The MLS season keeps rolling and so do the power rankings!
As a reminder, the rankings use an all new model I’ve obnoxiously titled the Overall Performance Index. Click here for a full breakdown of how the model works.
Week 22 Power Rankings
| Rank | Team | Score | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City FC | 27.81 | — |
| 2 | LAFC | 24.11 | — |
| 3 | Philadelphia Union | 23.26 | — |
| 4 | Austin FC | 16.19 | — |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 15.00 | — |
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 11.32 | +1 |
| 7 | FC Dallas | 10.63 | -1 |
| 8 | Nashville SC | 9.64 | — |
| 9 | CF Montréal | 9.09 | — |
| 10 | Columbus Crew | 8.78 | — |
| 11 | Portland Timbers | 8.77 | — |
| 12 | Minnesota United | 8.30 | +1 |
| 13 | Real Salt Lake | 7.27 | +1 |
| 14 | Seattle Sounders | 6.73 | +3 |
| 15 | FC Cincinnati | 6.59 | — |
| 16 | Colorado Rapids | 6.44 | -3 |
| 17 | Atlanta United | 4.70 | -1 |
| 18 | Chicago Fire | 3.51 | +2 |
| 19 | New England Revolution | 2.80 | +1 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 2.33 | +1 |
| 21 | Orlando City SC | 0.07 | +1 |
| 22 | Charlotte FC | -0.21 | -3 |
| 23 | Inter Miami CF | -2.51 | — |
| 24 | San Jose Earthquakes | -3.45 | — |
| 25 | Vancouver Whitecaps | -4.46 | — |
| 26 | Toronto FC | -5.44 | +1 |
| 27 | DC United | -6.72 | -1 |
| 28 | Sporting KC | -11.31 | — |
NYCFC continue to outpace everyone else in the league, largely because their underlying metrics are off the charts. Haters will say the model values xG too much, but I’d like to think the model correctly predicted the MLS Cup champion last year. Put some respect on its name.
Along with NYCFC, LAFC and Philadelphia Union have taken a sizeable lead over the rest of the pack, with Austin FC falling off slightly. Things get really crowded outside of the top five; just 3.02 points separate sixth from 12th.
At the bottom of the table, Toronto FC improved their score by 3.37 points with a resounding 4-0 win over Charlotte. It wasn’t enough to move up more than one spot, climbing past an inept DC United, but with a more performances like that, they’ll start climbing quickly.
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