MLS Power Rankings: No Cavan? No problem for surging Philadelphia

It’s Monday, another weekend of action is in the books, and it’s time for the latest edition of ESPN’s MLS Power Rankings.

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Previous ranking: 1

Hany Mukhtar became the 16th player in MLS history to score 100 goals after netting twice in a 2-0 win against Toronto. With seven games to go, Nashville is ten points clear (although Vancouver has a game in hand) as the Music City side seek its first Supporters’ Shield.

Previous ranking: 2

STL had the weekend off while it prepares for the Red Bulls on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 3

Despite a 3-0 win against RSL last weekend, it’s been a so-so string of results for the Whitecaps after drawing D.C. 3-3. That’s one win in four games across all competitions, although it’s still mathematically possible to steal the Shield from Nashville.

Previous ranking: 4

Miami (and Lionel Messi, with an incredible free-kick goal, of course) helped close out the weekend with one of the more entertaining games of the matchday. But Miami walked away with a 2-1 loss to Columbus after a 98th-minute winner from the Crew. Santiago Morales getting sent off for time wasting two minutes earlier didn’t help.

Previous ranking: 6

In a battle of two teams that are soaring in the second half of their season, Philly came out the victor in a 4-2 win against Orlando. With three players on international duty with the United States (including Cavan Sullivan, the team’s second-highest goal contributor), Milan Iloski and Indiana Vassilev balled out, both clocking three goal contributions each with the former netting a hat trick.

Previous ranking: 5

After losing 3-0 in Utah, New England’s first loss in four games came against a struggling RSL side. With a chunk of the Revolution’s starting XI on international duty, including two of their three top goal contributors, it’s a stumble but not a nose dive.

Previous ranking: 8

Charlotte’s 1-0 loss at home to fifth-place Chicago could prove pivotal as we get closer to the playoffs. With the defeat, the fourth-place Crown is just one point ahead of the Fire in the Eastern Conference, and in picking up a late red card, Tim Ream will be absent for Charlotte’s next game.

Previous ranking: 9

With Houston already trailing, Héctor Herrera‘s needless red card just before halftime did little to inspire a second-half comeback in a 2-0 defeat to SKC.

Previous ranking: 7

With six players on international duty, including both top scorers, LAFC fell 1-0 to Dallas. With one win in ten games, Black and Gold announced they’ve parted ways with head coach Marc Dos Santos.

Previous ranking: 10

Antoine Griezmann was back in the starting lineup against Philadelphia after missing one match and contributed an assist, but it wasn’t enough to get back in the win column. After the 4-2 defeat, Orlando has lost two straight games by that same scoreline. It’s a shift from its five-game undefeated run, which ended with its U.S. Open Cup loss to Columbus, but it has a chance to make amends, starting with Columbus next weekend.

Previous ranking: 11

Chicago’s 1-0 win against Charlotte is its first in eight games across all competitions, but it puts the Fire within reach of a top-four spot in the East, as they now trail fourth-place Charlotte by one point. Johan Gómez scored the difference-maker off a corner to mark his first goal tally since returning from the Bundesliga.

Previous ranking: 14

Without key players (including the league’s second-highest scorer, Petar Musa) Dallas beat LAFC 1-0 with a roaring header from Osaze Urhoghide off a corner. Ironically, the Black and Gold’s late would-be equalizer that was called off for a light foul came from a corner, too.

Previous ranking: 12

Dropping points in a 2-2 draw against almost-bottom-of-the-East Atlanta will grate as the Pigeons hover just above the playoff line. As ATL’s late equalizer came off a goalkeeping mishap, the absence of Matt Freese (on international duty for the U.S.) was keenly felt.

Previous ranking: 17

With a brace from Preston Judd (his fourth goal in three games), San Jose stretched its undefeated streak to six games after a 3-1 win against Portland. Every point counts as the playoffs loom; the Quakes finished the weekend in the West’s top four, but two teams trail by just one point.

Previous ranking: 15

After notching a 3-2 come-from-behind victory against Colorado, the Galaxy have two straight 3-2 wins against teams vying for playoff positions. Those points could matter down the line, as they finish the weekend even with the Rapids, who still sit just above them in the table.

Previous ranking: 13

With six players missing for international duty, Cincinnati’s defensive troubles continued in a 3-1 defeat to the Eastern Conference’s last-placed team, Montréal. Cincy has now conceded 17 goals in its past five games. Success in the final third can only do much when you’re that leaky at the back.

Previous ranking: 16

San Diego was sailing toward a 3-0 win until the 73rd minute, when it let Austin launch a late comeback in a 3-3 stalemate. SDFC now have two draws in two games but haven’t won since Aug. 29. They could have used the three points: they’ve got seven games to break into the playoff positions but are three points and three places short of the wild-card spots in a very competitive Western Conference.

Previous ranking: 20

After beating Minnesota 3-1, Seattle has two wins in two games (including a midweek victory over RSL) and is undefeated in seven. And if it wasn’t for Drake Callender‘s five saves, they would have scored more. With a game in hand, it finished the weekend just inside wild-card positions out west.

Previous ranking: 18

RSL got their first regular-season win since May 16 in a 3-0 victory over the Revs. As the team looks for answers, 19-year-old Aiden Hezarkhani opened the scoring early to mark his first tallies since March, while Sergi Solans notched a brace to mark his first since mid-August.

Previous ranking: 21

Brandon Vázquez scored a late diving header that inspired a three-goal comeback (Christian Ramírez had the others) in a 3-3 draw against San Diego. Not a bad way for Vázquez to score his first of the season.

Previous ranking: 19

RBNY took the weekend off but play again on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 23

After closing out the weekend with a last-minute goal to seal a 2-1 win over Miami, Columbus is on a bit of a roll. The Crew have three wins in three games across all competitions, putting them four points (but still three places) shy of the wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Previous ranking: 22

Paxten Aaronson isn’t on Mauricio Pochettino’s experimental young USMNT roster this month, but he registered his third goal and fifth goal contribution in four games in a 3-2 loss to the Galaxy. That’s a small high note in a loss that could matter in the coming weeks, as the seventh-place Rapids are now even on points with eighth-place LA with seven games to go.

Previous ranking: 24

The good news: Callender made some good saves. The bad news: it wasn’t enough to stop a five-game losing streak or pick up their first win since Aug. 22.

Previous ranking: 25

After losing 2-0 to Nashville, Toronto’s commendable form has taken a turn with three straight defeats. The Reds have a more forgiving match against bottom-of-the-east Montréal up next.

Previous ranking: 27

In his eighth game for D.C., 24-year-old Kimito Nono scored twice to mark his first for the team in a 3-3 draw with Vancouver. D.C. is still winless in three games, but that’s a respectable result against a top team.

Previous ranking: 28

Atlanta did well without its stars on international duty, absconding with a point against NYCFC in a 2-2 draw. The Five Stripes are still second bottom in the East and six points shy of the playoff spots, but they have just one loss in five games (three draws, one win).

Previous ranking: 26

Portland took a trip to NorCal and came away with a 3-1 defeat to the Quakes. That’s three straight defeats for a team that’s somehow just one spot and three points outside the playoff positions.

Previous ranking: 30

Montréal clocked its first regular-season win since Aug. 19 in a 3-1 victory over Cincinnati. After beating Vancouver in the Canadian Championship semifinal, that’s two wins in three games for the MLS basement dwellers. Progress?

Previous ranking: 29

SKC beat Houston 2-0 with help from Herrera’s red card and two first-half goals, including one strike and assist from André Luiz, marking five goal contributions in the past three games for their big signing.