Only MLS league games will be reflected in the rankings. Rankings are voted on by MLSsoccer.com editorial staff and remarks were written by the editorial staff.
BIGGEST MOVERS: CLB +3 spots | SJ -3 spots
1
LAST WEEK: 1
HIGH: 1 | LOW: 8
Simply put, there's no beating the deepest team in MLS. Maybe someone can knock them down a couple pegs, but that won't be this week.
Previous: Won vs. POR, 4-1 | Next: at CHI on 8/19
2
LAST WEEK: 3
HIGH: 2 | LOW: 8
David Villa continues to look like the MVP, while the depth they are building could prove crucial as they try and grab a top two spot in the East.
Previous: Won at LA, 2-0 | Next: vs. NE on 8/20
3
LAST WEEK: 2
HIGH: 1 | LOW: 21
Is this one-win-in-five slump a blip on the radar or a sign of larger flaws for the Fire? Both. Chicago have the worst road record among playoff teams in the East, and four of their last five were on the road (one draw, three Ls). It’s home-and-home in the playoffs. Just saying.
Previous: Lost at CLB, 3-1 | Next: at MTL on 8/16; vs. TOR on 8/19
4
LAST WEEK: 6
HIGH: 1 | LOW: 15
Night-and-day difference from their last game at Sporting, a 3-0 loss in mid-May that now seems like it was the low point of the season for Seattle. The Sounders are 8-2-3 since then – the best mark in the league.
Previous: Won vs. SKC, 1-0 | Next: vs. MIN on 8/20
5
LAST WEEK: 5
HIGH: 4 | LOW: 17
The Five Stripes will have yet another weekend to rest and recuperate before returning to action — but will they still have their edge after two weekends off?
Previous: None | Next: vs. DC on 8/23
6
LAST WEEK: 4
HIGH: 2 | LOW: 9
Sporting are still near the top of the West, they have the league's best defense, and they're probably going to win another US Open Cup. But they have just three league wins in the last three months. They're hard to beat, but they don't win much.
Previous: Lost at SEA, 1-0 | Next: vs. DAL on 8/19
7
LAST WEEK: 9
HIGH: 6 | LOW: 19
Back at the top of the West and unbeaten in six, the Dynamo have a lot going for them. They have an established playing style, a regular starting XI and the luxury of bringing along Tomas Martinez slowly. Back-to-back road matches in Vancouver and Dallas will go a long way toward determining whether they can compete for the No. 1 seed come the fall.
Previous: Won vs. SJ, 3-0 | Next: at VAN on 8/19
8
LAST WEEK: 8
HIGH: 3 | LOW: 14
The derby loss still stings, but it’s clear from their bounceback win over Orlando this weekend that it was just a blip on the radar.
Previous: Won vs. ORL, 3-1 | Next: at POR on 8/18
9
LAST WEEK: 7
HIGH: 1 | LOW: 9
Still atop the West in PPG. Still punchless and listless out there, and Mauro Diaz's benching doesn't bode well. Something in Frisco feels stale.
Previous: Drew vs. COL, 0-0 | Next: at SKC on 8/19
10
LAST WEEK: 11
HIGH: 8 | LOW: 21
Took four points from a three-game road trip, which is more than good enough. Now they play six of seven at BC Place, and if they're not slotted snugly into a playoff spot by mid-September, it's nobody's fault but their own.
Previous: Lost at NE, 1-0 | Next: vs. HOU on 8/19
11
LAST WEEK: 10
HIGH: 2 | LOW: 14
You almost can't blame the Timbers for losing to Toronto, but still, it's enough to bump them down.
Previous: Lost at TOR, 4-1 | Next: vs. NY on 8/18
12
LAST WEEK: 15
HIGH: 6 | LOW: 19
Crew SC are alive! The performance – and most importantly the three points – were massive. They’ll have to find more of the same against a direct playoff rival on Saturday.
Previous: Won vs. CHI, 3-1 | Next: at ORL on 8/19
13
LAST WEEK: 13
HIGH: 11 | LOW: 22
Quietly unbeaten in six and three points out of the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. An ugly win over the course of two days in D.C. will do just fine. Mike Petke knows it’s put-up-or-shut-up time with nine games left (tied for the fewest in MLS) to earn a shot at the Cup. The freakin’ pressure is on.
Previous: Won at DC, 1-0 | Next: at MTL on 8/19
14
LAST WEEK: 16
HIGH: 8 | LOW: 19
It's a big week in Montreal after getting a huge road win, as the Impact have a chance to get above the playoff line with two home wins.
Previous: Won at PHI, 3-0 | Next: vs. CHI on 8/16; vs. RSL on 8/19
15
LAST WEEK: 12
HIGH: 10 | LOW: 21
The emotional rollercoaster of Quakes fandom continues — a great win (over Columbus) came before a bitter loss (to Houston). The way things work, though, they're due for another upswing.
Previous: Lost at HOU, 3-0 | Next: vs. PHI on 8/19
16
LAST WEEK: 14
HIGH: 9 | LOW: 22
All the good feelings following a 3-1 win over Dallas were wiped away as the Union followed their inactivity at the transfer deadline with their first-ever home loss to Montreal. With a brutal stretch coming up, any remaining playoff hopes are beginning to slip away.
Previous: Lost vs. MTL, 3-0 | Next: at SJ on 8/19
17
LAST WEEK: 18
HIGH: 11 | LOW: 20
Fighting to stay within striking distance of the playoff line, the only team in the Eastern Conference without a road win has four of their next six away from Gillette Stadium. That’ll basically determine whether 2017 is a wash for the talented but inconsistent Revs. Props to Teal Bunbury and Kei Kamara for getting it going.
Previous: Won vs. VAN, 1-0 | Next: at NYC on 8/20
18
LAST WEEK: 19
HIGH: 6 | LOW: 22
They may be winless in five and tied for last place in the West, but the Rapids will have plenty to say before this season is out. If ties in Toronto and at FC Dallas aren’t proof enough, Pablo Mastroeni’s side are going to wreak some havoc in what is already a topsy-turvy West.
Previous: Drew at DAL, 0-0 | Next: vs. DC on 8/19
19
LAST WEEK: 17
HIGH: 2 | LOW: 19
The Lions have won just twice since April 29. Simply put, they do not look like a playoff team.
Previous: Lost at NY, 3-1 | Next: vs. CLB on 8/19
20
LAST WEEK: 20
HIGH: 5 | LOW: 20
If you've been an MLS fan for years, it is just simply shocking to see a Galaxy team with such a poor home record in a stadium where they've been absolutely dominant over the years.
Previous: Lost vs. NYC, 2-0 | Next: at CLB on 8/23
21
LAST WEEK: 21
HIGH: 7 | LOW: 22
A little rain can’t spoil D.C. United’s transfer-window high, though it didn’t end in a home loss and may slow down construction at Audi Field. The rest of this season is about building – both the mentality and composition of the squad and at Buzzard Point. Will Bill Hamid re-sign? Can they hit a few more home runs in January?
Previous: Lost vs. RSL, 1-0 | Next: at COL on 8/19
22
LAST WEEK: 22
HIGH: 6 | LOW: 22
Got a much-needed weekend off to regroup and start to integrate their new signings, but they’ll have a Herculean task waiting for them on Sunday at the in-form Sounders.
Previous: None | Next: vs. SEA on 8/20
