Major League Soccer Power Rankings: Columbus remains on top, Galaxy rising

The Major League Soccer season is more than halfway finished with only a few months left in the season. A few teams such as San Jose and New York are likely already out of the playoff hunt while every other team has a decent chance. Overall, the Columbus Crew are still on top of the rankings followed by the Houston Dynamo and a surging Los Angeles Galaxy team. The Galaxy have been in great form and have one of the best road records as they are in 2nd place in the West. The Crew on the other hand have a terrific home record where they are unbeaten and have a plus 7 goal differential. Here are the latest MLS Power Rankings for Week 21 (as of Monday August 9, 2009).

1. Columbus Crew – It seems this team is ready for another deep playoff even after losing manager Sigi Schmid in the offseason.
2. Houston Dynamo – Dominic Kinnear is arguably the best coach in the history of the league and able to find players to step up when needed.
3. Los Angeles Galaxy – Bruce Arena has to be the favorite for Manager of the Year as he has the Galaxy playing as good as any other team in the league.
4. Chicago Fire – They rallied to come back against Houston but showed that their defensive problems are their achilles heel.
5. Colorado Rapids – Another hat trick for Conor Casey who has been called up to the National Team and should be attracting attention from European clubs. This team is a offensive powerhouse at home.
6. DC United – They played well for 55-60 minutes against Real Madrid and showed they are capable of being the best team in the league. Will playing in the US Open Cup, MLS, and Champions League prove too much down the stretch?
7. Seattle Sounders – The team has been inconsistent lately and seems to have hit a wall offensively in the last few weeks. Their home record is solid but only 7 away goals and 1 win in 9 road matches.
8. Toronto FC – They were outclassed by Real Madrid and have an important game against DC United next Saturday. The team needs an attacking midfielder or forward to convert their chances to support De Rosario. Is Danny Dichio going to get a shot in the starting lineup next Saturday?
9. Real Salt Lake – Another nice home win for RSL as Robbie Findlay scored his 8th goal of the season. Rio Tinto stadium is proving to be a fortress for this team.
10. FC Dallas – The team lets Kenny Cooper transfer to Germany and is really starting to find its form. They are only 6 points back of 4th place Seattle and surging.
11. New England Revolution – They’ve struggled to score goals and the absense of Taylor Twellman has been a main reason.
12. Kansas City Wizards – A much needed bye week for KC as they look to recover with new manager Peter Vermes.
13. San Jose Earthquakes – The Earthquakes are starting to get a few results but still have a long way to go before thinking about the playoffs.
14. Chivas USA – It’s hard to remember the last time this team got a result. They started out as the best team in the first few months and have fallen off the map. Can Preki turn it around?
15. New York Red Bulls – There’s not much left to say except this team has been a disappointment from the start. Their only chance for success was the Champions League and they failed to advance past W Connection. Will Angel want to stay in New York?

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