Another thrilling week of MLS action saw San Diego FC, the San Jose Earthquakes, LAFC and Vancouver Whitecaps maintain their perfect 100% win records, extending the dominance of the Western Conference.
The Whitecaps conceded their first goal of the campaign to register a slight blemish on their copybook, but that’s the only ‘bad’ thing to say about a terrific start to 2026 for Thomas Müller and Co.
Over in the Eastern Conference, Lionel Messi edged closer to the 900 career goals barrier with the winning strike in a scrappy 2–1 win over D.C. United—a game that actually saw very few clear-cut chances.
Here’s how that win, and all the other matchday 3 results, affect Sports Illustrated’s latest power rankings.
MLS Power Rankings Matchday 3: Clubs 30–11
30. Sporting Kansas City
29. New England Revolution
28. Atlanta United
27. CF Montréal
26. St. Louis CITY SC
25. D.C. United
24. Toronto FC
23. Colorado Rapids
22. FC Dallas
21. Austin FC
20. Orlando City
19. Real Salt Lake
18. Portland Timbers
17. LA Galaxy
16. Minnesota United
15. Philadelphia Union
14. Columbus Crew
13. Chicago Fire
12. Houston Dynamo
11. Charlotte FC
10. Red Bull New York 📉 (Previous: 7)
As great as relying on youth can be, it also comes with its inconsistencies. Manager Michael Bradley and Red Bull New York found that out the hard way this week with a 3–0 defeat to previously winless and goalless CF Montréal.
Looking ahead, this could be a wake-up call for the team, the players and the manager. RBNY stayed true to the system Bradley wanted them to use throughout the 90 minutes, but struggled to fashion chances and made a number of erros in the process.
A defeat against Montréal is objectively a bad look, but work on the training ground in the coming weeks should ensure it’s nothing more than a blip.
9. Seattle Sounders 📉 (Previous: 8)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Seattle Sounders will only care about coming away from their clash with Western Conference cellar dwellers St. Louis CITY FC with a 1–0 win.
After his struggles and injuries last season, an assist for Jesús Ferreira and the level he has shown so far in 2026 are a welcome sight for fans in Washington. Yet the underwhelming attacking output from Osaze De Rosario remains a concern, especially if Jordan Morris is out for an extended period.
Overall, the Sounders have enjoyed a solid three-game stretch that boast two wins and two clean sheets, with Andrew Thomas looking as strong as ever between the sticks. Things get a little tougher now as they take on their Cascadia rivals, Vancouver, in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16.
8. San Jose Earthquakes 🆙 (Previous: 10)
Werner with the smooth set-up, Bouda with the cool finish. @SJEarthquakes take the lead on the road!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 8, 2026
📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/h7rF36hdzZ pic.twitter.com/2i21yV75Bj
After grabbing an assist in a short cameo against Atlanta United last week, Timo Werner again stood out while playing the entire second half of the Earthquakes’s 1-0 win over last season’s Supporters’ Shield winners, the Philadelphia Union.
The German was lively from the bench and came away with another top drawer assist, this time a stunning one that allowed Ousseni Bouda to net the game’s only goal.
This was a “prove-it” week for San Jose and they passed the test with flying colors—next up, a clash with Seattle and maybe Werner’s first start.
7. FC Cincinnati 📉 (Previous: 6)
Good news, Evander returned and played 16 minutes. Bad news, he was on the pitch as Toronto FC picked up its first win of the season and scored the team’s first goal in the history of their visits to FC Cincinnati.
The Gary Lions should be fine, as long as Evander is in the squad, but this game and last week’s 1–0 loss to Minnesota United have further emphasized that Kévin Denkey cannot create for himself and that manager Pat Noonan’s side has little to no creative outlet without their key Brazilian DP.
The reliance on Evander is a concern and you have to wonder whether a midseason coaching change could be on the cards, given the playmaker’s history when playing for teams that aren’t contending for titles.
6. New York City FC 🆙 (Previous: 9)
New York City FC hit a home run against Orlando City, taking full advantage of Maxime Crépeau’s red card for handling the ball outside of the penalty area to register a thumping 5–0 win at Yankee Stadium.
Crépeau’s 18th-minute dismissal changed the entire course of the game, with NYCFC, and Maxi Moralez in particular, taking full advantage of their numerical advantage. Agustín Ojeda, Nicolás Fernández and Keaton Parks (2) joined Moralez on the scoresheet—all five goals came in a 32-minute burst that left Orlando City shellshocked.
5. Inter Miami 🤝 (Previous: 5)
Inter Miami did things the hard way against up D.C. United on Saturday night, registering a nervy 2–1 win in front of a packed-out M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi had the Herons two goals up inside 27 minutes and, on paper at least, cruising. But rather than put the game to bed and take a stranglehold of proceedings, Javier Mascherano’s side allowed D.C. United to creep back into the game.
Miami registered an expected goals (xG) ratio of just 0.95 and alarm bells were ringing when Tai Baribo halved the deficit with 15 minutes of the game remaining. The Herons stood firm to see the game out, and can now turn their attention to facing Nashville SC in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday—a game that could see Messi register his 900th career goal in what will be his 11th outing against Nashville since arriving in Florida in 2023.
4. Nashville SC 🤝 (Previous: 4)
Nashville appear more than ready to face Miami in midweek, with their front trio looking particularly potent.
Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar continued their standout attacking play on Saturday night—Surridge scored twice against Minnesota United and Mukhtar was at his creative best— and they were again complemented nicely by Cristian Espinoza, who also netted in a 3–1 win.
The trio have combined for seven goals across all competitions already, with Espinoza’s dynamic play down the right allowing for greater involvement from star right back Andy Nájar.
3. Vancouver Whitecaps 🤝 (Previous: 3)
World Cup hopefuls led the way to fire Vancouver Whitecaps to a commanding 4–1 win over an outclassed Portland Timbers—a third win in a row for last season’s beaten MLS Cup finalists.
Concerns had been bubbling across Whitecaps-land about Brian White and Thomas Müller’s perceived slow starts to the season, but both have now netted a brace of goals—Müller in last week’s win over Toronto FC and White this time around.
Throw in the performance levels of Sebastian Berhalter and others and you’ll understand why teams will already be fearing Jesper Sørensen’s group, who look primed to perform well in every competition they appear in.
2. San Diego FC 🤝 (Previous: 2)
What’s there to say about San Diego FC at this point? Manager Mikey Varas’s group sure know how to win.
This week’s 1–0 victory over Sporting Kansas City may have had a tight scoreline, but there was never a feeling that San Diego wouldn’t emerge with all three points—all it took was Anders Dreyer’s 25th goal in 46 games for the club to get the job done.
The best part of the season so far, though, might be the standout play of Duran Ferree between the sticks. The 19-year-old U.S. backstop didn’t play a single MLS match in 2025 and now has three clean sheets in his first three games, making eight saves across those contests.
Now, it’s all eyes on a fun test against Toluca, the best team in Liga MX over the last two years, in the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
1 - LAFC 🤝 (Previous: 1)
DAVID MARTINEZ FROM DISTANCE! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lWUgRTfMXf
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 8, 2026
LAFC picked up its third win and third clean sheet this weekend with a 1–0 win over FC Dallas, courtesy of a superb long-range hit from 20-year-old Venezuela international David Martínez.
Martínez’s goal was outstanding in its own right but his overall play has been elevated by Canada’s Stephén Eustaquio, who picked up his second assist and third goal contribution in three games.
FC Dallas bunkered down and made it hard for LAFC, and this is likely the blueprint others will have to follow if they want to get a positive result against Marc Dos Santos’s side. What LAFC showed is that they can get the job done without needing Son Heung-min or Denis Bouanga to deliver the goods—something their rivals can’t boast at this early point of the season.
READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
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- Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. D.C. United: Argentine Internationals Lead Herons to Second Win of MLS Season
- ‘Worth Every Penny’—Inter Miami Owner Discloses Lionel Messi’s Earnings
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Power Rankings: Western Conference Quartet Maintain Perfect Starts.
