2007 MLS Week 6 Power Ratings
Week six still sees MLS as a mighty muddy place as no team in either conference seems to really be racing out of the gates. New England seems to be the team in the best position to do such a thing over the next couple weeks, however, there is just as much a chance that they will slip up and KC, NY or Chicago could be up on top. In the West, it is even murkier. Without a TFC to snag points from, just about everyone is a win away from a playoff position.
Talking about the two conferences, the East still has the better record at 7-4-4 even though the West pulled off a 2-1-1 record this week.
Needless to say, with all the mud, there is not a lot of movement in the ratings.
1. New England Revolution (Last week - 1) - This team looks to be coming together as their passing is getting amazing and they are finding ways to flood the box. Matt Reis and his defense are holding strong, although the backline still shifts out of position a bit too often.
2. Kansas City Wizards (3) - The fact that KC lost this week and still moved up says something about the league as a whole. Anyway, the Wizards really should have got the win as their offense was sending in strong shot after strong shot, however FCD's goalkeeper Dario Sala keep KC from getting any points. The good news for KC is not every team will have such a strong goal minder.
3. New York Red Bull (2) - Sunday afternoon was a disgrace to the club. It was one of the worst showings by any team this season, yet they only lost by a goal. NY is looking better then last year, but their recent trade is in a bad direction. Also, if they need Claudio Reyna to keep their midfield steady, they are going to be in for many headaches this season.
4. Houston Dynamo (5) - The Dynamo had a week off so Dwayne De Rosario could show off his newish haircut.
5. FC Dallas (6) - They got the win in KC thanks to the wonderful work of Sala, but their offense is still lacking in force. They need to find a better plan for distributing the ball and holding it as Sala is good but asking him to make at least 10 difficult saves a match is not a way to win games.
6. Chicago Fire (4) - For the second week in a row this club was absent. They had no attack and each defender was trying to play more out of position then the others. It really was a disgusting display of soccer. Much like the Red Bulls, Chicago is okay over the full season, but their current direction is not a good one.
7. Colorado Rapids (7) - Both their Thursday game against Real and their Sunday game against New York saw the team leave huge open pockets but the good news for the Rapids is neither side was capable of exploiting it. Still, to play two poor games and get four points says something.
8. Los Angeles Galaxy (8) - They finally get their offense going across the board (ie not just Donovan), but their defense can't collapse fast enough. Their set pieces are looking a bit better but this is a club without a strategy.
9. DC United (9) - DC United had the week off to celebrate Jamie Moreno finally getting called back up for national team duty with Bolivia.
10. Columbus Crew (10) - Oh the Crew, how can you stay angry with them? Their defend all the time plan seems to be working for them as they at picking up ties at a remarkable pace, but at some point they are going to crack. It might be good but it might not be.
11. Chivas USA (11) - Different week, same issue as the goats seem to need at least 10 chances at goal before they will actually make something of it. If you can't get a win against a Crew team that is almost mocking you by giving you so much time what hope do you have against teams that actually attack?
12. Real Salt Lake (12) - Okay, good news first, they have not lost a match in two games. Bad news, they still are confused on the pitch. As much fun as it was to watch Adu run through the Rapids wide-open spaces, his lack of smart decision-making at the end of those runs was difficult to watch. Also, RSL's defense was just about as all over the place as the Fire's.
13. Toronto FC (13) - They not only got a goal, they got a win. It was a great afternoon for the team from Canada, but is this just a one time deal? If they can play like that every home match and eek out a few ties on the road, they will be in a great spot. However, their whole season seems to point to that being a difficult result to imagine.
And that's the MLS for another week.
Talking about the two conferences, the East still has the better record at 7-4-4 even though the West pulled off a 2-1-1 record this week.
Needless to say, with all the mud, there is not a lot of movement in the ratings.
1. New England Revolution (Last week - 1) - This team looks to be coming together as their passing is getting amazing and they are finding ways to flood the box. Matt Reis and his defense are holding strong, although the backline still shifts out of position a bit too often. 
2. Kansas City Wizards (3) - The fact that KC lost this week and still moved up says something about the league as a whole. Anyway, the Wizards really should have got the win as their offense was sending in strong shot after strong shot, however FCD's goalkeeper Dario Sala keep KC from getting any points. The good news for KC is not every team will have such a strong goal minder.
3. New York Red Bull (2) - Sunday afternoon was a disgrace to the club. It was one of the worst showings by any team this season, yet they only lost by a goal. NY is looking better then last year, but their recent trade is in a bad direction. Also, if they need Claudio Reyna to keep their midfield steady, they are going to be in for many headaches this season. 
4. Houston Dynamo (5) - The Dynamo had a week off so Dwayne De Rosario could show off his newish haircut.
5. FC Dallas (6) - They got the win in KC thanks to the wonderful work of Sala, but their offense is still lacking in force. They need to find a better plan for distributing the ball and holding it as Sala is good but asking him to make at least 10 difficult saves a match is not a way to win games.
6. Chicago Fire (4) - For the second week in a row this club was absent. They had no attack and each defender was trying to play more out of position then the others. It really was a disgusting display of soccer. Much like the Red Bulls, Chicago is okay over the full season, but their current direction is not a good one. 
7. Colorado Rapids (7) - Both their Thursday game against Real and their Sunday game against New York saw the team leave huge open pockets but the good news for the Rapids is neither side was capable of exploiting it. Still, to play two poor games and get four points says something.
8. Los Angeles Galaxy (8) - They finally get their offense going across the board (ie not just Donovan), but their defense can't collapse fast enough. Their set pieces are looking a bit better but this is a club without a strategy. 
9. DC United (9) - DC United had the week off to celebrate Jamie Moreno finally getting called back up for national team duty with Bolivia.
10. Columbus Crew (10) - Oh the Crew, how can you stay angry with them? Their defend all the time plan seems to be working for them as they at picking up ties at a remarkable pace, but at some point they are going to crack. It might be good but it might not be. 
11. Chivas USA (11) - Different week, same issue as the goats seem to need at least 10 chances at goal before they will actually make something of it. If you can't get a win against a Crew team that is almost mocking you by giving you so much time what hope do you have against teams that actually attack?
12. Real Salt Lake (12) - Okay, good news first, they have not lost a match in two games. Bad news, they still are confused on the pitch. As much fun as it was to watch Adu run through the Rapids wide-open spaces, his lack of smart decision-making at the end of those runs was difficult to watch. Also, RSL's defense was just about as all over the place as the Fire's.
13. Toronto FC (13) - They not only got a goal, they got a win. It was a great afternoon for the team from Canada, but is this just a one time deal? If they can play like that every home match and eek out a few ties on the road, they will be in a great spot. However, their whole season seems to point to that being a difficult result to imagine.And that's the MLS for another week.
Labels: 2007 MLS Power Ratings, MLS
posted by Mike H at 10:12 AM
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