We now have two sets of games, and there are surprises. Teams like the Galaxy, San Diego and FC Dallas have definitely not played the way we expected. And yet, this is why we play the games, and enjoy the wide variety of teams in MLS in 2025. As someone who was following the league in 1996, it is truly wonderful to see so much diversity among so many teams.
Top Shelf
1. Inter Miami (Previously 1)
Go down a man and salvage a tie in week one, demolish Houston 4-1 on the road in week two. Yep, Miami is pretty amazing.
2. Columbus Crew (3)
While the opponent wasn’t anything to write home about, a 1-0 road win against the Revolution is still a win on the road.
3. Los Angeles FC (4)
Impressive. Most impressive. Two 1-0 wins to start the season against quality opponents. This week it was NYCFC that LAFC beat at home.
Quality
4. Charlotte FC (10)
Big mover and well-earned in a 2-0 win over Atlanta. The lads from Carolina seem to have figured some things out.
5. FC Cincinnati (2)
No amount of midweek stuff justifies a loss for a No. 2 team, let alone a 4-1 road loss to Philadelphia, even though it looks like the Union are for real.
6. Minnesota United (8)
Folks, look out. The Loons are legit. A 1-0 win over Montreal may not strike our dear readers as a big win, but between the way they played last season, their game against LAFC, and then this victory, says they are a team to watch.
7. New York City FC (7)
Especially after having a late lead on Miami, a 1-0 road loss to LAFC is not awful. In fact, for an East Coast team to make that trip and play this well says a lot.
8. Seattle Sounders (5)
We thought week one – a 2-2 tie against Charlotte – was a little weak. Lose 2-0 at RSL, and you fall.
9. New York Red Bulls (11)
The Red Bulls beat Nashville, 2-0, at home. Not a flashy win against a quality opponent, but they took care of business.
10. FC Dallas (12)
After going down 2-0 to the Rapids, FCD fought back to tie the game, and then took a lead that they weren’t able to hold, but that is still a 3-3 tie on the road.
11. LA Galaxy (6)
Uhm, Greg? You ok there? Lose at home to an expansion side and then lose 2-1 at Vancouver? This is not how reigning champs start their seasons.
12. Philadephia Union (13)
Very solid win against a good team that might be struggling with playing international play, but FC Cincinnati was handed a 4-1 loss in the City of Brotherly Love. The Union seems very real.
13. Atlanta United (9)
A back and forth win over a questionable Montreal team followed by a 2-0 loss at Charlotte means we have to drop what we thought was a good team.
14. Vancouver Whitecaps (14)
A demolishing of Portland on the road (in part due to an early ejection for the Timbers) combined with this week’s home win over the LA Galaxy means the Whitecaps are absolutely legit. We hesitate to move them up too much based on their roster, but results mean more so watch this space.
15. Orlando City SC (17)
After their first week, any win helps, even if it is a home victory against Toronto. We still believe in this roster, but we cannot move them up too much when the win is over a bad club.
16. San Jose Earthquakes (18)
This may prove to be a mistake. San Jose was so bad last year, and Arena made some changes but it didn’t seem enough to really supercharge the Earthquakes. An impressive win over RSL and then a road win over Sporting Kansas City may indicate Arena has transformed things. Like Orlando though, a win over a bad team is hard to vault the winner too high. But definitely watch this space.
Marginal
17. Real Salt Lake (22)
That first week was AWFUL for RSL, but then they go and beat Seattle, 2-0 at home? What gives? Definitely a good result from Mastroeni’s group. Need more data to really get a handle on this club.
18. Colorado Rapids (15)
A 0-0 road tie against St. Louis, followed by a 3-3 home tie to FC Dallas, is eroding our confidence in a team that significantly improved last season. They even had a 2-0 lead on FCD before the visitors scored three to take the lead. Credit to the Rapids for clawing back the tying goal, but this is not good.
19. San Diego FC (16)
We were so impressed with them after the first week, beating the Galaxy on the road, but then being tied 0-0 at home by St. Louis says maybe the first-game win was just because of the hype of the first game.
20. Portland Timbers (23)
A 1-0 home victory over Austin is a good recovery from the whooping they took at the hands of Vancouver to start the year. We probably need a few more games before we can truly bracked who this team is.
21. Austin FC (19)
Mixed signals from Nico’s lads, beating SKC in week one but then losing to Portland, 1-0, on the road. Not enough to really justify anything higher yet.
22. Houston Dynamo (20)
Their opening loss to FCD was hard to swallow, but then getting demolished, 4-1, by an Inter Miami team at home, without Messi? This is not a good start, folks.
23. Chicago Fire (21)
This is why we hesitate sometimes when a team is competitive with a top club for a stretch before losing. Sometimes that means they just don’t have the horses. Their 4-2 loss to Columbus was followed by a 2-2 home draw to D.C. United. Not what Berhalter wants to see.
24. D.C. United (25)
A road tie is not a bad result. Even if Chicago isn’t great, a 2-2 draw where you score at the death to salvage a tie? That shows heart.
25. CF Montreal (24)
They hung with Atlanta, but then lost to Minnesota too, 1-0 on the road. A tough start to the season – on the road and the opponents – so let’s watch to see what happens when this young team plays a home and/or against less talented sides.
Poor
26. New England Revolution (26)
Maybe this is a tough grade, but tying a bad Nashville team on the road in their opener, and then losing 1-0 to the Crew at home feel suboptimal.
27. St. Louis City SC (27)
A 0-0 draw at San Diego is a good result for them. That they tied the Rapids 0-0 at home in the first week means they haven’t shown they can be more than a good defensive side.
28. Nashville SC (28)
Being tied 0-0 by the Revs at home, and then losing 2-0 to the Red Bulls is a far cry from who they were for most of their existence.
29. Toronto FC (29)
They tied D.C. 0-0 on the road in the first week, and then lost 4-2 to Orlando. This does not look like Fraser has them going in the right direction.
30. Sporting Kansas City (30)
A 2-1 home loss to San Jose is another black mark. Have to say, the signs don’t look good. It is still early, but not very good at all.