Power Rankings: Nashville SC chase Supporters' Shield & points record | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

What a week in MLS.

Good teams struggled without key players, results around the league were surprising, and no one truly knew what to make of it. It was truly an international break week like any other. 

As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by about 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author doesn't decide the rankings, but he does get a little rush from moving your team down a few spots when he can.

WATCH: Every goal from Matchday 28!

1. Nashville SC

Nashville's 2-0 win over Toronto just about wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield race. They’re 10 points up on Vancouver with seven games left. The Whitecaps have a game in hand, but there’s little reason to think it will matter much. Especially not with Nashville still on track to set the MLS single-season points record. 

If Nashville maintain their 2.22 points-per-game pace, they’ll finish with 75 points, one more than 2024 Inter Miami (74 points; current record). The only thing that may stop them is themselves.

Previous: 2-0 win vs. TOR | Next: 10/10 at ATX

2. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

The train veered off the rails in Vancouver's 3-3 draw with D.C. United.

It's still hard to assess the Western Conference leaders in a post-Sebastian Berhalter world. They’re now 5W-4L-3D since the FIFA World Cup break, averaging 1.5 points per game.

That would make many teams more than happy, but Vancouver’s standards have been higher for a while now.

Previous: 3-3 draw vs. DC | Next: 10/6 at CHI

3. Philadelphia Union · 2▲

Just a casual 4-2 beatdown against one of the Eastern Conference’s better teams, and it could have been even more lopsided. What’s new?

The Union steamrolled Orlando, jumping out to a 4-0 lead behind a Milan Iloski hat trick before pulling off the gas. They've now won six straight and earned 32 points out of 36 since the World Cup break (10W-0L-2D).

Philadelphia are four points away from a home Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot. Are you really going to bet against them breaking into the top four?

Previous: 4-2 win vs. ORL | Next: 10/10 vs. RSL

4. St. Louis CITY SC · 1▼

After a weather postponement, St. Louis return to action Wednesday night at Red Bull New York. A win could put them second in the West, just three points behind first-place Vancouver.

Previous: 3-1 win vs. TOR | Next: 9/30 at RBNY

5. FC Dallas · 2▲

FC Dallas just earned arguably their biggest win of the season, with center back Osaze Urhoghide scoring from a corner kick to secure a 1-0 victory over LAFC.

FCD have won four of their last five and reached second in the West. They’ll still have to hold off one of San Jose, Houston and St. Louis to keep a spot in the top four, but they’ve likely ended LAFC’s chances of catching them.

Previous: 1-0 win vs. LAFC | Next: 10/10 at CLT

6. New England Revolution · 2▼

The international break didn’t treat the Revs kindly. They visited a struggling RSL side with a short-handed lineup and suffered a 3-0 defeat. They're still second in the East, but Inter Miami, Charlotte and Chicago aren’t far behind.

Previous: 3-0 loss at RSL | Next: 10/10 vs. SEA

7. Inter Miami CF · 1▼

This was objectively very cool:

The rest of their day… not so much. The Herons allowed a 98th-minute winner to Jamal Thiaré, sealing a 2-1 loss. The Herons haven’t won in five league matches and have one win in their last 10 games (1W-3L-6D).

Previous: 2-1 loss at CLB | Next: 10/10 vs. DC

8. San Jose Earthquakes · 3▲

Are the Earthquakes back?

Maybe not all the way back, but they’ve at least remembered how to win again. Their 3-1 win over the Timbers, powered by a brace from Preston Judd, made it 10 points from their last four matches and extended their unbeaten run to six games.

San Jose's four-match losing streak right before this run feels far, far away now. They’ve quietly snuck back into third place in the West.

Previous: 3-1 win vs. POR | Next: 10/10 at COL

9. Chicago Fire FC · 1▲

Johan Gómez’s 58th-minute goal (and Charlotte’s struggles to put big chances on target) delivered the Fire a critical win in a six-pointer. They’re now fourth in the East on points per game (1.62) and just one point behind fourth-place Charlotte with a game in hand. Their first win in seven tries came just in time.

Chicago still aren't done with the gauntlet, though. After facing Miami, New England, Nashville and Charlotte in the last four games, they’ll meet Vancouver, NYCFC, Philadelphia and New England in their next four.

Fortunately, star center back Mbekezil Mbokazi returned last weekend as the Fire kept a clean sheet.

Previous: 1-0 win at CLT | Next: 10/6 vs. VAN

10. Charlotte FC · 2▼

A frustrating 1-0 loss to Chicago has Charlotte’s hopes of a home playoff spot hanging in the balance. The Fire have a game in hand and now an edge in points per game. The red-hot Philadelphia Union are lurking, too.

Previous: 1-0 loss vs. CHI | Next: 10/10 vs. DAL

11. Houston Dynamo FC · 2▼

Houston got stuck chasing the game against Sporting KC and never got it back. Héctor Herrera's red card in first-half stoppage time didn’t help matters after they were already trailing 2-0.

The Dynamo are still in the West's top four, but their closest competition seems to be trending upward. Related: They have one win in their last seven games (1W-3L-3D).

Previous: 2-0 loss vs. SKC | Next: 10/10 at MIN

12. Los Angeles Football Club

LAFC have one win in their last 10 games after losing 1-0 at FC Dallas last weekend (1W-4L-5D). 

Their playoff hopes are almost certainly safe, but a top-four finish feels less likely. Instead, they’ve got to start worrying about avoiding the West's Wild Card round. Ninth-place Seattle are only six points back with two games in hand.

ANNNDDD shortly after we wrote that, LAFC parted ways with first-year head coach Marc Dos Santos. They're betting that a sideline change can give them a shot in the arm.

Previous: 1-0 loss at DAL | Next: 10/10 vs. VAN

13. LA Galaxy · 3▲

In only 21 minutes, LA turned their 2-0 deficit against Colorado into a 3-2 lead. That second-half turnaround put the eighth-place Galaxy four points ahead of 10th-place Portland and equal on points with the seventh-place Rapids. LA have taken 10 points from their last five matches.

Previous: 3-2 win vs. COL | Next: 10/11 at STL

14. Orlando City

Orlando ran headlong into one of the few teams with better post-World Cup vibes. Philly overwhelmed them from the jump and opened up a 4-0 lead early in the second half. It’s hard to blame this one on the international break. They just got got.

That’s now two straight losses against the East's top-tier teams. Orlando have been much improved during the second half of the season. Their flaws are still apparent, though.

Previous: 4-2 loss at PHI | Next: 10/10 vs. CLB

15. Colorado Rapids · 2▼

Colorado's 2-0 lead over LA evaporated quickly in the second half. In just 21 minutes, they let a 2-0 advantage turn into a 3-2 loss.

They’re now equal on points with the eighth-place Galaxy and missed a chance to narrow the gap on sixth-place LAFC.

Previous: 3-2 loss at LA | Next: 10/10 vs. SJ

16. New York City Football Club · 4▲

A 2-2 draw at Atlanta pushed NYCFC back into a playoff spot. They’ll take what they can get right now, but still have just one win in their last 10 matches (1W-4L-5D).

Previous: 2-2 draw at ATL | Next: 10/10 at CHI

17. Seattle Sounders FC · 7▲

It’s over.

Mercifully, the Sounders ended a 13-match winless run last week. They ended the streak with a 2-0 midweek win over RSL, then followed it up with a 3-1 win over Minnesota. Those two results were enough to shift Seattle back into a playoff spot. Things change quickly around here, huh?

There’s a decent chance the Sounders can push above the Wild Card spots, too.

Seattle have a game in hand on seventh-place Colorado, who are a point ahead in the standings. A winnable match against Sporting KC is next, before they close out the year with one of MLS's more difficult remaining schedules.

WATCH: Record-setting Jordan Morris leads Seattle Sounders past Minnesota United

Previous: 3-1 win vs. MIN | Next: 10/1 vs. SKC

18. Red Bull New York

A nor'easter meant the Red Bulls took the weekend off. Now, they will host red-hot St. Louis on Wednesday night (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV).

Previous: 1-0 win at NYC | Next: 9/30 vs. STL

19. Columbus Crew · 4▲

Jamal Thiaré to the rescue.

Thanks to Thiaré’s 98th-minute winner vs. Inter Miami, the playoffs are no longer a total pipe dream. The Crew are four points below ninth-place NYCFC with seven games left.

Previous: 2-1 win vs. MIA | Next: 10/10 at ORL

20. San Diego FC · 3▼

Oh… oh no. Not like that, San Diego.

San Diego led Austin, 3-0, in the 72nd minute. They were tied at 3-3 just 14 minutes later and lost two critical points. 

San Diego are now three points below the playoff line with seven games left.

Previous: 3-3 draw at ATX | Next: 10/10 at RBNY

21. FC Cincinnati · 6▼

Not good.

A 3-1 loss at last-place CF Montréal showcased Cincy's defensive shortcomings and sent them below the playoff line. They’re now winless in six.

Previous: 3-1 loss at MTL | Next: 10/10 at ATL

22. Austin FC

Turning a 3-0 deficit into a 3-3 draw leaves Austin's playoff hopes alive a little while longer.

Christian Ramírez scored twice in four minutes, keeping the Verde & Black within four points of the playoff line with seven games left.

Previous: 3-3 draw vs. SD | Next: 10/10 vs. NSH

23. D.C. United · 4▲

International break or not, going toe-to-toe with and largely outplaying the Whitecaps on the road is an accomplishment.

D.C. created plenty of chances, and new arrival Kimito Nono bagged his first and second MLS goals in a wild 3-3 draw. The point kept the Black-and-Red within three points of the playoff line.

Previous: 3-3 draw at VAN | Next: 10/10 at MIA

24. Portland Timbers · 5▼

A 3-1 defeat at San Jose extended Portland's losing streak to three matches.

After a brief burst of decent results, the Timbers are back to worrying about a playoff spot slipping away. They’re three points behind ninth-place Seattle, who have a game in hand.

Previous: 3-1 loss at SJ | Next: 10/10 at SKC

25. Real Salt Lake · 3▲

Finally.

Sergi Solans' brace powered RSL's 3-0 win over New England and broke a 13-game winless streak that was cratering their season.

Because of how they started the season, RSL are still within three points of the playoff line. They're not done yet.

WATCH: Sergi Solans sparks Real Salt Lake to needed win vs. New England

Previous: 3-0 win vs. NE | Next: 10/10 at PHI

26. Atlanta United · 1▼

Atlanta drew 2-2 with NYCFC. There’s little to report from that one. However, Atlanta have lost only twice in their last nine matches. They’re at least playing better ball.

Previous: 2-2 draw vs. NYC | Next: 10/10 vs. CIN

27. Toronto FC · 1▼

Toronto tried to contain Nashville. They did not.

The Reds are now four points behind the playoff line with seven games left. It just doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards this year.

Previous: 2-0 loss at NSH | Next: 10/10 vs. MTL

28. Minnesota United FC · 7▼

Minnesota's playoff hopes are fading at hyperspeed. Five straight losses will do that. So will winning just once in 16 games.  

Previous: 3-1 loss at SEA | Next: 10/10 vs. HOU

29. CF Montréal

Prince Owusu’s second-half brace powered Montréal to a 3-1 win over Cincy.

Despite playing for a last-place side, Owusu has quietly been one of MLS's best No. 9s this year. He’s scored 15 times and added five assists.

Previous: 3-1 win vs. CIN | Next: 10/10 at TOR

30. Sporting Kansas City

Little has gone well for Sporting KC this year, but there’s a decent chance 2026 may be remembered fondly. After all, 2026 is the year André Luiz showed up and immediately looked like an elite winger. 

The club-record signing scored again in SKC’s 2-0 win at Houston, giving him 4g/1a in his first five appearances. They've beaten LAFC and Houston in that stretch, and they should have gotten the better of Philadelphia.

Sporting KC may still end up with the Wooden Spoon, but good things are happening.

Previous: 2-0 win at HOU | Next: 10/1 at SEA