MLS Power Rankings: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami steamroll and LA Galaxy finally win, top Real Salt Lake to snap season-long streak

Prior Ranking: 28

Results: Lost to Inter Miami 4-2, lost to New England 3-0

Ramifications: Poor performances for Montreal in back-to-back matches, with seven goals conceded. They had a few bright moments against Miami midweek, but were ultimately outclassed by the superstar duo of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

Then, against New England, they were doomed by a controversial red card to DP forward Giacomo Vrioni 36 minutes into the match. Scoreless at the halftime break following his removal, they conceded three goals in the final 45 minutes down a man, and couldn't rebound.

Prior Ranking: 29

Result: Bye, defeated San Jose 2-1

Ramifications: That first game following your head coach's dismissal is always crucial. Following Olof Mellberg's sacking, CITY had a tall task, and they finally showed for the first time in nearly two months. By defeating the Earthquakes, they snapped an 11-game winless streak. A 92nd-minute penalty kick from Joao Klauss sealed the result, with their resilience paying off late.

Prior Ranking: 30

Results: Lost 1-0 to San Jose, defeated Real Salt Lake 2-0

Ramifications: Ignore the SJ game. What matters here is that LA earned three points for the first time this season. They've had a ridiculously tough start to 2025, but this needs to be celebrated. They played a great game against a Western Conference rival. Perhaps this will kickstart their campaign following a dreadful start.

Prior Ranking: 26

Result: Lost to Philadelphia 2-1, lost to Charlotte 2-0

Ramifications: Bleh. Just an ugly two-game stretch. They had a chance at a point against Philly, but conceded a stoppage-time winner in relatively ugly fashion. It's just not been good enough of late from TFC. Three losses in a row in which they've conceded two goals.

Prior Ranking: 23

Result: Drew FC Cincinnati 3-3, drew Philadelphia 0-0

Ramifications: A fine week, but two points is not good enough. Against FCC, Lucho Acosta was booed by fans upon his return to TQL Stadium, while FCD got a 92nd-minute equalizer from Sebastien Ibeagha. Then, against Philly, FCD just couldn't generate anything in the final-third, but their defense did hang on strong, securing the result.

Prior Ranking: 25

Result: Defeated Orlando 3-2, lost to RBNY 2-0

Ramifications: What a performance against Orlando. A 95th-minute winner from Jamal Thiare brought them all three points, with the Five Stripes securing victory against their Eastern Conference rivals. Truly, just splendid.

No idea where that team went against RBNY, though. They looked like a shadow of themselves. So poor - a theme of 2025 for the club. Despite the midweek win, they're still 13th in the conference on just 17 points.

Prior Ranking: 24

Result: Bye, defeated Houston 3-1

Ramifications: Fantastic result against the Dynamo. Dominant in all areas of the pitch, it was a real goalscoring display from Dejan Joveljic, who bagged twice en route to victory. Managing three strikes on an xG of just 1.6 is remarkable, and it was their fourth game in a row with a result.

Slowly, SKC is making progress in the West.

Prior Ranking: 27

Result: Drew New England 1-1, defeated FC Cincinnati 2-1

Ramifications: Two really good results against two very good teams. This was an impressive week for D.C., all things considered. Gabriel Pirani scored two big goals, bagging in the 91st minute against New England to secure a point, then scoring a worldie against FCC just two minutes into the game.

Without Christian Benteke available due to injury, the 23-year-old stepped up in a stretch in which they really needed a result. D.C. is up to 18 points on the season.

Prior Ranking: 22

Result: Drew Austin 1-1, lost to LA Galaxy 2-0

Ramifications: Rough week for RSL. Against Austin, they conceded a 93rd-minute equalizer, essentially losing two points on the day after things ended in a draw. Then, against the Galaxy, they just could not finish. They ended scoreless, but generated an xG of 1.9, somehow. Just not good enough.

Prior Ranking: 19

Result: Defeated LA Galaxy 1-0, lost to St. Louis CITY 2-1

Ramifications: A good win against LA, but this was not a convincing stretch by any means. It took them until late to even find the back of the net against CITY, and they conceded a penalty and drop the result in stoppage time. A frustrating result for Bruce Arena's men, but they'll always take a win over their Southern California rivals.

Prior Ranking: 18

Result: Lost to Portland 2-1, bye

Ramifications: 20-year-old forward Wayne Frederick was sent off in the second half against the Timbers, and down a man, they conceded a late winner after things were headed towards a 1-1 draw. Individual errors have plagued them all season, and that trend just continued.

Prior Ranking: 21

Result: Bye, defeated Orlando 3-1

Ramifications: Really good performance against Orlando. Hugo Cuypers scored a brace to secure the result, bagging twice within 90 seconds to help secure the result. The Belgian now has10 goals, while the Fire have now found results in four of their last five.

Prior Ranking: 20

Result: Defeated NYCFC 3-0, lost to SKC 3-1

Ramifications: Fantastic performance against the Pigeons. Gabriel Segal scored a brace to help secure all three points midweek, before they collapsed against SKC a few days later. They generated an xG of 2.5 with nine shots on target against Sporting, but struggled in front of net. Three out of six points in one week still isn't a bad run, though.

Prior Ranking: 16

Result: Drew RSL 1-1, lost to San Diego 2-0

Ramifications: They earned a point against RSL through a stoppage-time equalizer from Diego Rubio, but were absolutely undone against SDFC at the weekend. They had just two shots on net, with another lackluster attacking performance taking center stage. Through 17 games this season, they have just 11 goals.

Prior Ranking: 17

Result: Lost to RBNY 4-2, defeated TFC 2-0

Ramifications: Big week for CLT and USMNT forward Patrick Agyemang in multiple ways. Agyemang returned to the scoresheet ahead of a stint with the USMNT in the Gold Cup as they defeated TFC 2-0, but it came after a dreadful showing against RBNY midweek. Three out of six isn't bad by any means, but it's not ideal.

Worrying, Charlotte has now conceded 27 goals this season, the fifth-most in the East.

Prior Ranking: 15

Result: Defeated D.C. United 2-0

Ramifications: What a week from RBNY. Huge result against Charlotte midweek, and they followed it up with a big win over Atlanta on Saturday. Six goals scored across both matches, and they had four different scorers against CLT.

Against Atlanta, they scored twice within the opening 30 minutes to secure the result. Big six-point stretch that has them up to sixth in the East.

Prior Ranking: 12

Result: Defeated Colorado 2-1, bye

Ramifications: Fantastic performance against Colorado, fighting until the end and taking advantage of being up a man in the closing stages of the game, where they found the winner. Kevin Kelsy scored it in the 76th minute, and the Venezuelan is now up to five goals.

Prior Ranking: 14

Result: Drew D.C. 1-1, defeated CF MTL 3-0

Ramifications: The Revs are now nine unbeaten, and deserve a lot of praise - and some apologies, too. Caleb Porter has turned this ship around, and this week was a fantastic example.

Sure, they would have liked three points against D.C., but they absolutely walloped Montreal, and overall, four points is a great result. Up to 10th in the East.

Prior Ranking: 10

Result: Lost to Houston 3-0, drew Nashville 2-2

Ramifications: Really poor showing against Houston. They were completely outclassed in all areas of the pitch, and in the cross-conference clash, we were handily beaten. They rebounded nicely against an in-form Nashville side, as Hannes Wolf bagged a brace, including an 87th-minute goal that secured a point on the road.

A point against Nashville right now is a decent result on the road.

Prior Ranking: 11

Result: Did not play

Ramifications: Featured in the Club World Cup playoffs, defeating Club America and clinching a berth in the CWC.

Prior Ranking: 9

Result: Defeated San Diego 1-0, lost to MNUFC 3-2

Ramifications: A really good win at home over a strong San Diego side, with Jesus Ferreira scoring the winner- his first MLS goal for the club since his offseason move to Seattle. Then, on Sunday, an eight-minute lapse saw Seattle undone against MNUFC.

The Loons scored three times from the 51st to 58th minute, with the Sounders defense capitulating. Just not great as their final tune-up ahead of the Club World Cup.

Prior Ranking: 5

Result: Drew Nashville 2-2, lost to Miami 5-1

Ramifications: Tough week for Columbus. They drew Nashville midweek in a match that they frankly should have lost, so all-in-all, Wilfried Nancy should be happy with a point.

Then, against Inter Miami, they were overwhelmed from the opening whistle. Just a complete capitulation from their midfield and defense. They conceded five in their worst performance of the season. Overall, just a week to forget.

Prior Ranking: 13

Result: Drew Philadelphia 3-3

Ramifications: Fantastic two-match stretch. They destroyed Montreal and absolutely manhandled Columbus. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez showed up as superstars, and it led to a six-point week. The Argentine bagged twice in each match, while Suarez scored three times total across the two games.

Perfect confidence booster for Miami ahead of the Club World Cup.

Prior Ranking: 3

Result: Lost 3-2 to Orlando, lost 3-1 to Chicago

Ramifications: Rough week for Orlando. Two really bad losses, with poor defensive showings, ended their 12-match unbeaten streak. Six points would have seen them move into second in the East, but with two defeats, they're now down to seventh.

Oscar Pareja won't be thrilled with the results, but it was bound to happen following their fantastic run of form.

Prior Ranking: 4

Result: Drew FC Dallas 3-3, lost to D.C. United 2-1

Ramifications: Losing Hagglund has really hurt them. That's now nine goals conceded in three matches without him. Pat Noonan's group could afford two relatively bad results, but this cannot become a trend if they want to continue fighting for the Supporters' Shield.

Still second in the East and on 30 points, this was a bad week, but a point more than they had prior.

Prior Ranking: 7

Result: Drew Columbus 2-2, drew NYCFC 2-2

Ramifications: Two points against two Eastern Conference playoff contenders for Nashville is not a bad result, but surely they would have liked at least one win here. Across both games, Sam Surridge scored three goals, bringing his season total to 11 as his breakout campaign for the club continues.

B.J. Callaghan's men are now up to fourth in the East as they continue to impress.

Prior Ranking: 6

Result: Lost to Seattle 1-0, defeated Austin 2-0

Ramifications: A tough road result against Seattle, but they played well, just came up unlucky. Then, against Austin, they put forth a truly brilliant showing. U.S. international Luca De La Torre scored the winner before Milan Iloski added a dagger in stoppage-time.

Level on points with MNUFC on 30, they sit third in the West, and are having a fantastic breakout year as an expansion franchise.

Prior Ranking: 8

Result: Drew Vancouver 0-0, defeated Seattle 3-2

Ramifications: What a week for Minnesota. A point on the road in Vancouver and three points against Seattle at Lumen Field are a huge set of results for the club. Tani Oluwaseyi scored twice as the Loons defeated the Sounders on Sunday, as Canada's budding star heads into the international break in fine form.

Minnesota sits second in the West at the halfway point of the campaign now.

Prior Ranking: 2

Result: Defeated TFC 2-1, drew FC Dallas 0-0

Ramifications: Not a great win over Toronto, but three points is three points. A Kai Wagner winner in the 92nd minute secured victory, and moved their point total from two to four across the two-game stretch.

Against FCD, meanwhile, it's fair to question some decision-making from Bradley Carnell. Dallas was reduced to 10 men just 39 minutes into the match, meaning Philly had an extra player for the entire second half and change. However, Carnell didn't bring on key starters like Tai Baribo and Quinn Sullivan until late. There was room for this to be a six-point week.

Prior Ranking: 1

Result: Drew MNUFC 0-0

Ramifications: With a somewhat rotated squad ahead of the Champions Cup, they held the Loons scoreless and earned a point against an outstanding Western Conference competitor. It was an unfortunate showing in the Champions Cup final Sunday, blasted 5-0 by Cruz Azul, but their performances this season in MLS action have been nothing short of excellent.