Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 9

FC Dallas and the Montreal Impact maintain the #1 and #2 spots for the 3rd week in a row and the Portland Timbers move into the top 5 for the first time all year. The New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders move out of the bottom 5, replaced by the Chicago Fire and San Jose Earthquakes.

Biggest moves up this week: New England Revolution, Portland Timbers, Columbus Crew

Biggest drops: Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City, San Jose Earthquakes

This week's rankings (+- vs last week):

1) FC Dallas (West)

2) Montreal Impact (East)

3) LA Galaxy (West) +2

4) Portland Timbers (West) +3

5) Houston Dynamo (East) -1

6) Sporting Kansas City (East) -3

7) New York Red Bulls (East) +1

8) Columbus Crew (East) +3

9) Chivas USA (West)

10) Philadelphia Union (East) -4

11) Colorado Rapids (West) +1

12) Real Salt Lake (West) -2

13) New England Revolution (East) +5

14) Seattle Sounders FC (West) +1

15) Chicago Fire (East) -2

16) Vancouver Whitecaps (West) +1

17) San Jose Earthquakes (West) -3

18) Toronto FC (East) -2

19) D.C. United (East)

Major League Soccer Match Picks, Week 9

Four for ten last week, 34% on the year.

My picks for this week:

Winners: Montreal Impact, FC Dallas, Columbus Crew, Sporting KC, Chivas USA and the Houston Dynamo

Draws: Toronto FC/New York Red Bulls, New England/Philadelphia, Real Salt Lake/LA Galaxy

Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 7

A change in the top spot this week! FC Dallas takes over for the Montreal Impact on the strength of a 5 game unbeaten streak, including 4 victories! The LA Galaxy drop out  of the top 5 for the first time all season, with Sporting KC returning after a 3 week absence.

Biggest gainers this week? Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers

Biggest drops? New England Revolution, LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes

Here you go (+ - vs last week):

1) FC Dallas (West) +2

2) Montreal Impact (East) -1

3) Houston Dynamo (East) +2

4) Chivas USA (West)

5) Sporting Kansas City (East) +2

6) LA Galaxy (West) -4

7) Philadelphia Union (East) +3

8) Portland Timbers (West) +4

9) Columbus Crew (East) -3

10) Colorado Rapids (West) +5

11) New York Red Bulls (East) +5

12) Vancouver Whitecaps (West)   -1

13) San Jose Earthquakes (West) -4

14) Real Salt Lake (West) -1

15) Toronto FC (East) -1

16) New England Revolution -8 (East)

17) Chicago Fire (East) +2

18) D.C. United (East)

19) Seattle Sounders FC (West) -2

Major League Soccer Match Picks, Week 7

Horrible week last week. I was only 1 for 7. 33% on the year.

Here's my picks this week:

Winners:

Montreal Impact
Philadelphia Union
Vancouver Whitecaps
DC United
FC Dallas
Chivas USA
Houston Dynamo

Draws:

Seattle Sounders vs New England Revolution
Portland Timbers vs San Jose Earthquakes

Major League Soccer Match Predictions, Matchweek 11, Tuesday, Wednesday Matches

So far this year I am 14 for 30 in my match predictions, a success rate of 46.6%.

My predictions for the MLS midweek matches:

Tonight, 5/15/12:

Houston beats Portland at home

Wednesday 5/16/12:

DC United beats Colorado at home

BBVA Compass Stadium, Major League Soccer Continues to Grow!

With the Houston Dynamo opening their new home stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, Major League Soccer takes another step into the realm of relevant, vibrant soccer leagues around the World!

Good article in today's New York Times:

M.L.S. Continues to Bolster Growing Brand With New Stadium in Houston

Couldn't Go to the Match, Bummer...Columbus Crew 2, Houston Dynamo 2 9/14/11

I hate missing home Columbus Crew matches. I just couldn't make it tonight. And it was Buck-a-Brat night too.

So I was stuck watching the Crew on Direct Kick. Worse yet, I had to watch the Houston Dynamo broadcast and listen to Glenn Davis piss and moan about the two penalty kicks that were called against the Dynamo and ultimately converted by Andres Mendoza to earn the Crew a hard fought draw and put them back into first place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Division.

I predicted a Crew win, so a home draw was not only disappointing from that standpoint, but it also was disappointing as I fully expect the Crew to get 3 points out of every home match.

But maybe the Crew can get a lift out of this result. Emmanuel Ekpo was ejected with a straight red in the 11th minute, leaving the Crew with 10 men for the balance of the match. They were up 2-1 until the 86th minute when the Dynamo got the equalizer. That was certainly disappointing, but the Dynamo possessed the ball for more than 70% of the match, so you could say there was a certain inevitability to this match ending in a draw.

Of greater concern to the Crew is Chad Marshall being substituted at the half with a hip injury. That would be a devastating blow if it is anything serious.

But I'm going to maintain my optimism. It still looks good for the Crew to make the MLS Playoffs, but they may do it limping in.

The Columbus Crew Will Get a Much Needed Victory Against the Houston Dynamo Tonight! 9/14/11

Admittedly I am not real confident with this pick, but the Columbus Crew should win tonight against the Houston Dynamo based on it being a home game for them. That's pretty much the margin in this one. These are two evenly matched teams.
That's my pick, and I'm sticken' to it...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Breathe...Toronto FC 4, Columbus Crew 2, 9/10/11

Final score, Toronto FC 4, the Columbus Crew 2. At COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM!

Breathe, deep breaths...

Tell yourself everything is going to be OK with the Columbus Crew.

Tell yourself that giving up 10 goals in their last two matches is nothing to be concerned about.

Tell yourself that seeing William Hesmer play his worst game...ever...is nothing to be concerned about.

Tell yourself that the starting back four of Sebastian Miranda, Chad Marshall, Julius James and Josh Gardner will communicate better in their next match.

Trillium Cup Goes to Toronto FC (Getty Images)

Tell yourself that the Crew midfield will not fail to connect on their passes like they did last night.

Tell yourself that losing to Toronto FC...FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER is only a blip, the Crew will recover.

Tell yourself we will see Eddie Gaven return to the line-up.

Tell yourself that the Crew will get things together in time for their Wednesday night home match against the Houston Dynamo.

Tell yourself the Crew will still be in playoff position after their next five matches, where they play four other teams in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference who are in playoff position (the Houston Dynamo, Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City and DC United) and the best team in all of Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Breath...

The LA Galaxy Will Not Relent! Predictions From This Weekend and My Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 23, 8/22/11

Another week, another week on top of the Rankings...or so says the LA Galaxy.

But first, a look at my Major League Soccer match predictions from this past weekend.

I picked the nine matches that were played this past Saturday and Sunday based on my rankings system, and taking into account the home field advantage so prevalent in Major League Soccer.

My results?

I correctly picked the result in four of the nine matches played. (The New England/New York draw, and the wins by Columbus, Portland and Los Angeles.) My prediction rate is a whopping 44%. I'm going to stick with the system next week.

The LA Galaxy Are On Top Again!

Some notes regarding this week's Rankings:

- Biggest jumps up? Chicago climbed 6 spots, Sporting KC climbed 5.

- Biggest decline? FC Dallas dropped 5 spots.

- Best current form? The LA Galaxy, Columbus and Colorado.

- Poorest current form? San Jose.

My week 23 Major League Soccer Rankings:

1) LA Galaxy (West)

2) Columbus Crew (East)

3) Seattle Sounders FC (West)

4) Colorado Rapids (West)

5) Houston Dynamo (East)

6) Sporting Kansas City (East)

7) D.C. United (East)

8) Chivas USA (West)

9) FC Dallas (West)

10) Portland Timbers (West)

11) Real Salt Lake (West)

12) Chicago Fire (East)

13) Philadelphia Union (East)

14) New York Red Bulls (East)

15) Toronto FC (East)

16) New England Revolution (East)

17) Vancouver Whitecaps (West)

18) San Jose Earthquakes (West)

Robbie Rogers-Man of the Match! Columbus Crew 2, Philadelphia Union 1, 8/20/11

I have had a love/hate fan relationship with the Columbus Crew's Robbie Rogers. At times I have been completely frustrated with his play, expecting more of an effort, better finishing, better final passes.

But after Robbie's performance in the Crew's 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union last night, I can now declare myself a Robbie Rogers fan.

Robbie assisted on the Crew's first goal with a nice cross into Emilio Renteria. Later in the match Rogers forced a handball in the box by Philly defender Sheanon Williams that was converted for a goal by Andres Mendoza.

It was obvious in the first half that the Union were not going to let the ball get to Rogers playing left midfield for the Crew. They overloaded their midfield on his side of the field, which allowed the Crew to work the ball up the right side. Early in the match, The Crew did have one very good opportunity in the from the right, a Justin Meram cross that Rogers almost converted for a goal.

Once the Crew figured out how to get Rogers the ball with space on the left, they became very dangerous. He had one shot he fired high, and then later in the first half made the cross that resulted in the Crew's first goal of the night.

Robbie Rogers is showing that he is one of the best midfielders in MLS and is playing up to the potential we all new he had. He's also pretty interesting on twitter. @robbierogers

The Crew now have a 5 point lead over the Houston Dynamo for first place in the MLS Eastern Conference.

This team gets better and better as the season continues. Michael Arace posted a great commentary this morning on the Columbus Dispatch's website regarding the Crew and their success this year. I love the last line, "Open your window and sniff. Is that a trace of Massive in the air?"

Check it out:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2011/08/21/big-names-in-new-york-la-but-crews-in-first.html

The Columbus Crew are Like My Psycho Girlfriend! Crew 1, Whitecaps 0, 7/6/11

Jeff Cunningham Scores the Winning Goal!

June 4th: Psycho girlfriend, "Let's go out, your kinda cute!" (Crew get a dramatic draw at the New York Red Bulls.)

June 8th: Psycho girlfriend, "That was fun, I really like you! Let's go out again. " (Crew beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 at Crew Stadium.)

June 12th: Psycho girlfriend, "I hate your guts, don't talk to me..." What did I do? (Crew play an uninspired match at home and lose to the Chicago Fire.)

June 18th: Psycho girlfriend, "I am so sorry, please come over." Huh...OK. (Crew shutout the Houston Dynamo at their place 2-0.)

June 26th: Psycho girlfriend, "Oh you are so nice to me, I don't know what I would ever do without you." (Crew demolish the Colorado Rapids 4-1.)

July 2nd: Psycho girlfriend, "You're so mean, don't touch me." What did I do this time? (Crew get demolished in Dallas 2-0.)

July 6th: Psycho girlfriend, "Why are you mad at me?" (Jeff Cunningham heads in the winner in the 90th minute to earn the Crew 3 points at Vancouver.)

Game story: http://www.thecrew.com/news/2011/07/recap-crew-vs-whitecaps-fc

With the win, The Crew maintains 3rd place in the MLS Eastern conference. (Tied for 2nd on points with Philadelphia, but 3rd in the standings due to goal differential.)

It wasn't pretty last night. The Crew fielded a ramshackle line-up due to suspensions (Emmanuel Ekpo, Andy Iro) and injuries (Rich Balchan) to regular starters. William Hesmer saved a PK. But they got the job done, and in a league where 40% of the matches end in draws, getting an away win is gold!

And what better way for Jeff Cunningham to tie the MLS career record for goals (with Jaime Moreno) and become the Columbus Crew's all time goal scoring leader (topping Brian McBride) by scoring the game-winner!

Yeah, my girlfriend is psycho, but she's worth it.

Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 7, 5/2/11

Real Salt Lake, #1 for the Third Straight Week!

My Week 7 Major League Soccer Power Rankings (wins-losses-draws) UP or DOWN from last week:

1)   Real Salt Lake, Western Conference (4-1-0) 12 points

Portland is no slouch at home, so even with their loss this week Real Salt Lake maintains the top spot.

2)   Seattle Sounders FC, Western Conference (3-2-3) 12 points UP
Hottest team in the MLS. Sounders fans' tribute to Steve Zakuani in the 11th minute of their match this week was outstanding!

3)   New York Red Bulls, Eastern Conference (4-1-2) 14 points UP

And now the Red Bulls have a defense!

4)   Houston Dynamo, Eastern Conference (3-1-3) 12 points UP

A dominant performance against D.C. United.

5)   Columbus Crew, Eastern Conference (3-1-3) 12 points UP

Sixth Straight game without a loss this weekend. And their offense showed some punch!

6)   Philadelphia Union, Eastern Conference (4-1-1) 13 points DOWN

Won on a late PK, and were a man down for the entire second half. Where to place the Union and the Galaxy were the toughest decisions of the week for me. I decided that the hottest teams would rule the rankings this week.

7)   LA Galaxy, Western Conference (4-2-3) 15 points DOWN

8)   FC Dallas, Western Conference (3-3-1) 10 points UP

Big win versus the Galaxy at home. They seem to be finding their form and continue to creep up the rankings.

9)   Portland Timbers, Western Conference (3-3-1) 10 points DOWN

Jeld-Wen Field has become a fortress. Portland stays steady at the 8-9 range in the rankings for the third straight week. Beating Real Salt Lake was a signature win.

10) Chivas USA, Western Conference (2-2-3) 9 points UP
Two victories in a row for Chivas.

After Chivas at Number 10, the quality of the teams in the rankings drop significantly. The teams ranked 11-18 have all played very poorly over their last 5 matches:

11) Colorado Rapids, Western Conference (3-3-1) 10 points DOWN

12) D.C. United, Eastern Conference (2-4-1) 7 points UP
D.C. had a horrible showing in Houston.

13) New England Revolution, Eastern Conference (2-3-3) 9 points DOWN
I thought they had their act together after last week's victory, but they followed it up with a poor showing against Chivas.

14) Toronto FC, Eastern Conference (1-3-4) 7 points UP

15) Chicago Fire, Eastern Conference (1-3-3) 6 points UP
Not winning, but at least have had draws in their last two matches.

16) Vancouver Whitecaps, Western Conference (1-4-3) 6 points UP

17) San Jose Earthquakes, Western Conference (1-4-2) 5 points DOWN

San Jose hasn't had a positive result in 4 matches. They earned the largest drop in this week's rankings.

18) Sporting Kansas City, Eastern Conference (1-4-1) 4 points DOWN

Sporting needs a home match!

65 Minutes of Domination! Columbus Crew 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 1, 4/30/2011

If the Columbus Crew match last night had ended in the 65th minute, I would have been writing about the Crew's best performance of the season. The Crew dominated possession, scored two goals (both by man of the match Emilio Renteria) and didn't allow Vancouver their first corner until the 71st minute.

Getty Images

The game seemed to be in hand for the Crew until Emmanuel Ekpo turned the ball over in the Crew's defensive third in the 69th minute. This resulted in a Vancouver counter that ended with Vancouver's Omar Salgado heading a cross into the Crew's net. For the last 31 minutes the Crew had to work hard to hang on to the win, as the pressure that Vancouver put on to get the equalizer was relentless.

But the Crew persevered and took 3 points from the match. This was the Crew's sixth straight match without a defeat, and allowed them to keep pace with the the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and the Houston Dynamo, who all won home matches this week.

Emmanuel Ekpo had just been substituted in for Kevin Burns at a defensive midfield position when he turned the ball over that resulted in the Whitecaps goal. Strange decision by Coach Robert Warzycha, as Ekpo, who can be very dangerous offensively, is known to make poor decisions when the ball is at his feet. Kevin Burns had worked very hard during the match, and probably needed a substitute, but the choice of Ekpo turned out to be very poor. Coach Warzycha may have been boxed into a corner, as his only other midfield choice on the bench was the little used Leandre Griffit who ended up entering match in the 88th. But it's hard to be too critical of Coach Warzycha's decisions with the Crew getting 12 out of a possible 18 points out of their last 6 matches.

One other note. Last night was Omar Salgado's first start for the Whitecaps. He was the first pick in the 2011 MLS Soccer SuperDraft and is only 17 years old. He was a beast last night, and gave the Crew's defense fits, especially in the last 35 minutes. He's going to be a very good player for the Whitecaps!

The Crew's next match is against one of the hottest team's in the MLS right now, the Seattle Sounders. The game is at Crew Stadium this Saturday, May 7th at 7:30pm EST. I'd certainly like to see a full house for this match, as it's going to be a good one!

Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 5, 4/18/11

Major League Soccer has just finished Matchweek 5, with all but two of the teams having played at least five matches. Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC have played 4 matches.

Time for me to introduce my MLS Power Rankings. At this point in the season, I think I have a pretty good idea of how the league is sorting out, so I'm going to share my thoughts on a weekly basis. My rankings combine overall season performance along with current form, so it's my attempt to show the 18 teams as I currently see them.

Real Salt Lake #1, Week 5

Week 5 Power Rankings (wins-losses-draws):

1)   Real Salt Lake, Western Conference (4-0-0) 12 points
2)   Philadelphia Union, Eastern Conference (3-1-1) 10 points
3)   LA Galaxy, Western Conference (3-1-3) 12 points
4)   Colorado Rapids, Western Conference (3-2-0) 9 points
5)   Houston Dynamo, Eastern Conference (2-1-2) 8 points
6)   Columbus Crew, Eastern Conference (2-1-2) 8 points
7)   New York Red Bulls, Eastern Conference (2-1-2) 8 points
8)   Portland Timbers, Western Conference (2-2-1) 7 points
9)   D.C. United, Eastern Conference (2-2-1) 7 points
10) Seattle Sounders FC, Western Conference (1-2-3) 6 points
11) Toronto FC, Eastern Conference (1-2-3) 6 points
12) New England Revolution, Eastern Conference (1-2-3) 6 points
13) San Jose Earthquakes, Western Conference (1-2-2) 5 points
14) FC Dallas, Western Conference (1-3-1) 4 points
15) Sporting Kansas City, Eastern Conference (1-2-1) 4 points
16) Chicago Fire, Eastern Conference (1-3-1) 4 points
17) Vancouver Whitecaps, Western Conference (1-2-3) 6 points
18) Chivas USA, Western Conference (0-2-3) 3 points

A few comments:

- Real Salt Lake continues to dominate.
- The Portland Timbers are the biggest early season surprise. Two big victories this week earned them the 8th spot in my rankings.
-Sporting KC is the biggest early season disappointment. Their first home game can't come soon enough.
-The Chicago Fire started the season well, but have since gone into a 3 game tailspin.

Remember, the CONCACAF Champions League Finals begin this Wednesday, April 20th. The game is on Fox Soccer Channel, 8pm MST, 10pm EST. On Twitter, use the #MLS4RSL hashtag and support Real Salt Lake!

Mountain Time

My 2011 Major League Soccer Predictions

Can't get enough of the prediction game. I realize Major League Soccer had their First Kick last weekend, so I'm cheating a bit by making my predictions now.

2011 Eastern Conference Champions:

New York Red Bull

2011 Western Conference Champions:

Real Salt Lake

2011 MLS Cup Playoff Teams:



2011 Supporters Shield Winner!

New York Red Bull

DC United

Columbus Crew

Real Salt Lake

LA Galaxy

Colorado Rapids

Sporting KC

San Jose Earthquakes

Philadelphia Union

Houston Dynamo

2011 Supporters Shield Winner:

Real Salt Lake

2011 MLS Cup Champion:

New York Red Bull



2011 MLS Cup Champion!