Charlotte FC won at home, San Diego FC beat a preseason favorite and Atlanta United struggled in the second half. It was truly a week unlike any other.
As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com and are not the sole fault of the author. Yes, it bears repeating.
By their lofty standards, Inter Miami had a disappointing week.
They couldn’t find a winner against last-place Toronto in a 1-1 draw on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire. MLS happens.
What’s concerning is they’re down 1-0 to LAFC in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals after stumbling midweek. They expect to win the biggest trophies. Can they find a way through in Leg 2 on Wednesday night?
Previous: 1-1 draw vs. TOR | Next: 4/13 at CHI
Vancouver lead the Supporters' Shield standings after seven games, and they’re doing it while navigating a CCC run. They played Pumas to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday and will have to put up a heckuva performance Wednesday night in Mexico City to win the quarterfinal. But, hey, if they did it to Monterrey…
Previous: 2-0 win vs. COL | Next: 4/12 vs. ATX
Yeah, Columbus could still use a Cucho Hernández replacement. But that hasn’t stopped them from still being one of the best teams in the league.
They’re leading the Eastern Conference and remain undefeated after a 2-1 win over CF Montréal. AZ Jackson and Jacen Russell-Rowe both got on the board in this one.
Previous: 2-1 win vs. MTL | Next: 4/13 at STL
Uhhh holy hell, San Diego.
They didn’t just beat Seattle. They pummeled the Sounders in a 3-0 win that featured three first-half goals, including Chucky Lozano’s first in MLS.
They play the best soccer of any expansion side in a while, and it’s time to start considering just how high their ceiling might be in year one. Is it really far-fetched to think SDFC could hoist a trophy by the end of the season? They’ve already taken down all four of last year’s top-four finishers in the West.
Previous: 3-0 win vs. SEA | Next: 4/12 at COL
Philadelphia entered and left the weekend as one of the highest-scoring teams in MLS. But somehow, neither the Union nor Orlando scored against each other in a 0-0 draw. (To be fair, Philly were in total control and deserved three points based on basically every relevant statistic.)
Previous: 0-0 draw vs. ORL | Next: 4/12 at NYC
The Loons want absolutely nothing to do with the ball – they’re averaging 34.0% possession per game – and yet, per FBref, they’re second in the league in xG created. That’s led them to 14 points through seven games and a spot right near the top of the West.
Maybe the most encouraging part of their impressive start is that Tani Oluwaseyi and Kelvin Yeboah have combined for nine goals. Finding a way to get both guys on the field and operating at a high level is a great sign for the future.
Previous: 2-1 win at NYC | Next: 4/12 at TOR
Charlotte were second-best for a lot of their 2-1 win over Nashville, yet found a way to turn a 1-0 deficit into three points after Nashville center back Walker Zimmerman exited the game with a head injury. The Crown have been far from perfect this year, but they keep finding ways to get results. Thirteen points in seven games is a great early return.
Previous: 2-1 win vs. NSH | next: 4/12 at MTL
Cincy were in total control against the Revs despite missing a ton of starters. They pulled out a well-earned, expected 1-0 win. Most importantly, they’ll be happy to get a clean sheet after a below-par start to the year defensively.
Previous: 1-0 win vs. NE | Next: 4/12 at DC
Orlando entered the weekend and left the weekend as the highest-scoring team in MLS. Somehow, neither the Lions nor Philadelphia scored against each other, resulting in a 0-0 draw.
Previous: 0-0 draw at PHI | Next: 4/12 vs. RBNY
Make it four games unbeaten for Austin, who are fourth in the West on 13 points after seven games.
It's mostly the same early in the Nico Estévez era: Brad Stuver remains elite in goal, and we're still waiting for the attack to find another gear.
Previous: 0-0 draw vs. POR | Next: 4/12 at VAN
LAFC will trade all the 1-0 weekend losses to Houston in the world for the result they got against Miami in CCC play. They earned a 1-0 win in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup with the Herons. Now, they’ll head to Fort Lauderdale with a real chance at eliminating Columbus and Inter Miami back to back.
Previous: 1-0 loss at HOU | Next: 4/12 vs. SJ
They were playing pretty soccer and holding tight to a 1-0 lead in Charlotte before a scary head injury sent Walker Zimmerman to the hospital. (Thankfully, he’s okay.) Things understandably unraveled from there. Charlotte scored twice after Zimmerman left in the 78th minute and Nashville missed out on a big road win. That’s a frustrating pair of back-to-back late losses for the Boys In Gold. There are still plenty of encouraging signs, though.
Previous: 2-1 loss at CLT | Next: 4/12 vs. RSL
Jonathan Bamba gave Chicago an early lead on New York, but it didn’t last long in a frustrating 2-1 loss at the Red Bulls. Even with the loss, it’s clear so much is better for Chicago this year. They played well enough to deserve more than nothing in this one.
Previous: 2-1 loss at RBNY | Next: 4/13 vs. MIA
It didn’t start well, but the Red Bulls closed out the first half with style and flipped a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 lead. They held onto that the rest of the way in a win over Chicago. As Backheeled’s Joe Lowery pointed out, Energy Drink Soccer played a big role in the win.
Previous: 2-1 win vs. CHI | Next: 4/12 at ORL
The Timbers' attack couldn’t overcome the sleepytime tea effects of Austin’s defense in a 0-0 draw. There were minimal chances to get on the board, but the draw has them fifth in the West on 11 points despite a stop-and-go start to the season.
Previous: 0-0 draw at ATX | Next: 4/13 at SKC
The Rapids have been as up and down as any team in MLS this year. They were very down last weekend against the Whitecaps in a 2-0 loss that never felt close. Which version will they become?
Previous: 2-0 loss at VAN | Next: 4/12 vs. SD
Dallas weren’t at their sharpest, but did enough to earn a solid road point at Atlanta. Lucho Acosta combined with Petar Musa to give Dallas their lone goal in a 1-1 draw. That duo is as good as almost any pair in the league.
Previous: 1-1 draw at ATL | Next: 4/12 vs. SEA
Josef Martínez earned his first hat trick in six years and 259 days as the Quakes turboclobbered D.C. United in a 6-1 win. He’s got seven career hat tricks now, the most of any MLS player, and San Jose have 15 goals on the year, the most of any team in the West. They’re already halfway to their 2024 win total.
Previous: 6-1 win vs. DC | Next: 4/12 at LAFC
The argument for Seattle as a preseason favorite in the West centered around adding effective attacking pieces to a high-floor team. Well, so far, the attack is hampered by injuries and the defense is sputtering. This isn't how anybody thought it would go.
Previous: 3-0 loss at SD | Next: 4/12 at DAL
The second-half performances… yeah. Atlanta were in total control in the first half, couldn’t capitalize on turning the game state in their favor, then stumbled out of the break in a 1-1 draw with Dallas. They were the better side by almost every measure, but still haven’t put together a complete 90 minutes this year.
Previous: 1-1 draw vs. DAL | Next: 4/12 vs. NE
Diego Luna stole the show with a first-half brace, leading RSL to a 2-0 win over the Galaxy. He’s at five goal contributions through six starts this year. The 21-year-old is a star. They’ve got to cherish him while they can in Salt Lake.
Previous: 2-0 win vs. LA | Next: 4/12 at NSH
New York City FC went down a goal two minutes into their matchup with Minnesota and that was that. They were chasing the rest of the way. That’s three games without a win.
Previous: 2-1 loss vs. MIN | Next: 4/12 vs. PHI
Losing to a rival that just mutually parted ways with their longtime head coach, and getting shut out for the third consecutive game and fifth time this season… isn't great.
They'll look to turn things around this weekend when hosting Columbus for Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.
Previous: 2-0 loss at SKC | Next: 4/13 vs. CLB
Houston didn’t generate a ton of chances, but they limited LAFC’s and found a breakthrough via Jack McGlynn’s goal from distance. A 1-0 win over a CCC-rotated LAFC side isn’t the most exciting result of the year, but McGlynn’s performance as a No. 10 is certainly one to keep an eye on going forward.
Previous: 1-0 win vs. LAFC | Next: 4/12 at LA
That’s a really, really good point for Toronto in Miami. Federico Bernardeschi looked excellent in the draw, and Lorenzo Insigne seemed fully bought in. TFC are still looking for their first win, though.
Previous: 1-1 draw at MIA | Next: 4/12 vs. MIN
It took nearly 200 days and the end of an era, but Sporting KC finally picked up their first win in months with a 2-0 victory over St. Louis.
Dejan Joveljić got a brace, and the new-coach bump was in full effect during Kerry Zavagnin's first game in charge.
Previous: 2-0 win vs. STL | Next: 4/13 vs. POR
The Galaxy are the only team in the West still looking for their first MLS win this season.
But, as always, you’d much rather deal with adversity while defending a title than have no title at all.
Previous: 2-0 loss at RSL | Next: 4/12 vs. HOU
The Revs have scored a league-low three goals (granted, they’ve played one game fewer than most teams).
The good news is Tomás Chancalay and Leo Campana are expected back from injury soon.
Previous: 1-0 loss at CIN | Next: 4/12 at ATL
Christian Benteke scored. Everything else went horribly wrong.
Previous: 6-1 loss at SJ | Next: 4/12 vs. CIN
The road trip is officially over. Montréal can finally go back home after seven away games to start the season. Now they can begin the long process of digging themselves out of last place in the East.
Previous: 2-1 loss at CLB | Next: 4/12 vs. CLT
