Power Rankings, 1-30 | Matchday 13 & 14
The first two-game week of the season, so let's get nuts
You probably noticed that I took the weekend off. That means that, as usual, I got the great Charlie Boehm to fill in for me on the big Sunday column:
• Rivalry Week: Who took bragging rights in 2025?
I’m assuming you all already follow Charlie? You should. He’s been around forever and he’s our lead national writer, just a workhorse of an old school-style, capital J journalist who churns out excellent coverage no matter the assignment. Having someone like that able to step in and go 90 for me makes me feel much less guilty about taking the occasional weekend off.1
Ok, the thank-yous are complete, which means we can get down to business. Below is my vote for this week’s MLSsoccer Power Rankings:
Vancouver Whitecaps: It looks like fixture congestion, injuries and all the travel has caught up to them a bit the past two outings. They’ve won just twice in the past five games, and the last time they looked truly dominant in the league was more than a month ago. Still deservedly No. 1, but those miles are taking a toll.
Philadelphia Union: They’ve been winning the games they should, even if they’ve sometimes left it very late.
Columbus Crew: I’m not worried about Daniel Gazdag yet, but when they fall four points short of the Supporters’ Shield, this is the stretch they’ll point to.
FC Cincinnati: Pat Noonan himself said his team was second-best on the weekend. But taking a beating and still coming away with a point is a valuable skill.
LAFC: Still obviously not firing on all cylinders, but just as obviously heading in the right direction. They now need David Martinez to make a leap, just as Nathan Ordaz has.2
Minnesota United: Continues to be a very good team. Not yet more than that.3
San Diego FC: May has proved much kinder than April, as they’re now four unbeaten. Should’ve taken all three points this weekend.
Seattle Sounders: Good point on the road – maybe coulda been more? – after that midweek faceplant, which probably served as something of a wakeup call.
Nashville SC: They play good, fun soccer, but their lack of a third finishing heat means they still regularly drop points against the likes of Atlanta and D.C.
Orlando City: It’s now 11 games unbeaten, and with nine goals scored vs. just four conceded over the past three games, it feels like they’ve finally found an attack/defense balance. Also, they’re up to fourth in the East in xGD/90. And they’re elegant in triumph.4
Portland Timbers: A good midweek road point followed by a mentally tough – though not soccerly good – home point against a MORE POWERFUL opponent. Not bad.
Inter Miami: Remember back when Messi didn’t argue every call? Paris broke him. Uh oh.
New England Revolution: Make it six unbeaten since the switch to the 3-4-1-2, and like Caleb Porter, I thought the Revs scored a good goal in this one (though I also thought they were second-best on the day).
San Jose Earthquakes: How bad is the Daniel injury? The Quakes have shown they can survive without other key pieces, but if their ‘keeper is out for any length of time they’re boned.
Chicago Fire: Two unbeaten after that six-game winless run, and this one was a motherfucking pounding. It’s starting to come together.
NYCFC: I’ve had a really hard time putting my finger on this team. They’ve had some excellent wins – Philly and Cincy – but also just took one point from two games vs. Montreal and D.C. And followed that up with a completely comprehensive 2-0 in the Hudson River Derby.5
Houston Dynamo: The defense is coming around, and Jack McGlynn as a 10 has been just as much fun as I thought it’d be. Add in a pair of 2-0s and you get a big jump.
RBNY: That 7-0 over the Galaxy sure seems like an outlier, doesn’t it?6
SSC Charlotte: Five straight losses. Zero attacking chemistry. A cratering defense. A goalkeeper whose form has slipped. An all-time bad performance this weekend. A head coach not known for his ability to solve tactical problems. And a star signing who’s in the press making everything about him on a semi-weekly basis. Uh oh.
Sporting KC: Been more up than down under Kerry Zavagnin. Two points from two Western Conference road games is a very good week.
Colorado Rapids: A much-needed Rocky Mountain Cup win stopped the bleeding, at least temporarily.
Toronto FC: MUCH better over the past month, and is that… is that actual buy-in I’m starting to see from the Italian DPs?7
FC Dallas: One win in in seven, and that was against a heavily rotated Miami squad. Three of their next four on the road, with the lone home game a visit from the No. 2 team on this list. Uh oh.
Austin FC: Thought they outplayed Vancouver, to be honest. Just one win since March, though, and it’s not clear that they’re making any headway in generating chemistry along that front line.
RSL: Remember a week ago when I said I kind of felt like I was seeing something coalesce? Guess I got that one wrong.
D.C. United: They’re a tougher out than I thought they’d be.
Montreal Impact: Thought they were the better team until the red card.8
St. Louis: Look at how well Bradley Carnell’s doing in Philly, and how well John Hackworth did last year as interim. Uh oh.
Atlanta United: A $50 million attack with four goals and zero wins in 50 days.
LA Galaxy: They actually played pretty well this week. Not sure it was “give the coach an extension” well, but after the past 180 minutes I’m starting to feel about LA the way I felt about the Impact a few weeks ago, right before they got their first win of the year (and then nosedived right back into the toilet).
I seriously do feel guilty any time I miss a weekend which is, I think, a little bit insane. As a Gen Xer I was programmed to work 60 hour weeks, 51 weeks a year, and have never had a healthy relationship with the work/life balance thing. Surviving the original dot-com bubble, the Great Recession, start-up culture and Covid will do that to a guy.
And, obviously, they need to stop parking the bus when they take a lead.
Kelvin Yeboah mostly hasn’t reclaimed his starting No. 9 role since that knock he picked up a few weeks back, and I’m starting to wonder if the shift from the 3-4-1-2 to the 3-4-2-1 is going to be permanent. And look, if you’re choosing between Yeboah and Tani Oluwaseyi at this point, you’re choosing Tani.
Tenth is too low. In retrospect I should probably have this team sixth or seventh. But the ballot already went in, and I’ll be damned if I misrepresent my vote to you, my brave and very attractive readers.
What I’m saying is I don’t trust the good, and I don’t trust the bad. But maybe with that new Aussie d-mid they’ll be a little more dynamic transitioning from defense to attack, and a little less reliant on Keaton Parks overall. And if that happens, I’ll start trusting the good a little bit more.
This team’s won just 10 of their past 35 regular-season games. The MLS Cup appearance was a fluke and it feels like they’re in real danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Also, we’re starting to see three or four young guys from the academy/SuperDraft every single game. Been begging for this.
Between the red and his midweek scorpion kick clearance – which was not actually a clearance, but a devastating turnover – Joel Waterman had himself a hell of a couple of matchdays.
According to Bruce Arena it is comparable to the JFK assassination
Not to make this a genX therapy session, but man do I feel your first footnote. My PTO balance at max at all times is a testament to my similar feeling - every day off brings that guilt/fear of going on the next 'list' when it's time for layoffs, which always seem to be around the corner.