Wednesday's loss to SKC came down to a combination of factors, including a bit of bad luck, but it showed that United is vulnerable. The win against Orlando set the ship right and keeps Atlanta on top of the overall standings.
2. New York Red Bulls (no change)
The finest of margins helped the Red Bulls grab three points on the road in Colorado when Derrick Etienne's goal was ruled onside thanks to VAR. Close decision or not, New York deserved the win and looks like a contender in the East.
3. Sporting Kansas City (no change)
Sporting earned a lot of admirers with a 2-0 win in Atlanta on Wednesday night. Tim Melia's work in goal and a red card to Brad Guzan were major factors in a win that puts SKC squarely among the league's elite.
4. New York City FC (no change)
In a wild back-and forth affair against the new team in Los Angeles, NYCFC escaped with a well-earned draw. The draw on the other side of the country helps salve some of the wounds from last week's 4-0 loss to the Red Bulls.
Circumstances matter when it comes to a talented player's production. Just ask Gyasi Zardes, whose switch to Columbus has him leading the league in goals through 11 weeks with eight -- including three in two games this week.
Two home games during the week delivered LAFC four points and kept the unbeaten run going. It wasn't all that Bob Bradley wanted, but as the club adjusts to life without Marco Urena it wasn't a bad pair of results.
On the occasion of the 100th edition (through various leagues) of the Cascadia Derby, the Timbers managed to find a late winner on a brilliant finish from Sebastian Blanco. Maybe better was the ball from Samuel Armenteros that set up Blanco for the goal.
The Lions' six-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday, a disappointing result for a team clamoring for respect. Losing to Atlanta doesn't mean Orlando isn't good, but neither can Orlando claim to be among the league's best clubs.
Two weeks and four points from matches against the Los Angeles sides means FC Dallas now has an unbeaten run. Mauro Diaz proved his worth with a pair of assists on his return from a short injury layoff.
Two goals in the first half gave the Revs the edge they needed to hold off the defending champs at Gillette Stadium. The win was another example of New England's pressing game working to perfection and creating scoring chances.
Houston was this close to exiting Vancouver with a crucial three points in the battle for a Western Conference playoff spot when Kendall Waston struck for late equalizer. It will feel like two points dropped rather than one point earned.
The idea was that TFC would get back their swagger fairly quickly following the disappointment of the Champions League. Two losses in four days spells trouble, with the Red still languishing in 10th place in the East.
Brek Shea's shocking miss didn't keep the Whitecaps from getting something out of Friday's match with Houston, but it did prove the difference between a win and a draw. The Caps didn't control a game at home and ultimately paid for it.
Nick Rimando's 200th career win came in a losing-streak-breaking performance against D.C. United at Rio Tinto Stadium. Beating the worst team in the league won't do much to burnish RSL's reputation, but it's a good place to start.
The swings are big for the Union, who ended a two-game losing streak with a road victory at Montreal after a loss in midweek against Columbus. The win away from Talen Energy Stadium was the first for Philadelphia since almost exactly a year ago.
For the first time in his illustrious, trophy-laden career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has lost four games in a row. That means the Galaxy have lost four games in a row, which is a problem for Sigi Schmid.
Chicago's positive result on Wednesday, a 1-0 win over Montreal, was cancelled out by a 3-0 shellacking at the hands of the Crew on Saturday. Playing from behind without the ball doomed them against Columbus.
The Sounders got a desperately needed win on the road in Toronto on Wednesday but couldn't swing the turnaround against Portland on Sunday. Brian Schmetzer's team management can be a question.
The Loons had themselves a winning streak that promptly switched to a losing streak over the course of the past week. The loss at LAFC is understandable, but dropping a game at home against lowly San Jose is not.
All it took for the Quakes to break a seven-game winless run was a trip to Minnesota. United was complicit in letting San Jose get three points, but that won't matter much to a team (and a new coach) who desperately needed a win.
The Impact dropped two games this week, including a home match against Philadelphia on Saturday. Montreal's feast-or-famine attack and questionable defending have the club with three wins and a whopping eight losses in 11 games.
The Rapids were just beaten by a better team on Saturday. The Red Bulls' 2-1 win shouldn't surprise anyone, though Colorado's four -game losing streak has the potential to spiral into disaster.
United is a bad team who lost on the road in Utah, continuing a winless history at Rio Tinto Stadium in league play. The slight silver lining is that D.C. managed to score two goals in the loss.
0 Response to "MLS Power Rankings: Toronto tumbles seven spots, Atlanta leads unchanged top four - ESPN (blog)"
Post a Comment