"I have a lot of respect for [Carlos] Vela," Zlatan Ibrahimovic said after scoring a hat trick and leading the Galaxy to a win over LAFC on Friday. "He's a good player but you made one mistake: You compared him with me. That was your biggest mistake. I believe in myself. People call it arrogant, I call it confidence. Ignorant people call it arrogant, intelligent people call it confidence."

Here at the Power Rankings, we also believe in ourselves. Our rankings are perfect and unimpeachable. Don't compare us to other rankings. That would be a big mistake.

Ignorant people would call it arrogance, but intelligent people know it's confidence. It's ranking time.

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1. LAFC (14 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses)

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: Friday vs. Atlanta (10 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes)

Welp. Last week, the narrative was that LAFC was an unstoppable juggernaut charging toward a double haul of trophies on the back of a record-breaking attack led by Vela. This week, the narrative is that LAFC can't win big games and might be in store for a playoff meltdown. El Trafico caused some whiplash.

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Colorado (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

The "New Almeydians" won again, picking up their fifth victory in their last six games. The stats on the Quakes' bombardment of their last two opponents, at LA and Vancouver, is stunning: 32 shots in each game for a two-game combined total of 64. The Galaxy and Whitecaps? They managed 11 shots combined.

Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: Saturday at Montreal (8 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

One thing the Union haven't really had during their run and stay at the top of the Eastern Conference is big goals from Marco Fabian. The Mexican DP scored an absolute banger in the win over Chicago on Saturday; if he can do that regularly, it could carry Philly through the balance of the season.

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: Friday vs. Sporting KC (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

Winning in Colorado is never easy, even when the Rapids are bad and have a man sent off. NYCFC did what was necessary to secure three road points this weekend and can still point to having several games in hand as a reason to believe that big move up the table is still in the offing.

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (8 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

A draw in Utah slowed the Loons down a bit, but they remain in impressive flight with a five-game unbeaten streak. Other teams in playoff contention have found the going tough at Rio Tinto and no one in MLS -- much less Minnesota United, striving for a first-ever playoff spot -- will look a road point in the mouth.

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: Friday at LAFC (10 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes)

It was a very good week for the Five Stripes and not just because they picked up six points and pulled into second place. Sunday's win over DC United featured something rarely seen in 2019: a good game from Pity Martinez. A goal and an assist as a sub against DC might be the spark that lights the fire that changes everything.

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Orlando (7 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

The Revs ran through the Whitecaps 4-0 in midweek and FC Cincinnati 2-0 on Sunday, extending the post-coaching-change unbeaten run to 10 in the process. Bruce Arena himself is 5-2-0 as New England's boss, taking 17 of a possible 21 points during the stretch. Never doubt The Bruce.

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match: Saturday at Portland (10:30 p.m. ET)

An admission: Your humble neighborhood power ranker fell victim to one of the classic blunders ahead of the season's first El Trafico. The most well known is "Never get involved in a land war in Asia," but only slightly less well known is "never bet against Zlatan when bragging rights are on the line."

Carlos Vela and LAFC remain top of the Power Rankings, but they were chastened by Ibra's stunning hat trick in Friday night's 3-2 defeat. Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match: Sunday at Houston (8 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

There can't really be any takeaways from the Sounders' home loss to the Timbers. Seattle got beat, but the nature of the rivalry -- physical, ugly and stretching the definition of "soccer" -- makes it tough to draw any conclusions. A couple of misses changed the game.

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Real Salt Lake (8 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

Based on what we know so far, FC Dallas figures to be fighting tooth-and-nail with a handful of other teams in the West for one of the final few playoff spots. That's why wins like this past Saturday's, on the road over Sporting Kansas City, are so important. The time of playoff six-pointers is practically here and next week's tilt against RSL will have that feel.

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Columbus (8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

The Red Bulls lost a frustrating game in Toronto in midweek and bounced back with a narrow road win over Orlando on Sunday. Amid the rumors that European clubs are eyeing Aaron Long and the continuing struggles of juggling a busy schedule, the three points in Florida feel big.

Previous ranking: 15

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. LA Galaxy (10:30 p.m. ET)

Cascadia belongs to the Timbers. At least for now and thanks to Brian Fernandez. The Argentine rides a fine line between disruptive and irresponsible, but he also scores goals. The two Fernandez scored at CenturyLink Field to lead the Timbers to a win were his seventh and eighth goals in nine games.