Stop. You're making us blush. As FC Dallas continues to dominate opponents, Oscar Pareja’s club maintains its lock on the top spot of various MLS power rankings. Funny, though, even though FCD is the lone undefeated team in MLS, there’s a sense that this club still has room for improvement.
Here’s how FC Dallas and this week’s opponent, the Portland Timbers who have a league-best 16 points, fared in latest roundup of MLS power rankings.
Here’s a hint: Saturday’s game will be a good one. Click here for ticket information.
ESPNFC
1. FC Dallas (no change) - FC Dallas holds on to the top spot thanks to a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. SKC's suffocating defense provided a significant challenge, but Dallas' own (perhaps underrated) defensive prowess helped it grab a one-goal victory.
2. Orlando City SC (+1)
3. Portland Timbers (+1) - The Timbers' 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps moves them up a spot and into the top three. Darlington Nagbe's opener is worth talking about, but Darren Mattocks' work at the top of the formation set the tone for Portland. Mattocks will not start when Fanendo Adi is available, but the depth he provides is a nice weapon for coach Caleb Porter.
4. New York Red Bulls (+3)
5. Columbus Crews SC (-3)
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MLS
1. FC Dallas (no change) - Surprise! The bar - and expectations - keep rising for this group. P.S., Mauro is back training. Yikes!
2. Portland Timbers (no change) - The Timbers' attacking stars came through once again vs. Vancouver. The only real negative was Diego Valeri’s hip flexor injury. They can use him to climb the final rung of these rankings with a victory at FC Dallas on Saturday
3. Orlando City SC (+2)
4. Sporting Kansas City (-1)
5. Atlanta United FC (+2)
Soccer America
1. FC DALLAS (no change) - If there’s been a hangover from that crushing loss in the CCL semifinals, FCD has yet to show it. Figueroa crashed the back post to head home a Michael Barrios cross; his only previous MLS goal came as a member of the Rapids against SKC in 2015. Keeper Jesse Gonzalez needed to make just one save despite SKC controlling 61.1 percent of possession.
2. Orlando City SC (+1)
3. Sporting Kansas City (-1)
4. Portland Timbers (+1) - As they finished the 2015 season en route to the title the Timbers are starting 2017. Darlington Nagbe nailed one of the strikes of the season and Darren Mattocks, starting in place of suspended Fanendo Adi, notched the winner against the team that drafted him into MLS.
5. Houston Dynamo (+1)
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Sports Illustrated
1. FC Dallas (no change) - FC Dallas is on such a good run, even guys that aren’t regular scorers are stepping up to get the team points. Defender Maynor Figueroa, he of eight total goals in his 304-appearance pro career prior to this weekend, scored the only goal as FC Dallas topped previously-unbeaten Sporting KC 1–0. There’s probably a way to beat Dallas, but no team in the league has figured it out so far.
2. Portland Timbers (+1) - The Timbers got a 2–1 win over Cascadia rival Vancouver, thanks to a stunning strike by Darlington Nagbe (seriously, watch it if you haven’t already), and a winner by Darren Mattocks. It was the perfect way to recover after a disappointing home loss to Kansas City last week. Portland remains at the top of the West standings, having played two more games than FC Dallas.
3. Orlando City SC (+3)
4. Atlanta United FC (no change)
5. Sporting Kansas City (-3)