The 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs are fast approaching as five more teams punched their tickets to the postseason this weekend, but there are still races to watch across the league as the regular season draws to a close.
While some teams have four remaining games, and others just two, the battles for the final playoff spots and seeding have taken center stage, even as the Supporters’ Shield battle cooled down this weekend.
Here are the latest Sports Illustrated MLS Power Rankings after Matchday 37 of the 2025 regular season.
MLS Power Rankings Matchday 37: Clubs 30–16
30. Atlanta United (Previous: 29)
29. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 27)
28. D.C United (Previous: 25)
27. CF Montréal (Previous: 30)
26. LA Galaxy (Previous: 28)
25. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 24)
24. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 26)
23. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 22)
22. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 21)
21. New England Revolution (Previous: 23)
20. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 18)
19. Toronto FC (Previous: 19)
18. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 20)
17. Portland Timbers (Previous: 17)
16. Austin FC (Previous: 14)
15. Columbus Crew (Previous: 13)
It was a week to forget for the Columbus Crew, as they lost 2–0 in a critical matchup against the Chicago Fire, a result which could see the two sides meet again in the playoffs, but potentially in Chicago.
Although head coach Wilfried Nancy has consistently delivered strong performances during his time with Columbus, the team has struggled recently, winning just twice in their last 10 matches.
Making matters worse, new Designated Player striker Wessam Abou Ali is unavailable until at least the end of the regular season, leaving the Crew without the player who rekindled some of their playoff hopes.
The New York Red Bulls’ loss to New York City FC was significant for the Crew as they officially clinched a playoff spot, but hopes of a lengthy fall continued to dim.
14. FC Dallas (Previous: 16)
With one loss in their last 10 games, FC Dallas are finally clicking this season and find themselves in the tight race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. A 2–2 draw with the Portland Timbers marked their fifth draw in a 10-game run, but kept them level on points with the San Jose Earthquakes, with a game in hand heading into the final three matches.
The attacking duo of Petar Musa and Logan Farrington might not have been expected, but the two are looking formidable at the moment. They could be the elixir the club needed in the final third to send them to the postseason.
They’ll surely need a win next week against the LA Galaxy, as their final two matches come up against Western Conference contenders, LAFC and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
13. Nashville SC (Previous: 15)
After six losses in seven games, Nashville SC got a much-needed 3–1 win over the Houston Dynamo this week, putting them sixth in the Eastern Conference with a three-point buffer of the Wild Card round.
Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge both found the back of the net, as is often the case when Nashville have a good day, and the win brought a little confidence back to the group ahead of the U.S. Open Cup final against Austin FC.
12. Seattle Sounders (Previous: 11)
The Seattle Sounders played in one of the more chaotic games of Matchday 37, conceding and scoring twice within three minutes to take a lead before settling for a 2–2 draw against their Cascadia Cup rivals from Vancouver.
Head coach Brian Schmetzer started a slightly rotated lineup, without DP midfielder Pedro de la Vega, but it did not significantly impact the Sounders as they remained in the middle of the playoff seeding with a point.
What should concern the Rave Green, however, is the injuries that forced both Alex Roldán and Yeimar Gómez out of the match, as any hit to their outstanding depth would significantly level the playing field against whoever they match up against in the postseason.
On the brighter side, though, they officially clinched their playoff spot this weekend and will have dreams of more silverware after winning the Leagues Cup.
11. Chicago Fire (Previous: 12)
Gregg Berhalter’s Chicago Fire have been able to push some of the league’s best teams for much of this season, but their 2–0 win over Columbus this week could change the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
With a game in hand on Columbus, Chicago are likely a favorite to host the Wild Card match, but could even crack the top seven and skip the round entirely, should they be able to erase the four points between them and seventh-place Orlando City.
This weekend’s victory also marked their second straight clean sheet while Hugo Cuypers netted his 17th goal of the season.
All eyes turn to next week as they get the perfect chance to climb the table, taking on Orlando in their most crucial match of the season to date.
10. Orlando City (Previous: 9)
Orlando City are in the thick of a race to avoid the Eastern Conference Wild Card round, and a 96th-minute goal from USMNT fullback Alex Freeman to pick a 1–1 draw against FC Cincinnati may have just saved them.
There is clear competition for spots within head coach Oscár Pareja’s lineup at the moment, with Luis Muriel battling Duncan McGuire for playing time up top alongside Martín Ojeda. Still, they have struggled to match their electric output from earlier in the campaign.
Muriel has always been a streaky player, and while McGuire can score, he doesn’t offer the same type of threat in behind forcing Ojeda to adapt. Meanwhile, the team’s reliance on midfielders Marco Pašalić and Eduard Atuesta continued to be more pronounced, as they struggled to stand out against Cincinnati.
Next week will be the most critical match of Orlando’s season, as they take on a depleted Columbus Crew, with a win likely all but securing a spot beyond the Wild Card round.
9. New York City FC (Previous: 10)
New York City FC swept the Hudson River Derby this season with a 3–2 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium climbing into the top four of the Eastern Conference.
Despite missing leading scorer Alonso Martínez, head coach Pascal Jansen’s group adapted and played more through Nicolás Férnandez Mercau, who opened the scoring in the second minute and kick-started the day for the Pigeons.
The win marked NYCFC’s seventh in their last nine games, with the group playing at an elite level against some strong teams. There will be concern with goalkeeper Matt Freese’s concussion substitution, but NYCFC are in a good spot heading into their final two games.
8. Charlotte FC (Previous: 7)
From nine straight wins to back-to-back losses, Charlotte FC find themselves amid a mini skid following a 4–1 loss to the struggling CF Montréal this weekend.
Wilfried Zaha opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season. Yet, things began to take a turn after center back Adilson Malanda was sent off in the 20th minute, leading to one of Montréal’s most flattering score lines of the season.
Dean Smith’s side dropped out of the top four and enters next weekend sitting fifth by a three-point margin, making the remaining two matches against D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union absolutely critical if they hope to secure home advantage.
7. Inter Miami (Previous: 8)
Inter Miami technically still have a chance at the Supporters’ Shield, but dropping two points in a 1–1 draw against Toronto FC likely proves costly to their hopes of becoming the first back-to-back Shield winners since 2009.
The Herons started a strong lineup in their first match since midfielder Sergio Busquets announced his intention to retire at the end of the season, but came up against a red-hot Toronto goalkeeper in Sean Johnson, who made six saves, including four against Lionel Messi.
With the loss, Miami lost control of their own destiny in the Shield race. The sole focus remains on winning through to the end of the season, while ensuring they are in the best possible form and health to make a run to MLS Cup.
Javier Mascherano’s men still have four games remaining, and with FC Cincinnati’s dropped points, they stand a strong chance of finishing second in the Eastern Conference and the league table.
6. Minnesota United (Previous: 5)
Minnesota United have failed to win in three of their last four matches, and aren’t living up to the high-tempo counter-pressing identity that they had forged earlier in the season. While some of their drawbacks stem from the disappointment of falling short of the U.S. Open Cup final, it is more so the availability of personnel that has hampered their season.
22-year-old Australian Nectarios Triantis continued his good form with a goal in a valuable 1–1 draw against the Colorado Rapids, but the absences of Carlos Harvey and Kelvin Yeboah in the Loons’ transition play.
For a brief period, Eric Ramsay’s team looked fine following the transfer of Tani Oluwaseyi to Villarreal. Still, without him, Yeboah and Harvey, they are missing many of the key factors that made them so threatening earlier in the season.
5. LAFC (Previous: 6)
Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga are simply on another level right now.
LAFC picked up their fourth straight win on Saturday night with a 3–0 victory over St. Louis CITY SC and got two goals from the South Korean star in addition to Bouanga’s 23rd goal of the campaign, bringing him within one of Lionel Messi’s Golden Boot lead.
The outstanding attacking output from the duo has led them to score the club’s last 17 goals, with Son himself already having eight goals and three assists in just his first eight games since arriving on a record $26 million transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.
While things have been outstanding for LAFC, how good they really are is still in question. The only strong teams they’ve faced since Son’s debut have been FC Dallas and San Diego FC, and they came out with a draw and a loss respectively.
The remaining matches against Atlanta United, Austin FC, Colorado Rapids and Toronto FC will be straightforward, but it remains unclear how much of an MLS Cup contender they genuinely are.
4. San Diego FC (Previous: 4)
It’s officially time to panic for San Diego FC, after falling 1–0 to the San Jose Earthquakes, marking their second loss in three games and third straight match without a victory. It is just the second time in an otherwise standout expansion season that San Diego has gone winless in three games as well.
Although they still sit atop the Western Conference on the tiebreaker of having more wins, they have allowed Vancouver to catch up on 56 points.
Yet, the most worrying factor is that the recent run has come against teams they should be beating, most notably the struggling Atlanta United, and a San Jose club which is battling for the final Western Conference playoff spots.
Anders Dreyer and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano have seen their production dwindle over the last three games, scoring just one goal between them. The attacking duo are critical if San Diego hopes to go on a run. They close out their season against the Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers.
3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 3)
Vancouver drew each of their Cascadia rivals, the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders, this week, but the four dropped points likely cost them any chance at claiming the club’s first Supporters’ Shield.
Even still, it won’t change their plans moving forward, and they could still come away from the season with two trophies, as they look ahead to Wednesday’s Canadian Championship Final against Canadian Premier League side Vancouver FC and a hopeful MLS Cup run.
Saturday’s 2–2 draw against Seattle ensured head coach Jesper Sørensen’s side a top-four finish and home field advantage in the first-round best-of-three series, while also securing the club’s eighth Cascadia Cup, an unofficial supporter-created trophy.
The most worrying factors for Vancouver stem from those not on the pitch, as the injury woes persist. Midfielder Ralph Priso played center back against the Sounders with all seven of Vancouver’s natural central defenders injured, and striker Brian White had to be subbed off after entering the match at halftime, having potentially reaggravated a previous injury.
2. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 1)
Until late on Sunday evening, everything looked great for FC Cincinnati. Up 1–0 on Orlando, they would have ended Matchday 37 just two points short of the Philadelphia Union for the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield lead.
Alas, they conceded in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, settling for a 1–1 draw and falling four points behind the Union.
While head coach Pat Noonan’s side boasts exceptional attacking talent with Evander, Kévin Denkey, and Brenner, they’ve been unable to win consistently since midsummer, having secured victories in just three of their last eight matches.
They’re still one of the best teams in MLS, but they’ve yet to reach their highest potential, and time is running out to find form ahead of the playoffs.
1. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 4)
The Philadelphia Union control their destiny in the hunt for the Supporters’ Shield after beating D.C. United 6–0 on Saturday night. Not only does the win allow them to focus solely on their remaining two matches, but it also helps erase most of the goal differential lost in the 7–0 loss against Vancouver two weeks ago.
While leading scorer Tai Baribo was suspended for the match, the Union relied on a committee of potent attackers, with Indiana Vassilev scoring a brace, and each of Mikael Uhre, Milan Iloski and Bruno Damiani finding the back of the net.
At the same time, Andre Blake kept his second consecutive clean sheet between the sticks, as he regained his form after the Union struggled with 19-year-old Andrew Rick in goal for several weeks.
Philadelphia now head into their final matches against New York City FC and Charlotte FC, with hopes of lifting the club’s second Supporters’ Shield.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Power Rankings: Playoff Races Take Center Stage After Matchday 37.
