The opening phase of the 2025 Leagues Cup is in the rearview as most teams returned to Major League Soccer action this week for the final stretch of summer games.
While the weekend saw an Orlando City SC 4–1 domination against Inter Miami, and new stars Son Heung-min and Djordje Mihailovic debut for LAFC and Toronto FC, respectively, it also saw quite a few shifts in the weekly Sports Illustrated MLS Power Rankings.
With all the games from Matchday 28 completed, here’s how teams stack up.
MLS Power Rankings Matchday 28: Clubs 30-16
30. D.C. United (Previous 30)
29. LA Galaxy (Previous: 29)
28. CF Montréal (Previous: 27)
27. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 29)
26. Atlanta United (Previous: 26)
25. Sporting Kansas City (Previous 25)
24. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 21)
23. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 24)
22. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 19)
21. New England Revolution (Previous: 23)
20. FC Dallas (Previous: 22)
19. Toronto FC (Previous: 20)
18. Portland Timbers (Previous: 17)
17. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 18)
16. Austin FC (Previous: 15)
15. Chicago Fire FC (Previous: 14)
Chicago Fire FC probably would have been okay with a 2–2 draw against LAFC if that’s what was on offer before the match, but surrendering points in a match they led twice will feel like a result they let get away.
While the Fire weren’t able to handle Son Heung-min and were continuously caught out by the LAFC second-half attacking trio of Nathan Ordaz, Denis Bouanga and Son, they had some bright moments they can build on. Among those were continued strong play from Philip Zickernagel, who picked up a pair of assists and a few big saves from Chris Brady.
The result ended their winning streak, but also extended their undefeated run to four games, as they look ahead to a matchup against St. Louis CITY SC where they will be heavy favorites.
14. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 16)
94’ | PRESTON JUDD THE MAN YOU ARE 🔥🔥🔥 GRIT & GOAL
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) August 10, 2025
SJ 2 - 1 VAN pic.twitter.com/PDyuSkksKl
The San Jose Earthquakes can be pretty happy with how the weekend went, especially given the drama of Preston Judd’s stoppage-time winning goal against a strong Vancouver Whitecaps FC side.
However, head coach Bruce Arena likely would have wanted a more comfortable performance from his side after Whitecaps defender Edier Ocampo was sent off in the 27th minute, leaving the Earthquakes with a significant advantage.
Despite the potential areas for improvement, it was still a big win against one of the stronger MLS clubs this season and brought the Earthquakes into the ninth and final MLS Cup Playoff spot to end the weekend.
13. New York City FC
It was an extra week of rest for New York City FC this weekend after they participated in Leagues Cup, but they will look ahead to next week’s return to MLS play against Nashville SC.
12. Seattle Sounders FC (Previous: 13)
Seattle Sounders FC are the team of the moment. They beat all three Liga MX opponents in the Leagues Cup Phase One and put down a 4–0 beating on the LA Galaxy this weekend.
Pedro de la Vega is in the form of his life and continued to star with his elite deliveries from wide areas and creative moments on Sunday in Carson, California. Meanwhile, Danny Musovski has continued to step up as a depth striker, scoring a brace to bring him to 10 goals on the season.
All that, before even mentioning the form of Jesus Ferreira, or Paul Rothrock’s goal and continued rise to stardom. At this point, the Sounders aren’t just a good team, but they’re a legitimate MLS Cup contender and Leagues Cup favorite.
The only caveat: How sustainable can this be?
11. Columbus Crew SC (Previous: 9)
Columbus Crew SC were one of the few MLS teams that didn’t return to action this weekend. They will look ahead to next week’s clash against Toronto FC as they chase the Philadelphia Union at the top of the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
10. LAFC (Previous: 11)
Relive all the best moments from Son Heung-Min's MLS debut. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/B7fvFyIhXk
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 10, 2025
The Son Heung-min era has arrived, and it has its first point. But, can we talk about how he should have taken the penalty kick instead of Denis Bouanga? I get it, Bouanga is the taker, but come on!
After breaking the MLS incoming transfer record with a $26 million fee paid to Tottenham Hotspur midweek, Son stepped right into MLS action in his first game, playing just over 30 minutes off the bench in a 2–2 draw against the Chicago Fire.
Sports Illustrated broke down his entire performance, but drawing a penalty and combining well as a pseudo-striker was a good first showing, especially considering it was his first competitive club minutes since the end of the 2024–25 European season.
The result left a lot to be desired for LAFC, but finding a draw after falling behind is never a bad thing.
9. Nashville SC (Previous: 7)
Oh dear, Nashville SC. A 3–1 loss to St. Louis CITY SC?
Despite being one of the best MLS teams this summer, Nashville SC suffered a gut-wrenching defeat this weekend, falling to one of the most underperforming teams in the league, and getting little from their star players.
While Hany Mukhtar scored his 12th goal of the season with a late consolation penalty, there wasn’t much to be happy about for the Coyotes, as an inferior St. Louis side thoroughly outplayed them.
At the same time, Nashville didn’t help their case. They failed to score on 18 shots only hitting the target with three of their attempts, which included the penalty kick.
That’s two MLS losses in a row now for Nashville, after previously falling to San Diego FC. However, it’s likely still too early to worry, as they have Mukhtar’s continued form, and still can rely on MLS Golden Boot leader Sam Surridge to score some big goals down the stretch.
8. Charlotte FC (Previous: 10)
Wilfried Zaha once again stepped up for Charlotte FC, as they secured a 1–0 win over FC Cincinnati on Sunday, making the most of their personnel advantage after Cincinnati’s Brian Anunga was sent off in the 70th minute.
Zaha’s strike on a perfect volley to beat Roman Celentano marked his seventh goal and 12th contribution of the season pushing Charlotte to seventh in the Eastern Conference. It also secured the full points on an impressive night for Kristijan Kahlina, who made eight saves for the clean sheet.
Head coach Dean Smith’s side has been inconsistent at times, but the win continues a stellar run as they extended their MLS win streak to five games, with their last loss back on June 28 against the Chicago Fire.
7. Minnesota United (Previous: 6)
It's Tommy time! ⏰
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 10, 2025
What a special moment as Tommy Schweinitz scores after joining @MNUFC with @MakeAWish. pic.twitter.com/WxsR9oaKXZ
The match started in a heartwarming way with Make-A-Wish kid Tommy Schweinitz scoring off the kickoff, and Tani Oluwaseyi bagged his 10th goal of the season. Still, it was an otherwise frustrating day for Minnesota United in a 2–1 loss against the Colorado Rapids.
In some ways, they fell victim to their own plan, as Colorado scored twice off quick transitions, and tended to surrender the ball for significant portions of the match. Minnesota ended the game uncharacteristically with 60 percent possession.
Onto next week for the Loons now, and they likely won’t change much, as they get set to take on the high-flying Seattle Sounders.
6. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 5)
The last time Tim Ford refereed a Vancouver Whitecaps FC match, then head coach Vanni Sartini threatened to throw him in the nearby ocean, saying: “If they found [Ford] in False Creek then I’m going to be a suspect. I’m not saying that I would do it, I’m saying I’m the first suspect—it’s different,” before eventually being hit with a hefty fine and suspension.
Sartini might not be there anymore—replaced by a much more reserved Jesper Sørensen—but injured captain Ryan Gauld posted his frustrations on Instagram, and injured left back Sam Adekugbe expressed his frustrations on Twitter.
The firestorm of frustration came amid a contentious match, which ended 2–1 in favor of the San Jose Earthquakes, which included a VAR-revised penalty and a double yellow card and a red card given to Whitecaps defender Ediér Ocampo.
It wasn’t all frustration for Vancouver on the night, as they did draw level with Brian White’s 100th career goal, and showed flashes of chance creation even with 10 men, a strong precursor to adding FC Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller for next week’s game against the Houston Dynamo.
The loss dropped them to four points behind San Diego with a game in hand, placing them firmly in second place in the Western Conference.
5. Inter Miami (Previous: 3)
At times, Lionel Messi doesn’t seem vital to Inter Miami’s success. This weekend was not one of those times.
Rather than having players step up to the task, Miami floundered their way to a 4–1 loss to Florida rivals Orlando City SC, conceding in the second minute and struggling to find their footing in a dismal second half.
While Messi’s influence is unparalleled compared to any other player in MLS, Miami had recently been able to handle situations without him. On Sunday, though, they struggled in every aspect, with the significant wear on Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets showing, and Oscar Ustari making several mistakes between the sticks.
On the bright side, the goal from Yannick Bright was one of outstanding quality and suggested he should get more significant playing time, especially if there is a possibility that Busquets is to find some rest.
Yet, the result marked a 7–1 loss on aggregate over two games against Orlando this season, a pretty nightmare result against your biggest and closest rival.
4. Orlando City SC (Previous: 8)
Luis Muriel didn’t score for 14 straight matches and over two months, but now he has five goals in his last two games, as Orlando looks like a real threat in their rise to fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Muriel got things started early for Orlando in their 4–1 win over Inter Miami, and brought his season total to 14 goals and 14 assists after slotting home his brace. Additionally, Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda bagged goals, as that trio continues to showcase as one of the best in the league.
Aside from the attacking trio, the midfield double-pivot of Eduard Atuesta and Cesar Araujo were a commanding presence against Miami, and nullified any impacts from Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo and Rodrigo De Paul.
Watch out, MLS. Orlando City is here, and they’re looking good.
3. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 4)
FC Cincinnati get the rare feat of losing the match, but moving up in the weekly power rankings. Despite their loss to Charlotte FC, Cincinnati put in a strong performance, which saw them post 1.45 xG, compared to Charlotte’s 0.47, while also winning the shots battle 17–8
Head coach Pat Noonan and the rest of the Cincinnati players were frustrated during and after the match as well, with the red card to Anunga and other calls not going their way, on a night where they were undoubtedly the better team.
Yet, they will have to move on from this one and look ahead to next week’s clash against Evander’s old team, the Portland Timbers, as they look to move up from second in the Eastern Conference.
2. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 2)
The Philadelphia Union should have gotten all three points this weekend, but fell victim to the famed curse of “the other team just signed a new star player,” in the matchup against Toronto FC, who saw a starring performance from Djordje Mihailovic.
For the Union, they can be happy with most of their performance, and the perfect execution on a counter-attack, which led to their opening goal early in the match from Indiana Vassilev. Meanwhile, defender Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner continued to be dominant at the back.
Things have been more challenging for the Union since Tai Baribo’s goal scoring slowed down after a wicked start to the season. Still, they have time to either get him back in form ahead of the MLS Cup Playoffs or find a way for Mikael Uhre and new signing Milan Iloski to contribute.
Nevertheless, a point is a point.
1. San Diego FC (Previous: 1)
CHUCKY LOZANO! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/SskxZyogL0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 10, 2025
Oh, baby, Chucky Lozano! The Mexican international scored one of the best goals of the weekend in the matchup against Sporting Kansas City, putting in a tough tackle before firing a shot from long range in the 2–0 victory.
The result, though, was largely expected for San Diego. Although their Leagues Cup campaign could have gone better, they have continued to be among the best teams in MLS and continued that this weekend. The win also made them the first expansion team to secure five consecutive victories.
Anders Dreyer also picked up an assist and a goal in this one, continuing his superstar run that has him at 12 goals and 15 assists now, ranking first in MLS for goal contributions, and making him a challenger for MVP honors alongside Messi and Evander.
Looking to keep up their form, San Diego takes on San Jose next week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Power Rankings: LAFC Rise and Orlando City Soar After Matchday 28.