Previous ranking: 2
A pair of away games in one week is never easy, but two losses and no goals is a problem. The transfer window is set to open and the Yotes have an open DP spot. Let’s get that No. 9 in and turn this very good team into a truly great one.
Previous ranking: 3
They followed up last week’s comeback win over SKC with a win over Seattle. The Concacaf Champions League hangover is finally done, right? Maybe not. Vancouver put three past them in Los Angeles and all of a sudden the Black and Gold are right back in a ditch.
Previous ranking: 6
We thought Wilfried Nancy’s team would gradually improve as the season went on, and with a five-match unbeaten streak — the latest coming in a terrific win over Nashville — that’s exactly what appears to be happening.
Previous ranking: 5
“That’s the best thing I could take out of the game, that we walked off the field with three points on a night where we didn’t play well. Last year, we lost those games frequently.”
Bruce Arena summed up the Revs’ performance against Toronto pretty well, but he left out the heroic performance of the Revolution beekeepers.
Previous ranking: 7
City got beaten up in Salt Lake, then bounced back with a win against San Jose to put them top of the West, but they hold that spot by just a hair. They are eighth in the West in xG against per 90, which does not portend well for the second half of the season, but those points they banked in the first half aren’t going anywhere, so an expansion-season playoff berth still awaits them.
Previous ranking: 9
A loss to LAFC and draw against Orlando saw a combined one goal in the 180 minutes, and now the Sounders are on pace for their fewest goals scored — and fewest goals allowed — in club history.
Previous ranking: 8
The Five Stripes can wave off the 4-0 shellacking at the hands of RBNY. The soccer gods, for reasons only they can understand, have made it so the Red Bulls will own them until the end of time. But drawing in Atlanta against an NYCFC team that is terrible away from home? There’s no excuse for that one.
Previous ranking: 12
The Caps’ problem all season has been turning all their terrific play and chances into goals, so what happened when they went to LAFC? They didn’t create that many chances yet still scored three goals. It’s a silly sport, and a great three points for Vancouver.
Previous ranking: 10
The Dynamo put in one of their best showings of the season in smoking San Jose, then one of their worst in a defeat at the hands of Austin. They probably wish they could flip those two.
Previous ranking: 11
Falling at home to St. Louis isn’t the worst thing in the world. After all, the Quakes had to lose a game at home eventually. The problem is whether they can afford even a single loss at home considering how much they struggle on the road, as was shown when they got dunked on in Houston midweek.
Previous ranking: 14
Having to go from Orlando midweek to Seattle on the weekend is the work of a cruel scheduler, but that’s what the Lions got, and they handled it well. Their draw against Philadelphia was more than deserved, and they arguably could have beaten the Sounders. The jump they got from Facundo Torres’ return was evident and, although their results are still middling, there are enough signs there that it is really easy to believe in Orlando making a second-half run.
Previous ranking: 13
It’s bad enough to get thumped by a rival, as Dallas did by Austin, but a weather delay pushed the game back by two hours, so the Toros had to sit around and wait to get their butts kicked. Tough.
