Rivalry Week came, saw and delivered. 45 goals were scored on Saturday night, as well as 14 games taking place midweek. The result is some big shake ups in the rankings. Let’s dive in.
As a reminder, here’s how the model works:
- Points per game – 30%
- Goal difference – 15%
- Form in last five games – 15%
- Expected goal difference – 12.5%
- Strength of schedule – 12.5%
- Home and away form – 12.5%
- Goals added – 2.5%
Matchday 14 Power Rankings
| RANKING | TEAM | SCORE | RANKING CHANGE | SCORE CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAFC | 17.02 | — | +1.17 |
| 2 | Nashville SC | 15.26 | +1 | +2.81 |
| 3 | FC Cincinnati | 12.77 | +3 | +3.30 |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders | 12.05 | -2 | -2.06 |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 11.58 | — | +1.80 |
| 6 | ST. Louis CITY SC | 11.50 | +1 | +2.98 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Union | 10.85 | +1 | +2.65 |
| 8 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 9.49 | +1 | +1.89 |
| 9 | New England Revolution | 8.84 | -5 | -2.50 |
| 10 | Atlanta United | 8.45 | +5 | +4.81 |
| 11 | DC United | 6.93 | +2 | +2.86 |
| 12 | FC Dallas | 6.92 | -2 | +1.67 |
| 13 | New York Red Bulls | 5.97 | -1 | +1.36 |
| 14 | Minnesota United | 4.66 | +6 | +2.59 |
| 15 | New York City FC | 3.83 | -1 | +0.16 |
| 16 | San Jose Earthquakes | 3.66 | -5 | -1.27 |
| 17 | Orlando City SC | 2.76 | +6 | +1.43 |
| 18 | Portland Timbers | 2.49 | -2 | -1.06 |
| 19 | Chicago Fire | 1.49 | — | -0.67 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 0.86 | -2 | -1.65 |
| 21 | Austin FC | 0.68 | +7 | +2.91 |
| 22 | Inter Miami CF | -0.17 | -5 | -2.73 |
| 23 | Toronto FC | -0.24 | +1 | -1.07 |
| 24 | Real Salt Lake | -1.39 | +3 | +0.47 |
| 25 | Charlotte FC | -1.60 | +1 | +0.20 |
| 26 | LA Galaxy | -2.54 | -4 | -4.03 |
| 27 | Colorado Rapids | -2.86 | -6 | -4.54 |
| 28 | CF Montréal | -4.18 | -3 | -2.96 |
| 29 | Sporting KC | -6.55 | — | -2.37 |
Nashville SC jump into second place with a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC. While not their best performance, they got out of Bank of America Field with three points, and are now unbeaten in their last eight in all competitions. Only Cincinnati and Philadelphia have matched their 2.60 points per game from their last five games, only LAFC have a better goal differential, and they’re posting some of the best-ever defensive numbers without Walker Zimmerman healthy. This team is good.
FC Cincinnati jump into third with a thrilling 3-2 win over Columbus Crew in the Hell Is Real derby. The Supporters’ Shield leaders have won all eight home matches so far this season, and are led by an MVP candidate in Lucho Acosta. They’ve been pushing LAFC at the top of the rankings all year and don’t look like slowing down.
New England Revolution are the big losers in the top 10, dropping five spots after a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia Union. More worrying is the injury that saw Carles Gil leave the field in the first half. Atlanta United are the big winners, moving up five spots after crushing Colorado Rapids 4-0 on Wednesday. It was a big enough win that even a 3-3 draw against Chicago Fire on the weekend wasn’t enough to hold them down.
Austin FC jump up seven spots after a battle at the bottom against Toronto FC, beating them 1-0 thanks to a stoppage time winner from Gyasi Zardes. I’m not sure it will have much bearing on the rest of their season, but it’s nice to get a win every once in a while.
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