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Movement! We have MOVEMENT!
We are getting to a point where games are washing out any preconceived notions we had about teams coming into the season, although watching teams adjust from their early struggles or lose their edge from early success has muddied the waters some. But we sure are, as the Mythbusters say, getting results!
Top Shelf
1 - NYCFC (Previously 1). One constant this season has been New York City. They have been the top of the league and have rarely shown weakness. It is unlikely that they maintain this all season, but it is hard to say when that transition happens. Maybe once Toronto gets through their series with Chivas?
2 - New York Red Bulls (3). This may not last once TFC is playing its first IX in MLS games on a consistent basis, but for now, its New York New York at the top.
3 - Toronto FC (2). Going from the Eastern to Mountain time zones is never easy on an MLS club, and certainly not one that has to play its best players mid-week. We are giving TFC some credit here, but we will be watching them closely for their first 2-3 games after they finish in CONCACAF.
Quality
4 - Atlanta United (5). In what may prove to be a clash of top teams, Atlanta tied New York City at home on Sunday. This after NYCFC played a midweek game and demolished Real Salt Lake. Anyone who can hang with NYCFC gets a positive bump right now.
5 - Sporting Kansas City (6). Sporting fought to a draw with a Seattle Sounders side that we might not really call desperate, but certainly anxious. With other teams ahead of them not showing much, even a home tie moves them up.
6 - LA Galaxy (9). A bit of an elevator with these guys, but their results have been erratic against varied competition. Considering other teams ahead of them stumbled, moving them back up makes some sense. But it is entirely possible that Chicago is just bad right now, which would mean a 1-0 win may not be as impressive as it usually would be.
7 - Los Angeles Football Club (11). When you go from up 3-0 on the road to giving up 8 unanswered, you are going to drop. But when you rebound with a solid road win against a good Vancouver side, you move back up. What a wild ride it already has been for the newest member of the league.
8 - Vancouver Whitecaps (7). Early season success seems to be wearing off. Two unsatisfactory results in a row and we need to watch them closer. Then again, how many players score like Vela?
9 - New England Revolution (8). The life of a Revs fan can be frustrating. After a solid win against Montreal, they stubbed their toe against a good but not great FC Dallas side.
10 - Seattle Sounders (13). So that is how this team plays when it has a full 11 for 90 minutes, which frankly is more like what we expected this year. We need a few more data points, but maybe the Sounders have found their balance.
11 - Houston Dynamo (14). A road tie against a team they will likely have to beat out for a playoff spot is a good way to stabilize a season. It is only one game, but maybe this is what we will see from Houston this year.
12 - Colorado Rapids (17). Well, well, well. The Rapids sure are getting attention gathering results. How much of this was Colorado and how much of this was Toronto's second string remains to be seen, but the past few weeks have shown some real quality from the Rapids.
Middling
13 - Columbus Crew (4). Maybe the early season results were not reflective of where this team is? Losing to D.C. United? Seriously?
14 - FC Dallas (18). You have to credit the coaching staff for coming up with a game plan that protected Mauro Diaz, gave Colman a chance to get on track, and find a way to get a result. And hello, Jacori Hayes! On the other hand, this team obviously needs a forward who can get in the area and score to compliment what Maxi does. Until they find that, it is hard to see them being a top tier team.
15 - Portland Timbers (19). After the way things went all pear-shaped in Florida the week before, credit Portland for finding a way to get a solid home win, albeit against a not so great Minnesota team.
16 - San Jose Earthquakes (16). A tie on the road is a good thing most of the time. A tie at home? Not so much. And certainly not against someone you expect to duke it out for a playoff spot.
17 - Orlando City SC (20). Jason Kreis has found a way to stabilize his squad and they have continued to improve almost every week. It remains to be seen what The Lions' ceiling is, but they certainly have moved away from the floor.
18 - Real Salt Lake (15). A 4-0 loss is going to leave a mark. The only consolation for Petke and his crew is that few teams escape New York with their pride intact, let alone with points.
19 - Chicago Fire (12). We are having some real doubts about this team. A lot of the same talent is there, but the results have not shown up.
20 - Montreal Impact (10). For a team that had some early success, this is another team that is not showing it can hang with most of the league right now.
Dregs
21 - Minnesota United (21). Against most teams in MLS right now, The Loons just aren't good enough.
22 - D.C. United (23). So, was this a broken clock being right twice a day, a game against a Crew side that is nowhere near as good as we thought, or a bright spot? We need more data before buying into the latter.
23 - Philadelphia Union (22). So, I am really not sure what to say here that isn't piling on. Simply not good enough.
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