After watching their respective Week 26 matches, it is hard not to talk about the New York Red Bulls and the San Jose Earthquakes in every article written about Major League Soccer. 

The Red Bulls earned the majority of the weekly headlines for their trampling of D.C. United at home on Sunday, while San Jose earned rave reviews for their control of the midfield battle against the LA Galaxy on Friday. 

Because both teams are flying at the moment, they have a combined seven players in the latest edition of the MLS Player Rankings. Three of the seven are new to the list, thanks to impressive outings in midfield. 

Outside of the players from MLS' two hottest squads, one United States international made a big leap on the list of the top 20 players in the league due to his recent attacking form. 

Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches, with the player's most recent performance holding more stock than the other three.

Continue reading to see which stars landed where in the MLS Player Rankings after Week 26.

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MLS' "Rivalry Week" lived up to its billing with three particular matches dominating the headlines.

The Seattle Sounders defeated the Portland Timbers, the New York Red Bulls triumphed over D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes beat the LA Galaxy.

Not only did these results drastically alter the MLS standings, they also shifted the top five spots in this week's power rankings.

As always, the power rankings are determined by the following criteria:

• Quality of opponent and performance
• Recent form
• Key absences
• Remaining games in hand (if applicable)

Here's where all 20 teams stand after Week 26 in MLS.

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Rivalry Week handed plenty of sides in Major League Soccer motivation to earn three points, but no club had more to prove than the New York Red Bulls. 

Against their most-hated rival D.C. United, the Red Bulls produced one of the most dominant performances in MLS this season on Sunday night at Red Bull Arena. 

Due to the large amount of success earned by Jesse Marsch's side in Week 26, three Red Bulls headline the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Week. 

Elsewhere across the league, a few teams earned surprising results against difficult opposition. The Colorado Rapids specifically caught our attention with a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Because of the impressive nature of their win, the Rapids are the only other team with two or more players in the best 11 from Week 26. 

Since there were a number of strong showings at the central midfield position, we aligned our team in a 3-5-2 formation. 

Continue reading to see who was named to our latest MLS Team of the Week. 

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The Vancouver Whitecaps are riding high in 2015. They are one of the most entertaining teams in MLS, are fighting for the Supporters' Shield and just won their first-ever Voyageurs Cup after 13 years of trying.

Vancouver supporters have head coach Carl Robinson to thank for this success. However, it was just 18 months ago that Robinson was fighting for the job against a few marquee names.

When ex-coach Martin Rennie was fired after a disappointing 2013 campaign, the Whitecaps immediately went to work to find his replacement.

Frank Yallop was mentioned as a potential hire by Michael McColl of Away From the Numbers. Yallop was eventually hired by the Chicago Fire as both head coach and director of soccer just a few days later.

A wealth of candidates was brought in for interviews afterward. Robinson, one of Rennie's assistants at the time, was a frontrunner, but Bob Bradley became the top target, per Marc Weber of the Province.

There were three others who were interviewed as well. Current New York Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch, U.S. under-17 boss Richie Williams and the outspoken Preki were all considered by Vancouver, according to Weber.

The bid to land Bradley fell short. Yallop was in Chicago. That opened the door for Robinson, who was eventually hired.

The decision wasn't too much of a surprise. Robinson's name kept showing up no matter who was linked with the job in Vancouver.

The Whitecaps clearly made the correct decision. Robinson is now the winningest coach in Vancouver's MLS history. He earned the record-breaking win against Real Salt Lake on August 8. He now has 26 victories after triumphing over FC Dallas in the team's previous match.

Vancouver has already broken its single-season record for wins in a season. The Whitecaps will undoubtedly surpass 50 points, the most they've ever accumulated in one campaign.

The Whitecaps also trail the LA Galaxy by one point in the Supporters' Shield standings with a game in hand. The Voyageurs Cup triumph also guarantees that Vancouver will earn at least one trophy in back-to-back seasons for the first time.

Robinson's track record for signing talented Latin American players is particularly impressive.

One of these players is Kendall Waston, who has established himself as one of the league's top center backs since he was signed last summer.

Matias Laba is arguably MLS' best defensive midfielder. He was acquired from Toronto FC and is now the league's leading tackler, per WhoScored.com.

Pedro Morales has recorded 15 goals and 16 assists in 53 MLS appearances. He's now the club captain. 

Diminutive Uruguayan winger Cristian Techera has made a tremendous impact on the right flank. His technique and speed have proven difficult to contain this season.

Mauro Rosales and Nicolas Mezquida also provide vision and trickery in the final third behind the striker Octavio Rivero.

Rivero is not scoring at will like he was at the beginning of the season. However, he can unlock defenses with his intelligent runs, vision and strength.

The Whitecaps have depth in quality and also boast the youngest team in the league. Vancouver's average squad age is 24.3 years, per ESPN Deportes (via Alicia Rodriguez on the official MLS website).

Now that the Whitecaps have won the Voyageurs Cup, this may push them toward the Supporters' Shield.

Robinson has to be in the running for the Coach of the Year award. However, there are at least three others who will also be contending for this award.

Jesse Marsch may guide the New York Red Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference with the league's lowest payroll, per ESPN FC.

Ben Olsen has done an incredible job with D.C. United, a team who will also fight for the Supporters' Shield without a marquee name on the roster.

Peter Vermes' Sporting Kansas City moved from the East to the Western Conference. Sporting has games in hand and are also in the race to win the shield.

However, Robinson still has a strong case. Not only does he have MLS' youngest team, but also they excel on both sides of the pitch.

The Whitecaps have conceded a league-low 26 goals and boast one the fastest counterattacking teams. Vancouver also has 13 players with at least one goal, which indicates how difficult it is to contain this side.

At this rate, Robinson will likely finish the season with Coach of the Year honors.

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Didier Drogba's rocky start to his MLS career is set to continue, as the Montreal Impact star will miss the club's rivalry match against Toronto FC with a toe injury.

Continue for updates.

As reported by Goal's Mike Slane, the 37-year-old striker will miss Saturday's clash with Toronto due to a toe injury, having already sat out Wednesday's Amway Canadian Championship match against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

MLSSoccer.com's Olivier Tremblay confirmed the news.

The former Chelsea star joined the MLS side in July but has so far been limited to one cameo appearance, making his debut on Monday against the Philadelphia Union. His showing there was immediately overshadowed by a minor controversy, as he refused to talk to the media, via Goal Canada's Nick Sabetti:

Drogba is one of many star players who moved to the MLS during the past season, but while the likes of Andrea Pirlo have already made a significant impact for their new clubs, the Ivorian is yet to do the same.

The toe injury shouldn't keep him sidelined for too long, however, with Tremblay reporting the damage is “minor.”

Montreal are locked in a tight play-off battle with Toronto and the New England Revolution and would have loved to have had Drogba available for Saturday's pivotal match, although the veteran likely would have started on the bench given his lack of match rhythm.

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Steven Gerrard is quickly taking to his new Hollywood lifestyle. 

The Liverpool legend, who in the past has revealed that he's a big fan of bands like Coldplay, Kings of Leon and Phil Collins, showed his affinity for Taylor Swift on the most public of forums: Instagram. 

He posted a short video of Swift performing in Los Angeles while escorting his three daughters to the concert. He wrote that the show was "incredible," with cameos from Selena Gomez and Justin Timberlake. 

Welcome to Los Angeles, Stevie. 

Next up on your Taylor Swift checklist: get invited on stage to be celebrated alongside the pop megastar. 

Then you know you've really made it in America. 

[Instagram, Steven Gerrard, h/t Mirror Row Zed]

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Rivalry Week always brings out the best and worst in some of Major League Soccer's top franchises, and as the play-off race heats up, every one of the matches in Week 26 means something different to each club. 

For the Seattle Sounders, a win over the Portland Timbers on Sunday would not only help their cause in the battle for the Cascadia Cup, it would give the fans in the Emerald City something positive to talk about. 

The Sounders have experienced plenty of ups and downs throughout the 2015 campaign with injuries being one of the top reasons why they sit just over the red line in the Western Conference standings in sixth place.

No one expected the Sounders to struggle as much as they have with Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins out for an extended period of time. Things looked to be returning to normal on August 16, when a Martins-led attack destroyed Orlando City 4-0 at CenturyLink Field. But given Orlando's recent form, the final result was more of a statement about how awful the Lions back line has been recently instead of a celebration of the Seattle attack returning to what it should be. 

Sigi Schmid's side was handed a wake-up call last weekend at Rio Tinto Stadium as Real Salt Lake thoroughly dominated the Sounders on the way to a 2-0 victory, which made the play-off race in the Western Conference even tighter than it already was. 

Seattle's week got worse on Wednesday, when it fell 1-0 to Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions League. For the trip to Honduras, the Sounders only fielded six players on the bench and the starting lineup was littered with squad players. 

Even though the season has not gone the way they wanted it to, the Sounders still have time to remedy the situation starting with a win on Sunday in front of over 63,000 fans at one of the best venues in the league. 

Beating Portland would be a sign of improvement in a few different ways for the Sounders. The obvious momentum builder would be a win over a hated rival, but with Portland five points above Seattle in fourth place, a victory would also help the Sounders catch up with the top sides in the West. 

As any play-off contender needs at this point in the season, the Sounders will also be relying on results elsewhere to boost their stock. A win over Portland combined with a LA Galaxy win over San Jose and a draw between FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake would put Seattle three points ahead of its most immediate rival for sixth and it would bring it within two points of fourth. If the Sounders do get past Portland, they have a chance to seal up the top six in the West in two weeks' time at San Jose. 

As many would expect, the Sounders aren't the only club entering Week 26 in need of three points. With all 20 teams technically still in the play-off race, every single point matters from here on out. 

Games to Watch

LA Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes, Friday 11 p.m. ET (UniMas) 

The California Clasico rarely disappoints and Friday's clash between the Galaxy and Earthquakes should live up to the entertaining reputation the showdown has. With both sides in terrific form at the moment, we should witness plenty of fireworks at Avaya Stadium.

The red-hot Galaxy enter the match with wins in six of their last seven league matches and 22 goals during that span, including a 5-1 walloping of New York City FC on Sunday. Robbie Keane is in ridiculous form up top and his cerebral pairing with Giovani Dos Santos is fun for neutrals to watch, but scary for fans of any club going up against Bruce Arena's team for the rest of the year. 

Steven Gerrard has assimilated into the squad just fine and unlike the other England international who joined MLS this summer, he is actually turning into a solid weekly contributor. Next to the unsung hero of the Galaxy squad Juninho, Gerrard is easing into the league at a good rate during the quest for the Supporters' Shield. Coming into Week 26, LA leads Vancouver by one point in the race for the shield. 

San Jose marked the beginning of the annual Dominic Kinnear late-summer surge with wins on the road over Sporting Kansas City and D.C. United in Week 25. Kinnear, who is famous for his late-season runs to the play-offs with Houston, has finally found a nice balance up top with Quincy Amarikwa doing a massive amount of work next to Chris Wondolowski.

How the Galaxy defense deals with Amarikwa could decide the final result, but San Jose will need other role players to step up and neutralize the attacking threat of the Galaxy as well. With revenge on their mind after a 5-2 defeat in Gerrard's league debut on July 18, the Earthquakes will have plenty of motivation to win. But turning that motivation into three points will be a difficult task. 

D.C. United at New York Red Bulls, Sunday, 7 p.m., Fox Sports 1

Much has been made about the New York Red Bulls' rivalry with NYCFC this season, but they still see D.C. United as their primary rival for the time being. The two clubs with a storied past enter Red Bull Arena on Sunday with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference up for grabs. 

Ben Olsen's D.C. side has flown mostly under the radar this season while picking up 44 points. The group of veterans and young stars will finally get a chance to prove themselves in a big match on the national stage on Sunday, just like the Red Bulls have time and time again this year. 

The Black and Red have a favorable schedule leading up to the postseason with matches against Colorado, Chicago and NYCFC accompanying two contests versus Columbus and a game with Montreal. If D.C. can go into Red Bull Arena and take three points from the Red Bulls, it would be hard for them to relinquish the top spot in the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the regular season. 

After suffering a midweek letdown at their historical place of horrors, the Red Bulls will try to use the form they had before the loss to Chicago on Wednesday to pull within two points of D.C. in the race for the top spot in the East. A draw wouldn't be too hurtful with three games in hand on United, but a loss would leave the Red Bulls in a battle with Columbus for the No. 2 spot instead of making a charge for the top. 

The battle in the middle of the park should decide this match. The Red Bulls trio of Dax McCarty, Felipe and Sacha Kljestan will use Jesse Marsch's press to put Perry Kitchen and Davy Arnaud under duress. If the young and old duo in the D.C. central midfield can deal with the pressure and distribute the ball fine over 90 minutes, the Black and Red will pose a serious challenge to the Red Bulls back four. 

Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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The Seattle Sounders' 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake was the team's ninth defeat in its last 11 games in Major League Soccer. Despite this poor form, Seattle should still be considered as a favorite for the MLS Cup.

WestGate Las Vegas SuperBook (via ESPN's Paul Carr) released its latest MLS Cup odds. The Sounders are listed as 12-1 favorites. Only five teams have lower figures and two are in the Western Conference:

However, Seattle only has a 34 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs, per Carr. Only three teams are below the Sounders:

Those numbers appear to contradict one another, but upon closer scrutiny, they make sense. The Sounders are tied for the sixth and final playoff spot in the West with the San Jose Earthquakes. Seattle has also played 26 games compared to San Jose's 25.

Seattle has a tough ending to the season. It faces the Portland Timbers, Toronto FC, LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake at home. The Sounders will play the Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps, Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo on the road.

The main issue with the Sounders during the summer has been injuries and international call-ups. General manager Garth Lagerwey noticed this and bolstered the squad with several solid additions.

Panamanian defender Roman Torres will shore up the back line. He was called for a handball against RSL in his last outing, but Torres should be a valuable commodity for the Sounders.

Midfielders Erik Friberg and Andreas Ivanschitz give head coach Sigi Schmid extra options in midfield. Now he can tactically adjust with more central midfielders depending on the opposition.

Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez was also acquired during the summer transfer window. He scored on his MLS debut against Orlando City SC but struggled versus RSL in the previous match.

Then there's Clint Dempsey and Osvaldo Alonso. Both players are still unavailable, and Schmid admitted that he "doesn't know" if they'll be ready to face Portland on Sunday, per the Seattle Times' Matt Pentz:

Now that Torres and Chad Marshall are the primary center backs, Alonso will be even more important to the Sounders.

MLS' armchair analyst Matthew Doyle noted that with Brad Evans moving from center back to midfield, distribution from defenders will likely decrease:

This is where Alonso solves the issue. He can help the defense by collecting the ball from deep and moving the play forward.

Dempsey is equally important due to his chemistry with Obafemi Martins up front. The American has seven goals and six assists in 13 appearances. However, suspension, injuries and international duty have limited his playing time.

Once these two return, the Sounders will be a difficult team to overcome with their depth in quality.

The home matches will be especially advantageous. Seattle has eight wins, one draw and four losses at CenturyLink Field. The Sounders have just three wins on the road this year.

There will be chances to earn points at home. TFC has conceded 30 goals on the road, and RSL's 26 isn't much better. The Timbers have scored just nine times outside of Providence Park, and the Galaxy have won just two away games.

On the surface, Seattle is in danger of missing the playoffs. In reality, the Sounders have bulked up and should have a full squad in the final months of the campaign.

The New England Revolution struggled last summer. They signed Jermaine Jones and ended up playing in the MLS Cup final. These turnarounds have occurred before.

If any side can recover after a rough patch, it's the Sounders.

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Miami FC are reportedly hoping to add Brazilian star Robinho to their squad, aiming to bring the journeyman to the USA at some point in the future.

Continue for updates.

According to David Amoyal, a translator for Gianluca Di Marzio, Miami FC owners Paolo Maldini and Riccardo Silva are eyeing the 31-year-old, who could join the club from Guangzhou Evergrande.

Should he move to the USA, Robinho will have played professional football on four different continents, having started his career in his native Brazil before moving to Europe. He currently plays in the Chinese league.

The Brazil international was once regarded as one of the biggest talents in all of football, sealing a move to Real Madrid in 2005 after several successful seasons with Santos. At the time, fans and pundits were in awe of his dribbling skills, and he showed incredible promise making his debut for Los Blancos, via Photos of Football:

After a solid first season, injury and inconsistency saw Robinho's status fall at the Bernabeu, and he was forced to come off the bench more often than not. While he was productive when he did see the pitch most of the time, it was clear his Real career was coming to an end, and he secured a move to Manchester City in 2008.

Again, he showed promise during his first season before things came crashing down, and after a brief loan move to Santos and a stint with Italian giants AC Milan, he returned to Brazil, where he rediscovered his form and did enough to make Brazil's squad for the 2015 Copa America.

As reported by the Press Association (via the Guardian), his deal with Guangzhou Evergrande includes a clause that would allow the club to extend the contract, which was just six months long. He's faced some criticism from the fans, however, as noted by Chinese football expert Christopher Atkins, and there's no guarantee that clause will be activated.

One has to assume a deal could be made between Guangzhou and Miami FC, should the player be keen on moving across the Atlantic again. Robinho may not be the player he once was, but he's still an excellent dribbler and solid finisher who would add another dimension to Miami's attack.

He's also still one of the most recognisable names in all of football, and adding a star like that can do wonders for the popularity of a new team. New York City FC And Orlando City SC used a similar approach, adding David Villa and Kaka, respectively, so do't be shocked if Miami FC try to do the same. 

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The New York Red Bulls took the Chicago Fire by surprise Wednesday night to score a cheeky short corner, though the goal shouldn't have counted.

The match was level at 2-2 in the 49th minute when Lloyd Sam jogged over to take the corner. After touching the ball with his boot a couple of times, he then ran off to allow Sacha Kljestan to take over and run the ball directly toward the box, before setting up Ronald Zubar to score.

Though the linesman had recognised Sam's touch, his extra touches should have resulted in the corner being disallowed.

It didn't matter much in the end, as Chicago ran out 3-2 winners.

[101 Great Goals]

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