Week 26 MLS Power Rankings

A couple shock results in MLS this week makes for more movement in the Power Rankings than usual. Let’s dive in.

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 26 Power Rankings

RankTeamScoreMovement
1LAFC32.80
2Philadelphia Union32.37
3New York City FC25.45
4CF Montréal16.25+2
5New York Red Bulls15.90
6Austin FC15.56-2
7Nashville SC13.45+1
8LA Galaxy10.85+1
9FC Dallas10.44-2
10Minnesota United9.28+5
11Colorado Rapids9.15
12Columbus Crew8.64-2
13FC Cincinnati8.37-1
14Seattle Sounders6.93
15Real Salt Lake5.99+2
16Atlanta United5.96
17Portland Timbers3.94-4
18New England Revolution2.63
19Chicago Fire1.65
20Inter Miami CF1.44+1
21Orlando City SC-0.12+1
22Toronto FC-0.98+1
23Charlotte FC-1.62-3
24Houston Dynamo-3.80
25Vancouver Whitecaps-4.92
26San Jose Earthquakes-5.48
27Sporting KC-6.69
28DC United-15.13

LAFC maintain the top spot after a tight 1-0 win over DC United (who’s -15.13 score is the lowest of the season) and a 2-1 road loss to San Jose Earthquakes, which hurt their chances at an 80 point season. It also allowed Philadelphia Union to close the gap to within half a point. The Union lost 1-0 midweek, but rebounded with a 6-0 demolition of DC, increasing their score by five points.

NYCFC‘s score decreased for the fourth consecutive week with a loss to Charlotte FC and a win over Chicago Fire, and they haven’t looked the same since Taty Castellanos left in the summer transfer window.

CF Montréal jumped two spots with a 4-0 win over New England Revolution. Montréal have the fourth-best xG differential and the 7th best goal differential in MLS, and are within four points of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Nashville SC increased their score by three points with a 4-0 win over FC Dallas, jumping a spot and knocking Dallas down two. Their underlying numbers continue to be elite, and their actual output finally matched it on Sunday, keeping them in the Western Conference playoff spots.

Minnesota United were the last major improvers, jumping from 15th to 10th with a 2-1 win over Austin FC. They’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league; only LAFC and Montréal have taken more points from their last five than the Loons, who look like they’ll be hosting a home playoff game.

On the other side of the coin, Portland Timbers drop four spots in the Power Rankings and down to 10th in the table with an “embarrasing” 4-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City. They’ve been up and down all year, but dropped points on the road to one of the worst teams in the league at a costly time of the season.

Projected Standings

The West is shaping up to be tight, with just five points projects between sixth and eleventh place. Nashville’s win over Dallas pushes them back into the playoff spots, while Seattle and Portland’s losses have them projected to miss out.

The East is also set to be incredibly crowded; just nine points between fifth and tenth. A draw was enough to drop Cincinnati out of the postseason in the projections, while Toronto’s single point from two matches may be the final nail in their playoff coffin.

Author: Ben Wrightis the Director of Soccer Content and a Senior MLS Contributor for Broadway Sports covering Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously Ben was the editor and a founder of Speedway Soccer, where he has covered Nashville SC and their time in USL before journeying to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, KY Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he is not talking soccer he is probably producing music, drinking coffee or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

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