The Los Angeles Galaxy have now all but wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield, leading their closest competition by seven points with just four matches left to play. They would almost literally have to lose out and for the Seattle Sounders or Real Salt Lake to win out in order not to win. All three scenarios seem highly unlikely. SB Nation Soccer’s MLS Power Rankings are not meant to be quite so literal, though.
Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 28: Thinning At The Top
SB Nation’s MLS Power Rankings have just three teams in its Top Tier.
Despite the names of the various tiers, many of our voters look at our power rankings as a weekly gauge of who is playing well, not who will necessarily be holding silverware at the end of the season. It’s how, I suppose, one of our voters even saw fit to give the Philadelphia Union a Top Tier vote.
There wasn’t a whole of movement in terms of teams leap-frogging one another, but there was a fair amount of movement between tiers. FC Dallas finally dropped out of the Top Tier, almost definitely for good; the Houston Dynamo and DC United both entered Tier 2; and there are now just two teams in Tier 3.
| Playing For The Shield | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Los Angeles Galaxy |  100% (63 out of 63 points) |
 | Seattle Sounders | 95% (60 out of 63 points) |
 | Real Salt Lake | 92% (58 out of 63 points) |
Look, we all know the Galaxy are going to win the Shield, but there's still plenty of debate about who is the best team right now. If Javier Morales comes back even close to his old form by the time the playoff roll around, Real Salt Lake will be an absolute beast. The Sounders are looking formidable even without Mauro Rosales, once he's back they too will be a threat.
| Enjoy The Playoffs | ||
|---|---|---|
 | FC Dallas | 68% (43 out of 63 points) |
 | Sporting Kansas City | 68% (43 out of 63 points) |
 | Columbus Crew | 60% (38 out of 63 points) |
 | Philadelphia Union | 60% (38 out of 63 points) |
 | Colorado Rapids | 53% (34 out of 63 points) |
 | DC United | 50% (32 out of 63 points) |
 | Houston Dynamo | 47% (30 out of 63 points) |
For the first time since I can remember, we have 10 teams in the top two tiers. I suppose that means we think these are the 10 playoff teams. Certainly a strong argument can be made, especially with as strong as DC United looked in their win over RSL and with the Dynamo finally figuring out how to win on the road.
| Still Something To Prove | ||
|---|---|---|
 | New York Red Bulls | 38% (24 out of 63 points) |
 | Portland Timbers | 28% (18 out of 63 points) |
Considering three of their final four games are on the road and they now trail the playoff pack by a couple points, the Portland Timbers seem just about dead in the water. The New York Red Bulls are still very much alive, but they need to get the situation with Rafael Marquez figured out.
| At Least There's No Relegation | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Chivas USA | 11% (7 out of 63 points) |
 | Chicago Fire | 11% (7 out of 63 points) |
 | Toronto FC | 4% (3 out of 63 points) |
 | San Jose Earthquakes | 1% (1 out of 63 points) |
 | New England Revolution | 0% (0 out of 63 points) |
 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0% (0 out of 63 points) |
A few of these teams are still mathematically alive for the playoffs, but let’s not kid ourselves. It’s time to start thinking about next year for everyone in this tier. Almost all of them have had moments that have given hope, but no one has come close to sustaining those moments long enough.
How It Works: Each of the 21 participants puts Major League Soccer’s clubs into one of the four tiers. Teams in the top tier get three points. Next tier, two points, then one, then zero. Voters can put as many teams into each tier as they see fit. Though the vote total orders the teams, the clubs are intended to be grouped, not sorted. Although some of the names may indicate otherwise, the point of this is to assess current form and our voters are instructed to place teams in tiers based how those teams will fair in coming weeks.
Who participated: Jeremiah Oshan (SB Nation, soccer); Aaron Campeau (SB Nation, soccer); Ryan Rosenblatt (SB Nation, soccer); Drew Epperley (SB Nation, soccer); Jason Anderson (SB Nation, soccer); Steve Davis (Daily Soccer Fix); Martin Shatzer (Black and Red United); Scott Kessler (Brotherly Game); Zach Woosley (Dynamo Theory); Denzel Eslinger (RSL Soapbox); Robert Jonas (Quake, Rattle and Goal); Daniel Robertson (Big D Soccer); Dave Clark (Sounder at Heart); Duncan Fletcher (Waking the Red), Steve Stoehr (The Bent Musket); Tweed Thornton (Hot Time in Old Town), Ben Schneider (Once a Metro); Josie Bekcer (LAG Confidential); Alicia Ratterree (The Goat Parade); Brenton Walters (The Vancouver Whitecaps Offside).
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