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Goal.com MLS Rankings: Dynamic Climb
A seven-match unbeaten streak has lifted Houston into the upper echelons of the Goal.com rankings and plunged recently vanquished Toronto FC down the ladder.
Jun 1, 2009 7:37:48 AM
1. Chivas USA – Jesse Marsch is probably still beating himself up over that silly tackle to pick up his second yellow card against Chicago. (1)
2. Chicago – Ardent MLS followers shouldn't be surprised by the inconsistency of winning on the road against the top dog in the standings and then following it up by a home loss to one of the cellar dwellers. (2)
3. Houston – Opponents during Houston's seven-match (5-0-2) unbeaten streak: New York (x2), San Jose, Toronto FC, New England, Colorado and FC Dallas. The Dynamo have looked fantastic during this stretch, but we'll learn more about them on Friday in Chicago without Brian Ching and a week from Wednesday at home to Chivas USA. (6)
4. Seattle – Tyrone Marshall should be worried that his post-match comments after being sent off for punching Steven Lenhart will earn him an extra match or two on the sidelines. (3)
5. D.C. United – All that style without enough end product. The terribly soft penalty call at the end wouldn't have mattered had United finished off its early chances at Gillette Stadium. (4)
6. Colorado – Conor Casey (league-leading eight goals) is a large, noticeable fellow with a bald pate. So why aren't defenders doing a better job of tracking him inside the penalty area? (8)
7. Kansas City – “It’s disappointing when you’re winning 1-0 with an extra player and you don’t walk away with the three points,” Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said after drawing 1-1 in Los Angeles on Saturday night. “It feels like a loss to us.” (7)
8. Toronto FC – Don't whack Chris Cummins too hard for leaving Danny Dichio out of his starting lineup in Houston. The Canadian Championship game in Vancouver on Tuesday night is probably more important to the Reds than a game they weren't likely to take points from even if Dichio had started. (5)
9. Columbus – Leaving Guillermo Barros Schelotto out of the lineup shows what Robert Warzycha thought about his team's chances of getting a point in Seattle. To play well and earn a draw is a bonus. (9)
10. New England – Now the trick is finding a way to reproduce the form from the second half of the 2-1 win over D.C. United for the rest of the season. Keeping Taylor Twellman healthy would be a nice start. (11)
11. Real Salt Lake – RSL in May: 0-4-2. Ouch. June might not get off to the best of starts either with Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales suspended for Saturday's game against surging Colorado at Rio Tinto. (10)
12. Los Angeles – “Beats losing,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena told reporters after his side's fifth consecutive draw and ninth in eleven matches. (13)
13. New York – Mac Kandji is not an attacking midfielder. Return Kandji to his more advanced role and leave him there, Juan Carlos Osorio. (12)
14. FC Dallas – Well, that was an unexpected boost for the Hoops. Can FCD build on its 3-0 win at Chicago with a winnable home game against San Jose? (14)
15. San Jose – Then again, those Quakes looked mighty perky against RSL at Buck Shaw on Saturday night. (15)
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
2. Chicago – Ardent MLS followers shouldn't be surprised by the inconsistency of winning on the road against the top dog in the standings and then following it up by a home loss to one of the cellar dwellers. (2)
3. Houston – Opponents during Houston's seven-match (5-0-2) unbeaten streak: New York (x2), San Jose, Toronto FC, New England, Colorado and FC Dallas. The Dynamo have looked fantastic during this stretch, but we'll learn more about them on Friday in Chicago without Brian Ching and a week from Wednesday at home to Chivas USA. (6)
4. Seattle – Tyrone Marshall should be worried that his post-match comments after being sent off for punching Steven Lenhart will earn him an extra match or two on the sidelines. (3)
5. D.C. United – All that style without enough end product. The terribly soft penalty call at the end wouldn't have mattered had United finished off its early chances at Gillette Stadium. (4)
6. Colorado – Conor Casey (league-leading eight goals) is a large, noticeable fellow with a bald pate. So why aren't defenders doing a better job of tracking him inside the penalty area? (8)
7. Kansas City – “It’s disappointing when you’re winning 1-0 with an extra player and you don’t walk away with the three points,” Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said after drawing 1-1 in Los Angeles on Saturday night. “It feels like a loss to us.” (7)
8. Toronto FC – Don't whack Chris Cummins too hard for leaving Danny Dichio out of his starting lineup in Houston. The Canadian Championship game in Vancouver on Tuesday night is probably more important to the Reds than a game they weren't likely to take points from even if Dichio had started. (5)
9. Columbus – Leaving Guillermo Barros Schelotto out of the lineup shows what Robert Warzycha thought about his team's chances of getting a point in Seattle. To play well and earn a draw is a bonus. (9)
10. New England – Now the trick is finding a way to reproduce the form from the second half of the 2-1 win over D.C. United for the rest of the season. Keeping Taylor Twellman healthy would be a nice start. (11)
11. Real Salt Lake – RSL in May: 0-4-2. Ouch. June might not get off to the best of starts either with Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales suspended for Saturday's game against surging Colorado at Rio Tinto. (10)
12. Los Angeles – “Beats losing,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena told reporters after his side's fifth consecutive draw and ninth in eleven matches. (13)
13. New York – Mac Kandji is not an attacking midfielder. Return Kandji to his more advanced role and leave him there, Juan Carlos Osorio. (12)
14. FC Dallas – Well, that was an unexpected boost for the Hoops. Can FCD build on its 3-0 win at Chicago with a winnable home game against San Jose? (14)
15. San Jose – Then again, those Quakes looked mighty perky against RSL at Buck Shaw on Saturday night. (15)
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
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