We’re only hours away from the start of the 2025 
MLS
season, with previews and predictions flying around as soccer returns to North America for the next 10 months.
Who can overtake Lionel Messi and Inter Miami for the Supporters’ Shield? Can the Los Angeles Galaxy repeat as MLS Cup champions, despite missing Riqui Puig for the whole season?
Here are GIVEMESPORT’s MLS power rankings for you to enjoy and debate on the eve of kickoff on the 30th season of Major League Soccer.
1
Inter Miami CF
2024 season: 1st in East | 74 points (22W-8D-4L, +30 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. New York City FC (7:30 pm ET)
Last year’s Supporter’s Shield winners head into the season with Lionel Messi
still leading the line, and they’ve re-stocked their supporting cast, adding players like Fafa Picault, Tadeo Allende and Gonzalo Lujan to the mix. While 
Inter Miami CF
will have a tough time reaching the 74-point mark they hit last year, they should be really good once again.
2
FC Cincinnati
2024 season: 3rd in East | 59 points (18W-5D-11L, +10 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. New York Red Bulls (7:30 pm ET)
FC Cincinnati
lost 2023 MVP Lucho Acosta, but brought in Kevin Denkey for a then-MLS record transfer fee as well as signing Evander late in the window. They’ll look different in 2025, but could be even better.
3
LAFC
2024 season: 1st in West | 64 points (19W-7D-8L, +20 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Minnesota United (4:30 pm ET)
At this point, we should all just expect 
Los Angeles FC
to be one of the best teams in MLS.
They just added winger Cengiz Under
as a Designated Player, meaning they’ll go into a season with all three DP slots filled for the first time since 2022. It worked out well for them last time!
4
Seattle Sounders
2024 season: 4th in West | 57 points (16W-9D-9L, +16 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Charlotte FC (10:30 pm ET)
The 
Seattle Sounders
made it to the Western Conference final with one of the best defenses in MLS. They’ve kept their core together and added a couple key pieces,
particularly forward Jesus Ferreira from FC Dallas
. If they can navigate Concacaf Champions Cup early in the season, they should one of the very best in the league.
5
Atlanta United
2024 season: 9th in East | 40 points (10W-10D-14L, -3 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. CF Montreal (6:30 pm ET)
Atlanta United
reloaded after their improbable MLS Cup playoff run last season, bringing back club legend Miguel Almiron and breaking the MLS transfer record on striker Emmanuel Latte Lath. Maybe it’s too early, but… are Atlanta United back??
6
LA Galaxy
2024 season: 2nd in West | 64 points (19W-7D-8L, +19 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 23 vs. San Diego FC (7:00 pm ET)
The reigning MLS Cup winners have been absolutely decimated by the salary cap this offseason, losing several key players as they try to stay within their budget. The 
Los Angeles Galaxy
still have plenty of firepower, but losing Riqui Puig for most of the season as he recovers from an ACL tear lowers their ceiling.
7
Charlotte FC
2024 season: 5th in East | 51 points (14W-9D-11L, +9 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 23 at Seattle Sounders (10:30 pm ET
Charlotte FC
had one of the best defenses in the league in their first season under head coach Dean Smith. With Wilfried Zaha signed as a Designated Player and Patrick Agyemang set to take another step forward, Charlotte have all the makings of a dark horse this season.
8
Columbus Crew
2024 season: 2nd in East | 66 points (19W-9D-6L, +32 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Chicago Fire (7:30 pm ET)
The 
Columbus Crew SC
would have been one of the favorites this season, but
transferring star attacker Cucho Hernandez
just weeks before the season really hurts. They will certainly bring in a replacement and have an incredibly high ceiling under Wilfried Nancy, but there’s a lot more uncertainty than there was two weeks ago.
9
Minnesota United
2024 season: 6th in West | 52 points (15W-7D-12L, +9 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 at LAFC (4:30 pm ET)
Another popular dark horse pick, 
Minnesota United
looked solid in their first season under Eric Ramsay and now get a full year with striker Kelvin Yeboah leading the line. Don’t be surprised if they hang around the top of the Western Conference all season.
10
New York Red Bulls
2024 season: 7th in East | 47 points (11W-14D-9L, +5 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 pm ET)
After their shock run to MLS Cup last season, the 
NY Red Bulls
didn’t do a ton to improve their roster. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting should be an improvement up top, but it’s a lot to ask 35-year-old striker without a track record of real volume scoring to take them to the next level.
11
Chicago Fire
2024 season: 15th in East | 30 points (7W-9D-18L, -22 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 at Columbus Crew (7:30 pm ET)
The 
Chicago Fire FC
were once again awful last season. They’re hoping to change that in 2025, with former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter taking over in a dual head coach/CSO role. They have the spending power to be a real contender. Can Berhalter finally make them relevant?
12
St. Louis City SC
2024 season: 12th in West | 37 points (8W-13D-13L, -13 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Colorado Rapids (8:30 pm ET)
St. Louis CITY SC
did a lot of their transfer business last summer, and feel mostly settled, despite going into the year with a new head coach. They aren’t one of the more flashy sides in MLS, but the collective is strong here.
13
FC Dallas
2024 season: 11th in West | 41 points (11W-8D-15L, -2 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 at Houston Dynamo (8:30 pm ET)
How quickly things can change! 
FC Dallas
were a popular pick for the Wooden Spoon, with their backline getting even weaker in the offseason. They made a big splash with the
cash transfer of Lucho Acosta from FC Cincinnati
, though.
The former MVP will certainly improve the team, but they’ll need him and Petar Musa to put in Best XI-caliber seasons to make up for their defensive frailty.
14
Colorado Rapids
2024 season: 7th in West | 50 points (15W-5D-14L, +1 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 at St. Louis City SC (8:30 pm ET)
The 
Colorado Rapids
kept the bulk of their roster together in the offseason, adding a couple center backs and
young attacker Ted Ku-DiPietro
. They’ll need a stellar season from Djordje Mihailovic to keep up in the Western Conference. If the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup clash with LAFC was any indicator, they might be better than anyone’s giving them credit for.
15
Orlando City
2024 season: 4th in East | 52 points (15W-7D-12L, +9 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Philadelphia Union (7:30 pm ET)
Orlando City SC
lost winger Facundo Torres in the transfer market and have tried replacing him with DP Marco Pasalic, whose track record raises plenty of questions about his ability to turn this club into more than a mid-table team in the East.
16
Austin FC
2024 season: 10th in West | 42 points (11W-9D-14L, -9 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Sporting KC (8:30 pm ET)
Gone are Sebastian Driussi and Josh Wolff. In come Brandon Vazquez, Myrto Uzuni and Nico Estevez. There are still concerns about 
Austin FC
‘s midfield depth, but their attack should at least be functional, which is a step up from last year.
17
Houston Dynamo
2024 season: 5th in West | 54 points (15W-9D-10L, +8 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. FC Dallas (8:30 pm ET)
The 
Houston Dynamo
lost starting midfielders Hector Herrera and Coco Carrasquilla in the offseason, with center back Michel on his way out as well. Trading for Jack McGlynn is a nice pickup, and he’s a player who looks like a perfect fit for Ben Olsen’s system, but until they add a DP No. 10, it’s unlikely they’ll match last year’s performance.
18
Nashville SC
2024 season: 13th in East | 36 points (9W-9D-16L, -16 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. New England Revolution (8:30 pm ET)
Nashville SC
head into their first full year under BJ Callaghan with plenty of additions around the outside of the roster, but the same core of DPs. They’ll need Hany Mukhtar, Walker Zimmerman and Sam Surridge to be at their very best to make the playoffs in 2025.
19
Philadelphia Union
2024 season: 12th in East | 37 points (9W-10D-15L, +7 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 at Orlando City (7:30 pm ET)
The 
Philadelphia Union
moved on from Jim Curtin after last season, bringing in Bradley Carnell as they attempt to return to the energy drink brand of soccer to which Ernst Tanner subscribes. It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off for them.
20
San Jose Earthquakes
2024 season: 14th in West | 21 points (6W-3D-25L, -37 GD)
Up next: Saturday, February 22 vs. Real Salt Lake (10:30 pm ET)
After finishing dead last in the Supporters’ Shield race and setting the MLS single-season record for goals allowed, the 
San Jose Earthquakes
brought in legendary manager Bruce Arena to turn things around.
He’s repopulated the roster with a bunch of “his” guys, and they should be significantly better than they were last year (granted, it would be hard to be worse). Playoffs, though? That’s the big question.
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