Once again into the breach, dear friends. This is our 30th MLS season, and almost as many runs at Power Rankings.
As with each season, remember that of the five major pro men’s sports in the USA, MLS is hands down the most chaotic from season to season. Only college gridiron football compares, as the club turnover is sometimes as high as 50% among the starters.
And as Buzz Carrick has said for decades now, in MLS, if you’re not improving, you’re falling behind.
As such, this is more of an overview of each team and notes on the big changes and carryovers. The truth is, that a GM can make all the right moves, but there is no way to tell how the pieces will come together, especially with players new to the league. Whether it is a college draft pick, a new homegrown signing, or a veteran international, many players come to this crazy league for the first time and you simply don’t know what you have. Look up the King of Goals if you want to see a pretty clear example. Or look up the international coaches who ran teams in the 1990s.
Some teams have figured out how MLS works, and have committed themselves to that standard. Seattle and LAFC top that list, and of late the Crew have joined them. Now it appears that FC Cincinnati joins them as they make some key changes that on paper sure seem like upgrades to what was a very good team.
On the other hand, other clubs like FC Dallas, the San Jose Earthquakes, and the Chicago Fire have struggled to get into and stay in the top half, although interestingly all three have made moves that could show a change.
And then you have the newest expansion team, San Diego FC. The history of expansion teams is usually a bit ugly, but there have been exceptions, with the last team – St. Louis – being the brightest example.
Note that these are not in exact order because of all the changes we mentioned, but rather an idea of where we think they might be, or placed where they were last year if we don’t have a strong sense of what their off-season changes will bring.
So here we go – the 30 MLS clubs in the 30th MLS season. Buckle up and let’s see how this all plays out!
Inter Miami CF
The changes to the roster are not significant, and they dominated the regular season last year, so expect more of the same. Well, except for one thing. David Beckham’s club saw the exit of Gerardo “Tata” Martino – who had strong runs with both Atlanta and then Miami – and coming in is Javier Mascherano.
As a player, Mascherano was on the field with the best while at Barcelona, Liverpool, and Argentina. As a coach, he has been with the Argentine youth system. So the adjustments to coaching pros and to MLS are in the offing, but on paper, there is no reason to think he won’t be able to succeed, especially with the roster he has.
Los Angeles Galaxy
They finally got it right. After all the issues during the Chicharito era, Vanney and the Galaxy found a way to get the pieces and get them to play well, leading to a sixth MLS Cup championship, which leads the league. And it was not a fluke – they came in second in the west in the regular season and avoided the landmines that took down teams like Miami, Columbus, and Cincinnati.
FC Cincinnati
Of all the teams that were in the top tier of the league, Cincinnati made the most aggressive moves that, on paper, sure they sure seem to be the right ones. Getting Evander from Portland replaces Lucho Acosta, and is probably an upgrade both in terms of style and age.
One might think losing a playmaker like Acosta, who was the league MVP in 2023, would be problematic but signs are the Brazilian is a better fit with the current Cincinnati players and with the style Pat Noonan wants to play.
Columbus Crew
Wilfried Nancy remains in Columbus, that team will be competitive. Last year, they were oh so close in so many competitions, but never could get the final victory. They played some great soccer, and look to do so again this year. Can Nancy get them over the hump for one (or more) of these challenges? The odds are good that they will get at least one.
Los Angeles FC
For a team that has been at the top of the league for most of their existence, this season will be an interesting entry into how their philosophy works as they have made major changes, especially to their midfield. On paper, it looks great, and their history of spending on key players that fit into their system and play well in MLS should give their fans confidence, but this is one of the more significant overhauls in the league.
Seattle Sounders
Almost every year, the Sounders are in the thick of it when the games are on the line, and they were there once again last year. They made some aggressive moves in the offseason, including adding two quality players from FC Dallas in Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola – but now the top of the league has more than a few teams that have consistent quality.
Orlando City
The Lions made a run into the playoffs, pulling off two upsets along the way, and were in the top third of the league last season. The changes they made don’t signpost a step back, so watch for them to be a tough match throughout 2025.
Houston Dynamo
While there were times that the Dynamo were truly awful some seasons back, they have righted the ship and been a dangerous team to all comers the past few seasons. With the addition of Jack McGlynn, they will at least be as good as they were last year, and could possibly take another step up. Like Evander with Cincinnati, McGlynn might be a better fit than Hector Herrera.
Real Salt Lake
Pablo Mastroeni has done real work to build RSL into a dangerous and competitive team, up from a real mess, and all signs point to the off-season moves keeping the Utah side in the top third of the league.
Minnesota United
The Loons took some steps forward last year and not only made the playoffs but also advanced. As such, their dip in form was only for a short while and they look to be good again this year, although maybe Buzz’s “if you aren’t improving” statement might be a warning sign.
New York Red Bulls
For a team that really struggled for a few years, last year was a huge positive as they had an ok regular season, but then went on a tear in the playoffs, making the final and forcing the Galaxy to earn their championship. A run like that usually isn’t a one off, so expect them to be better in the regular season this year.
Atlanta United
For a team that finished on the bottom end of the MLS playoff rankings last year, this team went on quite the run in those said playoffs, beating Montreal in the 8-9 play-in game before shocking Inter Miami, the Shield winners, by winning the second and third games of that series. Then they played Orlando tough, losing 1-0. This was a remarkable turnaround for a club that was 13th in the East when they parted ways with their coach, Gonzalo Pineda.
While it was Rob Valentino who coached the team to that playoff success, he was not retained and the club chose to hire Ronny Deila, who previously led NYCFC to the MLS Cup championship in 2021. Also joining Atlanta is Chris Henderson, who was a part of the brain trust in Seattle with Garth Lagerwey. Definitely watch this space.
New York City FC
The 2021 MLS Cup champions had a similar playoff run to Atlanta, beating Cincinnati in three games, but then lost to the New York Red Bulls. NYC moved on from head coach Nick Cushing, bringing in Pascal Jansen, and made some other off-season moves that look good on paper.
Charlotte FC
Charlotte finished 5th in the East and played four seed Orlando tough in their three game set, losing in Game 3 on penalties. A club that has steadily been improving year on year, it will be interesting to see if they can maintain their upward trajectory.
Colorado Rapids
After a number of years as a league doormat, the Rapids turned things around under Chris Armas, coming in 7th in the west, although they were destroyed in their series with the Galaxy, who went on to win the Cup. Was 2024 a one-off, or have the Rapids really found a new direction? Armas is an experienced MLS coach who has had spotty success in previous stops, so the penny is still in the air, so to speak.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Another team that had previously struggled, Vancouver found their way into the playoffs, soundly beating the Portland Timbers in the playoff game. Like other teams that snuck into the playoffs but found the results wanting, the Whitecaps turned to another coach, Jesper Sorensen, and it will be interesting to see how another foreign coach with no MLS experience handles this unique league.
FC Dallas
This has been one of the most aggressive off-seasons in club history. The team brought back Eric Quill, who had played for the team in a short stint before coaching their affiliate, North Texas. Quill most recently had success with New Mexico in the USL Championship. Unlike previous coaches, though, the team also stocked the roster, signing a number of solid additions, led by 2023 MLS MVP Lucho Acosta. Adding that to the returning starters, especially Musa, gives Quill a significantly improved roster to work with.
Portland Timbers
Please put a placeholder here as Portland sent their playmaker, Evander, to Cincinnati and as of writing, have not replaced him. The Brazilian was not the best fit with Phil Neville’s roster, but that is still a huge talent gap that needs to be filled if the Timbers are going to stay in the playoffs again.
CF Montreal
For a team that has seen a number of ups and downs since Nancy left Quebec for Ohio, the team did not seem to make the off-season changes that would improve them from their 8th-place finish in 2024. Please refer to the Buzz Carrick quote above.
Austin FC
For a team that started so well, things did not end well with Josh Wolff and he was dismissed. For a team that initially seemed to be invested in success, their move to hire Nico Esteves does not on paper inspire confidence as Esteves was not successful in Dallas. Maybe that was because of the roster he had to work with.
D.C. United
Similar to Montreal, a team that did not have a great 2024 did not make the kinds of changes that inspire confidence. The once proud franchise seems unable to find its way forward in the current iteration of Major League Soccer.
San Jose Earthquakes
After releasing Luchi Gonzalez, the Earthquakes turned to Bruce Arena as their head coach, who then brought in some of the talent he had been working with in New England. Too many open variables to assume this will be a major transformation, but it will be surprising if Il Bruce doesn’t make things at least somewhat better.
Chicago Fire
Similarly to D.C., the Fire once were the class of the league, but those days are long gone. The Fire haven’t been competitive for some time, but maybe they are putting a marker down on changing that with their hire of Greg Berhalter. While he had a mixed set of results as the US coach, his time in Columbus was a clear run of success.
New England Revolution
For a team that has gone through all of the Bruce Arena drama, it will be interesting to see how they play in 2025. Last year was not a success, but maybe a full off-season and a chance to plan helps them.
Philadelphia Union
This may be a little low for the Union, who moved on from Jim Curtin by hiring Bradley Carnell, the manager who had led St. Louis to their great start in 2023. Then again, the league is very deep and it will probably take time for Philadelphia to turn things around.
St. Louis City SC
Speaking of St. Louis, they turned to Olof Mellberg as their new coach after a 12th-place finish in 2024, which was quite the fall from the heights of 2023. Mellberg comes to MLS from Sweden where he had done quality work with a Swedish club, managing them to back-to-back promotions into the first division, and then to a mid-table campaign. As with all international managers who don’t have experience with MLS players, it will be interesting to watch, but that is still a quality resume with an eye on building and growing a team.
Nashville SC
For a team that had done very well for an expansion team, the Tennessee side moved on from Gary Smith last season and hired US assistant coach BJ Callaghan for the 2025 season. Callaghan was also the interim for the US in their 2023 Nations League championship run.
San Diego FC
The newest expansion side, San Diego FC comes into the league an unknown commodity. Their head coach is, like Nashville’s, a US assistant/interim coach in Mikey Varas. Recent history has shown that an expansion team can put it all together, but it is unclear if the Southern Californians have put together a St. Louis kind of team, a Nashville kind of team, or a Charlotte kind of team. Oh, and they start their MLS campaign against the LA Galaxy.
Sporting Kansas City
It is difficult to project much success for SKC as they retained Peter Vermes and have not made significant improvements to a roster that was 27th in the league in 2024.
Toronto FC
Another club that once was at the top of the heap, TFC has not been much other than cannon fodder for years. Their turn to Robin Fraser as their head coach does not inspire confidence, considering the club’s recent history and Fraser’s time in Colorado.