Previous ranking: 2
Fun fact: The Sounders are undefeated all time when Jordan Morris scores four goals and Leo Chu picks up four assists, as they did in beating SKC.
Previous ranking: 1
There have been Designated Players in league history who have had little interest in actually playing for their teams. Then you have Denis Bouanga, who played 90 minutes for Gabon on Thursday, left his national team halfway through the international window to return to Los Angeles, landed mere hours before kickoff, then came off the bench to score an 84th-minute winner against FC Dallas.
Previous ranking: 5
Make STL five-for-five in pressing teams into oblivion after making RSL look like an amateur side in Utah.
Previous ranking: 4
Brandon Vazquez’s first goal of the season propelled Cincy to a win in Nashville, which reminds you that the Garys have been getting it done without Vazquez finding the back of the net until now. If he gets going, watch out, top three.
Previous ranking: 7
Nashville aren’t doing much to quell the concerns that they will struggle to play from behind. They managed just two shots after falling behind Cincy in the 48th minute en route to a loss. Fortunately, they will continue to be excellent in most games, which they’ll control.
Previous ranking: 6
Frankly, the Union should probably be lower than this after seeing their 24-match home unbeaten streak snapped against Orlando to continue their shaky start to the season, but none of the teams after the top four look overly impressive, most of them dropped points over the weekend and it’s still early enough in the campaign that Philly’s excellence last season isn’t being totally thrown out the window yet.
Previous ranking: 3
There is not a single decent thing to take from their shellacking at the hands of Columbus other than the knowledge that Thiago Almada and the rest of their international contingent will be back next week.
Previous ranking: 8
Dallas have to meet VAR outside the stadium after it ruled out a goal and got them sent down to 10 men all before halftime in a loss at LAFC.
Previous ranking: 9
What’s a good remedy for playing without seven players? Playing a team missing seven of their own. However they got there, Orlando winning in Philly is a statement that they are moving on from their CONCACAF Champions League heartbreak./p>
Previous ranking: 13
You would think that with a new manager instilling a new and very different system, the Crew’s cracks would show when forced to tap into their depth. That sure wasn’t the case when injuries and the international break made them dig deep on Saturday, only to see them smash Atlanta 6-1. Wilfried Nancy has Columbus well ahead of schedule.
Previous ranking: 18
What to make of the Revs after another win, this time over D.C., kept them top of the East? They’re racking up points, but three of their four wins have come by one goal, they got smoked in their only loss and the advanced stats are not screaming “great team,” to be kind. Maybe you believe that winning close games in which the team doesn’t really outplay their opponents over 90 minutes is a real skill, in which case hop on board the New England bandwagon, but more often than not, that’s proven to be more luck than anything else and it evens out over time.
