Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

MLS Power Rankings: Inter Miami back on top, Quakes rock-bottom

Written by 
Published in Soccer
Monday, 22 July 2024 18:15

It's Monday, and another week of MLS action is in the books, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.

Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings and the observations of our writers.

Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? We've ranked all 29 clubs in the league. Let's dive in.


1. Inter Miami CF

Previous ranking: 5

Wearing their retro-inspired Miami Dolphins-esque jerseys, Miami snagged a 2-1 win over Chicago on Saturday. Tata Martino's team is now the only team in MLS averaging over two points per game, which has given them a four-point lead in the Supporters' Shield race with nine games to play. The Leagues Cup break gives Miami the chance to nurse Leo Messi's ankle back to health and to get a new center-back in town.

2. Columbus Crew

Previous ranking: 1

We don't see the Crew just ... fold very often, do we? Poor defense against set pieces doomed Columbus against Atlanta as they conceded twice, with both goals coming off of nearly identical set-piece routines from the Five Stripes. I think I know what coach Wilfried Nancy will be drilling in training this week.

3. LAFC

Previous ranking: 2

Even without Tim Tillman and Kike Olivera, LAFC went up to Seattle and scored three goals, kept a clean sheet, and claimed all three points. The pain of that 5-1 loss against the Columbus Crew still lingers, but this team is both deep and talented. They're about to get stronger as the summer transfer window continues, too with Olivier Giroud coming to town.

4. LA Galaxy

Previous ranking: 7

Greg Vanney tried out Joseph Paintsil as his team's No. 9 this week, and it worked a treat. The Ghanaian DP had tons of success knifing in behind the Portland Timbers' back line, picking up a goal and a pair of assists in his team's 3-2 win.

play
0:38
Ricard Puig slots in the goal for LA Galaxy

Ricard Puig slots in the goal for LA Galaxy

5. FC Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 3

We've officially reached the point where FC Cincinnati's massive injury issues come back to bite it. Without any stability in the back, Pat Noonan has had to rely on makeshift center-back combinations, but Cincy couldn't hold strong against the Red Bulls, losing 3-1 to make it three straight defeats.

6. Real Salt Lake

Previous ranking: 4

With Chicho Arango suspended, Real Salt Lake struggled to play through the Rapids' press and didn't pose a huge threat on the ball on Saturday, falling 3-2. Still, Arango will only miss one more game for RSL, and they're still so clearly one of the best six teams in the league when he is around.

7. New York Red Bulls

Previous ranking: 6

There isn't a lot of satisfaction in hitting your foe while they're down, but there sure is satisfaction in collecting three points against a conference rival. That's exactly what the Red Bulls did in their 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati. They matched up with a broken Cincy team at just the right time.

8. Colorado Rapids

Previous ranking: 10

The Rapids aren't excellent at any one thing, but they sure are good at a lot of things. They had success pressing RSL, they had success constricting space in deeper areas, and they used the ball well in a narrow win over their rivals. Coach Chris Armas has a flexible unit on his hands.

9. Portland Timbers

Previous ranking: 9

Coach Phil Neville's early season in Portland was shaky to say the least, but Neville now has the team humming convincingly. Saturday's 3-0 win over RSL was their fifth win in the past six games, and comes against the fourth-placed team in the Supporters' Shield race: just the tonic for a Timbers team fighting to get into the playoff picture.

10. New York City FC

Previous ranking: 11

NYCFC found the better looks against Orlando City, but couldn't build quite enough attacking momentum within Nick Cushing's conservative lineup to secure all three points on the road in Florida and ultimately settled for a 1-1 draw.

11. Vancouver Whitecaps

Previous ranking: 13

Shipping four goals is never a good thing. But in truth, the Whitecaps were more unlucky than they were bad against Houston: the Dynamo scored four on just over a single expected goal. Their loss to Houston is just the latest chaotic episode in a chaotic season for Vanni Sartini & Co.

12. Charlotte FC

Previous ranking: 8

Karol Swiderski is back! Did Charlotte FC want him back after his loan spell in Italy? Not really, no. But were they happy to see the Poland international convert a penalty kick in a 2-2 draw with Austin FC? You bet.

play
0:38
Jon Gallagher slots in the goal for Austin FC

Jon Gallagher slots in the goal for Austin FC

13. Houston Dynamo

Previous ranking: 15

New DP striker Ezequiel Ponce had a quiet debut for Houston, though the Dynamo's win over the Whitecaps was anything but quiet. They came out on the right side of a 4-3 thriller in Vancouver, with Griffin Dorsey scoring twice.

14. Orlando City

Previous ranking: 14

With Duncan McGuire in France with the U.S. men's Olympic squad, Ramiro Enrique picked a great time to go on a scoring streak. The 23-year-old has scored in four straight games, snagging Orlando's only goal in their 1-1 draw with NYCFC.

15. Atlanta United FC

Previous ranking: 23

Even with Atlanta playing at home, I sure didn't have "a team with zero attacking DPs beats the scariest foe in MLS" on my bucket list. But, hey, Stian Gregersen went to town on set pieces, scoring twice, and Atlanta United got the job done against Columbus.

16. Minnesota United

Previous ranking: 16

Beating the Quakes isn't a real statement these days, but it was nice to see Minnesota break its nine-game winless streak. Minnesota United wasn't flawless defensively, but the Loons had more attacking firepower and enough solidity to earn a straightforward 2-0 win.

17. Seattle Sounders

Previous ranking: 12

Brian Schmetzer swung and missed with his lineup against LAFC, again using Pedro de la Vega as a half-space player rather than as a pure wide threat. The Sounders created oh-so-little for long stretches and couldn't keep things locked down at the back, losing 3-0.

18. Toronto FC

Previous ranking: 18

John Herdman must be thrilled to have his players back from Canada's Copa America squad. Richie Laryea, who helped Jesse Marsch's squad to the semis, started and score the eventual game winner for Toronto against CF Montreal.

19. Philadelphia Union

Previous ranking: 26

There's nothing quite like smashing a couple of bad teams to get your confidence back. The Union scored eight goals across their wins over New England (on Wednesday) and Nashville (on Saturday). Tai Baribo and Daniel Gazdag are finding the net, and homegrown talents are in the spotlight.

20. Nashville SC

Previous ranking: 17

Nashville wasn't getting any real production from its wingers to begin with. Now Tyler Boyd is out for the year. And on Saturday, they were played off the field by the Union in a 3-0 defeat. Things are bleak, to say the least.

21. FC Dallas

Previous ranking: 20

It wasn't pretty, but a Paul Arriola's penalty kick in second-half stoppage time secured FC Dallas a point on the road against the Revs. Peter Luccin has pushed a handful of the right buttons in Frisco -- Arriola has a future as a right wing-back.

22. D.C. United

Previous ranking: 22

DC United spent their bye week getting blasted 4-0 by Celtic in a friendly. So, uh, that's cool I guess?

23. Austin FC

Previous ranking: 21

Osman Bukari made his debut for Austin, bringing one-on-one threat to Josh Wolff's squad. Bukari didn't contribute to the box score, but it's easy to see him becoming a key piece of this team after this 2-2 draw with Charlotte.

24. Chicago Fire

Previous ranking: 25

The Fire couldn't hang with Inter Miami. There's no shame in that fact, but it does speak to the reality that Chicago are several rungs behind the best that their conference has to offer these days.

25. CF Montréal

Previous ranking: 19

The reality for Montreal is painful, but consistent: their floor is low, and their ceiling is low. They dropped all three points to Toronto FC this weekend and didn't have enough juice to even get on the scoreboard.

26. Sporting Kansas City

Previous ranking: 24

Willy Agada is a game-changer, people. The 24-year-old striker scored his team's only goal in its 1-1 draw with St. Louis and adds elite speed and off-ball movement to Peter Vermes' attack. He's a must-start.

27. St. Louis City SC

Previous ranking: 27

New signing Cedric Teuchert made his debut for St. Louis in his team's 1-1 draw with SKC on Saturday. The former 2. Bundesliga goal scorer wasn't all that involved, but he served as the first sign of change for a club that desperately needs it.

28. New England Revolution

Previous ranking: 28

It was a delight to see 17-year-old left back Peyton Miller get his first start for the Revs against Dallas, but dropping points at home was somewhat less of a delight for coach Caleb Porter.

29. San Jose Earthquakes

Previous ranking: 29

The Quakes started a backup center-back, a teenager and a winger in their back line against Minnesota United. They lost, predictably. Things are horrible in San Jose.

Read 65 times

Soccer

UEFA pledges $1 billion to grow women's soccer

UEFA pledges $1 billion to grow women's soccer

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNYON, Switzerland -- UEFA pledged Wednesday to steer 1 billion ($1....

How Messi made his Inter Miami teammates better on and off the field

How Messi made his Inter Miami teammates better on and off the field

EmailPrintLionel Messi transformed Inter Miami from a bottom-table team to one of the greatest in th...

Van Nistelrooy: 'Mixed emotions' for Utd job bow

Van Nistelrooy: 'Mixed emotions' for Utd job bow

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester United's interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has admi...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Bulls' Ball out at least 10 days with wrist sprain

Bulls' Ball out at least 10 days with wrist sprain

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is expected to be sidelin...

NBA Power Rankings: The 30 newcomers setting each team's tone

NBA Power Rankings: The 30 newcomers setting each team's tone

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWe're a little over a week into the 2024-25 NBA season and a lot ha...

Baseball

Sources: Interfering Yanks fans banned from G5

Sources: Interfering Yanks fans banned from G5

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe New York Yankees fans who were ejected from Game 4 of the World...

Backs to the wall in World Series Game 5? Yankees signed Gerrit Cole for moments just like this

Backs to the wall in World Series Game 5? Yankees signed Gerrit Cole for moments just like this

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- On Sept. 20, before a game against the Oakland A's, Ger...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated