Nashville blows out Miami to take top spot in our rankings

It's Monday, another weekend of action is in the books, which means it's time for the latest edition of ESPN's MLS Power Rankings. Which team looks the strongest coming down the stretch? Who's going to suffer in the dog days of summer? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 20 to come up with this week's order. Let's dive in. 1. Nashville SC Previous ranking: 4 In one of the spiciest MLS matchups in recent years, Nashville made a statement with a lopsided 4-1 win over Miami to go five points clear at the top of the Supporters' Shield race. 2. Inter Miami CF Previous ranking: 1 Lionel Messi's first regular-season start since the FIFA World Cup (and the first since the death of his father) didn't make a difference in a humbling 4-1 loss to Nashville, which included a poorly taken penalty that flummoxed the chance to level things 1-1 early on. With the loss, the Herons trail first-place Nashville by five points in the Shield race. 3. Vancouver Whitecaps Previous ranking: 3 After a tough outing in Leagues Cup, Vancouver's rough patch showed signs of a recovery in a decisive 2-0 win over Seattle, their first victory since July 8 across any competition and May 23 in MLS. 4. LAFC Previous ranking: 2 At the end of a busy week in Leagues Cup, LAFC succumbed to a late penalty in a 1-0 loss to SoCal neighbors San Diego to snap an eight-game unbeaten streak and bring Son Heung-Min's four-game scoring streak (in all competitions) to an end. 5. Chicago Fire Previous ranking: 6 Chicago scored two goals in the first 15 minutes of a 2-1 win against Portland. They were the deserving side but withstood a late charge from Portland to seal three points as they go five games undefeated across all competitions after a strong outing in Leagues Cup. 6. Real Salt Lake Previous ranking: 7 He made up for it later, but Sergi Solans missed a perfect chance in front of goal that could have made the difference in a 1-1 draw with Minnesota. Sixteen minutes later he notched his fourth in five games across all competitions, but the Loons' quick response left the hosts sharing the spoils. 7. San Jose Earthquakes Previous ranking: 5 After losing 3-1 at home to St. Louis, the Quakes are winless in four games since the league resumed with three defeats and one draw. Wednesday's California Clasico against the West's 13th-place Galaxy is now a must-win for a team dropping down the standings. 8. Minnesota United Previous ranking: 8 Drake Callender was the difference with seven saves in Salt Lake City to help secure a 1-1 draw against RSL. In true Loons fashion, it was Joaquín Pereyra on a quick counter just at the edge of stoppage time who sent Minnesota home with a point. 9. FC Cincinnati Previous ranking: 9 In a 1-1 draw with Orlando, Pavel Bucha scored his third goal in four games across all competitions, but he was also at fault in a flawed attempt to stop Tyrese Spicer for the equalizer later on. While Evander had a quiet night (with a penalty pulled back for simulation), Roman Celentano did his part to maintain the level score. 10. New York City FC Previous ranking: 10 In a testy east coast grudge match that never fails to entertain, NYCFC scored twice from the penalty spot in the first half in a 3-2 loss to Philadelphia. Conceding three second-half goals to fumble three points at home isn't great as they get ready to tackle a three-game stretch of road games that brings them to Cincinnati next. 11. Houston Dynamo Previous ranking: 15 Guilherme's 12th goal of the regular season came from the penalty spot, but it was enough to seal a 1-0 win against the Galaxy, a result that required zero saves from goalkeeper Jonathan Bond. 12. FC Dallas Previous ranking: 12 Petar Musa's league-high 14th goal of the season was the difference in a 2-1 win over interstate rivals Austin, marking Dallas' first league win since May 23. 13. Charlotte FC Previous ranking: 13 Brandt Bronico snuck through the Crew's backline to score his first goal of the season within 30 seconds of kickoff in a 3-1 win. It was another solid three points seen out by a strong defensive performance that helped fend off Columbus' 26 shots, 11 of which were blocked. 14. New England Revolution Previous ranking: 11 It's hard to lose a game when you're outshooting your opponent 24-3 and 7-1 on target while finishing the game with a one-man advantage, but sometimes, that's football. After losing 2-1 to Toronto, the Revs are now winless in four of their past five since the league resumed. 15. LA Galaxy Previous ranking: 14 The Galaxy are still winless in the league since May 9 after losing to Houston 1-0. While conjuring zero shots on target and trailing from the 21st minute, it was Carlos Garcés' third red card of the year that sealed their fate in the 58th minute. 16. St. Louis City SC Previous ranking: 17 After beating San Jose 3-1, St. Louis is undefeated since May 3 in the league, as it continues to battle its way up the standings, now trailing the Quakes by just four points while sitting fifth in the Western Conference. 17. San Diego FC Previous ranking: 16 San Diego remains undefeated in two seasons against its more-decorated SoCal neighbors after beating LAFC 1-0 thanks to an 89th-minute penalty from Anders Dreyer. At the other end, CJ dos Santos stayed solid in net with three saves in his sixth start and second clean sheet this season. 18. D.C. United Previous ranking: 19 United are undefeated in their past four games after drawing 1-1 with 27th-placed Montréal. With three draws (including against two teams in the top four of the Shield race) and one win, D.C. could strengthen its hold on a playoff spot (sitting ninth in the East) if it keeps this not-losing streak going. 19. Seattle Sounders Previous ranking: 18 Andy Thomas did his best, making four saves in a 2-0 loss to Vancouver, but Brian Schmetzer showed frustration with his roster of options while being offensively outplayed: Seattle managing five shots to the Caps' 19 while clocking zero on target. 20. Columbus Crew Previous ranking: 21 The Crew were five games undefeated across all competitions before losing 3-1 to Charlotte. Conceding twice in the first 10 minutes (including a goal within 30 seconds and a penalty shortly after) is not a great way to start, and proved insurmountable for Columbus, who outshot the hosts 26-9, but only managed four on target. 21. Red Bull New York Previous ranking: 20 The Red Bulls' had a promising start to the year (and a promising start to an eventual 2-1 loss to Atlanta), but finished the weekend eighth in the East after winning just one of their past four games since the league resumed July 22. Next up? First-place Nashville. 22. Philadelphia Union Previous ranking: 24 The Union are continuing to show signs of life and a never-say-die attitude as they came from behind to win once again, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the first half to leave New York City with a 3-2 win highlighted by a brace of goals from Bruno Damiani. Philadelphia now has four wins in four games since the league resumed. 23. Portland Timbers Previous ranking: 22 Portland has had a solid run of results in MLS play, but coming off a busy week in Leagues Cup, the Timbers were caught flat-footed at the start of 2-1 loss to Chicago that left them two goals down inside 14 minutes. A late charge of chances, including a consolation goal, couldn't get them out of the early hole they dug. 24. Orlando City Previous ranking: 23 Four regular-season games into his MLS career, Antoine Griezmann is still getting plenty of the spotlight, but it was 25-year-old Tyrese Spicer who made the difference in a 1-1 draw with Cincinnati as he scored his fourth goal in five games across all competitions. Adding firepower to an attack hoping to break into the playoff spots, Daryl Dike subbed in late in the game to mark his first MLS minutes since 2021. 25. Colorado Rapids Previous ranking: 25 It took having a one-man advantage after Kwaku Agyabeng was sent off in the 38th minute, but Colorado got it done with two second-half goals (including one in stoppage time after a second red card) to beat Kansas City 2-0. With three wins in their past four games since the league resumed, the Rapids have got some momentum but a tough test next with LAFC waiting on Wednesday. 26. Toronto FC Previous ranking: 26 With two first-half goals (including an own-goal from Revs defender William Sands), Toronto saw out its first win since April despite Djordje Mihailovic's 76th-minute red card to finish the game 2-1. 27. CF Montréal Previous ranking: 27 Montréal isn't winning much, but four of its past six games were a draw after settling for a 1-1 with D.C. It's not yet enough to get the Quebecois into the playoff places, but decent work from one of the league's perennial basement dwellers as they prepare for Columbus this week. 28. Austin FC Previous ranking: 28 After a notably strong Leagues Cup performance that has Austin through to the next stage, the Verde succumbed to a second-half goal from Petar Musa, the 2-1 defeat to Dallas being their third straight loss in MLS play. 29. Atlanta United Previous ranking: 30 Despite falling behind early, Atlanta absconded with its first win since May 2 after beating the Red Bulls 2-1, sealed by Fafà Picault at the far post for his first goal since April. 30. Sporting Kansas City Previous ranking: 29 Getting a red card in the first half of a game is a bad way to try to win it. For the second straight match, SKC did just that, and this time, walked away with a 2-0 defeat to Colorado and nine players left on the field at the end.