The 2025 MLS season is now firmly underway, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.
Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 8 to come up with this week's order of all 30 teams in the league. Let's dive in.
1. Vancouver Whitecaps
Previous ranking: 3
The Whitecaps are riding high. Through to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals? Check. A dominant 5-1 victory over Austin despite missing Ryan Gauld? Check. Increasing their lead atop the West? Check. This team is for real.
2. Columbus Crew
Previous ranking: 2
Still yet to lose in the post-Cucho Hernández era, the Crew's 2-1 win over St. Louis featured the debut of new designated player attacker Dániel Gazdag. The former Philly standout is still finding his footing but looked comfortable picking out passes in the left half-space.
Messi forces excellent save out of Chicago keeper
3. Inter Miami CF
Previous ranking: 1
While Miami remains undefeated, Sunday's 0-0 draw with Chicago didn't see the Herons at their best. Without any vertical threats to push the Fire's backline, Javier Mascherano's team lacked danger in the final third. Even so, on short rest after a wild Concacaf victory over LAFC, a road point isn't a poor result.
4. San Diego FC
Previous ranking: 4
For the first time this year, San Diego's commitment to playing out of the back came back to bite in a 3-2 loss to Colorado. Those sloppy turnovers in the face of aggressive pressure from Chris Armas & Co. were SDFC's undoing.
5. Minnesota United
Previous ranking: 6
The Loons didn't have quite enough juice in the attack to break the deadlock in a 0-0 road draw with Toronto. Still, this team hasn't lost a game since opening day, when it fell to LAFC. Minnesota has a wildly high floor.
6. Colorado Rapids
Previous ranking: 9
Not afraid of San Diego's precise possession play, the Rapids pressed high early and often in a 3-2 home win. Between Sam Vines' return to health and Chris Armas' decision to bench the struggling Kévin Cabral, Colorado played some of its best soccer of the year.
Watch the Game Highlights from Colorado Rapids vs. San Diego FC, 04/12/2025
7. FC Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 7
While Cincinnati's 1-0 win over D.C. matters most when it comes to the table, Matt Miazga's return from a knee injury suffered last June was the big story. Miazga subbed on late in the second half, and his arrival will give Cincy a big boost in the coming weeks.
8. Charlotte FC
Previous ranking: 9
Pep Biel is making a case to be one of the best non-DP attackers in MLS. The 28-year-old Spanish attacking midfielder nabbed the lone goal of Charlotte's 1-0 road win over Montréal on Saturday and now has eight goal contributions through eight games.
9. Philadelphia Union
Previous ranking: 5
Between trading Dániel Gazdag to Columbus and losing 1-0 to NYCFC, it's been a rough past few days for Philadelphia fans. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks the Union's ceiling is as high today as it was a week ago.
10. Nashville SC
Previous ranking: 15
After some brutal luck in losses to Cincinnati and Charlotte the past two times out, Nashville got back in the win column with a 2-1 victory over RSL at home. Even without Walker Zimmerman as he recovers from a head injury, this new-look Nashville team was a worthy winner.
11. New York Red Bulls
Previous ranking: 12
Despite playing up a man after a red card to Orlando's Rodrigo Schlegel, the Red Bulls came up empty in the final third in a 0-0 road draw. Concerningly, striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting found just one shot on the evening -- and it was blocked.
12. Orlando City
Previous ranking: 11
Orlando started the season hot in front of goal, scoring 15 in its first six games. In the past two weeks, though, the Lions haven't managed a goal. Missing Oscar Pareja's first-choice midfield pairing, they drew 0-0 with the Red Bulls on Saturday.
13. LAFC
Previous ranking: 13
Saturday's 2-1 win over San Jose didn't come easy for LAFC, who never seem to win easy these days under Steve Cherundolo. Regardless, they bounded back from a gut-wrenching midweek loss to Inter Miami in Concacaf play.
14. Austin FC
Previous ranking: 10
Nico Estévez's Austin team has prided itself on being a defensively resolute outfit. Through the first seven weeks, Austin was exactly that. In a 5-1 loss to Vancouver on Saturday, though, the Verde were anything but. They allowed more xG -- 4.5, according to FBref -- than any other MLS team has in a single game this year.
Shapi Suleymanov curls in a great free-kick goal vs. Timbers in the 16'.
15. Portland Timbers
Previous ranking: 18
Between an explosive 4-2 win over Kansas City and the return of star forward Jonathan Rodríguez from injury, it was a great weekend for the Timbers. That their injury report didn't have a single name on it coming into the weekend is a fantastic sign.
16. Seattle Sounders
Previous ranking: 16
While Jesús Ferreira wasn't wildly impactful in his return to Frisco, the Sounders enjoyed a 1-0 win over Dallas on Saturday. Don't be surprised if this win -- Seattle's second of the season -- starts something of a run for Brian Schmetzer's team.
17. FC Dallas
Previous ranking: 17
Dallas' hunt for a statement win continues. So far this season, FCD's victories have come over a trio of bad teams: Houston, Salt Lake and Kansas City. Despite having more than 70 minutes to get back into the match against Seattle on Saturday, Eric Quill's team fell 1-0.
18. Chicago Fire
Previous ranking: 19
For a Chicago team that has lacked solidity at times in 2025, limiting Miami to just five shots from inside the box was a success. Gregg Berhalter will wish his team had shown a bit more in the attack, but a 0-0 draw against the most talented team in the league is nothing to be ashamed of -- especially when your injury list is as long as Chicago's.
19. New York City FC
Previous ranking: 20
Alonso Martínez continues to be one of the biggest success stories in MLS. Since moving from the wing to the striker spot early last year, the Costa Rica international has boasted a borderline-elite scoring record. In 2025, he has five goals in seven games and scored the eventual game winner in a 1-0 win over Philadelphia on Saturday.
20. Atlanta United
Previous ranking: 14
Things still haven't clicked for Atlanta. Once again, Ronny Deila tweaked the positioning of his two high-priced No. 10s in Alexey Miranchuk and Miguel Almirón on Saturday, but the Five Stripes couldn't put together a consistent 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to New England.
21. San Jose Earthquakes
Previous ranking: 21
Despite having more and better chances than their hosts, the Quakes fell 2-1 to LAFC this weekend. Beyond the loss, seeing star goalkeeper Daniel exit in the first half with a head injury is a concern for San Jose fans.
Denis Bouanga seals win for LAFC
22. Houston Dynamo
Previous ranking: 24
The Dynamo outplayed the Galaxy on the road, staying tight defensively and finding some excellent looks on the back of a few sustained possession sequences, and yet they only claimed a 1-1 draw in Carson. The whole evening was a missed opportunity for Houston.
23. Real Salt Lake
Previous ranking: 22
It was the same old story for RSL in a 2-1 loss to Nashville. They lacked consistency in the final third and didn't create nearly enough dangerous opportunities to give themselves a real chance to win. This team is in the market for a new starting striker for a reason.
24. St. Louis City SC
Previous ranking: 23
Make that four straight losses for St. Louis. With a slew of starters unavailable, STL's 2-1 home defeat against the Crew wasn't unexpected, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
25. New England Revolution
Previous ranking: 26
Caleb Porter can breathe a sigh of relief after picking up a 1-0 win over Atlanta. The Revs still haven't scored a goal from open play, but hey, a win is a win. Porter's switch to a back three paid off.
26. D.C. United
Previous ranking: 27
Despite facing Cincinnati at an opportune time where the visitors were without Evander, Obinna Nwobodo, Yuya Kubo and Matt Miazga in the starting lineup, D.C. fell 1-0 at home on Saturday. Things are bleak in the capital.
27. Toronto FC
Previous ranking: 28
Quietly, Toronto has collected three straight draws over three very good teams in Vancouver, Miami and Minnesota. Saturday's 0-0 result against the Loons didn't feature much attacking firepower, but Robin Fraser will take a point wherever he can find one.
28. Sporting Kansas City
Previous ranking: 25
Sloppy defending and ill-timed turnovers in their own third condemned SKC to a 4-2 loss against the Timbers on Sunday, their first defeat under interim manager Kerry Zavagnin.
29. CF Montréal
Previous ranking: 30
Montréal's first home game of 2025 didn't go to plan. After conceding just 16 minutes in, the hosts simply couldn't find the back of Charlotte's net en route to losing 1-0.
30. LA Galaxy
Previous ranking: 29
The Galaxy can't get through a game without making a major defensive error. A troubling number of those errors have come from Zanka, a new veteran center back. His first-half red card in a 1-1 draw with Houston was simply the latest example.