Lots of teams are on the move this week, although some are not going in the direction they want to, and their fans suffer for it. Can you imagine being a fan of the Galaxy or Montreal?
Then again, what must it feel like to be a Whitecaps fan these days, after pretty much a whole existence in MLS as a middle-of-the-road squad?
In the middle, we have FC Dallas and the roller coaster they are on. Yikes. Beat Inter in Miami one week, lose to the expansion team 5-0 the next.
Shall we review the specifics?
Top Shelf
1. Vancouver Whitecaps (Previously 1)
A solid 2-1 home win against Real Salt Lake keeps the Whitecaps on top.
2. Inter Miami (2)
And just like that, the taste of a frustrating loss to FC Dallas is washed away as Inter beats the Red Bulls 4-1 in front of the home fans.
3. Columbus Crew (4)
The Crew pushed themselves into this level with a 4-2 home win over a very good Charlotte FC side.
Quality
4. Philadelphia Union (5)
With a 2-1 road win over Montreal, the Union elevates itself to the top of this group.
5. Minnesota United (8)
A 3-0 win at Austin definitely raises the Loons’ profile.
6. FC Cincinnati (3)
Their 1-0 loss to NYC was on the road, so we don’t want to punish them too much, but compared to the teams around them, they have to fall.
7. Charlotte FC (6)
They have been having a pretty good season to this point, but a 4-2 loss at Columbus is a bit of an ugly spot. At least they clearly aren’t at the top tier’s level.
8. Los Angeles FC (9)
Houston has shown some signs of life, so a 2-0 home win over the Dynamo helps them move up slightly.
9. Orlando City SC (7)
This probably seems harsh considering they tied on the road, but they also had a man advantage for 54 minutes plus stoppage time, so a 0-0 result is not ideal, especially considering the difference between the Lions and Chicago.
10. New York City FC (15)
Considering the body of work, and even recent play other than this past weekend, we can’t move NYC up too much, even though they beat Cincinnati 1-0. It was also at home, and a one-goal game. Then again, watch this space as a team that can beat Cincinnati is capable of beating almost anyone.
11. New England Revolution (13)
While it was Toronto, the Revs got back on the horse with a 2-0 road win.
12. Seattle Sounders (14)
A solid 4-1 win at home over St. Louis is a sign that the Sounders might be back into the thick of things.
Mediocre
13. Portland Timbers (12)
For a team that has had some good results of late, a 4-1 loss at San Jose is not in line with moving up the rankings.
14. Nashville SC (17)
Atlanta is not exactly a great team, but for Nashville, getting a 1-1 in Georgia is solid.
15. Colorado Rapids (10)
For a team that seems to have been slipping of late, a 2-1 loss at D.C. United is very problematic.
16. San Diego FC (20)
The Texans had played Miami in Florida the prior Sunday, and as such, between the travel and one less day of rest, maybe that made a difference in whether Dallas could steal a point, but a 5-0 win is legitimate against any team.
17. Austin FC (16)
Some of their results have been impressive this season. Losing 3-0 at home to the Loons is not one of those results.
18. New York Red Bulls (19)
They move up slightly because of other results, not their own merit. Yes, everyone is struggling with a full-strength Miami side, and it was on the road, but 4-1 is worse than most.
19. FC Dallas (11)
Nothing – absolutely nothing – justifies losing 5-0 on the road to the league’s lone expansion team. That isn’t to say there aren’t reasons that help contribute to it, but still.
20. San Jose Earthquakes (24)
A 4-1 home win over a good Portland side is a sign that the other successes Bruce has had this season were not a mirage. The question is, can they sustain it?
21. Chicago Fire (22)
Yes, they were tied at home 0-0 by Orlando, but they also suffered a red card in the 36th minute and found a way not to give up a goal. Credit earned, credit distributed.
22. Real Salt Lake (18)
Is a 2-1 road loss to the best team in the league really worth the drop? Yeah, it is. RSL has had too many questionable results this season not to.
23. D.C. United (27)
We finally have a legitimate win by D.C. against someone other than a fellow bottom-feeder as United beat the Rapids, 2-1, at home.
24. St. Louis City SC (21)
A 4-1 road loss to a team like Seattle is unhelpful for a side trying to rise above the bottom of the league.
25. Sporting Kansas City (26)
They won. At home. But it was only 1-0 and against the wooden spoon contender LA Galaxy.
Poor
26. Atlanta United (23)
This was a team we gave too much credit to early on. No more. A 1-1 home draw to Nashville? Simply not good enough.
27. Houston Dynamo (25)
This is a great example of why we don’t knee-jerk react to any one result. The 2-0 win over Austin two weeks ago looked like a real turnaround for the Dynamo. Then last week they fell, 2-0, at LAFC.
28. Toronto FC (28)
Three weeks ago, TFC won 1-0 at RSL. Since then, they lost to NYCFC two weeks ago and 2-0 to New England at home this past weekend. Not good, Kemosabe.
True Garbage
29. LA Galaxy (30)
The saving grace for the Galaxy last weekend was that their loss to KC was on the road by a 1-0 scoreline.
30. CF Montreal (29)
Philadelphia is a very good team, but losing 2-1 at home to the Union puts Montreal at the very bottom.