The figurative halfway point in the season is over. On Wednesday, the MLS All-Stars defeated their Liga MX counterparts on penalties. This marks the beginning of the 2021 campaign. New England suffered a surprising defeat over the weekend. However, one small stumble is not enough to displace the best team in MLS this season.
Check out our Week 17 Power Rankings to see where your team stands after the All-Star break.
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Previous ranking: 1
Next MLS match: September 3 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Five players were missing from the Revs' usual starting XI, including Gustavo Bou and Carles Gil. So it is possible to read too much into their 2-0 loss to NYCFC. Gil, who has been rehabbing in Spain and is now back in New England, suggests that he may be closer to his return. Carlisle
Previous ranking: 2
Next MLS match: Sept. 11 vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Sounders failed to complete the sweep of Seattle after the NWSL's OL Reign defeated the Portland Thorns in their first match of a doubleheader. Although the Sounders had many chances to win against the Timbers they failed to score four goals and lost a stoppage time goal. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 4
Next MLS match: September 4th at San Jose, 10:00 p.m. ET
The Rapids were able to score an early goal by Jonathan Lewis, which was enough to earn them a point against Sporting Kansas City in a match that was dictated only by the hosts. Kellyn Acosta, a midfielder for the Rapids, will not be able to travel with them to San Jose because she is on national team duty. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 5
Next MLS match: Sept. 3 at Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+
Valentin Castellanos still falls short in terms of actual goals (10.59 vs 16.59), but NYCFC's two strikes against a New England side earned it a huge 2-0 win and reduced the gap to the Eastern Conference leaders to 15 points. Maxi Moralez now has eight assists. -- Carlisle
Previous ranking: 3
Next MLS match: September 3 at LAFC 10 p.m. ET
Sporting Kansas City felt it deserved three goals, but Colorado settled for a 1-1 draw. Johnny Russell scored in the 41st minutes for SKC. They had the majority of the chances throughout, especially in the second period. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 7
Next MLS match: September 3 vs New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Even though Nashville was impressive this season, the team still had a lot to improve on: its performances away from home. NSC won 2-0 over Atlanta. Daniel Rios made the most out of his first start of this season by scoring in the first-half of stoppage time. -- Carlisle
Previous ranking: 6
Next MLS match: September 4 vs. Columbus at 7:30 p.m. ET
Orlando's attack is in a bit of a slump, with only four goals scored in five matches. Miami was held to a 0-0 draw despite Daryl Dike's return. The good news for the Lions is that their defense has not let up, conceding only three times in the same period. -- Carlisle
Previous ranking: 9
Next MLS match: September 11th at Seattle, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Minnesota beat Houston 2-1 thanks to a brace by Adrien Hunou. After only two points in their three previous matches, it was an important win by the Loons. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 8
Next MLS match: September 3 vs. New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Even though they were allowed to continue, the Union barely got what they deserved with a 3-1 defeat to D.C. United. While the Concacaf Champions League semifinals against Club America are still in sight, the second leg is up against New England. Carlisle
Previous ranking:10
Next MLS match: Sept. 10 vs. Orlando City, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN Deportes
Gonzalo Pineda was disappointed in his managerial debut. Nashville defeated Atlanta 2-0, which saw only two goals for the Five Stripes. Atlanta's highlight of the evening was Josef Martinez in Hulk Hogan's game jersey. Although it might seem like Atlanta was taking a step back, Nashville's defense has been able to do this to many teams this season. Carlisle
Previous ranking: 11
Next MLS match: Sept. 4 vs. Colorado, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Cade Cowell, a 17-year-old San Jose attacker, was prominently featured in the All-Star Game. However, the rest of the Quakes were absent this week and continue their 10-match unbeaten streak against Colorado. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 12
Next MLS match: Sept. 11 at Colorado, 3:30 p.m. ET
Dejan Joveljic scored a brace and Kevin Cabral equalized late to give the Galaxy a point in Los Angeles FC's El Trafico. The Galaxy have performed well in the absence of Javier "Chicharito," Hernandez who stated last week that he was "very close to" returning from a calf injury. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 14
Next MLS match: September 11 at New York Red Bulls at 7:00 p.m. ESPN+
Yordy's perseverance led to two goals. She won a penalty in halftime and then crashed the net to score a rebound in Philadelphia's 3-1 victory. This victory ended a three-game losing streak by the Black and Red and allowed them to hold a tenuous grip on the seventh and final East playoff spot. -- Carlisle
Previous ranking: 15
Next MLS match: September 4th at Cincinnati, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Mid-season signings are rare. But goalkeeper Nick Marsman was a surprise. He saved Tesho Akindele's penalty and saved Antonio Carlos' header late. Miami, once a postseason afterthought is now showing signs that it's still in the race for the playoffs. Carlisle
Previous ranking: 16
Next MLS match: Sept. 4, vs. Austin at 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Marc Dos Santos, the head coach of the Whitecaps, was fired after being bounced from the Canadian Championship by Pacific FC. The Whitecaps won a 4-1 victory against Real Salt Lake, extending their unbeaten streak of MLS matches to nine. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 17
Next MLS match: Sept. 11 vs. Nashville SC, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Montreal received a fifth-minute red to Toronto's Noble Okello. They took advantage of this and won 3-1. A four-game win streak has brought a season back to life after it seemed like it was about to end. Carlisle
Previous ranking: 18
Next MLS match: Sept. 4 at Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m. ET
It was a great week for Ricardo Pepi. The 18-year-old scored a winning penalty in the MLS All-Star Game. He was also called up to the United States national team for World Cup qualification. Dallas' Jesus Ferreira scored a brace, finishing just one point behind San Jose in the final playoff spot. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 20
Next MLS match: September 3 at Houston, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Portland won 2-0 against Seattle thanks to Felipe Mora's assist and goal. This win extended Portland's streak of unbeaten matches in Seattle to six matches. Sebastian Blanco also scored a goal. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 13
Next MLS match: Sept. 4 vs. FC Dallas, 8 p.m. ET
Freddy Juarez, the head coach, was unorthodoxly dismissed to become an assistant in Seattle. However, it is still odd timing considering Real Salt Lake is still in the playoff picture. The team responded with a 4-1 loss against Vancouver. Bonagura
Previous ranking:22
Next MLS match: September 11th at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
With Robert Beric's goal, the Fire won a 1-0 victory over the Red Bulls. The Eastern Conference standings saw Chicago surpass New York, but the Fire remain seven points away from the final playoff spot. -- Carlisle
Previous ranking: 23
Next MLS match: Sept. 4 at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
After losing six consecutive games, it won't matter a lot to the Crew that Cincinnati needed some poor goalkeeping. Substitute Miguel Berry was at the right moment to score two late goals. And, by the way, Lucas Zelarayan is still a master of free kicks. Carlisle
Previous ranking: 21
Next MLS match: Sept. 3 vs. Kansas City, 10 p.m. ET
Brian Rodriguez, a Uruguayan international, put in his best performance as an LAFC player but his two goals -- one of the best in MLS this season -- were lost in a 3-3 draw against the Galaxy. LAFC continues to be plagued by late conceded goals. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 19
Next MLS match: September 11 vs. D.C. United at 7 p.m. ET; ESPN+
The Red Bulls fell further in the Eastern Conference standings after a third loss to the Fire. New York now has nine one-goal losses on the season, while only Toronto and Cincinnati are lower in the Eastern Conference standings. --Carlisle
Previous ranking: 24
Next MLS match: Sept. 4 at Vancouver, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
What's that for a performance out of character? Austin FC had never allowed more than two goals per game in any of its previous seasons, prior to Sunday's match against FC Dallas. The 5-3 loss, which was at one time 5-1, was not surprising. Austin is becoming more dangerous in front of the goal, with Alex Ring, Diego Fagundez, and Julio Cascante all scoring for Austin. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 25
Next MLS match: September 4, 8, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Houston's 15-match winless streak, which is a team record, is the longest in MLS. It follows a 16-match streak that Philadelphia had between 2016 and 2017. The Dynamo have a terrible record in the Western Conference, and their fans seem to be mostly satisfied with the season. Bonagura
Previous ranking: 26
Next MLS match: Sept. 4, vs. Inter Miami at 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Manager Jaap STAM will examine the inclusion of Kenneth Vermeer as goalkeeper. Vermeer had a string of rebounds and Columbus converted two into goals, resulting in FCC's defeat by 3-2 in the Hell is Real Derby. Cincinnati is currently without a win for 11 games. -- Carlisle
Previous ranking: 27
Next MLS match: Sept. 11 vs. Cincinnati, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The disastrous season in Toronto continued. Toronto lost 3-1 to Montreal after Noble Okello was sent off in less than five minutes. It's time to accelerate the managerial search. Carlisle
