The running of the Red Bulls

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2013 Power Rankings: May 20
 RK (LW)TEAMRECCOMMENT
New York Red Bulls1 (2)New York Red Bulls7-4-3The Red Bulls prevailed over L.A. thanks to the spine of the team. Luis Robles delivered key saves, Jamison Olave was everywhere defensively and Tim Cahill scored his fourth goal in five games. New York has taken 19 of a possible 24 points.
Portland Timbers2 (3)Portland Timbers4-1-7The Timbers showed off their road resilience again in grabbing a point at Vancouver while playing a man down. Portland remains one of the better possession teams, but the loss of center backs has to catch up to the team eventually.
FC Dallas3 (1)FC Dallas7-2-3Michel burnished his Newcomer of the Year credentials with an "Olimpico" goal plus an assist, but FCD's defense was a shambles in losing 4-2 to Seattle. London Woodberry struggled mightily but received little help from his fellow defenders.
Montreal Impact4 (4)Montreal Impact6-2-2The Impact were grateful for the weekend off, the better to focus fully on the second leg of the Canadian Championships against Vancouver after the first leg in Montreal finished scoreless.
Seattle Sounders FC5 (9)Seattle Sounders FC4-3-3Seattle continued its high-octane ways, scoring four goals for the second straight week. The loss of Osvaldo Alonso to a hip injury is a blow and Eddie Johnson will depart on international duty, but the confidence level is stratospheric.
Kansas City6 (5)Kansas City6-4-3Sporting Kansas City was fuming over a blown offside call that nullified a goal by Ike Opara, but the team has only itself to blame for not making more of stellar opportunities late in the match.
Los Angeles7 (7)Los Angeles5-4-2Carlo Cudicini was supposed to be an upgrade over Josh Saunders, but his inability to challenge for Juninho's free kick allowed Cahill to score. The loss of Juninho and the sight of Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes missing chances didn't help.
Colorado8 (8)Colorado4-4-4The Rapids continue to get results, tying San Jose on the road 1-1. With more luck they might have claimed all three points. Oscar Pareja continues to get performances out of unassuming players, with Nathan Sturgis grabbing the goal this week.
Real Salt Lake9 (10)Real Salt Lake6-5-2When you haven't scored a regular-season goal in more than two years, just play Chivas USA -- Ned Grabavoy bagged his first two since October 2010. The sight of Robbie Findley returning -- and scoring -- will bring a smile to Jason Kreis' face.
Houston10 (6)Houston6-4-2The Dynamo delivered a surprising performance against New England, and not in a good way in a 2-0 loss. Houston will need to regroup without both starting center backs, as well; Jermaine Taylor was injured and Bobby Boswell was red-carded.
Philadelphia Union11 (11)Philadelphia Union5-4-3After getting hammered midweek against L.A., the Union rebounded by beating Chicago for the second time in eight days. Jack McInerney again played the role of hero with the game's only goal. Sebastien Le Toux has quietly raised his game.
Columbus12 (12)Columbus4-4-3Federico Higuain continued to be snake-bitten in front of goal, hitting the woodwork twice against Toronto. His passing was more precise; he set up Dominic Oduro for the game's only goal. Questions remain about the lack of home wins.
New England13 (15)New England3-4-4The Revs delivered the stunner of the weekend in beating Houston 2-0. With each side down a man to a red card, it was the Revs who made the most of the additional space. Diego Fagundez scored the opener to continue his stellar run.
Vancouver Whitecaps14 (13)Vancouver Whitecaps3-4-4The Whitecaps were up a goal and a man and still threw away two points. A claim could be made that Portland's Jose Valencia handled the ball in the run-up to his equalizer, but Vancouver admitted it should have dealt with the situation better.
San Jose15 (14)San Jose3-4-6The Quakes again failed to take maximum points at home in tying Colorado 1-1, the fifth time in eight matches that they've dropped points at Buck Shaw Stadium. A four-game road stretch will reveal just how much of the 2012 karma remains.
Chicago16 (16)Chicago2-7-1Pressure is mounting again for the Fire after extending its losing streak to three against the Union. Much has been made of defender Arne Friedrich's absence, but after getting shut out for the sixth time in 10 games, offense has been a bigger problem.
Chivas USA17 (17)Chivas USA3-6-2It's time that goalkeeper Dan Kennedy applied for imminent danger pay. With rumors rampant that the team will be moved, sold, or both, the Goats' defensive frailties were exposed again, the latest being a 4-1 hammering at home to Real Salt Lake.
Toronto FC18 (18)Toronto FC1-6-4The faces changed -- three players made their TFC debuts -- but the results were the same, as Toronto fell to Columbus 1-0. It's still May, but with the winless streak at nine, depression has already set in for TFC's long-suffering fans.
DC United19 (19)DC United1-8-2After going more than two months without a point -- never mind a win -- DCU finally got a result against Sporting Kansas City. Bill Hamid was back to his shot-stopping best, and Chris Pontius' return helped spark the Black and Red in the second half.