MLS Power Rankings: Two Perfect Teams Enter a New Challenge for Matchday 5

The first month of the 2026 MLS season is in the books with all but two teams having four matches under their belts.

A look back at last weekend’s Matchday 4 shows several teams made significant squad rotations, with the Concacaf Champions Cup as the priority competition at this point.

Last weekend also saw Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar score the 25,000th goal in MLS’s 31-year history, as well as the first match for Colombian superstar James Rodríguez, in a 6–0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at where teams stack up in the weekly power rankings heading into Matchday 5.

MLS Power Rankings Matchday 4: Clubs 30–11

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

10. Houston Dynamo 🆙 (Previous: 12)

A massive congratulations to the Houston Dynamo—someone other than Guilherme has officially scored a goal! After the new Brazilian scored the Texas side’s only two goals through the first three matches of the season, he, Felipe Andrade, and Mateusz Bogusz hit the back of the net in a thrilling stoppage-time win over the Portland Timbers last week.

Most importantly, the game was a breakout for Bogusz. The Polish winger arrived from Liga MX giants Cruz Azul in the offseason, with hopes of rekindling his previous MLS standout form from his Atlanta United days. He did that last week, looking as comfortable and as threatening as ever.

Outside of his performance, the Dynamo also saw the best game of the year so far from USMNT World Cup hopeful, Jack McGlynn, who posted an assist for his second of the season. If Houston is to find consistent success this season, those two will be vital— as will Guilherme—and last weekend was a strong step in the right direction.

The Dynamo will now clash with FC Dallas on Saturday in the Texas Derby.

9. FC Cincinnati 📉 (Previous: 7)

Let’s break this down. Was it a good week for FC Cincinnati? Yes, they crushed Liga MX’s Tigres UANL 3–0 in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16.

Unfortunately for them, that won’t count in our MLS Power Rankings. In what we’re looking at here, it’s a 6–1 defeat to the New England Revolution, showcasing one of the club’s worst-ever performances.

And even worse, they surrendered that hefty Champions Cup lead on Thursday, falling 5–1 in Mexico and losing 5–4 on aggregate with a dramatic late goal from Tigres.

The rotation from manager Pat Noonan was fine, and it was likely the right decision to prioritize the continental competition, but it now seems as though the Gary Lions have lost their edge.

Cincinnati looks to regroup against Montréal on Sunday.

8. San Jose Earthquakes 🤝 (Previous: 8)

The Seattle Sounders nullified Timo Werner (right) and the San Jose Earthquakes. | Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Last weekend was the most significant test that the San Jose Earthquakes have faced this season, and they were undoubtedly the better team despite a 1–0 loss to the Seattle Sounders.

Timo Werner made his first start after ramping up his minutes over the past two weekends, but was held off the scoresheet for the first time. Yet he continued to create chances for Niko Tsakiris in midfield, with that partnership looking to have some legs moving forward.

Last week, manager Bruce Arena switched Ousseni Bouda to the right side, while bringing back Preston Judd at the top of the 4-2-3-1. It’s a move that, on paper, should have elevated Werner’s impact with a more clinical striker, but also abandoned the burgeoning partnership between Bouda and the German that stood out in the win against the Philadelphia Union.

Arena will tinker through the spring, and Werner still needs to gain more fitness to influence the entire match. Last weekend certainly pulled the Earthquakes back down to earth—but maybe not so far as below Earth’s crust, just yet.

The Earthquakes will look get to back on top Saturday against some tough competition, the Vancouver Whitecaps.

7. Seattle Sounders 🆙 (Previous: 9)

The Seattle Sounders are counting their lucky stars that they have Paul Rothrock back this season, after several teams courted the cult hero and homegrown player through the offseason.

The 27 year old’s ability to break lines with quick runs and a clinical first touch makes him an invaluable presence in a league like MLS, where chances often come from the outsides, especially in manager Brian Schmetzer’s system.

The team play that led to his goal, and the smart dummy on the through ball from Georgi Minoungou, showcased the exact style that Schmetzer wants from his side. It proved a vital moment as well, forcing San Jose to adapt their approach while also leaning on goalkeeper Andrew Thomas, who made five saves.

Not only was it a good MLS week for the Sounders, but they also crushed Cascadia foes Vancouver Whitecaps 5–1 on aggregate in the Champions Cup, heading into the quarterfinals of that competition ... even if it doesn’t impact these rankings.

The Sounders will be keen to keep their momentum on Sunday against Minnesota.

6. Inter Miami 📉 (Previous: 5)

If 2026 can be defined by one aspect for Inter Miami so far, it’s the managerial growth of Javier Mascherano in his second season as a professional manager. Last season, Miami didn’t rotate, and it cost them the Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and a better position in the MLS Cup playoffs, even though they went on to win regardless.

Not only has he shown more tactical nuance in his coaching decisions this season, but he also made a bold choice to leave both Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul at home, starting a fully rotated team against Charlotte FC. Unfortunately, that didn't go to plan, and they crashed out of the Concacaf Champions Cup, regardless.

The Herons drop in the rankings after what, in the big picture, is a disappointing result. Still, they should be applauded for the rotation, even after Mascherano’s frustration led to a red card sending-off, which holds him out of this weekend.

Inter Miami will face New York City on Sunday, looking to shake off the recent disappointment.

5. New York City FC 🆙 (Previous: 7)

More goals from Nicolás Fernández. After New York City FC started the season without a proven striker, they’ve found a proven goalscorer in striker and attacking midfielder Fernández. With a brace in the 3–1 win over the Colorado Rapids, the Argentine DP is now up to four goals, third in MLS.

While Keaton Parks had a slight step back from his other stellar performances this season on the left flank, the way manager Pascal Jansen has set up his team in the 4-3-3 allows for a few players to have a slight off-day. When the wings are clicking, that’s what drives this team, and Fernández can adapt to that; however, last week it was Maxi Moralez centrally, feeding his countryman in another standout showing.

It’s three wins from four games now for the Pigeons, with next week lining them up against the Herons in what will be one of the most interesting games from the Eastern Conference so far this season.

4. San Diego FC 📉 (Previous: 2)

Marcus Ingvartsen played a key role on Saturday. | Stacy Revere/Getty Images

No longer perfect, San Diego FC. But boy, can this team score.

Saturday saw San Diego lead FC Dallas for most of the night, only for a 3–3 draw to end their perfect record and clean-sheet streak, which had lasted 311 minutes across more than three straight matches.

There wasn’t too much to read into their performance, given the near-complete squad rotation for Champions Cup play, which ended poorly in a crushing and eliminating loss to Liga MX’s Toluca.

San Diego will look to get back to winning ways on Sunday against Real Salt Lake.

3. Nashville SC 🆙 (Previous: 4)

Hany Mukhtar scores the 25,000th goal in MLS history!@nashvillesc steals it late. WOW. pic.twitter.com/jmUUL51Dwv
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 15, 2026

Nashville SC also evidently prioritized their second leg of the Champions Cup against Inter Miami, given manager B.J. Callaghan’s lineup against Columbus Crew last weekend—and it worked on both fronts!

Hany Mukhtar, who entered at halftime, scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time for the 1–0 victory, while also writing himself as the historic scorer of the 25,000th MLS goal in history.

Midweek saw them draw Miami 1–1 in the second leg of their Champions Cup tie, Cristian Espinoza scoring the away goal to eliminate Lionel Messi and Co. from the continental competition.

Nashville comes into Saturday’s match against Orlando City as the much stronger side.

2. Vancouver Whitecaps 🆙 (Previous: 3)

Sebastian Berhaler — Sebastian Berhalter had a trio of goal contributions for Vancouver on Sunday. | Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images

If Sebastian Berhalter isn’t on the 2026 World Cup roster for the USMNT, then there’s an issue. Simply put, he’s been the nuclear reactor in midfield for Vancouver Whitecaps this season and scored his second goal of the campaign and added two assists in a 6–0 smashing win against Minnesota United.

The victory made Vancouver one of the remaining two undefeated teams in MLS, while their 14-1 goal differential stands as the best in MLS history through four games. Outside of Berhalter, Brian White now leads the Golden Boot race after his fifth goal in three games, and German legend Thomas Müller wasn’t even needed until the 77th minute, which was likely a move to pit him against Minnesota’s debutant superstar, James Rodríguez.

Manager Jesper Sørensen has his team operating at a pristine level in MLS, but suffered a 5–1 aggregate defeat to Seattle in the Champions Cup.

The Whitecaps will look to remain undefeated in league play during Saturday’s matchup against the Earthquakes.

1. LAFC 🤝 (Previous: 1)

Mathieu Choiniére scored his first two goals of the season to lead LAFC to victory. | Harry How/Getty Images

O Canada, Oh Baby!

Not only does Vancouver look like one of the best teams in MLS, but LAFC has found their success powered by a Canadian duo—with a brace from Mathieu Choiniére in a 2–0 win over St. Louis CITY SC last week.

While there can be some reasonable concerns with Son Heung-min now at five games without a goal, the team’s depth has been vital this season, especially with Choinére and new midfield signing, Stephen Eustáquio. The pair of Canadians has allowed LAFC to take some reliance off Son and Denis Bouanga, making them a more dangerous team all around.

Another Canadian, first-year manager Marc Dos Santos, also became the first manager to coach his team to four straight clean sheet wins in his debut with a new club.

The Black and Gold had some drama midweek, advancing in the Concacaf Champions Cup with David Martínez scoring a late goal from distance to push his side past Costa Rica’s Deportiva Alajuelense. They take on Austin FC this weekend, looking to extend their perfect record.

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