2025 MLS Week 2 Power Rankings

Major League Soccer parity is unmatched. The supposed best teams and best attacks in the league fell flat in week two, while some of the surprise teams continued their hot start. In the grand scheme of things, the opening few weeks are extremely unconsequential in this league. With that being said, it allows us to feel out all 30 teams and predict their trajectory across the next couple of months. Some CONCACAF Champions Cup teams continue to struggle with roster rotation and depth while playing midweek matches, the current rules just do not allow for a deep enough squad. The Week 2 Power Rankings:

1. INTER MIAMI CF (+2) | 4-1 W HOU

Inter Miami wasted no time claiming the top spot in the rankings. Luis Suarez is inevitable, he assisted all three goals Miami scored in the first half and showcased some nifty dribbling to create one for himself later on. Telasco Segovia was incredible out of the midfield, scoring a brace. Tadeo Allende scored one of the best goals so far in the early season. No Lionel Messi was no problem for this team, which was the case a lot of times last year as well. The only real negative about this team so far is their inability to stay level-headed. Tomas Aviles was shown a red card in game one, while both Messi and Suarez were fined for postgame antics. In the thrashing of Houston, Miami earned three unnecessary yellow cards late in stoppage time, topped off by an Ian Fray red card after the final whistle.

2. LAFC (+2) | 1-0 W NYC

LAFC has done the exact same thing in each of its first two matches. The home side was on the back foot for much of its two 1-0 victories to start the year, though the job got done in the end thanks to late match-winners. Denis Bouanaga was on the ball plenty, but struggled to complete dribbles and win 50/50 balls. As a whole, the attack was average. The star of the show was Timothy Tillman in the midfield, who did a little bit of everything in the win. Nkosi Tafari's first real minutes were quality as well. Olivier Giroud has still yet to locate his shooting boots in Los Angeles, but Ryan Hollingshead came off the bench to net the winner.

3. COLUMBUS CREW (+3) | 1-0 W NE

Columbus Crew will never not be near the top of the East with Wilfired Nancy at the helm. The system is just so sound that it hardly matters who is playing in it. Jacen Russell-Rowe looks poised to pick up the scoring, even if a new striker is on the way at some point soon. Diego Rossi was hardly involved, but it did not matter in the defensive battle against New England. Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi starred at wingback, and the defensive unit ceded no meaningful chances.

4. CHARLOTTE FC (+3) | 2-0 W ATL

Charlotte FC introduced Wilfried Zaha in a big way, as he carried the ball forward for the side's first goal of the day, only to grab one of his own later on. Adilson Malanda remains one of the top center backs in MLS, while Kristijan Kahlina is defending his Goalkeeper of the Year award well thus far. Tim Ream is holding his own at the left back position as well, even at age 37. Pep Biel has been a positive contributor, but this team could use a whole lot more from Liel Abada and Patrick Agyemang. The early season hype of Charlotte will be tested in its next match, on the road against Inter Miami.

5. FC CINCINNATI (-4) | 4-1 L PHI

FC Cincinnati posted a stinker of a performance in Philadelphia. Evander was the only positive going forward, and rewarded himself with a lovely left-footed finish. Kevin Denkey was kept under wraps and Yuya Kubo was disappointing. The backline got shredded for four goals. The midfield looked weak, but this all comes with having to play two or three games in a week. Cincy is still one of the best squads in the league, but Luca Orellano's return cannot come soon enough, along with Matt Miazga a bit later down the line.

6. ATLANTA UNITED (-4) | 2-0 L CLT

Atlanta United failed to generate much of anything outside a few tough angle attempts from Miguel Almiron. Almiron was the best player for his team on the weekend, completing all four of his dribbles. Emmanuel Latte Lath was unable to break Adilson Malanda, and he ended up coming off early. Alexey Miranchuk has yet to impress for Atlanta since arriving last season, this team needs a lot more from its attacking midfielder. Stian Gregersen played a solid match at center back, but Wilfried Zaha simply got the best of Atlanta in his debut.

7. NEW YORK RED BULLS (+2) | 2-0 W NSH

The New York Red Bulls grabbed an important win in their home opener. Emil Forsberg scored an absolute beauty, while some young players in Omar Valencia and Mohammed Sofo got involved. Eric Choupo-Moting looks active around goal and that account opener is bound to arrive soon. Alexander Hack is anchoring a strong backline. As a unit, the Red Bulls are coming together. The dominant win over Nashville was without Lewis Morgan, and Felipe Carballo has yet to be inserted into the XI.

8. SEATTLE SOUNDERS (-3) | 2-0 L RSL

The Seattle Sounders should stop putting the ball in their own net. The volume of matches led Brian Schmetzer to play a lineup half composed of backups, and the whole putting the ball in their own net thing certainly doesn't help. The renowned Sounders defense has not looked too hot, and Nouhou has especially struggled. This team still has the firepower it needs to succeed over the course of the season, but a 2-0 loss to a faltering Real Salt Lake side will be a mark on their resume.

9. MINNESOTA UNITED (+1) | 1-0 W MTL

Minnesota United played CF Montreal off the pitch at Allianz Arena, but it left the match with a tight 1-0 victory. Kelvin Yeboah has proved he is one of the best strikers in the league, each touch on the ball is dangerous for the opposition. He was everywhere for the Loons and connected with strike partner Tani Oluwaseyi for the winner. There was not a bad performance across the starting lineup for Minnesota, it was a solid and gritty win, though Eric Ramsay will want more than one goal in a match like that.

10. ORLANDO CITY SC (+4) | 4-2 W TFC

Orlando City has found itself in a pair of 4-2 affairs to start the year. While it's good to score six goals, this team badly needs Robin Jansson back from injury. Cesar Araujo scored a wonder free kick, while Martin Ojeda was quite influential going forward. Alex Freeman put in a great shift at right back, wich was rewarded with a first MLS goal. Orlando has so many options in the attack that Marco Pasalic and Ivan Angulo did not even have to contribute to goals. Cleaning up the volume of goals conceded is the next step for the Lions.

11. LA GALAXY (-3) | 2-1 L VAN

LA Galaxy still should not be panicking, but it's really not looking great. The lack of Riqui Puig was always going to be an issue, though it might be even more consequential than initially thought. The injury list just keeps growing and the Galaxy are entering the danger zone. Emiro Garces left the loss against Vancouver with a calf injury, while Lucas Sanabria, who tried to fill in for Puig in this one, is expected to be out long-term after suffering a fractured shoulder/collarbone. Miki Yamane was LA's best player in week one, but he too is out with a hamstring tweak. Gabriel Pec got on the scoresheet at least, but he might be the only healthy star for the forseeable future. The Galaxy badly need some other pieces to step up.

12. COLORADO RAPIDS (-) | 3-3 D DAL

The Colorado Rapids will be disappointed to score three goals at home and not win the match. The most frantic match of MLS this season saw Colorado get out to a flying start, only to let Dallas right back in the game. Rafael Navarro was in the right place at the right time to score a brace for the Rapids. Oliver Larraz was the Rapids' best player, he looked comfortable on the ball and dished out two assists. Djordje Mihailovic created plenty of chances, though his cross to Navarro was deflected and won't count as an assist. The new-look defense needs to figure it out, but the attack certainly came alive.

13. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (+4) | 2-1 W SKC

The San Jose Earthquakes had a chance for two conescutive clean sheets to open the season, but an unlucky Ian Harkes handball gave Sporting Kansas City a look from the penalty spot. The Quakes went big with two striker pickups during the offseason. Those paid off on Saturday, as Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez both got on the scoresheet. Hernan Lopez's red card forced San Jose to alter its play style, but it held strong and grabbed a second straight win.

14. PHILADELPHIA UNION (+7) | 4-1 W FCC

The Philadelphia Union has silenced all the noise two weeks in. Tai Baribo has jumped out as the Golden Boot favorite, scoring a hat trick to follow up his previous brace, and becoming the fourth player in MLS history to score five goals in the first two games of a campaign. Kai Wagner is still one of the best players in the league, no fullback comes close to the impact he has on a game. The midfield is beginning to come together as well. Quinn Sullivan was all over the pitch. To make things even better, club-record signing Bruno Damiani added a goal at the end. Philly's 4-1 win over Cincinnati is a statement of intent.

15. AUSTIN FC (-4) | 1-0 L POR

Austin FC dropped its match against Portland in the worst way possible, a late tiebreaker. After a solid defensive performance that probably deserved a 0-0 draw, an untouched free kick leaked into Brad Stuver's net at the death. Austin has not gotten much out of Brandon Vazquez so far, but he did come close on a set piece. Myrto Uzuni made his sub debut, they'll want to get him going soon. It seems as if Austin has not found its favorite starting lineup at this point, and it will take some time for this team to truly figure out its identity.

16. FC DALLAS (-) | 3-3 D COL

FC Dallas has a whole lot to love going forward. Petar Musa has played an unreal assist and scored a goal of his own in both matches so far in 2025. Luciano Acosta walked in on goal and scored a nonchalant chip for his first in Dallas. Pedrinho was a surprise start on the wing, but he also looked good with a goal in his premier MLS start. Osaze Urhoghide is looking like a fabulous addition on defense. Dallas lost the midfield battle and ceded possession to the Rapids on most occasions, but Eric Quill's side earned a draw that felt like a win on Saturday night.

17. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (+5) | 2-1 W LA

The Vancouver Whitecaps are off to a 2-0 start to the 2025 campaign and sit tied atop the Western Conference with San Jose, just as everyone predicted. On a real note, it's still far too early to judge, but the Whitecaps are looking legit. Brian White's scoring touch is back in action, while Ryan Gauld and Jayden Nelson command a ton of attention from the opposition. The midfield battle was won emphatically in favor of Vancouver in the win over the Galaxy, as Andres Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter battled. If Pedro Vite does take that next step, which is looking more likely with the start of his season, this team gets even more scary from front to back. The Whitecaps have an extremely favorable early season schedule to build off of whilst competing in CCC.

18. HOUSTON DYNAMO (-5) | 4-1 L MIA

Houston Dynamo posted a truly embarrassing performance at home against Inter Miami. There is cause for legit concern around this team due to a severe lack of spark. The entire backline and midfield got absolutely torched. Andrew Tarbell is not an MLS-quality starter, while Femi Awodesu's youth showed in this one. Jack McGlynn is one of the only positives about this team right now, and even he handed Miami its first goal of the night on a silver platter, which was followed up by DP midfielder Artur doing exactly the same. Sebastian Kowalczyk was the most promising and active player in the squad. At least Nico Lodeiro came on and scored a goal, but he will not be the Dynamo's saving grace.

19. REAL SALT LAKE (+1) | 2-0 W SEA

Real Salt Lake played to a much-needed 2-0 blanking of the Seattle Sounders. Forster Ajago scored off the bench after potting one midweek in CCC, silencing the noise of needing a striker as best he can. Diogo Goncalves was better, but still did not spend enough time on the ball. RSL was the beneficiary of a heavily rotated Sounders squad, but still deserve credit for the clean sheet and the midfield victory. Still, it's going to take a lot more going forward for RSL to be a consistent team that can compete in the Western Conference.

20. NYCFC (-5) | 1-0 L LAFC

NYCFC played a neutral game at LAFC for almost an hour and a half before getting punched in the face late. The drop here is probably a bit much, but it's just the way the cookie has crumbled thus far. NYCFC has a better squad with more potential than a good portion of the league, but they still have to prove it. Tayvon Gray came off in the eighth minute with an injury, leaving the team with a lack of speed going forward. Chances were hard to come by and Alonso Martinez had a tough time getting on the ball. This is an unfortunate early sesaon loss that NYCFC will likely not take a whole lot from, it's simply onto the next. That next task will be a home date against Orlando City.

21. ST. LOUIS CITY SC (-2) | 0-0 D SD

St. Louis City should have scored a goal in its opening game against Colorado, as they amassed 2.01 xG. That was not the case in the team's second straight scoreless draw. The xG total sat at sub-0.1 in the inaugural Snapdragon Stadium game. St. Louis got absolutely dominated in possession, but held strong enough at the back to grab a point with Henry Kessler and Kyle Hiebert as the anchors. A point in each of the first two games is not the worst possible outcome, but it's time for the big-money attackers to make something happen in front of goal.

22. PORTLAND TIMBERS (+1) | 1-0 W ATX

The Portland Timbers are on the board in the 2025 table, thanks to its new DP attacking midfielder David da Costa. He didn't exactly mean to score the goal, but it's a start in trying to replace Evander. The Timbers' performance was not anything to write home about, but three points is three points. Finn Surman and Zac McGraw held it down for Portland, while James Pantemis made some fine saves while stepping in for Maxime Crepeau. The Timbers just need to get by until the crucial returns of Santiago Moreno, Jonathan Rodriguez and Juan Mosquera.

23. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (-5) | 1-0 L CLB

The New England Revolution has no attack, at least through two weeks. They have seldom held possession in the final third of the field thus far. The four players in attack are clearly capable players, but it seems that Caleb Porter's system has killed any source of excitement or risk-taking going forward. Negative passing has been the theme for New England so far, and that is not going to score a single goal. Mamadou Fofana and Brayan Ceballos look like a good center back pairing, but Jacen Russell-Rowe had far too much space to notch the lone goal in a Revs game so far this season. A late penalty decision did not go their way after VAR, as is customary for the team that was given just one MLS PK in 2024.

24. SAN DIEGO FC (+1) | 0-0 D STL

San Diego FC opened Snapdragon Stadium for business in MLS with a scoreless draw against the very team they are hoping to recreate. St. Louis's inaugural season was unlike any other, and San Diego is following suit with an undefeated start. Mikey Varas' side loves to play in possession, they had 72% of it in this match. Jeppe Tverskov was the top performer in the squad, as he completed over 100 passes and intercepted six balls in the center of midfield. Hirving Lozano left in the first half with an injury, so that may be a concern. Otherwise, things are looking up for the newest team in the league.

25. CF MONTREAL (-1) | 1-0 L MIN

CF Montreal failed to generate a shot on goal at Minnesota and was lucky to only lose by one. Jonathan Sirois did what he could with five saves, but there was not a whole lot going on elsewhere. Montreal held the ball but did absolutely nothing with it, allowing Minnesota to hit on the counter and excel on set piece opportunities. Montreal showed signs of life in game one, but those signs did not reappear in the second match of the year. Changes are needed for this team to be effective in consistent chance creation.

26. CHICAGO FIRE (-) | 2-2 D DC

Chicago Fire's lack of defensive structure was evident within the first four minutes of the 2-2 draw with DC United, but it should have still resulted in a victory. DC's stoppage time equalizer was not for a lack of defense, however, it was just a moment of brilliance. Chicago scored two nearly identical goals, as Jack Elliott flicked the ball to the back post for Hugo Cuypers to force home. Chicago is capable of scoring goals, but it's just missing out on a fully cohesive unit, especially in midfield.

27. DC UNITED (+2) | 2-2 D CHI

DC United has opened the season with a pair of 2-2 draws, one from behind, and one from ahead. The latter tie against Chicago can be credited to Jacob Murrell's unreal bicycle kick in the 90+6'. Christian Benteke continues to be the entire strategy for DC, but shocked everyone when he blasted a penalty kick over the crossbar. Someone else had to step up, and Murrell did, along with Aaron Herrera. Herrera got back to his masterful chance creating ways and was a massive reason that DC remains unbeaten.

28. NASHVILLE SC (-1) | 2-0 L RBNY

Nashville SC's lone bright spot right now is Eddi Tagseth. The youthful pickup in midfield won five tackles, intercepted three passes and recovered seven balls. He is a jack of all trades and provides Nashville with the edge they need. The issue is that no one else looks up for it. Hany Mukhtar has not looked like the same player he was in 2022, while Sam Surridge was scarcely involved. The Red Bulls took the game to Nashville without much resistance. Gaston Brugman, Tyler Boyd and Jacob Shaffelburg coming back will be a welcome sight. Ahmed Qasem showed flashes off the bench and gave the side something a little different on the wing.

29. SPORTING KANSAS CITY (-1) | 2-1 L SJ

Sporting Kansas City played up a man for nearly the entire second half, but was still unable to salvage a point. Dejan Joveljic opened things up from the penalty spot, but no open play goals yet this season in MLS play. The teammate transfers Shapi Suleymanov and Manu Garcia showed extremely positive signs in the loss. SKC badly needs Nemanja Radoja and Memo Rodriguez back into the lineup in the center of the park, Zorhan Bassong and Jacob Bartlett are not going to get the job done there. Next up is a winnable game at DC United.

30. TORONTO FC (-) | 4-2 L ORL

Toronto FC is well on its way to becoming one of the worst defensive teams in MLS history. An average of three goals against per game will not win you any games, as small as the sample size is. On the bright side, Deybi Flores scored one of the most satisfying volleys out there into the bottom right corner, though it was of little importance. Sean Johnson let all four shots he faced on target into his net while no one in front of him cared to help anyway. Richie Laryea left the game in the 22nd minute due to injury. Federico Bernardeschi remains dangerous on the wings, he just does not have a whole lot of help in the squad.