2007 MLS Week 3 Power Ratings
Three weeks in and what do we find? A New York team sitting on top of them all while three of the 'big clubs' sit in the bottom third of the ratings. Could this really be the season the restarts the league like all the 'first kick' promos promised or is this just a statistical blip that will correct itself over the next six months? I have no clue, but I do have some ratings. Here is the way the teams stand as of today.
1. New York Red Bull (Last week - 4) - I never thought I would see the day, but here it is; New York is playing the best soccer in America. They went down a man and still behaved like a team. With more offensive power on its way, this could just be the year that the Bulls stop being the joke of the league.
2. FC Dallas (5) - Colorado's game plan was to stop FCD by stopping Ruiz and it worked till Dallas changed their system. With Ruiz out, they readjusted and threw the Rapids off. Still, the goal they gave up was weak and they were lucky to get to the hour mark tied. Also, the reason Ruiz came out had a lot more to due with an injury then strategy and the last thing FCD needs now is another injury.
3. Chicago Fire (8) - Almost every minute of the match saw the Fire in charge, however they were not able to finish. The good news is they were finally winning balls in the middle and delivering them with good accuracy, now they just need to get a few more in goal.
4. New England Revolution (3) - Twellman is back, Reis is as strong as every and Joseph seems to be proving his value with his play but they still should be concerned. Getting a road point is great but not when you should have got three. How do you leave a man unmarked in the box in the final moments of a game?
5. Colorado Rapids (2) - Great plan in Dallas, however once the opposition changed they could not adjust. The Rapids made some good chances and controlled the midfield for large portions of the game but they were beat by speed.
6. Chivas USA (7) - Everything was roaring for the goats on Saturday night. Their skill on the ball was far better then most MLS clubs and their defense reduced Real's offense to afterthoughts. This was a near perfect game for Chivas, now they just need to do it against teams a little more together then Salt Lake.
7. Kansas City Wizards (1) - Chicago did to KC what KC did to DC their first week. The Wizards were shutdown all over the pitch, but on the plus side, their defense held tight against the constant attack. In a lot of ways, this was a rehash of the 2006 Wizards as they lacked in the middle and were absent up top. The question now is which club will show up for their Wednesday night home opener?
8. Columbus Crew (10) - Can a team survive on ties alone? Well no, but for some reason it impresses me that they have three so far. The Crew found themselves against the wall a number of times, but they would not let the Revs dominate. The fact that they made good on the breaks and threatened more then a few time shows this team has possibility.
9. Houston Dynamo (6) - Where has this club gone? Just about everyone except Pat Onstad and Ricardo Clark was stinking up Giants stadium. Eddie Robinson is a shadow of his 2006 self, Dwayne De Rosario is lost and confused and Paul Dalglish seems baffled by the concept of the game. You would think being up a man for an hour would help calm the team but it actually seemed to work in the other direction. They have a long way to go to make it back to the MLS Cup, but their first step might be actually scoring more then a goal.
10. DC United (11) - The United faithful worked up a new chant during their down week, which goes something like, "New York might be better then us but they still haven't won a cup."
11. Los Angeles Galaxy (12) - Um, have you heard that Beckham is coming. Really, Beckham is coming to LA. Beckham will play right here in LA. Beckham. In other LA news, Donovan still can't center a dead ball.
12. Real Salt Lake (12) - There is so much talent on this team's roster but they cannot find a way to bring it together week after week. Just when it looks like they are on the verge of doing something, they implode. Perhaps adding Kasey Keller could bring some consistency to the program or maybe it's time for John Ellinger to go. The team is much too talented to be playing at their current level and they really have to stop letting in late, late, late goals (for the third time this season, they conceded a goal after the 88th minute).
13. Toronto FC (13) - They had the week off, so coach Mo Johnson decided to trade his entire starting lineup.
So there you have it, the MLS in a nice orderly list.
1. New York Red Bull (Last week - 4) - I never thought I would see the day, but here it is; New York is playing the best soccer in America. They went down a man and still behaved like a team. With more offensive power on its way, this could just be the year that the Bulls stop being the joke of the league.
2. FC Dallas (5) - Colorado's game plan was to stop FCD by stopping Ruiz and it worked till Dallas changed their system. With Ruiz out, they readjusted and threw the Rapids off. Still, the goal they gave up was weak and they were lucky to get to the hour mark tied. Also, the reason Ruiz came out had a lot more to due with an injury then strategy and the last thing FCD needs now is another injury.
3. Chicago Fire (8) - Almost every minute of the match saw the Fire in charge, however they were not able to finish. The good news is they were finally winning balls in the middle and delivering them with good accuracy, now they just need to get a few more in goal. 
4. New England Revolution (3) - Twellman is back, Reis is as strong as every and Joseph seems to be proving his value with his play but they still should be concerned. Getting a road point is great but not when you should have got three. How do you leave a man unmarked in the box in the final moments of a game? 
5. Colorado Rapids (2) - Great plan in Dallas, however once the opposition changed they could not adjust. The Rapids made some good chances and controlled the midfield for large portions of the game but they were beat by speed. 
6. Chivas USA (7) - Everything was roaring for the goats on Saturday night. Their skill on the ball was far better then most MLS clubs and their defense reduced Real's offense to afterthoughts. This was a near perfect game for Chivas, now they just need to do it against teams a little more together then Salt Lake.
7. Kansas City Wizards (1) - Chicago did to KC what KC did to DC their first week. The Wizards were shutdown all over the pitch, but on the plus side, their defense held tight against the constant attack. In a lot of ways, this was a rehash of the 2006 Wizards as they lacked in the middle and were absent up top. The question now is which club will show up for their Wednesday night home opener?
8. Columbus Crew (10) - Can a team survive on ties alone? Well no, but for some reason it impresses me that they have three so far. The Crew found themselves against the wall a number of times, but they would not let the Revs dominate. The fact that they made good on the breaks and threatened more then a few time shows this team has possibility. 
9. Houston Dynamo (6) - Where has this club gone? Just about everyone except Pat Onstad and Ricardo Clark was stinking up Giants stadium. Eddie Robinson is a shadow of his 2006 self, Dwayne De Rosario is lost and confused and Paul Dalglish seems baffled by the concept of the game. You would think being up a man for an hour would help calm the team but it actually seemed to work in the other direction. They have a long way to go to make it back to the MLS Cup, but their first step might be actually scoring more then a goal.
10. DC United (11) - The United faithful worked up a new chant during their down week, which goes something like, "New York might be better then us but they still haven't won a cup." 
11. Los Angeles Galaxy (12) - Um, have you heard that Beckham is coming. Really, Beckham is coming to LA. Beckham will play right here in LA. Beckham. In other LA news, Donovan still can't center a dead ball. 
12. Real Salt Lake (12) - There is so much talent on this team's roster but they cannot find a way to bring it together week after week. Just when it looks like they are on the verge of doing something, they implode. Perhaps adding Kasey Keller could bring some consistency to the program or maybe it's time for John Ellinger to go. The team is much too talented to be playing at their current level and they really have to stop letting in late, late, late goals (for the third time this season, they conceded a goal after the 88th minute). 
13. Toronto FC (13) - They had the week off, so coach Mo Johnson decided to trade his entire starting lineup.So there you have it, the MLS in a nice orderly list.
Labels: 2007 MLS Power Ratings, MLS
posted by Mike H at 9:59 AM
1 Comments:
First - Dallas was a bit lucky to be able to take advantage of 2 unforced defensice mistakes on Colorado's part. Coundal somehow found a way to allow the Nunez free kick to go in, and Ihemelu delayed his run and missed a tackle. I'm not convinced that Dallas is really that good as of yet. Also, right on about RSL. I've written several posts about that team's need to get a good goalkeeper. Although, I don't consider Freddy Adu to be 'talent.' He has proven nothing, and until he does I will refer to him as potential.
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