Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Week 14: Just Two Teams Left At The Top

There wasn't a whole bunch of movement this week, but a clear trend is emerging: The Los Angeles Galaxy are clearly the favorites. Real Salt Lake now appears in the top tier of a season low 88 percent of ballots, and the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas are just a vote short of the top tier.

Otherwise, it was mostly movement within tiers. Sporting Kansas City is threatening to move out of our bottom tier, while the Timbers are threatening to fall there.

Playing For The Shield
	Los Angeles Galaxy	100% (63 out of 63 points)
	Real Salt Lake	88% (56 out of 63 points)

Bruce Arena said time after time last year 'we were the first to 30 points, to 40 points, to 50 points' anytime he faced criticism in the press room. While the Galaxy may not play the most exciting footie in MLS, it's hard to deny this is a team that's built to churn out results consistently. Landon Donovan's gone? No problem. David Beckham's tired? No worries. This team the last two years has been like Manchester United this past year, no one wants to call them special, but no one can keep them down.

- Josie Becker, LAG Confidential

Enjoy The Playoffs
	New York Red Bulls	82% (52 out of 63 points)
	FC Dallas	82% (52 out of 63 points)
	Philadelphia Union	76% (48 out of 63 points)
	Colorado Rapids	66% (42 out of 63 points)
	Seattle Sounders	63% (40 out of 63 points)

This week I had to bump RSL down a tier. They've been solid - if unspectacular - in Javier Morales' absence but I can't shake the sense that the Champions' League Final loss and the Morales injury have rocked his team to the core. I think they'll still be there at the end, but they lack that certain something that made them so dangerous and so special over the last year or two. Until they find it again, I can't see them winning a championship.

- Steve Stoehr, The Bent Musket

Still Something To Prove
	San Jose Earthquakes	47% (30 out of 63 points)
	DC United	41% (26 out of 63 points)
	Columbus Crew	41% (26 out of 63 points)
	Houston Dynamo	38% (24 out of 63 points)
	Portland Timbers	36% (23 out of 63 points)
	Chivas USA	26% (17 out of 63 points)

The Timbers remain a very good home team and they get extra points for a Kevin Goldthwaite's backheel because it was a Kevin Goldthwaite backheel. They're right in the mix in the Western Conference so while they might not be very good, the expanded playoffs and ability to get results at home keeps them from the bottom.

- Ryan Rosenblatt, SB Nation, soccer

At Least There's No Relegation
	Sporting Kansas City	15% (10 out of 63 points)
	Chicago Fire	14% (9 out of 63 points)
	New England Revolution	12% (8 out of 63 points)
	Vancouver Whitecaps	3% (2 out of 63 points)
	Toronto FC	0% (0 out of 63 points)

Sporting Kansas City are undefeated in their last six games (in all competitions) after snapping a five game losing streak that lasted over a month. A 4-1 win over FC Dallas last week showed that Kansas City has the ability to play to the level that the team was predicted to be at during the preseason. Although their current place in the standings is poor, Sporting are on a huge upswing of momentum. Two straight wins, including their first win at the recently opened LIVESTRONG Park, show that SKC can move back into position for a playoff push.

- Scott Kessler, Brotherly Game

How It Works: Each of the 21 participants puts Major League Soccer's clubs into one of the four tiers. Teams in the top tier get three points. Next tier, two points, then one, then zero. Voters can put as many teams into each tier as they see fit. Though the vote total orders the teams, the clubs are intended to be grouped, not sorted. Although some of the names may indicate otherwise, the point of this is to assess current form and our voters are instructed to place teams in tiers based how those teams will fair in coming weeks.

Who participated: Jeremiah Oshan (SB Nation, soccer); Aaron Campeau (SB Nation, soccer); Ryan Rosenblatt (SB Nation, soccer); Drew Epperley (SB Nation, soccer); Phillip Quinn (SB Nation, soccer); Steve Davis (Daily Soccer Fix); Martin Shatzer (Black and Red United); Scott Kessler (Brotherly Game); Chris "UZ" White (Burgundy Wave); Zach Woosley (Dynamo Theory); Denzel Eslinger (RSL Soapbox); Robert Jonas (Quake, Rattle and Goal); Daniel Robertson (Big D Soccer); Dave Clark (Sounder at Heart); Andy Edwards (The Daily Wiz); Geoff Gibson (Stumptown Footy), Duncan Fletcher (Waking the Red), Steve Stoehr (The Bent Musket); Tweed Thornton (Hot Time in Old Town), Ben Schneider (Once a Metro); Josie Becker (LAG Confidential).