10/19 - Western Conference Power Rankings 3

St. Louis remain at the top of the power rankings despite their historic unbeaten streak coming to an end. They earned a credible 0-0 draw against the Whitecaps to set the record for 21 consecutive games without losing across all competitions, then followed it up with a 3-2 defeat against Minnesota, albeit with a rotated squad. Now, St. Louis has a US Open Cup final this Wednesday against the Crew for their chance at the first trophy in their club's history. There is a lot to be excited about if you are a St. Louis City fan right now.

Vancouver looked more like the team that we have come to expect over the past couple of weeks. They outplayed LAFC desipte being down a man for nearly the entire match. Then, they gave St. Louis everything they had in a 0-0 game that had a playoff intensity from the first whistle to the last. They ended the week with a 2-1 victory in Austin, taking them 4 points clear atop the West. Vancouver aren't a buzzsaw right now, but they'ved shored up their defense, which is their strong point as a team.

FC Dallas have been inconsistent of late, but remain in third place in the Western Conference. Part of this inconsistency comes down to rotation. Eric Quill has put a real emphasis on giving his players rest this season, which opens up opportunity for much of the roster to get quality minutes. For a talented team that's fresh and has 3 of their last 4 at home, Dallas are on track to end the season well and maintain a home playoff spot.

Make it 3 straight 1-1 draws for San Jose. Since they've switched to a back 3, San Jose have drawn 6 times in 9 games. It should be noted that the most recent of their draws was against MLS' best in Nashville SC, a game in which San Jose fully deserved a result. They've won their other matches since the formational change, so they are unbeaten in 9. The absence of their biggest match winner, Niko Tsakiris, can explain why the 'Quakes have been unable to convert some of these draws to victories. If San Jose can get him back on the field quickly, there's no reason this team can't finish 2nd in the West.

Houston Dynamo are struggling. Their last win was 7 matches ago and they've allowed 2+ goals in their last 5. For a team built on its defense, this is unacceptable. They're still just one point behind San Jose for a home playoff position, but they are also now just one point ahead of LAFC. On the other side of the ball, Houston have been much improved, finally replacing the creativity they lost when McGlynn was transferred overseas. Their DP wingers have been crucial to this team's offensive improvement this fall.

Seattle had a hugely successful international break, ripping off 4 consecutive wins. Their last two, though, have been concerning. Seattle look back to a side that cannot score. Only 5 teams have scored less(the five lowest teams in the combined standings). A 1-1 draw at home against Wooden Spoon contenders CF Montréal is not the result of a team that's going to be a true contender in the playoffs. They will need to figure out a way to be more dangerous in the attack if they want to make a deep run in November.

LAFC are directionless. With the dismissal of Marc Dos Santos, it was clear that the initiative for the club was to use the ball more. That has not happened. In fact, their average possession has plummeted. They are averaging just above 40% possession, including their game against Vancouver where they went up a man in the 6th minute(Vancouver proceded to outpossess and outplay them, with LAFC holding onto a 1-1 draw at home). LAFC has the talent to still get results - Denis Bouanga is having another fantastic season - but once again the process isn't there and they are actually getting further away from their desired result.

LA have opened a 4 point lead over the 10th place team in the West in large part due to a crucial 2-0 victory over Portland Timbers midweek. João Klauss has been finding the back of the net with regularity for LA, who have scored multiple goals in all of their last 5 outings. Getting their best attackers on the field at the same time has made them look like a playoff team for the first time in months. Now they need to solidify their defense and find some sort of consistency heading into the end of the season.

Salt Lake have now picked up 7 points from a possible 12 in their last 4 games. It's been enough to revive their season, as they now sit in 10th place and are just 3 points out of a play-in spot. Luc de Fougerolles has proven that he could be a massive addition to this backline. Another source of optimism is the play of Morgan Guilavogui, who scored twice on the weekend. Getting another forward to be goal dangerous alongside rookie striker Sergi Solans is something this team was sorely missing when they were one of the worst sides in the league over the summer.

Colorado haven't lost in their last three games. But they haven't won any of those either. Despite establishing a positive identity at the beginning of the season, the Rapids have largely failed to build upon their promising start to the season. Losing Navarro in the summer, and subsequently not replacing his production, has led to a dip in form. Now, most players need time to adapt to the MLS, so the new-look Rapids attack could find their feet and become dangerous down the stretch. However, a month or two ago they were fighting for a better spot in the playoffs, and now they are on the brink of missing out of the postseason entirely.

San Diego cannot defend. They've allowed multiple goals in 7 straight matches. Varas doesn't seem to know his best goalkeeper, his best back line, or his best midfield. It's concerning this late in the season, and it's why San Diego haven't won since August. Even in their good performances they can't make it count. San Diego were the much better side at Dignity Health Sports Park, especially in the second half. The match ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw, and now SDFC plays Seattle, Vancouver, and St. Louis in their next 3.

Suddenly, Minnesota are the hottest team in the Western Conference over their last 3 games. Granted, they only have 5 points in that span, but it has been enough to put them back in the playoff hunt. They are 5 points behind 9th place Colorado but have momentum after picking up their first home win since mid April. Not only that, they did it against the hottest team in league history. It may be too little too late for the Loons, but they have given them a chance to get into the postseason.

Portland's season is looking grim. They had 2 consecutive games where they played the ninth placed team in the conference, and on both occasions they failed to advance their chances of making the playoffs. Getting one point from these two competitions was simply not good enough, and even more disappointing has been their attack. They were shut out in both of these critical games, Velde hasn't scored in his last 6 games, and Janssen doesn't look like the answer up top. At least they were able to keep a clean sheet against Colorado, their first in 22 matches.

The bottom seems to have fallen out for Austin FC, who followed their 8 match unbeaten run with a 3 game losing streak. The Verde & Black now sit 8 points back of the postseason, with an upwards surge looking increasingly unlikely. On the bright side, DP forward Brandon Vazquez has gotten back amongst the goals. He was clearly lacking confidence after being sidelined for an extended period of time, but now he looks clinical again. Austin plays the next team on this list; if they don't win that one, their season is effectively over.

Kansas City allowed 10 goals this week across 3 matches, 2 of which were at Sporting Park. SKC have the worst defense in the league, and are also the worst team at home this year. These are two areas Wicky & co. needs to address as Sporting continues their rebuild. On the plus side, André Luiz has continued to produce, maintaining a pace of a goal contribution every game. While SKC aren't as bad as they were earlier in the year, there's still a long way to go for this club.