Power Rankings, 1-30 | Matchday 3

Remember last week, when I pointed out how just how ridiculous home field advantage was through the first two (really, first 1.5) matchdays? And wondered if it was some kind of a trend?

Turns out it wasn't. After starting the year 17-3-1 (yeah, I've decided to go W-D-L), things just instantly switched starting with the 8:30 pm slate on Matchday 2. Since then home teams have gone 9-3-11, including a pair of wins to round out the weekend by Montréal and Toronto, two clubs who'd been abominable over the first two weekends of the season.

Twenty-one games of the most dominant home performance this league's ever seen, followed by 23 games of sub-.500 play. MLS is absurd.

MLS is also unique because of stuff like that, and this is why, while I do hope spending rules are loosened, I do, also, hope that the league retains some level of parity in the years to come. These wild swings are too much to give up.

1. LAFC (-): Looked listless in their 1-0 win against FC Dallas, who were probably the better team. But sometimes that doesn't matter, does it?
2. Vancouver Whitecaps (-): They needed to show they could replace Ali Ahmed and AZ's answered the bell. Fantastic talent who's maybe becoming an effective soccer player as well. Keeps happening a lot up there, doesn't it? Jesper Sørensen is my favorite coach in the league.
3. San Diego (+1): And Mikey Varas might be No. 2 on that list. Can't wait to see how they fare against Toluca tomorrow night.
4. Nashville (+1): Music City Cerberus? I appreciate the effort but mehhhhhhh.
5. Inter Miami (-2): They're struggling in the two ways we figured they'd struggle: ball progression from central midfield (Yannick Bright is limited; Rodrigo de Paul is SLOPPY) and attacking width, especially on the left. My hunch is Javier Mascherano solves this at some point, but they might catch a beating against the 'Yotes. Or the Cerberus. Whatever.
6. Seattle Sounders (-): So many winger injuries already. So many center back injuries already. The Sounders will be fine in the long run but in the short-run, going up against Vancouver like this? Good luck.
7. NYCFC (+1): They are who I thought they were, but we need to see it once or twice against 11 men before they climb any higher than this.
8. San Jose (+3): They are who I thought they were Part 2. I spent a lot of time this offseason explaining how they'd be much better defensively this year because their front line would actually try. And it turns out I was right.
9. FC Dallas (-): This is about as high as Dallas will climb unless Joaquín Valiente really is the left-footed Lucho Acosta (talent-wise, anyway). Didn't do much at LAFC, but damn this is a good defensive team.
10. FC Cincinnati (-3): Really good coverage from ThePostCincy, as always. And a hell of a lede:
    
    “Another underwhelming performance. The team is not good enough right now, and that's on me," Pat Noonan says shortly before ending the press conference abruptly.
    
    I'm not sure it's all on Noonan, but those underlying numbers from last year are coming home to roost.
11. Real Salt Lake (+3): I feel uncomfortable moving them this high given how gappy they can be through midfield for long stretches, but they've earned the benefit of the doubt.
12. LA Galaxy (-): The Paintsill injury is tough – he adds so much to this attack with the off-ball threat he provides.
13. Minnesota United (-): A solid team that was simply overwhelmed by one of the region's best sides. But this has been a promising start.
14. RBNY (-4): Wheels came off in a big way, as they were undone by injuries/absences and an inability to solve Montréal's low block + man marking combo.
15. Asociación Liga Deportiva Charlotte (+5): Got that man advantage and subsequently took care of business. Hopefully this is the start of things clicking into place for the DP attackers.
16. Chicago Fire (-): A point on the road is good, and 19-year-old Dylan Borso looked extremely useful at right wingback. But this team's inability to create chances via possession has been pretty glaring in two of three games thus far.
17. Houston Dynamo (-): Hope they enjoyed the bye week. Got a struggling Timbers team at home coming up – and with it, a chance to build some momentum.
18. Austin FC (-3): If they've lost Danny Pereira for an extended period then that's much worse than the result. It's not a coincidence that, without him, they had zero ability to control the ball playing 10v11.
19. Philadelphia Union (-1): Is it good or bad that Stas Korzeniowski has clearly been the team's best No. 9 so far? I'd be very interested in seeing him and Milan Iloski – who's being wasted in midfield – up top together.
20. Colorado Rapids (+1): Played the Galaxy even for an hour and then thrashed the hell out of them once they went up a man. That's progress.
21. Columbus Crew (-2): Put together their best defensive display of the season, but the attack generated almost nothing in the second half and for some reason head coach Henrik Rydström made only one sub. This team's flailing right now.
22. D.C. United (+3): Played hard the final hour after looking scared for the first 30 minutes. Feels like we've yet to see this team's first-choice XI and I can't figure out why.
23. St. Louis City (-): It is primarily a talent issue. But as I wrote on Sunday, I am frustrated that Yoann Damet hasn't seen fit to give Mykhi Joyner any run. Makes no sense.
24. Toronto FC (+4): That was a very good road win, and a good debut from Benjamín Kuscevic in defense. Fingers crossed for a quick and full recovery from Walker Zimmerman.
25. Portland Timbers (-3): I guess it must've been the mentality.
26. Sporting KC (-): Took a pounding and were lucky to keep it to 1-0. They've actually got the worst underlyings in the league through three games, but there's been some signs of life.
27. Montréal Impact (+3): Catenaccio lives! For those of you too young to remember the game in the '80s or '90s, I can't stress enough how many Serie A games looked like what the Impact did this past weekend. Low block 5-3-2, 33% possession, nothing in the central channel, shithouse your way to a result via counters and set pieces.
    
    Never let anyone tell you those were the good old days. But for l'Impact, that performance did mark a significant step forward.
28. New England Revolution (-1): They badly needed the week off. Hopefully they look more cohesive this weekend.
29. Orlando City (-5): I should note that they're making do with almost an entirely new back seven this year – seriously, that's how much turnover there's been. But there really hasn't been a single silver lining.
30. Atlanta United (-1): No silver linings here, either. This team's terrible.

It was me & Gass on Monday's Soccerwise, as Wiebe Wiebe'd it: