MLS Offside Power Rankings: Week 13

By: travis | June 17th, 2009

When nobody draws, everybody moves. Considering the run that Houston is on, they’ve supplanted Chivas USA at the top spot. After the Goats, it’s hard to pinpoint who the best teams in the league are.

The race in the East is close — except for New York — with six teams within six points of each other. D.C. is leading the way, and has done well as of late. They’ll be on the road for two games this week, traveling up to Seattle to take on the new boys.

At the bottom, nothings changed. San Jose, New York, and Dallas all lost and remain mired at the bottom.

Full rankings are after the jump. Don’t forget to follow MLS Offside on Twitter and to email ideas and tips to mlsoffside[at]gmail[dot]com.

1. Houston Dynamo
Record: 8-2-3
Previous: 2
Comment: A club on fire. No one can spot them now, with eight wins from 10. Cam Weaver is also looking good after just two games.

2. Chivas USA
Record: 8-4-3
Previous: 1
Comment: Slipping in the rankings, as they’ve struggled in the past few weeks. The SuperLiga is up next, giving Preki a chance to rest and retool his lineup.

3. D.C. United
Record: 5-2-7
Previous: 6
Comment: The next two months are a huge test for United, starting with this week. Two games on the road, Wednesday against Seattle and Saturday against Colorado. If they can succeed on the road, they’ll establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the MLS Cup.

5. Seattle Sounders FC
Record: 5-3-5
Previous: 5
Comment: Bouncing back with a win against San Jose was important. D.C. comes to town tonight in what is a test for both teams.

4. Colorado Rapids
Record: 4-2-5
Previous: 4
Comment: Can’t punish them for not playing, but since Seattle won, they drop one spot.

6. Chicago Fire
Record: 5-3-6
Previous: 3
Comment: A SuperLiga break for Chicago is welcome after dropping three in a row. Important for Dennis Hamlett to rest starters in order to keep them fresh for the regular season.

7. Columbus Crew
Record: 4-2-7
Previous: 8
Comment: Back in the thick of things, now just three points back of first place. I knew that they would be back, and with GBS playing so well, it’s hard to see who will stop them.

8. Kansas City Wizards
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 9
Comment: The SuperLiga is up for the Wizards now, which gives them a week and a half break in the league.

9. New England Revolution
Record: 4-4-4
Previous: 7
Comment: A slip on the road for the Revolution who seemed to be back on the right track. The health of Taylor Twellman is huge for New England, and with his future in doubt, it’s hard to know how they’ll respond.

10. Real Salt Lake
Record: 4-6-3
Previous: 11
Comment: A road win for Real? I’d never thought we’d see the day. It will only mean something if they can put more than one win together on the road.

11. Toronto FC
Record: 5-5-4
Previous: 12
Comment: A win against New York is a start, but to impress both fans and pundits they’ll need to do it in more convincing fashion than that.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy
Record: 2-2-9
Previous: 10
Comment: A loss to RSL ends the Galaxy’s unbeaten streak. While most of those were draws, they have enough points for a respectful platform to build something positive on. Hard to say what they’ll actually accomplish in the long run.

13. FC Dallas
Record: 2-7-4
Previous: 13
Comment: Not much to say about Dallas. Wake me up when they win again.

14. San Jose Earthquakes
Record: 2-8-3
Previous: 14
Comment: Darren Huckerby has to stay healthy for this team to have a shot at looking respectable.

15. New York Red Bulls
Record: 2-10-3
Previous: 15
Comment: Danny Cepero was the only positive to take away from yet another loss. How Juan Carlos Osorio still has a job is beyond me, though I don’t know what removing him would even do.