Power Rankings: Will Inter Miami lift the Supporters’ Shield? | MLSSoccer.com
What a week in MLS. Seven teams clinched an Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs spot. It truly was a week unlike any other.
The Power Rankings are voted on by around 20 MLS writers, editors and personalities and are not solely the fault of the columnâs author. The 2024 Power Rankings Committee regrets the errors and tried to rank your team higher. They promise.
The Crew have had better weeks. They came up just short in Campeones Cup against Club AmĂ©rica and then missed an opportunity to make a late push for the Supportersâ Shield after drawing 2-2 with D.C. United. The rest of the year is about beating out FC Cincinnati for the second spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Herons havenât been at their best. Itâs three straight draws now after they couldnât get past Charlotte on Saturday. Theyâre still going to win the Supportersâ Shield, but they arenât sprinting into the postseason right now. They have a big one coming up against the Crew that could tell us exactly how much work they have to do to get right before the playoffs.
The Galaxy took the week off. When they get back on the field against Colorado, theyâll be six points up on LAFC. Thatâs a sizable gap, but they still need to finish the job to earn the top spot in the Western Conference.
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LAFC just had their best week of the season. They got the job done against Sporting KC in the US Open Cup Final and finally got over their yips in trophy games. Then, they followed that up with an even more impressive road win against Cincinnati a few days later. Theyâre sitting second in the West with the easiest remaining schedule in MLS and a game in hand on almost everyone chasing them.
Itâs fair to wonder, after their 2-1 loss to LAFC, if Cincy arenât going to find the same edge they had last season. That always felt like a possibility heading into the year considering the roster turnover they were facing. The thing is, the new pieces have all fit in well. Injuries have been the real killer. And they picked up another one when center back Chidozie Awaziem went down last weekend. No position group in MLS has been hit as hard by injury this year⊠or in recent memory.
Things actually seem to go really well for Seattle these days as long as they arenât facing LAFC, Portland or⊠uh⊠San Jose. They pulled out a 1-0 win against Houston thanks to a goal from Paul Rothrock and are right on the edge of a home playoff spot. Since July 1, only one team in MLS has earned more points per game.
RSL blew a 2-0 lead to Austin and missed out on a huge opportunity to stay in front of LAFC in the standings. There have been a whole lot more bad moments lately than good moments for this team. If theyâre going to get some momentum heading into the playoffs, theyâre going to need Chicho Arango to turn it around in a hurry. Heâs scored just one goal since June 1.
No team has been more effective over the last third of the season. In the 11-game span since July 1, the Lions have been on a 2.27-points-per-game pace and are leading the league in expected points per game during that span. Basically, the underlying numbers line up with their hot streak in a way last yearâs didnât. You can definitely talk about strength of schedule as a major factor there, but they just keep beating the folks in front of them. Thatâs all they can do. And theyâre doing it really, really well right now.
Uhhhhhhhh yikes, Colorado.
The Rapids got smacked by Minnesota over the weekend and their defensive and goalkeeping issues were on full display. Theyâre still in a home playoff spot, but only barely. With the Galaxy and the Sounders up next this week, itâs going to take something pretty special to hold onto that spot heading into Decision Day.
Theyâre a good team. But their weaknesses may end up being too much in the end. Have we mentioned lately how Zack Steffen is still last among starting âkeepers in multiple shot-stopping statistics?
The Timbers picked up a totally fine road point against Vancouver. Theyâre still sitting ninth in the West, though. If theyâre going to pull themselves out of a Wild Card spot, itâs now or never. They face Austin and Dallas this week.
In their seven games post-Leagues Cup, the Dynamo have scored multiple goals twice. The concerns about their attack arenât going away after their 1-0 loss at Seattle.
The good news is they have get-right chances against New England and St. Louis this week.
Make it seven goals in six starts for the Loonsâ new DP after his brace against Colorado. Heâs on the kind of heater we havenât seen in Minnesota since Emanuel Reynoso nearly dragged them to MLS Cup. Yeboah has Minnesota on the verge of dragging themselves out of a Wild Card spot. Theyâre two points back of seventh place with a huge game against RSL on Wednesday and an even huger game against Vancouver on Saturday.
Alonso Martinez is indispensable on both sides of the ball for NYCFC.
(I added sound to this one, but as you will be able to tell, I did not use the good microphone) pic.twitter.com/AV3pqTMRjT
â Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) September 29, 2024
New York City FC beat the absolute hell outta their crosstown rivals and MartĂnezâs brace led the way. Heâs up to 14 goals and three assists in 16 starts this year, and his underlying numbers are among the best in the league. NYCFCâs struggles havenât been on him.
Maybe their 5-1 win over the Red Bulls â their third MLS win in their last 15 games â signaled a turning point. A really good team is still hiding in here.
Vancouver dropped points at home to Portland in a 1-1 draw and now they have to really buckle down. They have a game in hand on almost everyone else, but do extra games even count when you have the Whitecaps’ schedule? Theyâll face Seattle, Minnesota, LAFC and RSL to close the season. A loss to Minnesota would be especially damaging to their hopes of avoiding a Wild Card spot.
Charlotte got a little lucky, but put up a decent fight in a 1-1 draw in Miami. Now they get to ease into the end of the season with a three-match stretch against Chicago, Montréal and D.C. United. A home playoff spot is still possible.
Thereâs not much to add after a 5-1 mollywhopping from their biggest rival. This team simply doesnât have it right now. Theyâre probably going to miss out on a home playoff spot and theyâre probably going to do what weâve come to expect over their 15-year playoff streak. Something has to change in a hurry if the Red Bulls are going to prove that idea wrong.
Hey, at least Emil Forsberg got back on the field for 30-ish minutes?
Philadelphia may have actually been outplayed in their 1-1 draw against Atlanta. Thatâs unexpected after their bulldozing of NYCFC and D.C. United a couple of weeks ago. Itâs also a missed opportunity to bury Atlanta for good and virtually seal a playoff spot. Theyâre still in the driverâs seat, but a run-in of Orlando, Columbus and Cincinnati to close the year is about as mean as it gets.
It sure seemed like MontrĂ©al were dead a few weeks ago after their 5-0 loss to New England. Instead, theyâve spent the last four games picking up 10 points and putting themselves equal on points with eighth-place Toronto. Theyâre getting contributions from names like Josef MartĂnez and Caden Clark, and it sure seems like they might pull this off. Their 3-0 win against San Jose over the weekend certainly helped, and points against Atlanta and Charlotte this week may just get them over the line.
The Five Stripes werenât bad in a 1-1 draw against Philly. Everyone in Atlanta already has their heads on 2025, though. They probably wonât make the playoffs barring a late push. After the season ends, the real work begins.
At least Saba Lobjanidze is a plus-piece to have heading into next season. Heâs up to eight games and seven assists on the year for a not-great team.
Dallas will need a genuine miracle to make the playoffs after their 3-1 loss to Orlando City. Itâs been a frustrating year. Thereâs some reason to be optimistic about 2025 at least. A little injury luck in 2025 would go a long way for a team thatâs shown flashes of what could have been over the last couple of months.
A rivalry win over SKC is a great way to close out the season. Now St. Louis can just sit back and be sacrificial lambs for LAFC, Houston and Minnesota.
Still not dead! They picked up a draw against Columbus (!) over the weekend and are only three points out of a playoff spot. D.C. need some help, but games against Nashville, New England and Charlotte to close the year are all winnable.
Toronto’s season potentially comes to a close this week. Theyâll face the Red Bulls on Wednesday and play their final regular-season game on Saturday against Inter Miami. If their 1-1 draw with Chicago last Saturday is any indication, those games may not go well. Itâs their last chance to stay in front of the playoff line.
Austin fought back admirably in a 2-2 draw with RSL, but itâs not going to be enough to save their playoff hopes. Now the question is whether or not theyâll make major changes once the season officially ends.
A four-point gap between Nashville and the playoff line will probably be too much to cover over the final three games. Nine points may be enough, though. You never know.
Thereâs an argument that New England have statistically been the worst team in MLS this year. Theyâre still alive for now, though. And they have a game in hand on everyone theyâre chasing. The problem, besides the whole worst team thing, is two of their four remaining games are against Columbus and Miami.
They did lose. Twice actually. Including a US Open Cup Final. And then to their closest rival.
