Soccer
Chicago Fire FC kept a clean sheet, CF Montréal are in the market for a new head coach and San Diego FC played down a man. It was truly a week unlike any other.
As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does not decide the order, but he does get a little rush out of moving your team in particular down a few spots when he can.
Well, it finally happened. LAFC have officially conceded a goal and lost a match.
Their 2-1 loss at Portland marked the end of a streak. Now we just have to see if anyone can get a similar result when LAFC aren’t rotating the majority of their starters.
The Black & Gold had bigger matches on their mind last week. They thumped Cruz Azul 3-0 in Leg 1 of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal matchup. They’ll try to hold onto that lead on Tuesday, with Leg 2 in Mexico.
You don’t even have to look at the standings to make a strong argument that this table-topping Whitecaps side is one of the best teams in the league.
It’s a bit early to put too much stock into the underlying numbers, but they certainly match the eye test for Vancouver right now. Per American Soccer Analysis, their expected goal differential per game is +1.95. That means they’re creating almost two expected goals’ worth of chances more than their opponents each match. Only two teams in the league are even creating more than two xG worth of chances per match.
Full credit to the Quakes for taking care of business at Sporting KC. They’ve won six of their first seven. It would be concerning that four of those wins have come against Atlanta, Philadelphia and SKC (x2), but they’ve also managed to take down Vancouver and San Diego along the way. Each week, they keep giving us another reason to believe what we’re seeing.
This team is for real.
Nashville weren’t spectacular in either of their two performances last week, but a CCC draw against Club América and a win at Charlotte is a pretty excellent set of results. They have a lot of work to do if they’re going to get the better of América in Leg 2 at Estadio Azteca, but at least they’re not fighting back from a losing position.
Seattle had the week off in MLS, but they did take a quick CCC quarterfinal visit to Tigres UANL. It didn’t go well. They’re down 2-0 heading into Leg 2 in Seattle.
Side note: At what point do we start worrying about this attack? They’ve scored six goals through six MLS games and, per American Soccer Analysis, have the sixth-worst rate of xG created per game.
Previous: Bye | Next: 4/18 vs. STL
Two games into their tenure at Nu Stadium and they’re still looking for their first win. After drawing with Austin FC in the stadium’s debut, Inter Miami played to another 2-2 draw with Red Bull New York over the weekend.
It’s been far from the world-beating start they were hoping for and many projected them to have. They have as many points as Colorado and FC Dallas through seven games.
At least Germán Berterame finally scored.
Germán Berterame strikes for his first @InterMiamiCF goal 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/jNbA3wtij3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2026
RSL had the weekend off to prepare for a pair of “prove it” games. They’ll host San Diego on Saturday and then welcome Inter Miami for a big midweek matchup.
Previous: Bye | Next: 4/18 vs. SD
Chicago have now kept four clean sheets across seven matches. They kept six clean sheets during their entire 2025 season. After giving up 60 goals last season, it’s fair to say they’ve taken a major step forward defensively.
The biggest catalyst for that step forward so far has been U22 center back Mbekezeli Mbokazi. He put in a Man of the Match performance in their 1-0 win against Atlanta and, so far, has lived up to the hype.
Start your day (or enjoy your afternoon) with some Mbokazi defensive highlights 🔥 #cf97 pic.twitter.com/8dl0vYTd53
— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) April 13, 2026
The Rapids aren’t just playing attractive soccer; they’re getting results. They pummeled Houston in a 6-2 win over the weekend. Only the Whitecaps have scored as many goals this season. New head coach Matt Wells has helped turn Colorado into one of the league’s best watches, and it’s paying dividends.
A 1-1 draw with St. Louis won’t be remembered by the end of the year. But it did keep FC Dallas at just one loss through seven games. They’ve had an outstanding start, all things considered.
I mean, I’d like to see you go across the continent and try to beat the Whitecaps at home right now.
Yeah, they weren’t at their best against Vancouver. But this is a decent team. They’ll be fine.
Ok, the red card thing is kind of spectacular at this point. They’ve earned at least one red card in five of their last six matches across all competitions. Somehow, Christopher McVey has earned three of them. The latest from McVey helped keep San Diego trailing in a 2-1 loss against Minnesota United.
There’s almost certainly a very good team here. But it’s tough to know for sure when we don’t get to see them with all 11 players on the field very often.
You never know quite what to expect with the Baby Bulls, but you can generally expect more good than bad.
They trekked down to Miami last weekend and earned a 2-2 draw against Lionel Messi and company. Rising star Adri Mehmeti got his first career goal, Julian Hall provided two assists and the young Red Bulls are sitting on a respectable 11 points after seven games.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2026
Charlotte weren’t terrible in their 2-1 home loss against Nashville. They just got stuck chasing the game after a 14th-minute opener in a match where they were already fighting an uphill battle in attack due to Wilfried Zaha’s yellow card suspension.
The Loons were already up 2-1 when a 46th-minute San Diego red card virtually sealed a road win. That’s seven points from three games following their 6-0 thrashing from Vancouver a few weeks ago. Six of those points came on road trips to California.
It looked like they were set for a third win in a row after going up 1-0 late on 10-man Cincy. But Cincy somehow managed to rip them apart on a stoppage-time counter anyway. It was an ugly finish to an ugly game.
They’ve dropped four points at home in stoppage time this year. Maybe there’s solace in how they’ve been just a few minutes away from sitting second in the Eastern Conference?
The Revs kept a struggling D.C. United attack scoreless and got a first-half goal from Alhassan Yusuf in a 1-0 win. They haven’t faced the stiffest competition, but they’ve still won three of their last four.
New England are quietly just three points behind third-place Inter Miami with one fewer game played than the rest of the East.
The first leg of the Galaxy’s CCC matchup with back-to-back LIGA MX champions Toluca went how you’d largely expect. But they bounced back nicely with a 2-1 win at Austin over the weekend.
LA host Toluca in Leg 2 on Wednesday night, looking to overcome a two-goal deficit. That’s not totally insurmountable.
Cincy somehow found a stoppage-time equalizer at Toronto to rescue a point. They were lucky, though. They have just seven points through seven games. Only Montréal and Orlando City have allowed more goals in the East.
The Timbers found a late winner against a heavily rotated LAFC side to inject some needed positivity into their 2026 campaign. It’s their first win since taking down Columbus during their first match of the year.
Can this Kevin Kelsy goal generate some momentum?
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 11, 2026
A largely uneventful 1-1 draw against FC Dallas leaves St. Louis with six points after seven games. It also has them on six goals in seven games. That’s tied for the lowest mark in the West.
Nothing much is clicking right now for Houston. They’ve lost three straight and got shellacked in a 6-2 loss at the Rapids on Saturday. Only Sporting KC have allowed more goals in the West this year.
The Crew needed a late equalizer from Diego Rossi to earn a 1-1 draw against Orlando. Columbus would have been hoping for more against a team that’s been struggling. Their lone win of the year is against 12th-place Atlanta United.
And now, news has broken that DP striker Wessam Abou Ali is out for the year with an ACL tear and meniscus damage. Abou Ali has been outstanding in his brief time in MLS. His absence is a brutal blow.
Columbus Crew update on Wessam Abou Ali: pic.twitter.com/J6JZUkINVs
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) April 14, 2026
Austin have scored just eight goals through seven matches this year. Facundo Torres and Myrto Uzuni have had moments, but it’s not been enough for a team that’s missed Owen Wolff and Brandon Vazquez due to injury.
D.C. haven’t scored since their 2-1 win over Chicago in mid-March. Per American Soccer Analysis, they’re creating just barely over 1.00 xG per game.
Atlanta have had far worse games this year, but they still didn’t have enough in attack to find a goal against Chicago. It feels like this team is already counting down the days until the summer transfer window. In the meantime, they’re still looking for their second win of the season.
The Union have finally won an MLS game in 2026. Sure, it came against CF Montréal. But at least the reigning Supporters’ Shield champions have some points to show for their efforts.
Jesus Bueno on the half volley to give @PhilaUnion the lead. 💥 pic.twitter.com/xR1s4jyIGE
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 11, 2026
It could be going better.
Jack Skahan brace! 💪@SJEarthquakes take the lead in Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/EtDSyldD5A
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2026
Orlando took a step forward with their 1-1 draw at Columbus. That said, they’re still searching for their second win of the year and have just four points.
Another year, another coaching change. CF Montréal and Marco Donadel parted ways after they lost the club’s 2026 home opener.
Read MoreAlejandro Badon