By the time the first half of next week’s MLS matches ends, over a third of the 2025 regular season will be over for most clubs. On Matchday 11, teams continued to define themselves in the MLS hierarchy.
While Vancouver Whitecaps FC will lead the league in the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup against Liga MX’s Cruz Azul, they didn’t let that hold them back from picking up three points with a 2–1 win over Real Salt Lake this weekend.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi found his way back onto the scoresheet, as Inter Miami CF picked up a dominant 4–1 win over the New York Red Bulls to bounce back from a spell of poor form.
With another week in the books, Sports Illustrated looks at how teams stack up in the Power Rankings. If you missed Matchday 10, check those out here.
MLS Power Rankings after Matchday 11: Clubs 30-16
30. LA Galaxy (Previous: 29)
29. CF Montréal (Previous: 30)
28. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 25)
27. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 26)
26. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 28)
25 Toronto FC (Previous: 23)
24. D.C. United (Previous: 27)
23. FC Dallas (Previous: 18)
22. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 21)
21. Chicago Fire (Previous: 22)
20. Portland Timbers (Previous: 19)
19 Atlanta United (Previous: 24)
18. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 17)
17. New England Revolution (Previous: 20)
16. Austin FC (Previous: 15)
15. Nashville SC (Previous: 14)
Nashville SC could not build on last week's 7–2 win over the Chicago Fire, but picked up another point in a 1–1 draw with Atlanta United.
While they struggled to settle into the match early, they eventually took over momentum and ended the game with 1.45 xG and a 65 percent share of possession, with Daniel Lovitz netting their only goal.
The Coyotes weren’t going to score seven goals again, but not securing three points against a struggling Atlanta side might be a result they regret as they look ahead to next week’s game against Charlotte FC.
14. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 16)
The San Jose Earthquakes are up one week and way down the next. This week was one of the good ones, with a 4–1 win over the Portland Timbers. Goals from Chicho Arango, Ousseni Bouda and two from Chicho Arango getting the job done im emphatic fashion.
Arango has continually been the bright spot for the Bruce Arena-led Earthquakes, and his performance this weekend brought him up to seven goals and an assist in 11 appearances, while the Earthquakes moved to 10th in the Western Conference, snapping a three-match losing streak.
13. Charlotte FC (Previous: 11)
Charlotte FC will want to move on from this weekend’s 4–2 loss to Columbus Crew SC. Yet, they can also see some slight positives, with continued strong play from Liel Abada, who scored his third goal of the season, and a confidence-boosting penalty marker from Wilfried Zaha.
Against Columbus, head coach Dean Smith’s side got a close look at what a confident identity can do for a team, and that’s precisely what he is attempting to forge for The Crown.
12. New York City FC (Previous: 12)
New York City FC never looked concerned against FC Cincinnati on Sunday, even after Alonso Martinez missed his penalty kick opportunity to make it 2–0.
Julian Fernandez scored the Pigeons' lone goal in the ninth minute, and they continued to apply pressure, forcing Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano to make four saves. Despite winning by just one goal, it was a confident NYCFC showing.
NYCFC won’t be a high-scoring side without a new addition, but they’ve been okay so far with three of their last four matches ending in 1–0 wins against Cincinnati, Toronto FC and the Philadelphia Union.
11. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 7)
The Colorado Rapids had a week to forget against D.C. United. A late collapse in the first half proved their eventual downfall, a seeming theme through the first third of the 2025 MLS season.
Darren Yapi scored in the 43rd minute, and many teams would have been able to cruise to halftime, regroup and focus on building in the second half. However, the Rapids aren’t most teams, and promptly allowed goals to Christian Benteke and Hosei Kijima in stoppage time, entering the break trailing.
Simply put, head coach Chris Armas needs to find more attacking options than just Djordje Mihailovic and Rafael Navarro and ensure his team can see out halves.
10. Seattle Sounders FC (Previous: 13)
Seattle Sounders FC got a big boost this weekend with a 4–1 win against a St. Louis CITY SC side that has been difficult to break down for any team.
Albert Rusnak, Obed Vargas, Danny Musovski, and Nouhou scored goals in a blistering attacking effort that saw Seattle outshoot St. Louis 29-7 and put up 3.83 xG, compared to St. Louis’ 1.06.
The Rave Green also saw the MLS debut of Osaze De Rosario, who was recently named the MLS Next Pro Player of the Month, for scoring five goals in three matches in April.
The 23-year-old has shown he can score at the men’s level for several seasons, standing out with Canadian Premier League side York United and Seattle’s second team, providing an intriguing profile for the Sounders’ future.
While the Sounders remain without four key players, Jordan Morris, Jesus Ferreria, Jackson Ragen, and Paul Arriola, they’re up to four games undefeated and have quietly risen up the Western Conference, now sitting seventh on 16 points.
9. Orlando City SC (Previous: 9)
Orlando City SC played to a scoreless draw against the Chicago Fire this weekend. However, given Chicago's posted 2.62 xG, Orlando City SC likely came out lucky, with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese making eight saves in a standout performance.
Despite holding strong in net, the Lions will regret not taking more from this game after Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady was sent off in the 36th minute. This left head coach Oscar Pareja’s side with a nearly hour-long man advantage.
Orlando have solid attackers in Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic, but this was their fourth game in their last five without a goal.
8. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 5)
FC Cincinnati struggled to create attacking opportunities on Yankee Stadium’s smaller pitch on Sunday, falling 1–0 to New York City FC despite being given a lifeline by a missed penalty from Alonso Martinez.
They looked slightly disconnected in midfield without Pavel Bucha, and Evander couldn’t influence the match as much as he wanted to with less space to work. Up top, there’s little surprise that Kévin Denkey, who has thrived on crosses and long balls, struggled on the smaller pitch.
This game could have been incredibly different if Bucha had been in midfield, but Cincinnati had to say farewell to its five-game win streak and look ahead to next week’s battle with Austin FC.
7. Minnesota United (Previous: 8)
YEP https://t.co/gPdNJDhaEZ pic.twitter.com/RvP6Y0cNNO
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) May 4, 2025
Minnesota United snapped their three-match winless streak with a convincing 3–0 win over Austin FC, even if one of the goals came off a rare blunder from Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver.
Of the biggest takeaways for Minnesota in the win were midfielder Joaquin Pereyra's continued standout play and Julian Gressel’s debut.
Recently acquired in a trade from Inter Miami, Gressel brings an attacking edge as a fullback and wide midfielder and is a clear signal that head coach Eric Ramsay’s team wants to be more than simply an average team this season. Getting his first regular-season appearance of 2025, Gressel played 26 minutes and made five successful passes, while also making a goal-line clearance.
6. San Diego FC (Previous: 10)
Chucky Lozano slips it just past Paes from the spot for the San Diego opener. ☝️
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 4, 2025
📺 #MLSSeasonPass or Apple TV+: https://t.co/EzAxmxJg4Q pic.twitter.com/LDEgIk31Ak
Okay then, San Diego FC is just fine.
Despite coming into the match on a three game losing skid, San Diego FC demolished FC Dallas 5–0 on Matchday 11, with goals from Anders Dreyer, Onni Valakari, Milan Iloski and a brace from Chucky Lozano.
Lozano played a key role in the buildups, and head coach Mikey Varas’ side was back to holding confident possession, creating three big chances while attacking in waves against a Dallas side that couldn’t find their footing. Lozano's tallies also brought him to eight goal contributions in eight games this season.
One-third through their first MLS season, it’s tough to tell just how good this San Diego FC team is. Are they MLS Cup contenders or a fringe playoff team? To this point, it depends on the day.
5. LAFC (Previous: 6)
After struggling to score in the first few games of the season, LAFC have sorted most of their attacking issues, and put up another two goals this weekend in a 2–0 win over Houston Dynamo FC.
Denis Bouanga continued to lead their attack, but goals from Nathan Ordaz and Jeremy Ebbobise won the game for the Black and Gold. In addition, the backline ensured goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could add another clean sheet to his record without making a save.
Ordaz might only have two goals this season for LAFC, and although he’s not among the league’s elite goal scorers, his continued dynamic looks and development are only good for him and LAFC’s future.
Four games undefeated now for LAFC, and they’re up against the No. 1 Vancouver Whitecaps next week.
4. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 3)
The Philadelphia Union did what they needed to in order to secure three points against a struggling CF Montreal side, putting up a 2–1 win with goals from Indiana Vasilev and Mikael Uhre.
Midfielder Danly Jean-Jacques continued his run of good form, creating two chances and 50 touches. He continues to be a key piece in the central partnership alongside Jovan Lukic, who also created two chances and assisted.
After a slight dip in form, it’s three wins in a row now for the Union, and they sit second in the Eastern Conference on 22 points, only trailing Columbus Crew SC, who they face next weekend.
3. Inter Miami CF (Previous: 4)
A win with goals from Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi was exactly what Inter Miami needed, and that’s what they got in a 4–1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.
It wasn’t a good week for the Herons, who crashed out of the Concacaf Champions Cup against Whitecaps FC and fell 4–3 to FC Dallas. However, they bounced back and lost in their win over the Red Bulls.
While goals from Suárez and Messi took center stage and re-established Miami as an outright force in the league, the more important takeaway was head coach Javier Mascherano’s midfield adjustments. The rookie manager added Fafa Picault and Yannick Bright to the lineup, and both moves made Miami more threatening and allowed the star players to shine.
Can Miami keep learning and keep this up? They’ve got plenty of time to do so, with just MLS and Leagues Cup to concern themselves with, after their Champions Cup dreams fell short.
2. Columbus Crew SC (Previous: 2)
Columbus Crew SC came out as 4–2 victors over Charlotte FC as two of the most entertaining teams in the Eastern Conference battled against each other in a goal-filled affair. Yet, the Crew’s defined quick passing and possession highlighted the match, including a 17-pass spell and over 70 seconds of possession.
Jacen Russell-Rowe, Dylan Chambost, Aziel Jackson and Diego Rossi scored in the back-and-forth matchup, with Charlotte still able to rack up two goals on 1.77 xG, from Zaha and Abada.
There is no team in MLS, other than potentially the one ranked No. 1 on our list, that is as confident in its identity as the Crew under head coach Wilfried Nancy. They have continued to prove themselves as an elite team, regardless of personnel.
1. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 1)
Things are coming easy for Vancouver Whitecaps FC right now, and they’re one of the best stories in MLS. After knocking out Inter Miami from the Concacaf Champions Cup midweek and advancing to the final, they danced around Real Salt Lake to a 2–1 win, in an effort that could have seen them score several more.
While Brian White sat out of the weekend’s match, the midfield trio of Pedro Vite, Sebastian Berhalter and Andres Cubas continued to thrive, with Vite hitting eight successful long balls and Berhalter creating two chances after coming on in the 62nd minute.
That's Pass of the Week sorted. pic.twitter.com/DR1RuVg4mL
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 4, 2025
Yet, the defining midfield three didn’t play the entire match, and head coach Jesper Sørensen saw similar levels from JC Ngando and Ralph Priso, who stepped into those roles through the first hour.
Jayden Nelson’s solo effort earned the Sports Illustrated MLS Goal of the Week, and Tristan Blackmon also looked anything but a center back with his smashing finish.
With the win, the Whitecaps became just the sixth team in MLS history to earn 26 points from their first 11 games, and now have a seven-point lead atop the Western Conference, as well as a two-point cushion at the peak of the MLS Supporters’ Shield Standings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Power Rankings: San Diego Score for Fun, Inter Miami Return to Form on Matchday 11.
