The Seattle Sounders were on a roll. Riding a five-match winning streak, Seattle looked ready to take over the Western Conference.
Then they ran into Real Salt Lake.
RSL shut down a Sounders offense that had been rolling in recent weeks, completing a pair of shutouts that helped them maintain their hold on first place in the Western Conference and regain the top spot in FOX Soccer’s MLS Power Rankings.
Joining Real Salt Lake among the big movers this week was New York. The Red Bulls climbed up the rankings just as they have made the successful climb to the top of the East on the strength of a two-win week that took their winning streak to four matches. The streak impressively began when Thierry Henry was lost due to a hamstring injury.
Sporting KC’s third straight loss drops them down further in the rankings. Nonetheless, their amazing start to the season still deserves respect and keeps them in the top five.
So who else made moves this week? Here are FOX Soccer’s MLS Power Rankings after Week 10:
1- REAL SALT LAKE
The defense flexed its best form of the season last week, including an outstanding performance in shutting down the Sounders. Now comes a much-needed break for a team that could be tough to stop when they come back.
2- SEATTLE SOUNDERS
RSL halted their winning streak, but Seattle is still playing much better than earlier in the season. Vancouver should provide a good test to see if Fredy Montero is really ready to dominate or if his recent hot streak was just temporary.
3- SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Tying Chivas USA at home isn’t exactly something to brag about, but battling back for an equalizer shows the heart and determination this team has. A winnable game against Columbus awaits.
4- NEW YORK RED BULLS
How are they doing it? An easy stretch in the schedule is partly the cause of a four-game winning streak, but Dax McCarty, Ryan Meara and Kenny Cooper playing some of the best soccer in the league is just as much a reason for the recent success.
5- SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Where did the seemingly unbeatable Sporting KC team go? Their offense just isn’t firing right now and Peter Vermes has to be considering pulling the trigger on a summer attacking option in the transfer market. A designated player perhaps?
6- CHICAGO FIRE
Not many folks outside Illinois would have pegged the Fire to take four points from a week, including games against Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC. But they did. Rookie Austin Berry is looking like a quality player and Gonzalo Segares is playing some of his best soccer in years.
7- VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
So resting key players for a road match at New England may not have been the best idea. We’ll chalk it up to a coach looking to get some top starters some much-needed rest. Another bad loss against Seattle might raise some red flags though.
8- D.C. UNITED
It was never going to be easy beating Houston in the debut of their new stadium, but D.C. gave the Dynamo all they could handle. The team is lucky not to have lost Perry Kitchen to a major knee injury, but Chris Pontius is nicked up and Nick DeLeon is just coming back from an injury. D.C. will be looking forward to the upcoming break in the schedule.
9- HOUSTON DYNAMO
it was a banner day for the Dynamo, and not just because of the opening of their beautiful new stadium. Their defense played like the stingy Houston Dynamo of old and their offense created plenty of chances (even though Brian Ching scuffed all of his). BBVA Compass Stadium should help give them a boost up the standings.
10- COLORADO RAPIDS
Having a week off, and giving Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni more time to recover from injuries was definitely a positive, but now they must take on a Sporting KC side desperate to snap their three-match winning streak. The rested Rapids just might be able to make it a four-match losing streak.
11- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Lee Nguyen earned some sweet revenge against the club that cut him earlier in the season, but the winger needs to start playing that way more often if the Revs attack is really going to become a force. Saer Sene just keeps on impressing, while the New England defense looked very sharp versus Vancouver.
12- MONTREAL IMPACT
Jesse Marsch knows his Impact side should have put the Galaxy away in the first half of their 1-1 draw, and wasted a perfect opportunity to take three points. The response was a good one for a team that suffered such a disappointing defeat to Toronto FC in the Canadian Championships. The Impact need to start turning draws into wins if they’re going to be a playoff team.
13- LA GALAXY
Thoroughly outplayed in the first half before turning it up in the second half, the Galaxy showed some good signs against Montreal. David Beckham was outstanding, but the question remains if Bruce Arena’s team is ready to start putting together complete games. If they can’t beat Chivas USA, their perennial punching bag, then you know the Galaxy really do have some serious problems.
14- COLUMBUS CREW
Justin Meram hadn’t done much this season but his big goal on Saturday had to make Robert Warzycha smile. The goal has to give the team some hope that the 2011 first-round pick might be ready to help pick up an offense that needs a major boost.
15- FC DALLAS
Losing to a struggling Columbus side has to be a concern, but the fact is Dallas can’t play well on the road. They’re 0-4-1 away from Frisco, Texas, which just isn’t good enough for a club hoping to be a playoff team in the Western Conference.
16- PHILADELPHIA UNION
The Union finally showed some life, and Freddy Adu played like the star he’s expected to be this season. But then Adu received a red card and the Union can’t cop defensively at all. Lionard Pajoy’s two goals is a good sign, but all the chances he missed still make you wonder. Dan Califf is as good as gone, but the emergence of rookie Ray Gaddis will make his departure easier to handle.
17- CHIVAS USA
The good news is the Goats played a strong San Jose team very tough. The bad news is they blew a late lead and wound up settling for a point. It’s perplexing how much better they have been on the road than at home, but the upcoming ‘Clasico’ against the LA Galaxy should tell is if the Goats have any chance of being a real contender.
18- PORTLAND TIMBERS
A week off should help the struggling Timbers sort some things out, and give John Spencer a chance to select a lineup to help the team climb out of the Western Conference basement.
19- TORONTO FC
A week off meant a chance to regroup for the winless club, and also a chance to reshuffle the front office. Whether the changes in the coaching staff or front office do anything remains to be seen, but what the club definitely needs is Torsten Frings healthy. Without him, their chances of finally winning a game or recording a single point, are pretty slim.
