It's Monday, another week of MLS action is in the books, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal (xG) differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings, and the observations of our writers. So, who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? We've ranked all 29 clubs in the league after Matchday 6. Let's dive in.
2. FC CincinnatiPrevious ranking: 2 Charlotte's goal from the penalty spot marked just the third goal allowed for Pat Noonan's FC Cincinnati side this season. Only Toronto has kept more clean sheets, and nobody has allowed fewer goals in 2024. In part, they have Roman Celentano to thank, who's saved 19 of 22 shots on target. But Cincinnati has limited the number of shots the opposition earned as well -- only seven clubs have allowed fewer shots fired on frame. DeAndre Yedlin's transition to Ohio has been smooth; his stoppage time assist for Aaron Boupendza was pivotal in earning their three points. 4. Philadelphia UnionPrevious ranking: 7 Worries of a stagnating season seem to be receding for Jim Curtin's Union, who remain one of just three teams undefeated. The Union absconded from Portland with a 3-1 win on the road with half of their starting XI absent last week. They followed with a resounding 2-0 defeat of Minnesota United at home. Their non-penalty xG (8.2) is the sixth highest in the league (with fewer matches played than most teams), and only Inter Miami and LA Galaxy have scored more goals. 6. LA GalaxyPrevious ranking: 6 Only Miami has accrued more total goals than LA's 13, and the Herons have played one more game than a Galaxy side that's firing on all cylinders. Gabriel Pec's fourth-minute goal was enough to put away Seattle as the Galaxy prepare for El Trafico next week. 8. Atlanta United FCPrevious ranking: 11 Atlanta bounced back from their loss to Toronto with a 3-0 rout of Chicago at home with Thiago Almada back in the squad. Giorgos Giakoumakis' fifth goal of the year opened things up but Jamal Thiaré came off the bench with a bang, subbing in for the likely MVP candidate Giakoumakis, and scored two goals on his birthday to mark his first tallies in MLS. 9. Houston DynamoPrevious ranking: 12 Still absent key players to injury (including Héctor Herrera and Nelson Quiñónes) the Dynamo picked up their third straight win with a 2-1 defeat of San Jose. True to form, they held 82% of the ball and completed 748 passes, as among the teams with the highest pass percentages in the league. 11. LAFCPrevious ranking: 5 LAFC fumbled an early lead in Colorado as they failed to limit Djordje Mihailovic in a two-goal and one-assist breakout match. Not the momentum they were looking for as they prepare for El Trafico next week. They've been a bit unlucky this season, but they're under pressure to turn it around with a few tough games ahead. 13. D.C. UnitedPrevious ranking: 14 In many ways, D.C. has been unlucky this season. Only Orlando is underperforming their xG by a larger margin than United, though they clinched a 1-0 victory at home over a talented Montreal side this weekend. 14. Minnesota UnitedPrevious ranking: 8 Minnesota picked up their first loss of the year as they visited Philadelphia, failing to respond in a 2-0 defeat as Philly took an early 16th minute lead. In their defense, Philly is tough to play at home, and perhaps the bye last weekend gave pause to their momentum. 16. CF MontréalPrevious ranking: 10 Montreal fell just short of a point in D.C. as an 84th minute match-winner handed the home side the victory after a testy, back-and-forth match that saw Montreal with more of the ball but fewer quality chances on the night. 18. Orlando CityPrevious ranking: 17 The team some thought might challenge for a top finish in the east is struggling slightly to start the season. They were lucky to collect a point at home against NYRB thanks to a late own goal from the opposition. Nobody in the league is underperforming their xG to a wider margin than Orlando, though, so perhaps there's time to progress to the mean. 20. St. Louis City SCPrevious ranking: 18 Last year's star debutantes have been heavy on the draws (four) to start their season but picked up their first loss against RSL as Arango went on a hat-trick tear. 22. Seattle SoundersPrevious ranking: 22 After a rainy visit to Southern California where the Sounders fell 1-0 to LA Galaxy, Seattle has still yet to win a game this season. It was a close game against a league leader where you produced (but failed to put away) a few quality chances. 24. Chicago FirePrevious ranking: 23 Chicago are tied with San Jose for allowing the most goals this season, with three of them coming as the Fire finished with ten men in the 3-0 defeat to Atlanta. 26. New York City FCPrevious ranking: 25 A five-save performance from Freese helped scrape a point (their fourth point from six games) from a Messi-less Miami, limiting their goal tally to one (Suarez) despite a 2.48 xG. At the other end, Alonso Martinez scored his first goal in his first start to draw level in the first half. 28. New England RevolutionPrevious ranking: 28 The Revs had the weekend off as they prepare for Concacaf Champions Cup this week. |