Time makes fools of us all. Or, in the case of Major League Soccer, it turns good teams into bad teams, bad teams into good teams, and mediocre teams into more solidly mediocre teams.
For the final Power Rankings of the year, we thought we’d take a look back at the first ranking of the year and compare. More than a few teams outperformed their early season spot, some by a lot.
Not that we were wrong. The Power Rankings are always 100% accurate at the time of writing. Who said anything about fools?
For…
The penultimate week of the MLS season delivered plenty of the weird and wild that we’ve come to expect from a league that values parity over everything else. Even a historically great team is having a bit of trouble seeing out the regular season (though, to be fair, LAFC doesn’t have a lot left to play for.)
The upshot of the week is that we head into Decision Day with plenty of weirdness still available. Sure, all of the Eastern Conference playoff spots are spoken for, but getting a home playoff…
With two weekends remaining in Major League Soccer’s regular season, the race for the postseason — four playoff spots remain up for grabs — is coming down to the wire.
All 12 games will be played on Sunday, with six Eastern Conference games kicking off at 5 p.m. ET and six from the Western Conference beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
– Stream games LIVE, watch replays on ESPN+
– MLS Cup playoffs: Who is in? Who is out?
– Schedule | Standings | Statistics
THE WEEKEND’S BIG QUESTIONS
Does San Jose…
Timing is everything, or so they say.
Get your timing right and you can accomplish just about anything. In MLS, that mostly means “winning a championship” since that’s the whole point. History is replete with clubs who got their timing right and rode a wave of good form all the way to the confetti party at the end of the season.
– ESPN MLS fantasy: Sign up here!
Unless your timing is bad. And then it can ruin a season with massive potential. Our advice to MLS teams currently in or around…
Timing is everything, or so they say.
Get your timing right and you can accomplish just about anything. In MLS, that mostly means “winning a championship” since that’s the whole point. History is replete with clubs who got their timing right and rode a wave of good form all the way to the confetti party at the end of the season.
– ESPN MLS fantasy: Sign up here!
Unless your timing is bad. And then it can ruin a season with massive potential. Our advice to MLS teams currently in or around the…
After Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s declaration that he’s the top player MLS has ever seen, Shaka Hislop shares his top five Designated Players of all time.
The Portland Timbers will try to get their house — and home form — in order before the playoffs slip away, while Josef Martinez aims to score for a 16th straight game and lead Atlanta to three more points in the chase for first in the East. Another big clash in the East featuring geographic rivals fighting for playoff positioning and that all-important home-field advantage highlights the weekend in Major League Soccer.
Here are the big storylines heading into the MLS weekend.
Portland on…
After Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s declaration that he’s the top player MLS has ever seen, Shaka Hislop shares his top five Designated Players of all time.
The Portland Timbers will try to get their house — and home form — in order before the playoffs slip away, while Josef Martinez aims to score for a 16th straight game and lead Atlanta to three more points in the chase for first in the East. Another big clash in the East featuring geographic rivals fighting for playoff positioning and that all-important home field advantage highlights the weekend in Major League Soccer.
Here are the big storylines heading into the MLS weekend.
Portland’s on…
Last time we met, the Major League Soccer playoff push was in full swing and every game seemed to count just a little bit more. New York City FC had ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference. Toronto FC had pulled themselves into a stable playoff position. Montreal had faded. Peace settled across the conference. This weeks’ results changed nothing.
– ESPN MLS fantasy: Sign up here!
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference: chaos. The East is a PBS show about antiques. The West is a telenovela…
Last time we met, the Major League Soccer playoff push was in full swing and every game seemed to count just a little bit more. New York City FC had ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference. Toronto FC had pulled themselves into a stable playoff position. Montreal had faded. Peace settled across the conference. This weeks’ results changed nothing.
– ESPN MLS fantasy: Sign up here!
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference: chaos. The East is a PBS show about antiques. The West is a telenovela…
Major League Soccer doesn’t do international breaks. Not fully, anyway. Like the workaholic half of a committed couple, MLS can never seem to pull itself when a great opportunity for a little rest and relaxation is presented.
Always checking email poolside. Put the Blackberry down. It’s supposed to be a vacation!
This week’s limited schedule means there’s not a lot of movement in the Power Rankings, but we did get a chance to reset, reboot, and reassess the playoff situation just ahead of the…