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It was an abbreviated Major League Soccer with just four league games during the FIFA international break. That means there’s little change from last week, unless you’re New York City FC, which dropped three spots after going 0-1-1.
As a result of the Cityzens’ struggles, other teams benefitted, with moves up the ranks despite not playing.
The Major League Soccer Power Rankings are created by averaging the rankings submitted by a committee of Pro Soccer USA’s editor and writers.
(1) Atlanta United (16-5-6, 54 points): The Five Stripes had the week off, but remain at No. 1. There’s also no reason to think they slow down with Darlington Nagbe returning to full training after missing nearly three months. (2) New York Red Bulls (17-7-4, 55 points): The Red Bulls also had the week off, but they return to action with an Atlantic Cup rivalry showdown with D.C. United at Audi Field Sunday afternoon. (3) FC Dallas (14-6-7, 49 points): The Western Conference leaders return to action Saturday at home against Columbus Crew SC in one of the most scintillating showdowns of Week 29. (4) Sporting Kansas City (14-7-6, 48 points): Felipe Gutierrez scored his first goal since March to help lift SKC to a 1-0 win over Orlando City SC on Saturday night. (5) Seattle Sounders FC (12-9-5, 41 points): The hottest team in MLS is hoping a 14-day break won’t cool them off when they head to Vancouver for a Cascadia clash against the Whitecaps. (6) Los Angeles Football Club (13-7-7, 46 points): LAFC are unbeaten in their last four and will return to action after a bye to take on a New England Revolution side that just won their second road win of the season. (8) Columbus Crew SC (12-8-7, 43 points): With NYCFC faltering, Crew SC have a legit shot at moving into third place. First step in that process will be beating FC Dallas in the first of two games they have in hand. (9) Philadelphia Union (12-11-4, 40 points): Unbeaten in their last five games, the Union have a huge showdown against the Montreal Impact coming up Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium. (10) Real Salt Lake (13-10-5, 44 points): RSL have won their last three games and scored six goals in each of their last two victories. They are 10-1-3 at Rio Tinto Stadium, which is where they will take on Minnesota United this weekend. (11) Portland Timbers (12-7-8, 44 points): Sebastian Blanco set up goals by Jeremy Ebobisse and Diego Valeri in a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. (7) New York City FC (14-8-6, 48 points): With one win in their last eight games, is it time to worry? Dome Torrent says no. In fact he said the way his team played in a 1-1 draw against D.C. United was MLS Cup-contending quality. (12) D.C. United (8-11-7, 31 points): Steve Birnbaum headed a floated Wayne Rooney free kick in to give United a 1-0 lead, but a late David Villa free kick forced them to settle for a 1-1 draw. (13) Montreal Impact (11-14-3, 36 points): After an eye-opening 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls two weeks ago, the Impact head to Talen Energy Stadium to meet the in-form Union in the definition of a six-pointer. (14) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-9-7, 40 points): The Whitecaps take a six-game unbeaten streak into a clash with red-hot Seattle Saturday. (15) Toronto FC (7-14-6, 27 points): After losing to the newest Los Angeles team at home, Toronto FC host the LA Galaxy in a game both teams need to keep slim playoff hopes alive. (16) LA Galaxy (10-10-8, 38 points): There is upheaval in La-La-Land with Sigi Schmid stepping down as head coach on Monday, replaced on an interim basis for the final six games of the regular season by Dominic Kinnear. (17) Houston Dynamo (7-13-7, 28 points): The Dynamo haven’t won a league game in more than two months. Snapping a 10-match unbeaten streak Saturday will not be easy — they’re home for Portland. (19) New England Revolution (8-10-9, 33 points): The winless streak ended at nine games when the Revs handed NYCFC a first home loss of the season. Can that win be the spark for a late playoff push? (18) Minnesota United FC (9-15-2, 29 points): The Loons return from a break a bit healthier, but they will still have a shorthanded squad when they head to D.C. United on Wednesday. (20) Orlando City SC (7-17-3, 24 points): It’s now six losses in eight games without a win for the Lions, who dropped a 1-0 result at Sporting Kansas City. (21) Colorado Rapids (6-15-6, 24 points): It’s now three straight losses and three straight games without a goal for the Rapids following a 2-0 loss to Portland. It won’t get easier with Atlanta coming to town. (22) San Jose Earthquakes (4-15-8, 20 points): The Quakes return from a break to take on surging Sporting Kansas City. That’s followed by games against Atlanta and LAFC. Ouch. (23) Chicago Fire (6-15-6, 24 points): Back from their German adventure, the Fire will try to nine-match winless streak when they host Orlando City Saturday.Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler and Emily Olsen contributed to this report
The post MLS Power Rankings Week 28: Portland Timbers back in top 10, NYCFC free-falling appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.
Original author: Dylan Butler, Pro Soccer USA
