MLS Power Rankings: Inter Miami rise in Lionel Messi's return, San Diego FC remain resilient, Charlotte FC and LAFC make push

Prior Ranking: 30

Result: Drew CF MTL 1-1

Ramifications: Eleven games without a win, and bottom of the East. There's nothing else to say, really. It continues to be mediocre at best in the nation's capital. 

Prior Ranking: 29

Results: Lost to Inter Miami 3-1

Ramifications: They played a relatively good game, to be honest. Then Messi showed up, and well, yeah. All focus should be on the Leagues Cup quarterfinals this week, anyways. That's all they have left to fight for. 

Prior Ranking: 28

Result: Lost to Chicago 3-2

Ramifications: Conceded two unanswered to end the match, which is a fair summary of how things have gone lately. Nowhere near good enough, and their postseason hopes all went up in smoke with the result. 

Prior Ranking: 27

Result: Lost to Colorado 3-1

Ramifications: ManagerRonny Deila has to be in hot water here. Sitting in 13th place in the East, and just two points clear of the bottom of the table in the conference. For the sheer amount of money spent by the club, 2025, by all accounts, has been disastrous. 

Prior Ranking: 26

Results: Drew D.C. 1-1

Ramifications: Probably should have taken three points here. They conceded first, but were the better team throughout. Now, reports have surfaced that they're set to lose midfielder Caden Clark to D.C. before the end of the transfer window - which, isn't the end of the world, but will impact their squad building heading into 2026. 

Prior Ranking: 24

Result: Lost 3-1 to Orlando

Ramifications: A cheeky three-hour weather delay saw this match played far later than expected, and Sporting's roster forgot to come out of the locker room before it was too late once action actually kicked off. A small silver lining, perhaps, is that Dejan Joveljic is now up to 14 goals on the season - he's offered a fantastic return this season. 

Prior Ranking: 25

Result: Lost to LAFC 2-0

Ramifications: USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner made four saves, but it wasn't enough. The Revs are 11 points out of a postseason spot - their hopes are dwindling fast, and likely manager Caleb Porter's job safety, too.

Prior Ranking: 23

Result: Drew Columbus 1-1

Ramifications: All in all, a good result... if it were May. They're outside the playoff window, as they've been all season, and that won't change unless they start winning games. Jules-Anthony Vilsaint's 77th-minute equalizer was nothing but a consolation. 

Prior Ranking: 22

Result: Drew Vancouver 1-1

Ramifications: Salvaged a crucial, crucial point here. They're three points out of a play-in match, and stayed in contention with the draw here. A 91st-minute equalizer from Artur, his first of the year, helped them to the draw. Small moments like these can propel you into the end of the season. 

Prior Ranking: 21

Result: Drew Austin FC 1-1

Ramifications: Shaq Moore scored for Dallas, but that's about all there is to say. They were out-possessed and out-shot, and the team was fortunate to get a point. This was not a good performance. 

Prior Ranking: 20

Result: Drew FCD 1-1

Ramifications: Conceded first, but responded well in a match where they deserved more than a point. With Brandon Vazquez out for the year, though, the attacking production just isn't there. As it stands, Austin is just clinching a playoff spot. 

Prior Ranking: 19

Result: Lost to Charlotte 1-0

Ramifications: RSL, once again, were on the wrong side of a questionable decision in MLS action. CLT defender Tim Ream committed a handling offense just five minutes into the match, but after review, they weren't given a penalty kick. They'll also be without both Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna next weekend due to yellow card accumulation suspensions.

Nothing is going right at the moment. 

Prior Ranking: 13

Result: Lost to FCC 3-2

Ramifications: A Kevin Kelsy brace wasn't enough for them to secure a result against the Supporters' Shield leaders. They conceded all three goals in the first 36 minutes, which isn't acceptable by any means. It has to sting seeing former star Evander score the winner as well. 

Tough result overall. 

Prior Ranking: 18

Result: Defeated Philly 1-0

Ramifications: Big, big win at home in front of their fans. Their first victory over the club since 2019 propelled them into a postseason spot, too. They sit ninth, and are in the fight for a playoff berth - whether that be in the play-in Wildcard match or a Round 1 best-of-three series spot. 

Prior Ranking: 17

Result: Defeated Nashville 2-1

Ramifications: Huge result for the Pigeons. Alonso Martinez's late winner saw them take all three points, moving them up to eighth in the East. They're now just six points out of a home playoff match, which has suddenly emerged as a potential goal for the club. 

Prior Ranking: 16

Result: Lost to San Diego 2-1

Ramifications: ManagerBruce Arena should be livid over this one. They outshot San Diego 16 to five and were the better team all throughout the match. However, they conceded twice within a three-minute span in the final 10 minutes to drop all three points. 

Opportunity wasted as they drop to ninth.

Prior Ranking: 15

Result: Defeated Atlanta 3-1

Ramifications: Darren Yapi found the back of the net once again, and Colorado doesn't look to be missing Djordje Mihailovic too much... yet. The win has them up to seventh, and they're now just five points out of a potential postseason home match. 

Meanwhile, a brace from Rafael Navarro has them feeling confident heading into the final stretch of the campaign. 

Prior Ranking: 14

Result: Defeated CITY 3-2

Ramifications: Great resilient performance. Down two goals, they stormed back, and U.S. international Brian Gutierrez scored the late winner to cap off the result. They're now undefeated in five straight matches.

Prior Ranking: 8

Result: Lost to CITY 3-1

Ramifications: Two bad losses in back-to-back weeks, to CITY and NYCFC, have Nashville re-thinking a lot at the moment. A weather delay interrupted their momentum after an early Jacob Shaffelburg goal, but there's no real excuse here. Still third in the East, but they're now level on points with fourth-place Orlando, and just two clear of sixth-place Columbus. 

They've got Orlando next weekend, too, so things won't get easier. 

Prior Ranking: 9

Result: Drew TFC 1-1

Ramifications: The Crew have won just one of their last four in regular-season play, and were eliminated in Phase One of the Leagues Cup despite being reigning champions in the competition. They're hitting a skid at the moment, and they need to recover fast. 

They were in control against TFC, but conceded a late equalizer - a result that stings. Big tests lie ahead in the coming weeks.

Prior Ranking: 10

Result: Defeated RSL 1-0

Ramifications: Idan Toklomati scored the lone goal in the contest and propelled them to all three points with it. The match itself didn't come without controversy, though. Ream was lucky not to concede a penalty kick early in the match, and somehow, Wilfried Zaha wasn't sent off for his offense, which is pretty clearly violent conduct. 

Three points are three points, but they got lucky here with some questionable refereeing decisions. 

Prior Ranking: 12

Result: Drew Chicago 2-2

Ramifications: Son Heung-Min registered his first assist for the club as they defeated the Revs, and the South Korea star oozed class all match long. Their stock is rising by the minute with his addition.

Fifth in the West, don't be surprised if this is a team in second or third by the end of the campaign.

Prior Ranking: 6

Result: Lost to MNUFC 1-0

Ramifications: Lost their first regular-season match since June 8 in Minnesota. They were arguably the better team on the day, out-shooting and out-possessing the Loons, but some top defensive performances kept them at bay.

Sitting fourth in the West, they're narrowly hanging onto a home playoff spot, with just a one-point lead over LAFC. Their run will go to the wire.

Prior Ranking: 11

Result: Defeated Seattle 1-0

Ramifications: Huge, huge result for the Loons. Midfielder Joaquin Pereyra scored the lone goal in the contest, a 73rd-minute strike, and that was the story. However, some top goalkeeping from Dayne St. Clair was what stood out. The Canada No. 1 had an impressive performance.

Minnesota sit second in the West, but trails San Diego by five points. They'll need the expansion franchise to fall a few times if they want to push for the conference crown. 

Prior Ranking: 4

Result: Drew Houston 1-1

Ramifications: Brian White bagged a goal for the third-straight match, but they fumbled all three points in stoppage time. With just one win in their last four, they've fumbled their Western Conference lead. Frustrating run of results for Jesper Sorensen across August. 

Prior Ranking: 7

Result: Defeated Sporting 3-1

Ramifications: Big result for Orlando, who are in fine goalscoring form at the moment. Forward Martin Ojeda has now scored nine goals and recorded 14 assists in his last 15 games across all competitions - with a goal contribution in every single match during that span.

He's propelling them into contention in the East. 

Prior Ranking: 5

Result: Defeated LA Galaxy 3-1

Ramifications: Well, Messi returned, and he scored and assisted across the final 10 minutes to salvage a really poor Inter Miami performance. With it, they're now in closing distance of a Supporters' Shield and Eastern Conference title run. A point on Saturday could have been detrimental to that hope. Genuinely, one of their most important results of the season.

All eyes now remain on the Argentine star's health as he might miss the team's Leagues Cup knockout match against Tigres on Wednesday. 

Prior Ranking: 2

Result: Lost to RBNY 1-0

Ramifications: After defeating RBNY midweek in the Open Cup, they fell on the weekend, losing to them in MLS action for the first time in six years. They fumbled the Supporters' Shield lead with the loss, and now need to make up for it somehow in the coming weeks. A tall task ahead looms. 

Prior Ranking: 3

Result: Defeated Portland 3-2

Ramifications: Evander's return to Portland saw him score a banger and led FCC to all three points, putting them atop the Eastern Conference and the Supporters' Shield standings. A monumental result for the club. 

Prior Ranking: 1

Result: Defeated SJ 2-1

Ramifications: Huge, huge result. Down 1-0 with 10 minutes to spare, strikes from Marcus Ingvartsen and Anders Dreyer, their Danish attacking duo, lifted them to all three points. They were on the outside of the match all evening long, but a late burst of momentum propelled them to all three points.

Top of the West, and five unbeaten in regular season play.