What a week of soccer we have had! US Open Cup games have kicked off with MLS sides entering in the third round, there were some upsets, MLS clubs were playing at alternate stadiums it was a blast. Across the league last week teams wore the One Planet jerseys. A really neat design that confuses the hell out of me every year, as all teams are wearing the same two colors. Kudos to the league and Adidas for taking the initiative but let's hope to see some team colors brought into the fold in the future.
Now on to the power rankings!
1. LAFC 5-3-0 Last Week: 1; LAFC are the last undefeated squad in MLS all while this past week alone managing a draw after going down 1-0 to Nashville on the road and then continuing further east to take a 1-1 result at Philadelphia in the CCL semi-finals. They have incredible talent and depth. I think this team will compete for every trophy this season: CCL, US Open Cup, Supporters Shield, Leagues Cup, and MLS Cup.
2. St. Louis CITY 6-1-2 Last Week: 2; St. Louis got a result in the way of a 1-1 draw at Colorado. I know the Rapids are down this year, but Denver is a tough place to play in the altitude. Roman Burki had to play great to hold the result, but he did. City will take on Portland at home this weekend after defeating USL League 1 side Union Omaha 5-1 this week in USOC play.
3. Seattle Sounders 6-1-2 Last Week: 5; No disrespect from the Eastern Conference teams, but I think these three Western Conference clubs are the three best clubs in MLS right now. They have the depth and talent. Seattle is built to win and I would be blown away if they don't leave 2023 with at least one piece of silverware.
4. New England Revs 6-2-1 Last Week: 4; Let the FCC fans start hating me, but I think Bruce Arena is doing it again. They have a great squad with a mix of veterans and young talent. Bruce still knows how to manage the league and they handled a SKC side that was desperate to get a result last weekend.
5. FC Cincinnati 6-2-1 Last Week: 3; It was announced this week that Brenner is leaving for Serie A side Udinese this summer. FCC still has a lot of talent but part of what has made them great is the Vasquez/Brenner punch and they may still yet lose Brandon Vasquez to Europe this summer. Props to Pat Noonan and everything he has done. This team could be number one next week.
6. Atlanta 5-3-1 Last Week: 6; Atlanta is good. Brooks Lennon, Giakoumakis and Caleb Wiley are going to keep this team going after Almada and Miles Robinson likely depart. I think Garth Lagerwey will have this club continuing to be the class of the MLS for years to come. Right now I'm just not confident enough to rank them ahead of the other five teams.
7. NYCFC 4-3-2 Last Week: NR; The brilliance of getting James Sands and Richie Ledezma has breathed new life into this team. Coming into this season I was not high on NYCFC (I saw a NYC Wanderers shirt online and I think it's brilliant) but they have the pieces in place to make a run. By the way NYCFC alum Tati Castellanos scored FOUR goals against Real Madrid this week. What a performance from the former MLS player.
8. Philadelphia Union 3-2-4 Last Week: NR; I'll admit I was a little beholden to the standings the last couple of weeks, but this team is good if not great. They have had challenges balancing CCL and league play which isn't abnormal. They may or may not get by LAFC, but when the dust settles I think they have the talent and the coaching to right the ship.
Bottom 5
25. Colorado Rapids 1-5-3 Last Week: 25; I love the addition of Danny Leyva on loan from Seattle. They have a sound midfield and it was a great loan move. Colorado needs to start turning these home draws into wins if the want to make a run at the playoffs. On the bright side the bested League 1 side Northern Colorado to advance to the USOC round of 32.
26. LA Galaxy 1-3-4 Last Week: 27; The Galaxy brought back Mauricio Cuevas from Club Brugge this week. The talent is there. They got their first win and I think this team could climb back into the playoff chase.
27. New York Red Bulls 1-5-3 Last Week: NR; There is a lot going on around this team, and almost none of it is positive. Their playoff streak is firmly on the line and unless some big changes are made this may be the year the streak ends.
28. CF Montreal 2-0-6 Last Week: 28; Montreal kicked the down New York Red Bulls for their second win of the season. Which makes what SKC is doing this season even more remarkable. Montreal traded and sold away all of their best players and are starting a rebuild AND STILL have managed a couple of wins so far.
29. Sporting Kansas City 0-3-6 Last Week: 29; Tuesday's US Open Cup lineup against amateur side Tulsa Athletic tells you everything you need to know about how things are going in Kansas City; Peter Vermes started Daniel Salloi, Ghadi Kinda, Alan Pulido, Remy Walter and other starters against a NPSL side. The level of desperation to give this team confidence in any way that you're starting Designated Players against an amateur side on a Tuesday night in front of approximately 4,000 fans.
Congrats to Charlotte for moving out of the bottom five for the first time this season. In other noteworthy MLS news Inter Miami seem to be crawling out of their funk. They played extremely well in a loss last week. Let's hope they're still in the playoff chase when Messi arrives this summer!
Props to St. Louis for setting the US Open Cup 3rd round attendance record this week with over 22,000 in attendance. I know you get some new team buzz with an expansion side, but I firmly believe if they keep putting out a good squad that attendance could stay like this for years. St. Louis is a soccer crazy city.
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