Week 5 of the 2019 MLS season opened up with a Toronto FC blowout victory, and the fun continued throughout the weekend. Several teams left their mark on the league while other clubs dealt with poor weather conditions.
Here is a look at our MLS Power Rankings after Week 5:
(Legend: (W-L-T, LW: last week’s rankings )
Top Ten
1. D.C. United (3-0-1, LW: 2) – D.C. United came out swinging in Orlando with an early goal and never looked back. However, it was Wayne Rooney’s 30th-minute goal that reminded everyone of how good he still is.
2. LAFC (4-0-1, LW: 3) – LAFC hit the road and smashed the lowly San Jose Earthquakes 5-0 behind Carlos Vela’s hat trick. This club is a serious title contender.
3. Toronto FC (3-0-0, LW: 4) – No more doubts. Toronto FC is a contender. Their dominant 4-0 victory over NYC FC should serve as a warning that the 2017 MLS Champions are back.
4. Seattle Sounders FC (3-0-1, LW: 1) – The tie at winless Vancouver drops the Sounders to fourth. This was a match the Sounders should have won close to home.
5. Houston Dynamo (3-0-1, LW: 5) – The Dynamo hit the road and destroyed the Colorado Rapids 4-1, with Alberth Ellis involved in all four goals.
6. Columbus Crew SC (3-1-1, LW: 9) – The Crew showed a ton of resilience by coming back after their embarrassing loss at Philadelphia to beat the defending champs in a rainstorm. Columbus has the pieces for a deep run into the postseason. The question is whether or not they can avoid hiccups like what happened last week.
7. FC Dallas (3-1-1, LW: 10) – There is a reason why the FC Dallas academy is regarded as one of the best in the league. Three of the club’s four goals came from homegrown players in Dallas’ 4-2 victory over Real Salt Lake.
8. L.A. Galaxy (3-1-0, LW: 7) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned from injury with two penalty kick goals to lead the Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over Portland. However, better performances by Dallas and Columbus, plus question marks on the back line, led to the Galaxy dropping a spot this week.
9. Sporting Kansas City (2-1-1, LW: 12) – It only took four matches, but Sporting Kansas City finally produced a dominant performance in a 7-1 shelling of the Montreal Impact on Saturday.
10. Philadelphia Union (2-2-1, LW: 18) – The Union rebounded from a rough start of the season to shut out both Ohio clubs by a combined 5-0 score. It’s no fluke either. Philadelphia dominated both matches.
Next Nine
11. Minnesota United FC (2-2-0, LW: 8) – The jury is still out on Minnesota United after they lost their second consecutive road match.
12. Montreal Impact (2-2-0, LW: 6) – Faced with a hostile crowd, the Impact folded under pressure against one of the league’s most talented teams. A loss at Sporting Kansas City wouldn’t have surprised anyone, but a 7-1 loss should open a few eyes about the Impact.
13. FC Cincinnati (2-2-1, LW: 11) – It’s hard to say where FC Cincinnati stands right now. They looked like they didn’t want to be there against the Union on Saturday night, and who could blame them? However, rainstorm or not, FC Cincinnati still had a job to do. They failed to protect their turf in a 2-0 loss.
14. Chicago Fire (1-2-1, LW: 19) – Chicago earned a tough 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night. The Fire have a long ways to go if they are going to make the playoffs, but a win over one of the more talented clubs in MLS is a start.
15. N.Y. Red Bulls (1-2-1, LW: 13) – It may be time to panic if you are a Red Bulls fan. They took some losses in the last year, but there is still plenty of talent on this roster. There is no way the Red Bulls should only have one victory after five matches.
16. Orlando City (1-2-2, LW: 15) – There’s no doubt this Orlando City club is tougher than last year’s version, but can it go to the next level? A controversial loss to D.C. United didn’t answer that question.
17. New England Revolution (1-3-1, LW: 22) – The Revolution’s move up the rankings is more about the horrible performances of the clubs below them than anything else.
18. Atlanta United FC (0-2-2, LW: 14) – Atlanta United’s drop down the rankings continue after a loss at Columbus. The question is whether or not the defending champions will figure it out soon enough to compete for the Eastern Conference title.
19. NYC FC (0-1-3, LW: 16) – NYC FC’s blowout loss at Toronto came as a surprise because the club had been in every game this season.
Final Five
20. Real Salt Lake (1-3-1, LW: 17) – Real Salt Lake has never been a club that focuses on star talent. Usually, there is enough depth on the roster to make up for it, but not this year. The strategy of building around tough, physical players worked for a long time, but the reality is that MLS has more playmakers than it ever has before. RSL can no longer sit back and play tough defense and think they can win consistently.
21. Vancouver Whitecaps (0-3-1, LW: 21) – The Whitecaps salvaged a tie at home against the Sounders, despite a second half onslaught by Seattle. Vancouver will not win many games this year, but the Whitecaps will give clubs some problems.
22. Portland Timbers (0-3-1, LW: 23) – The Timbers gave the Galaxy all kinds of problems, but a questionable foul on Ibrahimovic in the second half doomed Portland.
23. Colorado Rapids (0-3-2, LW: 20) – Playing at high altitude should be an advantage for the Rapids. Even a team lacking talent like Colorado should be able to hold its own. Dropping a match 4-1 to any team, even one as good as Houston is inexcusable.
24. San Jose Earthquakes (0-4-0, LW: 24) – A 5-0 home loss to LAFC keeps the Earthquakes buried in last.
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