MLS Power Rankings: LAFC, Colorado Rapids Take Leaps After Matchday 24 | OneFootball

The 2025 MLS season continued in full force this weekend, with every team getting their players back from extended international duty at the Concacaf Gold Cup and other tournaments.

With 14 matches on Saturday night and the standalone game on Sunday, it marked the wholehearted return of summer soccer in the American top flight, as teams begin to turn their heads to the upcoming transfer window and the final stretch.

Another week is in the rearview, but before we look too far ahead, here are Sports Illustrated’s latest MLS Power Rankings following Matchday 24.

MLS Power Rankings After Matchday 24: Clubs 30-16

30. D.C. United (Previous: 29)29. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 30)28. Atlanta United (Previous: 26)27. CF Montréal (Previous: 28)26. LA Galaxy (Previous: 27)25. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 23)24. FC Dallas (Previous: 24)23. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 25)22. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 22)21. Toronto FC (Previous: 21)20. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 19)19. New England Revolution (Previous: 20)18. Austin FC (Previous: 16)17. Portland Timbers (Previous: 17)16. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 18)

15. Chicago Fire (Previous: 13)

Hugo Cuypers scored his 12th goal of the season, but Chicago Fire FC fell to San Diego FC this weekend. / Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

At one point, things were going so well for Chicago Fire FC under head coach Gregg Berhalter. This summer, though, has been a challenge, and this weekend was no better, as they picked up their third straight loss, falling 2–1 to San Diego FC.

There’s a strong core within Berhalter's group, and Hugo Cuypers scored his 12th goal of the season. Still, each week it is becoming more evident that the front trio of Cuypers, Philip Zinckernagel and Jonathan Bamba is not enough to lift them into the upper echelon of MLS teams.

14. Charlotte FC (Previous: 15)

Charlotte FC had a bit of a demanding spell with six losses in seven games, but have been better in recent weeks with a 1–1 draw against Orlando City SC last weekend and a 2–0 victory over New York City FC on Saturday.

While the midfield of Pep Biel, Brandt Bronico and Ashley Westwood has been solid over recent weeks, head coach Dean Smith’s side will have to sort out their attacking situation, likely in need of a new striker after selling U.S. men’s national team front man Patrick Agyemang to Derby County.

Idan Toklomati stepped up with a goal this weekend, and Wilfried Zaha calmed pressures with a strong performance on the left wing. Now, the challenge will be to maintain that form as they wait for reinforcements.

13. New York City FC (Previous: 11)

New York City FC didn’t have the week they were hoping for, falling 2–0 to Charlotte FC, but had a busy week off the pitch, adding a new Designated Player in Argentine Nicolás Fernández Mercau.

A former standout in the Spanish second division with Elche CF, he comes to NYCFC with the potential to take some of the creative midfield load from veteran Maxi Morález, and fill the void left by Santiago Rodríguez, after the club sold him to Brazil’s Botafogo.

There are good times to come for head coach Pascal Jansen and NYCFC, but they will want to move on from this weekend.

12. Seattle Sounders FC (Previous: 14)

Seattle Sounders FC might not be among the best teams in MLS just yet, but their form over the last few weeks and this weekend has shown they can compete with some of the best teams in the league. This weekend, they picked up a 3–2 win against Sporting Kansas City, bringing their form to 4 wins, a draw and two losses in their last seven games.

While getting Jordan Morris back at striker is a boon to their hopes, head coach Brian Schmetzer will look to sort out his team’s consistency issues in individual matches, as they struggle to put together a strong 90-minute performance. Case in point, on Sunday, they scored three times in the first half, before conceding twice in the second 45 to force some nervous minutes to close the game.

11. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 9)

The San Jose Earthquakes had a weekend to forget against Minnesota United, becoming the latest victims to the Loons’ counter-attacking style. Unlike teams recently, San Jose opted to hold onto the ball against Minnesota, but struggled to break down Minnesota’s block, and were caught out defensively by Tani Oluwaseyi, among others.

It was a bad week in the U.S. Open Cup for the Earthquakes as well, crashing out in the quarterfinals after a controversial penalty shootout loss against Austin FC. In MLS play, it’s three wins in 12 games for head coach Bruce Arena’s team—not so hot after a strong start to 2025.

10. Orlando City SC (Previous: 10)

Orlando City SC will rue the two dropped points against a struggling CF Montréal side this week, but a late penalty kick from Montréal’s Prince Owusu to steal the points is indicative of recent form.

At one point, the front three of Luis Muriel, Martín Ojeda and Marco Pašalič looked to be among the league's best, but the goals have dried up in recent weeks. In particular, Muriel has struggled, with just no goals in his last eight games dating back to May 18.

Ramiro Enrique has had some good moments up top in recent weeks and had one shot through 75 minutes on Saturday, while Alex Freeman slid back in seamlessly at right back after USMNT duty. Yet, head coach Oscar Pareja will still need to look for solutions after a third straight game without a win.

9. LAFC (Previous: 12)

Denis Bouanga scored a penalty kick to help LAFC beat FC Dallas. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

LAFC have hit their groove. After an inconsistent start to the year, the Black and Gold have three wins in their last four MLS matches, and are up to sixth in the Western Conference after a 2–0 win over FC Dallas this weekend.

Nathan Ordaz scored his fifth goal of the season and Denis Bouanga added another, as head coach Steve Cherundolo urged his team to press more than usual, making the most of two first-half chances before Dallas’ Maarten Paes stood on his head in the second half to make seven saves.

LAFC are enjoying this spell of form with just one DP as well, and could be in for a formative summer transfer window, given the roster flexibility they have and the desire to cap off Cherundolo’s tenure with an MLS Cup title.

8. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 7)

For the second straight week, Vancouver Whitecaps FC were outplayed and outclassed in every part of the game, falling 3–0 to the Colorado Rapids after previously losing 3–0 to the LA Galaxy.

While Yohei Takaoka’s penalty kick save stood out among the highlights, Vancouver struggled to create attacking opportunities and failed to set up Brian White for success, as he and Sebastian Berhalter returned to the starting lineup after USMNT Gold Cup duty.

It wasn’t all bad this week for head coach Jesper Sørensen’s side, though, as they snuck past Canadian Premier League outfit Valour FC to qualify for the semifinals in a competition they are hoping to win for the fourth consecutive season.

As for MLS, they’ll hope to bounce back to form next week against the Houston Dynamo.

7. Columbus Crew SC (Previous: 8)

Diego Rossi helped the Columbus Crew beat FC Cincinnati after falling behind 2–0 within the opening five minutes. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

For the first time since the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, the Columbus Crew have some bragging rights for soccer in Ohio. On Saturday, they defeated FC Cincinnati 4–2 in the Hell is Real derby, knocking their rivals off the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield lead in the process.

While the start of the match didn’t go to plan, falling behind 2–0 and allowing Pavel Bucha to score a first-minute goal, head coach Wilfried Nancy’s side bounced back and showed their recent form to pick up their fourth win in five games.

Although the team has yet to fill the superstar void left by Cucho Hérnandez, their tactical commitment gets the best out of a well-rounded collective, led by Diego Rossi, Max Arfsten and Darlington Nagbe, who all had standout matches in the comeback win.

The Crew are up to fourth in the Eastern Conference now as well, and will have a challenging opponent midweek as they take on Nashville SC.

6. Nashville SC (Previous: 5)

Joe Willis will want to forget about giving the ball away to Lionel Messi. Still, Nashville SC had a relatively good showing against Inter Miami and looked to be the better team overall. Unfortunately for them, the diminutive Argentine made the most of Willis’ giveaway and curled in a free kick.

Co-MLS Golden Boot leader didn’t get much service in this match, but it was another standout game for each of Hany Mukhtar and Andy Najar, with Najar sending a pinpoint cross into an undefended Mukhtar to tie the match at 1–1.

While the loss and Willis’ blunder will annoy head coach B.J. Callaghan’s side, they had an otherwise good week with a 5–2 comeback win against D.C. United to clinch their spot in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

5. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 4)

FC Cincinnati saw their four-game win streak come to an end against the Columbus Crew on Saturday night, dropping their first Hell is Real derby at home since moving to TQL Stadium.

Evander continued his brilliance with a goal, four shots and four successful dribbles. Still, the others around him failed to keep up with the run-and-gun game of Columbus, eventually allowing the Crew to erase the 2–0 lead Cincinnati had built in the first five minutes.

Head coach Pat Noonan’s group won’t have much time to dwell on the result, though, with a critical matchup against Inter Miami on Wednesday.

4. Inter Miami CF (Previous: 6)

Lionel Messi scored his 10th goal in five games against Nashville SC. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

What can be said about Lionel Messi at this point? For the fifth straight game, the 38-year-old bagged a brace and helped Inter Miami to a 2-1 win over Nashville SC. It’s their fifth victory in a row and brings them to first place in the Eastern Conference on points-per-game.

The win also brought Messi to 16 goals on the season and into a tie with Nashville’s Sam Surridge, and puts him within potential striking distance of the all-time MLS single-season goal-scoring record.

Outside of Messi, the midfield duo of Sergio Busquets and Benjamin Cremaschi had a strong outing, but that likely won’t be something to build on, considering the reports that the club is close to adding Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul from Atlético Madrid this summer.

3. Minnesota United (Previous: 2)

Tani Oluwaseyi had a goal and two assists for Minnesota United this week. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Minnesota United picked apart the San Jose Earthquakes this weekend to the tune of a 4–1 win, with Tani Oluwaseyi leading the perfect counter-pressing with a goal and two assists.

After holding slightly more possession in recent weeks, head coach Eric Ramsay’s side went back to their true identity against the Earthquakes, surrendering much of the ball and absorbing pressure, while also relying on a PSG-like press from kickoff.

It all led to yet another dominant victory for Minnesota, where they held just 36 percent possession, but still posted 12 shots and four goals. It might not be the calmest playstyle, but the Loons sure are fun.

2. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 3)

Indiana Vassilev scored for the Philadelphia Union against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Union didn’t get a chance to take on the New York Red Bulls midweek in U.S. Open Cup action due to heavy rains, but put together a demanding performance in a 2–0 win in their MLS contest on Saturday.

Quinn Sullivan returned from USMNT duty and looked stellar in linkups down the left wing with fullback Kai Wagner throughout the match. At the same time, striker Tai Baribo also continued to resettle himself into the starting lineup after a significant absence.

Returning to the win column after two games, the Union also retook the top spot in the Eastern Conference, while also setting the platform to pick up another valuable three points against last-place CF Montréal on Wednesday.

1. San Diego FC (Previous: 1)

Anders Dreyer scored twice as San Diego FC beat the Chicago Fire 2-1. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

San Diego FC got back to their winning ways this weekend with a 2–1 win over the Chicago Fire, with Anders Dreyer scoring both goals in the win. The brace also made him the third player in MLS history to score 10 goals and 15 assists in a debut season, while the 26 goal contributions tied for the fifth by a player in his club’s first 22 games of a season in league history.

Yet, unlike other star players, Dreyer is just one piece of the successful puzzle that is San Diego FC. Head coach Mikey Varas has built a strong and consistent defense which was held down  by center backs Chris McVey and Paddy McNair this weekend, while midfielders Chucky Lozano and Anibal Godoy also continued to play significant roles.

At this point of the season, it’s not a question of whether San Diego FC are the real deal, but rather how much of a favorite they should be to come out of the Western Conference.

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