MLS Power Rankings: Nashville SC Dominate, Multiple Managers Fired and More After Matchday 14

MLS might not be the world’s best league, but it's certainly one of the most exciting.

Since the last Sports Illustrated Power Rankings after Matchday 12—just seven days ago—MLS has seen the following happen.

Columbus Crew fired newly hired manager Henrik Rydström after 14 games, the third team to fire a coach this season.
Austin FC fired manager Nico Estévez and sporting director Rodo Borell after three wins in 14 games.
Sam Sarver celebrated by shotgunning a beer after scoring a late winning goal.
The previously Supporters’ Shield-leading San Jose Earthquakes lost twice, allowing final goals after the 87th minute twice.
Matchday 13 saw 58 goals scored across 14 games for the most on a single night of MLS.
Lionel Messi scored four goals in two games, as Inter Miami dealt with a massive fan protest.
Thomas Müller returned from illness.

And I’m sure we’re still missing something. To say it’s been a wild week would be an understatement. Now, there is just one game remaining for each team before the 2026 World Cup, as each side looks to enter the break in the best form possible before reconvening in July.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at the week that was and where things stand after Matchday 14.

MLS Power Rankings Matchday 14: Clubs 30–11

30. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 29)
29. Atlanta United (Previous: 27)
28. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 28)
27. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 30)
26. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 26)
25. CF Montréal (Previous: 24)
24. Austin FC (Previous: 20)
23. D.C. United (Previous: 23)
22. Toronto FC (Previous: 22)
21. Orlando City (Previous: 25)
20. Portland Timbers (Previous: 21)
19. Columbus Crew (Previous: 19)
18. Red Bull New York (Previous: 19)
17. San Diego FC (Previous: 16)
16. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 17)
15. LA Galaxy (Previous: 14)
14. Minnesota United (Previous: 12)
13. Charlotte FC (Previous: 13)
12. FC Dallas (Previous: 15)
11. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 7)

10. New York City FC📈 (Previous: 11)

Maxi Moralez could be out for an extended period of time after suffering an injury in the Hudson River Derby. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York City FC move up in this week’s power rankings after defeating Charlotte FC midweek and playing to a 1–1 draw against Hudson River Derby foes, Red Bull New York, on the weekend. However, it’s anything but good vibes for the blue side of New York right now.

The draw itself offered little to define either team, but featured a heartbreaking moment for NYCFC fans after Maxi Moralez went down in midfield right before halftime with a non-contact injury. It took several minutes before he was stretchered off the pitch, potentially sidelining him for an extended period of time—and at 39 years old, potentially ending his career, after scoring a goal and adding six assists this season.

If NYCFC have to move forward without Moralez, things get very challenging. They have already missed Costa Rican striker Alonso Martínez this season, and without the veteran Argentine, there is simply too much reliance on Nicolás Fernández to achieve significant success.

9. New England Revolution📈 (Previous: 10)

Carles Gil is enjoying another impressive MLS campaign with the New England Revolution. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Revolution are a very good team this season.

Wednesday’s performance against Nashville SC, however, was anything but. That 3–0 loss highlighted the massive gap that remains between the Revs and a bona fide MLS Cup contender. Yet, they are still at the top of the tier just below that, proving their worth in a 2–1 win over Minnesota United on Saturday, headlined by five saves from USMNT World Cup hopeful Matt Turner, and the offensive cast of usual leading characters, Carles Gil and Luca Langoni—both of whom hit the back of the net.

Gil, in particular, has been in tremendous form. There’s an argument that he has been the best player in MLS outside of Messi through the past half decade, and against Minnesota, he showed every element of that. He had four dribbles and created three chances, while also scoring from the penalty spot.

The Revs have seven wins in eight home games this season and will now hit the road for one more match before the World Cup break, taking on Charlotte FC with hopes of surpassing Inter Miami for second in the Eastern Conference.

8. Chicago Fire📈 (Previous: 9)

Hugo Cuypers scores for the 10th consecutive game! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IPtsR55P0u
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 16, 2026

Entering the two-match week off the back of a three-game losing skid, the Chicago Fire did plenty of good to improve their ranking, beating CF Montréal 2–0 on the weekend after a 3–1 win over D.C. United midweek. Both results came on the road as well, a notoriously tough task to do in MLS play.

Manager Gregg Berhalter used two formations this week, starting with a 4-2-3-1 against D.C. and then reverting to an experimental 4-4-2 against Montréal. While he has moved away from the 4-3-3 he began the season with, it hasn’t held back star striker Hugo Cuypers, who scored in both matches and extended his goal streak to 10 consecutive games.

The Fire should have a relatively straightforward task against Toronto FC next week, potentially setting them up to head into the World Cup break on a three-game winning run.

7. Real Salt Lake📈 (Previous: 8)

Zavier Gozo scores his fourth goal in four games!@realsaltlake are level! pic.twitter.com/LS3PiobTxJ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 17, 2026

What more can Real Salt Lake ask for right now? USMNT World Cup hopeful Diego Luna is in form, and Zavier Gozo, the 19-year-old starlet, who has also become a World Cup hopeful, is playing as if he is one of the league’s top players at the moment. Everything is going great, and this week saw a 3–1 win over the Houston Dynamo and a 2–1 win over the Colorado Rapids.

Luna’s minutes are being managed as the World Cup approaches, as he played just the second half in the win over Houston and didn’t see the pitch on Saturday. Gozo, however, has become the leader, scoring a brace against the Dynamo and adding a goal against the Rapids.

As those two stand out, fullback DeAndre Yedlin has also hit his stride, assisting on Gozo’s opening goal against the Dynamo. Could the club want to see more from Juanma Salabria and Victor Olatunji? For sure, but the current status, with Gozo and Luna leading the way, has them in a good spot heading into next week’s clash against Minnesota United.

6. LAFC📉 (Previous: 5)

Son Heung-min is without an MLS goal in 12 games this season. | Alan Poizner-Imagn Images

LAFC are falling fast. First-year manager, but longtime assistant coach, Marc Dos Santos began his tenure in the top role by rolling out a first-choice lineup for each game, regardless of MLS or Concacaf Champions Cup play. While that approach brought a run to the Champions Cup semifinals and some early-season MLS success, it has caught up with the group in terms of fatigue and suspensions.

The 2–1 loss against St. Louis CITY midweek was a disaster, with Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga failing to gel in a 4-3-3, alongside Tyler Boyd in the attack. The Black and Gold followed it up with a positive performance against Nashville SC on Sunday, but became the latest victim of Hany Mukhtar’s incredible Nashville career, as the German scored a hat-trick, including two free-kicks.

LAFC are still an MLS Cup contender, but the lack of production from both Son and Bouanga has to be concerning, and they desperately need a win against the Seattle Sounders to build any confidence heading into the break.

5. Seattle Sounders📉 (Previous: 4)

Osaze De Rosario scored a late winning goal aginst the San JOse Earthquakes in midweek action. | Blake Dahlin/ISI Photos/Getty Images

The weather is getting warmer, and the Seattle Sounders are getting better. Like clockwork, almost every MLS season over the past decade, the Sounders hit their stride midway through the campaign, then become a red-hot team through the summer and potentially into the MLS Cup playoffs.

If there’s any team that should be concerned about the switch to a fall-to-spring calendar, it’s them—but that’s besides the point.

The Sounders picked up an impressive 3–2 win over the Supporters’ Shield-leading San Jose Earthquakes midweek, with Osaze De Rosario netting an 89th-minute winning goal, after Albert Rusnák and Jesús Fereirra scored earlier on.

On the weekend, they looked tired—a shock considering the run of home games since May 2—as they fell 2–0 to the LA Galaxy, marking the end of their 22-game unbeaten run in MLS play at home.

Next week sees a massive clash against LAFC, where the Sounders will try to create space between themselves and the Black and Gold, potentially putting themselves in a position to chase the Supporters’ Shield after the World Cup.

4. Inter Miami📈 (Previous: 6)

Messi assists, Berterame finishes. Wow. What a run. 😎 pic.twitter.com/RGsxFTcVS9
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 17, 2026

Lionel Messi did it again. The 38-year-old Argentine stunned this week, scoring three goals and two assists to lead Inter Miami to a 5–3 road win over FC Cincinnati and a 2–0 win over the Portland Timbers for their first victory at the new Nu Stadium. In Messi’s last four games, he has five goals and six assists—simply exceptional.

While the team is still reliant on Messi, there were other positives this week. Maxi Falcón’s absence from the lineup continued, allowing Gonzalo Luján and Micael to claim a clean-sheet win in front of goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair against the Timbers, and Germán Berterame might have his scoring boots, with goals in both matches, albeit largely in part to Messi’s brilliance.

The wins have the Herons second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Supporters’ Shield, giving them plenty of form heading into the final pre-World Cup Matchday, where they will hope to beat the last-place Philadelphia Union and potentially push to the top of MLS heading into the summer.

Off the pitch, things are less than great. Fans remained silent until the 85th minute against Portland, protesting the players’ treatment of supporters, which eventually prompted Messi and Rodrigo De Paul to acknowledge the fans mid-game, before others—not including the Argentines—went to celebrate with the crowd post-match.

3. San Jose Earthquakes📉 (Previous: 2)

Ousseni Bouda has not been as impactful without supporting stars around him. | John Hefti-Imagn Images

The San Jose Earthquakes had two of the most in-form players in MLS this season with Niko Tsakiris and Timo Werner. Now that both are sidelined with injuries, manager Bruce Arena’s men are missing a clear difference maker, and that was evident in this week’s last-gasp losses to Seattle and FC Dallas.

On Wednesday, a match in which Arena came close to receiving a red card amid his late-game frustrations, the Earthquakes conceded in the 89th minute, losing 3–2 to the Sounders. Then on Saturday, it was the 93rd minute against FC Dallas, before Sam Sarver made himself an MLS legend with his goal celebration for the Toros.

The issues aren’t incredibly dire for the Earthquakes yet, but this week was six critical points lost, bringing them to four games without a win, after draws against Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps. Luckily, the World Cup break will give the team a chance to get back to a healthier state.

2. Vancouver Whitecaps📉 (Previous: 1)

BERHALTER AGAIN ✌️

Vancouver retakes the lead. pic.twitter.com/5VwjQJOGjP
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 14, 2026

Sebastian Berhalter can’t do much more to make the USMNT at this point, and Wednesday night’s 3–2 Vancouver Whitecaps win over FC Dallas, in which he scored a brace with two goals from outside the box, showed just how critical he could be to a World Cup effort this summer.

The 24-year-old midfielder has been tenacious throughout the past two seasons. His long-range shooting abilities and set-piece distribution also continue to stand out, while his defending skillsets alongside Andrés Cubas make Vancouver’s defensive midfield a league-leading force.

While the Whitecaps came away with all three points against Dallas and saw Thomas Müller return to the team after illness kept him out for the two previous matches, it wasn’t the same story against the Houston Dynamo on the weekend.

In Houston, they fell 1–0 after Guilherme scored in the 96th minute, ensuring the Dynamo secured all three points after playing with an advantage from the 64th minute, following Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka’s red card for DOGSO (denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity) after taking a player down outside of the box.

The Whitecaps remain atop the Western Conference and a point back of Nashville for the Supporters’ Shield, but will be missing their first-choice backstop in next week’s final pre-World Cup clash against 2025 Western Conference final foes, San Diego FC.

1. Nashville SC📈 (Previous: 3)

Take a bow, Hany Mukhtar. The German superstar netted a hat-trick in Saturday’s 3–2 win over LAFC, including two free kicks, which made him the eighth player in MLS history with multiple direct free kicks goals in the same game since it began being tracked in 2003.

While the performance against a conference rival like LAFC will stand out, the 3–0 demolition against New England midweek also marked a vital step into contender status, with Bryan Acosta stepping up with a brace and Warren Madrigal hitting the back of the net.

The wins launched the Coyotes to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, making them the first team to 30 points in 2026 while also showing their depth amid the continued absences of star striker Sam Surridge, key midfielder Patrick Yazbek and Edvard Tagseth.

At the same time, 24-year-old backstop Bryan Schwake made two saves against New England and seven against LAFC and could be in the USMNT goalkeeper conversation in the next World Cup cycle, as soon as this fall.

Next week, Nashville takes on an injury-riddled NYCFC, giving them a chance to extend their lead atop the league heading into the World Cup.

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