MLS Power Rankings: Sporting KC have it on lockdown as their rise continues

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<strong>1</strong>

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<p>The Galaxy had a lousy 15 minutes last week, and as a result head to Monterrey down 2-1 in their CCL series. But they&#39;re the only undefeated left in MLS regular-season play, and let&#39;s not ignore the fact that they outplayed the two-time CONCACAF champs pretty soundly for 75 minutes.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong>Bye</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at FC Dallas (7:30 pm, NBCSN)</li></ul>

<strong>2</strong>

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<p>They haven&#39;t allowed a goal in their past four games. And just three shots on goal in that span, for that matter. They&#39;ve stopped giving up the silly goals that plagued them through the first two weekends, and they&#39;ve had more than 10 looks on goal in each of those games. We&#39;re still iffy on their finishing &ndash; they need to put the occasional game away early &ndash; but man, do they look good defensively and in possession.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-05-SKC-v-DC/recap" target="_blank">Won vs. D.C., 1-0</a></li><li><strong>Next MLS Game: </strong>April 17 at New York</li></ul>

<strong>3</strong>

<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/straight-line.png" style="width: 30px; height: 14px;"><p class="rtecenter">Last: 3</p>

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<p>A relatively quiet bye week from Montreal saw nothing much except for the <a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/04/08/montreal-impact-acquire-midfielder-maximiliano-rodr%C3%ADguez-loan-argentinos-jun" target="_blank">addition of Argentinian youngster Maximiliano Rodr&iacute;guez</a>. If he can help the Impact hold possession a little better, he&#39;ll be a godsend. Even better will be if Alessandro Nesta was able to inch closer to full fitness in the interim.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week:</strong> Bye</li><li><strong>This Week</strong><strong>: </strong>Saturday vs. Columbus (2 pm, TSN/RDS,&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

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<p>It&#39;s a bit of a precipitous tumble for a team that was at the top, but it&#39;s honestly been kind of a Jekyll and Hyde season from Houston thus far. They&#39;ve looked pure quality at times, but have been weirdly fragile defensively in big moments. That burned them twice in Portland. But now they go to Fort BBVA with a chance to set an MLS record... good bet that the MLS Cup-caliber Dynamo show up this weekend.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-POR-v-HOU/recap" target="_blank">Lost at Portland, 2-0</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Sunday vs. Chicago (5 pm, UniMas)</li></ul>

<strong>5</strong>

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<p>Their effort abandoned them in the first 45, and their finishing went away in the second 45 against Philly. But they still gutted out a draw at home, even on what has to be considered an off day (especially with Federico Higua&iacute;n neutralized).</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-CLB-v-PHI/recap" target="_blank">Drew vs. Philadelphia, 1-1</a></li><li><strong>This Week:</strong> Saturday at Montreal (2 pm, TSN/RDS,&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>6</strong>

<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/straight-line.png" style="width: 30px; height: 14px;"><p class="rtecenter">Last: 6</p>

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<p>Another team that will have benefitted from the bye, as Juan Agudelo in particular needed a bit of time to get healthy. When he&#39;s fit and engaged, Chivas are able to create both on the run and from that No. 9 spot, a level of flexibility that&#39;s served them well thus far.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong>Bye</li><li><strong>This Week</strong><strong>: </strong>Saturday vs. Colorado (10:30 pm,&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>7</strong>

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<p>It&#39;s not just that they coughed up a 2-0 lead to a team that&#39;s had very, very little going forward this year; It&#39;s that they looked so helpless in the process. Once Luis Silva came on, FCD were on the back foot for the rest of the game and hanging on for dear life by the end.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-TOR-v-DAL/recap" target="_blank">Drew at Toronto, 2-2</a></li><li><strong>This Week:</strong> Saturday vs. LA (7:30 pm, NBCSN)</li></ul>

<strong>8</strong>

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<p>Only a phenomenal sequence of saves from Joe Cannon, and a bizarre wardrobe malfunction from Alan Gordon and V&iacute;ctor Bern&aacute;rdez kept the Quakes from getting a deserved home win. Credit them for playing well, but last season this team would have figured out a way to get all three points.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-SJ-v-VAN/recap" target="_blank">Drew vs. Vancouver, 1-1</a></li><li><strong>This Week:</strong> Sunday at Portland (10:30 pm, NBCSN)</li></ul>

<strong>9</strong>

<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/arrow-up-with-shadow_1.png" style="width: 30px; height: 32px;"><p class="rtecenter">Last: 10</p>

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<p>Good teams punish the mental mistakes of their opponents, and that&#39;s exactly what happened in San Jose last weekend. The &#39;Caps are clearly a different, less confident team on the road, but they got a point in a bad spot, which is something to build upon.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-SJ-v-VAN/recap" target="_blank">Drew at San Jose, 1-1</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday vs. Real Salt Lake (4 pm; TSN/RDS2,&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul><ul></ul>

<strong>10</strong>

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<p>It&#39;s still a work in progress for Jason Kreis &amp; Co. They generated a number of chances against Colorado, and could have had three penalties (they only got one, which was squandered). RSL&#39;s bottleneck isn&#39;t generating those chances, though: It&#39;s finishing them. They&#39;ve been shut out three times already this year.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-COL-v-RSL/recap" target="_blank">Lost at Colorado, 1-0</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at Vancouver (4 pm; TSN/RDS2,&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>11</strong>

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<p>The Power Rankings Politburo will have a lot of faith in this Timbers team if Darlington Nagbe plays like that every week, and if Ryan Johnson keeps finishing at a good clip. Even if Diego Valeri can&#39;t come back right away, this team looks solid.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-POR-v-HOU/recap" target="_blank">Won vs. Houston, 2-0</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Sunday vs. San Jose (10:30 pm, NBCSN)</li></ul>

<strong>12</strong>

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<p>Jack Mac! Even though he&#39;s just 20 years old, he&#39;s entering his fourth season as a pro and looking every bit the part of a veteran up top. His off-the-ball movement is DP-level, and his finishing is getting there as well. The pairing with Conor Casey looked natural.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-CLB-v-PHI/recap" target="_blank">Drew at Columbus, 1-1</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday vs. Toronto (4 pm,&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>13</strong>

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<p>D.C. haven&#39;t had a full lineup to choose from at any point this year, and that &quot;triage&quot; approach to putting a squad together is taking its toll. They were never threatening against SKC, and aren&#39;t getting the ball to their attackers in spots where they can do damage.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-05-SKC-v-DC/recap" target="_blank">Lost at Sporting KC, 1-0</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday vs. New York (7 pm;&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>14</strong>

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<p>Seems like it&#39;s one meltdown after the next for the Red Bulls, especially when they&#39;re on the road. That second half was particularly inexcusable, and it&#39;s getting close to the point where Mike Petke needs to start tipping some sacred cows.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-07-CHI-v-NY/recap" target="_blank">Lost at Chicago, 3-1</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at D.C. (7 pm;&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>15</strong>

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<p>Seattle&#39;s drop had to do with Philly leap-frogging them, not anything the Sounders did particularly wrong against a tough Santos team. In fact, we&#39;d argue they looked better with Shalrie Joseph helping to pull some strings in the central midfield. Now if only they could finish...&nbsp;</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong>Bye</li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday vs. New England (4 pm; <a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>16</strong>

<img alt="" src="https://league-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/straight-line.png" style="width: 30px; height: 14px;"><p class="rtecenter">Last: 16</p>

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<p>Clint Irwin for MVP! OK, that may be a stretch, but the youngster is having a Dan Kennedy-esque series of games here. He&#39;s keeping Colorado in it week after week, and now with Edson Buddle back, the attack is picking up a bit as well. Mart&iacute;n Rivero&#39;s return should provide even more juice.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week:&nbsp;</strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-06-COL-v-RSL/recap" target="_blank">Won vs. Real Salt Lake, 1-0</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at Chivas USA (10:30 pm, NBCSN)</li></ul>

<strong>17</strong>

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<p>What to make of that 2-2 draw? How about &quot;Luis Silva is indispensible.&quot; Some of the Politburo have made the argument that he was the weekend&#39;s best player &ndash; for any team &ndash; and he was certainly among the league&#39;s most influential. His attacking prowess speaks for itself, while his work on the defensive side of the ball is hugely underrated.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-03-30-TOR-v-LA/recap" target="_blank">Drew vs. FCD, 2-2</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Saturday at Philadelphia (4 pm;&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>

<strong>18</strong>

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Time to buy Maicon Santos for your Fantasy teams, folks. He has one month per season in which he&#39;s absolutely unstoppable, and if last weekend is any indication, April is it. With Arne Friedrich coming back soon as well, the Fire have a chance to make March&#39;s agony a distant memory.<br><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong><a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-04-07-CHI-v-NY/recap" target="_blank">Won vs. New York, 3-1</a></li><li><strong>This Week: </strong>Sunday at Houston (5 pm; UniMas)</li></ul>

<strong>19</strong>

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<p>Obviously, the Revs are dealing with a &quot;bigger than soccer&quot; issue in the wake of <a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/04/08/new-england-revolution-defender-kevin-alston-diagnosed-treatable-form-leukem" target="_blank">Kevin Alston&#39;s leukemia diagnosis</a>. We want to add our best wishes for a speedy and thorough recovery. We&#39;re counting the days &#39;til we see you on the field again, Kevin.</p><ul><li><strong>Last Week: </strong>Bye</li><li><strong>This Week</strong><strong>:</strong> Saturday at Seattle (4 pm;&nbsp;<a href="http://live.mlssoccer.com/mlsmdl/" target="_blank">MLS Live</a>)</li></ul>