It's Monday, 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 (xG) 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 7. Let's dive in.
2. Philadelphia UnionPrevious ranking: 2 Philadelphia goes to Atlanta, plays before 42k+ fans, falls behind 2-0 and finds a way to scrape back to a draw. Philly's two goals -- in the 73th and 77th minutes -- ensure it's still the only unbeaten team in MLS. 4. Columbus CrewPrevious ranking: 4 Crew were held RSL to a 0-0 draw in Utah following a historic win in Mexico last week. It wasn't their most notable performance of the year, but absent a few players (Cucho Hernandez was suspended because of a red card) and resting others, a point on the road against a strong team is solid for Week 9. 6. Inter Miami CFPrevious ranking: 7 Limping back to league play after falling to Monterrey midweek in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Miami reasserted itself as Supporters Shield leaders before 72,610 fans at Arrowhead Stadium. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Diego Gomez all registered memorable goals and elite performances in the Herons' first win since March 16. 8. LA GalaxyPrevious ranking: 9 Galaxy recovered from their El Trafico defeat to LAFC by taking points on the road from Vancouver, the west's second-ranked team. After taking the initial lead, they let the Whitecaps equalize on a set piece -- their seventh goal conceded from a set piece this season -- but recovered minutes later to claim two more goals before the end. Their attack is ever-threatening: only Miami have scored more goals this season. But they desperately need to straighten out their defending of the set piece. 10. FC CincinnatiPrevious ranking: 5 Last year's Supporters Shield winners collected their second loss of the year in their second straight match without goalkeeper Roman Celentano. Alec Kann collected a few saves in his stead, but not enough to keep Josef Martinez from scoring his 107th goal in MLS and giving Montreal the win. 11. Houston DynamoPrevious ranking: 12 With a squad missing key players because of injury, Houston showed its mettle once more as the Dynamo took three points on the road against Minnesota United. Steve Clark's five saves and Sebastian Kowalczyk's first career goal were key. 13. Charlotte FCPrevious ranking: 16 Charlotte's 3-2 victory at home was the latest gut check to Toronto's early start to the season. Getting three goals past Sean Johnson account for a full quarter of the goals scored against TFC Toronto this year; they also account for a third of the goals Charlotte has scored in eight games so far this season. 14. Minnesota UnitedPrevious ranking: 13 Minnesota created more quality chances than the scoreline reflects, as Franco Fragapane's 70th-minute equalizer from the bench was overshadowed seven minutes later by Houston in a biting home loss to the Dynamo. 16. Orlando CityPrevious ranking: 18 Orlando has yet to fully deliver on expectations for its season as the City have underperformed their attacking numbers -- Saturday's three-goal game vs. D.C. is nearly half their season total of seven -- but that dramatic 3-2 win thanks to Duncan McGuire's stoppage time finish could provide some wind beneath their sails. 17. Seattle SoundersPrevious ranking: 15 Seattle's tepid start to 2024 continued with its third draw of the season. In a 0-0 meeting with FC Dallas, each side registered two shots on target and came away without any goals to show for it. 19. St. Louis City SCPrevious ranking: 23 Last year's ascendant debutantes have had a draw-heavy year (5 ties), but collected their second win in a 1-0 result against a struggling Austin FC. 20. CF MontréalPrevious ranking: 20 Josef Martinez came off the bench to score his 107th goal in MLS history (ninth-most all-time in Major League Soccer) for the decisive goal to beat last year's Supporters Shield winners at home. 22. Portland TimbersPrevious ranking: 22 Evander was electric as Portland fought LA to a respectable 2-2 draw while down to 10 men the majority of the match. 24. Nashville SCPrevious ranking: 24 After a gutting loss to Philly in Week 8, Nashville had a bye this weekend and will play Miami next. 25. Chicago FirePrevious ranking: 21 Despite playing a 10-man New York, Red Bulls for more than half the game, Chicago came away with a 0-0 draw on the road. They held 77% of possession in the second half but managed two shots on target in that same 45, failing to outproduce the Red Bulls. 27. Austin FCPrevious ranking: 28 Austin picked up another loss in a 1-0 defeat to St. Louis that saw them fire off just two total shots and neither one of them on target. 29. New England RevolutionPrevious ranking: 27 The Revolution nicked their first win of the year in a 1-0 victory last weekend, but followed up with a loss at 2-0 NYCFC this week. Nobody has scored fewer goals than the Revs this season, and they registered few real opportunities this match.
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