MLS Power Rankings, Week 5: Vancouver Whitecaps vault to No. 1 after beating defending champs

Note: Only MLS league games will be reflected in the rankings. The Power Rankings are voted on by the editorial staff at MLSsoccer.com, and remarks are written by Senior Editor Matt Doyle. All times Eastern.

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Last: 4

You can say that LA went in there short-handed, but the Galaxy have made an art out of getting short-handed results over the years. It takes a quality, ruthless team to step on their neck like the 'Caps did.

• Last Week: Won vs. LA, 2-0
• This Week: Wednesday vs. Columbus (10 pm; TSN and MLS LIVE), Saturday at San Jose (10:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 2

The only disappointment about RBNY so far this season is the number of bye weeks they've had.

• Last Week: OFF
• This Week: Saturday at D.C. United (7 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 1

Got nothing through the middle, and were pretty clearly second best all night. When will Mauro Diaz get back, how long will it take for him to play like an MVP candidate again?

• Last Week: Lost at Portland, 3-1
• This Week: Friday vs. Colorado (7 pm; UniMas)

Last: 3

Got the win, and got Ozzie Alonso back. That good news overshadows another shaky performance, as well as the slight worry that nobody but Oba or Deuce has scored in more than seven hours of game-time.

• Last Week: Won vs. Houston, 1-0
• This Week: Sunday at LA (7 pm; ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN)

Last: 6

Went on the road and got an ugly win. This doesn't feel like the RSL soccer of yore, but it's been damn effective thus far in 2015. It helps that Javier Morales is apparently immune to the ravages of time.

• Last Week: Won at San Jose, 1-0
• This Week: Saturday at Sporting KC (8:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last:: 5

Winless in four, scoreless in two, and generally not looking very good. The midfield balance is off, and Jaime Penedo continues to be questionable in net.

• Last Week: Lost at Vancovuer, 2-0
• This Week: Sunday vs. Seattle (7 pm; ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN)

Last: 8

Went on the road and got an ugly win. This feels like the D.C. soccer of yore – or, well, of last year anyway. Luis Silva's return was magnificent.

• Last Week: Won at Orlando City, 1-0
• This Week: Saturday vs. New York (7 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 7

Do we venerate the Sporting team that dominated on restarts or punish the team that lacked midfield ideas for so long? We went with Door No. 2.

• Last Week: Won vs. Philadelphia, 3-2
• This Week: Saturday at Orlando (8:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 9

Big travel week that starts with no Federico Higuain and ends at last year's House of Horrors in Foxborough. We'll figure out a lot about Crew SC's mentality over the next five days.

• Last Week: OFF
• This Week: Wednesday at Vancouver (10 pm; TSN and MLS LIVE), Saturday at New England (3 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 12

Officially banished that woeful first 180 minutes of the season to the dustbin of history by taking seven of the next nine points on offer. They're not clicking on all cylinders, but nobody is at this point in the year.

• Last Week: Won at Colorado, 2-0
• This Week: Saturday vs. Columbus (3 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 15

The Tissue Issue will remain one of our favorite stories of the season. The Power Rankings Politburo would like to formally request a weekly "Caleb Porter: Mic'd Up" segment.

• Last Week: Won vs. Dallas, 3-1
• This Week: Sunday vs. Orlando City (5 pm; ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN)

Last: 10

A team missing most of their starting defenders played really bad defense. Film at 11.

• Last Week: Lost at Chicago, 3-2
• Next MLS Game: April 18 at Dallas (8:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 14

Moved up a spot by virtue of looking better than both Man City and the Yankees.

• Last Week: OFF
• This Week: Saturday at Philadelphia (4 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 11

Actually looked better in attack than they have all season, and got some promising play from Cyle Larin up top. The truth is this: they just got Rimando'd by Bill Hamid. No need to panic yet in Florida.

• Last Week: Lost vs. D.C. United, 1-0
• This Week: Sunday at Portland (5 pm; ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN)

Last: 18

Still much work to do, but the Fire have got something cooking, folks. Shipp, Jones and Polster are a core of nice, young midfielders. Shaun Maloney looked like a DP. And they've strung together 270 minutes of attractive, attacking soccer.

• Last Week: Won vs. Toronto, 3-2
• Next MLS Game: April 18 at Montreal (3 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 13

Questions abound as the midfield balance remains a work in progress. San Jose are last in the league in passing accuracy, and badly need a box-to-box field general.

• Last Week: Lost vs. Real Salt Lake, 1-0 
• This Week: Saturday vs. Vancouver (10:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 17

They've scored twice in five games, and there is a pretty good chance Cubo won't be around to save them until August 1. 

• Last Week: Lost at Seattle, 1-0
• This Week: Saturday vs. Montreal (8:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 16

Got pushed down by Chicago's jump. Pretty sure they care more about the CCL than the Power Rankings this week, regardless.

• Last Week: OFF
• This Week: Saturday at Houston (8:30 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 20

Can't defend in the air, which is problematic when the starting goalkeeper can't control the box. At least the front line were opportunistic.

• Last Week: Lost at Sporting KC, 3-2
• This Week: Saturday vs. NYCFC (4 pm; MLS LIVE)

Last: 19

The bad news: Colorado's scoreless drought hit 10 hours. The good news: they'll still have to play another three hours, 45 minutes without a goal to better (wrong word, but still) TFC's league record set in 2007.

• Last Week: Lost vs. New England, 2-0
• This Week: Friday at Dallas (7 pm, UniMas)