The 2025 MLS regular season has entered the final month and the sprint to Decision Day on Oct. 18 is heating up.
While nearly a third of the league are in a race for the Supporters’ Shield, there are feisty battles for the final MLS Cup Playoff spots, as well as teams jockeying for a top-four seed heading into the postseason.
For most teams, the rest of the year has just three or four matches remaining, while teams like Inter Miami, LAFC, and Vancouver Whitecaps have between five and six due to rescheduling.
Here’s how teams stack up in Sports Illustrated’s MLS Power Rankings after Matchday 35.
MLS Power Rankings Matchday 35: Clubs 30–16
30. CF Montréal (Previous: 28)
29. Atlanta United (Previous: 30)
28. LA Galaxy (Previous: 27)
27. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 29)
26. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 24)
25. D.C. United (Previous: 26)
24. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 25)
23. New England Revolution (Previous: 23)
22. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 22)
21. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 23)
20. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 19)
19. Toronto FC (Previous: 20)
18. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 17)
17. Portland Timbers (Previous: 15)
16. FC Dallas (Previous: 18)
15. Nashville SC (Previous: 13)
Nashville SC had two matches this week and won the one they likely cared more about: The U.S. Open Cup semifinal.
With the 2–1 win midweek over the Philadelphia Union, Nashville will have a chance to play for their first-ever trophy when they take on Austin FC on Oct. 1. In MLS; however, it was a continued struggle as they fell 3–2 to Orlando City.
The loss dropped them to seventh in the Eastern Conference and brought their form down to six losses in the last seven games. Now, the focus isn’t just on the U.S. Open Cup, but also rekindling their form in the final three matches against the Houston Dynamo, CF Montréal and Inter Miami.
14. Austin FC (Previous: 16)
Austin FC were the kings of late wins this week.
In U.S. Open Cup play, they advanced to the final with a 3–2 win against Minnesota United, with CJ Fodrey scoring the winning goal in the 120th minute of extra time. After that, they left it late against Seattle Sounders in MLS play as well, capturing a 2–1 win with a goal from Myrto Uzuni in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Head coach Nico Estévez leads the team into the U.S. Open Cup final against Nashville on Oct. 1, and they will look to climb higher than fifth place in their final four games of the season.
13. Columbus Crew SC (Previous: 11)
Wessam Abou Ali has already started to hit form for Columbus Crew, bagging his third goal in five games in a 1–1 draw with Toronto FC.
The Crew’s form has not been the best, now with two wins in their last nine games—dropping points against a struggling Toronto side won’t add much confidence. While they can be happy with Abou Ali’s start, the hope will be that he can keep it up as they look to avoid the Eastern Conference Wild Card game.
Wilfried Nancy’s side will take on Chicago Fire, Orlando City and the New York Red Bulls to close out the regular season.
12. Chicago Fire FC (Previous: 14)
Chicago Fire put together a remarkable performance with a 3–0 win over Minnesota United on Saturday night, keeping themselves above the New York Red Bulls for the last MLS Cup Playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Philip Zinckernagel continued to stand out scoring his 14th goal of the season. At the same time, the set-piece routine worked twice from similar areas, leading to goals from Djé D’Avilla and Joel Waterman, sparking the massive victory.
“We know we’re in a dogfight… We know the Red Bulls won again today, and it is what it is. So, we’re going to keep going,” head coach Gregg Berhalter said after the game. “It’s another three points to keep us moving and keep us in the picture, so that’s good.”
11. Seattle Sounders FC (Previous: 10)
It was heartbreak for Seattle Sounders on Sunday, as Myrto Uzuni scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to grab a 2–1 win for Austin and hand the Sounders their second straight loss.
With a trip to Inter Miami earlier in the week, and then to Austin, it was a busy week for the Sounders, but getting no points dashes some hopes of finishing in the top four in the Western Conference.
While there were some good moments from Georgi Minoungou out wide, and the stability of the backline, the two losses dropped their form to just one point from three games. Meanwhile, things won’t get any easier, as they take on an in-form Vancouver Whitecaps side next week.
10. New York City FC (Previous: 12)
New York City put a stop to Charlotte FC’s bid for MLS history, defeating The Crown 2–0 to end their nine-match win streak, which was tied for the longest in league history in the non-shootout era.
Alonso Martínez bagged a brace from the penalty spot, and Matt Freese stood tall with another penalty stop to secure the win, helping them clinch an MLS Cup Playoff spot heading into their final four matches.
Martínez has scored 17 goals this campaign, but much of the hope for the group comes from Nicolás Fernández, as the DP midfielder has helped lead the team to six wins in the seven games he has played.
Under head coach Pascal Jansen, NYCFC have built a strong team, and can clearly beat some of the best, making them the type of side that will be a threat come the playoffs.
9. Orlando City SC (Previous: 7)
Orlando City have yet to clinch a playoff spot officially, but they took another big step towards doing so with a 3–2 win over Nashville SC, a result that somewhat avenged their 5–1 loss to the same side two matches prior.
Not only did they pick up three points to bring themselves to sixth in the Eastern Conference, but a brace from Martín Ojeda lifted his season total to 16 goals and nine assists. Meanwhile, the 95th-minute winner from Duncan McGuire will provide some further momentum heading into the final stretch.
Head coach Óscar Pareja has helped Orlando to five straight postseason appearances, and it looks like they’ll be getting a seventh, while being a team with one of the league’s elite attacking cores.
8. Inter Miami (Previous: 9)
Lionel Messi continued to do Lionel Messi things this week, and Inter Miami secured a pair of wins against Seattle Sounders and D.C. United to stay in the Supporters’ Shield conversation.
With the amount of fixture congestion for Miami down the final stretch, every point picked up is critical. Now, they sit fifth in the Eastern Conference on 52 points, but have as many as three games in hand on other teams around them. Points-per-game-wise, they’re third in MLS behind Philadelphia and Vancouver.
However, as much as Messi has been brilliant, the team continues to struggle without him. He has 22 goals to lead the MLS Golden Boot race, but is this a team that can contend should he pick up an injury? That’s the most pressing question.
7. Charlotte FC (Previous: 5)
Charlotte FC fell short of history at Yankee Stadium as New York City FC snapped their win streak with a 2–0 result. Yet, it was a performance that showed many of Charlotte’s strengths, and could have been very different if Wilfried Zaha had scored his penalty attempt in the 69th minute.
While DP midfielder Pep Biel did not start as he continues to ease back from injury, Charlotte have a confident structure and lineup that they can rely on through the rest of the season and playoffs.
All streaks eventually come to an end, and a 2–0 loss to a strong NYCFC team isn’t the worst way to do it. Now, they look to their final three games of the season, with hopes of remaining in a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference.
6. LAFC (Previous: 8)
Things can’t get much better for LAFC right now, and they might just be MLS Cup favorites in the Western Conference after two 4–1 wins over Real Salt Lake this week.
Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min have established themselves as the most potent attacking duo in MLS, combining for all eight goals this week. Meanwhile, the club also became the first to have a player score a hat-trick in three consecutive matches.
Since making his debut, Son has scored six goals and provided three assists in seven appearances as his partnership with Bouanga blossoms. At the same time, they’ve seen elevated play from those around the pair, such as David Martínez, who had a flashy assist for Son’s first goal on Sunday.
The Black and Gold clinched a playoff spot before they kicked off this weekend to cap off a spectacular weekend.
5. Minnesota United (Previous: 2)
After picking up a massive 3–1 win over San Diego FC last weekend, Minnesota United put in one of their worst performances of the season, losing 3–0 to Chicago.
Head coach Eric Ramsay had Minnesota in a perfect counter-pressing system for much of this season. Still, without Kelvin Yeboah and Carlos Harvey, both of whom are done for at least the regular season, there are some legitimate worries.
Luckily, they have a standout goalkeeper in Dayne St. Clair, but there’s only so much a goalkeeper can do when his side’s attack dries up.
The final three games of the season are very winnable, though, taking on the Colorado Rapids, Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy.
4. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 6)
The Philadelphia Union needed a morale boost, and they got a bit of that with a slim 1–0 win over the New England Revolution at home keeping them atop the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings.
Bruno Damiani found the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season, but Bradley Carnell’s side struggled to finish despite creating 18 shots, and 1.54 xG, compared to New England’s 0.44 xG and eight shots.
3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 4)
Édier Ocampo puts @WhitecapsFC ahead early on the road!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 21, 2025
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/6hnQsXeq29 pic.twitter.com/32ERJSL2UK
No Thomas Müller, Brian White, Ryan Gauld, Ranko Veselinović and Tristan Blackmon? No problem for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they swiftly defeated Sporting Kansas City 2–0.
The win showcased stellar wide play from Édier Ocampo, who opened the scoring, and Ali Ahmed, who was a constant threat down the left side. At the same time, Vancouver secured their 13th clean sheet of the season, with goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka tying the club’s record for most in a single season.
It also brought them to 55 points, the highest the club has reached in a regular season since joining MLS in 2011, while their 16th win tied the club’s record-high.
Throughout the season, the Whitecaps have relied on their depth and now find themselves just five points short of the Philadelphia Union for the Supporters’ Shield lead, with two games in hand.
They’ll look to overtake San Diego when they face the Portland Timbers midweek, and could jump into the MLS lead next week against Seattle, before eyeing a fourth-straight Canadian Championship.
2. San Diego FC (Previous: 1)
Is it time to worry yet for San Diego FC? Maybe.
After dropping a critical Western Conference clash in a 3–1 loss to Minnesota United last weekend, San Diego drew with an Atlanta United team that has struggled in the Eastern Conference all season.
Anders Dreyer was a bright spot, scoring his 15th goal of the campaign, while Hirving “Chucky” Lozano nearly scored an Olimpico. Yet, head coach Mikey Varas’s side couldn’t create many chances, and were thoroughly outplayed by Atlanta.
Without a proven striker in the lineup, it’s becoming increasingly worrying for San Diego FC. They’ve lost significant ground in the Western Conference race, and could be primed for an MLS Cup Playoff upset.
Still, San Diego tied the record for most points by an MLS expansion team with the point. History made, but some retrospection required if a deep playoff run is to happen.
1. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 3)
FC Cincinnati didn’t make it easy this week, but they might just be turning the corner after a 3–2 win over the last-place LA Galaxy. Although beating the Galaxy this season has been a simple task for most teams, it marked back-to-back wins for Cincinnati for the first time since mid-July.
Yet, the most important takeaway from the match was the continued evocation in the chemistry between Evander, Brenner and Kévin Denkey, with Evander setting up all three goals and Brenner netting a brace.
The success of that front trio could define the end of the regular season and the playoffs for Cincinnati, especially with the potential of it being their only shot with Brenner, who might not fit within their roster build after signing center back Miles Robinson to a lofty deal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Power Rankings: FC Cincinnati, LAFC Announce Themselves After Matchday 35 .
