Soccer <\/p>\n
The Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a> and Columbus Crew<\/a> played beautiful soccer en route to impressive wins, Seattle Sounders FC<\/a> won at home and Inter Miami CF<\/a> came up short in the Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a>. It was truly a week unlike any other.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does get a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots, though.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Don\u2019t stop appreciating how remarkable the Whitecaps are.<\/p>\n They started the week by making the Concacaf Champions Cup final, blowing past Inter Miami 5-1 on aggregate<\/a>. They ended it with a 2-1 win over RSL<\/a> (without Ryan Gauld<\/a> and Brian White<\/a>) to stay atop the Supporters’ Shield standings on an incredible 2.36 points-per-game pace (which would result in an MLS-record 80 points over a whole season).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In a scenario where other MLS teams have seen their league seasons derailed, the Whitecaps keep finding ways to win.<\/p>\n This is one of the single-best runs an MLS club has ever compiled. It\u2019s worth repeating again and again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Four different goal-scorers contributed to a 4-2 win over Charlotte<\/a>, moving the Crew to first place in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n Y\u2019all know the drill by now. A 17-pass, 70-second possession sequence leading to a goal is banal at this point.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n 17-pass build-up over 70 seconds, back to front, up and down, left to right and back again… just the Crew doing Crew things. pic.twitter.com\/ZQIF83oeBq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Inter Miami have come up short in Concacaf Champions Cup for the second straight year. For all their talent and pedigree, they\u2019re still a team with flaws that can get exposed, especially in tournament settings. The Whitecaps steamrolled the Herons over two legs in their semifinal series and kept Miami from a shot at their biggest prize yet.<\/p>\n Most teams would kill for a Leagues Cup<\/a> and a Supporters\u2019 Shield over two seasons. But without an MLS Cup or Concacaf Champions Cup, fans are left wanting more from the Lionel Messi<\/a> era.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Union<\/a> got the job done against CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> over the weekend. Make it three straight wins for Philly and yet another impressive performance from No. 6 Danley Jean Jacques<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Cincy<\/a> still don\u2019t look like the best version of themselves. There might have been some regression to the mean last weekend when they fell 1-0 to NYCFC and snapped a five-game winning streak. Right now, it\u2019s a group that feels like it\u2019s lacking chemistry, even if the results have been positive. Just imagine how good they can be if they can start clicking.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Loons<\/a> cruised to a 3-0 win at Austin<\/a> \u2013 their first win in four games \u2013 and jumped to second place in the Western Conference. Julian Gressel<\/a> debuted and Joaqu\u00edn Pereyra<\/a> was quietly spectacular. Not a bad weekend!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Crown got Crew\u2019d. It happens to the best of us. But Charlotte\u2019s 4-2 loss felt like a reminder that the eye test and underlying numbers suggest there are a few questions Dean Smith’s group needs to answer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Sounders put in one of their best performances in recent memory with a 4-1 demolition of St. Louis<\/a>. Backheeled\u2019s Joe Lowery did the math<\/a>: Seattle put up more xG in this one than any other game in American Soccer Analysis\u2019 database (dating back to 2013). Suddenly the Sounders have snagged 10 points from four matches.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n LAFC<\/a> have started to take care of business a little more often since exiting Concacaf Champions Cup play. They didn\u2019t mess around in a convincing 2-0 win over Houston on Saturday, making it eight points in four games.<\/p>\n They have a massive litmus test on the way for them in Matchday 12’s edition of Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire. A visit to Vancouver is the most difficult trip in MLS right now.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When good San Diego<\/a> shows up, they steamroll teams\u2026 so Dallas<\/a> became the latest group to fall victim to the best version of MLS\u2019 newest club.<\/p>\n Chucky Lozano<\/a> scored twice in a 5-0 win. He’s is up to 4g\/6a on the season and San Diego are back up to fourth in the West after three straight losses. Only two teams in the conference have scored more often.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s not a 7-2 win, but a road draw in Atlanta<\/a> isn\u2019t an awful result. The Coyotes were the better side for the majority of the day. They just couldn\u2019t find a winner.<\/p>\n They\u2019re a much-improved side this year, but they’ve also won just twice in their last six games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Lions<\/a> were far from their best in Chicago<\/a> until Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady<\/a> earned a red card in the 36th minute. They piled on chances after that, but only put two of their subsequent 18 shots on target.<\/p>\n Make it four 0-0 draws in Orlando’s last five games. At least Pedro Gallese<\/a> is crushing it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After his eight-save performance tonight, @OrlandoCitySC<\/a>‘s Pedro Gallese extended his shutout streak to five matches, becoming just the fourth goalkeeper since the start of 2020 to do so. pic.twitter.com\/AXqwDhhyVQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Little went right for the Timbers<\/a> during a 4-1 loss at San Jose<\/a>. It\u2019s just their first loss in eight games, though. They had to stumble eventually. Don\u2019t be surprised if they get back on track against Sporting KC<\/a> this upcoming weekend.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n What a difference a few weeks (and a change in personnel) can make. Since switching to a 3-4-1-2 setup, the Revs<\/a> have won four straight and kept four straight clean sheets. They kept their form rolling over the weekend with a straightforward 2-0 win at Toronto<\/a> that featured a worldie from Carles Gil<\/a>.<\/p>\n My take: The competition they\u2019ve faced and the underlying numbers they\u2019ve generated over that stretch don\u2019t suggest they\u2019ve suddenly turned into an MLS Cup contender. Let\u2019s maybe give it a few more games before we declare the Revs all the way back.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juli\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a> scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati. New York City FC<\/a> have found a way to win three of their last four, all by a 1-0 scoreline. Nothing has been perfect during Pascal Jansen\u2019s first season, but they’ve still piled up 17 points in 11 games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Two goals allowed in first-half stoppage time doomed the Rapids<\/a> over the weekend against D.C.<\/a> Matt Doyle has the numbers for Colorado at the end of first halves and, well\u2026<\/p>\n Colorado did their usual thing of completely collapsing in the five minutes before the half \u2013 on the season they sport an incredible -7 goal differential from minute 40 to the halftime whistle.<\/em><\/p>\n They’ve earned five points in their last five games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n No one in MLS has scored like the Quakes this season. They put up four on Portland in a much-needed win that gave them a league-best 24 goals. The even better news is they only allowed one goal.<\/p>\n Finding a little more balance is critical for San Jose as the season goes along. They took a step in the right direction against the Timbers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It’s probably best to move on and never talk about last weekend’s visit to San Diego ever again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Red Bulls<\/a> got steamrolled by an angry Miami side over the weekend. Make it just two wins in six games for a team that can\u2019t seem to get out of first gear. They don\u2019t look like your typical RBNY group and the results have been middling for a club looking to build on last year\u2019s run to MLS Cup.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Austin got whomped in a 3-0 rout at Minnesota United. After spending a ton of money in the offseason to reshape their attack, Austin have scored seven goals and been kept scoreless in five matches this season. CF Montr\u00e9al are the only team with fewer goals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Who doesn\u2019t lose to Vancouver these days?<\/p>\n Still, RSL have just two wins in their last seven matches.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Chicago poured on the chances, then Chris Brady was shown a 36th-minute red card. What should have been a win turned into a disappointing 0-0 draw with Orlando. The Fire haven\u2019t won since March 22.<\/p>\n On a positive note, remember the name: Christopher Cupps<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n By starting tonight\u2019s match, Christopher Cupps became the youngest player in @ChicagoFire<\/a> history to start an @MLS<\/a> regular season game at 16 years and 342 days old. pic.twitter.com\/8gGGVGtZ0K<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n You and I attempted the same number of shots as Sporting KC this past weekend. You and I also had one less win.<\/p>\n History, folks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n With their 1-0 win tonight, @SportingKC<\/a> became the first team in @MLS<\/a> history to win a game without attempting a single shot in the contest. pic.twitter.com\/LqAXFc6nO2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Thanks to goals from Christian Benteke<\/a> and Hosei Kijima<\/a> in Saturday\u2019s 2-1 win over Colorado, D.C. have suddenly taken two of their last three. Everything may not be fixed, but at least they\u2019ve moved themselves well beyond Wooden Spoon territory.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There isn\u2019t much good to say about a 2-0 loss at LAFC that saw Houston put up four shots (none of which were on target). The Dynamo are stuck down in 14th place in the West.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After a 1-1 draw with Nashville<\/a> (featuring 31% possession and 0.07 xG for the Five Stripes over the last 70 minutes), the underlying numbers have this group as the worst non-pandemic Atlanta United side ever. They\u2019re even starting to challenge the 2020 group on paper. In reality, they\u2019re on a worse points per game rate than the 2020 team that finished with 22 points in 23 games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Even the defense isn\u2019t getting the job done lately. St. Louis gave up four goals and a ton of chances to Seattle in a 4-1 loss.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Make it three straight home defeats (all competitions) for Toronto. Their midweek exit from the Canadian Championship<\/a> was particularly tough.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Montr\u00e9al are officially in \u201cworst start in MLS history\u201d territory after falling 2-1 to Philadelphia. They have three points through 11 games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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