MLS Power Rankings: NYCFC jumps two spots to top
- by Ridge Mahoney @ridgemax, Jul 25, 2017
Atlanta and FC Dallas kept up the pressure on the top trio by racking up their third consecutive victories to stay fourth and fifth, respectively. The Red Bulls jumped back into the top 10 by routing the Quakes and Loons, and a pair of wins for the Sounders pushed them into the top tier, albeit barely.
MLS WEEK 20:
July 19
NY Red Bulls 5 San Jose 1. Highlights
Montreal 2 Philadelphia 1. Highlights
NYCFC 2 Toronto FC 2. Highlights
Minn. United 0 Houston 0. Highlights
LA Galaxy 0 Vancouver 1. Highlights
Portland 1 Real Salt Lake 4. Highlights
Seattle 4 D.C. United 3. Highlights
July 21
Orlando City 0, Atlanta United 1. Highlights
July 22
New York City FC 2, Chicago 1. Highlights
Minnesota United 0, NY Red Bulls 3. Highlights
D.C. United 1, Houston 3. Highlights
Toronto FC 1, Colorado 1. Highlights
Columbus 1, Philadelphia 0. Highlights
Montreal 1, FC Dallas 2. Highlights
Real Salt Lake 1, Sporting KC 1. Highlights
New England 4, LA Galaxy 3. Highlights
July 23
Vancouver 1, Portland 2. Highlights
Seattle 3, San Jose 0. Highlights
Only MLS results are factored into the Power Rankings, which include a team's record in parentheses and rank last week.
1. NEW YORK CITY FC (11-6-4), 3. NYCFC took advantage of a disjointed Fire to win despite going down to 10 men early when Yordy Herrera incurred two quick cautions. NYCFC got goals by David Villa and Frederic Brilliant three minutes apart. Villa and Maxi Moralez got on the board against Toronto.
2. TORONTO FC (11-3-7), 2. After what would have been his first MLS goal against NYCFC was annulled by an offside call, Jay Chapman scored in the fifth minute against Colorado but TFC couldn't get to the finish line in front. In the 2-2 tie, Ashtone Morgan scored his first MLS goal early, head coach Greg Vanney was dismissed for protesting an offside call, and Victor Vazquez equalized in stoppage time.
3. CHICAGO (11-4-5), 1. Sometimes a team playing 11 against 10 just can't exploit the advantage and after being stung twice by NYCFC the Fire got one back quickly through David Accam but could not extend its 11-game unbeaten streak.
4. ATLANTA UNITED (10-7-3), 4. A bit of buzzkill was laid down by Gerardo "Tata" Martino when he said a rivalry needs 50 games to take root but with a goal by Hector Villalba AUFC took the early lead and in Orlando City Stadium as well.
5. FC DALLAS (9-3-7), 5. That's more like it. A eruption of four goals in 15 minutes -- including two by Roland Lamah -- swept aside D.C. United. Cristian Colman timed his breakthrough perfectly to net his first two MLS goals after one was wrongly not given though the ball crossed the line. FCD has won three in a row and is unbeaten in its last five.
6. SPORTING KANSAS CITY (8-4-9), 6. A penalty earned and converted by Benny Feilhaber added a fifth tie to a seven-game un beaten streak as SKC gave up the conference lead to FCD.
7. HOUSTON (9-7-5), 9. Four road points doubles their previous total and gives a little more foundation to their impressive rebound from a dismal 2016. Three goals in the first 17 minutes at RFK Stadium is just what the Dynamo has been doing at home.
8. VANCOUVER (8-8-3), 7. After a Tony Tchani goal earned a vital victory at StubHub Center the 'Caps failed to hold serve at B.C. Place, where they are an okay 5-3-2 this season. Presumably buoyed by an Andrew Jacobson equalizer just before halftime, they instead gave up a second goal four minutes into the second half.
9. NY RED BULLS (10-8-2), 11. They needed a big week and got six points along with eight goals. Sacha Kljestan notched his first of the season in the rout of San Jose, and after bagging the last two in that game, Daniel Royer opened the scoring in the defeat of MNUFC.
10. MONTREAL (6-7-6), 8. A lead provided by a Michael Salazar goal did not hold up but he's scored three goals in as many games. He got the first goal against Philly and Blerim Dzemaili's winner was his fourth tally in his first eight MLS games. Dzemaili also has four assists.
11. SEATTLE (8-7-6), 16. The week belonged to Cristian Roldan and head coach Brian Schmetzer. After icing the first victory from a 3-0 deficit in league history by scoring the winning goal, Roldan notched two more goals against the Quakes. No team had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win in MLS.
12. SAN JOSE (7-9-5), 10. The Chris Leitch era in San Jose ran into its first major snag. The Quakes didn't play all that badly in a 5-1 loss to the Red Bulls in which recently signed DP Valeri Qazaishvili scored his first MLS goal, but succumbed again in Seattle. They've conceded 12 goals in three straight defeats.
13. COLUMBUS (10-10-1), 18. Crew SC faces the Union again Wednesday in another game crucial to the playoff hopes of both teams. Justin Meram scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute.
14. NEW ENGLAND (6-9-5), 15. The Revs continue to confound. They needed a pair of goals three minutes apart from substitute Teal Bunbury to subdue the Galaxy after blowing a pair of one-goal leads.
15. COLORADO (6-11-2), 17. Trailing early in a tough venue, the Rapids scraped out their first road point of the season (!) with a Dominique Badji goal in the 76th minute.
16. REAL SALT LAKE (7-12-3), 20. After failing to win eight times at Providence Park, RSL overpowered a shorthanded host. Kyle Beckerman scored in the 10th minute and Joao Plata sandwiched a pair of goals around one by Albert Rusnak. Against SKC, a goal by Luis Silva just before halftime was all it had to show for a 20-10 advantage in shots.
17. PORTLAND (8-8-6), 14. Goals by Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastian Blanco enabled the Timbers to snap a six-game winless streak and put back the pieces of a first-ever home loss to RSL in which Victor Arboleda and Fanendo Adi were sent off two minutes apart early in the second half.
18. PHILADELPHIA (6-9-5), 13. A lineup depleted by injuries and callups failed to put a shot on goal in Columbus. Fafa Picault tied the match in Montreal just before halftime but Philly conceded the winner just six minutes into the second period.
19. L.A. GALAXY (6-10-4), 12. Defender Daniel Steres equalized not once but twice and still the Galaxy couldn't avoid a defeat, its fifth in a row. A very unfit Jermaine Jones lasted until halftime in his return to action.
20. ORLANDO CITY (8-8-5), 19. The Lions lost the first game against their Southern neighbors despite a substitute appearance by Cyle Larin, fresh off his short stint with Canada as a knockout-round addition.
21. MINNESOTA UNITED (5-12-4), 21. The back-to-back blankings extended its barren run without a goal to 351 minutes. Against Houston Kevin Molino took three shots, and Christian Ramirez one, and that was it.
22. D.C. UNITED (5-13-3), 22. Weeks don’t get much bleaker than this. United is the first team to lose an MLS game in regulation time after leading 3-0 (goals by Deshorn Brown, Ian Harkes and Lloyd Sam. Then it gave up three goals in the first 17 minutes at home. Oh, 2018, where art thou?
