MLS Examiner Week 14 Power Ranking: my ballot

June 24, 11:01 AMChicago Fire ExaminerRoman Kashuba

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Omar Cummings leads the Rapids back into contention
(Zalubowski/AP)

All the bottom feeders got results this week, but it did more to drop their opponents than to raise their own standing. 

1)  Houston Dynamo - The return of Brian Ching and playing a man up for over 30 minutes helped the Dynamo secure a point to separate themselves from Chivas.  Houston needs to stockpile the points in an upcoming three-game road trip to provide a buffer for their Champions' League-congested August schedule.

2)  Chivas USA - Out of league play until July 11th, Chivas was beat by a second-string Tiges UNAL side in SuperLiga action — a blow to their pride, if not to their standing here.  

3)  Colorado Rapids - Picking apart United, while limiting what was an offensive powerhouse to a handful of half chances, Colorado finally made me a believer.  The Rapids have three games in hand on both Seattle and Chivas and look poised to turn a home-heavy schedule (eight of their next eleven at altitude) into a run up the standings — it looks like I owe Jason an apology.

4)  D.C. United - Switching to a 4-4-2 for the first time all season, United looked disorganized at the back as well as in attack, while getting pummeled by Colorado.  The late-equalized in Seattle is all that saved D.C. from a drop farther down the ladder.

5)  Chicago Fire - With 5 games in a two-week span, Denis Hamlett will have to work some unfamiliar faces into the lineup just to keep everyone fresh.  The win over San Luis on Saturday featured a full-strength squad, but will that same squad be able to chase United at the top of the conference when league play resumes?

6)  Seattle Sounders FC - A disheartening mid-week draw with D.C. was followed by a disheartening weekend draw in New Jersey.  The attack seems to have found its stride again, but the woes in the back were caricatured by Tyrone Marshall's assist on New York's only goal of the match.  

7)  Columbus Crew - All the momentum of a nine-game unbeaten streak was dashed in the loss to Dallas.  Still only four points back of the conference lead, the Crew can't afford to squander any more points.   

8)  Real Salt Lake - The attack preformed admirably against Houston's stingy defense.  If Jamison Olave could have kept his temper in check following an inconsequential play along the sidelines, Real would have had a realistic shot at knocking off the red-hot Dynamo.  Playing a man down for 30 minutes is tiring, doing the same in 91-degree Houston is excruciating.  

9)   Kansas City Wizards - Running in place during their SuperLiga break, the Wizards have been passed by Real's solid road performance.

10) New England Revolution - With four games in hand on United, the top of the East is still within reach for the Revs.  Before they can make their move New England still needs to find consistent offensive threats.  Four goals from four different players against Santos Laguna is a good start.

11) Toronto FC -  Sandwiching their final Canadian Championship game against Montreal Impact between two mid-week games, TFC exploded for six goals, while allowing just one.  Another match against New York should stretch their winning streak to three.

12) FC Dallas - Kenny Cooper continues to lead the league in shots on goal and still Dallas is struggling to find the back of the net.  It's time to help Cooper out and start Brek Shea.  The speedy 19-year old continues to trouble defenses coming off the bench, but can't seem to break into the lineup.  

13) San Jose Earthquakes - A comprehensive win over the Galaxy edges the Earthquakes up the rankings.  Getting Darren Huckerby back from injury lifted the teams confidence, but the goal scoring has come from the middle of the field and Pablo Campos' non-stop motor.  

14) LA Galaxy - Who can blame David Beckham for not wanting to rejoin the mess in Carson, CA?  Hopefully Donovan was too preoccupied with Confederation Cup to keep up with the Galaxy or he too might be looking to buy out his own contract.  

15) New York Red Bulls - Even when the club catches every last break, a win looks completely unattainable.  

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