MLS Power Rankings: Messi's Miami stays No. 1, Columbus holds on to No.2 spot

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 7 to come up with this week's order of all 30 teams in the league. Let's dive in.

1. Inter Miami CF

Previous ranking: 1

Inter Miami got its customary goal from Lionel Messi, but only after conceding to Federico Bernardeschi. In spite of the 1-1 draw with Toronto FC, Miami keeps the top spot having remained undefeated and with their focus on this week's Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal, second leg, with LAFC.

2. Columbus Crew

Previous ranking: 2

The Crew took care of business early, with goals in the 11th and 26th minutes to push head coach Wilfried Nancy past former team CF Montreal, 2-1. They remain the league's only undefeated team aside from Miami.

3. Vancouver Whitecaps

Previous ranking: 3

There were no Concacaf Champions Cup distractions here. Despite a trip to Mexico City to face Pumas in the CCC quarterfinals approaching, Jesper Sørensen's bunch convincingly dispatched the Colorado Rapids, 2-0, and remain atop the Western Conference.

4. San Diego FC

Previous ranking: 5

For weeks we've been wondering what this team would look like with star winger Hirving Lozano at his best. We got a glimpse of it as "Chucky" registered an assist and a goal in a 3-0 win over the Seattle Sounders. Scary.

5. Philadelphia Union

Previous ranking: 4

The Union keep their place in the top five despite a scoreless draw with Orlando City at Subaru Park. Bottling up an Orlando attack that had 15 goals in six matches coming into the contest is a huge plus, even if the Union couldn't break through with a goal of their own.

6. Minnesota United

Previous ranking: 7

Direct and dominant in a 2-1 win over New York City FC at Yankee Stadium, the Loons' season-opening loss is a distant memory with six straight weeks undefeated.

7. FC Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 6

Despite star attacker Evander missing out because of a knee injury and having other key players out as well, FC Cincinnati still found a way to top the New England Revolution, 1-0.

9. Charlotte FC

Previous ranking: 8

It took a late flurry of offense, but midfielder Pep Biel helped jolt Charlotte FC into a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Nashville SC that keeps them near the top of the Eastern Conference.

9. Colorado Rapids

Previous ranking: 8

The Colorado Rapids could not figure out the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 2-0 defeat at BC Place, finishing the night without so much as a shot on goal. Zack Steffen has been fantastic, but a goalkeeper can only do so much.

10. Austin FC

Previous ranking: 10

Austin FC's 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers extends the club's unbeaten run to four matches, but fans who saw the team's early-season struggles to create scoring chances will have concerns that the trend is re-emerging.

11. Orlando City

Previous ranking: 11

No team has scored more goals (15) than Orlando City this season, but they couldn't find the back of the net in a scoreless stalemate with the Philadelphia Union. It was their first clean sheet of the year, but now coach Oscar Pareja needs to figure out how to put it all together.

12. New York Red Bulls

Previous ranking: 13

It was from the penalty spot, granted, but Eric Choupo-Moting scored for the second match in a row in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire. Getting their biggest offseason addition in an attacking rhythm would be great news for the Red Bulls.

13. LAFC

Previous ranking: 12

LAFC is another team looking toward the Concacaf Champions Cup, and it showed as they fell flat in a 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo. Next up: Another CCC duel with Inter Miami.

14. Atlanta United

Previous ranking: 14

While a 1-1 home draw with FC Dallas may not get the alarm bells ringing in Georgia's capital, a deeper look might. The team struggled for creativity and needs one of its big-money players (Miguel Almirón, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Mateusz Klich, Alexey Miranchuk) to start proving they're a genuine difference-maker.

15. Nashville SC

Previous ranking: 15

Nashville captain Walker Zimmerman is out of the hospital after a concerning kick to the head. Before his departure, things were looking good for Nashville, but two late goals meant a 2-1 loss to Charlotte FC.

16. Seattle Sounders

Previous ranking: 16

The Sounders went into the locker room down 3-0 at halftime to San Diego FC, and that ended up being the final score too, with the Sounders unable to break through no matter what they tried. Is it time to start worrying about what this team may look like in this summer's Club World Cup?

17. FC Dallas

Previous ranking: 20

While unable to get a road win, FC Dallas fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United on Saturday. The Luciano Acosta-Petar Musa connection is starting to work; now if could only stop falling behind.

18. Portland Timbers

Previous ranking: 19

The Timbers held the possession edge in a 0-0 draw with Austin FC, but didn't get the same scoring spark they'd received from Brazilian winger Antony in each of the previous two weeks, failing to score for the first time since March 8.

19. Chicago Fire

Previous ranking: 17

Already with three road wins to their credit this year, the Fire took the lead on Saturday but couldn't hold on and fell to the New York Red Bulls, 2-1. There were good signs in defeat, though, with Gregg Berhalter's squad creating more danger than the Red Bulls and ending up ahead on xG -- something they can build on this week.

20. New York City FC

Previous ranking: 18

NYCFC manager Pascal Jansen made the international sign for "Things went very wrong for us from the start" with a pair of 40th-minute changes against Minnesota United, but even that was too late to salvage what ended as a 2-1 defeat.

21. San Jose Earthquakes

Previous ranking: 22

Josef Martínez scored a hat trick, and other key players got in the goals as well as the Quakes enjoyed a 6-1 romp over D.C. United -- 29 years to the day after the first-ever MLS match took place in Northern California. After the match, manager Bruce Arena noted there's still plenty to improve, but Sunday looked like a lot of fun.

22. Real Salt Lake

Previous ranking: 24

Diego Luna scored a first-half double to power RSL past the LA Galaxy, 2-0, with RSL also keeping a clean sheet for just the second time this season.

23. St. Louis City SC

Previous ranking: 21

Facing a rival that had just fired its coach, the time was right for St. Louis to end a two-game dip. Instead it lost its third straight, falling 2-0 to Sporting Kansas City, and hasn't scored in 345 minutes.

24. Houston Dynamo

Previous ranking: 26

When they finally kicked off in a match delayed by poor weather, the Dynamo put in a nice performance, with winter acquisition Jack McGlynn netting his debut goal in a 1-0 victory over LAFC -- the club's first of the campaign.

25. Sporting Kansas City

Previous ranking: 30

In the first match since 2009 without Peter Vermes as manager, SKC beat Show Me State rival St. Louis City 2-0 behind a double from Dejan Joveljic. They'll take it, even if the "new-coach bounce" wears off quickly.

26. New England Revolution

Previous ranking: 25

The Revs managed just one shot on target in a 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati -- though Carles Gil created sx chances, according to Opta -- and have scored just three goals through six matches this season.

27. D.C. United

Previous ranking: 23

In a match celebrating 30 years since the inaugural MLS match between D.C. United and the San Jose Clash, D.C. looked nothing like the 1996 champions, falling 6-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes.

28. Toronto FC

Previous ranking: 29

Perhaps a 1-1 draw in Florida against Inter Miami will be the catalyst the Reds need to find their first win of the season.

29. LA Galaxy

Previous ranking: 27

The reigning champions still are yet to taste victory in MLS play this season, falling 2-0 to Real Salt Lake. Frustrations are mounting, but a shock win at Tigres in CCC play this week would get the good vibes going again.

30. CF Montréal

Previous ranking: 28

Though down early, CF Montreal was able to find a second-half goal and lose to the Columbus Crew by only a 2-1 margin. Maybe that will lead to some green shoots in a cold winter as they chase their first win?