2016 MLS Power Rankings: Week 2

Week 2 of the 2016 MLS season saw plenty of giants fall in surprising upsets.

The Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, Philadelphia Union, Colorado Rapids, and Real Salt Lake all punished superior opposition as a pair of goals here, a last-gasp winner there, and a few beautiful efforts dominated the headlines over the weekend.

Here's how each team ranks after Week 2 of MLS action:

1. Montreal Impact (+6)

• Last Week: 3-0 win vs. New York Red Bulls
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 at FC Dallas (9 p.m. ET)

The Montreal Impact are the best team in MLS today, and that's a claim they can make even without their star player, Didier Drogba. Head coach Mauro Biello has finally gotten his midfield balance right, his wingers are producing, Ignacio Piatti is on fire, and the back four looks solid, too.

Coincidentally, it was Drogba's birthday on the weekend, so a win to top the standings is a pretty decent birthday present from his teammates:

2. Portland Timbers (-1)

• Last Week: 2-1 loss vs. San Jose Earthquakes
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 vs. Real Salt Lake (10:30 p.m. ET)

The Portland Timbers are just shaking off the cobwebs after a long, well-deserved rest in the off-season. These 2015 MLS Cup champions aren't pushovers; this is their first loss since Oct. 3, 2015.

3. Sporting Kansas City (+8)

• Last Week: 2-1 win vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
• Next MLS Match: Sunday, March 20 vs. Toronto FC (7 p.m. ET)

It's been a while since Sporting KC has been under the spotlight but with Dom Dwyer at the helm, Peter Vermes' side is soaring. Who needs Krisztian Nemeth, anyway?

4. Toronto FC (+1)

• Last Week: 2-2 draw vs. New York City FC
• Next MLS Match: Sunday, March 20 at Sporting KC (7 p.m. ET)

The Sebastian Giovinco show rolled into the tiny field at Yankee Stadium and while Toronto FC's usual comedy of errors resulted in a penalty and a hand-ball goal against, the Atomic Ant shouldered the burden once more to keep things level.

5. LA Galaxy (-1)

• Last Week: 1-0 loss vs. Colorado Rapids
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 vs. San Jose (10:30 p.m. ET)

The fun part of watching this current crop of LA Galaxy stars is in the knowledge that, at some point this year, this team is going to utterly dominate any and all opposition. Week 2 is not that point in the season, though.

6. San Jose Earthquakes (+9)

• Last Week: 2-1 win vs. Portland Timbers
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 at LA Galaxy (10:30 p.m. ET)

Of all the resurgent sides in MLS, the San Jose Earthquakes look best, though to be fair, this has been an uprising in the making since the second half of the 2015 season. Quincy Amarikwa's stunning goal is worth another watch (or 10).

7. Houston Dynamo (+9)

• Last Week: 5-0 win vs. FC Dallas
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 at NY Red Bulls (7 p.m. ET)

The Houston Dynamo are back, so in the spirit of their triumphant return, let us remember fondly the 2007 season when this club last won the MLS Cup. Back then, MLS had just welcomed David Beckham, Cuauhtemoc Blanco was ruling the roost at Chicago and Chivas USA topped the Western Conference.

Oh, and this:

8. New England Revolution (+1)

• Last Week: 0-0 draw vs. D.C. United
• Next MLS Match: Sunday, March 20 at Philadelphia (2:30 p.m. ET)

A pair of draws is enough for the Revs to avoid the scathing fires of our Power Ranking scorn, but if those draws don't turn into wins, New England might just slip down, down, down.

9. Columbus Crew (-3)

• Last Week: 2-1 loss vs. Philadelphia Union
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 at Chicago Fire (5 p.m. ET)

We're going to assume Columbus is still recovering from the shell-shock loss(es) to Portland, both in the MLS Cup final and on opening day of the season. Chins up, lads.

10. FC Dallas (-7)

• Last Week: 5-0 loss vs. Houston Dynamo
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 vs. Montreal Impact (9 p.m. ET)

This just about sums up FC Dallas this week:

11. New York Red Bulls (-9)

• Last Week: 3-0 loss vs. Montreal Impact
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 vs. Houston Dynamo (7 p.m. ET)

No wins, no goals, the Red Bulls are slumping, spiraling out of control! Well ... probably not, but Jesse Marsch is going to have to give his players a good kick in the rear because this kind of form is unbecoming of the league's top dogs.

12. Real Salt Lake (+6)

• Last Week: 2-1 win vs. Seattle Sounders
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 at Portland (10:30 p.m. ET)

Real Salt Lake's front three is comprised of a tiny Ecuadorian winger, an Armenian striker who plied his trade in Russia, and a man named Burrito. And it's working.

13. New York City FC (-)

• Last Week: 2-2 draw vs. Toronto FC
• Next MLS Match: Friday, March 18 vs. Orlando City (7 p.m. ET)

Good news: NYCFC scores goals. Bad news: NYCFC leaks goals. We want to believe in Patrick Vieira, but then he does this and you just have to wonder:

14. Orlando City (-1)

• Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Chicago Fire
• Next MLS Match: Friday, March 18 at NYCFC (7 p.m. ET)

All of Cyle Larin's excellent goal-scoring is being wasted by an Orlando team that just cannot defend a lead. Orlando's come-from-behind draw last week was a positive step forward, but a draw to Chicago shows this team still has some growing pains to endure.

15. Philadelphia Union (+2)

• Last Week: 2-1 win vs. Columbus Crew
• Next MLS Match: Sunday, March 20 vs. New England (2:30 p.m. ET)

The Philadelphia Union pulled off another upset, defeating the Crew in comfortable fashion. Can they replicate that feat regularly, though? Probably not.

16. Vancouver Whitecaps (-8)

• Last Week: 2-1 loss vs. Sporting Kansas City
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 at Seattle Sounders (10 p.m. ET)

Someone poke the Vancouver bear and wake this team out of its hibernation already.

17. Colorado Rapids (+2)

• Last Week: 1-0 win vs. LA Galaxy
• Next MLS Match: Sunday, March 20 at D.C. United (5 p.m. ET)

Well, well, well ... would you look at that? The Rapids actually pulled a rabbit out of their collective hats and defeated the LA Galaxy with a last-second goal. Not too shabby.

18. Seattle Sounders (-8)

• Last Week: 2-1 loss vs. Real Salt Lake
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 vs. Vancouver (10 p.m. ET)

It's amazing how the loss of Obafemi Martins essentially demolished all the work that Sigi Schmid had put into this Seattle team, who suddenly forgot how to score goals. Paging Jordan Morris, please.

19. D.C. United (-5)

• Last Week: 0-0 draw vs. New England Revolution
• Next MLS Match: Sunday, March 20 vs. Colorado (5 p.m. ET)

Ineffective and somewhat boring, D.C. United's prized jewel, Luciano Acosta, still hasn't found the rhythm of soccer in MLS. And so we wait.

20. Chicago Fire (-1)

• Last Week: 1-1 draw vs. Orlando City
• Next MLS Match: Saturday, March 19 vs. Columbus Crew (5 p.m. ET)

A point on the road is pretty decent, but we're not buying it just yet. This team still needs a lot of work.

Other reading:

• 5 things we learned in MLS Week 2: Impact soar, league minnows roar
• Montreal Impact: The dark horse team of MLS in 2016
• Top 5 goals from MLS Week 2