MLS Examiner Week 13 Power Ranking: my ballot

June 16, 9:15 PMChicago Fire ExaminerRoman Kashuba

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Chicago Fire Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The high-flying D.C. attack has been bolstered by a resurgent Fred
(Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP Photo)

The Fire stumbled into their SuperLiga break, losing three straight games while tallying just one goal in that span.  D.C. used the opportunity to take hold of the Conference lead, while Columbus and Kansas City put themselves within arms reach of Chicago.  By the time the Fire restart MLS play, they could find themselves teetering on the playoff bubble.  For a team with their sights on the Supporters' Shield, the Fire face a steep climb back to the top of the league.  

1)  Houston Dynamo - Unbeaten in their last 10 games while giving up just three goals, the Dynamo have launched themselves to the top of the table.  The defense, lead by Geoff Cameron, has shut down nearly every opposing attack and the offense has found goals when it needs to.  Nearly halfway through the season, it doesn't look like anyone will be able to catch Houston.

2)  Chivas USA - After giving up five goals in there first 11 games, Chivas has now conceded six in their last four.  The Fire knocked Chivas off balance by stealing a win, but the absences of Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan have shook this team to the core.

3)  D.C. United - Take away a questionable 90th minute penalty in their match againt the Revs and D.C.'s last loss was way back in week four — April 11th @RSL.  Tom Soehn's frequently rotates his eight-headed attack-by-committee, ensuring that there are always fresh legs going forward — something opposing defenses have struggled to contain. 

4)  Columbus Crew - It took a while to get up to speed, but the Crew are now unbeaten in their last nine matches.  Their second-half manhandling of Chivas proves that Columbus needs to be included in any conversation about MLS Cup contenders.  

5)  Chicago Fire - The annual mid-summer slump started a bit early this year and surprisingly Brian McBride was the first to suffer ill effects.  The 36-year old is the only member of the squad to play every minute of every game this year, but should get some much needed rest during the club's two-week absence from MLS play for their SuperLiga campaign.  By then the Fire could find themselves in 4th place in the Conference and as many as seven points from the top.    

6)  Seattle Sounders FC - Their first win since April 25th saw the Sounders return to the fluid attacking play that  was the trademark of their great start to the season.  Alas, the match came against MLS punching bag San Jose.  Bigger challenges await Seattle and how they respond against good MLS squads should tell us if this is an upstart expansion team or a true contender.  

7)  Colorado Rapids - No game, means no change in rankings, but a real test awaits against D.C. United next week.  

8)  Kansas City Wizards - Leading the logjam in the middle of the Eastern Conference, the Wizards lost twice to the Crew, opening the door for the defending MLS champs.  The Wizards will have two weeks of SuperLiga play to figure out how to establish some consistency.  

9)  New England Revolution - Without Twellman, the Revs' anemic offense returned.  If Twellman's health is in doubt, New England needs to find a reliable striker this summer or they can kiss playoff contention goodbye.  

10) Toronto FC -  A meeting against the floundering Red Bulls helped Toronto snap their two-game losing streak and another next Wednesday should bolster their point total in the short term, but in the long term Toronto needs answers in their back line.  

11) Real Salt Lake - The win against a Donovan-less Galaxy side was Salt Lake's first since their 6-0 thrashing of New England at the end of April.  Will this signal the resurgence of the goal-starved Royals or is it just a case of preying on the weak.  A road match against the stingy Dynamo defense should answer that question.  

12) LA Galaxy - The patch work defense has proved surprisingly stingy, but can the Galaxy tread water until offensive reinforcements arrive?

13) FC Dallas - The decisive win against Chicago is proving to be an anomaly.  Dallas continues to create a plethora of chances, but hasn't finished with consistency.  Meanwhile, the back line keeps leaking goals.

14) San Jose Earthquakes - Staying one step ahead of the Red Bulls seems to be the only reasonable goal for this campaign.

15) New York Red Bulls - Six loses in a row and the bottom still looks to be a ways off.  The next realistic chance for a win could be a road match in Dallas . . . in July.  Don't count on it.  

LATER: Wednesday Morning Hot Links

RELATED ARTICLES:

MLS Examiner Week 12 Power Rankings: my ballot
MLS Examiner Week 11 Power Ranking: my ballot
MLS Examiner Week 10 Power Ranking: my ballot
MLS Examiner Week 9 Power Ranking: my ballot
MLS Examiner Week 8 Power Ranking
Fire stumble in Week 7 Power Rankings
Fire 3rd in inaugural Examiner Power Rankings