MLS Power Rankings, 1-30 | Matchday 20

We're well and truly into the clausura now, as most teams are on 19 or 20 games played. The stretch run is dead ahead.

I wish, in the midst of all this, the regular-season didn't feel like it was being treated as an afterthought. Marquee games are rarely given the type of build-up and spotlight you get from other leagues (soccer or otherwise), and so the whole thing starts to feel like kind of a blur.

Anyway, enough musing. In we go:

1. Nashville SC (+1): A much-needed statement win following a pretty tepid start to the clausura. They're in full control of the Supporters' Shield race now, which – given how they treated the Leagues Cup (can't blame 'em) – was clearly their priority. And it feels like the single-season points record is within reach.
2. Inter Miami (-1): Yeah they probably need to do something at goalkeeper. A Dayne St. Clair trade to clear out cap space and maybe get some GAM makes a lot of sense, especially after the Herons just traded for an international roster slot.
3. Vancouver Whitecaps (-): That was fairly convincing. Five of the next six are at home so they've got a chance to drop the hammer on the rest of the West, and maybe even reel in Nashville.
4. LAFC (-): First loss in nine, so technically it's been a good stretch (and hey, they're still 4th in the Power Rankings). But this team's become more one-dimensional as the season's gone on, not less.
5. St. Louis City (-): They play beautiful, intricate soccer. They also play hard, physical, fully committed soccer, and that's a great combo. Yoann Damet's the current front-runner for Coach of the Year on my ballot.
6. Chicago Fire (-): Five straight wins across all comps for the first time in a quarter century. And maybe the most significant remaining question for this transfer window, in terms of trophy equity, is what they're gonna do with that open DP slot. If they get it right I think they're the 4th-best team in the league.
7. Houston Dynamo (+2): Handled the soft part of their schedule with professional ruthlessness, which is what good teams are supposed to do. The real test comes now.
8. Real Salt Lake (+2): The league form is obviously frustrating but they amply demonstrated their POWER with an impressive Leagues Cup group stage.
9. New England Revolution (-2): They're actually playing better ball now than they were earlier, but 1) sometimes ball not go in, and 2) Matt Turner's stopped being superhuman for a bit.
10. Columbus Crew (-2): The Crew could be on a 30-game winning streak playing the best ball anybody's seen since 2015 Barca and they'd still lose at Charlotte. Still, I've been super impressed with them since the coaching change.
11. FC Cincinnati (-): Perfectly fine group stage, perfectly fine road point against a conference rival. And it feels like they've started to right the ship a bit, defensively, over the past month. And yes, I'm keeping an eye on the Kévin Denkey transfer news.
12. FC Dallas (-): They're a pretty good team with a match-winner up top, and sometimes that's enough. But it is disappointing they're not more than that.
13. BCG Charlotte (+2): We know the ceiling, with the way they play, isn't high enough for them to win trophies. But they're always a tough out.
14. Philadelphia Union (+3): I'm obviously buying the improvement. Getting Kai Wagner back, unleashing Cavan Sullivan, rebuilding the central defense and putting Milan Iloski where he belongs, back up top... it all works.
15. Portland Timbers (-1): No shame in losses at Club América and Chicago. The doomers in the fanbase need to chill.
16. San Diego FC (+4): Very good win at LAFC. Sad that a very stupid red card was part of it. I still think this team needs to make a big move – they have the GAM and the premium roster space available – if they're really going to compete for a trophy.
17. NYCFC (-1): Man that's a tough one this weekend, especially since it came down to intensity rather than tactics. And now they've suddenly lost three straight across all competitions.
18. Colorado Rapids (+5): Three wins in four to start the clausura, with the only loss at red-hot St. Louis. They can create a little bit of separation from the playoff chasers in the West with a home win over the Galaxy over LAFC on Wednesday.
19. RBNY (-1): Up-and-down, as expected of a young team. I do think it'll be worth taking these lumps in the long run – Adri Mehmeti has to improve defensively, and he won't get there if he doesn't get reps – but man it's got to be frustrating for the fans.
20. Orlando City (+1): Done a nice job of pulling themselves back from the edge, but they're still outside of the playoff race. Got three of the next four at home, and a chance to pull themselves above the line for the first time all year.
21. Seattle Sounders (-2): Way too complacent about the roster, and way too many veterans are underperforming.
22. San Jose Earthquakes (-8): Make it one win in 10, as the bottom's truly dropped out. And man, the body language was bad. That's not typical from a Bruce team.
23. D.C. United (-1): Still grinding out results with only one loss in their past eight. Only one win in that span as well, though, and the schedule's about to get much tougher.
24. Austin FC (+4): Job extremely well done getting into the Leagues Cup knockout rounds.
25. Minnesota United (-1): A good road point, but still just one win in their past 11 across all competitions. They are teetering on that playoff line now.
26. Toronto FC (-): A bad performance overall, but sometimes ball go in. That was finally the case for the Reds, who broke their 13-game winless skid.
27. LA Galaxy (-2): Now winless in six and down to 13th in the West.
28. Montréal Impact (-1): Played well, and should've had all three points. Didn't. So it goes.
29. Atlanta United (-): They were dogwater for 70 minutes so I'm not going to read too much into the result, and I'm not particularly convinced that Breel Embolo is going to fix things. EDIT: And... it's gone.
30. Sporting KC (-): Still on track to be the worst team in MLS history by goal differential, expected goal differential, and all the other underlying numbers.

Our usual weekend recap from the Monday morning Soccerwise, in which Gass makes a bizarre assertion about the number of teams who are true, inner-circle contenders.

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