MLS Power Rankings: Sporting KC surging, Inter Miami in freefall

We have a new No. 1! The New England Revolution continue to quietly collect points in the Eastern Conference, though Seattle (slipping to second) remain an undefeated team in 2021 despite a disappointing scoreless draw with Austin FC. ALSO: Sporting Kansas City go from strength to strength, Inter Miami are floundering (and not just because of the news Friday night of their transfer punishment), and the LA Galaxy and New York City FC continue to gain some positive momentum.

Get caught up with the weekend’s action and see where your team sits in our Week 7 Power Rankings.

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Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: June 19 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

The Revs didn’t exactly have their finishing boots on against Cincinnati, but Adam Buksa‘s goal proved to be enough in a 1-0 win. It’s the kind of result good teams should get and New England did, and it was enough to push the Revs to the top of ESPN’s rankings. — Carlisle

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: June 19 at LA Galaxy, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN+

The Sounders remain one of two unbeaten teams in MLS (along with Nashville) and lead the league with 18 points. They thought they had a go-ahead goal in the 75th minute against Austin on Sunday night, only for Fredy Montero‘s strike to be wiped away due to offside. Still, they’re right where they want to be in the Western Conference. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: June 12 vs. Austin FC, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+

A day after he turned 19, Gianluca Busio‘s brilliant free-kick goal was the highlight as SKC welcomed back a capacity crowd of 20,086 with a 3-2 win against Houston. All three goals came in the second half, with Alan Pulido scoring a penalty and Gadi Kinda the eventual game-winner. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: June 19 vs. Seattle, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN+

A San Jose own goal was the difference as the Galaxy rebounded from last week’s loss to Portland with a 1-0 victory. They’ll head into the break third in the Western Conference, but with a game in hand over second-place SKC. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: June 20 vs. Atlanta United, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN Deportes

Dominance on set pieces paced the Union to a 3-0 win over Portland, with all three goals coming from restarts. Given the packed schedule Philadelphia faced at the beginning of the year, the Union are in good shape heading into the break. — Carlisle

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: June 19 at FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

With Kellyn Acosta away on international duty, the Rapids turned in a comprehensive 3-0 against FC Dallas to head into the break in fourth place in the Western Conference. Colorado got goals from Keegan Rosenberry, Michael Barrios and a Dallas own goal, marking the third straight home game with three goals. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match:June 18 at New York Red Bulls, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Manager Gary Smith hit a substitute parlay against Atlanta, with just about all of his subs — from Matt LaGrassa, to C.J. Sapong to two-goal hero Hany Mukhtar — making major contributions. They helped turn what looked like a lost cause into a 2-2 draw, keeping Nashville’s unbeaten start intact. — Carlisle

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: June 19 at Toronto FC, 7:30 pm ET, ESPN+

The Lions’ unbeaten streak was bound to end some time, and so it proved against the Red Bulls. Sylvester van der Water celebrated his first MLS goal, but was also left to rue a missed opportunity later. The Lions are pretty dinged up, meaning the international break is coming at the right time. — Carlisle

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match:June 19 vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

If there’s a record for the longest breakaway in league history, Luis Diaz probably broke it as he went three-quarters of the field to score Columbus’ opener in a 2-1 win over Toronto. Pedro Santos deputized well at left-back, assisting on both goals.— Carlisle

Previous ranking: 14

Next MLS match: June 19 vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 pm ET; ESPN+

Ronny Deila’s side bounced back well from last week’s disappointment against Columbus to grab a valuable road win against LAFC despite finishing with only 10 players. Jesus Medina, once thought to be a Designated Player bust, continued his revival under Deila, scoring his fifth goal of the season with a beautiful, curling strike.

Previous ranking: 20

Next MLS match: June 18 vs. Nashville SC, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Free-kick goals don’t come any better than Cristian Casseres’ strike, which turned out to be the difference in defeating previously unbeaten Orlando. Homegrown left-back John Tolkin made his debut and proved to be the Lord of the Wings.— Carlisle

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: June 18 vs. Vancouver, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Damir Kreilach‘s 13th-minute goal gave RSL an early lead, but it wasn’t enough. With goalkeeper David Ochoa away on international duty with the USMNT in Switzerland, backup Zach McMath started and a failed punch attempt led to Niko Hansen‘s equalizer in the 78th. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 12

Next MLS match: June 19 at LAFC, 11 p.m. ET

An opening goal from Martias Vera against the run of play and a Maxi Urruti stoppage-time goal made for a respectable scoreline, but the Dynamo were soundly outplayed by Sporting KC in a 3-2 loss. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: June 23 vs. D.C. United, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Welcome back Mason Toye, as the Montreal striker’s late header helped CFM steal a victory against the Fire. Montreal’s fourth-place position in the Eastern Conference standings is a little inflated, but Wilfried Nancy’s side has exceeded expectations, making his one-year contract extension well-deserved.— Carlisle

Previous ranking: 16

Next MLS match: June 12 at Sporting KC, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+

The expansion side had its chances to score and secure what would have been a monumental win against Seattle, though in the end neither team was able to find a breakthrough in a 0-0 draw. — Bonagura

Previous ranking:15

Next MLS match:June 20 vs. Philadelphia Union, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN Deportes

As draws go, Atlanta’s latest result can only be looked at as two points dropped. The Five Stripes seemed to have solved their goal-scoring woes, netting twice against Nashville — it helps when Miles Robinson is dropping dimes — but Atlanta couldn’t close the deal, killing momentum heading into the international break. –Carlisle

Previous ranking: 13

Next MLS match: June 19 vs Sporting KC, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

The Timbers had no answers in a trip to play the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners, losing to Philadelphia, 3-0. A lack of consistency from week to week has been a theme all year. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: June 19 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Another strong performance from goalkeeper Tyler Miller helped the Loons push their unbeaten streak to three with a 1-1 draw at RSL. The result lifted Minnesota out of last place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of FC Dallas, which it will play when MLS resumes. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: June 19 vs Houston, 11 p.m. ET, UniMas/TUDN/Twitter

The Black and Gold’s frustrating start to the season continued with a 2-1 loss at home to NYCFC. It was 1-1 when NYCFC’s Nicolas Acevedo was sent off in the 86th minute, but LAFC still conceded a late goal to miss out on at least a point. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 27

Next MLS match: June 19 vs. Inter Miami CF, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Managers often play the “If Only We Were Healthy” card after bad results, but in this case there’s some validity to Hernan Losada’s way of thinking. The increased presence of Bill Hamid, Paul Arriola and Ola Kamara helped the Black-and-Red secure a 3-0 road win over Miami.— Carlisle

Previous ranking: 17

Next MLS match:June 19 at Austin FC, Univision/TUDN/Twitter

The Quakes were one of the hottest teams in the league through four games, but have managed to score just once in the four games since — all of them losses. The latest was a 1-0 defeat at the Galaxy with midfielder Jackson Yueill away with the USMNT. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 19

Next MLS match: June 19 at D.C. United, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Miami is reeling on all fronts. Off the field, the penalties from Matuidi-gate were heavy, though the allocation money portion won’t take effect until next season. On the field, the Herons were wretched, getting embarrassed at home by D.C. United in front of a capacity crowd. Those early positive results seem like they took place ages ago. — Carlisle

Previous ranking: 23

Next MLS match: June 19 vs. Minnesota United, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

By the time FC Dallas gets back on the field in nearly three weeks, it will have been 49 days since the club’s last win. A 3-0 loss to Colorado on Saturday sunk Dallas to last place in the Western Conference. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 22

Next MLS match: June 19 vs. Orlando City, 7:30 pm ET, ESPN+

Nothing is going right for the Reds. Jozy Altidore is in exile. Yeferson Soteldo is injured. Oh yeah, the team is losing too, coughing up a pair of transition goals in a 2-1 defeat to Columbus. At least Alejandro Pozuelo is back on the field, but at this point, Toronto’s problems run deeper than the return of one player, even if he is the reigning league MVP. — Carlisle

Previous ranking: 26

Next MLS match: June 18 at Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+

The Whitecaps were off this week and are still months away from being able to play in Vancouver. The club announced Friday it will continue to play its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, through July. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 25

Next MLS match: June 19 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

FCC started well and had some chances late, but were otherwise dominated by high-flying New England, so a home defeat was about what Cincinnati deserved. Jaap Stam said afterward his team needed to work on “everything.” They’ll have plenty of time with the international break starting.— Carlisle

Previous ranking:24

Next MLS match:June 19 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

After last week’s win, the Fire reverted to type against Montreal, delivering a performance littered with blown chances, a couple of goals denied by VAR, and a game-changing catastrophic letdown late to lose at home. What’s worse is Raphael Wicky will have two weeks to stew over this latest defeat.— Carlisle