It's Monday and another week of MLS action is in the books, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings and the observations of our writers. Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? We've ranked all 29 clubs in the league after Matchday 10. Let's dive in.
2. New York Red BullsPrevious ranking: 1 Dropping points at home hurts. The Red Bulls were fine against the Caps, but didn't create an overwhelming number of chances for their 59% possession. This team is still trying to figure out how to marry their pressing principles with a more patient approach. 4. LAFCPrevious ranking: 4 Was it nervy? Mm-hmm. Did LAFC manage to snag three points against Portland? Mm-hmm. Denis Bouanga seems inevitable at this point, though I suppose most players are inevitable if they shoot seven times in a single game. 6. Real Salt LakePrevious ranking: 7 RSL took down the last remaining undefeated team in the league Saturday, beating the Philadelphia Union 2-1. Poor goalkeeping from the Union gifted Real Salt Lake a first-half lead, but points are points. 8. Philadelphia UnionPrevious ranking: 2 Andre Blake... yikes. Traditionally a rock-solid option in the back, the Jamaican's howler put Philly in a hole against Real Salt Lake. The Union looked a step slow for nearly the entire match Saturday and picked up their first league loss of the season as a result. 10. LA GalaxyPrevious ranking: 8 The LA Galaxy conceded twice in the first 19 minutes against Austin. Whether it's their lack of midfield steel or the lack of speed in the back, it's incredibly easy for the Galaxy's opponents to find weaknesses. 11. Minnesota UnitedPrevious ranking: 11 Another week, another shape for Eric Ramsay's Minnesota United. The Loons rocked with a 3-5-2 shape in their win over SKC, pairing Teemu Pukki and breakout star Tani Oluwaseyi in the front line. Any formation that gets me more Tani is worth trying, as far as I'm concerned. 13. D.C. UnitedPrevious ranking: 15 Christian Benteke takes no prisoners. D.C.'s No. 9 dunked on Seattle's back line in a 2-1 home win, taking full advantage of playing up a man for most of the match. As long as Benteke plays at his current Best XI level, D.C. can't be written off. 15. Houston DynamoPrevious ranking: 12 I'm pretty sure folks in Houston have agreed to never talk about this game again. An early Griffin Dorsey red card put the Dynamo behind the eight ball in their eventual 2-0 loss to FC Dallas. 16. St. Louis City SCPrevious ranking: 18 St. Louis enjoyed a bye this past weekend. Maybe manager Bradley Carnell and forward Sam Adeniran used the rest to share a slab of butter cake while they work out whatever's going wrong behind the scenes. 18. CF MontréalPrevious ranking: 22 Laurent Courtois won't be over the moon about his team's performance in his first game back in Columbus since he left the Crew's system to take over as CF Montreal's head coach in the winter. But you can do worse than a draw on the road in Columbus. 20. Orlando CityPrevious ranking: 17 You get a No. 10 who can't create chances! You get a No. 10 who can't create chances! You get a No. 10 who can't create chances! Except all of the "you's" in this case are just Orlando City. Martín Ojeda got his bite of the No. 10 apple and spit it out in Orlando's 2-1 loss to Toronto. 22. Seattle SoundersPrevious ranking: 19 Things are going wild in Seattle right now. The Sounders have picked up three red cards in their past two games and their only win of the year came against an exhausted CF Montreal team that was at the end of a six-game road trip. 24. Sporting Kansas CityPrevious ranking: 16 Manager Peter Vermes can complain about offside calls until the cows come home, but he'd be better served drilling down on some of SKC's on-field problems. Kansas City folded under early pressure from Minnesota United. 26. Nashville SCPrevious ranking: 24 Nashville became the first home team in 2024 to not beat the San Jose Earthquakes. We're inching closer to head-rolling territory, people. 27. Chicago FirePrevious ranking: 25 The Fire followed up last weekend's 4-0 home loss to Real Salt Lake with a 0-0 home draw against Atlanta United. So, uh, progress? Chris Brady was excellent against Atlanta, but I'm grasping at straws. 29. New England RevolutionPrevious ranking: 29 Illness wiping out a chunk of Caleb Porter's starting lineup just ahead of a battle against Inter Miami? Yeah, that sounds about right for the Revs in 2024.
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