Somewhere between 5 and 7, there is a big drop off. The top five clubs are playing solid soccer (with the Revs in a class of their own) while the bottom six are mostly playing poorly, save for a few solid efforts here and there.
D.C. United is the glue holding the rankings together. I guess it's fitting that they are in six since they have had the best and worst of seasons. Losing 4-2 in their home opener was pretty awful but United have suddenly reeled off two in a row. Yes, they came against Chivas USA and Toronto FC but those are wins in the books nonetheless.
1. New England (5-1-2). Although satisfying, win over Houston came six months too late.
2. FC Dallas (5-3-1). Six points in four days for the Super Duper Hoops.
3. Colorado (3-2-3). Need to develop a killer instinct at home.
4. New York (4-1-2). Didn't the Bulls sign Claudio Reyna?
5. Kansas City (4-2-1). Did well to come back on road.
6. D.C. United (2-3-1). Moved up three spots mostly by default.
7. Columbus (1-2-4). Only poorer results from others kept the Crew from sliding down.
8. Chicago (3-3-1). Where's the Fire-Eagle when you need him?
9. Galaxy (1-2-2). Landon Donovan has two goals and five assists; Galaxy has scored seven total goals.
10. Chivas USA (2-3-2). Something's amiss with the offense.
11. Toronto FC (2-5). Unbeaten streak could have reached three but bad luck kept that from happening.
12. Houston (2-4-1). Horrid season; heads need to roll, DP spot needs to be filled.
13. Real Salt Lake (0-3-4). Pathetic.
2 comments:
Wait, so Kansas City ties on the road and move down 3 spaces; in the same game the Rapids tie at home but stay in 3rd; the Red Bulls drop 4 on Columbus and stay in fourth, two spots behind a team that they've beaten twice this year (and part of your motivation for Dallas moving up is they, at home, barely beat your worst ranked team)?
How much thought do you put in these rankings, Luis?
Actually, a lot. I do these rankings for fun but that doesn't mean I rank the teams on a whim. I probably spent about 20-30 minutes pondering these rankings this morning and of course watching highlights and reading over the stories also factor into it every week.
New England was a no-brainer.
I was impressed by FC Dallas' ability to win twice in four days. Regardless of the opponents, it's difficult to do that in MLS especially when one game is on the road.
I think Colorado is better than New York regardless of the lack of win this weekend in part because Colorado beat New York a week ago in New York. Had the Rapids lost, they would have for sure slipped however.
KC was a victim of circumstance honestly. Their 2-1 home loss a week ago didn't help.
It's an inexact science and I do take care to sift through my different criteria to determine this list.
Of course, like you I question people's own abilities to rank teams. For instance, how Soccernet has Houston seventh best in MLS right now is beyond me.
I guess that's the fun of it, to question and make people think.
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