MLS: Week 11 Power Rankings – Change is in the air

Results = Good

8. Montreal Impact – The Impact had a tough week, but even with the road loss to FC Cincinnati, Remi Garde has made progress shaping a team without Ignacio Piatti. Montreal played an away game on two days rest, lost, and still have an even 4-4-2 record on the road. Once Piatti is again fit, the Impact will flirt with the top of the table more than the playoff cut line. Garde’s men should benefit from a coming stretch of home games. They’ve only played three all season.

7. Atlanta United – Frank de Boer needed a spell to get settled, to tinker with his squad just for fun. Well, the fans let him know that playtime was over. The MLS regular season is a serious task and Atlanta expected multiple home playoff games, not just qualifying to travel. Any pitchforks and moving vans headed to de Boer’s house can stand down. Atlanta United is like a DJ hitting a bump in their quest for a new beat to blast. Those first few losses to begin the season were just a teasing skit before the new banger of the season was released.

6. LA Galaxy – Watching the Galaxy players defer to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a full game, yet again, explains more dropped points. Ibrahimovic wants the ball, sure. He wants to win more, it’s almost guaranteed. But it scouting how to beat Los Angeles is a basic exercise: shut off service to Zlatan and the Galaxy implode. Allow Zlatan space and he will hurt you like no other player in the league. But for the Galaxy, it’s a basic approach that has looked broken in recent weeks. A few quirky changes to the build-up play, a couple touches for Zlatan in midfield, and all should be fine. This is still a wildly talented team, they just need to shake free of their Zlatan dependence.

5. Houston Dynamo – All those open seats are enjoying the most underrated and overlooked MLS contender. Houston made its chances in Seattle but lacked the finishing touches in the 1-0 loss. They have yet to take a loss at home and are average a point per game in road fixtures. Wilmer Cabrera is still varying up his tactics and learning how to use substitutes. He is managing the season about as well as anyone expected.

4. D.C. United – D.C. United had to grind out a 1-0 win at home against a weakened Sporting KC. It was not the prettiest. Almost all of their best chances came from set pieces, either Wayne Rooney freekicks or Steve Birnbaum headers. But points are points. No one will remember how they were earned. D.C. are joint-top of the East for a reason.

3. Seattle Sounders – Huge win. Absolutely huge. Houston, the purported pretenders trying to prove they were anything but, arrived in Seattle burgeoning with confidence. This was the time to take out the Western powerhouse. Only, it wasn’t. The Sounders won and keep pace with LAFC, just.

2. Philadelphia Union – Admit it, who expected the Philadelphia Union to be sitting pretty at the top of the Eastern Conference after 12 games? No, me neither. And yet, Jim Curtin’s side has been excellent. They are also now beating fellow elite MLS teams, this time Toronto. Philadelphia are for real, which still sounds staggering to say.

1.  LAFC – According to Caleb Porter, meet the Manchester City of MLS! The only way this team implodes is the problem of too many great players and not enough minutes to go around. Bob Bradley should go for the domestic double, considering the lead in the standings and the squad depth.