MLSAces June/July Power Rankings
It’s hard to believe that we’re nearly to the MLS All-Star break and, for many teams, this season is not what many expected it would be. Whether it’s the defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew straddling the playoff line or D.C. United making a surprising resurgence, it’s been an entertaining season so far. With some international breaks in the June and July months, we have decided to bundle our monthly power rankings for June and July into one, featuring the MLS Aces podcast crew and some members of our blog. For some background, our power rankings are conducted using the AP Poll method, based on the ratings of the MLS Podcast team and the MLS Blog team. Below are some highlights from our power rankings, as described by MLSAces.
1. New England Revolution (+ 1)
Tom Sweezy (@TomSweez)
The New England Revolution came into 2021 one of the better teams within Major League Soccer, but I don’t think that many would have predicted that they would be at the top of power ranking lists after the summer. Even without game winning stars like Matt Turner and Tajon Buchanan (who were on international duty for the CONCACAF Gold Cup), New England has still risen to the occasion and allowed players like DeJuan Jones, Brandon Bye, and Jon Bell to shine. Over the course of the last two months, The Revs have been led by Carles Gil and Gustavo Bou, who were both recently named to the MLS All-Star roster. Gil and Bou have combined for 9 goals and 11 assists in June and July (Bou scored 8, while Gil assisted on 10). This team is dangerous right now and have an impressive group of stars, role players and returning legends that is likely to carry them towards a Supporters Shield this fall.
2. Seattle Sounders (-1)
Graham Capobianco (@Grahamalogue)
What’s not to say about the 2021 Seattle Sounders? Having broken the mold of a team that struggles in the early part of the season, only to rise up the table as the playoffs approached, Seattle have been dominate in the first half of the MLS season. Despite a scary offense that features Raul Ruidiaz, João Paulo and Cristian Roldan, an attack that will only get better with the return of Sounders legend Freddy Monteiro and the recovery of Nicolas Lodeiro, this Seattle defense is stout. Seattle have allowed the fewest goals all season at just 14 in 18 games – with a back line that has featured Brad Smith, Yeimar, Alex Roldan and Nouhou, it’s easy to see why. The return of goalkeeper Stefan Frei, Lodeiro and Monteiro is timely, especially as injuries along the backline mount for Seattle – they will need to find more consistent offense if they are going to maintain their position towards the top of the west but, if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s the Seattle Sounders.
3. Nashville SC (+2)
Matt Cia (@matty_cia)
One of the newer kids on the block is showing the rest of the league that Nashville know more than good food and music – they’re showing that it doesn't take long to get to the top. Led by one of MLS’s best captains in Dax McCarty, Nashville are one of the most physical and demanding teams in the league, much like McCarty. Nashville really embraces this mentality, which is why they aren't afraid of anyone and don’t go away quietly. Hany Mukhtar, a now MLS All-Star, has been leading the southern side in both goals and assists and is the killer every team needs to succeed. With role players like Daniel Lovitz, Randall Leal, and Anibal Godoy all stepping up this year, Nashville have quality at every position and very hard to get points against. A big reason they are so hard to score against is centerback Walker Zimmerman - having an MLS Best XI defender in the middle of your back line is bound to make things tough for opposing attackers. I expect Nashville to continue to rise and be a contender when the playoffs start.
4. Sporting Kansas City (-)
Vaughn Pollman (@vipollman)
As the MLS season crosses its midway point, Sporting KC finds themselves sitting in first in the Western Conference on points per game and in hot pursuit of the New England Revolution for Supporter’s Shield pole position. The career renaissance of MLS All-Star and MVP candidate Daniel Salloi has propelled SKC up the standings. Salloi currently leads the league in combined goals and primary assists with 10 goals scored and 5 assists. The high-octane SKC offense, which leads the league in goals per game (33 goals through 17 games), is supported by a secure and consistent defense anchored on the backline by Andreu Fontas, who leads the league in passing, and the now-healthy Nicolas Isimat-Mirin. Additionally, goalkeeper Tim Melia is only conceding just over 1 goal per game (1.08) since his return to the lineup. If SKC can navigate the departure of Gianluca Busio to Venezia and avoid injury, they should remain in the hunt for the Supporter’s Shield and a deep playoff run.
As we mentioned in the introduction, though some power rankings look at the top 10, we at MLS Aces chose to also look at the bottom 5 teams of our power rankings, in order to assess what is going wrong and what these teams can hope to improve in the months to come.
24. Austin FC (-3)
Matt Cia (@matty_cia)
Matthew McConaughey’s prized soccer team has started the season not only green in the crowd, but blue in the face. As many teams in MLS can tell you, expansion sides usually struggle to get themselves into the flow of things and Austin FC seem to be no exception. Being at the bottom of the league in goals per game and chances created shows why Austin are hovering at the bottom of the league. With a horrible home record, a lack of quality in the attack and many star players not living up to their expectations, Austin fans have a lot to worry about. It is hard to imagine that Austin will make a push for anything more than not holding the wooden spoon at the end of the season. ATX fans - don't give up hope. Your ownership team seems to be one that will invest and this team will be one to look out for in future seasons, I am sure of it.
25. FC Cincinnati (+1)
Graham Capobianco (@Grahamalogue)
It’s bad enough that the MLS Players Association’s annual salary report revealed FC Cincinnati has more players making over $1 million than any other club in MLS in 2021, but after an injection of talent in the spring transfer window, the Lions still find themselves among the bottom dwellers of MLS. As FCC’s inflated salary numbers indicate, it’s likely that their woes are at least partially due to mismanagement and poor roster decisions, which might explain why General Manager Gerard Nijkamp has departed the club recently. Despite a talented attack that features Luciano Acosta, Yuya Kubo, Alvaro Barreal and Brenner Souza da Silva, Cincy have scored just 18 goals through 16 games. Also, though they added Geoff Cameron, who has had an impact on the back line, Cincy have allowed 30 goals so far – only Toronto FC, who are the worst team in the league have allowed more. It’s upsetting that FC Cincy have failed to find their form despite an incredible new stadium and an impressive roster, but there are clearly some systemic issues that need to be addressed – it’s unlikely to happen this season though.
26. Chicago Fire FC (+1)
Jason Vevang (@JasonVevang)
The Chicago Fire are phenomenal at making horrible mistakes that end up costing them valuable points. In last weekend’s 1-1 draw vs. the Philadelphia Union, they went up 1-0 early before letting in a free kick that virtually went directly through the wall, where Fabian Herbers should have been laying. The run of form that had them with 7 points through 3 games has long been forgotten after just 2 points and a -5 goal differential in their last four games. Every time the Fire take a step forward, it seems they take another two steps back. Robert Beric can’t score, leading Raphael Wicky to bench him in favor of Chinonso Offor. Stanislov Ivanov is now healthy and will be needed desperately, as the Fire continue searching for more production in the final third. They continue to hover at the bottom of the MLSAces power rankings and will need to quickly find their footing if they want to have any chance at a respectable finish this season.
27. Inter Miami CF (-8)
Tom Sweezy (@TomSweez)
While I was given the absolute luxury of writing about the New England Revolution, on the other side of the coin is Inter Miami. What a dumpster fire the past two months have been, huh? Inter Miami have 4 losses, a draw, and a win over the course of June and July - their best result may have been the postponed match against the Red Bull New York. In all seriousness, Miami has scored 4 goals over the past two months while allowing 11. While their “star” Gonzalo Higuain may be showing up in the stat columns, his performance and effort on the field is still incredibly lacking. Maybe with new goalkeeper Nick Marsman coming over from the Netherlands and Kieran Gibbs coming over from England, which will help shore up the defense, we might see some better performances from Miami. The impact of these signings has been felt already, but is it enough to pull Phil Neville’s club out from the bottom of MLS? We will find out.
For this edition of the Power Rankings, we wanted to spotlight the teams that improved and declined the most in our power rankings, as well as review some of the reasons these teams have ascended or dropped off. Below are the Most Improved and Most Declined teams for June and July:
Most Improved:
D.C. United (+11)
Sam Nelson (@Uncle_SamXIII)
How did DC United become the most improved team in MLS for June and July? Rising to 6th in the Eastern Conference at the time of writing, the Black and Red haven't had it easy, with players coming and going between injuries and international call ups. However, they have found one major bright spot: Head Coach Hernan Losada. Many journalists point to Losada's system of pressing and high tempo to be the reason that DC has been able to keep pace with other teams in the East who spend more and have more players fit. Players have bought into Losada’s system and are finding success as a team and as individuals. None of the team stats will blow anyone way, being fairly average in every statistical category, but the results on the field don’t lie. Low possession, counter-attacking, get-in-the-box-and-put-a-shot-on-target soccer is on the menu for DC and it is working. Top scorer Ola Kamara had 4 goals in all of 2020, yet so far has 9 in 11 matches played, including 3 from the penalty spot. DC United might not be the most flashy team in MLS, but the system works and they are finding themselves in a better position for playoff contention every weekend.
Most Declined: Atlanta United (-9)
Jason Vevang (@JasonVevang)
Atlanta United have dropped 9 spots in the MLSAces power rankings, making them the team with the biggest decline since May. Atlanta are winless in 11 matches under former Assistant Coach turned interim Head Coach Rob Valentino, as they search for Gabriel Heinze’s replacement. Heinze was fired shortly after many negative reports of issues on and off the field. Atlanta United have a long way to go to get back to the formidable Eastern Conference juggernaut they once were. They currently have the least wins in the entire league this season, with 2 in 16 games, and have been unable to rely on the star power of Josef Martinez, who was estranged from the team thanks to Heinze. Miles Robinson is putting in another great season, having earned an MLS All-Star roster spot, but he was away on international duty during the USMNT’s Gold Cup run. Hopefully, with Martinez and Robinson both coming back into the team and the specter of Heinze gone, Atlanta can hire a new manager and get back to their former glory. Unfortunately, it could get worse before it gets better, as Atlanta face Columbus and LAFC in the coming weeks.
Here's our full power rankings for June and July of the 2021 MLS season.
Rank Change Team Points
1 +1 NE 186
2 -1 SEA 181
3 +2 NSH 161
4 - SKC 152
5 +4 COL 145
6 -3 ORL 145
7 +7 CLB 144
8 -2 NYCFC 144
9 +2 PHI 143
10 -3 LAG 138
11 +9 MUFC 124
12 - LAFC 122
13 +7 MTL 108
14 +11 DCU 100
15 +8 RBNY 94
16 -6 POR 89
17 -2 RSL 78
18 -7 HOU 68
19 +6 DAL 58
20 -3 TFC 51
21 -3 VAN 43
22 -9 ATL 40
23 -7 SJ 37
24 -3 ATX 28
25 +1 FCC 26
26 +1 CHI 22
27 -8 MIA 6
