2025 MLS Week 23 Power Rankings

The Week 23 Power Rankings:

1. SAN DIEGO FC (-) | 2-1 W SJ

San Diego entered the final 10 minutes losing the match, only to completely turn the tides and survive in the top spot. Anders Dreyer popped up for one moment and that's all he needed to do to grab all three points. He's squarely in the race for the MVP award in the inaugural season of San Diego FC. They sit atop the Western Conference by quite a margin at this point in time, but will the youth of the defense be able to hold up come playoff time?

2. ORLANDO CITY SC (+1) | 3-1 W SKC

Orlando City is the hottest team in the league right now—and probably is playing the best soccer—yet they're only fifth in the league at the moment. Orlando has been on an absolute tear and are firing on all cylinders through Martin Ojeda, who has been historically consistent on this run. Luis Muriel has come alive and Tyrese Spicer was a welcome addition to the squad out on the wing. There's a lot to like and the depth has only improved.

3. FC CINCINNATI (+1) | 3-2 W POR

Despite getting out to a 3-0 lead in 37 minutes, FC Cincinnati fell back into their same old trend of not being able to win a game convincingly. Kevin Kelsy crawled Portland back with a brace in his revenge game against Cincy, though it was Evander's revenge goal that prevailed as the winner. Kevin Denkey scored in his return as well, Pavel Bucha was fantastic, but FCC still needs to find that knockout blow.

4. INTER MIAMI CF (+1) | 3-1 W LA

Inter Miami is still the likely favorite for the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup, obviously as long as Lionel Messi stays healthy. Luis Suarez had a great game in the 3-1 win over LA Galaxy, along with Jordi Alba with a goal from left back. They've still got tons of games in hand on most teams and will deal with heavy schedule congestion over the course of the next few months, but they've got the tools to handle it.

5. PHILADELPHIA UNION (-3) | 1-0 L RBNY

Philly took a rough loss against the New York Red Bulls and has continued a slight dropoff in form. Milan Iloski feels like a perfect pickup for the Union, but it does create a clog in the attack. Mikael Uhre might end up being the odd man out, but Bruno Damiani hasn't been great in the finishing realm either. From where the Union were projected preseason, it's not going so bad, but now that they're here, they want to reach for higher heights.

6. CHARLOTTE FC (+1) | 1-0 W RSL

It's funny to think about where Charlotte sat just a couple of months ago. They were in a horrible pit, but all that is far removed now. Adilson Malanda's defensive crew is back in business and he will stay the year before transferring to Middlesbrough for big money. Wilfried Zaha has rounded into fine form and Idan Toklomati is smashing goals in. The Crown are pushing for a home playoff game with their current flying form.

7. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (-1) | 1-1 D HOU

For Vancouver to leave the 1-1 draw with Houston without three points was truly a crime. Thomas Muller was so close to a debut screamer, but it was negated and led to an eventual sharing of the points. Sebastian Berhalter continued his dominance in the center of the park, while Brian White got back on the board. The Whitecaps have a lot to like about the squad they have, even without the mysterious case of Ryan Gauld, but need to get back into their shape.

8. MINNESOTA UNITED (+3) | 1-0 W SEA

Minnesota completed a gutsy victory over the Seattle Sounders in 1-0 fashion. The Loons are hardly fun to watch when they cede 71% possession to the opposition, but Eric Ramsay doesn't care about watchability. Joaquin Pereyra—who could be on the way out—scored the winner and Minnesota held up perfectly on the defensive end, which they have all season long. It was a massive result for a team still contending in the West.

9. COLUMBUS CREW (-1) | 1-1 D TFC

Columbus Crew are not playing good soccer right now. Failing to defeat Toronto FC while nursing a late lead was just another bad result. Wessam Abou Ali better be good because, my word does Columbus need a striker. Hugo Picard looked flashy in limited minutes. Diego Rossi stayed hot and Max Arfsten is playing great, but the likes of Daniel Gazdag has been a complete disappointment.

10. LOS ANGELES FC (+3) | 2-0 W NE

Heung-min Son was always going to be a star the moment he touched the pitch, and his dangerous game turned into a late assist against New England. LAFC is a great spot to make that huge run that everyone has been waiting for, but surely it's coming now with Son and Denis Bouanga at the helm going forward. They've got a whole lot of depth as well and can rotate their squad with ease. LAFC is absolutely a contender for MLS Cup again.

11. NEW YORK CITY FC (+1) | 2-1 W NSH

NYCFC had an important test and they passed it in comeback fashion. A 1-0 deficit against faltering Nashville SC was not too large to erase, as Andres Perea and Alonso Martinez got the job done. New York City has quietly been climbing and are scoring goals at a higher clip as of late. Nico Fernandez is still getting settled in, though he's been very solid and even did the dirty work with five tackles in the win.

12. NASHVILLE SC (-3) | 2-1 L NYC

Nashville's current trend is straight into the ground. They were able to draw Champions League side Aston Villa in a freidnly but have lost to San Diego, St. Louis and NYCFC back-to-back-to-back. Sam Surridge has gone ghost and Hany Mukhtar doesn't have the guys around him to succeed. Jonny Perez and Jacob Shaffelburg aren't good enough starting wingers in 2025 MLS and they overperformed during the hot stretch.

13. SEATTLE SOUNDERS (-3) | 1-0 L MIN

Seattle looked unstoppable for a minute there, but Minnesota forced them to keep the ball and bet they wouldn't finish their chances, and that's exaclty what happened. Albert Rusnak is injured and will be out for a while, so that greatly hurts the attack as well. Seattle has been wildly inconsistent but if they can get hot in time for the playoffs, there's plenty of menace within the team.

14. CHICAGO FIRE (-) | 3-2 W STL

Chicago survived a shootout against St. Louis City with Brian Gutierrez being named the hero. The Fire have been really consistent recently and are adding points up game-to-game. Philip Zinckernagel has been one of the most underrated players all season long and has been incredible off the wing. Chicago is still not safe but are in a two-horse race to grab that final play-in spot, at the very least.

15. NEW YORK RED BULLS (+2) | 1-0 W PHI

The Red Bulls have turned up when no one exactly expected them to. Beating Philadelphia is no easy task, and shutting them out is even harder. They did both and staked their claim for the last play-in spot as well. It'll be Chicago and New York fighting for the playoffs down the stretch, and the Red Bulls have a long playoff streak on the line.

16. COLORADO RAPIDS (+3) | 3-1 W ATL

Rafael Navarro seems even more free without Djordje Mihailovic. He obliterated Atlanta United and won MLS Player of the Week in the process. The addiiton of Paxten Aaronson will be huge for progression for the Rapids, and if he can get the best out of Navarro, Colorado is looking really solid. Not to mention the multitude of center back additions to try to bolster the backline as well. The Rapids are a true darkhorse at the moment.

17. AUSTIN FC (-1) | 1-1 D DAL

Austin tried to turn the corner, but it was not sustained. They just haven't been good enough in the attack over the course of the season, despite the elite defensive tendencies. The current squad makeup just is not good enough and there's certainly work to be done on the front office side of things. The DPs have shown flashes but never enough to impress for an extended period of time. Playoffs are still likely in the weak Western Conference, but not much is expected after that.

18. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (-) | 2-1 L SD

San Jose was so close to defeating San Diego, but three points quickly turned into zero after a defensive meltdown. The Earthquakes are clinging onto that final spot in the West, but Bruce Arena's side has to start winning games. Josef Martinez has been a prolific scorer again recently, though Chicho Arango has to get back into form to help him out. Cristian Espinoza has been less involved recently as well. San Jose doesn't have much time to spare.

19. PORTLAND TIMBERS (-4) | 3-2 L FCC

Portland this low feels disrespectful considering their No. 6 placement in the West, but it has truly not been a good run. Portland now ranks No. 16 in the Supporters' Shield standings and are on the back of two losses against FC Dallas and FC Cincinnati. Kevin Kelsy impressed in the loss, but it was a very solo effort and the rest of his team didn't want to help him out much.

20. FC DALLAS (+1) | 1-1 D ATX

FC Dallas is nearing a too far gone type of scenario in the table, but they're not there yet. With Luciano Acosta gone, all the pressure falls on Petar Musa. He's done well with that, but it's another case of he can't do it alone. The wingers have been useless all season long and Sebastian Lletget pulling the strings isn't going to get a team anywhere in 2025. The defense has been much improved with the return of Osaze Urhoghide, but they need to score much more to make the playoffs.

21. REAL SALT LAKE (-1) | 1-0 L CLT

Real Salt Lake has dropped into two straight losses now after falling to Charlotte FC. Victor Olatunji and Rwan Cruz started up top together, and the new strike partnership did not impress the fans in game one. Olatunji touched the ball just 15 times in 90 minutes, so it wasn't his fault. Diego Luna missed the match. RSL needs those two strikers to get hot in the final eight games, or else the lack of scoring will send this team packing.

22. HOUSTON DYNAMO (-) | 1-1 D VAN

Jack McGlynn was held under wraps by Vancouver, but when all else failed, it was an Artur miracle to save a point. It came out of nowhere and was somewhat undeserved on paper, but a strike of that caliber says otherwise. The Dynamo will absolutely take a point in that contest, and are the last team that's still in the Western Conference race. When McGlynn gets going, Houston has opportunities to make a run.

23. TORONTO FC (+1) | 1-1 D CLB

Toronto FC has been much improved result-wise since those who shall not be named departed the club. Results have been solid, including a 1-1 tie against Columbus. Djordje Mihailovic got his first assist and it was the new acquisition in Jules-Anthony Vilsaint scoring the equalizing goal. Toronto is rebuilding a culture that the city can be proud of again, and this is a very small first step.

24. CF MONTREAL (-1) | 1-1 D DC

CF Montreal will be disappointed not to beat DC United. Luca Petrasso had to tie the game on an assist from forward creator Prince Owusu, but that was all they could muster. Montreal is sending Caden Clark away to that very same DC United now, and are looking to reset for next year.

25. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (-) | 2-0 L LAFC

New England still has Caleb Porter and Curt Onalfo at the club, and they're being allowed to make a big money signing in Dor Turgeman. The Revs would be best-suited to play Turgeman and Leo Campana up top with Carles Gil floating in from the right and Luca Langoni on the left. They lost 2-0 to LAFC at home, but results are less of a care right now, as the focus is more on resetting the leadership for Revolution fans. The new signing will be interesting to see, but it's a poorly run club at the end of the day.

26. ST. LOUIS CITY SC (-) | 3-2 L CHI

St. Louis returned to the loss column despite their best attempts at playing in a shootout. Marcel Hartel scored a goal in what has been a good season on a bad team. St. Louis also needs some resetting to be done before 2026.

27. SPORTING KANSAS CITY (-) | 3-1 L ORL

Sporting Kansas City actually played really well in the loss to Orlando, but they were simply outlasted. SKC needs a new team around Dejan Joveljic, because the investment isn't enough across the starting lineup. Changes have to be made.

28. ATLANTA UNITED (-) | 3-1 L COL

Speaking of changes being made, everything about Atlanta United needs to be changed. Clubs should do the opposite of what they do. There isn't enough bad things to say about the play of Emmanuel Latte Lath and abomination that is Brad Guzan. Atlanta United is cooked.

29. DC UNITED (+1) | 1-1 D MTL

DC United climbed out of the cellar thanks to a 1-1 draw with Montreal. It was Jackson Hopkins as the unlikely scorer, though mostly the entire squad is an unlikely scorer with the lack of scoring DC United does—they are nowhere near scoring a goal per game.

30. LA GALAXY (-1) | 3-1 L MIA

LA Galaxy got smoked out by Miami in the dying moments. Joseph Paintsil scored a nice solo goal, but it didn't hold up. They return to dead last and are back to being decent favorites for the Wooden Spoon.