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 21 to come up with this week's order. Let's dive in.
1. Nashville SC
Previous ranking: 1
It wasn't pretty, but Nashville's late 3-2 comeback victory over Columbus was historic. Through 21 regular-season games, no MLS team has ever totaled as many points as Nashville's 49 and thanks to stoppage-time goals from a pair of fullbacks, the Supporters' Shield leaders marched forward.
2. Vancouver Whitecaps
Previous ranking: 3
The Caps decimated Dallas by a 5-0 scoreline, notching four before the break and another for good measure in the second period. On its day, no team in MLS assails its opponent from every angle like Vancouver.
3. Inter Miami CF
Previous ranking: 2
Inconsistency continues to plague Miami, who fell 2-1 to Toronto and have failed to win any of its past five games across all competitions. While Lionel Messi found the back of the net, the pieces around him need to perform.
4. LAFC
Previous ranking: 4
Though they fell behind early, Denis Bouanga's incredible late equalizer rescued a 1-1 draw for LAFC against Portland. While LAFC trailed for most of the match, that they managed to post 34 shots against a bunkered defense is a positive for a team that has tended to struggle in similar scenarios.
5. Chicago Fire
Previous ranking: 5
Playing with a partially rotated lineup due to fixture congestion, the Fire will be content with a 1-1 road draw against Red Bull New York. Conceding a late 86th-minute equalizer will sting, but Chicago haven't lost a game in a month and are clearly headed in the right direction.
6. FC Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 9
Evander's opener put Cincinnati on the board, but a late concession saw the hosts end its Saturday evening with a 1-1 draw with Seattle. Still, that it collected a point while manager Pat Noonan partially rotated his lineup was a victory in itself.
7. Real Salt Lake
Previous ranking: 7
A thick and fast schedule caught up with Salt Lake when their entirely rotated lineup fell 2-1 to a mostly full-strength Orlando. Antoine Griezmann's quality proved too much for RSL to withstand.
8. New York City FC
Previous ranking: 10
While a penalty save from Matt Freese and a goal from James Sands stood out, New York City looked flat in a 1-1 draw with New England. Perhaps the transfer rumblings surrounding star playmaker Nico Fernández are muddying the waters?
9. St. Louis City SC
Previous ranking: 16
Now 11 games without a loss in MLS play, there may be no hotter team in the league right now than St. Louis. Their 2-1 victory over Houston saw them do an admirable job of balancing attacking threat with defensive control, even without a single outfield Designated Player in the starting lineup.
10. Houston Dynamo
Previous ranking: 11
The Dynamo's eight-game unbeaten regular season run came to an end on Saturday after a 2-1 loss to St. Louis. Houston doubled their host's shot tally, but struggled to defend their box along the way.
11. New England Revolution
Previous ranking: 14
The bad? Carles Gil had a penalty saved in the Revs' 1-1 draw with New York City. The good? New England's other attacking pieces all showed up, with summer addition Jack Harrison picking out Peyton Miller, who notched the assist for Dor Turgeman's goal. If the non-Gil pieces are contributing, this team will be hard to stop.
12. Minnesota United
Previous ranking: 8
Victories don't get much more cathartic than Minnesota's 5-1 win over San Jose. Their first league triumph since May 2, the Loons found joy on set pieces and in transition, blitzing the Earthquakes.
13. Charlotte FC
Previous ranking: 13
Thanks to a tremendous performance on attacking set pieces and Pep Biel's continued brilliance from the attacking midfield role, Charlotte toppled D.C. by a 3-1 scoreline. Just how much more dangerous will this team be when new winger Allan Saint-Maximin starts firing?
14. FC Dallas
Previous ranking: 12
This weekend was one to forget for Dallas, who found themselves leaving Vancouver with a 5-0 loss. With a rotated lineup, Saturday served as a reminder that Dallas' squad depth can't match that of the league's best.
15. San Jose Earthquakes
Previous ranking: 7
Following a 5-1 loss to Minnesota, San Jose have now gone six games without a win since the FIFA World Cup break. They've won just once since April. That Timo Werner left Saturday's game after motioning to his hamstring only makes the Earthquakes' slide more concerning.
16. San Diego FC
Previous ranking: 17
San Diego cruised to a 3-0 win over Colorado, creating enough high-quality chances to take down their Western Conference foes. New winger Elias Achouri made his first start for the sophomore outfit and scored his first goal, too. So far, life without Chucky Lozano seems to be treating San Diego just fine.
17. Orlando City
Previous ranking: 24
When Orlando signed Antoine Griezmann, performances like the one he put together in Saturday's 2-1 win over Salt Lake are what the club had in mind. The Frenchman's brace secured all three points for the Lions, who now sit above the playoff line.
18. Philadelphia Union
Previous ranking: 22
Cavan Sullivan keyed a 1-1 road draw with Austin, with the 16-year-old scoring Philadelphia's lone goal and providing plenty of other moments of attacking incision. Along the way, the Union's climb up the Eastern Conference standings continued.
19. Red Bull New York
Previous ranking: 21
While the attack stalled against Chicago, needing a late strike from substitute Cameron Harper to rescue a 1-1 draw at home, that the Red Bulls stayed defensively solid is promising for Michael Bradley's outfit. According to FotMob, New York allowed a meager 0.89 xG on the day.
20. LA Galaxy
Previous ranking: 15
Saturday's 2-2 draw with Montréal marked the third-straight game where the Galaxy have received a red card. This time, the card was dealt to JT Marcinkowski in the second half and was followed by the Galaxy conceding an equalizer. Things are unstable for Greg Vanney's team.
21. Seattle Sounders
Previous ranking: 19
For the first time since May 13, Seattle avoided a loss in MLS play. On Saturday, their rotated and injury-stricken lineup managed a 1-1 road draw with Cincinnati. With the summer transfer window bringing new possibilities, will a new kind of streak begin for the Sounders?
22. Toronto FC
Previous ranking: 26
Despite yet another injury setback for a key player (this time, it was new midfielder Niklas Dorsch), Toronto managed a 2-1 upset over Miami. Thanks to second-half goals from Josh Sargent and Derrick Etienne Jr., Toronto claimed their fourth result in four games.
23. Portland Timbers
Previous ranking: 23
When considering his Designated Player status, David Da Costa has largely been unimpressive since joining Portland from Lens last season. However, new manager Martí Cifuentes may have found the key to maximizing the midfielder. Da Costa scored Portland's goal in a 1-1 draw with LAFC, marking his second goal in as many games.
24. Colorado Rapids
Previous ranking: 25
While the Rapids have added several pieces to their attack this year, the fact remains that the team needs more in that part of the field. Their 3-0 loss to San Diego was the latest data point, one that featured Colorado posting just 0.47 xG, according to FotMob.
25. Columbus Crew
Previous ranking: 20
Despite skillfully controlling much of the game against the top team in the East, Columbus fell 3-2 in Nashville on Saturday. Conceding two stoppage-time goals turned three points into zero for the Crew, who do seem to be heading in a positive direction. Still, results need to start showing up.
26. D.C. United
Previous ranking: 18
Some of the shine is rubbing off D.C., who fell 3-1 to Charlotte on Saturday. Winless in four games and below the playoff line, it's fair to wonder if René Weiler has the attacking threat at his disposal for D.C. to truly threaten in the East.
27. Austin FC
Previous ranking: 28
A 1-1 draw with Philadelphia wasn't a statement result, but seeing 18-year-old homegrown Ervin Torres make yet another start should put a smile on the face of Austin fans. Torres' silky on-ball play stood out for the hosts as he made a case to be a regular starter from this point forward.
28. CF Montréal
Previous ranking: 27
Alexis Sánchez made his second MLS appearance on Saturday, coming off the bench and helping his new team earn a 2-2 draw. The Chile legend played as an attacking midfielder and enjoyed freedom to roam, though it remains to be seen if Sánchez will be enough to save Montréal's season.
29. Atlanta United
Previous ranking: 29
Hours after officially announcing Switzerland international Breel Embolo as a new Designated Player, Atlanta took down Kansas City in a 2-1 victory. With his clever on-ball play and scoring ability, the Five Stripes hope Embolo will be a transformative addition.
30. Sporting Kansas City
Previous ranking: 30
Simply put, Kansas City never looked in the game in their 2-1 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. With moves aplenty being made at the top of the roster, they need talent to arrive quickly to avoid finishing at the bottom of the table.