MLS Power Rankings: FC Dallas replaces Red Bulls at top
- by Ridge Mahoney @ridgemax, Mar 21, 2017
MLS Results, Week 3:
March 18
New York City FC 1 Montreal 1. Highlights
Atlanta United 4 Chicago 0. Highlights
Vancouver 0 Toronto FC 2. Highlights
D.C. United 0 Columbus 2. Highlights
Orlando City 2 Philadelphia 1. Highlights
FC Dallas 2 New England 1. Highlights
Sporting KC 2 New England 1. Highlights
Colorado 2 Minnesota United 2. Highlights
Real Salt Lake 1 LA Galaxy 2. Highlights
Portland 4 Houston 2. Highlights
March 19
Seattle 3 NY Red Bulls 1. Highlights
Sixteen of the 22 teams will take a break this week for the FIFA international calendar, but the Revs, Loons, and RSL are in action looking to break into the ‘win’ column.
Only MLS results are factored into the Power Rankings, which include a team’s record in parentheses and rank last week.
1. FC DALLAS (2-0-1), 2. Two more goals provided more angst for those Timbers’ fans who were disappointed when Max Urruti departed. He equalized after Michael Barrios ran down a long ball and the ball bounced free from a goalkeeper challenge, and struck the winner after picking an opponent’s pocket.
2. PORTLAND (3-0-0), 3.
Fortunately for Timbers fans, the second season without Urruti is starting much better than the first. Diego Valeri scored twice, Fanendo Adi tallied in his seventh straight home
game, and Darlington Nagbe’s slick pass earned Assist of the Week honors.
3. TORONTO FC (1-0-2), 4. TFC gets ready for its home opener March 31 with five points in
three road games. The attack sputtered without Sebastian Giovinco but Jozy Altidore crossed a ball that Victor Vazquez headed home and bagged the clincher himself four minutes
later.
4. NEW YORK RED BULLS (2-1-0), 1. The Red Bulls self-inflicted enough damage to ensure their first defeat. Nine minutes after Bradley Wright-Phillips’
equalized with a header from a Sal Zizzo cross, they fell behind again and never caught up. Centerback Aurelien Collin watched from the bench as Joevin Jones and Jordan
Morris ran free repeatedly.
5. NEW YORK CITY FC (1-1-1), 5. A second goal in as many games by Rodney Wallace opened up a lead NYCFC couldn’t hold. Wallace also set
up a chance that Maxi Moralez blazed over the crossbar. NYCFC plays its third straight home game after the break.
6. SPORTING KC (1-0-2), 7. SKC ended its scoring drought
with a brilliant shot by Benny Feilhaber and got the winner on a ridiculous own goal scuffed into the net by the goalkeeper. Dom Dwyer canceled out his sharp, intelligent runs by tepid
finishes yet he and newcomer Gerso meshed well at times. Keeper Tim Melia did his part with one critical save and the defense didn’t concede its first goal of the season until
stoppage time.
7. SEATTLE (1-1-1), 10. It wasn’t that long ago that Joevin Jones was one of the few bright spots on a rebuilding Chicago team. Now he’s a
constant threat from left back. He snaked along the byline to help set up Morris’ winning goal and for the clincher Harry Shipp re-directed his low shot.
8. ORLANDO CITY
(2-0-0), 11. Thanks to Carlos Rivas and Matias Perez Garcia taking on the playmaking burden vacated by an injury to Kaka, the scoring boots of Cyle Larin are being
filled. Their assists set up his second and third goals of the season and rewarded another sellout crowd at Orlando City Stadium. A big save by Joe Bendik in stoppage time nailed down the win.
9. COLORADO (1-1-1), 6. An early goal by Dominique Badji provided a 1-0 lead and the Rapids equalized with a Marlon Hairston goal a minute after falling behind to
run their home unbeaten streak in regular-season games to 19. But giving up two on a penalty kick and poorly defended cross is not what this team is supposed to be about.
10. HOUSTON
(2-1-0), 9. The attack is as good as advertised, the rest is a work-in-progress. “Cubo” Torres and Romell Quioto each scored his third goal of the season to forge a 2-1
lead but twice in eight minutes Houston couldn’t clear a ball from midfield and paid the price.
11. SAN JOSE (2-1-0), 8. Hmmm. Not the showing keeper David Bingham
would want heading into U.S. camp, Feilhaber’s wonderful goal notwithstanding. Bingham’s own goal was as clumsy as it was humiliating. Winger Jahmir Hyka, one of the TAM signings
who impressed off the bench the first two games, needed to do a lot of defensive work and was subbed after 61 minutes.
12. ATLANTA (2-1-0), 15. There’s going to be a lot of
Southern cooking in these parts, as in opposing defenses being barbequed, fricasseed, broiled, deep-fried, etc. Yes, AUFC needed almost 50 minutes of a man advantage to get a second goal, and it
didn’t always look secure defending, but Josef Martinez is deservedly atop the goals chart with five and to get at this back line, you have to get the ball, which isn’t easy to
do.
13. CHICAGO (1-1-1), 12. No shame in succumbing to a juggernaut following a fourth-minute own goal and 11th-minute red card to centerback Johan Kappelhof; truth be told,
Fire gave it a good battle 10-v-11 before fatigue took its toll in the final 30 minutes. If a 4-0 loss can be better than the scoreline indicates, this is the one.
14. L.A. GALAXY
(1-2-0), 16. Emmanuel Boateng scored his first goal of the season and the fifth of his MLS career, all against RSL. Romain Alessandrini led the rally by assisting on both
scores. There’s quality in this squad if not much cohesion. Yet.
15. MONTREAL (0-1-2), 14. Captain Patrice Bernier tied the all-time team record for assists by
notching his 24th with a pass Dominic Oduro powered into the net. Oduro landed all four of his shots on goal after not getting off any shots at all while playing 130 minutes of the first two
games.
16. COLUMBUS (1-1-1), 20. Crew SC got its first win with a pair of penalty kicks, both won by Ola Kamara. He converted the second one after Federico Higuain
dispatched the first in a wonderful display of team détente. Homegrown defender Alex Crognale looked right at home in his first MLS appearance. A sharp save by Zach Steffan
helped him earn his first MLS shutout.
17. PHILADELPHIA (0-1-2), 17. The winless streak dating back to last season stands at 10 games. The Union couldn’t hold on after
C.J. Sapong equalized, and in stoppage time Ilsinho rang a shot off the base of the post. Defender Oguchi Onyewu headed a ball off his own crossbar from the edge of the penalty
area. Exciting stuff but not what a playoff-caliber team should be producing.
18. D.C. UNITED (0-2-1), 13. No goals scored in three games, two of them at home, doesn’t bode
well though a 2-0 loss to a pair of penalty kicks is certainly out of the ordinary. On the plus side, Luciano Acosta played 75 minutes after sitting out the first two games with a sore ankle.
19. NEW ENGLAND (0-2-0), 18. A solid display by midfield anchor Xavier Kouassi mitigated a tough loss to a good team on the road. After Lee Nguyen converted a
penalty kick the Revs held out for about an hour but loose defensive play conceded two goals in six minutes. They are one of only six teams to be scheduled for league games during the FIFA break and
the assignment couldn’t be easier than a home game against expansion struggler Minnesota United. So it’s pretty much win or else.
20. MINNESOTA UNITED (0-2-1), 22.
Extensive lineup changes, plus another strong display by Kevin Molino, earned the Loons their first MLS point in a tough place to get results. Yet they conceded a tying goal a minute after
Christian Ramirez scored to give them the lead and are still riddled with issues.
21. REAL SALT LAKE (0-2-1), 19. The Curse of the Boateng befell RSL once again and this
time cost head coach Jeff Cassar his job. RSL could not hold the fort after Yura Movsisyan scored and Kyle Beckerman picked up his second caution. An attack missing Joao
Plata and Jordan Allen didn’t generate much threat and on Monday the team dismissed Cassar, who had taken over for Jason Kreis prior to the 2014 season and guided the team
into the playoffs twice in three campaigns.
22. VANCOUVER (0-2-1), 21. Locked in a goalless struggle, the Caps went down to 10 men when Brek Shea picked up not one but two
yellow cards for mouthing off to referee Ismail Elfath. Goals conceded four minutes apart deepened the gloom at B.C. Place though no blame was placed on keeper Spencer Richey, who
made his MLS debut after playing impressively for the VWFC2 reserve team.
