MLS Power Rankings: Record-Breaking Performances Highlight Matchday 5

The first chapter of the 2026 MLS regular season is officially in the books, as players now embark on trips across the globe for the March international window after five weeks of the U.S. top flight.

Matchday 5 saw Lionel Messi score the 901st goal of his career, as Inter Miami capped off a troubling week with a win. Another World Cup winner, Hugo Lloris, set a record with LAFC on the weekend, keeping a fifth-straight clean sheet for the longest shutout streak to start a season in MLS history.

After the busy week of action, no teams made it to 5-0-0.

Here, Sports Illustrated breaks down where teams stack up in the weekly power rankings after Matchday 5.

MLS Power Rankings Matchday 5: Clubs 30–11

30. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 29)
29. CF Montréal (Previous: 30)
28. New England Revolution (Previous: 27)
27. Atlanta United (Previous: 26)
26. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 28)
25. D.C. United (Previous: 24)
24. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 25)
23. Austin FC (Previous: 22)
22. Orlando City (Previous: 18)
21. Portland Timbers (Previous: 20)
20. Toronto FC (Previous: 23)
19. Minnesota United (Previous: 19)
18. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 17)
17. FC Dallas (Previous: 21)
16. Columbus Crew (Previous: 14)
15. LA Galaxy (Previous: 16)
14. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 15)
13. Red Bull New York (Previous: 11)
12. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 10)
11. Chicago Fire (Previous: 13)

10. Charlotte FC 🆕 (Previous: 12)

That was what Charlotte FC was waiting for! A dominant 6–1 win against the youthful upstart Red Bull New York marked the biggest margin of victory in club history, and each of the key stars—Pep Biel, Wilfried Zaha and Idan Toklomati delivered with at least a goal.

For Zaha, getting on the board for 2026 was critical, after he went four games without a tally and was central to officiating conversations each week. Against Red Bull, he showed just how good he can be. Biel, meanwhile, is now up to four goals and an assist, enjoying top form early in the season.

Fans will be clamouring to see more of Archie Goodwin, the 21-year-old striker, after he scored twice in a 15-minute appearance. While several players head out on international duty, their next matchup against the under-performing Philadelphia Union in April will be a big opportunity to continue this momentum.

9. FC Cincinnati 🤝 (Previous: 9)

Kévin Denkey (center) scored a dramatic game-winning goal on Sunday. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

FC Cincinnati had a love-hate relationship with second-half stoppage time this week.

On Wednesday, the Gary Lions allowed a goal in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time to Liga MX’s Tigres, losing 5–1 in the second leg to crash out of the Concacaf Champions Cup (on away goals rule) dramatically. Then, on Sunday, superstar striker Kévin Denkey scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure a 4–3 win over CF Montréal.

The best teams in soccer know how to manage the end of games, and Cincinnati does not want to regularly emulate that chaos. Yet, as their manager, Pat Noonan said on Sunday, “It’s not about how pretty it looks; sometimes you just need the feeling of a win.”

When MLS returns, they’re up against Red Bulls New York.

8. Seattle Sounders 📉 (Previous: 7)

Albert Rusnák, Seattle Sounders — Albert Rusnák (right) and the Seattle Sounders played to a scoreless draw against Minnesota United this weekend. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Seattle Sounders have had a pretty good couple of weeks.

In the Concacaf Champions Cup, they got the community of Spokane to turn out in large numbers to pack ONE Spokane Stadium for a midweek Concacaf Champions Cup win against rivals Vancouver Whitecaps, before picking up a point in a scoreless MLS draw with Minnesota United.

Unfortunately for the Rave Green, only the Minnesota draw counts towards these rankings. The Sounders couldn’t break down the low-block, with the Loons reverting to the tactic that led them to the upper echelon of the Western Conference last season.

Yet with the big win over Vancouver, from stars Jesús Ferreira, Albert Rusnák and Paul Rothrock among others, the Sounders should be confident when they get back to MLS action against the Houston Dynamo.

7. New York City FC 📉 (Previous: 5)

OMG Nicolás Fernández! 😱

Can't hit a free kick better than that for the @newyorkcityfc equalizer against Miami. pic.twitter.com/qLv9ArVIRt
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 22, 2026

Nicolás Fernández is a history maker. He’s just not Lionel Messi.

The Designated Player scored a blistering free kick on the weekend to become the first NYCFC player to score five goals in five games to start the MLS season. Yet, despite his and the Pigeons’ best efforts, they fell 3–2 to Inter Miami after a typical show-stopping performance from Messi.

The defensive efforts were concerning, and that wasn’t a dream send-off match for Matt Freese as he joins the USMNT to chase the World Cup starter role. Still, this NYCFC team is very good, and both Fernández and 39-year-old Maxi Moralez have been exceptional through the first five matches.

6. San Jose Earthquakes 🆙 (Previous: 8)

Beau Leroux (left) scored a bewildering strike to lead the San Jose Earthquakes past Vancouver on Saturday night. | Rich Lam/Getty Images

It was supposed to be the battle between Timo Werner and Thomas Müller. Everybody was hyped. Well, except for manager Bruce Arena and Vancouver Whitecaps boss Jesper Sørensen, both of whom opted to keep their German attacking stars out of starting lineups.

While both entered the match in the second half, the battle was overshadowed by the Earthquakes’ incredibly balanced approach. Beau Leroux got back to the form he showed in 2025 with a stellar goal at the end of the first half, and Daniel looked incredibly comfortable in net.

There’s a lot to like with this San Jose team in the second year under Arena, and a win against last year’s Western Conference champions showcases just how good they can be.

MLS Cup contenders, anyone? Okay, maybe too early, still.

5. Inter Miami 🆙 (Previous: 6)

Lionel Messi did Lionel Messi things, scoring the 901st goal of his career on a free kick—and he can thank Hannes Wolf for the deflection—as one of his seven shots in a dominant performance at Yankee Stadium.

Outside of his goal, both center backs Micael and Gonzalo Luján, found the back of the net, and Dayne St. Clair made a critical save in the final moments to preserve all three points. Yet, there might be more questions than answers coming out of the game.

Tadeo Allende started up front over Germán Berterame and struggled just as much. Berterame was then lively when he subbed in, playing alongside Allende—so, maybe there’s a formation change there? And how about Rodrigo De Paul’s absence and being seen at his partner’s birthday party, potentially opening the door to his starting role after an impressive performance from Yannick Bright and David Ayala.

Miami won. The vibes are back, at least a little bit, but there are plenty of questions before this team can call themselves MLS Cup favorites again.

4. Vancouver Whitecaps 📉 (Previous: 2)

Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps — It was a frustrating week for Thomas Müller's Vancouver Whitecaps. | Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

With the 2025 edition of the Vancouver Whitecaps, it always felt inevitable that they would come back from deficits. So far in 2026, that’s not the case, as they struggled to produce top-tier opportunities after conceding to Leroux’s standout strike in first-half stoppage time.

At the same time, Müller struggled to orchestrate after coming on at halftime, and Cheikh Sabaly hasn’t been able to threaten much on the right wing in limited opportunities.

The Whitecaps had a tough week, with an elimination loss to Seattle in the Champions Cup and falling behind at halftime for the first time this season. This result will cause worry, though, not just because they were shut out, but because they couldn’t find a way back into the game as they did last season.

Key defensive midfielder Andrés Cubas is out for at least another three weeks after an injury against the Sounders midweek, and it was evident just how much Sørensen’s side missed him—but they’ll try to turn things around against Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers on April 4.

3. San Diego FC 🆙 (Previous: 4)

It’s back-to-back draws for San Diego FC, who had a 2–2 draw with Real Salt Lake on Sunday, following last week’s 3–3 stalemate with FC Dallas.

It was a challenging week for Chrome and Azul, though, so they should probably be pleased to still be undefeated in MLS. After all, the two draws flanked a heartbreaking 4–0 loss to Toluca, which flipped their 3–0 series lead and forced them out of the Champions Cup.

While Marcus Ingvartsen has been productive and Anders Dreyer has six goal contributions in five games, it’s clear this team still needs an injection of talent. Sorting out the depature of Hirving Lozano is a must, and finding a player to fit their system as a DP in the summer is critical. They simply don’t have enough top-end talent right now to make a legitimate MLS Cup challenge, even though they can contend with the elite across the league.

2. LAFC 📉 (Previous: 1)

Hugo Lloris has yet to concede a goal in MLS this season. | William Navarro-Imagn Images

LAFC is knocked off the first-place perch in the power rankings for the first time this season, despite extending its season-opening clean-sheet streak to an MLS record 450 minutes, beating Vancouver’s record from 2012.

A scoreless draw against Austin FC, where Son Heung-min failed to create enough space on a breakaway and Denis Bouanga fell into the background, should be cause for some concern. However, it came after an emotional Champions Cup second leg, where a stoppage-time winning goal from David Martínez pushed the Black and Gold past Costa Rica’s Alajuelense and into the quarterfinals.

Getting Stephen Eustáquio back from injury after the international break will help this team create chances, and the potential addition of Jacob “Maritime Messi” Shaffelburg to the lineup as another pace-y offering should allow this team to elevate its attacking potential.

1. Nashville SC 🆙 (Previous: 3)

Sam Surridge, Nashville SC — Sam Surridge had a memorable bobblehead night at GEODIS Park. | Chris Carter/MLS/Getty Images

Hany Mukhtar. Sam Surridge. Cristian Espinoza. By the time you finish reading those three names, they’ve probably already scored another goal.

Led by Surridge’s hat-trick on a night where his bobblehead was given away to fans, Nashville picked up a 5–0 win over Orlando City to move atop the Eastern Conference. The Englishman’s goalscoring also brought him to seven goals in five matches, leading the MLS Golden Boot race.

Espinoza also scored a stellar goal from a sharp angle, continuing to impress after joining as a free agent.

The attacking trio, aided as well by Costa Rican starlet Warren Madrigal, is better than any other in MLS and is already in peak form after just the first month. Outside of clinical finishing in high-percentage opportunities, the Coyotes are developing chances from everywhere on the field. At the same time, the midfield pivot of Edvard Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek has been exceptional.

All that, coming after they eliminated Inter Miami to advance to the Champions Cup quarterfinals against Liga MX titans Club América. No team in MLS is as convincing as Nashville right now—and they should be confident in their chances towards every possible trophy.

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