A lot of movement in the top 10 this week as the Major League Soccer season heats up down the stretch. Let’s dive right in. As a reminder, here’s how the rankings work:
- 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 28 Power Rankings
| RANK | TEAM | RANK | RANK CHANGE | SCORE CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Cincinnati | 29.20 | +1 | +1.85 |
| 2 | Columbus Crew | 28.79 | +1 | +2.49 |
| 3 | LAFC | 27.19 | +1 | -0.88 |
| 4 | ST. Louis CITY SC | 26.64 | -3 | -1.30 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Union | 25.73 | — | +2.16 |
| 6 | Atlanta United | 22.03 | +5 | +4.01 |
| 7 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 21.71 | +1 | +1.45 |
| 8 | New England Revolution | 21.43 | -2 | -1.64 |
| 9 | Orlando City SC | 21.28 | +1 | +1.58 |
| 10 | Seattle Sounders | 19.49 | -1 | -0.75 |
| 11 | Nashville SC | 18.50 | -4 | -3.12 |
| 12 | Minnesota United | 14.91 | +1 | +0.72 |
| 13 | New York Red Bulls | 14.05 | -1 | -1.63 |
| 14 | Houston Dynamo | 13.89 | +2 | +2.77 |
| 15 | FC Dallas | 11.78 | +2 | +1.49 |
| 16 | Real Salt Lake | 11.23 | -2 | -2.17 |
| 17 | DC United | 10.94 | -2 | -1.30 |
| 18 | Austin FC | 8.89 | — | -0.87 |
| 19 | San Jose Earthquakes | 7.80 | — | -1.25 |
| 20 | Sporting KC | 7.21 | +3 | +2.66 |
| 21 | CF Montréal | 6.85 | +1 | +2.11 |
| 22 | New York City FC | 6.20 | -2 | -1.64 |
| 23 | LA Galaxy | 6.17 | +1 | +2.69 |
| 24 | Chicago Fire | 4.59 | -3 | -2.35 |
| 25 | Charlotte FC | 0.21 | +2 | +1.76 |
| 26 | Portland Timbers | -0.08 | -1 | -0.77 |
| 27 | Colorado Rapids | -3.02 | -1 | — |
| 28 | Inter Miami CF | -3.50 | +1 | +2.16 |
| 29 | Toronto FC | -6.06 | -1 | -1.83 |
FC Cincinnati are back on top after a comprehensive 3-0 win over New York City FC at TQL Stadium. Coupled with St. Louis City‘s 2-1 loss on the road against Orlando City, they take a very thin 0.42 point lead at the top to match their 10 point lead in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
Columbus Crew continue their climb with a 2-0 win against Toronto FC, pushing Cincinnati for first place in the rankings despite a sizeable gap in the table. They stay ahead of Philadelphia Union and New England Revolution in the rankings, and are just a point behind both sides in the table.
In the West, LAFC move up a spot despite a loss away to Charlotte FC. Their score dropped by nearly a point with the loss, but they got a break with St. Louis’s loss. Vancouver Whitecaps also pushed ahead a spot, beating Portland Timbers 3-2 at Providence Park for a rare win on the road. As has been the case all year, they’ve played good soccer but struggled to get results, especially away from home. Their spot in the rankings continues to outshine their place in the table.
You might not know it based on media coverage, but Inter Miami are in 27th place in the Supporters’ Shield standings, despite their Leagues Cup win and their run to the US Open Cup final. They were in last place in the power rankings until this week, when they beat New York Red Bulls 2-0 on the road to jump into 28th place. They still have a massive hole to climb out of, but they’re in unreal form right now, and will continue to jump up in the rankings.
Finally, Nashville SC drop out of the top 10 after a disastrous 4-0 loss to Atlanta United. They avoided talk of a Leagues Cup hangover, but they looked listless for the second half of their worst-ever defeat, and have a tough trip to Miami on the schedule for Wednesday. Atlanta, on the other hand, jump five spots into sixth place with a huge 4.01 point increase. If Thiago Almada stays, they look like one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
Twitter
still think your model is broken. it rewards teams that underperform too much because they create chances and don’t convert. at this point of the season, if they’re underperforming, that’s just who they are. there is zero sense in Vancouver being #7