Is there a surprise team lingering out there? No doubt. Could it be the Chicago Fire in Year 2 under Gregg Berhalter? Or an Orlando City team that reloaded with a trio of Brazilian under-22s? Or maybe a team like Atlanta United, reunited with manager Tata Martino<\/a>, or Real Salt Lake that truly shocks us?<\/p>\n With the MLS regular season beginning on Saturday \u2014 Messi\u2019s Miami vs. Son\u2019s LAFC at the LA Coliseum is the headliner, provided the Argentine is healthy enough to feature \u2014 we took a crack at setting the table with our league-wide power rankings.<\/p>\n MLS Preseason Power Rankings30. Sporting Kansas City<\/p>\n (2025: 7-20-7, 28 points; 15th in West)<\/p>\n After firing longtime coach and general manager Peter Vermes last season, Sporting KC gave David Lee a seven-year contract as its new president of soccer operations and GM. That is a mandate to remake the club as he sees fit \u2013 and that\u2019s not a short-term project. There is a lot of work to do in Kansas City, and to build properly the majority of those efforts will come on the infrastructure side before the roster. That likely means a rough 2026 season.<\/p>\n 29. D.C. United<\/p>\n (2025: 5-18-11, 26 points; 15th in East)<\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say that United had one of the more intriguing offseasons of any team. It looks like the club finally has an understanding that, even if it doesn\u2019t have an enormous budget, it can look within the league to find serviceable players. Forward Tai Baribo, defender Sean Nealis and goalkeeper Sean Johnson as the new spine is a start, but there are still a lot of needs to address in order for this team to reach more competitive levels.<\/p>\n 28. CF Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n (2025: 6-18-10, 28 points; 13th in East)<\/p>\n Montreal is rebuilding in a way in which it has found some success before: looking for deals within the league, including Brayan Vera via trade with RSL and Toto Avil\u00e9s on loan from Inter Miami. But there just isn\u2019t much to excite you about this Montreal team, which will lean on Prince Owusu (13 goals, five assists in 2025) and designated player Iv\u00e1n Jaime to pull the Canadian side out of the depths of a tough Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n 27. St. Louis City<\/p>\n (2025: 8-18-8, 32 points; 13th in West)<\/p>\n It seemed like St. Louis wanted to ride the high of its expansion season for as long as possible. That finally ended last year with a tear-down of the sporting structure. Corey Wray and Yoann Damet were hired as sporting director and coach, respectively. Former LAFC defender Mamadou Fall is a nice addition, but with Jo\u00e3o Klauss off to the LA Galaxy, St. Louis is lacking at forward \u2013 and in several other spots. This feels like the beginning of a rebuild.<\/p>\n 26. San Jose Earthquakes<\/p>\n (2025: 11-15-8, 41 points; 10th in West)<\/p>\n Year 2 under Bruce Arena is when clubs tend to make their leaps, but expectations should be more tempered in the Bay Area. If Timo Werner can rediscover his past scoring form,<\/a> then the calculus changes, but he\u2019s also stepping into an attack that just lost its leading scorers and assistman in Chicho Arango, Josef Mart\u00ednez and Espinoza, respectively. That\u2019s a lot to replace, let alone take to another level.<\/p>\n 25. Real Salt Lake<\/p>\n (2025: 12-17-5, 41 points; ninth in West)<\/p>\n RSL made some shrewd-looking under-the-radar moves this winter. Looking to bolster its squad around U.S. men\u2019s national team midfielder Diego Luna, Salt Lake added forward Morgan Guilavogui from Lens as a designated player, as well as Uruguayan World Cup hopeful Juan Manuel Sanabria from Atl\u00e9tico San Luis in Liga MX. Those were two of eight incoming transfers, as RSL will again look to surprise in the West. Keep an eye on young American Zavier Gozo, who many around the league think will be the next up for a transfer abroad.<\/p>\n 24. Atlanta United<\/p>\n (2025: 5-16-13, 28 points; 14th in East)<\/p>\n Martino is back for a second stint, but the Five Stripes remain a wait-and-see project. A club with the resources and facilities like Atlanta has should not find itself in this spot of any preseason ranking. But disappointment has become the norm and supporters are wary of being let down again. Expect new Argentine signings Tom\u00e1s Jacob and El\u00edas Ba\u00e9z to provide an immediate jolt of competitiveness.<\/p>\n 23. New England Revolution<\/p>\n (2025: 9-16-9, 36 points; 11th in East)<\/p>\n Former U.S. youth national team coach Marko Mitrovi\u0107 was hired as the Revs look to rebuild again. He\u2019s leaned heavily on the youth national team players he got to know during his time working for U.S. Soccer, including Brooklyn Raines and Griffin Yow. New England has some decent pieces, but it might take time to come together under a new coach.<\/p>\n 22. FC Dallas<\/p>\n (2025: 11-12-11, 44 points; seventh in West)<\/p>\n While Croatian striker Petar Musa might be one of the most underrated players in MLS \u2014 and a player from the league who could most benefit from the World Cup stage if he finds minutes for his country \u2014\u00a0there simply isn\u2019t enough around him in Dallas to compete. Dallas added Herman Johansson, who had seven goals and eight assists last season for Mj\u00e4llby in Sweden, and Joaqu\u00edn Valiente, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona SC in Ecuador, to boost their hopes in the West.<\/p>\n 21. Austin FC<\/p>\n (2025: 13-13-8, 47 points, sixth in West)<\/p>\n Austin made some intriguing moves both within the league, trading for Jayden Nelson and Joseph Rosales, and then outside of it, bringing back a familiar name in Facundo Torres. The former Orlando City forward had 37 goals and 16 assists in three seasons in MLS, but Austin will need the Uruguayan to be at his most productive in order to compete.<\/p>\n 20. Minnesota United<\/p>\n (2025: 16-8-10, 58 points; fourth in West)<\/p>\n However long James Rodr\u00edguez remains a Loon<\/a>, the signing has undoubtedly made Minnesota one of the most interesting teams to watch in the early months of the season. It\u2019s an uncharacteristic move for the club but comes at low risk and presents an element of excitement and potential where there is otherwise plenty of uncertainty and question following the recent manager change of Eric Ramsay (West Brom) to former assistant Cam Knowles.<\/p>\n \n Minnesota United brought James Rodr\u00edguez to MLS in an offseason stunner (Courtesy of Minnesota United)<\/p>\n 19. Houston Dynamo<\/p>\n (2025: 9-15-10, 37 points; 12th in West)<\/p>\n The Dynamo front office was among the busiest this offseason. After missing the playoffs, it was obvious upgrades were needed. The biggest signing was winger Mateusz Bogusz, a sought-after and expensive attacker who returned to MLS after a frustrating spell with Cruz Azul. The Poland international scored 16 goals and added nine assists for LAFC (regular season and playoffs) in 2024. Brazilian winger Guilherme, 30, and defender Lucas Halter, 25, join the Dynamo from Brazil\u2019s first division.<\/p>\n 18. Toronto FC<\/p>\n (2025: 6-14-14, 32 points; 12th in East)<\/p>\n TFC is desperate to return to the league\u2019s elite and may finally have a pathway after getting out from under Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi\u2019s contracts. Djordje Mihailovic will play a starring role after his midseason trade from Colorado, while veteran U.S. center back Walker Zimmerman has been brought in to solidify the back line. Josh Sargent remains a transfer target<\/a>, but Norwich has remained steadfast about its stance regarding the U.S. forward, and the longer the saga drags out, the more Toronto may need to find its goals elsewhere.<\/p>\n 17. Colorado Rapids<\/p>\n (2025: 11-5-8, 41 points; 11th in West)<\/p>\n New coach Matt Wells<\/a> comes to Colorado from Tottenham looking to reshape the team. Shipping Cole Bassett to the Portland Timbers is part of that, and the Rapids will hope Paxten Aaronson (one goal in seven games) can become a domestic star for them. Colorado also made a $1.9 million trade for Dante Sealy, who had nine goals last year in Montreal. Still, it feels like Colorado has plenty to do to feel like an actual contender in the West.<\/p>\n 16. Portland Timbers<\/p>\n (2025: 11-12-11, 44 points; eighth in West)<\/p>\n The Timbers sent David Ayala to Inter Miami, but made a nice move by acquiring Bassett for at least $2.65 million. Still, they have more holes to fill in the attack, and they\u2019ll need increased contributions from designated players David Da Costa and Kristoffer Velde, with the latter impressing in his appearances at the end of last season and now primed for a full run.<\/p>\n 15. New York Red Bulls<\/p>\n (2025: 12-15-7, 43 points; 10th in East)<\/p>\n The club hired Michael Bradley as head coach<\/a> in a move that is part of a shift in strategy. Bradley has no previous top-flight experience as a head coach, but he\u2019s a former U.S. national team captain and a local soccer hero who won an MLS Next Pro title with Red Bulls II. He succeeds Sandro Schwarz, who guided the club to an MLS Cup appearance in 2024 but also oversaw the end to its 15-year streak of making the playoffs. Will Bradley immediately stamp his personality on the squad? Or will he be another Red Bull employee who toes the company line? It\u2019s a fascinating experiment.<\/p>\n 14. Charlotte FC<\/p>\n (2025: 19-13-2, 59 points; fourth in East)<\/p>\n Pep Biel is back, and that should mean good things for Charlotte. The Spanish midfielder had 10 goals and 12 assists in 26 games before a knee injury ended his 2025 season. With the addition of Luca de la Torre in midfield and some bolstered depth, the hope is that Biel and Wilfried Zaha can push this team a bit further than last year\u2019s finish.<\/p>\n 13. Columbus Crew<\/p>\n (2025: 14-8-12, 54 points; seventh in East)<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to forget what Wilfried Nancy accomplished in Columbus due to his brutal stint with Celtic, but the Crew were among MLS\u2019s sharpest teams under his watch. Now, with Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m in as his replacement in his first job outside of Sweden and Darlington Nagbe having retired, there are reasons to wonder whether the high standard will be maintained. The health and form of star forward Wessam Abou Ali after his ankle injury will dictate plenty, while a midseason move abroad for U.S. wingback Max Arfsten is firmly on the radar.<\/p>\n 12. Orlando City<\/p>\n (2025: 14-9-11, 53 points; ninth in East)<\/p>\n The Lions still have a question to answer after the departure of U.S. defender Alex Freeman to La Liga\u2019s Villarreal<\/a>, but they\u2019ve been aggressive in adding under-22 players in this winter window, and there is belief those young signings could make an immediate impact. Tiago could play a big role right away as the No. 9, while 18-year-old Luis Otavia has already played minutes in Serie A in Brazil. Iago Teodoro, meanwhile, wore the captain\u2019s armband for Brazil\u2019s U-20s. It all makes Orlando City a true wild card in 2026.<\/p>\n 11. NYCFC<\/p>\n (2025: 17-12-5, 56 points; fifth in East)<\/p>\n Much of the squad returns from a team that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last year. Losing leading scorer Alonso Mart\u00ednez to an ACL injury suffered on international duty last November was a huge blow, and Justin Haak was a stalwart in the lineup, but left as a free agent to sign with the LA Galaxy. NYCFC will look to Australian national teamer Kai Trewin to replace Haak\u2019s minutes, but after seeing a deal for a new No. 9 fall through, what happens up top is a big question mark.<\/p>\n 10. LA Galaxy<\/p>\n (2025: 7-18-9, 30 points; 14th in West)<\/p>\n The Galaxy would\u2019ve had top-five potential had attacking fulcrum Riqui Puig been making his return as hoped. Instead, he\u2019s missing a second straight season with a torn ACL, leaving the 2024 champs wondering what could\u2019ve been. Greg Vanney\u2019s side still made savvy intraleague additions in Jakob Glesnes and Haak, while also extending the loan of forward Matheus Nascimento. There\u2019s no way this club should be fending off the wooden spoon, like it did last season en route to a paltry 30-point output.<\/p>\n 9. Chicago Fire<\/p>\n (2025: 15-11-8, 53 points; eighth in East)<\/p>\n Berhalter restored the winning ways in the Windy City in his first year as manager and sporting director, and now expectations have risen \u2013 especially while rumors of a summer swoop for Robert Lewandowski are swirling. Regardless, the club\u2019s big export this winter was selling Brian Guti\u00e9rrez to Chivas, while smart signings like free agent Robin Lod and South African international center back Mbekezeli Mbokazi should further solidify the group.<\/p>\n 8. Seattle Sounders<\/p>\n (2025: 15-9-10, 55 points; fifth in West)<\/p>\n The Sounders didn\u2019t make any significant additions and sold Obed Vargas to Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, while Pedro de la Vega will miss the start of the season after suffering a nasty knee injury. Nevertheless, Brian Schmetzer\u2019s side remains defensively, er, sound, and there\u2019s something to be said for the consistent product churned out by the likes of Albert Rusn\u00e1k, Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris. Osaze De Rosario, meanwhile, is a candidate for a breakout season.<\/p>\n 7. Philadelphia Union<\/p>\n (2025: 20-8-6, 66 points; first in East; won Supporters\u2019 Shield)<\/p>\n The reigning Shield winners don\u2019t get the full complement of respect entering a new season \u2013 for good reason. They crashed out of the playoffs in the conference semifinals, then lost two core defenders (Glesnes, Kai Wagner) and their leading scorer (Baribo). They\u2019ve been busy reworking the squad, and if the replacements hit, including club-record signing and forward Ezekiel Alladoh, they\u2019ll contend again. But there\u2019s warranted skepticism, especially as the new pieces adjust and mesh early.<\/p>\n \n Vancouver made MLS Cup months after Thomas M\u00fcller\u2019s arrival from Bayern Munich (Maddie Meyer \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n 6. Vancouver Whitecaps<\/p>\n (2025: 18-7-9, 63 points; second in West; lost in MLS Cup)<\/p>\n The club\u2019s murky future in Vancouver after 2026 hangs over this season, but Jesper S\u00f8rensen\u2019s roster is as capable as the squad that came within a few bounces of winning MLS Cup and also reached the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final. We saw what Thomas M\u00fcller brings to the table in a small sample size and, stretched over a full season, the possibilities are tantalizing. There will need to be compensation out wide for the losses of Canadian internationals Ali Ahmed (Norwich City) and Nelson (Austin FC).<\/p>\n 5. Nashville SC<\/p>\n (2025: 16-12-6, 54 points; sixth in East)<\/p>\n Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge have a third musketeer in the attack after the smash free-agent signing of Espinoza. There should be ample service and productivity in the final third, but after losing Zimmerman to Toronto in free agency, there\u2019s reason to question whether there\u2019s enough solidity and consistency in the back to win the games in which that attacking trio is neutralized.<\/p>\n 4. FC Cincinnati<\/p>\n (2025: 20-9-5, 65 points; second in East)<\/p>\n Cincy was a point off the Supporters\u2019 Shield in 2025 and still revolves around Evander, the playmaker who had 67 goal contributions (33 goals, 34 assists) in the last two seasons. The big questions: can K\u00e9vin Denkey level up after a 15-goal debut season, and can the club remain resolute if facing Inter Miami in the playoffs, instead of wilting like it did last postseason?<\/p>\n 3. San Diego FC<\/p>\n (2025: 19-9-6, 63 points; first in West)<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be hard for San Diego to top its expansion season with a more impressive Year 2, but the early returns in Concacaf Champions Cup \u2013 namely, eliminating Pumas while effectively in preseason mode \u2013 are promising. The club still needs to sort out its Chucky Lozano problem \u2013 there are no plans to play him, but it still needs to pay him (a lot) \u2013 but with MVP candidate Anders Dreyer pulling the strings at the heart of a solid all-around side, there\u2019s ample reason to believe Year 1 was no fluke.<\/p>\n 2. LAFC<\/p>\n (2025: 17-8-9, 60 points; third in West)<\/p>\n Son\u2019s summer arrival lived up to the hype<\/a> in every way, and now he\u2019s poised for a dynamic first full season in MLS. The rumors and reports surrounding transfer bids for Denis Bouanga are unsettling, as he\u2019s been one of the league\u2019s most prolific and consistent attacking stars for three years. If he were to go, the equation would change, but this is the chief contender for Miami\u2019s throne, and it\u2019s apropos that they\u2019ll open the season against each other. Will they close it that way, too?<\/p>\n 1. Inter Miami<\/p>\n (2025: 19-7-8, 65 points; third in East; won MLS Cup)<\/p>\n The best in 2025 got better. It took until the postseason for Javier Mascherano to unlock the true potential<\/a> of Miami\u2019s attack by benching Luis Su\u00e1rez and flanking Lionel Messi with Tadeo Allende and Mateo Silvetti. Now he\u2019ll have a whole season to play around with that while also working in new star striker Germ\u00e1n Berterame<\/a>. There\u2019ll be some adjusting for the losses of the retired Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, but Miami reloaded in the offseason and, more importantly, got stronger defensively. The only major question is how much the World Cup takes out of Messi (assuming he plays in it, which, for whatever reason, he has yet to publicly confirm) and what shape \u2013 physically and mentally \u2013 he\u2019s in after it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The reality is there aren\u2019t any major surprises at the top of MLS entering the 2026 season. Lionel…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[17157,17159,17160,10151,17143,17153,17145,17147,17158,17149,17152,5429,17156,17148,123,125,124,17155,5692,16076,17144,17142,17146,4788,14193,14240,14243,17162,17150,17154,2062,17151,17161,8005,4798],"class_list":{"0":"post-160382","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami","8":"tag-atlanta-united-fc","9":"tag-austin-fc","10":"tag-charlotte-fc","11":"tag-chicago-fire","12":"tag-club-de-foot-montreal","13":"tag-colorado-rapids","14":"tag-columbus-crew","15":"tag-dc-united","16":"tag-fc-cincinnati","17":"tag-fc-dallas","18":"tag-houston-dynamo","19":"tag-inter-miami-cf","20":"tag-los-angeles-fc","21":"tag-los-angeles-galaxy","22":"tag-miami","23":"tag-miami-headlines","24":"tag-miami-news","25":"tag-minnesota-united-fc","26":"tag-mls","27":"tag-nashville-soccer-club","28":"tag-new-england-revolution","29":"tag-new-york-city-fc","30":"tag-new-york-red-bulls","31":"tag-orlando-city-sc","32":"tag-philadelphia-union","33":"tag-portland-timbers","34":"tag-real-salt-lake","35":"tag-san-diego-fc","36":"tag-san-jose-earthquakes","37":"tag-seattle-sounders-fc","38":"tag-soccer","39":"tag-sporting-kc","40":"tag-st-louis-city-sc","41":"tag-toronto-fc","42":"tag-vancouver-whitecaps-fc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/James-Rodriguez-Intro-Minnesota-1.jpg\")
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