New York punched its ticket to the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs with a result against Sporting Kansas City last week. Unfortunately that accomplishment was not enough to move the Red Bulls up the Week 32 Power Rankings.
It all comes down to eighth overall for the Red Bulls this time around, as MLSsoccer.com, ESPN Soccernet and Sports Illustrated didn't move the club from that spot.
MLSsoccer.com had this to say
:
"What can you make of this team? One week, they barely show up against Chicago, and the next, they become the first team all season to really bully Sporting KC. Red Bull Arena is bizarro-land. The real concern, though, is that they haven't beaten a playoff team since August. That's not a great streak to bring into the postseason."
ESPN Soccernet
:
"New York preferred to take the positives from its 0-0 home draw against conference leader Kansas City. Only problem is that come playoff time, that type of result likely will not be enough to progress."
Sports Illustrated provides a cynical outlook of sorts
:
"New York staved off Sporting Kansas City in their scoreless tie with a much better showing than its 2-0 loss to the first-place team a few weeks earlier. But going 0-1-2 against the club it is likely to face if it makes the Eastern Conference semifinals (barring a change in the table after both teams get a crack at the Philadelphia Union in their respective season finales) does not bode well for New York's fortunes."
So New York will enter the final week of the 2012 regular season ranked eighth overall. Depending on Saturday's outcome against Philadelphia (1:30pm ET/NBC), we could at least be seeing a slight change in the final installment of MLS power rankings.
What's your take on this week's order? Do you think the Red Bull deserve to be higher than eighth?
