New York City FC battled the MLS Cup hangover and finally set their sights on a futile CONCACAF Champions League run, while the Philadelphia Union established themselves as the losing team in the Eastern Conference and LAFC’s pro-shield rivals. In the last two months, however, everything had changed. NYCFC took aspirin and a cup of coffee to extend the position, while Philly won just one of their last ten.
The Bronx Blues visited Philadelphia on Sunday for the best meeting of the conference, and Jim Curtin’s team took the lead in the sixth minute which will manage for the next 82 minutes. Valentin Castellanos then equalized at 89 and Union equalized, only Corey Burke scored the winning goal in the 96th minute to go even deeper and give the club their second win since April 10.
For the first time in all seasons, the climb to the top of the conference is shown.
With Week 16 of the book, Kyle Bonagura and Danny Guerra look at the results, where all 28 teams come together after a wild weekend and bring you the latest version of the MLS Power Ranking.
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Previous sort: 1
Next MLS match: June 29 Vs. FC Dallas, 10:30 ET
Black and Gold are the best teams so far, so of course, they strengthened the team with Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini, both of whom will be eligible to play against the Galaxy on July 8th. (Live on ESPN at 10pm)It probably won’t stop there, either, GM John Thorington suggested, adding that the club would also fill the vacancy left by its appointed player. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 3
Next MLS match: July 3 Minnesota United FC, 8pm ET, ESPN +
RSL’s goalless draw with Columbus was not an indicative result, but it is clear that momentum is building at Salt Lake. The club has sold eight matches in a row at the Rio Tinto Stadium and holds the league’s best home record (6–0–2). With their next four matches against teams below the playoff line, RSL has a chance to top the Western Conference standings. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 2
Next MLS match: June 29 at FC Cincinnati, 7:30 ET, ESPN +
The growing rivalry between NYCFC and Philadelphia resulted in a 2-1 draw for Union on Sunday. NYCFC was knocking on the door 10 minutes before the player (and a Philly trainer) got into an argument and the match derailed. VAR then penalized NYCFC for saving the draw, which happened when Philly was awarded an early call-offside goal. – Guevara
Previous sort: 4
Next MLS match: Charlotte FC June 30 at 7pm ET, ESPN +
Goals from Sebastian Drusy and Danny Hossain saved Austin a 2-0 home win against FC Dallas. Drusi’s goal puts him level with Jesus Ferreira (Dallas) and Jeremy Abobis (San Jose) in the league’s Golden Boot race (9 goals). – Bonagura
Previous sort: 7
Next MLS match: Chicago Fire FC June 29, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Moment of Union’s wildest win over NYCFC? The VAR did not set a goal for each side in the final minute, but a fight ensued in the 79th minute in which Philly Trainer received a red card for pushing a NYCFC player while exchanging some lively words. Suppose MLS has time for everything first. – Guevara
Previous sort: 5
Next MLS match: June 30 Vs. Atlanta United FC, 8pm ET, ESPN +
The RBNY has been strong throughout the season and past leading teams, but Sunday’s LAFC MLS-best trip didn’t go as planned. Two starters – Lukvinhas and Aaron Long – were denied due to health and safety protocols before the kickoff. It looks like LAFC played a draw before taking some important memberships and winning. – Guevara
Previous sort: 9
Next MLS match: June 29 at LAFC, 10:30 ET
Paul Ariola and Brandon Cervenia’s second-half goals gave Dallas a 2-0 lead after they lost twice, leaving Austin with a 2-2 draw. Following the LAFC turmoil this week, Dallas could make its own statement with a win in Los Angeles on Wednesday. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 8
Next MLS match: July 3 Portland Timbers, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Bunches come at Honey Mukhtar’s mark. Their 3-1 win over DC United in Nashville was their third win of the season and took them within a goal of the Golden Boot Leaders in eight of the season. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 6
Next MLS match: June 29 Vs. Minnesota United FC, 10:30 ET, ESPN +
The use of assigned player slots on Douglas Costa seemed like a shock even before LAFC brought Bell to the TAM deal. This splash signing creates a sense of urgency to improve the Galaxy as it moves closer to the playoff line and their dominance in the LA market is declining. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 10
Next MLS match: Seattle Sounders FC on June 29 at 10pm ET, ESPN +
While still playing without Jordje Mihailov, the Canadian club did well against Charlotte’s lack of momentum to maintain momentum for the top spot in the East. Without Mihailov, Rommel Kyoto took the lead in the game-winner with an opening goal. – Guevara
Previous sort: 12
Next MLS match: June 29 v CF Montreal, 10 pm ET, ESPN +
After beating Sporting Kansas City 3-0, the Sounders continued their upward trajectory. Since the beginning of May, only NYCFC has a better average (2.1) per game than Seattle (2.0) in MLS. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 1 1
Next MLS match: July 4 Vs. DC United, Evening 7. ET, ESPN +
In the lineup against Cincinnati, the Lions started attacking without playmaker Mauricio Pereira. Still a strong side, but Orlando would love to see someone like Tesho Akindele or Alexandre Pato contribute more. – Guevara
Previous sort: 16
Next MLS match: June 29 Vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Cinci won six games in his first MLS season, followed by four winning campaigns in a row. During this period, the FCC has already won seven. Luciano Acosta continued to impress before Brenner tried to pass to the game winner, scoring almost a goal. As for the latter, hopefully his first goal of the season will build some confidence. – Guevara
Previous sort: 14
Next MLS match: July 3 FC Cincinnati, 7:30 ET, ESPN +
Rev. keeper Jordje Petrovic will never let fans forget Arsenal-bound Matt Turner, but two catches in a goalless draw with Vancouver showed what he can do. It was unfortunate for Raves not to score in this, but Bruce Arena’s side would be fine if Petrovic maintained it. – Guevara
Previous sort: 17
Next MLS match: Portland Timbers on June 29 at 10:30 pm ET, ESPN +
Dynamo has scored (20) and (19) goals this season, just like Real Salt Lake, yet it has not had an effect. Goals from Darwin Quintero and Sebastian Ferreira on Saturday gave Houston a 2-0 home win over Chicago after 14 May. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 19
Next MLS match: July 4 at FC Dallas, 9pm ET, ESPN +
It was a convincing win over Minnesota Miami visitors, thanks to Aston Villa debtor Indiana Vasiliev for the goal-down rally for the late Brace. After the game, Miami coach Phil Neville praised first-year player Bryce Duke for his control in midfield. The win extended Miami’s home unbeaten streak to six games. – Guevara
Previous sort: 15
Next MLS match: New York Red Bull June 30 at 8 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Another week, another big injury for Atlanta. Right-hander Brooks Lennon will no longer play for six to eight weeks after suffering a knee injury in the warm-up before losing 2-1 in Toronto. Luiz Araujo had a good goal but the temporary midfield and poor defense were giving him a headache. – Guevara
Previous sort: 13
Next MLS match: July 4 Austin FC, 9pm ET, ESPN +
The Rapids’ attack needed to take a complete turn after Portland lost 3-0 without winning one of the three. Since trading for striker Gassi Jardes on April 22, Colorado is the only team in the MLS to average less than one goal (0.9) per game. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 20
Next MLS match: June 30 Vs. Austin FC, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Interim coach Cristian Latanzio lost his first game 2-1 against Montreal and Charlotte has not been able to win this season. The Queen City team had 10 players unavailable due to injury and protocol and had a chance to get a draw throughout the game, so it wasn’t the most heartbreaking effort. – Guevara
Previous sort: 21
Next MLS match: Toronto FC June 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN +
The crew are scrapping without a pair of top scorers like Derrick Etienne Jr. and Lucas Zellren and are waiting for the arrival of club-record signer Kucho Hernandez. After a futile draw in the RSL, the week got tough with the Toronto and Minnesota tour. – Guevara
Previous sort: 22
Next MLS match: June 29 Vs. Houston Dynamo, 10:30 ET, ESPN +
With a 7-2 win over SKC on 14 May, Portland’s 3-0 win over Colorado broke a four-match winless streak and led to just two wins in 11 games. A turning point? Let’s see. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 23
Next MLS match: July 2 LAFC, 10 pm ET, ESPN +
In their last four games, the Whitecaps have won against Dallas and RSL and drawn against New England – a team that can compete with anyone in the league. They just don’t find consistency. The Caps rank second-worst in the league in goal per game (xG) (1.1), which does not indicate that luck will soon be reversed. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 18
Next MLS match: LA Galaxy on June 29 at 10:30 pm ET, ESPN +
No team in the MLS has scored less than Minnesota since the start of May (4), an eight-game period in which they have scored just six goals. The 2-1 defeat by Inter Miami on Saturday led to four consecutive defeats in the US Open Cup, including a loss to third division team Omaha. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 25
Next MLS match: June 29 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 pm ET, ESPN +
There are at least two more games left in Toronto before the Lorenzo Insignia era officially begins, but Bob Bradley’s side seem to be doing the ship right after struggling in the opening season. Jonathan Osario, who suffered an injury but scored on his comeback, should have a good pairing with the former Napoli great. – Guevara
Previous sort: 24
Next MLS match: July 3 New York Red Bull, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Since the league’s inception in 1996, the club has had the worst single-season goal chances of minus -20. This happened twice: 1999 and 2001. From minus-16 to 18 matches, SKC – which averages just 0.89 points per game – has a tendency towards its worst season so far. – Bonagura
Previous sort: 27
Next MLS match: July 3 Chicago Fire, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN +
The Quakes did not play last week after the California Clasico was pushed forward, meaning they ended June without a goal (in just two games). Even so, Jeremy Abois is tied for the Golden Boot lead (nine goals). – Bonagura
Previous sort: 26
Next MLS match: June 29 Vs. Philadelphia Union, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN +
Equipped with DC to score the least number of goals this season on the 14th, Chicago got back on their frustrating path after a 2-0 win over Houston. After breaking a 10-game winless streak last week, Chicago hasn’t achieved much in Texas. Zordan Shakiri and Jaro Torres were both ruled out with injuries in the second match in a row. – Guevara
Previous sort: 28
Next MLS match: In the city of Orlando July 4, evening 7. ET, ESPN +
In addition to the six-game win, the only bright spot in DCU’s defeat in Nashville was another goal for the TaxiArcis Fountains. The Greek DP now has six since joining earlier this season, but DC desperately needs more playmates. It has two DP spots available. – Guevara