MLS: Playoff Power Rankings

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 25: Carlos Vela #10 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal during Los Angeles FC's MLS match against Los Angeles Galaxy at the Banc of California Stadium on August 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images) /

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FOXBOROUGH, MA – SEPTEMBER 29: New York City FC forward Heber Araujo dos Santos (9) looks for an open teammate during a match between the New England Revolution and New York City FC on September 29, 2019, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. New York City FC

The second-best team in MLS that started the season with no victories in their first six games. In fact, if you take New York City FC’s form from their final 28 games and extrapolate it over a 34-game season, they would end the year with 70.4 points. Supporters’ Sheild-winning Los Angeles FC ended the year with 72 points.

Essentially, then, New York City FC played like a Supporters’ Shield-winning team for the majority of the season, especially once Heber was introduced to lead the line and fully replace David Villa. Heber ended the year with 15 goals, but his goals per 90 minute ratio was only marginally worse than Josef Martinez’s, 0.86 to 0.94.

New York also boast the most creative player in MLS, Maxi Moralez, an excellent and underrated defence, led by Maxime Chanot, and a complete XI that offers very few weaknesses for the opposition. If not for LAFC, we might be talking about how great this New York team. As it is, they have flown under the radar, but that might well be a good thing.

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