1 year ago
28
Joseph Lowery
Jul 21, 2025, 09:38 AM ET
The 2025 MLS play is firmly underway, which means it's clip for ESPN's Power Rankings.
Who's climbing the table, and who's successful escaped fall? Our writers studied the enactment from crossed the play to bid each 30 teams successful the league. Let's dive in.
1. Philadelphia Union
Previous ranking: 2
Following a midweek triumph against CF Montréal, the Union headed to Texas connected abbreviated remainder for a matchup with the Houston Dynamo. While Bradley Carnell rotated overmuch of his lineup, the Union inactive earned a constituent from a 1-1 draw. It wasn't a glamorous outing, but Saturday nighttime reminded america each of a elemental truth: Philadelphia definite is hard to beat.
2. Inter Miami CF
Previous ranking: 1
Between a midweek nonaccomplishment astatine the hands of FC Cincinnati and a brutal commencement connected the roadworthy against the New York Red Bulls that saw them trailing wrong 15 minutes, it looked arsenic if Inter Miami were up against the ropes. Then Lionel Messi pulled retired 1 of the champion assists you'll ever spot and added a brace, to boot, successful a 5-1 win. No squad successful MLS past has been capable to flip the publication the mode Miami does.
1:13
Lionel Messi's large nighttime leads Inter Miami past Red Bulls
Lionel Messi scores a brace and adds an assistance arsenic Inter Miami hammer the Red Bulls.
3. Nashville SC
Previous ranking: 3
Nashville rebounded from its decision to Inter Miami past play with a two-win week, archetypal topping the Columbus Crew successful resounding manner (3-0) connected Wednesday and past besting Toronto FC 1-0 connected Saturday. BJ Callaghan's squad has mislaid lone erstwhile since April.
4. San Diego FC
Previous ranking: 4
Starting 2 rookies successful the mediate of the backline against a beardown Vancouver Whitecaps squad wasn't anybody successful San Diego's thought of an perfect concern connected Saturday night. Still, some got connected the scoresheet: Manu Duah's ain extremity enactment Vancouver up successful the 40th infinitesimal earlier Ian Pilcher leveled things successful the 2nd fractional successful a 1-1 draw.
5. Columbus Crew
Previous ranking: 5
No longer bash Columbus Crew fans person to hold for Dániel Gazdag's archetypal extremity successful black-and-yellow. The team's designated subordinate converted from the spot successful a 2-1 triumph implicit D.C. United connected Saturday nighttime and volition present crook his attraction to getting connected the committee successful unfastened play.
6. FC Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 6
Perhaps riding precocious from a 3-0 triumph implicit Inter Miami connected Wednesday, it took Cincinnati each the mode until the 87th infinitesimal to unafraid a 1-0 triumph implicit Salt Lake. It was acold from a cleanable outing, but Luca Orellano's extremity righted each their wrongs.
7. Seattle Sounders
Previous ranking: 9
While a 3-2 triumph implicit the Earthquakes is thing to beryllium celebrated, that Jordan Morris near the tract successful the archetypal fractional with yet different wounded is atrocious quality for the Sounders. Their extent has been -- and volition proceed to beryllium -- tested.
8. Vancouver Whitecaps
Previous ranking: 7
Even with Pedro Vite's departure to Pumas successful Liga MX, the Caps stood beardown to gain a 1-1 gully connected the roadworthy astatine San Diego connected Saturday. With their planetary contingent bedded backmost into the squad and a summertime transportation model ahead, things are looking up for Vancouver ... if it tin regenerate Vite.
9. Minnesota United
Previous ranking: 8
All 3 points were determination for the taking for Minnesota, which led Portland by a extremity heading into second-half stoppage time. Failure to decently support the 2nd signifier of a acceptable piece, though, allowed Omir Fernández to equalize and extremity the crippled astatine 1-1.
10. LAFC
Previous ranking: 10
El Tráfico delivered yet again Saturday night, with LAFC and the LA Galaxy playing to a 3-3 draw. Steve Cherundolo and his players volition regret blowing a two-goal lead, but was anyone astatine BMO Stadium genuinely amazed that the rivalry clash turned into 1 of the games of the season?
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LA Galaxy gully LAFC aft precocious rally
The conflict of Los Angeles ends successful a gully arsenic the Galaxy people a brace of goals late.
11. Orlando City
Previous ranking: 11
Orlando picked up its archetypal triumph of July by beating New England 2-1 connected the roadworthy connected Saturday. Martín Ojeda's brace fueled the victory, and his accumulation has carried the Lions for agelong spells of 2025.
12. Charlotte FC
Previous ranking: 14
Charlotte doesn't look to beryllium missing Patrick Agyemang aft facilitating his determination to Derby County. Striker Idan Toklomati, 20, has scored successful 4 of his past six games and helped spearhead a 3-2 triumph implicit Atlanta United connected Saturday.
13. San Jose Earthquakes
Previous ranking: 12
Stuck successful a spot of a unsmooth patch, the Quakes haven't won a crippled since the extremity of April. Though they've created existent chances each passim July, including successful their matchup with Seattle implicit the weekend, their antiaircraft frailties person travel backmost to bite. Look nary further than a 3-2 nonaccomplishment to the Sounders for grounds of that fact.
14. Chicago Fire
Previous ranking: 15
The Fire did precisely what they were expected to bash against CF Montréal: They took attraction of concern connected the road, besting their Eastern Conference opponents 2-0. The show was thing to constitute location about, but the 3 points number each the same.
15. New York Red Bulls
Previous ranking: 16
The Red Bulls were humbled by Miami, losing 5-1 connected their location turf implicit the weekend. Despite taking an aboriginal pb and camping retired successful Miami's fractional of the field, a infinitesimal of magic from Messi turned the crippled connected its head. Sandro Schwarz's squad ne'er recovered.
16. Colorado Rapids
Previous ranking: 19
On a bye this past play aft a chaotic midweek gully with the Seattle Sounders, the Rapids person scored six full goals successful their past 2 games. The onslaught is starting to click.
17. New York City FC
Previous ranking: 17
New York City couldn't gain thing much than a constituent successful its past crippled earlier DP reinforcement Nicolás Fernández is eligible to debut. Finishing successful a 1-1 deadlock with Kansas City isn't a effect to beryllium arrogant of, but it's casual to look to a brighter aboriginal with much attacking firepower.
18. Portland Timbers
Previous ranking: 13
Though a last-ditch extremity from Omir Fernández rescued a 1-1 gully for Portland against Minnesota astatine Providence Park, the Timbers' wounded issues person derailed them successful caller weeks. They person lone 1 triumph successful their past six games.
19. Austin FC
Previous ranking: 18
On a bye implicit the play aft a 2-1 midweek triumph implicit the LA Galaxy, Austin FC volition invited the champion of MLS to municipality for the league's All-Star Game connected Wednesday.
20. Houston Dynamo
Previous ranking: 21
Though the Dynamo failed to gain each 3 points successful a 1-1 gully with the Philadelphia Union, the item of Saturday night's lucifer was erstwhile Union midfielder Jack McGlynn scoring a punishment against his aged squad and kissing his caller badge successful celebration. There's nary emotion mislaid betwixt McGlynn and Philadelphia.
21. FC Dallas
Previous ranking: 22
Even with Lucho Acosta obscurity to beryllium found, Dallas cruised to a 3-0 triumph implicit St. Louis successful Texas. Saturday marked FC Dallas' 2nd regular-season triumph since April. It's harmless to accidental they needed to enactment points connected the board.
22. Real Salt Lake
Previous ranking: 20
RSL's five-game unbeaten streak came to an extremity with a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Cincinnati. Though the onslaught struggled to make clear-cut chances, Pablo Mastroeni's squad mostly defended with cohesion against a talented opponent. That, astatine least, is encouraging.
23. LA Galaxy
Previous ranking: 25
At aggregate points Saturday night, it looked arsenic the Galaxy were down and retired against their crosstown rival. But, successful the existent tone of El Tráfico, they fought backmost to gain a 3-3 gully courtesy of a 97th-minute equalizer from skipper Maya Yoshida.
24. New England Revolution
Previous ranking: 23
A 2-1 decision to Orlando City made it 8 consecutive games without a triumph and six losses successful those 8 games for the Revs. Caleb Porter's squad can't fig retired which extremity is up close now.
25. Sporting Kansas City
Previous ranking: 24
Kansas City showed immoderate much-needed antiaircraft wound against New York City connected Saturday, doing good to adjacent down abstraction successful its midblock and bounds the visitor's chances successful a 1-1 draw.
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Sporting KC, NYCFC play to 1-1 draw
Dániel Sallói cancels retired Andrés Perea's aboriginal extremity arsenic Sporting Kansas City and New York City FC divided the points.
26. Toronto FC
Previous ranking: 29
Though a midweek triumph against San Diego provided anticipation for a Toronto squad successful hopeless request of conscionable that, a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Nashville connected Saturday brought Robin Fraser & Co. close backmost down to earth.
27. CF Montréal
Previous ranking: 28
Up against a bottom-three antiaircraft squad successful MLS based connected FBref's xG allowed per 90 minutes metric, Montréal couldn't negociate a extremity successful a 2-0 nonaccomplishment to the Chicago Fire. It's hard to sum up its play amended than that.
28. St. Louis City SC
Previous ranking: 26
A 3-0 nonaccomplishment to FC Dallas connected Saturday marked St. Louis' eighth decision successful the past 11 games. The issues person spanned aggregate coaches and aggregate competitions, making it wide that there's plentifulness of enactment for the beforehand office.
29. Atlanta United
Previous ranking: 27
Holding a uncommon pb heading into halftime, Atlanta promptly gave up that pb and proceeded to suffer to Charlotte 3-2 successful beforehand of the location crowd. A atrocious play got adjacent worse for the Five Stripes.
30. D.C. United
Previous ranking: 30
Between getting roundly outplayed by the Crew, and Aaron Herrera jogging consecutive to the passageway aft being sent disconnected successful the 89th minute, Saturday was a not a bully time for D.C. United.
