MLS half-time: Reviewing the Western Conference at midway point of 2017
We're at the midway point of the 2017 MLS season, with most teams having played at least 17 of their 34 regular-season matches. New challengers have emerged, old threats have grown stale, and another wave of talent has given fans plenty to cheer for from coast to coast.
As we gear up for the season's second stanza, here's a quick rundown of how each team in the Western Conference has performed thus far in 2017:
Related: Reviewing the Eastern Conference at midway point of 2017
Colorado Rapids
How the mighty have fallen. Last year's standout defensive side has crashed to the bottom of the West after losing 10 of its first 16 matches. The Colorado Rapids of 2016 were built on a rock-solid defensive approach that has seemingly abandoned Pablo Mastroeni's side. That, plus a persistent lack of attacking options has this team ailing with little hope of redemption in 2017.
FC Dallas
If FC Dallas started the year as favorites in the West, that memo was lost on its way to the clubhouse. While the Hoops remain an offensive threat, the team has lost some of its sharpness. Instead, Matt Hedges has commanded a strong defensive showing that has garnered many a draw, but Maxi Urruti hasn't scored consistently enough for the team to pry away three points with regularity.
Houston Dynamo
Wilmer Cabrera has breathed new life into the Houston Dynamo. Now reunited with Erick Torres, his Latin-inspired lineup has MLS feeling some Texas heat. Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis have proved brilliant additions, and while Houston remains a bit further back than its counterparts in the East, they'll be challenging for the Western Conference crown all the same.
LA Galaxy
There are few positive signs out of the StubHub Center these days, as the LA Galaxy undergo something of a reinvention. But in Romain Alessandrini, the club boasts at least a glimmer of hope. As the country weans itself off of crude oil, so too are the Galaxy trying to fuel themselves on alternatives to sheer star power - a test that's proving difficult to overcome in California.
Minnesota United
The West's newcomer started its MLS tenure with a 5-1 loss to Portland, then fell 6-1 to fellow expansion side Atlanta United. A 2-2 draw with Colorado was then followed by a 5-2 loss to New England, and Minnesota United seemed destined for futility. However, a pair of trades in midfield changed Adrian Heath's team, and the Loons now look ... decent. There's still work to be done, though.
Portland Timbers
Former club teammates Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco were reunited at the Portland Timbers this year, and that was supposed to be the club's recipe for renewed success. It certainly started well enough, as the Timbers stormed to three wins in a row to kick off the year. But, as always, Portland has struggled to string together consistent results.
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is in a funk, and new head coach Mike Petke has been tasked with getting the team back into fighting form. Unfortunately, his method has irked the side's best attacking threat, Yura Movsisyan, who has been reduced to bench duties as Petke instills into the team a level, a standard, that his players must reach. That may work in the long term, but for now, RSL is struggling.
San Jose Earthquakes
Change is the primary theme of the 2017 San Jose Earthquakes campaign. The new-look team has actually played some effective soccer through the opening half of the season, but is now in the throws of uncertainty, as long-serving head coach Dominic Kinnear has been relieved of his duties, and a new Designated Player joins the team. How will the Quakes finish the year? It's anyone's guess.
Seattle Sounders
If Toronto FC fans felt that the Seattle Sounders did not deserve to win the MLS Cup in 2016, the visitors in that championship final have done little to quell that notion this season. Such has been the tepid nature of Seattle's championship defense that, even with the return of Clint Dempsey, the Sounders sit below the red line in the West, having procured only five wins in 18 matches.
Sporting Kansas City
Graham Zusi at right-back? It works, and with an iron-strong central defensive pairing of Matt Besler and Ike Opara coupled with the goalkeeping heroics of Tim Melia, Sporting Kansas City is all the better for it. Top of the West off the back of a league-low 12 goals conceded is a testament to the team's incredible defensive work rate and the players' willingness to work for one another.
Vancouver Whitecaps
It's weird to see Fredy Montero wearing the white and blue of the Vancouver Whitecaps and not the rave green of their Cascadia rivals in Seattle, but that's the world we live in. The Whitecaps still haven't gotten over an injury that might have cost them the season ... before it even started. Yordy Reyna looked like the No. 10 this team needed, but alas, it was not to be.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)