MLS Power Rankings, 1-30 | Matchday 6

Matchday 6 is the time of year when we traditionally start to see warm seats become scalding hot. Just FYI.

In we go:

1. LAFC (-): Did what they needed to against an Orlando team that is absolutely, positively asking for it every single time out. The big test comes tonight vs. Cruz Azul.
2. Nashville SC (-): I'm giving them a mulligan – first loss in 10 earns them that much. Arguably the biggest match in club history tonight vs. las Aguilas.
3. Seattle Sounders (-): It's plug-and-play with one local product after another, which keeps the floor high. Still not clicking in attack like last year, though, which certainly seems to have lowered the ceiling.
4. San Jose Earthquakes (+3): Just faced Seattle, Vancouver and San Diego consecutively. Outplayed two of three, and won two out of three. And might have the best young player in the league in Niko Tsakiris.
5. Vancouver Whitecaps (-): They've been just a liiiiiitle bit sloppier and more vulnerable in their own box than I'd like. But still clearly one of the region's elite teams.
6. Inter Miami (-): It's got to be pretty concerning that none of their three big offseason signings – German Berterame, David Ayala and Dayne St. Clair – have lived up to their billing.
7. San Diego FC (-3): Winless in four. Have conceded multiple goals in each of their past five. Haven't posted a shutout in six. Early-season schedule congestion takes a heavy toll.
8. FC Dallas (+1): Improving and evolving, and that makes them fun.
9. NYCFC (-1): Lots of reasons to like this team. Need a few to love them, and they haven't really provided that yet this season.
10. Real Salt Lake (-): Unbeaten in five, and they've won the xG battle in each of those games. Want to see them pitch a shutout or two at some point, but even so, this team's legit.
11. Chicago Fire (+6): I remain kind of shocked that Gregg Berhalter didn't fix the defense first thing last year. He's obviously made it the priority this year, and it's worked.
12. Aris Charlotte (-): Really nice moment at the end with that Biel-to-Zaha winner. Got one more at home – against what'll likely be a heavily rotated Nashville side – before the schedule toughens up.
13. Minnesota United (-): They've rebounded from that 6-0 at Vancouver with four quality points.
14. Colorado Rapids (-3): Live by the full-blooded challenge, die by the full-blooded challenge.
15. RBNY (+3): Good and necessary bounce-back after that bloodbath in Charlotte. That midfield, when all three starters are out there, is maybe the most fun group in the league.
16. Toronto FC (+3): I was down on this team but they've strung together four straight results, and their performance this weekend was both gutsy and promising.
17. Houston Dynamo (-1): Houston traditionally is not the type of team that can survive dropping a lot of points at home. They've lost two of their four home games so far. Uh oh.
18. Austin FC (+2): "Dangerous on set pieces and counters + an elite shot-stopper in goal" can get you points. That's the formula for now, but I've seen nothing that suggests they've been able to add to it.
19. LA Galaxy (-5): They lose games the same way so, so many times. Tough to say anything else about this team at this point.
20. D.C. United (-5): Took a beating, have one win in five, head coach René Weiler is already accusing the players of quitting and CSO Erkut Sogut is emo-posting.
21. St. Louis City (+3): Really good point, and I think that Yoann Damet's done a good job tactically. But I find his personnel choices to be wildly frustrating.
22. New England Revolution (+4): Handled the Impact's man marking relatively well, and now have two wins in three. Still not suuuuuper convincing, though, even if they put up three goals.
23. Columbus Crew (+2): Just pairing Diego Rossi and Wessam Abou Ali together in a counterattacking 4-4-2 should be enough to pull this team out of the pits of hell. But 1) they're clearly not aiming for more than that right now, and 2) I don't love the body language from this team!
24. FC Cincinnati (-3): And I really, REALLY don't love the body language from this team. Nor the lack of defensive effort.
25. Atlanta United (-2): I kind of talked myself into them for a hot minute when all the DPs seemed to get on the page last month, but nah. These guys stink and a massive rebuild's coming.
26. Philadelphia Union (-4): I still don't think they're the worst team in the league, but they look determined to make me eat my words.
27. Portland Timbers (-): I know the score was tight and obviously it took some late dramatics, but that was not a close game. They were out there simply trying to endure.
28. Sporting KC (-): By the underlying numbers, they're actually the league's worst team. Again.
29. Montréal Impact (+1): Don't think of this as Montréal climbing...
30. Orlando City (-1): Think of it as Orlando dropping. Because that was as feeble a performance as we've seen all year from anyone, and we've already had some legendarily feeble performances. The Cats are on track to concede something like 140 goals this season, and honest to god they might do it.

We did our usual rundown on Monday's Soccerwise, with a little extra time (heh) spent on the new stadium (heh) in Miami: