The Red Bulls continue to move up the ladder in league power rankings across the country. In the week 4 addition of
MLSsoccer.com's power rankings
, New York sits in the top half of the table. Here's what they had to say:
"Thierry Henry is in filthy form. More important is that Ryan Meara let in two fairly soft goals, but bounced back immediately for a strong second half. A rookie 'keeper with that mindset can take a team places, even if the defense struggles."
There's little surprise in Kansas City retaining the top seed, becoming the only team in the league with a perfect record after they edged out Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center Sunday evening. Kansas City has conceded just one goal in their first four matches. Having lost two home matches, LA surprisingly sits in the sixth slot. In 2011, the Galaxy had an undefeated home campaign, and after playing three matches this season, they've dropped two at the Home Depot Center. The Red Bulls have won their first two home matches in convincing fashion, putting in nine goals, yet LA sits two spots above New York, and even more places on other sites. This is the head-scratcher of the week.
Check out how others rate the team's recent success:
Jeff Carlisle at ESPN Soccernet put two-and-two together. He has New York sitting above LA.
ESPN Soccernet
: 7 (9)
"That's nine goals in two games for the Red Bulls following their 5-2 win over Montreal, with Thierry Henry netting a hat trick Saturday. But for all the good feelings emanating from Red Bull Arena, New York's defense still looks unconvincing."
Note: Sports Illustrated included Thierry Henry in their MLS Team of the Week for consecutive weeks.
Sports Illustrated
: 9 (12)
"Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper have spearheaded an offensive juggernaut over the last two matches, combining for eight goals in that time, but the club can't afford to have them slow down. Not with Luke Rodgers' visa being denied and Juan Agudelo on the shelf with a torn meniscus. There's reason for optimism at Red Bull Arena, but it should be tempered, especially with integral center back Wilman Conde limping off following the 5-2 thrashing of Montreal."
Soccer By Ives
: 6 (11)
"For a while Saturday, it looked as if the Red Bulls were returning to their lackluster ways. But Thierry Henry's hat trick more than made up for some early defensive lapses, including a particularly glaring error by Markus Holgersson. The groin injury that took Rafa Marquez out at halftime will be worth keeping an eye on."
Now that you've seen how the Red Bulls are ranking in the media's eyes, let us know what you think in the comments below.
