Examiner.com's MLS Power Rankings: Through Week 15

July 1, 7:29 AMMLS ExaminerCharlie Corr

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The Houston Dynamo had a forgettable performance against the Los Angeles Galaxy. That swayed a few voters for the top billing. But half of the pool felt the Dynamo still deserved the top spot, and that is where they stand through Week 15 in the 2009 Major League Soccer season.

As expected the Seattle Sounders' 3-0 victory against the visiting Colorado Rapids shook a few things up. Seattle jumped up three spots to No. 3, garnering a couple of first-place votes. Colorado fell from third last week, all the way down to seventh.

EXAMINER.COM MLS POWER RANKINGS

Through games played June 28 (last week's ranking in parentheses)

1. Houston Dynamo (1): "The red-hot Dynamo have finally cooled off, taking just one point from their last two matches. With a compressed and road-heavy schedule ahead, the Dynamo finally look likely to slide from their top spot." ~ Roman Kashuba / "Beaten 1-0 by the Galaxy on an off day? Very unsettling, but not quite enough to dislodge the top dog." ~ L.E. Eisenmenger

2. Chivas USA (2): "Out of league play until July 11,Chivas has not won a match since June 6 (including SuperLiga and Open Cup play). Luckily, Chivas amassed 27 points up to that point." ~ Roman Kashuba / "Haven't participated in league play in a little while now, (but) still near the top of the table." ~ Jeff Kassouf

3. Seattle Sounders FC (6): "(Nate) Jaqua and (Fredy) Montero got some serious mojo happening." ~ Deron White / "Seattle may have the third-best record in its conference, but the Sounders are proving tough to beat on their home field. Conference leader Houston Dynamo will get a chance to silence their fans on July 11." ~ Giovanni Albanese Jr.

4. Chicago Fire (5): "In their break from league play, the Fire backed into the SuperLiga semifinals and fell out of the U.S. Open Cup, losing to USL-2 side Wilmington Hammerheads. The club needs a win in its Fourth of July matchup in Colorado to prove it is not sleepwalking." ~ Roman Kashuba / "The Fire are going to catch the Rapids at a time when they are beginning to cool off from their June hot streak. Colorado, however, remains unbeaten at home." ~ Giovanni Albanese Jr.

5. D.C. United (4): "Seattle's beat down of Colorado makes D.C.'s recent loss to the Rapids look that much worse." ~ Jeff Kassouf / "D.C.'s 'never die' approach will face a tough test in Columbus. Has the week's rest been enough to get the aged stars healthy?" ~ Deron White

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6. Columbus Crew (7): "A win against MLS punching bag New York puts the Crew back on track and just one win from the top of the East." ~ Roman Kashuba

7. Colorado Rapids (3): "Barely managed 4 points out of three games in 8 days. Omar Cummings has carried the team in Conor Casey's absence. Can Casey pick up where he left off?" ~ Deron White

8. Kansas City Wizards (8): "Drawing the sketchy Revolution and being dumped in SuperLiga stamps a question mark on the Wizards' credibility." ~ L.E. Eisenmenger

9. Real Salt Lake (9): "Where did that victory come from? Great result to down Toronto, 3-0. Now can Real turn things around?" ~ Jeff Kassouf

10. Toronto FC (10): "Shut out, 3-0, by Real Salt Lake? Fortunately they have a bye week to figure out what went wrong." ~ L.E. Eisenmenger

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11. New England Revolution (11): "The sub-par Revolution played carefully to tally two wins and a tie in SuperLiga and advance to the next round, where they face the Chicago Fire. Taylor Twellman is disabled and out for at least six league matches (some say forever), but veteran 6-foot-4 Lithuanian striker Edgaras Jankauskas is moving in. Half the starting 11 is still on the injured list, but look for this team to make an impact late in the season." ~ L.E. Eisenmenger

12. Los Angeles Galaxy (13): "Impressive win at home versus league-best Houston has the Galaxy on the right track. A showdown with struggling New England is on the docket for the Galaxy. Can the offense step up?" ~ Giovanni Albanese Jr.

13. FC Dallas (12): "This team has all its eggs in (Kenny) Cooper's basket. That's too much for one player." ~ Deron White

14. San Jose Earthquakes (14): "Playing better on both ends of the field of late, the Quakes won't convince anyone they are legit playoff contenders until two things happen: 1, they mustn't allow late-game goals, and 2, they have to win on the road. They'll have a chance to do both against a streaking RSL on Friday." ~ Giovanni Albanese Jr.

15. New York Red Bulls (15): "The worst, period. This terrible play is the last thing that this market needed, especially with the poor economy. Let's hope they still have fans when the move to Red Bull Arena takes place next year." ~ Jeff Kassouf

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The Examiner.com MLS Power Rankings are a compilation built among eight Major League Soccer Examiners. Each writer submits his or her own list and individual commentary. The top-ranked team is awarded 15 points, and the last-place team 1 point. Here are the full numbers: 1. Houston Dynamo (114); 2. Chivas USA (105); 3. Seattle Sounders FC (95); 4. Chicago Fire (91); 5. D.C. United (90); 6. Columbus Crew (87); 7. Colorado Rapids (84); 8. Kansas City Wizards (61); 9. Real Salt Lake (54); 10. Toronto FC (51); 11. New England Revolution (42); 12. Los Angeles Galaxy (35); 13. FC Dallas (27); 14. San Jose Earthquakes (16); 15. New York Red Bulls (8).

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Send a message: E-mail your comments or thoughts to charliecorr@gmail.com.

Charlie Corr is a freelance sports writer based in Chicago. In addition to his Major League Soccer duties, he is the Chicago Sports Examiner and the creator of a Chicago-based soccer Web site, SlideTackles.net.

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