LAFC off to a record

Everton3dAndy Davies, Special to ESPNMLS Power Rankings: LAFC off to record-breaking startplayMathieu Choinière gets on the scoresheet for LAFC (0:26)Mathieu Choinière scores in the 73' (0:26)Joseph LoweryMultiple AuthorsMar 16, 2026, 11:55 AM ETEmailPrintIt's Monday, MLS action is back, and it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.Who looks the strongest
Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 4 to come up with this week's order
Let's dive in.- Messi tracker: Goals, assists, key moments in 2026 for Miami and Argentina
- How Mascherano won over Inter Miami, their fans and MLS Cup
- MLS duo banned for life for betting on own games1
Vancouver WhitecapsPrevious ranking: 1Wins don't come in much more dominant fashion than the Whitecaps' 6-0 victory over Minnesota
Even a partially rotated Vancouver team battered the Loons, with breakthroughs coming in open play and on set pieces for Vancouver
There's no more well-rounded team than the Caps right now in this league.2
LAFCPrevious ranking: 2Following a 2-0 win over St
Louis, LAFC became the first team in MLS history to record four straight shutouts to start a season
The hosts didn't create a bevy of chances, but a brace from Mathieu Choinière midway through the second half did the job.3
Nashville SCPrevious ranking: 5When Cristian Espinoza signed with Nashville as a free agent this winter, assists like the one for Hany Mukhtar's game-winner over the Crew are exactly what folks in the Music City pictured
The Argentine's classy work clinched a 1-0 win for the visitors on Saturday.4
San Diego FCPrevious ranking: 3While they won't be pleased with a blown lead against FC Dallas, San Diego can take solace in the fact that their 3-3 draw still represents a hard-earned road point
Those points are precious in the midst of lineup rotation for the Concacaf Champions Cup.5
Inter Miami CFPrevious ranking: 4Without Lionel Messi in the lineup ahead of a Concacaf Champions Cup clash with Nashville later this week, Miami's attack was predictably more muted in a 0-0 draw with Charlotte on Saturday
It's hard to read much into the result for Miami, though it did remind us just how much they want to win the Champions Cup.play1:12Charlotte FC vs
Inter Miami CF - Game HighlightsWatch the Game Highlights from Charlotte FC vs
Seattle SoundersPrevious ranking: 7The Sounders took the lead in San Jose via a Paul Rothrock goal in the 20th minute and never looked back
They bent but never quite broke in a 1-0 win, even with a few first choice players earning a rest.7
San Jose EarthquakesPrevious ranking: 6After three-straight wins to start the season, San Jose finally fell in a 1-0 loss to Seattle
Still, despite the defeat, seeing Timo Werner start for the first time as an Earthquake and look dangerous along the way should excite San Jose fans.8
Real Salt LakePrevious ranking: 10Real Salt Lake might be good
Following their 2-1 win over Austin FC on Saturday, RSL have won three straight and their only defeat on the year came against Vancouver
Slowly returning to full fitness, Pablo Mastroeni's team is one no one wants to play.9
New York City FCPrevious ranking: 9No classic No
Winger-turned-emergency-striker Nicolás Fernández started up top yet again for Pascal Jansen's team and bagged a brace in a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday
Outside of New York City, only four other teams can boast of being undefeated at this stage.10
Red Bull New YorkPrevious ranking: 11Saturday's 1-1 draw with Toronto was nervy for RBNY, to say the least
Despite quality buildup play and more than a few dangerous shots, it took a 97th-minute equalizer from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to rescue a result for the visitors.11
FC DallasPrevious ranking: 14Despite falling into a two-goal deficit, Petar Musa's hat trick helped rescue a 3-3 draw for Dallas against a rotated San Diego squad with half an eye on Concacaf Champions Cup play
Musa continues to be one of the absolute best players this league has ever seen.12
Minnesota UnitedPrevious ranking: 8There's no way around it: Minnesota suffered an embarrassing defeat against Vancouver on Saturday
The 6-0 loss completely overshadowed James Rodríguez's MLS debut -- it was way too little, way too late by the time the Colombian entered in the second half.13
LA GalaxyPrevious ranking: 12The Galaxy earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first team to lose to Sporting Kansas City in 2026, falling 2-1 on Saturday
It's safe to say that LA missed their designated player wingers, with Gabriel Pec suspended and Joseph Paintsil injured.14
FC CincinnatiPrevious ranking: 13Just days after beating Tigres 3-0 in Concacaf play, FC Cincinnati lost 6-1 to the New England Revolution in MLS play
Defensive woes and a second-half red card made for an absolute nightmare for Pat Noonan and co
on Sunday.play1:14New England Revolution vs
FC Cincinnati - Game HighlightsWatch the Game Highlights from New England Revolution vs
United on the back of two late concessions
A deflected shot-turned-goal and a penalty kick after a handball turned Saturday's match on its head for a Fire team still trying to find some rhythm.16
Houston DynamoPrevious ranking: 17In the 15th minute of second half stoppage time (yes, you read that correctly), new designated player Mateusz Bogusz snagged the go-ahead goal for the Dynamo in a 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers
After a week off, victory tastes even sweeter.17
Charlotte FCPrevious ranking: 19Ordinarily, holding Inter Miami scoreless is worth a round of applause
However, with Messi and several other key players for the South Florida side not in the lineup ahead of a Concacaf Champions Cup game later this week, Charlotte don't earn as much credit for their 0-0 draw
The point counts all the same, though.18
Louis City SCPrevious ranking: 18It's been an emotional week for St
Louis City, who fell 2-0 to LAFC on Saturday
Midfielder Eduard Löwen's wife Ilona passed away on March 9th after a two-year battle with cancer
Many, many things are more important than soccer.19
Toronto FCPrevious ranking: 22Josh Sargent's start to life in MLS nearly began with a goal soon after his introduction in the second half against Red Bull New York on Saturday
The striker couldn't find his breakthrough, however, and Toronto failed to hold their lead in what turned out to be a 1-1 draw.20
Colorado RapidsPrevious ranking: 21The Rapids didn't play a bad game on the road in New York City, but they were outgunned in a 3-1 defeat to the Pigeons
That 21-year-old attacker Darren Yapi has found new life as a winger, though, is a genuine positive for Matt Wells' team.21
Columbus CrewPrevious ranking: 16Though former FC Barcelona midfielder André Gomes made his debut -- and impressed on the ball ahead of the center backs -- for Columbus, the Crew still looked off the pace in a 1-0 loss to Nashville
There's plenty of work for Henrik Rydstrom to do yet, it seems.22
United have been inconsistent in 2026, but they've also been able to win ugly
Saturday's 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Fire certainly fit into that category
A late, deflected equalizer and an even later penalty winner from Tai Baribo helped the visitors collect three points.23
Orlando CityPrevious ranking: 28In their first game this decade without Oscar Pareja serving as the club's manager, Orlando enjoyed a straightforward 2-1 win over CF Montreal
There's work to do yet, but a get-right victory soothes all the same.24
Austin FCPrevious ranking: 25An inability to create chances plagued Austin FC for much of last season, and that issue returns this year
After taking an early lead against Real Salt Lake, Austin never pressed its advantage en route to losing 2-1 on the road.25
Philadelphia UnionPrevious ranking: 20Alarm bells are sounding for the Union right now
After a 3-1 loss to Atlanta, Philadelphia finds itself winless through four games in MLS play
Last time out, it was the Union's chance creation that failed them
Against Atlanta, it was shoddy defending
Problems keep popping up for coach Bradley Carnell.26
New England RevolutionPrevious ranking: 30Sunday's 6-1 win over FC Cincinnati had to feel good for New England
The first win of the Marko Mitrović era was a resounding one
Will it be the start of a trend?27
Sporting Kansas CityPrevious ranking: 27It didn't take long for new defensive midfield signing Lasse Berg Johnsen to make his mark for Kansas City
The 26-year-old who recently joined from Malmo scored Sporting's second goal in what finished as a 2-1 victory over the LA Galaxy
There's work to be done, but something is starting to take shape for SKC.28
Atlanta UnitedPrevious ranking: 29Perhaps no team needed a victory more than Atlanta this past weekend
Portland TimbersPrevious ranking: 23The return of designated player David Da Costa wasn't enough to improve the Timbers' form
Da Costa's impact was limited, and Portland turned an even scoreline and a man advantage into a 3-2 loss in the final moments on Saturday.30
CF MontréalPrevious ranking: 26Montreal fell to Orlando City 2-1 on Saturday and failed to cause real problems for their hosts outside of Prince Owusu's first-half finish
Perhaps last weekend's win over Red Bull New York was a blip.