In a league as young as MLS, history comes quite easily, and it certainly did on Matchday 9.
With no games scheduled for Sunday, every MLS club played within a few hours of each other on Saturday, giving fans a chaotic 15-match slate to consume all in one night, which ended with 40 goals scored across the league.
With the earliest kickoff of the day, Inter Miami CF defeated Columbus Crew SC 1–0 and became the last remaining undefeated team in 2025, while the nightcap saw eight-goal and six-goal thrillers in the Western Conference.
Now that the chaos has slowed down, Sports Illustrated dives into the MLS Power Rankings after Matchday 9. If you missed Matchday 8’s rankings, check that out too.
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MLS Power Rankings after Matchday 9: Clubs 30-16
30. LA Galaxy (Previous: 28)
29. CF Montréal (Previous: 30)
28. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 25)
27. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 29)
26. New York Red Bulls (Previous: 23)
25. D.C United (Previous: 27)
24. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 22)
23. New England Revolution (Previous: 26)
22. FC Dallas (Previous: 24)
21. Atlanta United (Previous: 18)
20. Portland Timbers (Previous: 21)
19. Nashville SC (Previous: 16)
18. Toronto FC (Previous: 20)
17. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 19)
16. Chicago Fire FC (Previous: 14)
15. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 13)
The San Jose Earthquakes can certainly score goals under head coach Bruce Arena, but they’ve lacked consistency in results, and that was once again evident in their 5–3 Matchday 9 loss to Sporting Kansas City.
While Chicho Arango got himself up to six goals on the season with a brace and Josef Martinez added another, the Earthquakes look as though they will struggle without starting goalkeeper Daniel in net, given his injury status.
They’re up against Columbus Crew SC next week, so it doesn’t get any easier.
14. Austin FC (Previous: 15)
After a 5–1 dismantling loss against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Austin FC rebounded on Matchday 9 with a 1–0 win over LA Galaxy, lofted by a goal from DP striker Brandon Vázquez.
While the club are still a long way from contenders and had their weaknesses brought to light against Vancouver, they returned to their defensive-focused tactics, claimed a fourth clean sheet on the season, and gained a slight confidence boost for their struggling DP.
It all came with a shift from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, as well, a move that benefits Vázquez as an outright striker –– could that be the key to sustained attacking success for Los Verdes?
13. Seattle Sounders FC (Previous: 17)
Seattle Sounders FC had struggled over the last few weeks, but dominated against Nashville SC, picking up a 3–0 win on home turf, their second straight clean sheet win.
The biggest takeaway, though, has been the form of offseason striker signing Jesus Ferreria and last year’s DP addition, Pedro de la Vega, who has yet to make a consistent elite-level impact for the Rave Green.
Against Nashville, each goal involved one of the two attacking players, with Ferreria picking up two assists and De la Vega scoring the 2–0 goal.
Next week, against the Colorado Rapids, could be a good test too.
12. Orlando City SC (Previous: 12)
I hope you like clean sheets, Orlando City SC fans. That’s all you’re getting at the moment.
After starting the season off as an attacking behemoth with Luis Muriel, Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda, the Lions have struggled to create any attack over the last several weeks, posting their third straight scoreless draw against CF Montréal on Matchday 9.
Not allowing any goals is good, no doubt, because of course you can’t lose if you don’t concede...but you can’t win if you don’t score.
11. New York City FC (Previous: 9)
It took until Matchday 9 for the New England Revolution to score their first goals from open play, and New York City FC were the unfortunate victims of their celebratory moments.
Leonardo Campana and Ignatius Ganago got the better of the NYCFC defense at Gillette Stadium, picking apart their midfield with the help of Carles Gil, leaving little regard for the defensive efforts of 18-year-old Jonathan Shore in the middle of the pitch.
Maxi Moralez is great for NYCFC as a midfielder, but the 38-year-old’s impact certainly isn’t what it once was for the team, and they are in need of an established, creative midfielder. Kevin De Bruyne?
10. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 11)
The Colorado Rapids were within seconds of finding a win in Houston, if not for new Dynamo DP Ondrej Linger scoring a diving header on his debut to tie the match 2–2 in second-half stoppage time.
With another standout game from Djordje Mihailovic and Rafael Navarro, the Rapids were able to come away with a point on the road and had another balanced performance in their new-look 4-4-2.
However, getting recent cash-for-player trade acquisition Ted Ku DiPietro some meaningful minutes soon could elevate this team from being reliant on their two stars for offense, and he did not enter the match from the bench on Saturday.
Might Ku DiPietro get some minutes in an adjusted Rapids effort against Seattle next weekend?
9. LAFC (Previous: 6)
Olivier Giroud's first MLS goal is a beauty of a free kick. 😍 pic.twitter.com/Dl6X6hvhCO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 20, 2025
Olivier Giroud netted his first goal with one of the best free kicks MLS has seen in recent seasons, and Denis Bouanga continued his run of form after opening his MLS goal-scoring account on Matchday 8. Yet, it wasn’t enough to get all three points against a Portland Timbers team still trying to figure itself out.
A 3–3 draw will undoubtedly be a boost to an attack that was sputtering despite its star power in recent weeks. They returned to what they’re best at, driving down to the touchline and pulling the ball back, while drawing defenders out of position, and taking glorious chances from set-pieces.
Although the result stood out and the Timbers extended their unbeaten streak to six games, officiating was a central focus. Timbers head coach Phil Neville said: “From a player’s point of view, that was a brilliant advertisement for MLS football. It was not an advertisement for the officials.”, after LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo was given a red card.
LAFC will hope to bring their rekindled attacking prowess back home next weekend when they host one of the top defensive sides in MLS, St. Louis CITY SC.
8. Charlotte FC (Previous: 10)
It’s three wins in a row for Charlotte FC, but their latest 3–0 victory over thriving expansion side San Diego FC is the standout of them all.
Liel Abada, Pep Biel and Wilfried Zaha looked comfortable as a midfield trio and got Charlotte back to the counter-attacking best, with Biel picking up another assist to make it seven on the season, leading MLS in the category.
Andrés Reyes’ 39th-minute red card certainly opened things up for The Crown, but they were dominating before then as well. It all led to a near-perfect performance that saw them put up 3.86 xG, create seven big chances and get goals from key players in Abada, Patrick Agyemang and even Andrew Privett.
Things are going well for Charlotte FC right now, and it’s darn fun to see.
7. San Diego FC (Previous: 5)
There is no success without a little bit of failure, and that is what San Diego FC found out on Matchday 9 against Charlotte.
While playing with 10-men from the 39th minute isn't the best of plans for any plans of winning, it was the first match where head coach Mikey Varas' expansion side looked uninspired and without a way to produce any sort of attack.
There's a lot to like about San Diego FC so far in their first season, in particular the play of Anders Dreyer and Chucky Lozano on the wings, but a lack of an outright and proven striker seems to be holding the club back from their full potential this season.
6. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 7)
The superstars were the key for FC Cincinnati this week, with two goals from Evander and one from Kévin Denkey to defeat Chicago Fire FC 3–2 on their home pitch.
After a slight, inconsistent start to the season, head coach Pat Noonan’s side has found its form in the last few weeks, with Saturday’s win their fourth in a row, as they consistently improve each week with Evander at the heartbeat of their attacking transition.
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Their good form may be just an indicator of things to come, though. They’ve yet to put in a dominant performance, only recently got Matt Miazga back after a long recovery from injury, and seem very active in the hopes of bringing in another attacking face in the primary transfer window.
FC Cincinnati could be a scary team as this season continues to build.
5. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 8)
Philadelphia Union often savor their wins against high-spending MLS teams, and Saturday’s 3–0 win over Atlanta United is no different. Quinn Sullivan scored a brilliant half volley, Danley Jean Jacques got he second and Tai Baribo extended his lead in the MLS Golden Boot race with his seventh goal of the season.
While Atlanta United’s misfortunes and struggles contributed to how easy it became for Philadelphia, it was an important result against one of the supposed strengths of the league, while also helping players break out of slight ruts.
It also snapped a three-match winless skid and put them fifth in the Eastern Conference, heading into a pair of more straightforward matchups against D.C. United and CF Montréal.
4. Minnesota United (Previous: 2)
It’s two straight scoreless draws for Minnesota United after tying FC Dallas on Matchday 9, and the team seems to be struggling to adapt in games where they simply can’t run through the defense.
Against Toronto FC on Matchday 8, Tani Oluwaseyi and Kelvin Yeboah struggled to get in behind the low-block, and against Dallas, they couldn’t muster up high-quality chances despite an unusually high 46 percent possession share.
Midfielder Joaquin Pereyra is starting to show some bright flashes and look more like the Designated Player he is, but has yet to show his ability to completely unlock a game. Yet, their fifth clean sheet allowed them to claim a point and put themselves tied for second in the Western Conference.
While they won’t be able to take top spot in the conference next week, their matchup against the first-place Vancouver Whitecaps is the most enticing of any Matchday 10 games.
3. Columbus Crew SC (Previous: 3)
It was just one of those weeks for Columbus Crew SC. Despite dominating throughout the match and getting the best out of new acquisition Daniel Gazdag, they were unable to score and eventually fell 1–0 to Inter Miami in a game they probably should have won.
While a loss will sting, it was an overall good afternoon for Columbus, one they can learn from, knowing just how many chances they created through Gazdag, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Diego Rossi, and Max Arfsten.
They’ll also welcome a return to Columbus and their home pitch, Lower.com Field, having played this pseudo-home match at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, which hosted over 60,000 supporters.
Next week, they’re up against a leaky San Jose Earthquakes defence.
2. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Previous: 1)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC did enough to keep their lead in the MLS Supporters’ Shield race and ensure a four-point cushion heading into Matchday 10 atop the Western Conference. However, they weren’t able to muster many attacking opportunities, with St. Louis CITY SC’s backline holding strong as one of the elite defensive setups of 2025.
Ali Ahmed was one of the more involved players in the match and provided a consistent threat down the wing, but struggled to beat Akil Watts on the dribble, completing just one of five attempts.
The Whitecaps will take the point though, considering they stay atop the table and grabbed an away clean sheet, before turning their eyes on midweek against Inter Miami CF in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal.
1. Inter Miami CF (Previous: 4)
It wasn’t the most convincing of victories for Inter Miami CF, but they found their way back into the win column with a 1–0 victory over Columbus Crew SC, making them the last undefeated team in MLS.
Benjamin Cremaschi scored a brilliant diving goal on a cross from Marcelo Weigandt to put the Herons up 1–0. Still, Columbus controlled most of the match and were unable to score despite putting up 2.94 xG, and 17 shots, compared to Miami’s 0.86 and seven.
Lionel Messi and the former FC Barcelona players were held off the scoresheet for the second match in a row, and the Argentine looked to be dealing with a slight injury through the final 30 minutes.
However, a win and three points keep them battling for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and gives them a boost heading into the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals against the Whitecaps on Thursday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Power Rankings: Seattle Sounders Surge, Inter Miami Stay Undefeated on Matchday 9.
