Our leading trio has been established for a while, but the teams that are nipping at the heels of LAFC, the Philadelphia Union and the LA Galaxy are making power moves in our Power Rankings. After spending two full months on the road to start the season, Nashville SC is beginning to reap the rewards of home cooking, while Montreal is demonstrating it is a genuine contender in the Eastern Conference.
Nashville secured its first ever win at GEODIS Park with a 2-0 victory over last season's Western Conference finalist Real Salt Lake, while Montreal welcomed Orlando City to Quebec and duly dispatched the Lions to the tune of 4-1, cementing both sides in our top 10.
After a wild weekend of soccer, Jeff and Dan look at the results, break down where all 28 teams stand and give you the MLS Power Rankings.
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1 was the previous ranking.
The next MLS match is May 14 at Colorado Rapids. The time is later.
LAFC and Philadelphia played to a 2-2 draw in a game that was barnburners. The Black and Gold came back from a goal down twice. 13 different players have scored goals for LAFC this season.
The previous ranking was 2.
The next MLS match is against the New York Red Bulls. The show is on the Disney channel.
Philadelphia still sits atop the East even after three draws in a row. Philadelphia has been so good on defense that it has been tied for the best in the conference and third-fewest in MLS, but its subpar offensive output has been a problem.
The previous ranking was 3.
The next MLS match is May 14 against FC Dallas. The show is on the Disney channel.
The victory over Austin FC on Sunday was proof that theGalaxy have a bit more iron in them than they did last season. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be thanks to Mark Delgado's early strike.
The previous ranking was 6.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Nashville gave its new home venue a proper welcome after being forced to settle for a draw in the grand opening. It was a deserved victory for NSC, who were dominant throughout, although it took Dave Romney's goal midway through the second half to break the deadlock.
C.J. Sapong scored in the final seconds of the game to give his team a 2-0 lead.
The previous ranking was 4.
The next MLS match is May 14 at Philadelphia Union. The show is on the Disney channel.
The New York Red Bulls have not lost a game in a month. Four of their five wins have come when scoring first, but they fell behind Portland and mounted a comeback over the weekend, capped off by Long's scrambler in the 67th minute. New York barely concedes (T3rd in MLS in goals allowed) and it is brutal on defense (2nd in MLS in tackles and aerial duels won), but it hasn't finished higher than sixth or made it past the first round of the MLS Cup. That streak should end here.
The previous ranking was 5.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
NYCFC have found the net in four straight league matches and have scored three or more times. They have three games in nine days between the U.S. Open Cup and MLS play. After failing to find the net in his first five MLS contests, the 2021 Golden Boot winner has five in his past three games. LAFC has created more chances than the Bronx Blues since April 17 and Sean Johnson has prevented the most goals.
The previous ranking was 8.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
This was a game Dallas should have won and did in a 2-0 victory. Jesus passed his father David on the Dallas all-time scoring list. Paul Arriola has given FCD a boost to their attack.
The previous ranking was 7.
The next MLS match is May 14 at Real Salt Lake. The show is on the Disney channel.
Austin faced its biggest test yet against the LA, and never really got going in a 0-1 defeat. The Verde is an improved team from a year ago, but still looks like it has more to prove to reach contender status.
Marky Delgado scored a goal from outside the box in the sixth minute to give LA Galaxy a lead.
The previous ranking was 12.
The next MLS match is May 14 at Charlotte FC. The show is on the Disney channel.
Half of the players' shots were on target. 15 shots, including blocks, 80% of passes completed, and at least five goals: Djordje Mihailovic. Victor Wanyama said recently that the Montreal attacking mid is on fire, and that he is probably not long for the team. Montreal is on fire, having lost to NYCFC on March 12 and then tying Philly and beating the New York Red Bulls and Atlanta in the process.
The previous ranking was 9.
The next MLS match is May 14 against Austin FC. The show is on the Disney channel.
It has been difficult to get a handle on the up-and-down nature of the club. The week before they were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup by the Northern Colorado hailstorm, they topped the LA Galaxy at a brand new park. Salt Lake has scored 10 fewer goals than any other team in the playoffs, and only two other teams have conceded more than 15 goals.
The previous ranking was 10.
The next MLS match is May 14 at Toronto FC. The show is on the Disney channel.
It was a tough weekend for the Lions. Montreal had ten shots on goal and five blocked shots, and they were thrashed by them. They are in good shape and will face off against the Union on Tuesday. They might be looking at a slide.
The previous ranking was 11.
May 15 is the next MLS match. The show is on the cable network, ESPN.
Minnesota couldn't have had a worse loss than the one it suffered to Cincinnati, as goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair kept the Loons in the match. The hope is that Luis and Robin will recover from their illnesses soon.
Brandon Vazquez scored the first goal of the game in the last second to give FC Cincinnati a win.
The previous ranking was 14.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
The good news is that the Timbers finally scored a goal after failing to find the net in their three previous games. They conceded a second-half set-piece goal against the Red Bulls that cost them three points. While injuries have played a part in Portland's early struggles, a return to MLS Cup seems very far away.
The previous ranking was 19
The next MLS match is May 15 against the New England Revolution. The show is on the cable network, ESPN.
Man with injuries. You would think a four- goal game for a club struggling to score would soothe the wounds of Five Stripes faithful who had been off for days. Atlanta scored three MLS goals in April. The story of Atlanta's fans over the weekend was Miles Robinson's injury, the third in a month for the club, including goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Dylan Castanheira. Despite all the misfortune, Atlanta still lead MLS in passing percentage and are third in chances created - largely due to the fact that they have been shorthanded.
The previous ranking was 13
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
In Houston, water seems to be its own level. Houston lost 2-0 to D.C. United, its third straight defeat, and is currently in the seventh and final playoff place in the West. The Dynamo has a poor 6.8 chances per game mark, which is the lowest in the league.
The previous ranking was 17
The next MLS match is May 14 at New York City FC. The show is on the Disney channel.
The Crew were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup in the first round by Detroit City, but have since gone perfect in league play. In the 89th minute, Columbus erased a 2-1 deficit against New England. The Crew have scored five in their past two games, and only two other teams have created more chances than Lucas Zelarayan. Columbus might be turning a corner with the help of backstop Eloy Room and his third-most MLS goals prevented.
The New England Revolution and Columbus Crew played to a 2-2 draw.
The previous ranking was 20.
The next MLS match is May 15 at Atlanta United. The show is on the cable network, ESPN.
An 89th-minute goal spoiled a 2-1 win for the Columbus Crew against Matt Turner, who returned with a clean sheet against Miami on April 30. Turner was not to blame for the man-marking errors that led to the goals. New England has conceded 18 goals after only allowing 41. It looks a rejuvenated side with Turner back in net, but it has lost half its matches despite only allowing the first goal in three games. The historic efficiency of 2021.
The previous ranking was 16.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The time is later.
The Rapids lost to San Jose by a single point and have not won since. It has been difficult to score goals during that time, although it is still early days for Gyasi Zardes in Colorado.
The previous ranking was 15.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Chicago only lost once when I wrote about it. Can I take it back? The last time the Fire took maximum points was on March 19 and they got their first goal on April 30. They were humiliated by Atlanta over the weekend and now sit last in the East. The retooled offense has been lackluster, despite the fact that they have only allowed 11 goals through 10 games. Xherdan Shaqiri and Kacper Przybylko have combined for just 10 shots on goal.
The previous ranking was 24.
The next MLS match is on May 14 at the Chicago Fire. The show is on the Disney channel.
Don't look now, but Cincy is in good shape. It beat Toronto twice, but lost to LAFC on April 24 in a game that could have gone the other way. Cincinnati, which has the two worst goals-conceding seasons of all time, hasn't allowed more than one goal in a game since April 2. Who knows if the shooting goals added in the MLS will last in Cincy.
The Charlotte FC scored a goal in the 68th minute.
The previous ranking was 21.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Charlotte has a conference-high four home wins. It won't get it done, but it has a favorable round-of-32 match up with USL One'sRichmond Kickers on Wednesday to focus on. The Eastern Conference has a nine point difference between first and last place. If Charlotte can convert more shots on goal into actual goals, things could go up and down quickly. Bank of America Stadium is where three of its next four league games will be.
The previous ranking was 18.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Toronto FC lost its first and only game of the season to Philly on April 16 and has since fallen off. Four straight losses with a new nadir were reached over the weekend, including a 0-1 loss to the worst goal differential in the league and percentage of shots on target. MLS record signing Lorenzo Insigne cannot get here quickly.
The previous ranking was 22.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Inter Miami has three league wins since April 9, but it couldn't get much worse. The good news is that Leonardo Campana can still score goals, despite the fact that he has only scored 15 league goals in 45 appearances. Inter Miami has allowed more goals than any other team in the East.
The previous ranking was 23.
May 15 is the next MLS match. The show is on the cable network, ESPN.
All hail the CCL. Manager Brian Schmetzer had little choice but to change his lineup against Dallas because of the continental triumph. The talent on this team is unquestioned. The expectation is that there will be some rest. The next weeks will show if it works out that way.
The FC Dallas player took the ball in the middle of the box and fired a shot past the keeper to give his team the lead.
The previous ranking was 24.
Inter Miami will host the next MLS match on May 14. The show is on the Disney channel.
D.C. has won two of its past three league matches and certainly looks better than it did a few weeks ago, but it is still an average team. With a tough upcoming schedule, including three games in eight days, that is unlikely to change.
The previous ranking was 27.
The next MLS match is against the San Jose Earthquakes. The show is on the Disney channel.
Did the win over Toronto have a lot of luck? You bet that the goal from TFC should have stood. The Whitecaps will not care. They got a badly needed win thanks to Tosaint Ricketts, his first in MLS since 2020.
The previous ranking was 28.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Matias Almeyda's team was unable to get more out of home matches. The Quakes defeated Colorado for the second time in a row, this time by a score of 1-0. The return of Nathan has given a big boost.
The previous ranking was 26.
May 14 is the next MLS match. The show is on the Disney channel.
Kansas City's winless streak was extended to six games, but a road point against NYCFC was a positive. The new team shape used by Peter Vermes gave SKC more defensive strength.
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