2016 MLS Power Rankings: Week 9
Week 9 of the 2016 MLS season was jam-packed with four days of matches, as a midweek fixture and a full weekend of action saw each team round off the first quarter of their respective campaigns.
The Montreal Impact played out to a pair of draws against New York City FC and the Colorado Rapids, while the New York Red Bulls destroyed FC Dallas 4-0; the Portland Timbers defeated Toronto FC at Providence Park, sending the Reds back home with 11 points in eight straight road matches.
Here's how each team ranks this week:
1. LA Galaxy (-)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Sporting KC
- Next MLS Match: Sunday, May 8 vs. New England (3:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 4-1-3 | 18 | 8 |
Another week, another positive result for the LA Galaxy; sure, it wasn't a win, but a 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City is just fine for Bruce Arena's side.
2. Real Salt Lake (+2)
- Last Week: 2-1 win vs. Houston Dynamo
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 at Colorado (9 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 5-1-2 | 14 | 12 |
It's hard to find much to fault with Real Salt Lake this season; the team is playing some exciting, attacking football, and the wins are flowing as a result.
3. Toronto FC (-1)
- Last Week: 2-1 loss vs. Portland Timbers
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. FC Dallas (7:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 3-3-2 | 9 | 7 |
Despite dropping a 2-1 result against the Portland Timbers, Toronto FC remains the strongest defensive side in the league after eight away matches.
4. FC Dallas (-1)
- Last Week: 4-0 loss vs. NY Red Bulls
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. Toronto (7:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 5-3-2 | 15 | 17 |
We're not sure what's happening to FC Dallas; one week, this young, hungry side destroys its opponents - the next, they're succumbing to multi-goal losses.
5. Montreal Impact (-)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. NYCFC, 2-2 draw vs. Colorado Rapids
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 at Columbus (7:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 4-3-2 | 13 | 11 |
In case you haven't heard, Didier Drogba is back, and while he certainly helps Montreal's cause, a pair of draws was all his team could muster this week.
6. Philadelphia Union (+1)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. San Jose Earthquakes
- Next MLS Match: Bye Week
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 4-3-1 | 11 | 8 |
Philadelphia continues to pick up results despite being written off at the start of the season; Jim Curtin's side now has points from four consecutive games.
7. San Jose Earthquakes (+1)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Philadelphia
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 at Seattle (10:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 4-2-3 | 12 | 11 |
San Jose continues to pick up points where they can but most importantly, Simon Dawkins is getting his groove back, which will certainly help their cause.
8. Sporting Kansas City (-2)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Whitecaps, 1-1 draw vs. LA Galaxy
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 at Houston (8:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 | 11 | 10 |
With only one win in the last seven games, Sporting KC is in a bit of a rut despite starting the season off in fine form. It's now five straight without a win.
9. Colorado Rapids (+2)
- Last Week: 2-2 draw vs. Montreal Impact
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. Real Salt Lake (9:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 5-2-2 | 12 | 8 |
Colorado sits atop the entire league after starting 5-2-2 this season; we're still not entirely convinced but another win and they'll shoot right up this chart, too.
10. Portland Timbers (-)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. New England, 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 at Vancouver (5:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 3-3-3 | 14 | 16 |
For the Portland Timbers, a win over Toronto FC will be a perfect starting point to regroup; how about Jake Gleeson, eh?
11. New York Red Bulls (+4)
- Last Week: 4-0 win vs. FC Dallas
- Next MLS Match: Friday, May 6 at Orlando (7:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 3-6-0 | 12 | 17 |
We're not going to give the Red Bulls too much credit for their 4-0 win over FC Dallas, but it is the first sign of some returning dominance, which is nice.
12. Orlando City (-4)
- Last Week: 2-2 draw vs. New England Revolution
- Next MLS Match: Friday, May 6 vs. NY Red Bulls (7:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 2-2-4 | 15 | 13 |
Orlando City continues to demonstrate week in and week out that success comes with Kaka on the field. That dependence, though, is alarming.
13. Vancouver Whitecaps (-1)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Sporting KC, 3-2 loss vs. NYCFC
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. Portland (5:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5-2 | 12 | 15 |
Carl Robinson's side seemed to figure things out last week, then picked up a tie and a loss this week to bring the Whitecaps right back to the drawing board.
14. Columbus Crew (-)
- Last Week: 1-0 loss vs. Seattle Sounders
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. Montreal (7:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 2-4-2 | 7 | 10 |
We'll ignore this loss against the Seattle Sounders, because, frankly, Columbus probably deserved to win this one, as far as deserved results go in sports.
15. New England Revolution (-2)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Portland, 2-2 draw vs. Orlando
- Next MLS Match: Sunday, May 8 at LA Galaxy (3:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2-7 | 11 | 16 |
Seven draws? Fine. It's a point per game. But the Revolution need to win a match soon or they're going to finish the season with less than 40 points.
16. Seattle Sounders (+2)
- Last Week: 1-0 win vs. Columbus Crew
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. San Jose (10:00 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4-1 | 8 | 10 |
Jordan Morris scored in his third consecutive game as the Sounders picked up yet another victory. They're getting stronger but still have some work to do.
17. D.C. United (-1)
- Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Chicago Fire
- Next MLS Match: Sunday, May 8 vs. NYCFC (7:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3-4 | 11 | 11 |
D.C. United needs a makeover, a new star player, and maybe a new identity. Whatever Ben Olsen's doing, it's not working - a draw against Chicago isn't good enough.
18. New York City FC (+1)
- Last Week: 1-1 vs. Montreal, 3-2 vs. Vancouver
- Next MLS Match: Sunday, May 8 at D.C. United (7:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3-4 | 13 | 15 |
David Villa showed his team what happens when you remain resilient and fight for every ball. His acrobatic goal was a thing of beauty. As for Andrea Pirlo?
19. Chicago Fire (-2)
- Last Week: 1-1 vs. D.C. United
- Next MLS Match: Bye Week
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2-4 | 7 | 8 |
Sure, the Fire may be dealing with a few injuries, but Gilberto's inability to actually find the back of the net is a problem even when the Brazilian is healthy.
20. Houston Dynamo (-)
- Last Week: 2-1 loss vs. Real Salt Lake
- Next MLS Match: Saturday, May 7 vs. Sporting KC (8:30 p.m. ET)
| Record (W-L-D) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5-2 | 14 | 16 |
Houston's one silver lining this season was in its goal-scoring, but now that they've conceded more than they've scored, even that point of solace has vanished.