Week 10 Power Rankings

Week:
  • Share
2012 Power Rankings: May 14
 RK (LW)TEAMRECCOMMENT
Real Salt Lake1 (3)Real Salt Lake8-3-2New father Fabian Espindola netted the game winner against Seattle. But it was RSL's defense that was key to defeating the Sounders, recording its second road shutout of the week despite missing playmaker Javier Morales due to injury.
San Jose2 (2)San Jose7-2-2With rookie Sam Garza providing pinpoint service from the left wing, Alan Gordon showed his knack for scoring late once again, as his 88th-minute equalizer enabled San Jose to grab a late point against Chivas USA.
Seattle Sounders FC3 (1)Seattle Sounders FC7-2-1The Sounders defeated Dallas 2-0 last Wednesday, but playing its fifth game in 15 days proved to be too much for Seattle against playoff nemesis Real Salt Lake.
New York Red Bulls4 (9)New York Red Bulls7-3-1Rafa Marquez returned to the lineup against Philly, and while possession was better, the defense was worse. It still proved a winning formula, as the Red Bulls won their fourth in a row by beating 10-man Philadelphia 3-2.
Chicago5 (8)Chicago4-2-3Dominic Oduro scored once and earned the penalty that led to Sebastian Grazzini's equalizer from the spot, but credit Patrick Nyarko's perseverance for setting the table on the Fire's game winner, stealing the ball from Kei Kamara before feeding Oduro.
Kansas City6 (4)Kansas City7-3-0Manager Peter Vermes was left fuming over Roger Espinoza's second-half ejection, but the fact of the matter is that his team's defense has begun to show some cracks in recent weeks, and that's why against Chicago SKC sustained its third loss in a row.
Vancouver Whitecaps7 (5)Vancouver Whitecaps5-3-2With an eye on Wednesday's Canadian Championship tilt against Toronto, manager Martin Rennie went with a new center back pairing, and paid the price as New England hammered the Whitecaps 4-1.
Houston8 (7)Houston3-3-2BBVA Compass Stadium may be 'The House That Brian Ching Built,' but it turned out to be 'The House That Brad Davis Christened' as the Houston midfielder's class goal helped the Dynamo beat D.C. United 1-0 in its inaugural game at its new home.
DC United9 (6)DC United5-4-3Never mind the loss to Houston. What will be foremost on the mind of manager Ben Oslen is his ever-growing injury list. Midfielder Perry Kitchen appeared to suffer a serious knee injury, and Chris Pontius is ailing as well with a bum hip.
Colorado10 (10)Colorado5-5-0With a cross country trek to the nation's capital set for Wednesday, manager Oscar Pareja is hoping last weekend's bye will serve his team well, especially with forward Omar Cummings and defender Marvell Wynne now sidelined for the next few weeks.
Montreal Impact11 (12)Montreal Impact3-5-3There were lessons aplenty in Montreal's 1-1 tie with Los Angeles. The goalkeeping of Donovan Ricketts allowed Montreal to grind out a draw, but the home side failed to put the champs away when it had the chance in the first half.
New England12 (13)New England4-6-0Lee Nguyen came back to haunt the team that cut him in preseason, notching two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over Vancouver. His second tally, an absolute blast from more than 25 yards, will garner some Goal of the Year votes.
Los Angeles13 (14)Los Angeles3-5-2David Beckham rescued a point for the Galaxy in Montreal with a superb free kick. But the match also highlighted the team's inconsistency, as L.A. was dormant in the first half but better in the second. Will things improve this week vs. city rival Chivas?
Columbus14 (17)Columbus3-4-2The Crew earned a badly needed win against Dallas, rallying from a goal down thanks to Sebastian Miranda's header that was as long as it was accurate. A road test at San Jose will reveal the extent of Columbus' recovery.
FC Dallas15 (11)FC Dallas3-6-3Winless in its last six, FCD is bordering on free fall, and while injuries and fatigue are partially to blame, a spate of backbreaking red cards have put the team in a hole, with Zach Loyd's ejection costing FCD in its loss to Columbus.
Philadelphia Union16 (15)Philadelphia Union2-6-1Memo to Freddy Adu: Don't go down in the box if you're already on a yellow card. Adu had looked as lively as he has all season against New York, assisting on the first of Lionard Pajoy's two goals, but his ejection sowed the seeds of his team's 3-2 loss.
Chivas USA17 (16)Chivas USA3-6-1The Goats continue to put together impressive results on the road, this time securing a 1-1 with San Jose. Yet manager Robin Fraser will rue the fact that for the third week in a row, conceding a late goal saw Chivas leave points on the table.
Portland Timbers18 (18)Portland Timbers2-5-2With his team struggling for results, manager John Spencer will be hoping that Portland's bye week is sufficient opportunity to figure out how to provide a steadier stream of service to forward Kris Boyd.
Toronto FC19 (19)Toronto FC0-8-0Idle in league play, TFC got a shot of confidence in midweek by disposing of Montreal in the Canadian Championships. A road test against a hobbled D.C. United could be the perfect time to grab its first points in league play.