Week 7 of the 2019 MLS season left fans with plenty to digest. The Seattle Sounders held off unbeaten Toronto FC 3-2 in a clash of the unbeatens. Meanwhile, the Montreal Impact earned four points against two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
Here is a look at our MLS Power Rankings after Week 7:
(Legend: (W-L-T, LW: last week’s rankings )
Top Ten
1. Los Angeles FC (6-0-1, LW: 1)
LAFC earned a 2-0 win over expansion FC Cincinnati on Saturday night in a match that was closer than many experts expected. Carlos Vela put the game away with a goal late to seal the victory.
2. Seattle Sounders FC (5-0-1, LW: 2)
Seattle won the battle of unbeatens 3-2 over Toronto, thanks in part by a brace from Will Bruin.
3. LA Galaxy (5-1-0, LW: 4)
The Galaxy feature an aggressive attack led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but it’s their back line that remains questionable. Nonetheless, a rather dominant 2-0 victory over Philadelphia has the Galaxy in third.
4. Houston Dynamo (4-0-1, LW: 6)
Don’t be fooled by the 2-1 final score. Houston dominated the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend. The Dynamo are a serious contender. We’ll find out how serious when they hit the road to face the Galaxy on Friday night.
5. DC United (4-1-2, LW: 7)
DC United battled Montreal to a 0-0 tie to start the week, but it capped it with a 3-2 comeback victory over Colorado. United seems to have cooled off some in the last couple weeks, but it still sits atop the Eastern Conference.
6. Columbus Crew (4-2-1, LW: 3)
The Crew sit tied for ninth out of 12 clubs in the Eastern Conference in goals scored. It’s going to be a tough fight to stay near the top of the standings if they don’t find some help up top.
7. Toronto FC (3-1-1, LW: 5)
Toronto FC actually came out of the loss to Seattle looking pretty good. It gave the Sounders all they could handle and simply came up a goal short. Toronto FC is back. It’s just a question of how far they can make it this year.
8. FC Dallas (4-2-1, LW: 10)
Young FC Dallas continued its string of solid play with 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers.
9. Minnesota United FC (3-2-1, LW: 9)
Minnesota United FC opened Allianz Field with a 3-3 barnburner against NYC FC. United remains one of the more improved teams in the league, but its back line must shore up if there is any hope for a deep playoff run.
10. Montreal Impact (3-2-2, LW: 12)
The Impact faced two of the Eastern Conference’s best clubs and came away with four points. Montreal’s 1-0 win over Columbus shows that the earlier blowout loss at Sporting Kansas City was a fluke.
Next Nine
11. Sporting Kansas City (2-1-3, LW: 11)
Is there a more frustrating team in the league to watch right now outside of Atlanta? Sporting Kansas City should be sitting near the top of the Western Conference standings. Instead, it has consistently disappointed thus far.
12. Philadelphia Union (3-3-1, LW: 8)
There is no way around the fact that the Union got dominated by the L.A. Galaxy last weekend. Philadelphia remains much improved, but it isn’t among the league’s best yet.
13. FC Cincinnati (2-3-2, LW: 13)
FC Cincinnati fans should probably get used to what they saw on Saturday. FCC will give the league’s best teams some problems, but it doesn’t have the legs to win consistently. Still, there are lots of positives to be found in the effort FCC gives every match.
14. Atlanta United FC (1-2-2, LW: 18)
Sooner or later, Atlanta United was going to break out. Does their 2-0 road win over the New England Revolution mean it has finally put it together? We’ll find out this weekend when it hosts FC Dallas.
15. Chicago Fire (1-2-3, LW: 15)
Chicago didn’t impress with its 1-1 home draw with Vancouver. Something is missing with this club.
16. Orlando City (2-3-2, LW: 16)
I’m keeping Orlando City ranked ahead of Real Salt Lake for a simple reason: they’ve been more competitive. RSL beat Orlando City last weekend at Rio Tinto, but the men in purple have been far more consistent throughout the season. Orlando may or may not be a playoff team, but it can give nearly every MLS club a tough match.
17. Real Salt Lake (2-4-1, LW: 20)
RSL’s 2-1 victory over Orlando really doesn’t mean much in scheme of things. There’s nothing about the club right now that would scare the upper echelon teams in the Western Conference. Still, it proved they can beat any mid-table club, which does make them a contender to earn a low seed in the playoffs.
18. New York City FC (0-1-5, LW: 16)
Don’t underestimate NYCFC’s 3-3 tie with Minnesota. Any time a team opens a new stadium, there are special emotions that often carry the home club to victory. NYCFC kept pace with Minnesota amidst all of that emotion and earned a point. It needs wins, but a point on the road in a new stadium could set NYCFC on the right path.
19. New York Red Bulls (1-3-2, LW: 17)
The Red Bulls need victories, but much like their New York counterparts (NYCFC), they’ll take the tie at one of the toughest road destinations in the league.
Final Five
20. New England Revolution (1-5-1, LW: 19)
Only Atlanta United (four) has scored fewer goals than the Revolution (five). Ironically, Atlanta scored two of its goals at New England last weekend.
21. San Jose Earthquakes (1-5-0, LW: 21)
The Earthquakes got lucky quite a bit at Houston in a match that should have been a blowout loss. However, San Jose’s lack of talent hurt it as it couldn’t keep up with the Dynamo.
22. Vancouver Whitecaps (0-4-2, LW: 23)
Vancouver is going to win sooner rather than later. It has a knack for keeping games close, even on the road.
23. Colorado Rapids (0-5-2, LW: 22)
The Rapids have given up a league-leading 19 goals in seven matches. And no, the number isn’t conflated by a blowout loss. Colorado simply can’t stop anyone.
24. Portland Timbers (0-5-1, LW: 24)
Portland’s tough start continues, and it’s not getting any easier with Columbus and Toronto serving as the next two stops on the Timbers’ season-opening 12-match road trip
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