"I think it’s huge," Jewsbury added. "Not only to get the lead but to get the confidence amongst the guys, you know. We’ve been in a bit of a rut for the past month, month and a half, in terms of getting results on the road. It feels great to get that first one, to get that weight off your chest.”

Up next are a couple of matched for Portland. First, they host West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday, July 20 at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Oregon. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET.

On Saturday, July 23, the Timbers hit the road for a match with the Columbus Crew. Kickoff at Crew Stadium is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised locally by FOX 12 and estrellaTV 8.3.

11. Chivas USA

Robin Fraser's Chivas USA were consigned to a scoreless draw with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at the Home Depot Center. The Goats came close to scoring in the 90th minute, when a would-be penalty call against New York was waved off by official Mark Kadlecik.

The Goats will return to action on Saturday, July 23 with a match against the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports West and KWHY Channel 22.

10. Red Bull New York

The week's set of matches proved to be disastrous for Hans Backe's New York Red Bulls, who signed German international keeper Frank Rost.

On Tuesday, New York were thrown out of the U.S. Open Cup in disgraceful fashion by the Chicago Fire, 4-0. Actually, the team threw itself out by sending in the reserves, who were clearly not ready for the quarterfinal tie.

“There’s something seriously wrong if the players don’t take something from tonight, from the game,” said assistant coach Mike Petke to MLSSoccer.com's Kristian Dyer. “This was a great opportunity for the players to learn.”

“It’s all about our travelling schedule so far,” Backe added. “Normally we’d like to have a priority with the Open Cup.”

New York followed that 4-0 defeat with a scoreless draw against Chivas USA in league play.

"I think from game to game, I will get better and the important matches will come during the playoffs,” Rost told MLSSoccer.com's Matthew Doyle.

"It’s a good start for Frank and the back four to have a clean sheet and to have not conceded. We've been giving up very easy goals for the last five, six, seven weeks so it's a good start for the back four,” Backe added.

“It’s pretty easy.  He’s a veteran goalkeeper, he talks a lot, and he communicates well, so it was pretty easy for us," said defender Tim Ream. "We just did the same thing that we’ve been doing. Communication is the key, and he communicated well, and that helps us out a lot.”

Up next are a couple of league contests for the Red Bulls. On Wednesday, they travel to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for a match with the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by MSG Plus.

On Saturday, July 23, New York hosts FC Dallas. Kickoff at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by MSG and Galavision.

9. Sporting Kansas City

Peter Vermes' Sporting Kansas City also had a week to forget. On Tuesday, they were stunned by the Richmond Kickers, 2-0, at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

“Obviously, I’m ticked," an infuriated Vermes told Andrew Wiebe of sportingkc.com. “I’m ticked because you don’t give stuff like that away. We probably had it wrapped up to have the semifinal here. And to give that away…absolute embarrassment.

“The bottom line is you have to come out, you’ve got to be ready and you’ve got to know the game is on. It’s time to play. That’s it. There are no magical formulas. There is no nothing. You come out, and you play.

“(It was) unacceptable and embarrassing. Everybody is going to know about it come the next couple days. That’s for darn sure.”

Indeed, the futility for Sporting—who were on a tear for a few weeks before the wheels came off—continued in their 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo. Aurelien Collin equalized for Sporting in the 90th minute for his third of the year.

"I think we have a good confidence about being in games and not giving up," Vermes told reporters after the match. "The MLS season is a very long season and it’s a grind and for us, we have a game coming up in a week and that’s what we have to get ready for.

"I thought we’ve done a great job to come back and get back into it at after being ten games on the road and I think the guys have a lot of belief in each other. I think that’s a good place to be at this point of the season."

"Are we satisfied? No. But it is better than if we would have lost," Collin pointed out. "We are happy, but we could have won that game."

Two matches await Sporting. On Wednesday, July 20, they host Newcastle United in a friendly. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET.

On Saturday, July 23, Sporting host Toronto FC. Kickoff at Livestrong is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by KSMO-TV.

8. Houston Dynamo

Dominic Kinnear's Houston Dynamo had to play down to nine men but were able to manage a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Brad Davis recorded his third of the season in the eighth minute of play.

"I give the guys all the credit for getting that point," Kinnear told reporters after the match. "They stuck together and played their hearts out. They ran their legs until they were likely exhausted. Tally [Hall] came up with some wonderful saves and was holding strong and then they got a deflected goal.

"Looking at the chances maybe they were due one but it sure would have been nice to come out with three points. It was a tough night to go two down. I’m very proud of the guys. The attitude is something to be very happy with."

"It’s always good to get out in the game and get an early goal," goalkeeper Tally Hall added. "I couldn’t see the second one which was called back. The two red cards make the game difficult. It becomes a dog match for you.

"The guys worked really hard and it was fun to be behind them and see the work they were putting out and see how much each player wanted that win."

Up next for the Dynamo are a couple of matches. On Wednesday, July 20, Houston host Bolton Wanderers in the Dynamo Charities Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by SportsTalk 790 and La Ranchera 850.

On July 23, Houston travel to the Home Depot Center in Carson, California to take on Chivas USA. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by KHOU 11.2, Fox Sports Houston Plus and TV Azteca-51 via tape delay on Sunday, July 24 at 8:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. ET.

7. Columbus Crew

On a day in which Brian McBride's name hung from the rafters, Robert Warzycha's Columbus Crew played to a scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Columbus Crew Stadium.

“Not only are you thinking about three (points), but building into something better,” goalkeeper William Hesmer told thecrew.com's Craig Merz. “By that I mean finding an identity—your style of play, your personnel, what suits you best, what type of team you’re going to be."

“If we had all the guys available, we would be sharper,” Warcycha added. Injuries to players like Emilio Renteria, Shaun Francis and Dilly Duka have decimated Columbus.

They will be walking wounded heading into a couple of matches this week. On Wednesday, they travel to the Home Depot Center for a match against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ONN-TV.

On Saturday, July 23, Columbus will host the Portland Timbers. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by ONN-TV.

6. FC Dallas

Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas got some payback against Real Salt Lake in the U.S. Open Cup, winning 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Jair Benitez scored in the 18th minute and Jackson Goncalves made it 2-0 for the Hoops in the 54th minute of play.

“Before traveling to Salt Lake [last Friday], I did two of the same goals [in practice],” Benitez told MLSSoccer.com's Robert Casner. “The spot was a good location for me and I had the opportunity to score. Luckily I did it tonight.”

FC Dallas will take on the Seattle Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on August 30 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.

As with Chicago, their Open Cup success did not translate to a similar result in league play, as they were held to a scoreless draw with D.C. United.

“As I said to the players, I couldn’t ask any more out of them,” Hyndman told Casner and other reporters. “They gave everything they had. Sometimes we measure people on wins and losses and today was a game I thought we got everything we could.”

“[D.C.] did a good job, especially in the first half,” said captain Daniel Hernandez. “They let us play a little more in the second half but in the first half they were just denying that ball from the defense into the midfield.”

Up next for FC Dallas are a couple of league matches. On Wednesday, July 20, they travel to BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario to take on Toronto FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by TXA21 and TSN.

On Saturday, July 23, the Hoops travel to Harrison, New Jersey and the Red Bull Arena for a match with the New York Red Bulls. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by  Fox Sports Southwest Plus and Galavision.

5. D.C. United

Ben Olsen's D.C. United didn't get much out of their efforts this weekend, only managing a scoreless draw with FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

"This is one of the toughest places to play in summer," Olsen told reporters after the match. "You look at Dallas when you get the schedule and you're hoping you get them early or late. Today was just one of those days where either team could have taken it.

"They certainly had better chances and they were probably more aggressive in the offensive part, but give the guys credit it's not easy to come out here and shut down a very athletic and fast team. Overall, it was very good point for us."

"Away at Dallas is extremely difficult," said forward Charlie Davies. "Getting a point is alright. We are happy with that. It would have been better to pull off another win but a point here is good."

Two matches await D.C. United this week. On Wednesday, July 20, D.C. host the New England Revolution. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

On Saturday, July 23, D.C. take on Everton in a club friendly. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

4. Los Angeles Galaxy

Hands down, it was a forgettable week for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy. On Wednesday, Adam Cristman scored in the 40th minute but the Galaxy lost to the Seattle Sounders 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

"It's disappointing," Cristman told reporters after the match. "We were all the way to the round of 16 our first game, and this was the quarterfinal. It's the only type of tournament where you can win a championship and it's only four games. It allows you to focus on it.

"I think we could have done better tonight and so it's disappointing. We feel like we could have done well in this tournament. We didn't have it tonight and that's the result. We'll move on and focus on the rest of our games and tournaments for the rest of the year."

"We knew [the early pressure from Seattle] was coming," said midfielder Landon Donovan. "We didn't do a good enough job of relieving the pressure. We gave away too many balls in the bad parts of the field and they took advantage of it and that was pretty much the game. The first 20 minutes really decided the game."

Cristman again played a key part against Real Madrid, scoring in the 67th minute, but by that point the outcome had long been decided: a 4-1 humiliation to Los Blancos in the Herbalife World Football Challenge.

“At the end of the day, we always knew it was going to be a tall order trying to get a result against Real Madrid,” midfielder David Beckham told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “But we got a lot of young players out there, a lot of players who have not played against a Real Madrid team before.

"They can take a lot from it. They played against some of the best players in the world and one of the best teams in the world and a great historical stadium with a lot of people here.”

At some point in time, the Galaxy need a break from futility. They get that chance on Wednesday, July 20 with a match against the Columbus Crew. Kickoff at the Home Depot Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sorts Prime Ticket.

On Sunday, July 24, the Galaxy face Manchester City in the Herbalife World Football Challenge. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. ET.

3. Real Salt Lake

Jason Kreis' Real Salt Lake were lucky to only have one match this week. Unfortunately, it was one they would forget.

After defeated FC Dallas in league play, RSL fell to the Hoops in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup 2-0.

“We’ve seen it lots, and lots of times here in Dallas, where we just can’t get our energy level right," Kreis told MLSSoccer.com's Randy Davis. "And I think it presents its difficulties with the weather for us, and it certainly did tonight. So if we don’t have the right energy and mentality for games, we often times don’t get results.”

"I think a big factor tonight was our possession game," defender Nat Borchers added. "I don’t think that we were as good as we normally are with possession. Giving up the first goal against a good team like Dallas is always tough. They scored a fantastic free kick. After that we were under it, and I don’t think we responded as well as we wanted to."

The match with Vancouver on Saturday was washed out due to rain and will be replayed at a later date in the season.

Real Salt Lake's next league contest will be against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, July 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. MT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by ESPN 700, ESPN Deportes 1600 AM and Juan 106.1 FM.

2. Philadelphia Union

Peter Nowak's Philadelphia Union duped their way to a 3-0 shutout win over the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Carlos Ruiz scored his sixth goal of the season in the 12th minute, Carlos Valdes made it 2-0 Union in the 24th minute and Sheanon Williams closed the deal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time against a New England side that played down to 10 men in the 66th minute.

"One of our objectives tonight, in our talk before the game, was to get those three points, so we can get to the top of the table and create some distance between us and New York,” Valdes told philadelphiaunion.com's Andy Jasner. “We finally did that, I scored a goal, we got a win, and we got a shutout. I couldn't have asked for anything better than that."

"Playing away is always difficult,” Ruiz said. “You don't easily find the rhythm of the game, but it was good for us, we played our game, we had the possession. We didn't run up and down like in other games. We were smart in our running, and had the possession."

"I think it's great, but we've been there the whole time,” defender Danny Califf added. “New York has been listed ahead of us [at times], even though, head to head, we beat them. In our minds, we've been there the whole time. But it's nice though to put some points between us, knowing we have two games in hand as well."

“When we dedicate ourselves to put forth everything we have and play good football, we can achieve important things,” added Valdes, according to Dave Zeitlin of MLSSoccer.com. “We can surprise and give the spectacles that the fans enjoy with good football. I think that for us, that’s the most important thing that we can take home, aside from the three points.”

Two matches await the Union and they are friendlies. On Wedneday, July 20, Philadelphia take on Everton at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.

On Saturday, July 23, the Union take on Real Madrid in the Herbalife World Football Challenge. Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.

1. Seattle Sounders FC

Sigi Schmid's Seattle Sounders soar to the top of this week's MLS rankings after a couple of big victories.

On Wednesday, at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington, goals from Nate Jaqua in the fourth minute, Fredy Montero in the 25th minute and Lamar Neagle in the 74th minute powered the Sounders to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“Our guys really respond to the fans and the intimate atmosphere here. I think it’s tremendous and it gives the fans a chance to see it up close and personal,” Schmid told soundersfc.com's Matt Gaschk. “Our goal is always whatever we enter, we’re going to try to win.”

The Sounders kept rolling with a 4-3 goal-festival victory over the Colorado Rapids at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington.

Alvaro Fernandez scored his fifth of the season in the seventh minute. Roger Levesque equalized in the 48th minute, Montero made it 3-2 in the 82nd minute and Mauro Rosales scored the eventual winner in the 84th minute of play.

“You can't concentrate on one player.  If you focus on one guy hopefully another guy is going to come along and hurt you. That’s what’s important about our team,” Schmid told Gaschk following the game.  “We got four goals from the run of play, which was also good. We’ve got some goals from set pieces so if we can get goals from set pieces and the run of play and goals from different players that makes us a more difficult team.

“Right now we’re 22 games in and we have some more games to go and we want to maintain this. The guys have gone through a good run and now it's time to relax a little bit, take a deep breath and prepare for the next stage.”

The wheels, however, could be falling off against Manchester United on Wednesday, July 20 at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.