Power Rankings: Philadelphia Union continue epic ascent | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

What a week in MLS.

Nashville SC won big against a playoff team. The Colorado Rapids won the Rocky Mountain Cup. Lionel Messi scored a bunch of goals. And San Diego FC beat an opponent from Los Angeles. 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 doesn't decide the rankings, but he does get a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots when he can.

WATCH: Every goal from Matchday 23!

1. Nashville SC

Another week, another reminder that the odds of anyone catching Nashville are very, very slim. They shellacked Cincinnati, 4-0, to take a 10-point lead at the top of the East.

They’re nine points ahead of Vancouver in the Shield race. And they’re on track to set an MLS regular-season points record.

Previous: 4-0 win vs. CIN | Next: 9/4 at NYC

2. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

The Whitecaps are just going to keep operating as the best team in the West, and there may not be more to say than that the rest of the way. They’re simply better than every other team in the conference. The underlying numbers would argue they’re the best team in the league by a wide margin.

They’ve won their last two matches by a combined score of 8-0.

Previous: 3-0 win at SKC | Next: 9/5 vs. STL

3. Inter Miami CF · 2▲

At what point does it start feeling kind of mean? Inter Miami took off on CF Montréal and then kept their foot on the gas in a 7-1 win. Lionel Messi scored four (4!) times, including a last-minute free-kick goal to close out the game.

He’s casually up to 18g/10a on the season.

Player of the Matchday 23: Lionel Messi

Previous: 7-1 win vs. MTL | Next: 9/5 vs. ATL

4. Chicago Fire FC · 1▼

Chicago couldn’t find a way to advance in Leagues Cup, but at least Robert Lewandowski rescued a point in Seattle with an 82nd-minute equalizer. He’s scored four times in five starts so far. And the third-place Fire, undefeated in their last five MLS matches, are still within touching distance of second-place Inter Miami in the East.

Previous: 2-2 draw at SEA | Next: 9/5 at TOR

5. Houston Dynamo FC · 1▼

There’s not much to report from a 0-0 draw with San Jose, but the Dynamo are still sitting tight at second place in the West. It’s a decent result after their loss to St. Louis the week prior.

Previous: 0-0 draw vs. SJ | Next: 9/5 at CLT

6. St. Louis CITY SC

Allowing two late goals to turn a win into a draw is kind of a bummer. But St. Louis are still in great form and they’re set to make a shocking trade. They’re reportedly sending $12 million to Colorado in exchange for DP striker Rafa Navarro.

Navarro never stops working and has scored relatively consistently since arriving in MLS. He could be an excellent fit up top in Yoann Damet’s system.

Previous: 3-3 draw vs. DAL | Next: 9/5 at VAN

7. Los Angeles Football Club

LAFC look uncomfortable in attack. A 0-0 draw with D.C. United is fine in a vacuum, but LAFC haven’t won in five MLS matches.

After three consecutive wins to close out July, August hasn’t been kind. They’re now just as close to ninth-place Minnesota United as they are to first-place Vancouver.

Previous: 0-0 draw at DC | Next: 9/5 at RSL

8. New England Revolution

Despite allowing an early goal, the Revs rolled against the Crew on Sunday afternoon. The 3-1 win has them equal on points with third-place Chicago in the East.

They seem like a lock for a top-five spot in the East this year, especially now that DP winger Jack Harrison has arrived and is providing another threat in attack. The biggest question now is whether they can hold off Chicago or Charlotte for a home playoff spot in the end.

Previous: 3-1 win at CLB | Next: 9/5 at LA

9. Charlotte FC · 1▲

Whoo boy, y’all might wanna start paying close attention to Charlotte.

The Crown rolled into Atlanta and ruthlessly snuffed out the Five Stripes’ three-match winning streak. They were fluid, dynamic, and Allan Saint-Maximin terrorized the Atlanta defense all night. I saw this one in person, and Charlotte looked like they’ve raised their ceiling to a place it hasn’t been in club history. If Saint-Maximin is going to do that with some level of consistency (and Liel Abada is going to finally produce like a high-level DP winger), they can hang with anyone.

Related: They’ve taken 10 points from their last four matches. They’ve scored 11 goals in that stretch.

Previous: 2-0 win at ATL | Next: 9/5 vs. HOU

10. FC Dallas · 1▲

Dallas went down 3-1 to St. Louis in the second half, but goals from Sebastien Ibeagha and Logan Farrington saved the day in their last match of a nine-game road trip. Farrington’s 90+7’ equalizer came on virtually the last kick of the game and kept Dallas one spot ahead of St. Louis in the standings.

There’s a small chance that goal – a three-point swing in the standings – has an impact on who earns a home playoff spot down the line.

Previous: 3-3 draw at STL | Next: 9/5 vs. SKC

11. Philadelphia Union · 2▲

Cavan Sullivan.

It’s worth mentioning each week now that he’s officially arrived as a high-level professional player. The 16-year-old is one of the most effective players on the pitch in every match he plays. And Philly are soaring because of it.

They rolled over RBNY, 3-1, to move within a point of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line. Don’t forget, they entered the FIFA World Cup break as a serious Wooden Spoon contender. They’ve earned 17 points in the seven matches since then.

Previous: 3-1 win at RBNY | Next: 9/5 vs. MTL

12. San Diego FC · 2▲

San Diego came up big in the Chucky Lozano Derby. Lozano got a goal, but San Diego got three of their own and all three points in yet another win over an LA team. They still haven’t lost to the Galaxy or LAFC.

Anyway, after winning three of their last four, they’ve moved above the playoff line in the West. Considering how they started the season, that feels like a major accomplishment. With new DP Elias Achouri scoring twice in his first two starts, it’s easy to be optimistic about this team going forward.

Previous: 3-1 win vs. LA | Next: 9/5 at ORL

13. Minnesota United FC · 1▼

All hell broke loose late in their 3-3 draw with Orlando City. Trailing 2-0 late on, Minnesota scored three times in four minutes to make it 3-2 after 75 minutes. They couldn’t capitalize entirely on the outburst, though, as Orlando equalized in the third minute of stoppage time.

A win would have been nice, but it’s gotta feel good for Loons fans to see this team look a whole lot more productive in attack the last two matches. They’ve scored eight times. That’s more than a quarter of their goals the entire season.

Previous: 3-3 draw vs. ORL | Next: 9/5 at POR

14. Colorado Rapids · 3▲

The Rocky Mountain Cup belongs to Colorado for the third straight year. Reggie Cannon scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over RSL. The Rapids have now kept five consecutive clean sheets at home. That’s not a huge surprise considering their home record this season. Colorado have eight home wins this year, the second-best mark in MLS.

In the meantime, though, it seems like they’ll have to win home games without Rafa Navarro given the reports of his departure to St. Louis. 

Previous: 1-0 win vs. RSL | Next: 9/5 at CLB

15. FC Cincinnati · 6▼

Cincy ran into Nashville this weekend. That doesn’t go well for most teams these days, and it didn’t go well for Cincy. The 4-0 loss has them sitting on -2 goal differential. That’s pretty impressive in a way when you consider they’ve allowed 51 goals. That’s the second most in the East.

Previous: 4-0 loss at NSH | Next: 9/5 vs. DC

16. New York City Football Club · 1▼

NYCFC are winless in five after drawing 1-1 with Toronto. Nicolás Fernández Mercau scored his 14th goal of the year in the draw. His excellent form is a small consolation for a team that continues to trend closer to the playoff line. They’re three points ahead of 11th-place D.C. United and have to face Nashville on Friday.

Previous: 1-1 draw at TOR | Next: 9/4 vs. NSH

17. San Jose Earthquakes · 3▲

A 0-0 draw with Houston ended a four-match losing streak, but San Jose are winless in their seven matches since the World Cup break.

Thanks to their hot start, they’re still in a home playoff spot. The rearview mirror is getting crowded, though. A handful of teams are just a win or two away from passing the Quakes in the standings.

Previous: 0-0 draw at HOU | Next: 9/5 at ATX

18. Portland Timbers · 2▼

The Timbers nearly rescued a point against Austin, but only nearly. After tying it up in the 89th minute, they allowed a winner five minutes later. Portland ended the week below the playoff line.

Previous: 2-1 loss vs. ATX | Next: 9/5 vs. MIN

19. Orlando City · 1▼

The Lions played a wild one against Minnesota. After taking a 2-0 lead on the Loons, they allowed three goals in the span of four minutes late in the second half. Fortunately for them, Tyrese Spicer saved the day in stoppage time.

Rescuing a point is great, but they’ll feel like they dropped a couple more points from that one. Two points feel pretty big when you’re tied with two other teams for the final playoff spot.

Previous: 3-3 draw at MIN | Next: 9/5 vs. SD

20. Real Salt Lake · 1▼

Not much is going right for RSL lately. They missed out on the Rocky Mountain Cup for a third straight year after losing to Colorado this weekend and, suddenly, they’re below the playoff line after looking like a potential top-four team at the start of the year.

RSL haven’t won in their last eight. Their last MLS win came on May 16.

Previous: 1-0 loss at COL | Next: 9/5 vs. LAFC

21. Toronto FC · 1▲

A week after finally breaking their winless run, they got right back to draws. A 1-1 result against NYCFC is totally fine. Toronto were probably pretty disappointed to not build some momentum, though.

Previous: 1-1 draw vs. NYC | Next: 9/5 vs. CHI

22. Red Bull New York · 1▼

The Red Bulls have just one win in seven tries since returning from the break. After this weekend, two matches during that run have been 3-1 losses to Philadelphia.

Previous: 3-1 loss vs. PHI | Next: 9/5 at SEA

23. Seattle Sounders FC · 6▲

Dejan Joveljić is very good at scoring goals in soccer games.

In his first match with his new team, Seattle’s DP striker did what he’s been doing since arriving in MLS. Joveljić scored twice and immediately made an impact. The $6 million Seattle paid to bring him in feels like a steal.

Unfortunately for Seattle, Joveljić’s brace didn’t translate to a win. A late equalizer from Robert Lewandowski made it a 2-2 draw against the Fire. Seattle’s winless streak in MLS is officially in the double digits.

Previous: 2-2 draw vs. CHI | Next: 9/5 vs. RBNY

24. LA Galaxy · 1▼

Chucky Lozano got his revenge goal, but that’s all LA could muster in a 3-1 loss to San Diego. The Galaxy have just one win in their last nine matches.

Previous: 3-1 loss at SD | Next: 9/5 vs. NE

25. D.C. United · 1▼

A 0-0 draw with LAFC is a solid result. You have to wonder if D.C. folks are a little sick of draws, though. They have 10 of them this year. That’s tied for the most in MLS. But every point counts in a playoff race. They’re still even on points with ninth-place Orlando.

Previous: 0-0 draw vs. LAFC | Next: 9/5 at CIN

26. Atlanta United · 1▼

New DP striker Breel Embolo and new U22 midfielder Mauricio Amaro seem close to making their debuts this week. Atlanta fans are eager to see something new after a summer window that’s mostly been focused on getting expensive contracts off the books. 

Previous: 2-0 loss vs. CLT | Next: 9/5 at MIA

27. Columbus Crew · 1▼

New DP Brais Méndez scored in the eighth minute against New England. That’s all the Crew had working in a 3-1 loss. Columbus put together a few solid performances post-World Cup, but they’ve lost four in a row now. Five if you want to count their Leagues Cup loss to Club América last week.

Previous: 3-1 loss vs. NE | Next: 9/5 vs. COL

28. Austin FC

For a moment it seemed like Austin threw away a big road win when they conceded an 88th-minute penalty in Portland. But center back Oleksandr Svatok got a foot on the ball in the middle of some post-corner kick chaos in front of the Timbers’ goal and won the match in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

They’ve still got a long way to go to climb the table, but being five points from the playoff line is better than eight.

Previous: 2-1 win at POR | Next: 9/5 vs. SJ

29. CF Montréal · 2▼

I mean, yeah, sometimes it happens. Montréal are the eighth team on a list that includes Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia to give up four goals in a match to Lionel Messi.

Previous: 7-1 loss at MIA | Next: 9/5 at PHI

30. Sporting Kansas City

Things didn’t go their way against Vancouver. Hopefully, new DP André Luiz and new U22 midfielder Owen Wolff can provide a boost. One more DP signing before the window closes wouldn’t hurt either.

Previous: 3-0 loss vs. VAN | Next: 9/5 at DAL