MLS POWER RANKINGS

1. Seattle Sounders: The Sounders bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 1-0 win at Austin FC thanks to a 35-yard strike by Raúl Ruidíaz. The reserves couldn’t continue the momentum, however, falling to Sporting KC by a score of 3-1.

2. New England Revolution: New England is clear of second-place Nashville SC by seven points thanks to victories over Inter Miami and CF Montreal over the past week.

3. Sporting Kansas City: Sporting took advantage of a depleted Seattle lineup to come out with a 3-1 win in a battle between the two best teams in the Western Conference.

4. Nashville SC: Nashville found its scoring stride over the past month and it helped the club inch toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Nashville scored five against Chicago on July 17 and three against Cincinnati on July 24.

5. Orlando City SC: Orlando City remain in third place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points and a plus-four goal differential despite a 5-0 loss to NYCFC the last time out. It was the third loss in six matches.

6. Philadelphia Union: The Union are holding on while key players such as goalkeeper Andre Blake begin to return from CONCACAF Gold Cup duty. Philadelphia amassed five points in five matches in July.

7. Colorado Rapids: The Rapids are another Western Conference contender coming off an embarrassing loss. The Rapids dropped a 3-0 match to Real Salt Lake last week.

8. Columbus Crew: The defending MLS Cup champions are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 24 points through 15 matches. The Crew are unbeaten since a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia back on June 23.

9. Los Angeles Galaxy: The squad came back to orbit after a strong start, mostly because Chicharito is no longer scoring at a record pace.

10. New York City FC: NYCFC moved into playoff position with a dominant 5-0 win over Orlando, its second consecutive win since a tough 1-0 loss to Columbus back on July 17. NYCFC gets another crack at the Crew on Friday night at home.