Early season rankings: 1. Columbus. Really impressive this year. Martino + front line looks awesome. 2. San Jose. Tied KC playing 10 men to KC's 12. With all the youngsters on the team, one has to wonder if the bubble will burst soon. Still, LD is looking like an early MVP candidate. 3. Los Angeles. Three road ties is a nice way to start the season on the road. I like the team's toughness. 4. Dallas. Will be fresh for Saturday's match against NE. 5. Kansas City. I like the balance on this team. Meola's game ending save on Saturday saved the team a point. 6. Colorado. A week off after a tough loss to San Jose. Played pretty well in 2nd half of that match. Hopefully, they are beyond the Grimandi affair. 7. DCU. I thought the goal was good on Saturday night. Not sure what to make of this team. How can a player as good as Stewart be so invisible? And, I'll never understand how the team traded Pope. Still, I liked what I saw of Etch - seemingly faster than last year. 8. Chicago. Will take a while for this team to gel. I'm hoping DMB will survive the season as the opposing team's bulls eye. 9. Metros. Guevara fills a huge hole. This team could rise quickly in the standings. An interesting mix of youth & experience. 10. Revs. Looked horrid on Saturday. Is this the price the team pays for not having played against MLS competition in the pre-season? Its going to be tough to move up this week - playing at Dallas w/ erzatz grass.
1. LA Galaxy- Until proven otherwise. 2. Columbus- Lookin' good. 3. The rest of the league. Too early and the teams are too close together to rank them.
It may be too early but it doesn't mean it's not fun to try. I agree though that positions 6 through 10 are just about a dead heat at this point, though the Revs probably bring up the rear based on their abysmal Saturday performance. Joe-Max ought to help them out this week though. We'll find out about positions #2 and #3 this week as well in what must the Game of the Week, the California Derby.
You're a fool. The Revs had one off-day. Did you watch the Naperville game? The Revs dominated on a tiny field with FieldTurf. And they'll do the same in Dragon Stadium. The Revs should be no lower than 7th. Prof
Re: Re: MLS Rankings Counterpoint, Read this: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=45349
Based on Current Form Actually, I think this is about right. But here's my rankings in total: 1. LA Galaxy - have yet to play a home game, but still have managed to get a point in all 3 away games when the entire league is gunning for them and at home openers. Great defense, great finishing. Class of the league. 2. Columbus - Martino, Buddle and McBride seem to have improved their individual play and chemistry. Hejduk has made a great addition. The central defense of Dunseth and Clark has been surprisingly solid. 3. Dallas - Even without their talisman Pareja, they look strong. The defense looks more disciplined. If they get a scorer to compliment Kreis (EJ?, Cerritos?) then they'll be even closer to the Crew. 4. San Jose - Only a fluke goalie own-goal from defying the skeptics yet again and looking very strong. 5. DC United - By default, somebody has to be ranked 5th, but really there's a lot of poor teams out there right now. DC deserved to win in KC, but Rimando's stinker gifted the OT and eventually the win to KC. DC outplayed Chicago, and while not dominant by any stretch, they did show some encouraging signs offensively. Defensively it looks as thought they once again have a strong defense. 6. Colorado - Poor defense, mediocre finishing and less midfield creativity than last season. I'll be the first to say it (before they torch my DC United), I think the Rapids miss El Pibe's creativity. 7. KC - It looks like Meola is ready for the season, and their defense is more physically prepared. Wolff's not ready yet, and he's their only forward. Preki still looks good and Klein is in form, but those three are really all KC has offensively. Very lucky to score at all against DC, and the triple-gift isn't likely to hold up all season. 8. New England - Looked absolutely horrible last week. But, considering they got a point in Naperville with 10 men, they must rank above the Fire. 9. Chicago Fire - While they got 2 points in 2 games, they looked impotent doing so. Defense can carry you only so far. Without some creativity and possession in midfield, this team will struggle. When Razov returns and as Jaqua matures, they may develop into a typical English club with offense generated from flank speed and crossing. Until then, prospects look bleak for scoring enough to win. 10. Metros - They could easily be ranked 5th, but at the moment their fielding a very odd squad. Moreno and Mathis have physical problems still, Guevara hasn't had a chance to develop chemistry yet, the new players havne't gelled yet, and the Boca players haven't finalized a loan agreement yet. Bradley's doing a good job patching this thing together considering, but at the moment it looks like a patch job. But frankly, Mellon002 said it best. It's the Galaxy and Crew then all the rest. -Digital
1. LA - Too much talent 2. Crew - Right on LA's tail 3. Burn - need to gel a little more 4. KC - Solid from top to bottom 5. Quakes - Haven't show true colors yet. 6. Colorado - The all unheralded team 7. Revs - With Moore could be dangerous 8. FIRE - Missing Razov (and Nowak, Dema, Hristo...) 9. DC - No chemistry......yet 10. Metro - Nothing much