THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS
*with the short week last week, the "Last Week" ranking refers to Week 31
1 - FC Dallas (17-10-6) - Three straight shutouts, the best record in the Western Conference, and a chance to clinch the Supporter's Shield this weekend if they get a little help from the Chicago Fire. Things are going Dallas's way right now. Last Week: 3
2 - New York Red Bulls (17-10-6) - The Supporter's Shield is theirs to lose as they have the best Goal Differential in the league and take on the lowly Fire on Sunday afternoon. Mike Grella is quietly have a sensational season for the East's best. Last Week: 2
3 - LA Galaxy (14-10-9) - Ugly showing against the Timbers as the defense collapsed and allowed five second half goals. Despite not playing well lately, the Galaxy are still formiddable. Last Week: 1
4 - Columbus Crew (14-11-8) - Clinched a playoff berth thanks to Federico Higuaín and Ethan Finlay. What's Finlay got to do to get some National Team love? Last Week: 9
5 - Toronto FC (15-14-4) - Impressive win over the Red Bulls, but slipped up against the Crew. Jozy needs to figure out how to keep his temper in check, but it's nice to see some fire in him, even if it's completely misdirected. Last Week: 6
6 - Montreal Impact (14-13-6) - The Drogba train keeps rolling along and Montreal has all three Canadian teams playoff bound after their 1-0 win over New England. Last Week: 8
7 - DC United (15-12-6) - Yes, it was only against Chicago, but it was nice to see United actually look like a convincing winner for a change. Last Week: 10
8 - Portland Timbers (14-11-8) - Huge week for Portland with wins over Real Salt Lake AND the LA Galaxy. Fanendo Adi is probably the league's best striker that most people have never heard of. Last Week: 13
9 - Orlando City SC (12-13-8) - It's probably too little too late, but with five straight wins, Orlando City is showing they'll be a force to be reckoned with in 2016. The scariest thing is that Kaká has only had a minor role in their recent success. Last Week: 12
10 - Seattle Sounders (14-13-6) - Huge late goal by Obafemi Martins kept Seattle above the red line heading into the final week of the season, but they'll need a full three points against Real Salt Lake or they could wind up on the outside looking in when the dust settles. Last Week: 7
11 - Vancouver Whitecaps (15-13-5) - Shut out twice by FC Dallas as the offense has suddenly stagnated for the Caps. At least they've already clinched a postseason berth. Last Week: 11
12 - Sporting Kansas City (13-10-9) - Bad loss to San Jose, but Sporting has the advantage of playing two matches in the final week while the other playoff hopefuls only play once which gives them double the chances to earn points and stave off elimination. Sporting can clinch a postseason berth with a win at home against lowly Colorado on Wednesday. Last Week: 4
13 - New England Revolution (13-12-8) - Barring a meltdown, New England will still clinch the East's final playoff spot, but they've lost the momentum they'd built up this summer. Last Week: 5
14 - San Jose Earthquakes (13-12-8) - Need to beat Dallas AND get help from Real Salt Lake, Colorado, and LA, otherwise the cinderella Quakes are going home. Still, with a young core of Fatai Alashe, Tommy Thompson, Marc Pelosi and Anibal Godoy, this is a group that's poised to be a contender next year too. Last Week: 14
15 - Real Salt Lake (11-14-8) - Back-to-back 1-0 losses means that Real Salt Lake can shift all of their attention to tonight's Champions League showdown with Municipal. First time since 2007 that RSL will miss the MLS postseason. Last Week: 15
16 - Houston Dynamo (11-13-9) - Brad Davis picked up career assist number 122 in Houston's draw with Seattle this weekend, but he'll be watching the postseason at home as the Dynamo have been eliminated. Last Week: 18
17 - New York City SC (10-16-7) - Disappointing season overall for NYCFC as they've been eclipsed by their fellow expansioners, Orlando City, despite having more big name talent. Last Week: 16
18 - Philadelphia Union (9-17-7) - Gave up the fastest goal in MLS history when they conceded to Mike Grella 8 seconds into their match with the Red Bulls. And that sums up the Union's season in a nutshell. Last Week: 17
19 - Colorado Rapids (8-14-10) - Not a lot has gone right for the Rapids this year, but they can play spoiler for Sporting KC in a midweek tilt. Last Week: 20
20 - Chicago Fire (8-19-6) - Even with 19 losses the Fire can play a huge role in who wins this year's Supporter's Shield. If nothing else, they usually give the Red Bulls trouble. Last Week: 19
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