The 2025 MLS season is now firmly underway, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 3 to come up with this week’s order of all 30 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 1
Can Inter Miami play a normal game of soccer? It doesn’t look like it, no. Their 1-0 win over Charlotte on Sunday featured a red card to goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, forcing Javier Mascherano to dip down to third goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo given Drake Callender‘s injury. Miami win wild, but they win.
Previous ranking: 2
One of only two perfect teams left in MLS, the Union beat New England 2-0 on the road this weekend. Tai Baribo scored his sixth goal of the year in the process, which puts him level with Ante Razov’s 1999 record for the most goals scored in the first three games of an MLS season.
Previous ranking: 4
Speaking of perfect teams, raise your hand if you had Vancouver snagging three wins from three games to start 2025? Nobody? Despite dealing with Concacaf Champions Cup play, Jesper Sørensen’s team topped Montreal 2-0 to extend their unbeaten streak to five games across all competitions.
Previous ranking: 8
Cincinnati didn’t have to get out of first gear to beat Toronto 2-0 on Saturday. Notably, star attacker Luca Orellano played his first MLS minutes of 2025 after a preseason contract dispute. Pat Noonan’s squad is inching closer to full strength ahead of a big CCC clash with Tigres this week.
Previous ranking: 3
It’s hard to fault LAFC too much for losing on the road in Seattle this weekend with a rotated squad during Champions Cup play. Losing 5-2? Yeah, it doesn’t look good, but wake us up when LAFC get blown out with more than a single DP on the field.
Previous ranking: 5
The Crew are holding steady without Cucho Hernández … in MLS play. They fell to LAFC in the Concacaf Champions Cup midweek, but bounced back nicely with a controlled 0-0 draw against Houston over the weekend. Wilfried Nancy needs one more star attacker, but the Crew haven’t fallen apart without their talisman in 2025.
Previous ranking: 9
The Loons haven’t played a single flashy game in 2025, but they sure are playing a lot of effective soccer. A 1-0 road win against San Jose is a lot more notable this year than it was last, now that Bruce Arena is in charge of the Quakes, and Kelvin Yeboah keeps scoring.
Previous ranking: 7
Charlotte’s inability to create chances against a deeper defense was a concern last year and it remains one in 2025. Even with Wilfried Zaha on the wing, Dean Smith’s team managed just nine shots with 57% possession in a 1-0 loss to Inter Miami.
Previous ranking: 23
They left it late, but San Diego secured a 3-1 win on the road against Salt Lake on Saturday. Missing Hirving “Chucky” Lozano due to injury, Anders Dreyer and Marcus Ingvartsen both stepped up in second-half stoppage time.
Previous ranking: 21
On the day Jordan Morris became the Sounders’ all-time leading scorer, Seattle topped LAFC 5-2 at Lumen Field. Yet another injury to Pedro de la Vega soured the occasion slightly, but Sounders fans won’t soon forget Morris’ record-breaking goal.
Previous ranking: 17
With Djordje Mihailovic pulling the strings as a narrow left winger in Chris Armas’ new 4-3-3 shape, the Rapids found a first-half breakthrough against Austin and never looked back in a 1-0 road win.
Previous ranking: 6
Bruce Arena’s Quakes are, in fact, beatable. San Jose fell 1-0 to Minnesota, although they still had some impressive attacking moments even with No. 10 Hernan Lopez serving a card suspension.
Previous ranking: 10
Traveling to Atlanta to take on the Five Stripes, the Red Bulls gutted out a 0-0 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sandro Schwarz’s team was a step behind the pace in the first half, but some big saves from Carlos Coronel kept them level.
Previous ranking: 15
Keeping their third-straight clean sheet to start 2025? Check. Scoring their first (three) goal(s) of 2025? Check. Beating last year’s MLS Cup winners on their turf? Check. Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Galaxy was a big one for St. Louis.
Previous ranking: 12
Despite a strong first 45 minutes, Atlanta couldn’t push past the Red Bulls in an eventual 0-0 draw on Saturday. Ronny Deila’s team is still a work in progress at both ends, but getting left-back Pedro Amador back from injury was a solid step.
Previous ranking: 16
On the 10-year anniversary of their first-ever game, New York City topped Orlando City 2-1 on Saturday. The standout was 17-year-old Jonny Shore starting in midfield for Pascal Jansen’s team. Shore moved the ball cleanly, ranged from one box to the other, and looked assured.
Previous ranking: 25
Despite having an underwhelming offseason, D.C. are yet to lose a game in 2025 — and they even won their first match of the year with a 2-1 win over Kansas City this past weekend. United are generating a bit of real momentum here.
Previous ranking: 24
With a trio of goals after the 81st minute, the Fire came back to claim three points on the road in a 3-1 win over Dallas. Brian Gutiérrez continues to show his quality on the ball, while Hugo Cuypers looks increasingly like a superstar up top.
Previous ranking: 13
Although Dallas jumped out to a lead via Logan Farrington in the second half, late concessions turned a would-be win into a devastating 3-1 home defeat for Eric Quill’s team. There’s still work to do in Frisco.
Previous ranking: 11
Despite Luis Muriel scoring a rare goal in a rare start up top for Orlando, the Lions fell 2-1 on the road to New York City exactly 10 years after the two teams met for the first time.
Previous ranking: 14
RSL managed a wonderfully aesthetic goal against San Diego, only to concede three unanswered and crumble in second-half stoppage time in a 3-1 home defeat. The defense, which has conceded seven goals in three matches, needs to tighten up.
Previous ranking: 22
Although they had two penalties saved, Nashville still managed a 2-0 win over Portland. B.J. Callaghan’s squad ran all over the Timbers at Geodis Park, with Edvard Tagseth putting in a workmanlike performance in the middle.
Previous ranking: 19
After falling behind in the 18th minute, Austin just couldn’t work their way back in an eventual 1-0 defeat to Colorado. Club-record signing Myrto Uzuni‘s first start wasn’t enough to turn a cross-filled outing into a successful one.
Previous ranking: 30
The Dynamo didn’t put in an inspiring attacking performance against Columbus to kick off the weekend’s schedule, but their tight defensive setup was enough to see Ben Olsen’s team collect a point from a 0-0 draw.
Previous ranking: 20
The Galaxy look well and truly broken right now. Despite having their best chance-creating performance of the season in a 3-0 loss to St. Louis, Novak Micovic continues to struggle in goal and the attack still looks disconnected.
