Soccer <\/p>\n
Minnesota United FC<\/a> dominated on set pieces, Inter Miami CF<\/a> failed to win at home and Petar Musa<\/a> scored for FC Dallas<\/a>. It was truly a week unlike any other.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does not decide the rankings, but he does get a little rush out of moving your team in particular down a few spots when he can.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n For the first time in a long while, the Quakes<\/a> weren\u2019t at their best over the weekend.<\/p>\n To be fair, they went across the continent without Timo Werner<\/a> (injury) to face a Toronto<\/a> side that enjoys making things difficult and still pulled out a 1-1 draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n That marked the end of an eight-match winning streak across all competitions. They\u2019ll have to settle for being unbeaten over their last nine across all competitions while earning\u00a0only<\/em> 28 points through their first 11 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oh, and this happened:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The underlying numbers significantly favored Vancouver<\/a> in their 1-1 draw at the LA Galaxy<\/a>, but, you know, sometimes ball go in and sometimes not so much.<\/p>\n Even with the draw, they\u2019re still sitting on 25 points after 10 matches and have a five-match unbeaten run.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Nashville<\/a> rotated heavily in their 0-0 draw at Philadelphia<\/a> so they could prepare for the Herculean task they\u2019ll look to perform in the Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n They’re down 1-0 heading into Leg 2 of their semifinal series with LIGA MX’s Tigres. They weren\u2019t notably outplayed by any means in Leg 1, but traveling to El Volc\u00e1n \u2013 without Sam Surridge \u2013 while needing a comeback is quite the challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n LAFC<\/a> are one game away from their third Concacaf Champions Cup final since 2020.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The good news is they’re heading into Estadio Nemesio D\u00edez (elevation: 8,750 feet) with a one-goal lead thanks to Nkosi Tafari<\/a>\u2019s stoppage-time winner last week. And facing a 2-1 deficit, back-to-back LIGA MX champions Toluca will have to send numbers forward.<\/p>\n It\u2019s really nice to have Denis Bouanga<\/a> rushing forward on the counter when an opponent has to press for a goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s no way around it: A 1-1 draw against the current version of Sporting KC<\/a> isn’t a great result when you\u2019re aiming to be among the league\u2019s best teams. In fact, even Sounders<\/a> players said<\/a> it felt like a loss.<\/p>\n Still, MLS is going to MLS sometimes. The Sounders have just one defeat in MLS play this year. And they\u2019ll have four big chances to remind folks how good they are before the summer break. Up next: San Diego<\/a>, San Jose, the Galaxy and LAFC.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After suffering back-to-back losses, RSL<\/a> got right last weekend with a 2-0 win over Portland<\/a>.<\/p>\n Zavier Gozo<\/a> and Diego Luna<\/a> each scored in a very straightforward result that could have easily turned into a blowout. Gozo is up to 3g\/4a on the season. Luna has 3g\/3a of his own.<\/p>\n The kids keep powering one of the league\u2019s best teams.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The Loons<\/a> got back to their roots last weekend in a 3-2 win at Columbus<\/a>. All three goals came via set pieces or set-piece-adjacent moments.<\/p>\n Kelvin Yeboah bagged a brace in a win that did not feature James Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>, who underwent<\/a> a \u201cpreviously scheduled routine medical procedure \u2013 not related to any injury.\u201d He should be back in training this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n So far, the Loons have been just fine with or without the Colombian superstar.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n No team has stealthily moved up the standings quite like the Revs.<\/p>\n With a 1-0 win over Charlotte<\/a> on Saturday, they\u2019ve earned 16 points over their last six matches and, almost suddenly, are sitting second in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n They haven\u2019t exactly run a gauntlet over that stretch (and all but one of their wins came by one goal), but they\u2019re finding ways to get the job done.<\/p>\n As long as Matt Turner<\/a> continues to post elite shot-stopping numbers and Carles Gil<\/a> is coming up clutch, New England will keep hanging around at the top of the heap.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The end frame says it all! @MichelobULTRA<\/a> Superior Moment of the Match presented by Matt Turner! pic.twitter.com\/rbJunHEppX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New England Revolution (@NERevolution) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Sage, priests of various denominations, shamans, cleansing rituals, etc. All of them are worth trying at Nu Stadium right now. Inter Miami\u2019s new home seems like it might be haunted.<\/p>\n The Herons took a commanding 3-0 lead over a struggling Orlando City<\/a> side and then it just\u2026 disappeared. By the end of the match, Inter Miami were watching as Orlando\u2019s Tyrese Spicer<\/a> scored a stoppage-time winner to make it 4-3 in favor of their Florida Derby rivals.<\/p>\n With that defeat, Inter Miami have now opened Nu Stadium with four straight winless results (0W-1L-3D). All of their flaws have been on display over that stretch.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Chicago<\/a> have been one of the best defensive sides in the league this year and generally stayed in control of matches. But sometimes they show flashes of their old selves.<\/p>\n In Saturday\u2019s 3-2 loss against Cincinnati<\/a>, we got the Chicago that can\u2019t seem to catch a break. Despite outshooting Cincy 32 (!) to 11 and earning a late penalty kick, the Fire still conceded a late game-losing penalty in stoppage time.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s (probably) not a sign of deeper problems. MLS will just MLS every now and then.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Competition is stiff in the Western Conference, but Dallas are doing a nice job keeping pace with some of the best teams in the league.<\/p>\n They earned a straightforward 2-0 road win over the Red Bulls<\/a> on Saturday to earn 16 points through 11 games.<\/p>\n They might not be an elite side, but Petar Musa (10g\/1a) is an elite striker who\u2019s going to help carry them.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s not totally clear how they pulled out a 3-2 win over the Fire despite getting outshot by 21 shots and going down a man in the 56th minute.<\/p>\n But this is a case where you take what MLS gives you and don\u2019t ask questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also have Evander<\/a>, who scored his first career MLS hat trick. He had three of Cincy\u2019s four shots on target.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Lawrence Ennali<\/a> had one of those shots where you add your own sound effects.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Lawrence Ennali puts @HoustonDynamo<\/a> ahead \u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/LYiqxNsD46<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!\u00a0<\/p>\n That stunner is all Houston<\/a> needed in a 1-0 win over Colorado that had to feel good. The prior meeting between these sides ended with a 6-2 win<\/a> for the Rapids.<\/p>\n Now the Dynamo have a little momentum heading into a taxing three-match run of LAFC, RSL and Vancouver.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s not totally clear how, but D.C. United<\/a> are fifth in the East.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve only scored 13 goals this year \u2013 the third-fewest in the conference \u2013 but they\u2019ve also only allowed 15 goals. Being decently competent defensively is enough to earn points in the East this year. And D.C. are definitely that.<\/p>\n They kept a clean sheet in their 2-0 win at NYCFC<\/a> on Sunday to make it four consecutive matches without a loss, and Louis Munteanu<\/a> bagged his first career MLS brace.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Galaxy just earned four points from two matches against RSL and Vancouver. Those are a really, really good four points.<\/p>\n This is still a flawed team, but they\u2019ve only lost one of their last five matches in the league. It’s also helped massively to have Joseph Paintsil<\/a> back healthy:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Paintsil fires it into the back of the net! \u2604\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/5ZTzxGqUTA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n For neutrals, things unfortunately didn\u2019t go off the rails in Toronto last weekend. But the Reds, who are weathering a rather lengthy injury list, will be more than happy to take a point off a very good San Jose side.\u00a0<\/p>\n That said, Toronto are now on a five-match winless run \u2013 all at home. And they’ll welcome an, um, angry Inter Miami this weekend.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Rapids generated little in attack against Houston in a 1-0 loss. That has to be a bit of a bummer considering they put six past the Dynamo just a few weeks ago. Colorado haven\u2019t won in the four matches since that game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Make it back-to-back 2-0 wins for Austin<\/a>. They took care of business against St. Louis on Sunday and have momentum heading into the final four matches before the summer break.<\/p>\n Importantly, Brandon Vazquez<\/a>, Owen Wolff<\/a> and Dani Pereira<\/a> are all back from injury. That’s a huge boost for the Verde & Black.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n BV Returns. \ud83e\uddb8\u200d\u2642\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/I7HfjZt5bu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Austin FC (@AustinFC) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The Crew got set-pieced to death by Minnesota in a 3-2 loss last weekend. It happens.<\/p>\n Despite that setback, USMNT defender\/midfielder Max Arfsten<\/a> is heating up as the World Cup approaches. He has 3g\/3a in his last six games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Charlotte have lost four in a row across all competitions and been outscored 11-3 in that span.<\/p>\n The Crown and Dean Smith are searching for answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Soooooooo\u2026<\/p>\n Something is broken. NYCFC\u2019s 2-0 loss against D.C. United made it seven matches without a win in MLS. They need to find answers in a hurry.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Always take solace in ruining things for your enemies.<\/p>\n Orlando are flying high after a very, very funny 4-3 win over Inter Miami that keeps their rivals winless at Nu Stadium.<\/p>\n The Lions went down 3-0 early before clawing their way back to a win, thanks in large part to a hat-trick from Mart\u00edn Ojeda<\/a>. It\u2019s the kind of result that keeps you going for a long, long time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The jury’s still out on whether Atlanta<\/a> are ready to compete at a high level again. But the Five Stripes are in the middle of their most competent stretch in a while, winning back-to-back games against Toronto and Montr\u00e9al.<\/a><\/p>\n They\u2019re finally clearing an admittedly low bar. And, by my count, that’s progress.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The world refuses to be kind to San Diego right now. They were on track for a win over a heavily rotated LAFC side over the weekend, but a 90+14\u2019 goal from Ryan Hollingshead<\/a> left them with a 2-2 draw. They haven\u2019t won an MLS match since March 7 against Sporting KC.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Red Bulls can\u2019t get back on track. After last weekend’s 2-0 loss against FC Dallas, they\u2019re winless in their last five MLS matches. For good measure, they even threw in a 3-1 midweek loss to NYCFC in the US Open Cup<\/a>. This young squad is having a tough time finding control in games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n At least James Pantemis<\/a> was on a heater.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Montr\u00e9al entered the weekend on a two-match winning streak. Then, a 3-1 loss at Atlanta ended that run. They\u2019re 0W-7L-0D against teams that aren\u2019t based in the New York area.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Still not much is going right here. St. Louis have just six points through 10 games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A 0-0 draw against Nashville is a good point, even if Nashville were heavily rotated.<\/p>\n That said, Cavan Sullivan<\/a> seemed less than pleased to exit the game as a second-half substitute:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I can appreciate and understand this frustration from Cavan Sullivan, who played a good to great game against Nashville, only to be substituted in the 68th minute.<\/p>\n I don’t think we need professional lip readers for this.#doop<\/a> #mls<\/a> #usmnt<\/a> #usymnt<\/a> #mcfc<\/a> \u2014 Jos\u00e9 Roberto Nu\u00f1ez (@JoserNunez91) May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n
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\ud83d\udcf9: APPLE|MLS pic.twitter.com\/Ii2DOqrO4y<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n