My weekly MLS Power Poll is out. As with player ratings, this is just meant to start conversation and not to be taken too seriously.
Note about this week’s poll: a lot of the teams at or near the bottom defeated the teams slightly above them. That’s why a team like Philadelphia, which was playing well, dropped really far this week.
Here we go:
1. Toronto (8-1-5).
Last week: 1.
Result: 5-0 win over Columbus.
Riding an eight-game unbeaten streak, Toronto is looking like the best team ever put together in MLS history.
Next game: vs. Ottawa at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Canadian Championship and at New England, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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2. Chicago (7-3-3).
Last week: 5.
Result: 2-1 win over Dallas.
Four consecutive wins for the Fire. It’s the first time it’s done that since 2012. Huge game upcoming.
Next game: at Orlando, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, FS1.
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3. Atlanta United (5-4-3).
Last week: 6.
Result: 3-1 win against NYCFC.
Are they the third-best team in MLS? Probably not, but they are winning and the other teams I’ve ranked ahead of them aren’t.
Next game: at Vancouver, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Fox Sports Southeast and MLS Live.
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4. NYCFC (6-5-2).
Last week: 2.
Result: 3-1 loss at Atlanta United.
Like most teams that have played and lost or drew with Atlanta United, NYCFC had chances to score but couldn’t put them away.
Next game: vs. New England, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and vs. Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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5. Dallas (5-2-5).
Last week: 3.
Result: 2-1 loss at Chicago and 0-0 draw with Houston.
They rested several big players and it showed with a disjointed effort on offense against Chicago. That was followed by a drab draw with Houston and suddenly Dallas is winless in its last four.
Next game: vs. Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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6. New York Red Bulls (6-6-2).
Last week: 11.
Result: 2-1 win over New England.
After a poor opening 10 minutes, the Red Bulls looked good in last week’s win. They shouldn’t rise five spots just for beating New England, but the top of the power poll had a bad week.
Next game: at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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7. Sporting KC (6-4-4).
Last week: 4.
Result: 1-0 loss at Colorado.
You can’t be considered a contender and then lose at Colorado. It doesn’t matter if KC had 25 shots.
Next game: vs. Minnesota United 5 p.m. Saturday, ESPN.
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8. Los Angeles (5-5-2).
Last week: 12.
Result: 4-2 win over San Jose.
The Galaxy have three consecutive wins. There are certain players that have obvious talent but for whatever reason teams just don’t play well with them in the lineup. Looking at you, Jermaine Jones.
Next game: at D.C. United, 7 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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9. Orlando (6-5-2).
Last week: 7.
Result: 1-0 loss to Minnesota.
The Lions are winless in their past six.
Next game: vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, MLS Live, and vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, FS1.
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10. Houston (6-5-2).
Last week: 14.
Result: 0-0 draw with Dallas.
Houston stopped the bleeding with a tie against Dallas.
Next game: vs. Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, MLS Live, and at Seattle, 10 p.m. Sunday, MLS Live.
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11. Portland (5-5-3).
Last week: 8.
Result: 1-0 loss at Seattle.
The Timbers are winless in their past five.
Next game: vs. San Jose, 11 p.m. Friday, UniMas.
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12. San Jose (5-5-4).
Last week: 9.
Result: 4-2 loss to L.A. Galaxy.
San Jose couldn’t keep its momentum against the suddenly good Galaxy.
Next game: at Portland, 11 p.m. Friday, UniMas.
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13. Minnesota United (4-7-2).
Last week: 17.
Result: 1-0 win over Orlando.
Look at the Loons! Adrian Heath gets revenge against his former team.
Next game: at Sporting KC 5 p.m. Saturday, ESPN.
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14. Columbus (6-7-1).
Last week: 10.
Result: 5-0 loss to Toronto.
Columbus, Columbus, what kind of team are you?
Next game: vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, MLS Live, and at Colorado, 9 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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15. Vancouver (5-6-1)
Last week: 13.
Result: 1-0 loss to D.C. United.
They hit the post four times in last week’s loss to D.C. United. Four.
Next game: at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Canadian Championship, and vs. Atlanta United, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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16. Seattle (4-5-4).
Last week: 18.
Result: 1-0 win over Portland.
Two consecutive wins for the Sounders, neither very impressive.
Next game: at Columbus, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, MLS Live and vs. Houston, 10 p.m. Sunday, MLS Live.
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17. Real Salt Lake (4-8-2).
Last week: 20.
Result: 1-0 win over Philadelphia.
Two wins in its past three games, but two really tough road games upcoming.
Next game: at Houston, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, MLS Live and at Dallas, 8 p.m, Saturday, MLS Live.
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18. Colorado (3-8-1).
Last week: 21.
Result: 1-0 win over Sporting KC.
A win is a win, and the Rapids did what they needed to grind out a victory.
Next game: vs. Columbus, 9 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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19. D.C. United (4-6-2).
Last week: 22.
Result: 1-0 win over Vancouver.
If you want to see a dive, watch the recap of this game on mlssoccer.com or on the app.
Next game: at Orlando, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, MLS Live, and vs L.A. Galaxy, 7 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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20. New England (4-5-4)
Last week: 15.
Result: 2-1 loss to New York Red Bulls.
Well, like every other team in the East, the Revs are just good enough to keep things interesting.
Next game: vs. NYCFC 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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21. Philadelphia (4-5-4).
Last week: 16.
Result: 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake.
Its four-game winning streak was snapped at Rio Tinto.
Next game: at NYCFC, 1 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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22. Montreal (3-4-4).
Last week: 19.
Result: No result.
It lost to Vancouver 2-1 in the Canadian Championship. No MLS game was played.
Next game: vs. Vancouver, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Canadian Championship, and vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, MLS Live.
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