MLS Power Rankings: Lewandowski, Muller Dazzle As Teams Shift After Matchday 19

The stars showed up in Major League Soccer this weekend.

From Robert Lewandowski scoring a brace in his home debut with the Chicago Fire to Luis Suárez continuing his stellar form with Inter Miami and Son Heung-min trading goals with Thomas Müller in LAFC’s visit to the Vancouver Whitecaps, it was the perfect weekend for the nostalgic soccer fan in the States. Even Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul made their return to action in South Florida.

With the 2026 Leagues Cup now looming for 18 MLS clubs, here’s how all 30 stack up in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated’s MLS Power Rankings.

MLS Power Rankings Matchday 19: Clubs 30–11

30. Atlanta United (Previous: 30)
29. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 29)
28. Austin FC (Previous: 26)
27. CF Montréal (Previous: 27)
26. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 28)
25. Toronto FC (Previous: 24)
24. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 23)
23. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 25)
22. Orlando City (Previous: 21)
21. D .C. United (Previous: 22)
20. San Diego FC (Previous: 20)
19. L.A. Galaxy (Previous: 19)
18. Columbus Crew (Previous: 17)
17. Red Bull New York (Previous: 18)
16. Seattle Sounders (Previous: 12)
15. Minnesota United (Previous: 15)
14. FC Dallas (Previous: 14)
13. Charlotte FC (Previous: 11)
12. Portland Timbers (Previous: 16)
11. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 14)

10. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 10) 🤝

That's now 7 goals on the season for Sergi Solans 🙌@realsaltlake leads in St. Louis, 1-0!

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/1GYD8XrSmK pic.twitter.com/Ng6q6v44FP
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

Take a bow, Saba Lobjanidze. It wasn’t a win for Real Salt Lake, but the 1–1 draw with St. Louis CITY SC brought some impressive moments, notably a backheel flick from Lobjanidze on Sergi Solans’s goal, which proved enough for RSL to secure a point on the road.

Outside of that standout highlight, it was a bit of a confusing night for the Claret and Cobalt, as they switched to a 3-4-1-2, changing up their front-three setup, which failed to make a significant cohesive impact. The night ended with RSL’s less present midfield amassing just 33% possession, and the team trailing St. Louis 20 to nine on shots.

9. New England Revolution (Previous: 8) 📉

Carles Gil scored from the penalty spot as the New England Revolution settled for a draw. | Tim Austen/Getty Images

CF Montréal have proven to be a very challenging team to play against and the New England Revolution found out the hard way in Québec, playing to a 2–2 draw in front of a passionate and controversial crowd at Stade Saputo.

This was a match the Revolution should have won, though. They put up a whopping 4.31 xG on 21 shots, and had an astounding 35 touches in Montréal’s penalty area. Two goals is often enough against Montréal, but Brayan Vera decided it was the night to score a blistering shot from 35 yards, effectively ruling out the Revolution’s dominant first 60 minutes.

There should be some concern about playing out of the back for the Revs, after Matt Turner almost allowed an unfortunate own goal, but other than that, there isn’t much to worry about. They should be able to grab three points next time out when they face the Houston Dynamo at home.

8. New York City FC (Previous: 9) ⬆️

It wasn’t an easy night for Nicolás Fernández Mercau (right) and New York City FC on Friday. | Jordan Bank/Getty Images

New York City FC missed an opportunity for three invaluable points, playing to a draw against a Toronto FC side which has not won in 12 games, dating back to April 4.

Nicolás Fernández Mercau played up to the MLS Golden Boot-leading standards he has risen to this season in a more attack-focused No. 10 role, scoring in the ninth minute off a penalty kick and creating five chances. Yet, an underwhelming and mistake-ridden performance from Thiago Martins at the back allowed Toronto’s Djordje Mihailovic to score, ending hopes of three points at Yankee Stadium.

There’s hope that Costa Rican star striker Alonso Martínez will return at some point this fall ahead of a likely run into the MLS Cup playoffs, and having a clinical striker will be a major boon for the Pigeons.

7. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 5) 📉

Timo Werner showed his frustrations on Saturday. | A.J. Mast/MLS/Getty Images

Evander is really good. We’ll get into that in the FC Cincinnati section—unfortunately for the San Jose Earthquakes, they fell victim to his stardom this weekend. It led Timo Werner to immense frustration, charging into the tunnel post-match after the Earthquakes fell 4–2 for their second loss in a winless three games since returning from the World Cup.

Whether it is simply the injury to Niko Tsakiris, adjusting to goalkeeper Angus Gunn or even the MLS All-Star fatigue for Daniel Munie, the Earthquakes put forth a disorganized effort that made them appear a shell of the dominant team fans came to know before the World Cup. Now, Bruce Arena has his work cut out for him, looking to keep the vibes high while finding a standout leader to turn things around at this point in the season.

6. Chicago Fire (Previous: 7) ⬆️

Welcome to MLS, Robert Lewandowski. After an underwhelming two road matches to start his tenure with the Chicago Fire, Lewandowski delivered as advertised for the home supporters at Soldier Field, netting a brace to push the Fire past Charlotte FC 2–1.

The Polish veteran was more involved than he was in the previous two showings and looked mobile and patient throughout the performance . His first goal came from the edge of the box, and the other marked a pristine effort from in close.

While it’s going to take Lewandowski a while to adjust fully to the Fire’s new tactical approach, the goals marked a much-needed lift in the first home match since the break. Now, they’ll hope to translate that into a successful Leagues Cup run, up against Necaxa, Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul in Phase One.

5. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 6) ⬆️

Average Evander worldie. WOW 😱 pic.twitter.com/IC5gQNdRuN
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

Evander stunned. Special players step up with miraculous moments when their teams need them, and that’s exactly what the Brazilian superstar midfielder did for FC Cincinnati in a wicked comeback, going from trailing San Jose 2–1 in the 78th minute to winning 4–2.

Their star DP scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute, putting a blistering shot on target from distance and catching Gunn off guard.

“I don’t know how he does it,” his teammate Tom Barlow said of Evander post-match. “It’s like a video game for him.”

4. LAFC (Previous: 3) 📉

Son Heung-min is carrying LAFC in the team’s post-World Cup form. | Rich Lam/MLS/Getty Images

LAFC aren’t the possession-dominant, fun and fast team they once were, and that’s okay against most teams. This weekend, though, they had troubles against the Vancouver Whitecaps and were hemmed into their own half for much of the opening 45 minutes, before Son Heung-min scored his fourth goal in as many games on a counter-attack.

With Jacob Shaffelburg out wide and Son and Denis Bouanga providing overlapping efforts between the wings and central channels, the counter-attacking prowess is a viable route forward for Marc Dos Santos’s men, but it isn’t the style many contending teams play with. Had Vancouver been more clinical, it would have cost them on Saturday. Instead, LAFC managed to walk away with a 1–1 draw.

For a team that has become known for approaching games with a certain swagger, playing like a pesky underdog is worrying.

3. Vancouver Whitecaps (Previous: 4) ⬆️

Thomas Müller helped the Whitecaps claim a point in their BC Place return. | Rich Lam/MLS/Getty Images

The Vancouver Whitecaps need to quickly replace Sebastian Berhalter. While Jesper Sørensen’s side maintained their spot atop the Western Conference with the draw, they should have gotten all three points, after peppering LAFC early on and maintaining intense possession in the offensive half.

For much of the game, it looked like the Whitecaps needed an energetic spark in deeper midfield, either to provide a key cross or long-shot—as Berhalter became known for over the past two seasons. At the same time, there should be concerns about Brian White’s finishing, as the club’s all-time leading scorer is now without a goal in four games across all competitions and failed to finish on his three shots Saturday.

2. Nashville SC (Previous: 2) 🤝

Sam Surridge found his 11th goal of the season this weekend. | Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Giving up a two-goal lead at halftime is never a good thing. Surrendering it, and then providing little to no fight back is even worse. That’s exactly what Nashville SC did this weekend, as Silvan Hefti and Tai Baribo clawed back goals for D.C. United to force a 2–2 draw, with Nashville falling victim to a shifty scorpion kick-style assist from D.C.’s Luis Munteanu on the second goal.

While Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge were strong in the first half, the midfield began to fall apart in Nashville’s efforts after the break, allowing D.C. to amass 1.26 xG in the 45 minutes, compared to a mere 0.26 in the opening frame.

Part of that lack of control comes down to the lack of tactical adjustments from manager B.J. Callaghan, but it could be solved by the looming returns of one of Cristian Espinoza, Alex Muyl or Patrick Yazbek, all of whom remain injured for at least several more weeks.

1. Inter Miami (Previous: 1) 🤝

Luis Suárez is in unplayable form. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Inter Miami are in stellar form and should count themselves unlucky to have not secured a seventh-straight win this weekend, instead settling for a 2–2 draw against the Columbus Crew.

After a lengthy rain delay, the match gave a first glimpse into how Miami could play with Casemiro and Rodrigo De Paul in the squad, which seemed to allow the latter to push farther ahead in a right-side attacking role, while the Brazilian dropped deeper and controlled the tempo from midfield.

Miami’s approach is talent-based rather than the tactically-sound Crew, who are taking steps forward under interim manager Laurent Courtois. With Miami soon to have Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, Casemiro and Luis Suárez, among others, all at 100% involvement, though, it will be hard to lose—even with the red-hot Suárez suspended for the Leagues Cup campaign.

If there are any worries for the thriving Herons at this point, then they remain at the back. Is Rocco Ríos Novo truly a better option than Dayne St. Clair in the long run? Do they have the depth at the back, and how consistent can 18-year-old Fricio Caicedo be after his debut? All questions that could become louder if the superstars falter at any point.

READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

Add us as a preferred source on Google