Soccer <\/p>\n
What a week in MLS. Orlando City<\/a> played to a 0-0 draw, Inter Miami<\/a>‘s opponent forgot how to score and Charlotte FC<\/a> won at home. It was truly a week unlike any other.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does get a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots, though.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Inter Miami were far from their best against Columbus<\/a> and, like 99% of the times they\u2019re not at their best, it didn\u2019t matter. Benjamin Cremaschi<\/a> put them up 1-0 in the 30th minute and they survived an onslaught from the Crew the rest of the way.<\/p>\n The plot armor is strong and isn\u2019t going away anytime soon. They\u2019re now the league\u2019s only undefeated team and have a league-best 2.25 points per game.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Considering how well they\u2019ve been playing, Vancouver<\/a> could feel disappointed by a 0-0 draw at St. Louis<\/a>. There are bigger things on their mind right now, though. A Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> semifinal meeting with Inter Miami begins Thursday night at BC Place.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Cincy<\/a> have quietly stacked up points. Their 3-2 win over Chicago<\/a> marked their fourth straight win and put them tied on points with Charlotte atop the Eastern Conference. It\u2019s been a casual run to the top, with Evander<\/a> a key catalyst. His brace against the Fire brought him up to six goals in six starts.<\/p>\n It shouldn\u2019t go unnoticed how Cincy have gone from league-worst expansion side to a team that can replace a player like Lucho Acosta<\/a> without worry.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Over and over again, the Crew got close to an equalizer against Inter Miami but the ball just would not go in. Columbus generated a ton of chances, yet couldn\u2019t find a break in a 1-0 loss against the league\u2019s only other undefeated team.<\/p>\n That result might sting, but they have very little to worry about when they\u2019re outcreating teams at a rate of 3.1 to 0.5 xG. You can\u2019t help but wonder what this one would have looked like with Cucho involved.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Charlotte were already in control of the match, but a 39th-minute red card for San Diego<\/a> turned what looked like a probable win into a whomping. The Crown clobbered MLS\u2019 newest team in a 3-0 win and ended the weekend leading the East. They\u2019re trending toward where we thought their ceiling might be before the year began.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Make it back-to-back 0-0 draws for the Loons<\/a>, who hosted Dallas<\/a> over the weekend. Teams are adjusting to how Minnesota want to play. And they\u2019re having a tough time responding when running in behind isn\u2019t really an option.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A visit from Atlanta United<\/a> is just what Philadelphia<\/a> needed after three games without a win. The Union overwhelmed Atlanta en route to a 3-0 result that showcased how ruthless they can be when opponents make too many mistakes.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Traveling across the country to play soccer is hard. That might be all we really need to take away from San Diego\u2019s 3-0 loss at Charlotte.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n LAFC<\/a> pulled out a weird 3-3 draw in Portland<\/a> after converting a penalty in the 90th minute. The best news from the day for LAFC is that Olivier Giroud<\/a> is finally<\/em> on the board in MLS. A few more moments like this would go a long way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A switch to a 4-3-3 setup and a visit from the Galaxy<\/a> is all Austin<\/a> needed to get back on track after last week\u2019s performance against Vancouver. Brandon Vazquez<\/a>\u2019s tap-in gave Austin a much-needed 1-0 win. Only two teams in the West have scored less often, but Austin are still sitting second in the conference.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Timbers were minutes away from pulling out a wild 3-2 win over LAFC, but a late penalty forced them to settle for a frustrating draw. On the bright side, they\u2019ve scored three goals or more in four of their last five matches. The attack seems to be finding its post-Evander groove.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Lions began the year as the league\u2019s most goals-y team. They were scoring and allowing goals at a higher clip than anyone else. And that must have made everyone really uncomfortable because now they\u2019ve swung back the other way and played to three straight 0-0 draws.<\/p>\n To be fair, injuries are playing a key role in their attacking issues right now. They\u2019ll likely be just fine when folks like Ramiro Enrique<\/a> and Eduard Atuesta<\/a> are available again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Welcome to the 2025 season, Seattle<\/a>. The Sounders pummeled a good Nashville<\/a> side in a 3-0 romp that featured a goal from Pedro de la Vega<\/a>. That\u2019s back-to-back wins now after going a month without a win. There\u2019s a chance we\u2019re watching them finally round into the form we expected from them before the season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Colorado<\/a> were on their way to three road points until giving up a bummer of a 90+6\u2019 equalizer. At the very least, they broke a streak of losing immediately after winning that had followed their last couple of victories.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Traveling across the country to play soccer is hard. That might be all we really need to take away from Nashville\u2019s 3-0 loss at Seattle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Evander and Cincinnati got the better of them over the weekend. That\u2019s four straight without a win now for Chicago<\/a> and a tough stretch isn\u2019t going to ease up for a couple more games. Nashville and Orlando are waiting for them next. All that being said, it\u2019s still a team that\u2019s taking steps in the right direction.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Revs<\/a> didn\u2019t just win 2-0 against NYCFC<\/a>; they scored their first open-play goal of the season. They\u2019ve suddenly won twice in a row and kept two consecutive clean sheets. Caleb Porter\u2019s switch to a 3-4-1-2 setup is paying dividends so far.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Leo Campana’s FIRST REVS GOAL! Ganago ???? Campana #NEvNYC<\/a> \u2022 #NERevs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0hJcQ1plxI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New England Revolution (@NERevolution) April 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Losing to a D.C. United<\/a> side missing Christian Benteke<\/a> for the majority of the match isn\u2019t a sign that things are going well. Last year\u2019s MLS Cup runner-up has picked up just four points from their last four games. They feel like they need a spark.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Dallas scrapped out a road point in Minnesota during a 0-0 draw. A road point is a good point, but there has to be some concern that they\u2019ve only scored once in their last three games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After a 2-0 loss at New England, NYCFC have just one win in their last five games. There isn\u2019t a lot that\u2019s clicking in any phase right now.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When every single shot on target against you goes in, you aren\u2019t going to win many soccer games. San Jose<\/a> fell 5-3 to Sporting KC<\/a> despite valiant efforts at a comeback. They just dug too big a hole at the start of this one. They\u2019re missing Daniel<\/a> a lot in goal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n You don\u2019t lose too many games where you outshoot your opponent 23-2. But that\u2019s how things were going for RSL<\/a> on a rough day that saw them fall 1-0 to Toronto<\/a> and lose Diego Luna<\/a> to a red card.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n They didn\u2019t find the back of the net, but taking any points off Vancouver right now feels like a win. That\u2019s especially true when you\u2019re trying to end a four-game losing streak. St. Louis earned a 0-0 draw against the \u2018Caps to stop some bleeding.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n They weren\u2019t spectacular against San Jose (and they gave up way too many chances to be comfortable with), but the finishing gods smiled on SKC in a 5-3 win that saw them score three times in the first 24 minutes and put every single shot on target in the back of the net. They\u2019ve won two of three since Kerry Zavagnin took over as interim coach.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The vibes aren’t great, folks. Atlanta are sitting on one point per game after nine matches following a 3-0 loss at Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Atlanta United defender Noah Cobb, 19, says the team may need to \u201cstart kicking guys\u201d and \u201cfighting for points.\u201d <\/p>\n Essentially, show some personality, or as he put it \u201cthe willingness to die for your team.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cEveryone needs to take ownership to do it,\u201d Cobb said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Felipe C\u00e1rdenas (@FelipeCar) April 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n There\u2019s one less winless team in MLS after Toronto pulled out a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake. Yes, they may have been outshot 23-2. But a win is a win.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In his first-ever appearance for Houston<\/a>, newly signed DP Ond\u0159ej Lingr<\/a>\u2019s 96th-minute header rescued a home point against Colorado. It took him about 20 minutes in MLS to make a notable impact. It\u2019s as good a start as anyone could have hoped for.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When Christian Benteke left their matchup with New York early, everyone (understandably) thought D.C. would struggle the rest of the way. Instead, Jo\u00e3o Peglow<\/a> thought it would be more fun to do this\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Montr\u00e9al<\/a> became the latest team to play Orlando to a 0-0 draw. They\u2019re still looking for their first win of the season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Still nothing good to report. Even with Joseph Paintsil<\/a> and Gabriel Pec<\/a> in the starting lineup, the Galaxy were off the pace in a 1-0 loss to Austin. They\u2019re stuck waiting for their first win of the season. From MLS Cup to last place in the Power Rankings is a heckuva drop, regardless of injuries.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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