Power Rankings: Bouanga & Son reignite LAFC's championship hopes | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

What a week in MLS.

Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min scored, FC Cincinnati won by one goal, and Alonso Martínez snagged a game-winner. 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. The author gets a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots, though.

1. Vancouver Whitecaps FC · +2▲

The Whitecaps followed up their 7-0 mollywhopping of the Union by advancing to the Canadian Championship final and taking care of business in a 2-0 win at Sporting Kansas City.

They’re second in points per game (1.9) behind Philadelphia, despite navigating a lengthy injury list. With five games remaining, they’re the odds-on favorite to finish atop the Western Conference and are five points back in the Supporters' Shield race with two games in hand.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC: A legit Supporters' Shield contender

Previous: 2-0 win at SKC | Next: 9/24 vs. POR

2. Philadelphia Union · +2▲

While other teams in the Shield race stumbled toward the finish line, the Union got the job done against New England.

With three games left, they lead the overall table with 60 points and are first in MLS in points per game (1.94). Things get complicated when you consider games in hand, but three wins to close out the regular season will (probably) get the job done. The Union would be on 69 points. The most Vancouver and Inter Miami can grab is 70.

Previous: 1-0 win vs. NE | Next: 9/27 at DC

3. FC Cincinnati · +4▲

After sputtering for a stretch, Cincy resumed doing what they do best: Winning close games. Fifteen of their 18 wins this season have come by one goal. Their latest came against the Galaxy over the weekend.

That result, featuring a Brenner brace and an Evander assist hat-trick, kept them within two points of first-place Philadelphia with three games left.

Just more of the same for the winningest team in MLS over the last three seasons. They’re the only side to reach 18 victories each of the last three years.

FC Cincinnati: Is Brenner the missing link up front?

Previous: 3-2 win at LA | Next: 9/28 vs. ORL

4. San Diego FC · -2▼

It’s difficult to travel cross-country and earn points on the road, even against not-so-good teams. Case and point: San Diego were far from their best in a 1-1 draw at Atlanta that might have officially ended their Shield hopes. But their last three matches are very winnable, and crazier things have happened.

This is still the best expansion team we’ve ever seen, no matter what. They're on 57 points, tied for the most in a debut season, and are one result (win or draw) away from outright owning the record.

Previous: 1-1 draw at ATL | Next: 9/27 vs. SJ

5. Charlotte FC · -4▼

It had to stop eventually.

Charlotte's winning streak ended at nine games after a 2-0 loss against NYCFC. Now that sole possession of the league record for consecutive wins is out of the picture, their focus shifts to retaining a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re third for now, but have five teams below them within three points. Three of them have games in hand.

Previous: 2-0 loss at NYC | Next: 9/27 vs. MTL

6. Los Angeles Football Club · +4▲

LAFC have scored 14 times in their last five matches. Guess who’s scored all 14? (Hint: Bouanga and Son haven’t had any problems co-existing.)

Son scored three against RSL and Bouanga added another in their 4-1 win midweek:

Player of the Matchday 34: Son Heung-Min

Then Bouanga scored three against RSL, and Son added another in their 4-1 win over the weekend:

Player of the Matchday 35: Denis Bouanga

Bouanga is now tied with Lionel Messi atop the Golden Boot presented by Audi race with 22 goals. He's also passed Carlos Vela for the most goals in club history (97 across all competitions), and is the first player in MLS history to record three straight seasons with at least 20 goals.

Which all leads to LAFC scoring four times in each of their last three games (all wins). Barring something spectacular, they won't catch Vancouver or San Diego for the top two spots in the West. But they’ve virtually locked up a top-four spot, and now third place is in reach.

Previous: 4-1 win vs. RSL | Next: 9/27 at STL

7. Inter Miami CF · +2▲

Inter Miami rebounded from a 3-0 loss at Charlotte with a 3-1 win against Seattle and a 3-2 win over D.C. United. So far, so good in their run of three straight double-game weeks.

They have six games left, and winning all of them would pretty much guarantee a second straight Supporters’ Shield title.

Also, Messi's on a heater with 3g/2a in their last two games.

Inter Miami: Still in the Supporters' Shield race?

Previous: 3-2 win vs. DC | Next: 9/24 at NYC

8. New York City FC · +3▲

The only team almost as hot as Charlotte over the last couple of months has, quietly, been NYCFC. They’ve earned 22 points in their last nine games, including Saturday’s impressive 2-0 win that snapped Charlotte’s nine-game winning streak.

Alonso Martínez has led the way during that stretch. He’s scored nine times – twice in Saturday’s win – to bring his season total to 17 goals.

Matt Freese recently signed a long-term contract extension and quickly showed why against Charlotte by stopping Wilfried Zaha's penalty kick. Pretty solid week for the USMNT goalkeeper!

New York City FC: The best team nobody is talking about?!

Previous: 2-0 win vs. CLT | Next: 9/24 vs. MIA

9. Orlando City · -1▼

Martín Ojeda scored a brace that included a stellar free kick, and Duncan McGuire got the final word with a 95th-minute winner in a crucial matchup with Nashville SC.

Orlando are sitting sixth in the East with four games remaining, and Ojeda has tallied a club-record 30 goal contributions (16g/14a) in a single season. They’ll need him to add a few more to solve this upcoming three-game stretch against Cincy, Columbus and Vancouver.

WATCH: MVP candidate Martín Ojeda scores must-see BANGER!

Previous: 3-2 win vs. NSH | Next: 9/28 at CIN

10. Minnesota United FC · -5▼

It has… not been a good few days for Minnesota. The Loons bowed out of the US Open Cup semifinals after conceding a 120th-minute winner to Austin, then responded with a 3-0 loss to Chicago over the weekend.

Minnesota's Shield chances are all but over. They’ll have a few chances to get right before the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, though. They close the year with Colorado, SKC and the Galaxy.

A thigh injury to DP striker Kelvin Yeboah also looms large, especially after they transferred Tani Oluwaseyi to Villarreal in LaLiga late last month:

Previous: 3-0 loss vs. CHI | Next: 9/27 at COL

11. Seattle Sounders FC · -5▼

Seattle's run to the Leagues Cup title might have taken some juice out of them. They’re winless since the final, including losses to Miami and Austin last week.

Chances of a top-four finish in the West are slipping away, and now they’ve got to worry about avoiding a fall to seventh place. They close the year with matchups against Vancouver, Portland, RSL and NYCFC.

Previous: 2-1 loss at ATX | Next: 9/27 vs. VAN

12. Columbus Crew

New DP striker Wessam Abou Ali scored his first home goal, but hobbled off with an injured right ankle. That followed Diego Rossi suffering a hamstring injury the other week. Not great timing!

As such, Columbus couldn’t hold onto a 1-0 lead against NYCFC on Wednesday in a 3-2 loss, and did the same against Toronto over the weekend in a 1-1 draw. They’re eighth in the East with three matches left.

Previous: 1-1 draw vs. TOR | Next: 9/27 at CHI

13. Nashville SC

Nashville got the job done when they defeated Philadelphia to advance to the US Open Cup final against Austin. They’ve been floundering in MLS play, though. Their loss to Orlando over the weekend made it three in a row and six defeats in their last seven. They’re equal on points with eighth-place Columbus and in danger of ending the year in a Wild Card spot.

Previous: 3-2 loss at ORL | Next: 9/27 vs. HOU

14. Austin FC · +2▲

Austin just had… maybe the best week in club history?

They’ll host the US Open Cup final after CJ Fodrey's late winner at Minnesota:

They followed up their biggest-ever win by pulling out a 2-1 victory over Seattle, courtesy of Fodrey linking up with Myrto Uzuni in the 96th minute:

Austin are sixth in the West, one point behind fifth-place Seattle. They basically locked up a playoff spot (and avoided the Wild Card game) with their latest win.

Previous: 2-1 win vs. SEA | Next: 9/27 at RSL

15. Chicago Fire FC

Chicago are one step closer to making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. That's not to say it will be easy.

A huge 3-0 win at Minnesota kept them two points ahead of the 10th-place Red Bulls, but they have Columbus and Miami up next. Their game in hand on the Red Bulls looms large.

WATCH: Chicago Fire inch closer to playoffs with emphatic win at Minnesota

Previous: 3-0 win at MIN | Next: 9/27 vs. CLB

16. New York Red Bulls · +2▲

Keeping the club's league-record, 15-year playoff streak alive means keeping Chicago’s playoff drought going.

RBNY took care of business in a 2-0 win at Montréal this weekend, but they’ll close the year with this weekend’s Hudson River Derby, Cincinnati and Columbus.

They need a few stellar performances and a little luck to close the two-point, one-game gap between them and the Fire. History says it will happen. The current odds… not so much.

Previous: 2-0 win at MTL | Next: 9/27 vs. NYC

17. FC Dallas · +4▲

Dallas are clinging onto the West's final playoff spot. They’ve won two straight and are one point ahead of 10th-place Houston. Three winnable games are on the way, including two straight against the Galaxy, before they face Vancouver on Decision Day.

Previous: 3-1 win vs. COL | Next: 9/27 at POR

18. Portland Timbers · -4▼

The Timbers missed an opportunity to close the gap between them and Seattle this week. Instead, a 1-0 loss at Houston has them three points behind the Sounders and two points behind Austin entering their final four matches. They’ll face Vancouver, Seattle and San Diego in that stretch.

Previous: 1-0 loss at HOU | Next: 9/24 at VAN

19. Colorado Rapids · -2▼

The Rapids are still eighth in the West despite a 3-1 loss at Dallas over the weekend and a negative-11 goal differential on the season. They’re three points ahead of 10th-place Houston with three matches left.

Previous: 3-1 loss at DAL | Next: 9/27 vs. MIN

20. Houston Dynamo FC · +2▲

A 1-0 win over Portland, thanks to a goal from Ezequiel Ponce, kept Houston's playoff hopes alive.

The Dynamo are three points back of eighth-place Colorado and one point back of Dallas, who have a game in hand. They’ll have to be near-perfect to close out the year if they’re going to finish in a Wild Card spot.

Previous: 1-0 win vs. POR | Next: 9/27 at NSH

21. San Jose Earthquakes · -2▼

Despite a productive attack and better-than-average underlying numbers, San Jose just don’t have the juice defensively. They’re now two points below ninth-place Dallas with three games left. Dallas have a game in hand.

Previous: 3-1 loss vs. STL | Next: 9/27 at SD

22. Real Salt Lake · -2▼

After a 4-1 loss against LAFC (twice), RSL's postseason hopes hinge on needing a few breaks.

They're three points below ninth place in the West, and have four games left to make up ground. They're not officially out of it yet, but it's not looking great.

Previous: 4-1 loss at LAFC | Next: 9/27 vs. ATX

23. St. Louis CITY SC · +3▲

St. Louis did a great job dragging San Jose down with them over the weekend. Their 3-1 win over the Quakes, led by 2g/1a from Brendan McSorley (!), made a playoff berth for San Jose highly unlikely.

HIGHLIGHTS: San Jose Earthquakes vs. St. Louis CITY SC | September 20, 2025

Previous: 3-1 win at SJ | Next: 9/27 vs. LAFC

24. Toronto FC · +1▲

Toronto keep finding ways to take points off of teams that need them. Their latest party-ruining effort came in a 1-1 draw with Columbus.

Previous: 1-1 draw at CLB | 9/27 vs. MIA

25. New England Revolution · -2▼

The Revs have just one win in their last six games, and are now officially out of playoff contention. No new-manager bounce for them.

Previous: 1-0 loss at PHI | Next: 9/27 vs. ATL

26. Atlanta United · +3▲

Atlanta weren’t bad, but also weren’t great, in a 1-1 draw with San Diego. The number of goals they’ve given away directly from avoidable mistakes over the last few seasons remains stunning.

Previous: 1-1 draw vs. SD | Next: 9/27 at NE

27. Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC have allowed the most goals in MLS this season (63). In a related stat, John Pulskamp has the third-most saves in MLS this season (106).

Previous: 2-0 loss vs. VAN | Next: 9/27 at LA

28. LA Galaxy · -4▼

The race for the Wooden Spoon is on. All the Galaxy have to do is close the three-point gap between them and Montréal. LA have a game in hand.

Previous: 3-2 loss vs. CIN | Next: 9/27 vs. SKC

29. D.C. United · -1▼

There were big changes in D.C.'s front office last week. They parted ways with CSO Ally Mackay and quickly replaced him with Erkut Sogut, a sports agent and lawyer who's stepping into an entirely new role.

Previous: 3-2 loss at MIA | Next: 9/27 vs. PHI

30. CF Montréal

Montréal are out of last place for now. But they’re only three points ahead of LA, who have a game in hand.

Previous: 2-0 loss vs. RBNY | Next: 9/27 at CLT