Castrol Weekly Top 20: When transfer talk is no distraction

Wait a minute. Back passes that lead to goals for the other team don't count in the Castrol Rankings, do they?

No. Which makes it all the more remarkable that Chicago Fire midfielder Marco Pappa recovered from his mishap and still registered the best performance of any MLS player this weekend, topping the Castrol Top 20 for Week 22.

The Guatemalan international, who has been a subject of European transfer rumors with his contract expiring in December, was accompanied by teammate and rookie Austin Berry in the Top 10.

But no one was a match for the Houston Dynamo, who saw four players finish in this week's list after their 2-0 blanking of the New York Red Bulls last Friday (No. 3 Jermaine Taylor, No. 12 Tally Hall, No. 16 Andre Hainault, No. 17 Boniek García).

And the goalkeepers once again left their mark, with nearly half of the first 13 names — six to be exact — proving to be netminders. That group even includes Andy Gruenebaum (No. 9), who lost his match against D.C. United, and Donovan Ricketts, who was traded away by the Montreal Impact on Tuesday.

While Seattle Sounders star forward Eddie Johnson finds himself in the rankings for the second consecutive week, forgotten Chinese striker Long Tan earns a shout-out at No. 15 after his first start for D.C. United since his move from the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Weekly Top 20 Performers - Week 22+ Powered by Castrol Index