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MLS 2017 Power Rankings, Week 7: Sporting Kansas City takes its turn at the top

And RSL took the biggest step up this week.

By Austin Fido
Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Change at the top again in Week 7, and RSL strides into the top 10.

1. Sporting Kansas City (up two places)

  • 12 points, 2nd in Western Conference
  • 4th in Supporters' Shield race
  • Last result: Portland 0-1 SKC
KC is still unbeaten in MLS 2017, has now recorded four clean sheets in its opening six games of the season, and just went to Portland and beat the team these Rankings rated highest last week.

2. FC Dallas (no movement)

  • 11 points, 3rd in West
  • 5th in Shield race
  • Last result: San Jose 1-1 FCD

Denied a win in San Jose this week by a last-minute equalizer, FCD is still unbeaten in the league this season and will get its shot at the top spot on this list next week, when it hosts Sporting KC.

3.Columbus Crew (up two places)

  • 13 points, 1st in Eastern Conference
  • 2nd in Shield race
  • Last result: Crew 2-1 TFC

Bounced back from last week's loss in Chicago to hand Toronto its first loss of the new season - and make it four wins from its last five league games.

4. Orlando City (up two places)

  • 12 points, 2nd in East
  • 3rd in Shield race
  • Last result: OCSC 2-1 LA
We get it Orlando: you really like your new digs. OCSC set a new MLS record this week: four wins in the first four games played at a new home stadium. And those four wins have sent Orlando to the upper end of the Eastern Conference. The team clearly has power on home turf. Next week's trip to NYCFC will tell us a little more about how well that power is able to travel.

5. Chicago Fire (up four places)

  • 11 points, 3rd in Eas
  • 6th in Shield race
  • Last result: Chicago 3-0 New England

Back-to-back wins for Chicago, over two in-form Eastern Conference rivals - but both at home. If recent form carries over to the three-game road trip the team is about to get started on, then the Fire will be hard to keep off the top of this list.

6. Portland Timbers (down five places)

  • 13 points, 1st in West
  • 1st in Shield race
  • Last result: Timbers 0-1 KC
Top team in the league, yes; but the Timbers have also now won just one of their last four games. Losing power.

7. Atlanta United (down three places)

  • 8 points, 6th in East
  • 10th in Shield race
  • Last result: Montreal 2-1 Atlanta

Atlanta was surely going to lose at least one of the four consecutive road games it is currently working its way through. It did well to hold out until it was three games into the stretch of away-days. This Expansion United will tumble a little further if its loses in Salt Lake next week, but it has done enough prior to Week 7 to hold itself inside the top 10 of the Rankings for another week, despite being winless in its last three matches.

8. New York City FC (up four places)

  • 10 points, 4th in East
  • 7th in Shield race
  • Last result: Union 0-2 NYCFC
Everyone seems to have their own way of over-reacting to David Villa's wonder-goal against Philly. The Rankings' way is to hurry NYCFC back into the top 10.


9. New England Revolution (down three places)

  • 7 points, 7th in East
  • 13th in Shield race
  • Last result: Chicago 3-0 Revs
On the road against a looking-good Chicago: can't be too harsh on the Revs for getting shutout and shipping three goals in Week 7.

10. Real Salt Lake (up six places)

  • 8 points, 6th in West
  • 12 in Shield race
  • Last result: Rapids 1-2 RSL

RSL is striding up this list: from dead last to top 10 in two weeks. Over-rated? Perhaps. But there are only three teams in the league that have won their last two games, and the other two are in the top five.

11. Houston Dynamo (down one place)

  • 10 points, 4th in West
  • 8th in Shield race
  • Last result: Houston 2-2 Minnesota
The Rankings were not expecting Minnesota to be the first team in MLS 2017 to take points off the Dynamo in Houston.

12. Toronto FC (down five places)

  • 7 points, 9th in East
  • 16th in Shield race
  • Last result: Crew 2-1 TFC

Big drop for a team that just lost its first game of the season, on the road against an opponent the Rankings think is pretty hot. But maybe not an unfair position on the list for a team that has also won just once in six games.

13. D.C. United (down two places)

  • 7 points, 8th in East
  • 15th in Shield race
  • Last result: RBNY 2-0 DC

Could be the start of a long fall down the list for DCU. After back-to-back home wins, the team went on the road and lost to what had been a stumbling RBNY until DC showed up. And the loss reminded the Rankings DC's only wins this season have come at home. It has just lost its second away-day of 2017, and is looking at two more road games to close out April.

14. Montreal Impact (up three places)

  • 6 points, 10th in East
  • 19th in Shield race
  • Last result: IMFC 2-1 Atlanta

L'Impact's first win of MLS 2017 was a long time coming, but Atlanta has been a tough opponent so far this season - so credit Montreal with handing the Expansion United its first road loss in the league.

15. Minnesota United (no movement)

  • 5 points, 10th in West
  • 20th in Shield race
  • Last result: Houston 2-2 Minnesota

Minnesota has still only won once so far this season, but this week it became the first team in MLS 2017 to not lose to the Dynamo in Houston. Credit for that achievement balanced by awareness of this United's shaky defense (it has conceded at least two goals in all seven of its league games to date) evens out to holding steady in the Rankings.

16. New York Red Bulls (up five places)

  • 10 points, 5th in East
  • 9th in Shield race
  • Last result: RBNY 2-0 DC

An encouraging result for RBNY, but also the team's first win since March 11. Quietly putting together a strong 2017 home record - this week saw the team's third consecutive clean sheet at Red Bull Arena - and if that form holds, the Red Bulls will quickly rise up this list. Columbus and Chicago, two Rankings favorites at the moment, are the next visitors to Harrison.

17. Vancouver Whitecaps (up two places)

  • 7 points, 7th in West
  • 14th in Shield race
  • Last result: VWFC 2-1 Seattle

Not entirely by convinced by the Caps just yet. Yes, the team has won two of its last three outings, but those wins were both at home over struggling LA and Seattle. So Vancouver is above LA and Seattle this week, and that's about all the Rankings are willing to concede.

18. LA Galaxy (down four places)

  • 6 points, 8th in West
  • 17th in Shield race
  • Last result: Orlando 2-1 LA

Everyone loses in Orlando at the moment, but this week's result also exposed the fact LA's two wins to date this season were over a winless (at the time) Montreal and RSL when RSL seemed to be cratering. The Galaxy has lost its other four games - but can look forward to next week's home match against Seattle, now set-up as the game that will decide whether the Galaxy or Seattle has had the more disappointing start to the year.

19. Seattle Sounders (down six places)

  • 6 points, 9th in West
  • 18th in Shield race
  • Last result: VWFC 2-1 Sounders

Getting handled a little roughly by the Rankings for this week's loss, but the Sounders have only won one of their first six games in MLS 2017.

20. San Jose Earthquakes (no movement)

  • 8 points, 5th in West
  • 11th in Shield race
  • Last result: San Jose 1-1 FCD

The Quakes' second consecutive 1-1 draw means they have picked up just two points from a two-game home stand, and now face a run of three games on the road - and they've lost both the away matches they have played so far this season.

21. Colorado Rapids (down three places)

  • 4 points, 11th in West
  • 21st in Shield race
  • Last result: Colorado 1-2 RSL

The Rapids have now lost three of their last four. And they're on the road for the next two weeks.

22. Philadelphia Union (no movement)

  • 2 points, 11th in East
  • 22nd in Shield race
  • Last result: Union 0-2 NYCFC

The only winless team left in MLS 2017. If things get any worse for Philly, we may need a 23rd spot on this list.

In This Stream

OaM's MLS Power Rankings: 2017 Edition

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