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2012 MLS, Week 25: Power Rankings

By on August 28, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

We’re quickly coming to the last part of the regular season here in Major League Soccer. August is nearly wrapped up as we head into September. The final stretch of games is truly here.

I had a few changes in this week’s rankings. One Western Conference club made a big climb in my book while a couple others continued to stumble.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 15-6-5 50 pts. First team to 50 points and in a very convincing fashion. A 4-1 win over the lowly Rapids. Hard to believe this but Chris Wondolowski has been kept cold for a few games now but it hasn’t mattered with others stepping up (finally).
2 (2) 11-6-9 42 pts. The second consecutive home draw is a cause for concern, especially given that the last one came against Toronto. One more week of so-so play and they’re gonna fall back down this list.
3 (8) 12-6-7 43 pts. With RSL’s stumbles, Seattle looks like a solid bet at getting the #2 seed to me now that Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson, Mauro Rosales and the rest of the team are on such good form. Seattle has claimed 16 out of their last 21 points.
4 (4) 14-7-5 47 pts. Quietly doing enough to win the Eastern Conference. They trail San Jose by just three points for the Shield.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (5) 12-8-5 42 pts. The midweek loss at DC looked back but I’m willing to give them a pass given that it was their first game all year to give up more than two goals in a game.
6 (3) 13-7-6 45 pts. They gained a valuable road point in KC but their suspect back line is still a cause for concern.
7 (7) 12-11-4 40 pts. They caught a break twice against Dallas, first when Todd Dunivant brought down Fabian Castillo on a clear break away and only got a yellow card and second when Dallas rookie Matt Hedges gifted them the game’s first goal.
8 (6) 13-10-4 43 pts. RSL stopped the bleeding in Philadelphia in the form of a 0-0 draw. At least their defense is starting to get healthy again.
9 (13) 10-8-6 36 pts. The arrival of Federico Higuain has done wonders for this club but so had Jairo Arrieta. The two have combined well to get the Crew back into the playoff picture.
10 (11) 12-13-3 39 pts. Patrice Bernier continues his impressive form against D.C. United with two goals and an assist. Hard to believe it but the Impact could be a playoff team here.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (9) 10-10-7 37 pts. Still in the playoff mix out West due to Dallas’ stumbling in LA.
12 (10) 12-9-4 40 pts. The midweek win over Chicago gave people hope that this club was back on track but the loss on the road in Montreal shows that Ben Olsen’s team has a long ways to go here.
13 (12) 8-12-8 32 pts. Lack of finishing once against killed this club on the road. But it was the defense that really looked weak in the second half as they gifted LA with two easy goals.
14 (14) 7-12-4 25 pts. More drama with Freddy Adu makes you wonder if he’ll ever be good enough to be a consistent contributor. I still believe he needs to just be another role player and not the main guy in the attack.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
15 (15) 7-10-6 27 pts. Chivas finally scored more than one goal in a game for just the third time this season but in the process they realized that their defense couldn’t hang with a team like Seattle who dropped six on them.
16 (16) 5-14-6 21 pts. Got a road draw without their DPs. Smart move considering they have more to play for in the Champions League against Santos Laguna this week than they do in league play.
17 (19) 6-13-6 24 pts. The first win for Gavin Wilkinson. Just too little too late though for this club.
18 (17) 8-16-2 26 pts. Tough to believe it but the Rapids now own the most losses in the league this season at 16.
19 (18) 6-14-5 23 pts. This club continues to be a car wreck. They finally get some offense but their defense just gets hammered by Columbus.
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2012 MLS, Week 24: Power Rankings

By on August 21, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

The wild week in Major League Soccer ended with the same group on top as the previous week. Really the only changes after Week 24 ended was in the middle of the order as Vancouver and Salt Lake continue to slide while Chicago makes their way upward.

The third tier also saw some changes as FC Dallas and Montreal climb closer to a playoff spot.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 14-6-5 47 pts. Saturday’s result in Montreal revealed one truth about this group: they don’t defend all that well overall. The 3-1 loss made the 19th out of the last 21 games that San Jose didn’t pick up a clean sheet. I still think they have a shot at winning the Shield but the defense has to improve.
2 (2) 11-6-8 41 pts. A late draw by the Dynamo keeps them up here in my book. I probably should have moved them down in favor of New York for SKC but the fight of this club is strong enough to keep them here for the time being.
3 (3) 13-7-5 44 pts. Ugly first half followed by a strong rebound to win against Portland. In a game you should win, New York at least found a way to pull it out while doing so in an ugly fashion.
4 (4) 14-7-4 46 pts. The USOC win seems to have given SKC their early-season form back. With San Jose dropping points this week, SKC is now within reach of taking the lead in the Supporters’ Shield race.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (6) 12-7-5 42 pts. 4-2-2 since the start of July and most of all their offense is hitting their stride at the right time. This club will pressure the top three in the East, bank on it.
6 (5) 13-10-3 42 pts. Another game that saw them dominate for 90 minutes but not come away with anything to show for. With the extra games on the schedule and only a couple home games left, Jason Kreis has to figure out how to get his team back to their old ways in a hurry.
7 (8) 11-11-4 37 pts. A solid point on the road in the midweek without David Beckham and Landon Donovan. They’re moving on up the ladder folks, look out.
8 (9) 11-6-7 40 pts. When Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson score this team is deadly.
9 (6) 10-9-7 37 pts. Home loss in the midweek and a road loss on the weekend ended what was an ugly weekend for Vancouver. If any club is going to miss the playoffs at this point it could be this group.
10 (10) 11-8-4 37 pts. I said last week that things are getting real dicy for United these days and after seeing a few players exchange words with one another on Sunday, I have to point it out again.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (12) 11-13-3 36 pts. I’m starting to think that Jesse Marsch deserves legit consideration for MLS Coach of the Year here. Somehow he’s guided this group to a pretty respectable record as an expansion club.
12 (14) 8-11-8 32 pts. Road wins in Vancouver and Salt Lake creep FCD back into the playoff picture. You just have to wonder if it will be too little too late for this bunch.
13 (11) 8-8-6 30 pts. The games in hand will help but two straight draws in the week only do so much. Newcomer Federico Higuain appears to have some quality though, if he can become adapted to MLS in a hurry they could still pressure for a playoff spot.
14 (13) 7-12-3 24 pts. They can thank Mark Geiger for getting them out of jail on the DeRo penalty. Still, they’re a long ways off from really being in the playoff picture this season.
15 (15) 7-9-6 27 pts. They have the games in hand at the moment over everyone out west but with that offense I just don’t see how they’ll keep the pressure on Dallas, LA and Vancouver.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
16 (16) 5-14-5 20 pts. A draw and a loss this week – both at home. Not gonna earn any quality points from me here on that.
17 (18) 8-15-2 26 pts. Only their second draw of the season shows exactly how far this team has to come to get consistent here. Giving up a late goal at home indicates that many changes have to take place in order for Oscar Pareja to have any success in Denver.
18 (17) 6-13-5 23 pts. Hard to believe that a couple months ago this club looked like they were on their way to push for a playoff spot. Now they’re a sinking ship and could be a rival to one of the top draft spots.
19 (19) 5-13-6 21 pts. A midweek draw in Toronto was nice but giving up a two goal lead on the road was tough to swallow.
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2012 MLS, Week 23: Power Rankings

By on August 14, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Another week down in MLS and another week with plenty of changes in the Power Rankings.

After all the talk about how good the Western Conference was going into this season, the top tier actually now has three Eastern Conference clubs in it while the rest of the top clubs in the West fill out Tier 2.

Interesting battles taking place as the playoff run is really in full gear here.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 14-5-5 47 pts. Slowly pulling away from the pack. The latest come back by this club was quite impressive.
2 (42) 11-6-7 40 pts. The eight-game unbeaten run came to and end on Friday but I’m still feeling good about this club’s chances overall.
3 (3) 12-7-5 41 pts. Tim Cahill is starting to fit in nicely after his two assist night against Houston. The more we see that the better the Red Bulls will be here.
4 (5) 13-7-4 43 pts. Hell of a week for SKC. Nothing else to say really as they won the USOC final and then beat rivals D.C. all in a few days time.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (4) 13-9-3 42 pts. Their away form this season and really as of late has been dreadful. If the playoffs started today, I wouldn’t have any confidence in them going far.
6 (8) 10-7-7 37 pts. The big goals from Camilo and Dane Richards proved to be just enough to outlast RSL.
7 (10) 11-7-5 38 pts. The new look offense is starting to pay off for the Fire. Alvaro Fernandez and Chris Rolfe worked out nicely on the evening that saw the Fire post three goals in a big win.
8 (9) 11-11-3 36 pts. Love seeing the back line of Franklin, DeLaGarza, Gonzalez and Dunivant back together. If they can keep that group healthy I think we’ll see them push up the standings even more.
9 (7) 10-6-7 37 pts. Tough week, first a loss in the USOC final and then a late loss on the road to San Jose. Thankfully I think we can say that new DP Christain Tiffert looks like a solid investment by this club.
10 (6) 11-8-3 36 pts. Starting to get real dicy for United these days.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (11) 8-8-4 28 pts. No game due to the cancelation with Toronto for Kirk Urso’s funeral.
12 (15) 10-13-3 33 pts. Sanna Nyassi scored a great one on the night. Could this club really push the top five in the East for a playoff spot?
13 (12) 7-12-2 23 pts. Not having Carlos Valdes in the back showed exactly how important he is to this club.
14 (17) 6-11-8 26 pts. Kevin Hartman saved their butts a couple times but the fact remains Dallas is on the upwing for the first time this season. They’ve earned 11 points in their last seven games and with guys like David Ferreira playing well and Brek Shea returning to his old self, this team will make it interesting.
15 (14) 7-9-5 26 pts. They may have the games in hand at the moment but they are going no where with them.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
16 (16) 5-13-4 19 pts. Off this weekend due to the cancelation of their game with Columbus.
17 (13) 6-12-5 23 pts. The failure to score at home against an expansion team shows exactly how this season has gone for the Revs. At one point they looked promising as a club but the more you dive into this side the more you get disappointed.
18 (18) 8-15-1 25 pts. Colorado could have easily won in Dallas had their chances been taken care of better. With just one win in their last eight games, the Rapids look like a team that is move inclined to continue downward than upward.
19 (19) 5-12-5 20 pts. Off for the week and no where to really go. You have to wonder though who is next in line to leave this club.
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2012 MLS, Week 22: Power Rankings

By on August 7, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

After another full week of games and some upsets you’d expect some movement in this week’s rankings. Well, you thought wrong. Only a couple teams made some noise in the rankings. I nearly made a new number one and almost moved a club back into the top tier but in the end decided against it.

Also, we have a new addition to the bottom tier as the four groups begin to get a little more evenly laid out.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 13-5-5 44 pts. Off for the week, so hopefully it was a good time to get rested up for the big push to a Supporters’ Shield.
2 (4) 11-5-7 40 pts. Houston continues to roll here after the 2-0 win over New York. I nearly placed them on top overall too. Oscar Boniek Garcia has been a huge addition to this club to get them this far.
3 (3) 11-7-5 38 pts. I’m holding out on this club based on the fact that they were missing Dax McCarty in Houston. We’ll really know his worth on Friday when they host the Dynamo.
4 (2) 13-8-3 42 pts. RSL was hoping to reach the top of the standings with a win over their rivals but the perfect storm of injuries, travel and a desperate Colorado team caught up to them. Jason Kreis is holding that defense of his together by a tiny string these days too.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (5) 11-7-4 40 pts. Best way to put the 1-0 win over New England is they were opportunistic. Big game in the USOC final this week to really test this club.
6 (6) 11-7-3 36 pts. I thought about moving them up again but I really want to see how this team does over the span of a couple weeks here before I do so again.
7 (9) 10-5-7 37 pts. The supporting cast was just as important as the big names in the 4-0 win over LA. Now it is on to KC for the USOC final. Can the Sounders make history? It won’t be easy, that is for sure.
8 (8) 9-7-7 34 pts. Off week for the Caps. I am very interested in their new additions though, defender Andy O’Brien and midfielder Tiago Ulisses.
9 (7) 10-11-3 33 pts. Too much travel and extra games for this club and David Beckham. Big game with Chivas looming this week, a win there pretty much seperates them from the bottom group of clubs out West for that final playoff spot.
10 (10) 10-7-5 35 pts. Nice come from behind win there by the Fire over Toronto. Austin Berry continues to shine as one of the league’s top rookies.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (11) 8-8-4 28 pts. No one will comment on the play of this club this weekend and why should they? The passing of Kirk Urso was a tragic bit of news to hear after the 1-0 loss to D.C. United.
12 (12) 7-11-2 23 pts. I love the fight in this club, even in defeat. They are showing they won’t go down without a fight to reach the playoffs here.
13 (13) 6-11-5 23 pts. First game without Shalrie Joseph wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible either. This club still has a ways to go defensively before they can reach the contenders zone.
14 (14) 7-8-5 26 pts. Off this past weekend. If they want to get into the playoffs they have to use the games in hand that they have on everyone at the moment to their advantage.
15 (17) 9-13-3 30 pts. Did anyone have them pegged as a nine win team this year? I didn’t but good on them. Too bad Nelson Rivas’ head butt will be all the talk though this week surrounding this club.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
16 (16) 5-13-4 19 pts. The old Toronto FC came back out this weekend in Chicago, giving up a late lead and points.
17 (15) 5-11-8 23 pts. Nice to see Brek Shea back and contributing out there for FCD. Just too bad the old issues with this club (red cards) came into play on this one against Portland.
18 (18) 8-14-1 25 pts. Normally a win over a top club gets you some movement but for the Rapids they need to make this a consistent thing to get out of the bottom group here.
19 (19) 5-12-5 20 pts. A home draw is nice to see after losing five straight. This club still has a long, long way to go here before that first win under Gavin Wilkinson arrives.
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2012 MLS, Week 21: Power Rankings

By on July 31, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

After a weekend that saw the home sides go unbeaten, the road teams in Week 21 decided to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

The San Jose Earthquakes remained the top dog in the rankings but teams 2-10 pretty much all moved around after that. It was just that kind of week folks.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 13-5-5 44 pts. Another lucky performance out of this bunch. At some point those late goals won’t be there for them.
2 (4) 13-7-3 42 pts. Slowly but surely this club continues to stay on course for a Supporters’ Shield here. Just two points back now.
3 (2) 11-5-5 38 pts. Ugly performance on the road. Now Hans Backe has to figure out a way to get newcomer Tim Cahill involved.
4 (6) 10-5-7 37 pts. The climb up continues for the Dynamo. Dominic Kinnear is getting good returns all over the place.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (3) 11-7-4 37 pts. Another surprising home result. Sporting will be kicking themselves for not going out on the open market to get another striker before last week’s window closed.
6 (5) 10-7-3 33 pts. Off this weekend so they could play a friendly against Paris Saint-German. Hopefully Ben Olsen has been able to get everyone back on track here.
7 (9) 10-10-3 33 pts. Good teams find ways to win without their key players, and LA is proving that they are once again a really good team.
8 (7) 9-7-7 34 pts. Time for these new additions like Kenny Miller to make an impact. But at least rookie Darren Mattocks can say he’s probably in good condition to win the Rookie of the Year award this season with his current pace.
9 (10) 9-5-7 34 pts. Eddie Johnson continues to impress. His latest goal and assist effort got the Sounders back on track out West.
10 (8) 9-7-5 32 pts. Sean Johnson’s best performance to date was quickly overshadowed by a late laser of a goal from Steven Lenhart.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (11) 8-7-4 28 pts. Jairo Arrieta opened his account and then some against KC. There may be hope for this offense yet with him scoring like that. They’re officially my sleeper club out of the East.
12 (13) 7-10-2 23 pts. The turnaround continues, and Jack McInerney finds ways to score late. That kis has some talent in the making and I’m happy we’re finally seeing it out of him.
13 (11) 6-10-5 23 pts. Just when this club is getting closer to moving up, they take a step back thanks to a late goal by Philadelphia. At least they can hang their hats on the fact that Jerry Bengtson is doing very well at the Olympics so far.
14 (16) 7-8-5 26 pts. Once again, Chivas hits the road and picks up three points.
15 (14) 5-11-7 22 pts. The loss against LA couldn’t be blamed on injuries or suspension. It all came down to just a poor effort all around from this club.
16 (15) 5-12-4 19 pts. Probably their worst game over the last month. Simple as that, just nothing going up top and defensively still issues all around.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
17 (18) 8-13-3 27 pts. A nice win over a very good New York squad but honestly, until they can do this from game-to-game they won’t move far in these rankings.
18 (17) 7-14-1 22 pts. Losers of six straight, just not hope in sight for this bunch at the moment.
19 (19) 5-12-4 19 pts. At some point you have to just say it out loud, this season is over for this bunch.
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2012 MLS, Week 20: Power Rankings

By on July 24, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

It was another busy, crazy week in Major League Soccer. Loads of games that saw the home teams go unbeaten. So with that there was plenty of movement in the rankings here. We have two new clubs in the bottom tier and above that saw teams swapping places left and right.

The playoff race is certainly heating up here!

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 13-5-4 43 pts. Lucky to win against Dallas in the midweek and unlucky in some ways not to at least draw Vancouver on Sunday. That five point lead on New York in the Supporters’ Shield standings is getting tighter though.
2 (4) 11-5-5 38 pts. It’s not the big names that are getting it done, its also the unsung heros like Dax McCarty and Conor Lade that are contributing big time for this group. Hans Backe may indeed have a real contender here with this group.
3 (2) 11-6-4 37 pts. Has the offense dried up in KC? The defense is strong and is what is leading the way but offensively, this group has to improve.
4 (5) 12-7-3 39 pts. Sometimes beating your main rivals is all it takes to get back on track.
5 (3) 10-7-3 33 pts. Two straight losses for Ben Olsen’s group. Time to wonder if any reinforcements are on their way in this summer or not. I think they still need some holes filled here and there on this roster.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
6 (8) 9-5-7 34 pts. Solid few weeks for the Dynamo, probably one of the hottest teams in MLS right now. Goals are coming from all over and the defense is stepping up nicely.
7 (7) 9-6-7 34 pts. Martin Rennie continues to shake things up, this time by trading Eric Hassli to Toronto. The end result was four points in a busy week, with three of them coming against a very good San Jose squad. Oh and Barry Robson looks like the real deal for them too.
8 (6) 9-7-4 31 pts. Unlucky not to get a result in New York on a hot, blistering day last Wednesday.
9 (10) 9-10-3 30 pts. Donovan, Keane and Beckham continue to lead the way. If that defense will step up, this could be a title contender yet again.
10 (9) 8-5-7 31 pts. Friendly season is upon us and Seattle was the first to go with their 4-2 loss against Chelsea last week.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (12) 7-7-4 25 pts. They always win when I pick against them. Should have known better right? Still, that offense isn’t striking fear just yet in anyone’s eyes around the league.
12 (11) 6-9-5 23 pts. Nice draw in Kansas City, better than expected to be in fact.
13 (14) 6-10-2 20 pts. I move them up even with the loss. They were a bit unlucky at times against New York but this group has shown a ton of growth in the last few weeks under John Hackworth.
14 (17) 5-10-7 22 pts. Very unlucky not to get a point in San Jose but the 5-0 lashing against Portland was a good result to see them have. David Ferreira looks to be his old self again which certainly helps their playoff chances – even as slim as they are.
15 (18) 5-11-4 19 pts. Really curious to see how Eric Hassli fits in with this squad. It was a high risk – high reward type of move.
16 (15) 6-8-5 23 pts. I still cannot get over the fact that this club has played 19 games and has only scored 13. That defense is barely keeping them alive here.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
17 (13) 7-13-1 22 pts. Two more losses drops them below the line here. No hope for this club anytime soon I am afraid.
18 (16) 7-13-3 24 pts. Just too hot and cold for my liking anymore. That defense has to turn around sometime soon or else they could be in a battle for the bottom spot in the standings before long.
19 (19) 5-11-4 19 pts. So John Spencer wasn’t the entire reason for all the issues huh? So many issues but not enough time to list them all out with this bunch.
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2012 MLS, Week 19: Power Rankings

By on July 17, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

The rankings are out for Week 19.

A few moves over all including a couple teams moving up tiers and one moving down to the bottom. I still view the third tier as a total crap shoot – you can move anyone around that group and be fine.

Here in the next few weeks we should definitely see how the playoff race impacts these rankings. Will some of the clubs from the third (and forth) tier make a run and cause more movement? Or will some teams in the top two tiers just battle it out for the 10 playoff spots? Time will tell.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 12-4-4 40 pts. Blow out doesn’t even begin to describe how San Jose got by RSL. Chris Wondolowski is possibly the first player in ages to have a shot at scoring the all-time league mark set by Roy Lassiter way back in 1996.
2 (5) 11-5-3 36 pts. I called them out a little last week but they looked much more like their early season self than what we saw in May and June.
3 (2) 10-6-3 33 pts. After a long(ish) break, United just played ugly in Houston. But then again being down a man for the majority of the game didn’t help.
4 (4) 9-5-5 32 pts. Sebastien Le Toux scoring in his debut with the Red Bulls was nice to see but I still don’t like this Thierry Henry playing the #10 role in the midfield. It puts a ton of strain on the defensive side of the club.
5 (3) 11-7-3 36 pts. The lack of discipline was surprising for RSL on Saturday in San Jose. RSL should bounce back against Colorado this week given their form but without Kyle Beckerman it won’t be easy.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
6 (7) 8-6-4 28 pts. No All-Stars? No problem. Chicago continues to shine without a real big superstar here.
7 (6) 8-6-6 30 pts. Two road losses this week should move them down further but I see them bouncing back. The Kenny Miller addition should be good but look for Dane Richards to be an even bigger addition.
8 (9) 7-5-7 28 pts. The 4-0 win was great to see but all the news continues to center around when and if Geoff Cameron will be transfered to Stoke City.
9 (8) 8-5-7 31 pts. Fredy Montero comes out of his funk to save a point on the road for the Sounders. Time for a league break here for the club as they host Chelsea this week.
10 (10) 8-10-2 26 pts. I want to move the Galaxy up, I really do but it just won’t happen this week. Still, the five goal out burst on the road was great to see.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (11) 6-8-4 22 pts. Disappointing home loss to Toronto to say the very least. Two away games this week won’t be easy for a club that have only one once away this year.
12 (13) 6-6-4 22 pts. Rough loss at home to Kansas City. Even with Jairo Arrieta finally in the lineup, one has to wonder when the offense will actually show up.
13 (12) 7-11-1 22 pts. I probably should drop them further given their current form but in this tier is is really hard to argue against any club being higher or lower, as they are all crap in more ways than not.
14 (18) 6-9-2 20 pts. Three game winning streak has many thinking this group has turned a good corner here. I do worry about the Freddy Adu injury though, if he can’t bounce back this team could backslide a bit.
15 (15) 5-7-5 20 pts. Off for the week and no need to move it.
16 (14) 6-12-3 21 pts. The ugly middle number in their record is hurting everything in my eyes at the moment. Defensively they have so many issues that I don’t believe Alessandro Nesta can fix right away.
17 (17) 4-9-7 19 pts. The winless drought is over after 13 games. Blas Perez could be out for an extended time and this team is likely not done shopping around. Big question will be how Julian de Guzman fits in with his new club.
18 (19) 4-11-4 16 pts. A move up after a two-game winning streak. But if Danny Kovermans is out for any extended time, they could see their way back down the table here.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
19 (16) 5-9-4 19 pts. The post-John Spencer era got off to a bad, bad start. With no wins on the road so far this year and two road games ahead, the Galvin Wilkinson time in Portland doesn’t sound like it will get any better anytime soon.
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2012 MLS, Week 18: Power Rankings

By on July 10, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

After a week off, the Power Rankings are back here at WVH. Only a few moves to really talk about this week as the top four remained in the top tier. Only one club moved up a tier while the bottom two clubs look like they could be joining the third tier here shortly.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 11-4-4 37 pts. Not the best week for the top side in the league, a loss and a draw, but at some point they were going to hit that wall. Most impressive thing to me had to be that it took until this past Saturday for them to earn their first red card of the season.
2 (3) 10-5-3 33 pts. No games but a move up fits them.
3 (4) 11-6-3 36 pts. Improvement with the 3-0 and seeing Alvaro Saborio score a hat trick. He’s the one striker in MLS that could get hot at any moment and take over in a huge way.
4 (2) 9-5-4 31 pts. Ugly loss in my opinion at New England but then again, the main players like Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez were missing so some drop off had to be expected.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (4) 10-5-3 33 pts. Only three wins since starting 7-0-0, not great but still this club is very much in the thick of things.
6 (7) 8-4-6 30 pts. This club is quietly staying up in the standings. Serisouly need to keep an eye on this club for the remainder of the year.
7 (6) 8-6-4 28 pts. Tough loss at home but it was a game that just wasn’t going their way from the start.
8 (8) 8-5-6 30 pts. Return to the win colum for Sigi Schmid’s club. Probably a good thing too considering the all important USOC semifinal ahead this week.
9 (9) 6-5-7 25 pts. Decent showing in Kansas City but the offense was left in Texas.
10 (10) 7-10-2 23 pts. Tough loss at home in the midweek by a solid road showing to cool off Chicago. Still wonder where this club is going but at least Omar Gonzalez is back.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
11 (14) 6-7-4 22 pts. Jerry Bengtson could very well be the guy that gets the Revs into the playoffs. He and Saer Sene look to be a dangerous duo.
12 (12) 7-10-1 22 pts. The inconsistent nature of this club is tough to watch at times. Hard to believe they are still in playoff contention here.
13 (13) 6-6-4 22 pts. It was great to see Chad Marshall back on the field for the Crew. But in other news the offense for this side still has a long way to go here.
14 (13) 6-11-3 21 pts. While they’ve been improved lately and Nesta will easily help them out in the back, it is still hard to ignore the glaring number in the middle column in the standings with them. They and Toronto share the ugly high mark in losses this season.
15 (16) 5-7-5 20 pts. Decent home draw to Vancouver but when the offense lacking, it is hard to get overly excited about this group.
16 (15) 5-8-4 19 pts. Good bye John Spencer. Time to drop this club further down?
17 (17) 3-9-7 16 pts. Goals just aren’t there at the moment but the defense has finally improved to the point where they are shutting people out again. Hard to believe it since Ugo Ihemelu and George John haven’t been involved in those shutouts lately. Matt Hedges and Hernan Pertuz are the wave of the future for Dallas in the back.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
18 (18) 5-9-2 17 pts. Should they be this far down still? After two big wins this past week I tend to think not but at the same time I’m inclined to wait another week before I make any big move with a club like this. Still a long way to go.
19 (19) 2-11-4 10 pts. Danny Koevermans cooled off in Philly but his outburst has gotten people’s attention about this club again. If they could only improve their defense they’d be so much better.
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2012 MLS, Week 16: Power Rankings

By on June 26, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

After a busy week that saw six games in the midweek and eight on the weekend – the Power Rankings saw plenty of movement.

At the end of it all we have a new leader in the clubhouse as well as one team inching their way back towards Tier 2.

Here is how I see things after this past week.

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (2) 10-3-3 33 pts. Two big road wins this week lift the Quakes to the top of the order. Rightfully so too. Up next is a big derby match with LA.
2 (5) 9-4-3 30 pts. Always a good story to see a guy get revenge on his old club. But did anyone really see Brandon Barklage scoring two goals against United like he did Sunday? Very cool.
3 (3) 9-5-3 30 pts. Wonder when Ben Olsen goes all in and uses Branko Boskovic from the start of games and not just off the bench.
4 (1) 10-3-2 32 pts. Tough week, very tough week for RSL. Two home wins erased by bad defensive play – a very un-RSL like thing.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (4) 9-4-2 29 pts. The draw in Seattle was good but the cross country travel on short rest did them in as they got hammered by Philly 4-0.
6 (8) 7-5-3 24 pts. Got a win while being a man down over Columbus. Now the question is, can they keep Sebastien Grazzini? Looks doubtful at the moment.
7 (7) 7-4-5 26 pts. Never easy to face two good teams in one week like they did. LA absolutely owned them on Saturday. At least the week ahead is open for Martin Rennie to get Barry Robson used to things.
8 (6) 7-5-4 25 pts. Alarm bells are sounding in Seattle. Seven game winless rut is one of the worst in club history.
9 (9) 5-5-5 20 pts. Four goals coughed up in Montreal. Things just don’t look the same with this club at the moment.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
10 (14) 6-8-2 20 pts. From cellar to a potential playoff spot in the span of a week. Not bad.
11 (12) 5-8-3 18 pts. Eight goals scored at Stade Saputo. Very impressive.
12 (11) 6-8-1 19 pts. I felt like dropping them more here and probably should. Their inconsistent ways are costing them more and more here.
13 (10) 5-5-4 19 pts. Can’t win on the road with a man advantage, not going to get a lot of sympthy votes from me.
14 (13) 5-7-4 18 pts. They shows some fight coming from two goals down on the road. If they can only put that kind of form together for 90 minutes Jay Heaps would have a decent team.
15 (16) 4-6-4 16 pts. The group still has a ton of work to do here but at least a win over a rival is usually a good start at getting your mojo back.
16 (15) 5-7-4 19 pts. Solid week for Robin Fraser’s club. Got some points yet again away from home.
17 (17) 3-9-5 14 pts. Plus side: they didn’t give up a goal and it was without the bulk of their main lineup. Down side: they couldn’t score a goal or get any help from the ref when Fabian Castillo’s call for a PK in the dying seconds of the game was ignored.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
18 (18) 3-8-2 11 pts. Nice four goal romp of Sporting Kansas City. I think moving up will be in order once the wins continue to roll in like that one.
19 (19) 1-10-2 5 pts. Normally two draws would have some people thinking optimistically but given how they can’t defend to save their life there is no where else to place this club but than here.
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2012 MLS, Week 13: Power Rankings

By on June 19, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

We’re back with the weekly rankings after a couple weeks off.

A few changes throughout the rankings. Two clubs moved up into the top tier while two dropped out. I have a feeling we’ll see similar movement in those two tiers for the next few weeks as we move further into the summer months.

The third tier is still chugging along in a massive style while the final tier is still the worst two clubs in the league (though FC Dallas is close to joining that group).

Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments
Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the rest)
1 (1) 10-3-2 32 pts. The break did this club a great deal of good as players came back rejuvenated and healthy. A full stength RSL is a dangerous one.
2 (2) 8-3-3 27 pts. Off for this past weekend but no need to move them around. At this point they’re still the second dog in this race.
3 (5) 9-4-3 30 pts. They continue to grind away at results. With nine wins they have a good shot at things this season and could be a surprise horse in the Supporters’ Shield race.
4 (6) 9-3-1 28 pts. That was the Sporting KC we knew from earlier this season. They published a bad team and never once gave Toronto a real chance at leaving KC with any points.
Second Tier (teams expected to reach the post season but not quite on the level of the top teams)
5 (4) 8-4-2 26 pts. Health Pearce as a defensive midfielder didn’t pan out for Hans Backe. The rest of the defense looked pretty broken too, even with Wilman Conde back.
6 (3) 7-4-3 24 pts. A real defensive crapfest for the Sounders in Montreal. Sigi Schmid’s group is now winless in their last five league matches.
7 (10) 7-3-4 25 pts. The Whitecaps have 25 points on the season, they had just 28 in all of last year. Not a bad turn around. Glad to see the offense is finally showing it’s muscle too.
8 (8) 4-3-3 21 pts. Nice to see Chris Rolfe back in a Chicago uniform and scoring. He and the Fire dominated the Red Bulls on Sunday.
9 (7) 5-4-4 19 pts. The good: beating rivals 2-1 at home. The bad: struggling on the road in Vancovuer and struggling against FCD until they went down a man.
Third Tier (middle of the road in the league, teams could go either go in the playoffs or miss it entirely)
10 (13) 3-4-3 12 pts. Andy Gruenebaum is quickly becoming my top keeper here this season. Another big game for the netminder as the Crew got a scoreless draw against the Revs on the road.
11 (10) 6-7-1 19 pts. Offensively they couldn’t find a break through in Vancouver. The consistency factor is a real issue that has to be handled here soon if they even believe they are a playoff team this season.
12 (11) 4-7-3 15 pts. Solid debut for Stade Saputo as Felipe and Patrice Bernier lead the Impact to an impressive 4-1 win over Seattle.
13 (12) 5-7-1 17 pts. Two straight clean sheets should move a club up – not down – but the offensive struggles were more than enough to see the bump down.
14 (17) 4-8-2 14 pts. Out of the Western Conference cellar, but can we really expect this win to start a trend?
15 (15) 4-7-3 15 pts. The long break did this club no good, they were dominated from start to finish at home by RSL. Hard to believe this club has dropped six games – a league high – at home this year. Time to move out of the HDC for sure.
16 (16) 3-6-4 13 pts. Even with newly aquired Danny Mwanga, the Timbers still struggle at finding the back of the net.
17 (14) 3-9-4 13 pts. Just like in their previous matches, they shoot themselves in the foot with a red card. Between their suspension list and their injury list, they’d have a decent starting XI.
Bottom Tier (could be a long year for these teams)
18 (18) 2-8-2 8 pts. Peter Nowak out, John Hackworth in. After one game nothing really changed as the Union dropped another at home to D.C. United.
19 (19) 1-10-0 3 pts. New coach (Paul Mariner) and the same old story.

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