SBN MLS Power Rankings Have Seattle Sounders Unanimous Top Tier

by Dave Clark on Aug 22, 2011 4:05 PM PDT in Major League Soccer: News & Analysis

With the new SBN MLS Power Rankings out you can clearly see that Seattle is on a bit of a run lately. Now a unanimous top tier team the Seattle Sounders are thought of by voters as being a favorite to win a trophy this year. There's only that little issue of the Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas and Saturday's opponent the Columbus Crew sitting in the way. As every voter has the Sounders as Tier One, let's look at where the writers here differ.

First, half of us that vote in the power rankings have the Crew in Tier One and the other two have them in Tier Two. Which essentially mirrors the entirety of the voting base. The Houston Dynamo are another team split between tiers hovering in Tier Two and Three with an even split. One of the four of us don't have the Portland Timbers as a team in Tier Three, keeping them down in Tier Four. While technically not eliminated from the Playoffs, bouncing back and forth between outside shot and none at all probably sums up their season.

My own rankings now are;
Tier One: Galaxy, Sounders, FC Dallas, Crew
Tier Two: Rapids, RSL, KC, Union
Tier Three: Dyanmo, United, Red Bull, Chivas USA, Timbers
Tier Four: Quakes, TFC, Fire, Revolution, Whitecaps

The West isn't alone at the top and it isn't Philadelphia Union or New York Red Bulls that have joined the big guns.

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Anyone else surprised to see how far RSL fell

After such an amazing start to the season

by Derek R on Aug 22, 2011 4:13 PM PDT reply actions

I certainly am...they were my preseason pick for the SS

Also, amazing to see NYRBs in the third tier. I had them as my pre-season pick for th MLS Cup. Lesson learned. Stop making preseason picks. ;)

by Dizzo on Aug 22, 2011 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Or at least use them to your advantage

I think next year you should pick LA and Portland for those spots =P

by Derek R on Aug 22, 2011 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions

RSL bounce back

I don’t think anyone really expects RSL to stay down there, even if they don’t catch anyone before the regular season ends.

Power rankings are based on current run of form, as they should be. But if the standings stay the same and RSL ends up against the Crew in the East playoffs (assuming RSL takes care of business in the play-in game), I’m guessing Vegas would consider them the favorites over Columbus. And no one here would claim it’s unreasonable.

by wannascribble on Aug 22, 2011 6:30 PM PDT up reply actions

At this point I would not favor RSL in the East

they can’t win on the road, and it seems doubtful that they win two of three v Crew/Union/Sporks

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Aug 22, 2011 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Slight disagree

In a home & home, I would favor RSL over the Crew. I have no faith in Columbus to get awin or even tie in Rio Tinto. But as they say, ’that’s why they play the games.’

And the point downthread about Colorado likely to overtake them for the top WC spot is a good one.

by wannascribble on Aug 23, 2011 9:52 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Plus, they're not guaranteed to get the first WC spot

they’re on 1.56 ppg compared to Colorado’s 1.52… and Colorado has a more favorable schedule and is on remarkably better form. I’d be surprised if they weren’t outpacing RSL by the end of the fortnight.

by Tohoya on Aug 22, 2011 6:49 PM PDT up reply actions

Crazy thing is it's probably going to get worse

They have a ton of road games remaining.

by Tohoya on Aug 22, 2011 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Goes to show

points in hand are worth more than PPM. I am surprised by RSL, but it seems like a lot of teams have gone through some struggles and growth in the first half of the season, coming out stronger for it, while RSL has stagnated and struggled to maintain the edge they once had.

by agtk on Aug 22, 2011 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions

2 words

Javier Morales.

RSL is a different team with Morales on the field.

by Nevtelen on Aug 23, 2011 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions

That's just one injury though

Dallas lost Ferreria, we lost Zakuani and OBW, Colorado has lost Casey for the season. I agree that losing Morales effected their team in a negative way, but that seems to happen to a majority of the teams in the league.

I guess it proves that Sigi > Kreis, Kreis loses one player and his team starts to tank Sigi loses multiple players and uses that time to build the depth so that we are strongly competing in three tournaments and winning the reserve league. Heck RSL only has one competition left now and they still can’t get the results they should expect.

Also this is an important lesson for MLS, Games in hand are absolutely worthless, I mean unless you win them.

by python6114 on Aug 23, 2011 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions

Uh oh

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/08/21/mexico.gunfire.soccer/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

About 180 miles too close to our boys

by Milo1 on Aug 22, 2011 9:29 PM PDT reply actions

Monterrey

Monterrey is actually definitely a big drug-violence center, even relatively speaking for Mexico. But even the evil mob bosses will respect the Sounders, as fans of the game of football, if not necessarily human kind in general.

Godspeed sounders.

by RalfZakuani on Aug 22, 2011 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions