MLS Power Rankings: Vancouver remains on top; Seattle, Philadelphia soar up

The 2025 MLS season is now firmly underway, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.

Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 11 to come up with this week’s order of all 30 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.

Previous ranking: 1

Playing at an absurd 80-point pace (currently on 26 points), the Caps aren’t slowing down for anybody right now. Even with Jesper Sørensen swapping five starters following Wednesday’s win over Miami that booked the Canadian side a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup final, Vancouver took down RSL 2-1 on Saturday.

Previous ranking: 3

Overloading the space behind Wilfried Zaha in Charlotte’s 4-4-2 block, the Crew were up to their usual possession tricks in a 4-2 win over the North Carolinian side. The players in Wilfried Nancy’s front three — Diego Rossi, Jacen Russell-Rowe and Aziel Jackson — got on the scoresheet for a Crew team that doesn’t show signs of slowing down.

Previous ranking: 2

In desperate need of getting the taste of failure out of their mouths after bowing out of the Concacaf Champions Cup, Miami put four past the Red Bulls in a 4-1 home victory. Javier Mascherano used a lineup with four pure attackers, and that choice paid off.

Previous ranking: 6

The Union are doing what good teams do: beating bad teams. A 2-1 win over Montreal on Saturday served as the team’s third-straight victory. Topping the Canadian side isn’t anything to brag about, but points are points.

Previous ranking: 10

The Sounders were, perhaps, more dominant this past weekend than they’d been at any other point over the last decade. They put up 29 shots in a 4-1 home win over St. Louis and didn’t seem to miss any of their four injured starters (Jackson Ragen, Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Morris and Paul Arriola). Seattle’s mixture of depth and top-end talent is starting to show itself in a way that should terrify the rest of MLS.

Previous ranking: 5

With ambitions to top the East, Charlotte’s battle with Columbus on Saturday was always going to serve as a measuring stick for their contender status. Losing 4-2, albeit without star playmaker Pep Biel, puts a damper on any trophy conversations in North Carolina right now.

Previous ranking: 12

Still without star center-back Walker Zimmerman — due to a head injury — Nashville travelled to face Atlanta to kick off the weekend and picked up a 1-1 draw for their efforts. The game lacked the fireworks of NSC’s huge win over Chicago the week before, but B.J. Callaghan’s team still put in a perfectly fine road performance.

Previous ranking: 4

Cincinnati had been flirting with fine margins for the entire year prior to their 1-0 road loss to NYCFC. With just one multi-goal win on the season, FCC have struggled to put teams to the sword. Their attacking play remains a work in progress.

Previous ranking: 8

It’s hard to snap a three-game losing streak more emphatically than with a 5-0 win. San Diego took down Dallas with that scoreline on Saturday, showing some of the finer points of their smooth attacking play that flows from Anders Dreyer.

Previous ranking: 11

After Brad Stuver’s between-the-legs howler got the Loons on the board, Minnesota never looked back in their 3-0 road win over Austin. Most notably, Julian Gressel debuted for Eric Ramsay’s team in the second half after signing last week.

Previous ranking: 13

LAFC’s 2-0 win over Houston was a truly dominant showing at both ends. The attack registered 2.0 xG, according to FBref, good for their third-best single-game total of the season. The defense, for its part, only allowed four shots while putting the clamps down on the Dynamo.

Previous ranking: 9

Prior to this weekend, Phil Neville’s team had scored three goals or more in three straight games. On Saturday, they allowed four in a 4-1 road loss at the hands of the Earthquakes. It’s fair to be worried about the Timbers’ defensive execution at this point in the year.

Previous ranking: 14

Despite playing up a man for more than half the game after a red card to Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady, Orlando couldn’t get on the board in Chicago. The 0-0 draw was the Lions’ fourth scoreless draw in their past five games. After starting the season red hot in the attack, Óscar Pareja’s team can’t buy a goal.

Previous ranking: 7

Despite taking a 1-0 lead just before halftime, the Rapids shipped two goals in stoppage time during the first half, eventually losing 2-1 to D.C. Chris Armas’ team simply didn’t create enough chances to pick up a result.

Previous ranking: 16

Austin didn’t allow Minnesota many clear-cut chances, but they still managed to lose 3-0 in front of their home fans. Poor goalkeeping struck, while uninspired attacking play continued from Nico Estevez’s team.

Previous ranking: 19

One of the hottest teams in MLS right now, the Revs have won five of their last six. Caleb Porter’s 3-4-1-2 setup continued to look like the perfect fit for New England’s personnel in a 2-0 win over Toronto.

Previous ranking: 17

It’s hard to imagine a more bland version of the Red Bulls than the one that’s taken the field this year. No longer a hyper-aggressive pressing outfit and lacking dynamism in the attack thanks to their two over-30 DPs, NYRB were stagnant in a 4-1 loss to Miami.

Previous ranking: 24

Maybe New York City should just play Cincinnati every weekend? Between last year’s win over Cincy in the first round of the playoffs and Sunday’s 1-0 home win, the Pigeons certainly seem to have the number of their Eastern Conference foes. Losing Keaton Parks to a first-half injury stings, though.

Previous ranking: 27

Few moves from close to the end of the league’s primary transfer window were savvier than the Earthquakes’ acquisition of DeJuan Jones. The outside back reunited with Bruce Arena and made his first start in a 4-1 win over Portland. San Jose’s right side, led by Jones and Cristian Espinoza, isn’t to be trifled with.

Previous ranking: 15

In their win over Miami last weekend, Dallas found real joy by switching to a back three in the second half. Against San Diego, Eric Quill stuck with the back three, and his team lost 5-0. It’s back to the drawing board for FCD.

Previous ranking: 22

It’s hard not to think about what could’ve been for Chicago after goalkeeper Brady was sent off for a clumsy collision with Orlando’s Duncan McGuire. The Fire had pieced together a slew of high-quality looks in the first half, but simply couldn’t sustain that pressure with 10 men in what turned into a 0-0 draw.

Previous ranking: 20

Thanks to a pair of goals in first-half stoppage time, D.C. earned a 2-1 win over the Rapids. Christian Benteke, back up top after missing a game due to injury, bagged himself another impressive headed goal along the way.

Previous ranking: 18

The sooner Houston forget their 2-0 loss to LAFC, the better. With just four shots and a late red card to Franco Escobar, there were precious few positives for a Dynamo team that’s searching for attacking answers.

Previous ranking: 21

Up against the seemingly unstoppable Whitecaps, RSL fell 2-1 with their only goal coming from a 96th-minute Diego Luna penalty. With new striker Willy Agada subbing on at halftime, the hope is that he starts next time out in a move that transforms the team in the final third.

Previous ranking: 28

Now five games without a win, Atlanta collected a point in a 1-1 home draw with Nashville SC. While they got on the scoresheet for the first time since early April, there’s tons of work to do for the Five Stripes.

Previous ranking: 23

Like Seattle, St. Louis missed a quartet of starters (Christopher Durkin, Henry Kessler, Roman Bürki and Tomas Totland) on Saturday. Unlike Seattle, Olof Mellberg’s team couldn’t find a way to threaten in the attack — and the defense wasn’t any better in a 4-1 loss.

Previous ranking: 25

It’s almost impossible to find a silver lining from Toronto’s 2-0 loss to New England. The Reds weren’t dangerous in front of goal, they were far too open in defensive transition, and they still have just one win.

Previous ranking: 26

For the first time in MLS history, a team won a game without taking a shot. That honor goes to SKC, who beat the Galaxy 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a Maya Yoshida own goal.

Previous ranking: 29

Still winless, Montreal fell 2-1 at home to Philadelphia. It’s impossible to see this team turning things around any time soon.

Previous ranking: 30

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Galaxy, they became the first team in league history to lose a game without conceding a shot in a 1-0 own goal-induced defeat to SKC. They’re still winless.