MLS Power Rankings: As Vancouver slips, Nashville is new No. 1

The 2025 MLS season is firmly underway, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.

Who's climbing the table, and who's in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across the weekend to order all 30 teams in the league. Let's dive in.

1. Nashville SC

Previous ranking: 3

Despite a red card to Jonathan Pérez in the 63rd minute, Nashville hung on and got to stoppage time at 0-0. Then, Hany Mukhtar drew a penalty kick, awarded after a VAR review, and converted it to secure all three points with a 1-0 win over Philadelphia. NSC's last loss in any competition was April 19.

2. Vancouver Whitecaps

Previous ranking: 1

The Whitecaps are banged up, missing key players like Andrés Cubas, Ali Ahmed and Sam Adekugbe for various periods of time. It showed in a 3-0 defeat to the Galaxy on July 4, a team that previously had just one win so far this season.

3. Philadelphia Union

Previous ranking: 2

Union manager Bradley Carnell handed a start to 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan and his team weathered the storm against Nashville for nearly the entire contest. In stoppage time, however, the Union conceded a penalty to Hany Mukhtar and fell 1-0 for a second defeat in as many matches.

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Montreal Impact vs. Inter Miami CF - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Montreal Impact vs. Inter Miami CF, 07/05/2025

4. Inter Miami CF

Previous ranking: 6

Miami knocked off any Club World Cup rust or fatigue in a shaky opening two minutes against Montréal and then looked every bit the team they sometimes show flashes of being. Lionel Messi scored twice and set up another in the 4-1 romp. Welcome back.

5. FC Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 9

The Evander Show continues, and everyone wants a ticket to see the Cincinnati attacker who scored a goal and set up the second in a 2-1 win over Chicago. He has five goals and two assists in the past three matches.

6. San Diego FC

Previous ranking: 4

San Diego is used to being the team that comes from behind to get a win, but it was Houston pulling it off at SDFC's expense this weekend. Despite holding a 3-2 lead in the 87th minute, San Diego saw its four-match win streak snapped in a 4-3 loss.

7. Minnesota United

Previous ranking: 8

Minnesota took care of business on the Fourth of July, dominating its away contest with Dallas for a 2-1 victory. Carlos Harvey, one of several players the Loons were missing because of international absences in the past few contests, returned and scored the opener.

8. Columbus Crew

Previous ranking: 7

With an early goal from Diego Rossi, the Crew hoped to take all three points from their trip to Seattle but ended up settling for a 1-1 stalemate with the Sounders. Even being away from home, they closed out well and had chances to find the win but will go home happy extending their unbeaten run to four.

9. Seattle Sounders

Previous ranking: 5

After returning from the Club World Cup with a win, the Sounders played a decent match Sunday and emerged with a 1-1 draw with Columbus. Their expectations will be higher when Jordan Morris, Pedro de la Vega and other key players return to the starting XI.

10. Orlando City

Previous ranking: 10

For the second straight week, Orlando dominated its contest but was unable to secure all three points, earning a 2-2 draw with Charlotte on Saturday. The team rallied from two goals down but would've hoped to make its 67-33 possession edge more acutely felt.

11. LAFC

Previous ranking: 11

After returning to action following the Club World Cup last weekend, LAFC were again inactive, with their match at Austin postponed because of the tragic flooding in Central Texas.

12. San Jose Earthquakes

Previous ranking: 12

For the third time in four matches, the Quakes secured a 1-1 draw -- this time doing so against the Red Bulls. After losing DeJuan Jones to a red card just after the hour mark, the point feels like an achievement.

13. Portland Timbers

Previous ranking: 15

David Da Costa's long-range goal was the difference as the Timbers topped New England 2-1 on Saturday. Portland sits fourth in the West and bounced back well from a concerning 3-0 loss to Toronto last week, making that result look like the anomaly.

14. New York Red Bulls

Previous ranking: 13

Emil Forsberg's early goal put the Red Bulls on a good path in a long road trip to face San Jose, but even after the Quakes went down to 10 men, they weren't able to find a second goal and settled for a 1-1 draw.

15. Charlotte FC

Previous ranking: 16

It is always The Pep Biel Show in Charlotte, with the Spanish attacker scoring the opening goal and assisting a second on a set piece, but Charlotte let the lead slip away and settled for a 2-2 draw with Orlando. The Crown now is winless in its past four.

16. New York City FC

Previous ranking: 17

NYCFC logged a 3-1 victory over Toronto on Thursday, taking advantage of the return of forward Alonso Martínez from the Gold Cup for an attacking explosion that saw goals from Hannes Wolf, Mitja Ilenic and Kevin O'Toole.

17. Chicago Fire

Previous ranking: 14

The Fire couldn't cool off red-hot Evander in a 2-1 loss to Cincinnati. Philip Zinckernagel scored the consolation goal, his seventh goal in the past eight matches. While Chicago looks up for a battle for the playoff places, it has fallen in three of its previous four contests.

18. Austin FC

Previous ranking: 18

Austin's contest with LAFC was postponed this weekend out of respect to those affected by the flooding in Central Texas. The Verde will return to action in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday.

19. Houston Dynamo

Previous ranking: 22

In the craziest match of the weekend -- by far -- Houston rallied late and got a double from Ezequiel Ponce, including a goal in the 100th minute, to earn a 4-3 victory over San Diego at Snapdragon Stadium. It's the second win in a row for the Dynamo, who will have a chance at the postseason if they're able to show that kind of heart.

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San Diego FC vs. Houston Dynamo - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from San Diego FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 07/05/2025

20. FC Dallas

Previous ranking: 19

It's three defeats in a row for Dallas, after Eric Quill's squad conceded two before a Logan Farrington consolation. They've had key absences at the back, but conceding nine goals in three matches indicates more than simply personnel problems.

21. Real Salt Lake

Previous ranking: 23

Noel Caliskan set the tone with a sixth-minute goal and Salt Lake continues to generate in the attack even with Diego Luna on international duty, beating St. Louis 3-2 on Saturday. RSL had to hold off a rally from the visitors but were able to avoid defeat for the third time consecutively.

22. Colorado Rapids

Previous ranking: 20

The Rapids continue to struggle with injury absences, falling 2-1 to Kansas City at home on the Fourth of July. Dejan Joveljic's fourth-minute opener deflated the home team and a second goal was a mountain too hard to climb.

23. New England Revolution

Previous ranking: 21

The Revs haven't won in their past four, falling to Portland, 2-1. Once again, they conceded first and then battled back. If they could stop digging holes to climb out of, they'd be in the Eastern Conference playoff places.

24. Sporting Kansas City

Previous ranking: 26

An early goal from Dejan Joveljic put Sporting in a festive mood on the Fourth of July and Erik Thommy added the second as SKC secured a 2-1 road victory against Colorado on Friday.

25. Atlanta United

Previous ranking: 25

How a team that spent so much on its attack is still mustering such little punch is huge mystery that Atlanta doesn't seem close to solving. At least the back line performed in a scoreless draw with D.C.

26. CF Montréal

Previous ranking: 26

Montréal capitalized on an early Messi mistake, but the second-minute goal by Prince Owusu was the only bright spot. Messi scored twice, including a wonder goal that will add to his lengthy highlight reel, as Montréal fell, 4-1.

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Mitja Ilenic slots in a goal to double NYCFC's lead

Mitja Ilenic extends NYCFC's lead in the 49th minute.

27. Toronto FC

Previous ranking: 27

It's a new era for Toronto, who bid farewell to Italian DPs Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne during the week. The results, for now, stayed the same, though, as the Canadian side fell 3-1 to NYCFC on the road.

28. D.C. United

Previous ranking: 28

Despite Christian Benteke's return to the starting lineup, D.C.'s attack still lacked spark in a dismal draw with Atlanta. D.C. had two shots on target to Atlanta's one.

29. LA Galaxy

Previous ranking: 30

Joseph Paintsil's double, with his family in the stadium, helped the Galaxy secure a shock 3-0 win over Vancouver. It not only doubled their win total on the season but makes it four of the past five games in which Greg Vanney's bunch has avoided defeat.

30. St. Louis City SC

Previous ranking: 29

St. Louis City will take heart from its fight back in a 3-2 loss to Salt Lake, scoring when they were 2-0 down and again at 3-1, but that does little to obscure the hard facts: They're winless in their past five, and four of those have been losses.