MLS Power Rankings: Philadelphia Union, Orlando City Make Big Jumps After Matchday 14 | OneFootball

What a week it was in MLS.

With the season hitting its stride, most teams took on their first double-matchweek of the season while also taking on the first Rivalry Week of 2025. With record-setting performances, shocking upsets, and even some stunning re-signings, it was a week that could go on to have an everlasting effect on the season.

From an LA Galaxy comeback in El Tráfico to an Orlando City SC thrashing against Inter Miami CF in the Florida derby, MLS entertained right up until late Sunday night, as teams continued to solidify their status in the regular season.

Here’s how the teams moved in the MLS Power Rankings. Keep in mind, several teams made significant moves, given the shifts count both matches.

If you missed last week's Power Rankings, check that out here.

MLS Power Rankings after Matchday 14: Clubs 30-16

30. CF Montréal (Previous: 27)29. D.C United (Previous: 26)28. LA Galaxy (Previous: 30)27. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 25)26. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 28)25. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 23)24. Atlanta United (Previous: 21)23. FC Dallas (Previous: 22)22. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 20)21. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 29)20. Toronto FC (Previous: 24)19. Charlotte FC (Previous: 14)18. New England Revolution (Previous: 15)17. Portland Timbers (Previous: 18)16. Austin FC (Previous: 17)

15. Chicago Fire FC (Previous: 19)

Brian Gutiérrez scored a brace for Chicago Fire FC and could be an option for the U.S. men's national team this summer. / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Chicago Fire FC's week could not have gone much better. They picked up six points with a 2–1 win over Atlanta United and a 4–1 win over Charlotte FC, and were in control through both matches.

It has taken new manager Gregg Berhalter a little bit of time to find his team’s best form, but they showcased it this week with a mix of contributors. Key attackers Brian Gutiérrez, Jonathan Bamba, Philip Zinckernagel, and Hugo Cuypers all scored at least once.

While Cuypers’s goal against Atlanta marked his eighth of the season to keep him in the MLS Golden Boot race, Gutiérrez’s brace against Charlotte put him in prime position to earn a call-up to the U.S. men’s national team for the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup.

After a slight dip in form, Chicago has two wins in their last three games, and can be pleased with their performances heading into next week’s clash against New York City FC, the first of three road matches.

14. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 12)

The Colorado Rapids struggled through the week but won on the weekend to snap a three-match losing streak.

Their midweek 2–0 loss against San Diego FC highlighted their lack of attacking diversity, inability to shut down wide areas and struggle to hold onto the ball with any intention. Yet, it was a problem they began to solve in their 1–0 win over Real Salt Lake.

Although they seldom controlled the match in either game, they made the most of their offensive momentum, leading to Djordje Mihailovic’s winning strike and his sixth goal of the regular season.

Still, the Rapids appear to be a team that will live and die by Mihailovic’s goalscoring outputs, and have yet to unlock the potential of Josh Atencio and Ted Ku DiPietro, two offseason signings who were supposed to alleviate attacking pressure.

13. Seattle Sounders FC (Previous: 9)

Albert Rusnák continued his strong form in an otherwise challenging week for Seattle Sounders FC. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

What are the Seattle Sounders in 2025? Nearly halfway through the season, it’s tough to tell.

After winning four of their last five matches, Seattle’s form took a significant dip this week, falling 4–0 to LAFC, before picking up a 1–1 draw in their Cascadia derby against the Portland Timbers, a match where they struggled to finish on 13 shots.

Injuries have significantly impacted the Sounders this season, and their gamble of rotating the squad against LAFC in favor of a rested team in the derby didn’t pay off. There have been great moments from Danny Musovski, Albert Rusnák, and Pedro de la Vega this season, but outside of fleeting joy, the Sounders have lacked consistent efforts.

Getting ready to take on the FIFA Club World Cup next month, squad selection will continue to be a challenge for manager Brian Schmetzer, as he continues to figure out his best lineup as the season’s halfway point nears.

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory, perhaps,” Schmetzer said after the Timbers match. “We had numerous chances, statistically we were better than them, so [this was] points dropped."

12. New York City FC (Previous: 16)

Alonso Martínez led the way for New York City FC in a 2–0 Hudson River Derby victory. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York City FC returned to Citi Field and got their revenge on the New York Red Bulls, who eliminated them from the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs on the New York Mets’ field the last time the two sides met.

In the 2–0 Hudson River Derby win, Alonso Martínez continued to show his scoring touch. Outside of a blistering opening goal, he had several chances where he was able to get on the end of a pass and hold off a defender before forcing Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Coronel into a save.

Yet, Maxi Moralez put the dagger, taking advantage of Coronel’s goalkeeping mix-up. Even at 38, he continued to show up for the derby and prove his importance to the past, current and future of NYCFC.

After a disappointing 0–0 draw against D.C. United midweek, the Hudson River Derby bounce back was a perfect game for City, as they continued joy for the five boroughs, on the back of a Mets-Yankees Subway Series weekend and the New York Knicks’ NBA Playoff success.

11. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 11)

Although the San Jose Earthquakes only scored two points this week, it will go down as one of the more memorable weeks in the 2025 MLS season.

On Wednesday, they went toe-to-toe with Inter Miami CF’s attacking firepower, banking on two goals from Chicho Arango in a heated 3–3 draw with the Herons, where Lionel Messi had to be held back from a red card by San Jose manager Bruce Arena.

With that game being the midweek match, the Earthquakes appeared to lack some energy in their clash against the New England Revolution, which featured several players on both sides playing against their former clubs in a scoreless draw.

10. Nashville SC (Previous: 13)

Nashville SC grabbed a midweek 2–1 win over the New York Red Bulls and extended their undefeated streak to five matches with a scoreless draw against D.C. United on the weekend.

While their recent run of form might not have the same electrifying feel as past Nashville sides, they are continuing to rack up points and are fourth in the Eastern Conference at the end of Matchday 14.

Hany Mukhtar has also been playing near the levels he hit when he won the  2023 MLS MVP, scoring his third goal of the season (ninth goal contribution)  in the win over New York, before taking five shots against D.C.

Next week, they will look for a result against Orlando City in what will be a must-watch match between two entertaining sides.

9. Inter Miami CF (Previous: 7)

Luis Suárez (left), Jordi Alba (center) and Lionel Messi all struggled to create opportunities against Orlando City SC. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Can things get much worse for Inter Miami CF?

After a frustrating 3–3 draw midweek against San Jose, they fell 3–0 against Orlando City SC on Sunday, looking lifeless in the first Florida Derby of the season. In their last three games, they have claimed just one point and conceded 10 goals while scoring four.

Manager Javier Mascherano has tweaked his lineup in each match and started Jordi Alba as a midfielder in the derby. However, his ideas have continued to lead to disappointing performances, with the Herons sliding down to sixth in the Eastern Conference.

While Lionel Messi got into altercations with referees and blamed officiating throughout the week, he also urged his team to come together to climb out of their slump, saying: “Now we'll truly see if we're a team in difficult times, because when everything's going well, it's very easy.”

“When difficult times come, that's when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together."

The loss to Orlando was the first time Miami had been shut out at home since Oct. 7, 2023, when they fell to FC Cincinnati. It also brought Miami's record down to just two wins in their last 10 games in all competitions.

8. LAFC (Previous: 6)

LAFC certainly kept the first El Tráfico of 2025 entertaining, but they let three points slip away against the last-place LA Galaxy, who picked up their fourth draw of their still-winless campaign.

While failing to beat their struggling rivals will sting, they can rest on a solid performance that featured goals from Nathan Ordaz and Denis Bouanga and a 4–0 thrashing against the Seattle Sounders midweek.

In that match, they took advantage of a rotated Seattle side, and got goals from all of their key attacking pieces, including Cengiz Ünder, Jeremy Ebobisse, Bouanga and Yaw Yeboah before carrying that confidence into the derby match.

In three very testing games over eight days, the Black and Gold managed to grab five points and keep themselves among the West, while setting them up for a hopeful three points against CF Montréal next weekend.

7. Orlando City SC (Previous: 10)

Orlando City's Pedro Gallese (left), Robin Jansson (center) and Rodrigo Schlegel helped lead the Lions to a six-point week against Charlotte FC and Inter Miami. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It was a practically perfect week for Orlando City SC. They grabbed six points with a 3–1 win against Charlotte FC and a dominant 3–0 win over their rival Inter Miami CF in the Florida Derby, extending their undefeated streak to 11 games.

Every piece of Orlando’s setup under manager Oscar Pareja is working right now. They’re getting elite goalkeeping from Pedro Gallese, standout defending from Jordan Gerbet and Rodrigo Schlegel, and attacking contributions from Luis Muriel, Marco Pašalić and Martin Ojeda.

Against Miami, Gallese even got himself an assist, setting up Muriel for the opening goal with a long ball.

There's a lot to like about every aspect of this Orlando team, and they showed just how dominant they can be against two testing sides this week. Next up, it’s a battle against a balanced Nashville SC side, which has also enjoyed a recent run of relative form.

6. Columbus Crew SC (Previous: 2)

Columbus Crew SC will have wanted to get more out of their double-gameweek, especially after dominating the Hell is Real Derby by outplaying FC Cincinnati and winning the xG battle 2.88 to 0.83.

Midweek, they also weren’t able to secure three points, drawing CF Montréal 1–1, before the Québec side went on to lose 6–1 to Toronto FC in their derby match on Saturday.

Manager Wilfried Nancy has continuously been able to get the best out of his group, but they hit a finishing wall this week, and continue to show their need for a new addition this summer, to fully replace what Cucho Hérnandez left.

Yet, overall, there were still positives. The attacking trio of Jacen Russell-Rowe, Diego Rossi, and Daniel Gázdag is creating chances, and it might just be a matter of time before they return to finishing.

Additionally, Mohammed Farsi's and Max Arfsten's fullback play continued to shine this week, with Arfsten unlucky not to have contributed on the scoresheet, with three shots and three key passes against Cincinnati.

Next week, they’re up against a struggling Charlotte FC side.

5. San Diego FC (Previous: 5)

San Diego FC picked up four points this week with a 2–0 win against the Colorado Rapids and a scoreless draw with Sporting Kansas City, but will regret the two dropped points at home in the second match.

The midweek win over Colorado indicated how strong a team San Diego have established themselves to be in their inaugural season. Taking on a solid midfield, they were able to control possession and methodically approach their attacks while dominating the shot count 28-8.

Anders Dreyer scored to bring his season total to five goals and six assists, while CJ Dos Santos stood out with a penalty save, a highlight of the 24-year-old's two clean sheets this week.

Ahead of the season, it was clear San Diego had attacking talents, and the fact those players have exceeded expectations is one thing. However, it’s their three clean sheets in four games and overall defensive consistency that have proved as the biggest surprise so far, and a key to their winning record.

4. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 8)

FC Cincinnati can be happy with their performances this week. They claimed four of a possible six points, and weathered some significant travel between a 1–0 win over Toronto FC and a 1–1 draw in the Hell is Real Derby against Columbus Crew SC.

Kévin Denkey and Evander remained the central storyline for manager Pat Noonan’s side, linking up for the opening goal in the derby, after Denkey also scored the winning marker in the midweek match.

While the Hell is Real opener was the first Evander assist to Denkey, both have gotten off to influential starts with their new club, and Denkey became the fastest player to hit 10 goals in the team’s history, doing so in just 17 matches in all competitions.

It won’t always be easy for Cincinnati, but they continued to collect points and hold their spot atop the Eastern Conference.

3. Minnesota United (Previous: 4)

Tani Oluwaseyi scored his sixth goal in 2025 in Minnesota United's win over St. Louis CITY SC. / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

Minnesota United continued their hot form with a 3–0 victory over St. Louis CITY SC, securing their third win in their last four matches and their MLS-leading seventh clean sheet of the season.

The win also provided a nice bounce back after losing to the Houston Dynamo midweek.

The St. Louis clash was a match of two exceptionally different styles. St. Louis hoped to sit back and absorb pressure as they have all season, while Minnesota opted to attack with speed and pressure, eventually overwhelming Olof Mellberg’s CITY SC system.

Julian Gressel and Joaquin Pereyra continued to show their growth from the last few weeks and Tani Oluwaseyi netted his sixth goal of the season, helping Minnesota secure the commanding win, even as they held an unusually high 47 percent possession.

Manager Eric Ramsay has Minnesota looking slightly more comfortable each week and consistently helps the players surrounding the core of Pereyra, Oluwaseyi, Kelvin Yeboah, and Robin Lod develop into more consistent performers.

A possession-lacking team winning a league is a rarity, but Minnesota might just buck that trend.

2. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 1)

Mathias Laborda returned from injury as Vancouver Whitecaps FC picked up a point against Austin FC / Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Vancouver Whitecaps FC might be one of the few teams that would rather play midweek games than have a full week off. For the second straight week, the Western Conference leaders had a full week of recovery, and picked up just a single point; rather than the wins they were racking up in two-match weeks.

With an unrelenting heat and humidity, neither Vancouver nor Austin had many opportunities or energy during their scoreless draw. Still, manager Jesper Sørensen should be happy with goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka’s four stops and their ability to remain atop the conference despite two straight draws.

Lucky for Vancouver, they are back to a two-game week this week. On Wednesday, they face Canadian Premier League side Valour FC in the Voyageurs Cup quarterfinals before next week’s MLS clash against Real Salt Lake.

1. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 3)

Tai Baribo scored his league-leading 11th goal in Philadelphia's win over Atlanta United. / Courtesy of Philadelphia Union

The Philadelphia Union had a week to remember, picking up six points against the LA Galaxy and Atlanta United, and rising to the top of the Supporters’ Shield and Eastern Conference standings.

Against LA midweek, they came back from trailing 2–0 in the 50th minute to win 3–2 with a stoppage-time winner for Tai Baribo. The Israeli international also netted his penalty kick against Atlanta on Saturday, bringing him to 11 goals this season while scoring both game-winners.

Manager Bradley Carnell has built a system that allows each of his players to thrive. Although Baribo’s goalscoring stands out, the consistent strong play from Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes and Danley Jean Jacques has allowed the Union to continue winning, even with top-choice goalkeeper Andrew Blake sidelined.

If the two wins weren’t enough, 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan also had one of his best brief showings in his five minutes against LA, making five of five passes and helping set up the Baribo winner.