We’ve finally got to the point in the season where our Power Ranking Tiers are not quite as useful as they once were. It’s getting pretty obvious which teams are contending for the Supporters’ Shield, which are just fighting for playoff position and we can safely eliminate all but one team from the “outside looking in” tier. Even then, we’re pretty positive that we know who the eight playoff teams are going to be.
Major League Soccer Power Rankings: Sounders Making Their Move
There are just three weeks left in the MLS season, it’s time to stop jerking around and give a good old-fashioned power ranking. Like it or not, the Galaxy are still the team to beat.
With that in mind, I'm going to start giving you a straight numerical ranking with one small twist: I'll just rank the Top 8 teams, since if we're being honest, that's all we really care about at this point. (Of course, please feel free to explain why you think we should care whether the Philadelphia Union are better than the New England Revolution in the comments...)
At this point in the season, we should all really care about two things: Who is going to win the Supporter’s Shield and Who is going to win the MLS Cup. What complicates that, of course, is that teams currently in the running for the Shield aren’t necessarily the same ones we expect to compete for the Cup. But I’ll explain all that in the individual rankings.
1. Los Angeles Galaxy: To be the best you have to beat the best, right? Say what you want about the Galaxy's form since the World Cup break, but the fact of the matter is they are 3-2-0 against the other Top Tier teams and they are also 8-3-1 against the other top two tiers.
2. Real Salt Lake: "El Castillo" is as hard a place to win for the visitors as anywhere in MLS, and if they win the Supporters' Shield, the MLS Cup will likely go through there.
3. FC Dallas: That 18-match unbeaten streak is obviously nothing to scoff at. This is a team that has lost just twice all year and the Shield is definitely within their grasp. All those ties make you wonder how well suited this team is for the playoffs, though, which is why they are step behind the other two.
4. New York Red Bulls: The star power is undeniable, but what really impresses me is Hans Backe's willingness to bench Juan Pablo Angel for Mehdi Ballouchy, who seems to be a better pairing with Thierry Henry. Angel is an amazing weapon off the bench and could prove valuable as an insurance policy.
5. Seattle Sounders: Who's the team with the best record over the past 12 matches? Obviously, I'm asking you here because it's the Sounders. They have claimed a league-best 26 points in that span (Dallas has 23), while also winning their second piece of silverware since joining MLS last year. This is a team as good as anyone right now.
6. Columbus Crew: The first five teams are almost interchangeable and are really ranked based on their likelihood to be hosting prospective playoff matches. The Crew really seem to be a slot below. The fixture congestion has hit them hard and they just aren't the same team that was playing at 2.0 points per match pace for the first half of the season.
7. San Jose Earthquakes: The even goal-differential should tell us much about the Quakes. As good as they have been record-wise, they just don't do anything to stand out from the pack. Still, Geovanni appears to have added a dimension to their attack that they were missing and Chris Wondolowski continues to be as opportunistic as ever.
8. Colorado Rapids: It's tough what to make of this team. When Omar Cummings and Conor Casey are clicking, they seem almost unbeatable, especially at altitude. Then, they go and lose to DC United. They are 0-2-3 against Top Tier teams and 3-5-3 against teams in the top two tiers. These are the teams they'll have to beat in order to win their franchise's first trophy and they haven't shown that they can.
| The Cup Contenders | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Real Salt Lake |  100% (30 out of 30 points) |
 | FC Dallas | 100% (30 out of 30 points) |
 | New York Red Bulls | 100% (30 out of 30 points) |
 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 90% (27 out of 30 points) |
The Top Tier is unchanged, but our voters are closing in on unanimity with just one voter feeling the Galaxy is not worthy of the best group.
| Postseason, But Little More | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Seattle Sounders | 76% (23 out of 30 points) |
 | Columbus Crew | 73% (22 out of 30 points) |
 | San Jose Earthquakes | 66% (20 out of 30 points) |
 | Colorado Rapids | 60% (18 out of 30 points) |
As you can see, the tiers themselves are getting rather static, but this one is a little more dynamic within. The Sounders are now receiving some support for the Top Tier and could breakthrough.
| "Playoffs? Playoffs?" | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Kansas City Wizards | 33% (10 out of 30 points) |
It’s lonely in Tier 3 with the Wizards the only team currently out of the playoffs with any reasonable shot of making it.
| And with the third pick in the 2011 MLS Superdraft ... | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Toronto FC | 16% (5 out of 30 points) |
 | Philadelphia Union | 10% (3 out of 30 points) |
 | Chicago Fire | 10% (3 out of 30 points) |
 | New England Revolution | 6% (2 out of 30 points) |
 | Chivas USA | 3% (1 out of 30 points) |
 | Houston Dynamo | 0% (0 out of 30 points) |
 | DC United | 0% (0 out of 30 points) |
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