Remember when Kenny Cooper was slated to be nothing more than insurance for the New York Red Bulls? Cooper and RBNY captain Thierry Henry have the Red Bulls scoring seemingly at will, and New York have yet again moved up in Major League Soccer power rankings. Both the Red Bulls and Sporting KC have some analysts and fans wondering if the league's 2012 champions will emerge from the MLS East.
2012 MLS Week 6 power rankings
19. Toronto FC (0-4-0): Toronto won't escape the basement of MLS power rankings until they actually manage to at least pick up a point. Bad times for TFC.
18. Philadelphia Union (0-3-1): Well at least Philly didn't drop points over the holiday weekend.
17. Portland Timbers (1-3-1): Just as with another MLS West club, the Timbers are probably better than what we've thus far seen. They just have to start proving it.
16. LA Galaxy (1-3-0): Tell me again how LA deserve to be higher in MLS power rankings. The Galaxy are a mess right now, and they hardly look like champions in early April.
15. Montreal Impact (1-4-1): Congrats on that first historic win. Beating the worst team in the league doesn't propel a side too far up power rankings, though.
14. Chicago Fire (1-1-1): Harsh to drop the Fire in MLS power rankings this week? Maybe, but it'd sure be nice to see them actually play.
13. DC United (1-2-2): Not losing is nice and all, but it's not as nice as is winning.
12. Columbus Crew (2-2-0): The Crew looked much more like the team I've expected them to be against a dominant Red Bulls side. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Julius James.
11. New England Revolution (2-3-0): Surrendering a goal at the death is a cruel way to lose a match. Let's see how the young squad responds to such disappointment.
10. Chivas USA (2-3-0): Will Chivas finish as a top-ten side? Maybe not, but they're picking up wins on the road. Maybe now fans will actually start watching them play at home.
9. FC Dallas (2-2-1): That stoppage time goal could be exactly what Dallas needed to restart their engines at this early part of the campaign. A winnable game against Montreal this coming weekend could move them up MLS power rankings this time next week.
8. Houston Dynamo (2-1-0): Just as with Chicago, it will be nice to actually see the Dynamo on the pitch. I literally didn't remember the last time they played before looking it up.
7. Colorado Rapids (3-2-0): Lost while away to arguably the best team in all of MLS. There is absolutely no shame in such a defeat.
6. Vancouver Whitecaps (2-1-2): Gone is the shutout streak, and gone is the undefeated record. Just ten minutes of dreadful play against San Jose cost Vancouver this past Saturday, and they'll now have a little extra time to think about the loss.
5. New York Red Bulls (3-2-0): They've scored more goals than any other team thus far this season. Now let's see the Red Bulls beat a good team. They'll have a chance this coming Saturday when they host San Jose.
4. Seattle Sounders (2-1-1): Earned a point when away to DC, and nearly came away with a win at the death. That's a rather acceptable result.
3. San Jose Earthquakes (4-1-0): Are the Earthquakes the biggest surprise of this MLS campaign? Chris Wondolowski is an early MVP candidate, and the 'Quakes can make plenty of noise when they visit Red Bull Arena this coming Saturday.
2. Real Salt Lake (5-1-0): Kings of the MLS West heading into a showdown with the best team in the league. This weekend's KC-RSL game could be lots of fun for even casual fans.
1. Sporting KC (5-0-0): Remaining undefeated will keep you at the top of MLS power rankings. They can make a statement to any remaining doubters with a win against Salt Lake on Saturday.
