Power Rankings, 1-30 | Matchday 28
Everybody looks kind of tired except for the gang at the top.
I’m back from Spain! Asturias1 was awesome, even if I’m not a huge fan of the ridiculous way they drink their cider. I am, however, a fan of everything else about their cuisine (save for their aversion to any sort of green vegetable), and their weather, and their public art, and their beaches, and I really could go on.2
I am now officially back on the Duolingo grind. I’ve always been embarrassed about being a monoglot, but not really embarrassed enough to do something about it. It’s beyond time.
Anyway, here’s my Sunday column from a weekend in which the lead group came back to the pack a little bit:
• Son Heung-Min's debut, Austin FC's next step & more from Matchday 28
I spent a lot of mornings in Spain hungover and watching Leagues Cup highlights, reading breakdowns and looking at boxscores. So yeah, performance in that tournament informs my MLSsoccer.com Power Rankings vote.
Which mean’s we’ve got a new No. 1:
Seattle Sounders: Unbeaten in 10 since the Club World Cup, and that 7-0 over Cruz Azul… Jesus Christ. Their depth is now being tested, perhaps beyond the breaking point – it wouldn’t shock me if they were only here a week. But they’ve earned this week in this spot.
Philadelphia Union: Of course, Philly would’ve climbed to No. 1 if they’d simply held on at home against TFC. Huge game in the USOC quarters coming up midweek, by the way. Can’t take their foot off the gas in that one.
Inter Miami: I’m inclined to give them a mulligan – no Messi, strong Leagues Cup, and a lot of miles on everyone’s legs – but they were thumped so thoroughly I had to drop them a couple of spots.
San Diego: Not a great performance in any way. Getting a 2-0 on the road anyway is the mark of a very good team.
FC Cincinnati: 3W-3L-2D in their last eight across all comps. Injuries are obviously taking a toll.
Columbus Crew: An unexpected bye week.
Orlando City: Adrián Marín should help. Tyrese Spicer looked awesome in his debut. Martin Ojeda is an MVP candidate. But it’s clear at this point that Orlando’s ceiling is defined by whether or not Luis Muriel’s up for it.3
Nashville SC: Three losses in their past five and the remaining schedule is VERY tough. Need some good health luck, and I am begging for one of the wide midfielders to be goal dangerous.
LAFC: Good debut from Son. Arguably just as important will be the performance of new CB Ryan Porteous, who was very quietly added early last week.
Minnesota United: Just one win in four, and a very tough schedule coming up. What happens if teams have figured out how to defend those long throws?
Unión Popular de Charlotte: Five straight league wins mostly cancels out the fact that they got absolutely pumped by… FC Juárez? Seriously? How did that happen?
Vancouver Whitecaps: Been a .500 team for two months. Let’s see if Thomas Müller can change that.4
Chicago Fire: I’m just really surprised there hasn’t been a move for a big DP. The Fire are good but not great, and every time they face an elite team, they show they’re a piece or two away.
NYCFC: Can’t wait til their new stadium opens.
Austin FC: We’ve reached the “You’re keeping your spot in the Power Rankings by default” portion of the list. Austin’s probably fine even after dropping home points this week, but things get super dicey super fast if they do the same next weekend when they host Dallas.
Portland Timbers: “Tonight’s match marked Portland’s fifth game in a 16-day period and eighth in the last month, including three Leagues Cup 2025 matches. The Timbers went 3-3-2 in that span, outscoring opponents 9-7. Four of Portland’s last eight matches have been on the road, including this week’s two-game road trip. The Timbers will play just three matches over the next month, hosting FC Cincinnati at Providence Park on August 16, while traveling for road matches against San Diego FC (Aug. 23) and Minnesota United FC (Aug. 30).”
That was from the postgame press release. Think ownership’s unhappy about the schedule?Real Salt Lake: Really feel like they deserved a point from that one! But also, they did not play well – at all – for the final hour of the game. Let’s see if they can channel what’s sure to be some burning hot rage constructively against a brutal upcoming schedule.
RBNY: Season-defining few weeks coming up, starting with the USOC quarters at Philly midweek. And fwiw, I think they’ve got the toughest remaining schedule in the league.
San Jose Earthquakes: Needed that win incredibly badly and were, frankly, a little lucky to get it.5 Remaining schedule is mostly a blender.
Colorado Rapids: Nice win. Bigger picture: You don’t sell Djordje if you don’t have another move for a creator lined up, right?
Houston Dynamo: Haven’t won a game in more than a month. Only two wins since the end of May. Things have gotten worse, not better, and honestly, 21 might be too high – even with the good result this weekend.
FC Dallas: Decent little stretch with just one loss in their past four. But they’re on the road for three of the next four, in what is clearly the make-or-break part of the schedule.
LA Galaxy: Crushed on Sunday, obviously, but that doesn’t totally overshadow their excellent Leagues Cup showing, and the fact that they’re 5W-3L-4D – basically a playoff team – over the past 2.5 months.6
Toronto FC: MORE MINUTES FOR DEANDRE KERR AND MALIK HENRY!!!
Montreal Impact: I’ll put my hand up and admit I did not see it, at all, with Prince Owusu. He’s been legit good in virtually every phase of play.
Atlanta United: So… Emmanuel Latte Lath’s a miss, too?
St. Louis City: That was fun. They’re a significantly better team with Eduard Löwen back, and I share Joe’s affection for Fallou Fall.
New England Revolution: Nice to break that nine-game winless skid, but seven of their final nine outings are against playoff teams. They’re cooked.
Sporting KC: The switch to the double pivot was smart, and long overdue.
D.C. United: I find thinking about this team to be demoralizing. And then I look at their cap sheet (join the Soccerwise Patreon for access to that) and it actually gets worse.
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We stayed with friends in Gijon, but I was actually a little more taken with Oviedo. Related: Oviedo’s kind of a lefty club, while Sporting Gijon are, according to the locals, a little bit righty – or at the very least have a high tolerance for righty bullshit. ↩
Truly sorry for the sophomore in college, “I just did a semester in Barcelona and it changed my life” energy. ↩
Even with his insane output over the past two games – 5g/1a – I simply do not trust him as a starter. Ramiro Enrique should be out there from the whistle about 80% of the time, with Muriel coming off the bench. ↩
I’m assuming he’ll slot in as a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1, which means a shape change from the 4-3-3 they’ve been playing all year.
That’s a significant shift, but if it gets the best from Müller, it’s worth it. ↩Preston Judd should be starting. ↩
I’d feel so much better about this team, both short and long-term, if Greg Vanney had any sort of developmental track record with young CBs. Maya Yoshida is just about washed, and Zanka is turbo-washed.
Where are the answers from within? Why have the Galaxy never been able to solve this? ↩
