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A good week for parity in MLS makes for a difficult week for the Power Rankings...
1. Toronto FC (no movement)
- 29 points, 1st in Eastern Conference
- 1st in Supporters' Shield race
- Last result: TFC 5-0 Columbus
There will be a week when TFC drops off the top spot of the Power Rankings, but not the week it extended its unbeaten streak to eight games with a 5-0 win over a team many expect to see in this year's playoffs.
2. Chicago Fire (up three places)
- 24 points, 2nd in East
- 2nd in Shield race
- Last result: Chicago 2-1 FCD
Longest active winning streak and a win over suddenly-slumping FC Dallas: Chicago is unlucky TFC's form is so remarkable, because most week a team enjoying the Fire's current run would be top of this list.
3. LA Galaxy (up six places)
- 17 points, 6th in Western Conference
- 13th in Shield race
- Last result: San Jose 2-4 LA
The Galaxy has won three games in a row on the road: in MLS, that is a lot of power.
4. Philadelphia Union (down two places)
- 16 points, 8th in East
- 15th in Shield race
- Last result: RSL 1-0 Union
Philadelphia had won four in a row before this week's loss to RSL, so the Rankings are cutting the team a little slack.
5. New York City FC (down two places)
- 20 points, 3rd in East
- 4th in Shield race
- Last result: Atlanta 3-1 NYCFC
NYCFC has only won one of its last four, but all of those games were on the road. The Rankings want to see what a return home does for the team.
6. Vancouver Whitecaps (no movement)
- 16 points, 6th in West
- 14th in Shield race
- Last result: VWFC 0-1 DC
Vancouver lost in Week 13 because the referee was duped into awarding a penalty - which even managed to get the Disciplinary Committee's attention. To add insult to that injury by dropping the Caps down this list seems a step too far. Vancouver holds steady in Week 13.
7. FC Dallas (down three places)
- 20 points, 3rd in West
- 8th in Shield race
- Last results: Chicago 2-1 FCD (May 25); FCD 0-0 Houston (May 28)
There's no excuse for a team that has two points from its last four games - and three of those played at home - being in the top 10 of this list, other than it's hard to make a case for promoting many teams above FCD at the moment. It was a bad week for Dallas, but it happened to be a bad week for a lot of the teams around it in the Rankings as well.
8. Atlanta United (up four places)
- 18 points, 7th in East
- 11th in Shield race
- Last result: Atlanta 3-1 NYCFC
Atlanta United's second win in a row - and this one over a team thought to be among the best in the early stages of MLS 2017 - is worth a place in the top 10.
9. Sporting Kansas City (down two places)
- 22 points, 1st in West
- 3rd in Shield race
- Last result: Colorado 1-0 KC
KC's second loss in a row should maybe be worth a bigger slide down the Rankings, but its last win was over Seattle, so it can settle in above the Sounders for now.
10. Seattle Sounders (up eight places)
- 16 points, 8th in West
- 17th in Shield race
- Last result: Sounders 1-0 Portland
Back-to-back 1-0 home wins over slumping opponents isn't the most convincing form, but the Sounders stand out from the crowd in what was a poor week for a lot of supposedly better teams.
11. New England Revolution (down one place)
- 16 points, 9th in East
- 16th in Shield race
- Last result: RBNY 2-1 Revs
The Revs have a tough schedule ahead: NYCFC in New York, followed by a three-game stretch against the two hottest teams in MLS (Toronto twice; Chicago once). So this modest step down the Rankings might be the start of big fall.
12. Houston Dynamo (up one place)
- 20 points, 2nd in West
- 5th in Shield race
- Last result: FCD 0-0 Houston
The Rankings tend to take the view that a scoreless draw is not a sign of power, but this scoreless draw was Houston's first road point of the season - and it was against the pre-season favorite to win the Supporters' Shield. If the Dynamo has figured out how to stop losing on the road, the rest of the league had best take notice.
13. Minnesota United (up three places)
- 14 points, 9th in West
- 19th in Shield race
- Last result: Minnesota 1-0 Orlando
This week's win probably said more about Orlando's weaknesses than Minnesota's strengths, but credit where it's due: these are the sort of games - at home against slumping visitors from far away - the Expansion United should be winning, and winning when you're supposed to win is a sign of power.
14. New York Red Bulls (up five places)
- 20 points, 5th in East
- 7th in Shield race
- Last result: RBNY 2-1 Revs
The big jump up the Rankings is more an acknowledgement that last week's evaluation was a little harsh than the suggestion winning a home game against New England is all that impressive.
15. Montreal Impact (no movement)
- 13 points, 11th in East
- 21st in Shield race
- Last result: IMFC 4-1 Portland (May 20)
L'Impact didn't play this week and therefore stands still.
16. San Jose Earthquakes (down eight places)
- 19 points, 4th in West
- 10th in Shield race
- Last result: SJ 2-4 LA
The Rankings really have no idea what to make of San Jose. Last week, the Quakes beat FCD on the road: top 10 team! This week, they lost to LA at home: not a top 10 team!
17. Columbus Crew (down six places)
- 19 points, 6th in East
- 9th in Shield race
- Last result: TFC 5-0 Crew
Big drop for this week's big loss to TFC. Being worse than TFC is the perspective of pretty much all of MLS at the moment, so the Rankings won't hold this result against the Crew for long.
18. Real Salt Lake (up two places)
- 14 points, 10th in West
- 20th in Shield race
- Last result: RSL 1-0 Philadelphia
RSL second win in its last three games, and its second win over a team that had been playing well before visiting Utah. Whisper it, but things might be looking up for RSL.
19. Colorado Rapids (up two places)
- 10 points, 11th in West
- 22nd in Shield race
- Last result: Rapids 1-0 KC
Beating KC is impressive and Colorado has another three in a row to play at home coming up. Big chance for the Rapids to rise up this list over the next few weeks.
20. Portland Timbers (down four places)
- 18 points, 5th in West
- 12th in Shield race
- Last result: Seattle 1-0 Portland
That's a five-game winless streak for the Timbers now, and just two wins in their last 10 league games.
21. Orlando City (down seven places)
- 20 points, 4th in East
- 6th in Shield race
- Last result: Minnesota 1-0 Orlando
Six games straight without a win and two in a row without a goal - power is dangerously low in Orlando.
22. D.C. United (no movement)
- 14 points, 10th in East
- 18th in Shield race
- Last result: Vancouver 0-1 DC
You can't cheat your way off the bottom of the list, DC.