MLS Power Rankings: Philadelphia Union and Seattle Sounders both climb
By Matt Coles
MLS Power Rankings: 21. D.C. United (-1)
The last of those three teams to sit on 1 points in the Eastern Conference is the side from the capital, D.C. United. They performed well in their lone match in the league this week, earning a point after a draw with the 2017 MLS Cup champs.
D.C. drew 2-2 with Toronto FC on Saturday evening, thanks to goals that bookended the match. Ola Kamara opened the scoring in the 5th minute, with Griffin Yow netting with just two minutes of play left.
The draw sees them currently sit in 13th spot in the East, but they remain just a point below the red line. Games against Nashville SC and New England Revolution provide good chances to make their move back into the playoff places.
This Week’s Fixtures: @ Nashville SC (Wed 23, 8:30 pm ET), vs. New England Revolution (Sun 27, 7 pm ET)
MLS Power Rankings: 20. Nashville SC (-1)
It was a match that Nashville SC would have expected to lose, but they had more of the ball and the same amount of shots on target as the Columbus Crew on Saturday. They just completely failed to take their chances.
Goals from Pedro Santos and Gyasi Zardes were enough for the league-leaders to take the victory, but the Tennessee-based side should be proud of their efforts. They have been unbeaten in their three games prior to this loss.
The expansion side hold on to their post-season spot at the moment, as they currently sit in 9th spot in the extended Eastern Conference. Keep an eye on upcoming games against the struggling D.C. United and Houston Dynamo to come this week.
This Week’s Fixtures: vs. D.C. United (Wed 23, 8:30 pm ET), vs. Houston Dynamo (Sat 26, 3:30 pm ET)
MLS Power Rankings: 19. Real Salt Lake (-3)
A poor defeat on Saturday afternoon sees Real Salt Lake continue their slide down the MLS Power Rankings. They now have just a single team below them in the Western Conference following a loss to Vancouver.
The Whitecaps came away with a victory after goals from David Milinkovic and Lucas Cavallini eared them a 2-1 victory. Justin Meram got on the scoresheet for RSL, but they were let down by Kyle Beckerman, who was sent off with half an hour to go.
They now sit in 11th spot in the truncated West, just three points off the bottom of the Conference. However, a win against the Galaxy on Wednesday could see them jump as high as 6th. They then face Minnesota United in another tough all-Western clash at the weekend.
This Week’s Fixtures: vs. LA Galaxy (Wed 23, 9:30 pm ET), @ Minnesota United (Sun 27, 8 pm ET)