Okay then, Miami really has fallen off. Good to know. Also, while there is definitely some fight left in the Galaxy, they still have an ocean to cross before they are competitive in a general sense. So let’s get into all of the teams in between (and the ones above Inter).
There is one change worth mentioning, though. We are dropping the “Top Shelf” tier as there really isn’t a team or teams playing at a level that deserves that term. If we are being honest, we probably should have dropped it a few weeks back, but there you have it.
And as we were drafting this, bear in mind a lot of these are rivalry games, so maybe the results are a little squirrley, and maybe we are up and down in terms of how we interpret these results.
Quality
1. Philadelphia Union (Previously 5)
Of the teams in the top tier, the Union is the one with the best run of form and the best recent result, as Philly went on the road and beat Atlanta. While the Georgia side isn’t anything to write home about, winning on the road isn’t easy.
2. Vancouver Whitecaps (1)
It may seem tough to ding the Whitecaps for going to Austin and getting a 0-0 tie, but here we are. There is always next week to prove us wrong, Vancouver.
3. FC Cincinnati (4)
Part of the reason why we moved Vancouver down (we even thought about moving FCC above them) is that FCC went to Columbus and stole a point from the Crew in a 1-1 draw. Things are definitely tight up here.
4. Columbus Crew (2)
Tied 1-1 at home to the other Ohio team, the Crew can’t be happy about that.
5. Minnesota United (3)
The Loons won, 3-0, over St. Louis. Dropping them down like this – is it a slight against St. Louis or an adjustment after looking at Minnesota’s body of work? Either way, like Vancouver, you can prove us wrong next week.
Solid
6. Los Angeles FC (7)
In a way, it was tempting to punish LAFC for letting the Galaxy find a way to salvage a 2-2 home tie, but between the nature of rivalries and the fact that the Galaxy are fighting for any success, they were bound to find something somewhere.
7. Orlando City SC (13)
Hello there, Oscar! A 3-0 win at Inter certainly is a statement, especially considering the pressure they absorbed from Messi et al. Few teams can follow and execute against a game plan like that. Maybe we are overreacting to a rivalry result, but it sure seemed impressive.
8. New York City FC (16)
When we math out the results, we mark the positive (win at home, tie on the road) results in blue and negatives (loss, or tie at home) in red, and there was a lot of red above NYC this week, so maybe this is an overreaction, but a solid 2-0 home win over the Red Bulls is better than most teams in their neighborhood.
9. Nashville SC (9)
Considering the carnage around Nashville from last week’s rankings, what would otherwise seem like an awful result – tying D.C. 0-0 at home – isn’t as bad, so here they stay.
10. Seattle Sounders (10)
They went to Portland and got a 1-1 tie, which is solid enough.
11. Inter Miami (6)
Like some others this week, maybe this is an overreaction, but a 3-0 home loss – even to a good team like Orlando – mixed in with other results like their loss to FC Dallas a few weeks back is concerning. Especially considering how FCD has fallen apart since then.
12. Portland Timbers (12)
Looking at their overall place in the league, maybe this is a little low, but then they are tied 1-1 at home by Seattle, and maybe you can see our hesitation.
13. Charlotte FC (8)
How much of this is the Carolina club, and how much of this is Chicago being so desperate for a result that they explode in one game, remains to be seen, but Charlotte lost 4-1 to a bad Fire team at home. Ouch.
14. Chicago Fire (19)
We moved Charlotte down quite a bit, and we moved Chicago up quite a bit because of that 4-1 win by the Fire in North Carolina, but the body of work keeps us from moving Chicago directly above Charlotte right now. Give us another result or two.
15. San Diego FC (14)
Inconsistency in an expansion team, you say? Never! All sarcasm aside, a home 0-0 tie to Sporting is what keeps us from moving them up more, even though some of their results have implied otherwise.
16. New England Revolution (11)
The Revs have shown us some quality, but a 0-0 home tie to San Jose? Not good. Look up how teams do when traveling coast to coast for a gam,e and you will see why we are disappointed.
17. Austin FC (17)
No shame in being tied 0-0 at home by the team at the top of the Western Conference, Nico. But there is no glory in it either.
18. Colorado Rapids (20)
For a team that had been on the ropes a lot lately, a rivalry win sure helps with the confidence. For the Rapids, that was a 1-0 home win over RSL.
19. San Jose Earthquakes (18)
Il Bruce has had San Jose competitive at times this season, and a 0-0 tie at New England sure isn’t anything to sneeze at.
20. New York Red Bulls (15)
Like some others on this list, maybe this is an overreaction to a rivalry game, but NYC got a 2-0 home win over the Red Bulls when both teams were in the middle of a lot of variability.
Not Good
21. Toronto FC (23)
Maybe – just maybe – a 6-1 win on the road should put a team in a higher category than “Not Good” but this is Toronto beating Montreal, so we are going to be cautious in our praise.
22. D.C. United (24)
Credit to United for going to Nashville and getting a 0-0 tie.
23. Houston Dynamo (28)
The Dynamo went to Dallas and got a 2-0 win. As poor as Houston and Dallas have both been, what does that mean? Well, we think it means Houston moves ahead of Dallas, and both of them are bad.
24. Sporting Kansas City (26)
San Diego has been – most of the time – a better-than-average MLS expansion team, so getting a 0-0 tie in Southern California is a good result, right?
25. FC Dallas (22)
Off. The wheels have fallen all the way off for Eric Quill and FCD. Losing to a sometimes good San Diego side 5-0 on the road was bad, but losing to Houston 2-0 at home? They do have talent, and when playing well or when the styles make fights, thing goes their way, they can get results, but of late that is not happening.
26. Real Salt Lake (21)
For a team that has had some bright spots, Mastroeni really isn’t getting what he wants on the field right now, and it has to gall him to lose to Colorado 1-0 in Denver.
Poor
27. St. Louis City SC (25)
Minnesota is really good, but still losing 3-0 in the land of a thousand lakes is just not good enough.
28. Atlanta United (29)
While not an ideal result, for a team in this tier to lose 1-0 on the road to a top-tier team like Philly could be a lot worse.
29. Los Angeles Galaxy (30)
The same can be said of the Galaxy as Atlanta – tying a team like LAFC 2-2 at home is better than a lot of their other results this season. It definitely can be – and has been – a lot worse.
30. CF Montreal (27)
Speaking of a lot worse, Montreal lost, at home, to Toronto, but a score of 6-1. Where are the air sickness bags?