MLS Power Rankings: San Diego FC, Orlando City SC Impress After Matchday 27

The 2025 MLS season sees a brief slowdown next week due to the Leagues Cup involving over half the teams, but the latest weekend (Matchday 27) featured significant action.

Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati played to a 0-0 draw in a top Eastern Conference match. Miami was without Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba, both suspended for missing the MLS All-Star Game.

San Diego FC defeated Nashville SC in another high-stakes top-of-the-table clash. The transfer window also saw movement, with Rodrigo De Paul signing for Inter Miami and Wessam Abou Ali joining Columbus Crew SC.

Following Matchday 27, the Sports Illustrated MLS Power Rankings saw notable movements: LA Galaxy dropped from 25th to 28th, Atlanta United rose from 27th to 26th, New York Red Bulls climbed from 26th to 24th, Real Salt Lake moved up from 23rd to 21st, Toronto FC fell from 19th to 20th, Houston Dynamo rose from 20th to 19th, Colorado Rapids dropped from 16th to 18th, Portland Timbers moved up from 18th to 17th, and San Jose Earthquakes fell from 15th to 16th.

Despite hosting the MLS All-Star Game involving their coach and goalkeeper, Austin FC secured a convincing 4-2 victory over D.C. United. They exploited D.C.'s defensive weaknesses, overcoming second-half issues, and got goals from attackers Myrto Uzuni and Osman Bukari, a positive sign despite losing striker Brandon Vazquez for the season.

Chicago Fire claimed a narrow 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls. Hugo Cuypers scored the decisive penalty for his 14th goal of the season. The Fire's key strength is their defense, achieving two consecutive clean-sheet victories. A concern is the significant injury to left back Andrew Gutman during the match.

Seattle Sounders took a dramatic 2-1 lead against Atlanta United thanks to Osaze De Rosario's first MLS goal in stoppage time (following a Pedro de la Vega goal). However, Alexey Miranchuk equalized for Atlanta in the 9th minute of stoppage time, resulting in a 2-2 draw. The Sounders struggled to maintain form throughout the match, making the draw against a struggling Atlanta side disappointing.

New York City FC emerged victorious from a high-scoring affair, defeating FC Dallas 4-3.