MLS 2026 Preseason Power Rankings

We've arrived. MLS kicks off for its 2026 season on Saturday. You know what that means: it's time for the totally meaningful preseason power rankings! It's that special time of year where everyone's opinions are deemed horrible or amazing (far less common), but no one actually has a clue. Especially in this beautiful league of the utmost parity.

The whole MLS using AI baloney and the firing Matt Doyle nonsense has angered me enough to write this 11,000+ word historical document prior to the 2026 kickoff. I mean, half of those lineup previews they posted are flat out wrong and it's painful to see the direction the league is taking in that right. So, in protest, I (a human, not a robot) have written 300+ words about your favorite team heading into the season!

Enjoy these way-too-long, probably way too in-depth power rankings that are more like a comprehensive preview of all 30 teams instead:

1. INTER MIAMI CF | 2/21 at LAFC

It might not be fun, but it's the only right answer. Inter Miami scaled the mountain and won MLS Cup, and they ultimately didn't have an incredibly tough time doing so throughout the playoffs. At the end of the day, as long as Lionel Messi is with this team, they're going to rank near the top. He just brings a different level of football, but obviously you don't need me to tell you that.

The offseason was highlighted by the addition of German Berterame from Monterrey on a $15m fee. It seems a pretty safe bet that one of the premier scorers in Liga MX for years on end will score at least 15 goals in a team with Messi and Rodrigo De Paul's chance creation, along with blossoming wingers Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende. They also acquired Dayne St. Clair, the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year from Minnesota United. David Ayala joins the midfield from Portland Timbers.

Miami's also got all sorts of depth, so they're in good shape across their various competitions. With Sergio Reguilon injured to start the year, Noah Allen is likey to take on the left back role, slotting Maxi Falcon next to Micael in defense. Ian Fray and Facundo Mura will compete for the right back role. If you're in the camp that MLS has needed a villain, Miami has arrived as the threat to parity with their roster construction.

PROJECTED XI: St. Clair; Allen, Falcon, Micael, Fray; Ayala, De Paul, Messi; Silvetti, Allende, Berterame

2025: 19-7-8 (No. 3 in East), Won MLS Cup

2. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS | 2/21 vs RSL

So close. The Whitecaps came out of nowhere to complete their best campaign in MLS history, falling to Inter Miami in MLS Cup. It was a fantastic season, and the most incredible part are the injuries they dealt with, namely Ryan Gauld, who they'll get back this year. It remains to be seen if Gauld still has all of his tools, but adding him back to this side could be a dangerous sight. He did undergo another surgery, so he won't be available right away, and that could throw a wrench into things.

The signings don't come into the starting lineup, but they've focused on improving their already superb depth. Gauld is practically a new signing if he returns to full health and would be set to replace Ali Ahmed, who was sold to Norwich City. There's guys up and down the roster, and the signings of wingers Bruno Caicedo and Cheikh Sabaly only add to the intrigue.

Vancouver, as a result, has options in their lineup. If Sam Adekugbe is ready to go, he'll play at left back, but Tate Johnson was a breakout who can play there as well. When Ranko Veselinovic returns, it'll only get even better and Mathias Laborda can move to fullback. There's also a chance they continue rolling with Ralph Priso at center back, as he's done a full position swap. Emmanuel Sabbi has a massive opportunity to prove himself this season, but there's tons of guys waiting in the wings (pun intended) if he doesn't. The Whitecaps will thrive off the class of Thomas Muller, Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White, and there's no reason this team can't own the West.

PROJECTED XI: Takaoka; Adekugbe, Blackmon, Laborda, Ocampo; Cubas, Berhalter, Muller; Gauld, Sabbi, White

2025: 18-7-9 (No. 2 in West), Lost MLS Cup

3. LOS ANGELES FC | 2/21 at MIA

Son Heung-min was an absolute revelation for LAFC, which was unsurprising. He and Denis Bouanga linked up for nearly every goal the team scored after his arrival and the attack was too dynamic for any defense to handle. The strange part is how bad Bouanga seems to want to exit the club, and he has for years now. Regardless, he's sticking around for the time being and will continue to play at a high level as long as he is. His 2025 season got out to a horrific start, but I don't see that issue manifesting again this time around.

Jacob Shaffelburg arrived from Nashville SC and should be placed out on the wing to complement Son and Bouanga. David Martinez will also compete for that role, and he's shown many moments of promise. Stephen Eustaquio brings a plethora of experience to the midfield and will team up with Mark Delgado and Timmy Tillman to make up what should be one of the best midfields league-wide. They grabbed Amin Boudri, another young and talented midfielder that should also compete to get into the starting lineup. Aaron Long and Igor Jesus are also both due back at some point, which will bring an added boost.

Sergi Palencia and Ryan Hollingshead will be the fullbacks, with Artem Smolyakov providing that other option as he has. Nkosi Tafari will be paired with Ryan Porteous in the back, in front of the returning Hugo Lloris. LAFC really woke up toward the end of last season and there's going to be a lot more where that came from. The Bouanga saga is one to watch all year, but no point of worrying about it while he's apart of potentially the best duo in MLS.

PROJECTED XI: Lloris; Hollingshead, Tafari, Porteous, Palencia; Delgado, Tillman, Eustaquio; Bouanga, Shaffelburg, Son

2025: 17-8-9 (No. 3 in West), Lost West Semis

4. SEATTLE SOUNDERS | 2/22 vs COL

The Sounders are just always so solid, and their lack of roster changeover year-to-year is the best in the league. They retain their players time and time again, except for Obed Vargas — the 20-year-old departure who's already appearing in LaLiga games for Atletico Madrid. Brian Schmetzer's teams are going to be hard to beat no matter the circumstances.

Hassani Dotson will fill the hole left by Vargas, and that certainly isn't a bad replacement. Dotson, 28, is returning home after missing out last year for Minnesota United with a torn meniscus. They brought back Paul Rothrock and he will be in competition with the disappointment of a DP that has been Pedro de la Vega and the young and likely breakout Osaze De Rosario.

The backline of Nouhou, Jackson Ragen, Yeimar Gomez Andrade and Alex Roldan is very much intact, so it's a guarantee that Seattle is going to be good. Cristian Roldan will pair up with Dotson in the middle. Nouhou and Yeimar both struggled at moments last season, so if they can return to success, this team can make an even bigger step up both defensively and going forward. Jesus Ferreira has been great in preseason, and while he hasn't been himself in some years now, we all know he has that potential. No doubt for me that the Sounders will be right back in that home playoff game range.

PROJECTED XI: Frei; Nouhou, Ragen, Yeimar, A. Roldan; C. Roldan, Dotson, Rusnak; de la Vega, Ferreira, Morris

2025: 15-9-10 (No. 5 in West), Lost West Quarters

5. SAN DIEGO FC | 2/21 vs MTL

They weren't supposed to do it in year one, so by default, some will think they're not supposed to do it in year two. Sophomore slumps do exist, shoutout St. Louis City SC, but San Diego FC wasn't a case of luck. It was a case of Mikey Varas genius and a shockingly good roster build, and that will only continue into 2026. They were out-possessing teams and dominating the ball just minutes into their franchise, which is a testament to their confidence.

Lewis Morgan is a risky add, but it's not as risky as it might seem. He's a guy who has scored a boatload of goals in MLS, but has also missed out on multiple seasons due to injury. There haven't really been additions otherwise, but the big one is the exit of Hirving Lozano. The marquee signing to start the club is already on the way out, despite still being on the roster. Certainly one of the weirder situations across the league. Even without him, the system is so good and Anders Dreyer is so good that they don't even need him. They also poached Wilson Eisner from San Jose Earthquakes II, formerly the Town FC.

Eisner has been the guy at right back in the CCC games thus far, but he'll be competing with Ian Pilcher there. This defense is so young, with the quality of teenager Luca Bombino at left back and the former No. 1 pick and 20-year-old Manu Duah at center back. San Diego is building this team the right way, through youth. Christopher McVey serves as the veteran anchor, and Jeppe Tverskov will do that in the middle as well. Onni Valakari is another candidate to have a big year. Amahl Pellegrino has the job on the wing right now, and it's up to him to keep it. If the CCC fixtures again Pumas UNAM are any indication, this team is back in all its glory.

PROJECTED XI: Sisniega; Bombino, Duah, McVey, Eisner; Tverskov, Godoy, Valakari; Pellegrino, Dreyer, Ingvartsen

2025: 19-9-6 (No. 1 in West), Lost West Final

6. CHICAGO FIRE | 2/21 at HOU

Chicago Fire is the club I'm giving the biggest rise to in terms of a middling team making that step into the upper echelon of the league. Gregg Berhalter's side had an interesting year in 2025, but it was largely a successful one with a very much winning record. They were a fun team who really struggled defensively but could score a lot of goals going the opposite direction. This offseason, they made changes to alter that fact.

In the back, the popular 20-year-old South African Mbekezeli Mbokazi slots in at center back next to Jack Elliott. He's a welcome addition and a much-needed reinforcement in the back. Most importantly, Chicago cleaned up a mess of a midfield that caused most of their issues. Sergio Oregel and Mauricio Pineda weren't getting the job done, and Brian Gutierrez, who transferred to Chivas for $5m, was hardly in the lineup at the end of the year. Robin Lod arrived after years of success at Minnesota United and will completely reform this midfield, along with the solid Anton Saletros from AIK in Sweden. Chris Mueller has been incredible in preseason and is practically like a new signing after having not played in years.

Andrew Gutman was one of the bright spots last year and will slot back in at the left back spot. Leonardo Barroso is a talented young player who has a chance to make some noise on the opposite side. Dje D'Avilla is likely in the middle, but he's shown some rough moments where his legs are too long for his own good and there's midfielders gunning for his spot. Philip Zinckernagel has the highest expectations after what he achieved a year ago, so the onus will be on him to drive this attacking machine. They'll certainly want more from Jonathan Bamba this year, and similar goal scoring output from Hugo Cuypers would put Chicago in great position to thrive.

PROJECTED XI: Brady; Gutman, Mbokazi, Elliott, Barroso; D'Avilla, Lod, Saletros; Bamba, Zinckernagel, Cuypers

2025: 15-11-8 (No. 8 in East), Lost East Quarters

7. FC CINCINNATI | 2/21 vs ATL

FC Cincinnati was probably not as fun as they should've been last year. They could never put games away and constantly parked the bus and squeaked past opponents. They won 19 games, so it ended up just fine on paper, but I think everyone knew how limited their play style would prove when it mattered most. Evander was unbelievable, but he wasn't playing as free as he should've been and the production completely disappeared in the playoffs as a result. Many factors went into the strange season, but the bottom line is that is looked a lot better on paper than it did in practice.

The big addition to this team is Bryan Ramirez, who fills in for Luca Orellano at left wingback. Orellano's time was simply up, he's still a great player and is proving that at Monterrey, but after an atrocious 2025, it was time to move on. Ramirez brings all sorts of skills, goals and fun to Cincy, and he's very similar to his predecessor in that right. Obinna Nwobodo hopes to make a full return to the team after a poor season hampered by injuries. They also added Tom Barlow and Kristian Fletcher to get some depth going forward.

It's hard to know what to expect with this Cincinnati team, but with Evander, Kevin Denkey banging in goals and Pavel Bucha playing at the high level he was last year, this should be a good team. Matt Miazga has yet to really be a consistent defender for this team, but that would be nice, and Miles Robinson is going to have to live up to the DP price tag as the one and only defender in MLS that makes Designated Player money heading into 2026. Ender Echenique inherits the right wingback role, as FCC hopes they've solved the issues they had in those outside roles last year, a major reason for those previous issues. The formation is still up in the air, whether they'll play Samuel Gidi or force Evander into a second striker type-role, but time will tell.

PROJECTED XI: Celentano; Ramirez, Hadebe, Miazga, Robinson, Echenique; Nwobodo, Gidi, Bucha, Evander; Denkey

2025: 19-7-8 (No. 3 in East), Lost East Semis

8. NASHVILLE SC | 2/21 vs NE

Nashville SC has high hopes heading into 2026, though finishing preseason with a loss to Lexington SC whilst playing their full lineup for most of the game isn't the most perfect way to enter the year, no matter how little it matters. They fell off as the year wore on and ended up in the No. 6 spot in the East, and the season sort of just fizzled out. But, Sam Surridge was firing on all cylinders for most of the year and Hany Mukhtar was back closer to his MVP form delivering those assists.

Now, Cristian Espinoza will provide some of those setups. The offseason was honestly looking bleak prior to their move to make the biggest splash in free agency by finally adding a third DP to take some pressure off the two players who made up the entirety of the attack. Jacob Shaffelburg left to make way for the trio to form. Alex Muyl on the other wing is still not very inspiring, but Ahmed Qasem is going to try to steal that spot. They made a big addition in defense with Maxwell Woledzi from Fredrikstad. Reed Baker-Whiting arrives from Seattle.

The attack looks a lot prettier. Jeisson Palacios will cement himself as one of the top center backs in the league. But, I don't think it's all happiness and rainbows for Nashville. The midfield is not one of the better ones out there. Eddi Tagseth is one of those guys you love to have on your team and hate playing against, but the issue is that he often brings more ruckus in his pest role than the team needs. Patrick Yazbek also hasn't hit the necessary level yet. Brian Schwake will be interesting in net. The fullbacks are aging, as Daniel Lovitz is 34 and Andy Najar is 32, so it remains to be seen if he can recreate his incredible 2025. Josh Bauer hopes to break into the team at fullback. NSC will be one of the more interesting ones to see if this is truly a team that has the tools to contend in the East.

PROJECTED XI: Schwake; Lovitz, Woledzi, Palacios, Najar; Tagseth, Yazbek, Muyl, Espinoza, Mukhtar; Surridge

2025: 16-12-6 (No. 6 in East), Lost East Quarters

9. PHILADELPHIA UNION | 2/21 at DC

Everyone must learn their lesson that Philadelphia Union is never going to be truly bad. Now, 2024 was certainly rough and there were many reasons for that, but it was the first time in seven years they missed the playoffs. They responded with a top of the East finish without having the team you're supposed to need to do that. It doesn't really matter what random players they sign from random countries, they're going to be just fine. Now, Kai Wagner not being on the team sheet is going to be a weird sight and an unfamiliar one for all MLS fans. He is genuinely so good that his departure will certainly hurt this team a lot, I mean Birmingham City fans are literally having conversations about him being their best left back in club history a few weeks in. But, Philadelphia worked on their depth and shocked the league with a first place finish without perhaps first-place talent last year, and they can do similar again.

Ezekiel Alladoh is the speedy striker who will pair up with Bruno Damiani, who has definitely not been as good as he needs to be yet. They yearn for Julian Carranza production out of him, but he's scored some tap-ins and hasn't provided the impact they need so far. Alladoh gives more speed than say, Mikael Uhre did, so that could change things, and he can also play hold up. They reformed the defense with the addition of Japhet Sery Larsen from Brann. Soon, the ultra-talented 20-year-old Philippe Ndinga will arrive in an attempt to fill the shoes of Wagner at left back, and compete with Frankie Westfield and Nathan Harriel for those minutes. Agustin Anello also arrived on the wing from Boston River.

Statistically, Ndinga brings some of the chance creation and wildly high amounts of tackles and interceptions that Wagner did. The Union won't ask him to be Wagner, but if he can be half as good, that might be good enough to win the job, and it's never bad to have three capable fullbacks. Plus, Harriel can play center back if needed. Olwethu Makhanya was unbelievable last year and is slotted in as one of the best central defenders in the league in 2026. Jovan Lukic and Danley Jean Jacques run back the center of the field. Where this gets interesting for me is Milan Iloski, who I really expect to run rampant. His goals per 90 with San Diego was no fluke, he's going to be fantastic and he'll attack with Anello, Indiana Vassilev and the aforementioned strikers.

PROJECTED XI: Blake; Ndinga, Makhanya, Sery Larsen, Harriel; Jean Jacques, Lukic, Iloski, Anello; Damiani, Alladoh

2025: 20-8-6 (No. 1 in East), Lost East Semis

10. COLUMBUS CREW | 2/21 at POR

The end of last season was not pretty, and neither was Wilfried Nancy's attempt to manage Celtic. Now, Henrik Rydstrom hopes to bring a new identity to the club, and they needed a reset. It's been a while since we've seen a four-back here, which is what it seems it's going to be, so it'll be an intriguing watch for sure. Striker Wessam Abou Ali scored goals in three straight games to end the year, but he never had the chance to show his full capabilities. Diego Rossi had a great year and Max Arfsten was just fantastic going forward from wingback.

And that's why he should be on the wing. Arfsten is not a great defender, as proved by his stints with the USMNT, but his perhaps unorthodox ball skills and stepovers that are ultra-effective make him such a dangerous winger. Addition-wise, there's not really much going on here. Jamal Thiare was brought in from Atlanta United and they doubled up on forward depth with Nariman Akhundzada from Qarabag. Sekou Bangoura had great numbers in Israel and gives them another option in the midfield as well.

Moving Arfsten up the pitch also opens things up for a very crowded defense. Sean Zawadzki makes sense moving back up into the midfield. Now, the rest is totally in the air. Steven Moreira could go back to right back because he's another one of those defenders who isn't a great defender but stars going forward. We'll see if Rydstrom allows him to join the attack at all like he has, even if he's slotted back in at center back. Mo Farsi is still a complete question mark, leaving Andres Herrera as a likely starter, but all three are options at right back. In this case, Yevhen Cheberko and Rudy Camacho can start or compete at center back and Malte Amundsen can move back to left back. Chaos, but not a bad situation to have a lot of versatile players. Dylan Chambost is back in the midfield after a great season, but man, does Daniel Gazdag need to get his act together because he utterly stunk it up upon his arrival.

PROJECTED XI: Schulte; Amundsen, Cheberko, Moreira, Herrera; Zawadzki, Chambost, Gazdag, Arfsten, Rossi; Abou Ali

2025: 14-8-12 (No. 7 in East), Lost East Quarters

11. MINNESOTA UNITED | 2/21 at ATX

James Rodriguez is the talk of the town, but all things considered it is a strange move. Of course, if you have the opportunity to get such a popular and marketable player for six months as an MLS club, you do it. The Tomas Chancalay addition, already having Dominik Fitz on the team — they now just make less sense. But, Rodriguez is a short-term fit to sell jerseys and play in some luxury crosses. He's still got something in the tank, it just needs to contribute to winning soccer for the Loons. After a pretty solid season last year, they're losing Tani Oluwaseyi, so that will hurt. Regardless, the departure of Eric Ramsay will open this team up, for better or for worse.

My one guarantee is that Minnesota United is going to be fun to watch again. Cameron Knowles is taking over after Ramsay left for West Brom, and by the way, West Brom hasn't led a game for a second since he was appointed. Minnesota made the Rodriguez and Chancalay add, and grabbed Kyle Duncan at right back. Right back is the rough spot of this team right now, and Duncan doesn't help that a whole lot because he simply was not good for the New York Red Bulls. But, it's something when DJ Taylor is the other option, or perhaps a slightly shifted over Jefferson Diaz — that might be the best option. They also added Peter Stroud in the midfield. Julian Gressel remains with the team, and they're going to have to try to find his best role, whether it's in the midfield, somewhere on the flanks, or not at all.

Anthony Markanich was shockingly good last season and stole Joseph Rosales' job. It's probably not sustainable in the scoring department, but having him as such a weapon is huge. Michael Boxall will start next to... someone. Morris Duggan (the preseason favorite), Nicolas Romero, Diaz, we shall see — if a four-back is the way. Knowles wants to move Bongi Hlongwane back up the field to his natural attacking positions and leave the wingback days behind, though he might end up more as a wingback in possession. Nectarinos Triantis slots in next to the seasoned Wil Trapp, but he has struggled against the press and absolutely has to fix that problem. If Minnesota gets dispossessed and gets caught in transition, they're going to struggle. Joaquin Pereyra was unreal last year and will hopefully remain the focal point of chance creation even with James. That brings us to the real question: Kelvin Yeboah. I, for one, believe in Yeboah. No striker deserves to play football in a Ramsay terroristic system, and he didn't arrive on the scene to score 9 goals in 12 games in 2024 for nothing. His turn to prove that, but they clearly believe in him, too, with the lack of real striker depth.

PROJECTED XI: Callender; Markanich, Duggan, Boxall, Diaz; Trapp, Triantis, Rodriguez, Pereya, Hlongwane; Yeboah

2025: 16-8-10 (No. 4 in West), Lost West Semis

12. CHARLOTTE FC | 2/21 at STL

Charlotte returns most of its team into 2026 after completing a largely successful No. 4 in the East season. Adilson Malanda is the big departure at center back, as he left for Middlesbrough, but they already had the guys to fill that gap. Tim Ream was forced to play left back at times last season, so the ancient 38-year-old will try to hold on back at center back. The Crown enjoyed breakout seasons from a few players last year, and also a few guys that need to be better, let's have a look.

Charlotte's biggest addition was bringing Luca de la Torre into the midfield next to Ashley Westwood and underneath Pep Biel after his stint with San Diego FC last year. De la Torre can be a useful player, and while he doesn't change a team on his own, he's super solid. David Schnegg was one of the more underrated players on a horrible DC United team, and he probably deserves to start at left back in the competition with Harry Toffolo. They also added Henry Kessler, who very well may end up starting at center back next to Andrew Privett if Ream's age gets to him.

Idan Toklomati was the revelation for Charlotte in 2025, as he scored all sorts of goals in all sorts of manners. He's going to need to link up with Wilfried Zaha, who was actually decent statistically last year, but it feels like there's another level for him to hit. His ego and Snapchat stories can get a little annoying to deal with though. We also don't know if he'll stay after his loan expires in the summer. Kristijan Kahlina returns in between the pipes and Nathan Byrne at right back. Biel has definitely hit above expectations in his time and will be their main creator. The Liel Abada experiment is on its last legs and he needs to show something very soon, or else he's gotta go. Charlotte projects as a floor playoff team in the East.

PROJECTED XI: Kahlina; Schnegg, Ream, Privett, Byrne; Westwood, de la Torre, Biel; Zaha, Abada, Toklomati

2025: 19-13-2 (No. 4 in East), Lost East Quarters

13. NEW YORK CITY FC | 2/22 at LA

NYCFC danced their way to the Eastern Conference final somehow last season. Nico Fernandez was a big reason why, his addition midseason altered their whole game. Everything was going so swimmingly until Alonso Martinez tore his ACL, and he'll miss the 2026 season, and that really hurts. I must emphasize just how weird this team is heading into 2026. For one, Talles Magno returned from his longtime loan spell and is now back in the team and wants to play striker, where he was when he faltered and left originally? It's so rare for a player to jump back into a team after a long time away on loan in MLS. Also weird: the positioning, we'll talk more about that.

Magno is like a new signing, Keaton Parks missed the latter half of the season and is like a new signing, and Kai Trewin is an actual new signing. That's about it for roster changes. Trewin might be a center back, he might be a center mid, but he looks promising. Magno has a knock right now, but can he return to his old flair-filled self when he's back?

In preseason, I watched Kevin O'Toole put in a shift at every position on the field, including center back, where he was shelled and Thiago Martins gave up a penalty as a result. Trewin was all over the park, no one really knows what's going on here. But what's important is that they've got enough talent to turn this into controlled chaos. Settling O'Toole at left back and Tayvon Gray with Raul Gustavo and Martins in the middle is best, with Trewin teaming up with Parks and Aiden O'Neill in midfield. The 38-year-old Maxi Moralez will still play a role for this team as well. Hannes Wolf may have a tough time recreating his numbers from last year, but through it all, Fernandez possesses the keys to the (New York) city. Seymour Reid, 17, is the name to watch at striker in terms of breakouts.

PROJECTED XI: Freese; O'Toole, Gustavo, Martins, Gray; Trewin, Parks, O'Neill; Wolf, Fernandez, Magno

2025: 17-12-5 (No. 5 in East), Lost East Final

14. HOUSTON DYNAMO | 2/21 vs CHI

We've cycled through a few teams that have the same team as last year, and the Houston Dynamo are not one of them. Last year had its moments, mostly because of Jack McGlynn magic, but was not up to par in the end. As a result, Pat Onstad and Asher Mendelsohn went ahead and changed, well, everything.

The first moves involved reforming the DP scene, and they did that through Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz. Guilherme's signing has gotten some flack and he had inconsistent times in Brazil, but the 30-year-old number's are good, and he scored a hat trick in preseason! Bogusz has proved himself in MLS with LAFC, and will want to get back on track after his Cruz Azul stint. Where he best fits remains to be seen. They then brought Agustin Bouzat into the middle to help out McGlynn, and Lucas Halter to play center back, maybe right back depending on formations. Then, it was bringing back Hector Herrera for a bench role, grabbing Franco Negri and the underrated signing of former USL Golden Boot winner Nick Markanich.

It's hard to judge when a team changes this much, but they can't be less enthusiastic than they were. Jonathan Bond gets the nod in goal, although I still think Blake Gillingham deserves his shot. Griffin Dorsey gets a fullback spot (EDIT: Dorsey has been traded to Orlando, hate that decision right before the season, slot Duane Holmes in at RWB perhaps?), Erik Sviatchenko seeks a comeback season and the other center back is Antonio Carlos. Lawrence Ennali is a player they're very high on and has shown his quickness and close control, and having some guys around him might bring him to live. Ezequiel Ponce has never quite been good enough, and this attack is probably contingent on him making a positive step. Ondrej Lingr is the odd man out, but I like the moves and the depth, so Houston should be excited about some aggression.

PROJECTED XI: Bond; Ennali, Carlos, Sviatchenko, Halter, Holmes; Bouzat, McGlynn; Guilherme, Bogusz, Ponce

2025: 9-15-10 (No. 12 in West), Missed playoffs

15. LA GALAXY | 2/22 vs NYC

It was just a mess, wasn't it. Riqui Puig left the side and everything crumbled, well after they went on to win MLS Cup without him in 2024. The bombshell news that he was once again going to miss the whole year in 2026 was just a painful thing to hear for all parties, it's a terribly sad story for a player that was in conversations for the best in the league. Another player who was in those conversations in 2024 was Gabriel Pec, but everything went haywire and Pec fell apart along with everyone else last year. They still don't have Puig, but I think the Galaxy we saw toward the end of last year — they won three of their last four and played well in Leagues Cup — is more the flavor we'll get instead of literal Wooden Spoon contenders.

Even without Puig, this team was too good to be sitting in the cellar. And so, they kept the team largely the same. At striker, the production wasn't good enough so they added Joao Klauss in a bit of experimental move on an expiring contract. He's never scored more than 10 goals in a season, but he's a better playmaker than he gets credit for and his big presence just moves defenses around. I like the move for the attack and he's going to be involved in plenty of hold-up play to setup Pec and Joseph Paintsil. Justin Haak was one of the hottest free agents on the market and ended up in LA's midfield, as the midfield/defender hybrid has been sitting in front of new add and former MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes and Emiro Garces in preseason. Erik Thommy was also a cool, under-the-radar pickup. They needed to change the defense and they did that.

Novak Micovic is still questionable in goal, but he's got the job. The fullbacks are a toss-up, but for now it's Julian Aude and Miki Yamane. John Nelson could very well start, and I honestly think the 23-year-old Mauricio Cuevas deserves the nod at right back. It'll be by rotation and riding the hot hand. The 36-year-old Marco Reus is going to have a bigger role than he bargained for, but if he can help widen the field by feeding Paintsil and Pec, things will work out just fine because of their one-versus-one danger. Lucas Sanabria was a bust in year one, but he's a solid player that could still work out in the middle, though Edwin Cerrillo and Elijah Wynder also want that job. Let's see if the Galaxy is back. I think they'll figure out life without Puig and become dynamic once again.

PROJECTED XI: Micovic; Aude, Glesnes, Garces, Yamane; Haak, Sanabria, Reus; Paintsil, Pec, Klauss

2025: 7-18-9 (No. 14 in West), Missed playoffs

16. PORTLAND TIMBERS | 2/21 vs CLB

Portland has taken quite the tumble from the yearly successes of the past, having been wild card mainstays as of late and missed the playoffs completely in the seasons before that. This team was as average as it gets a year ago, and the team looks fairly similar. The issue is that David da Costa is injured and they're just not as good without him. It remains to be seen how long he's out because there's really been no news on it. The Timbers will have to make do with what they've got.

Cole Bassett is what they've got, as they acquired him from the Colorado Rapids. Bassett has played a more attacking midfield role before, but they seem content to leave him in a double pivot next to the timeless Diego Chara. Alex Bonetig was brought in from Western Sydney Wanderers and has shown out so well in preseason that he might just get the nod at center back over Kamal Miller. Brandon Bye slots into the right back spot, sending Juan Mosquera to the bench. The rest remains largely the same, though they finally opened that DP spot up by dumping Jonathan Rodriguez.

James Pantemis was one the breakout keepers and will get the whole season to himself in 2026. Jimer Fory was solid and will be the left back. Finn Surman completes the backline, and he's really the anchor of this team. He was great last year and should be expected to do more of the same. Kristoffer Velde may start in that No. 10 role, but it was hard to tell exactly what they want to roll with in preseason. They seem pretty high on Ari Lassiter, as he took a lot of their corner kicks. Velde needs to have a big year and he's shown flashes that he can. Antony looks to build on a career year where he brought all the Brazilian flair. The striker situation is still ugly with Kevin Kelsy and Felipe Mora, but they'll share some goals.

PROJECTED XI: Pantemis; Fory, Bonetig, Surman, Bye; Chara, Bassett, Velde; Antony, Lassiter, Kelsy

2025: 11-12-11 (No. 8 in West), Lost West Quarters

17. ORLANDO CITY SC | 2/21 vs RBNY

Orlando brought in all sorts of Brazilian talent in the offseason, but it might not be enough to make this team good. They were on such a tear last season, but absolutely crumbled and dropped all the way to the bottom of the playoffs before losing in the wild card game. Now, they're in some trouble heading into 2026, and probably more than it seems on paper because there's talent on the roster. Martin Ojeda posted MVP candidate level numbers last season and will be pressured to play at the same level.

There's no doubt that Alex Freeman's departure is the most painful loss. Instead of replacing him at right back, they've inserted Ivan Angulo at right back, which is an experiment that should end before it starts. (EDIT: It did! Orlando acquired Griffin Dorsey at right back, absolutely love that move). Not only can he not attack, but he also can't defend, he just runs fast. They acquired Iago at center back, a promising and young signing from Flamengo that had a nightmare early in his preseason days. They also grabbed Luis Otavio and Tiago, all in those U22 Initiative slots. Braian Ojeda was a good move in the midfield and helps stop the bleeding of the Cesar Araujo exit. Maxime Crepeau takes charge of the goal after Pedro Gallese left. Luis Muriel also returned to Colombia.

Again, there's some potential on this team. But there's more questions. It starts in the back, where Robin Jansson is injured. David Brekalo and Iago isn't very formidable, and especially not with Adrian Marin and Angulo next to them. Wilder Cartagena is finally back from his long-term injury to pair up with Eduard Atuesta, and will hopefully bring some of that needed bite to the midfield. Marco Pasalic was solid last year, but teams should really watch some film and step onto his left foot if he cuts inside. The other wing is there for the taking, it'll start as Tyrese Spicer but some Brazilians might have something to say about that. Up top, it's Duncan McGuire back at the wheel. What a truly weird career the 25-year-old has already had, and it might get even weirder if he gets back to bagging goals.

PROJECTED XI: Crepeau; Marin, Brekalo, Iago, Dorsey; Cartagena, Atuesta, Ojeda, Spicer, Pasalic; McGuire

2025: 14-9-11 (No. 9 in East), Lost East Wild Card

18. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION | 2/21 at NSH

A lot of teams around this range are stalling projects, but there's a lot of excitement about the New England Revolution. Marko Mitrovic has brought everything Caleb Porter was lacking, especially in the human aspect, prior to the season. Now, he's challenged with the final and most difficult step of turning Porter's losses into Mitrovic wins on the pitch. The Revs still rely on the chance creation of Carles Gil, who hasn't shown much age restriction yet at 33. Gil has produced every single season, even with years of subpar attackers around him. This attack is an exciting one heading into 2026, as Dor Turgeman arrived from Maccabi Tel Aviv and scored in every game he played (3/3) at the end of 2025.

The roster revamp took place the offseason prior, and it didn't exactly work. But, there was some solid recruitment and some clearly MLS-caliber players in the team that Porter could not get the best out of. That left Curt Onalfo and Mitrovic to bring in just a handful of players, starting with Brooklyn Raines in the center of midfield. Mitrovic brought over guys he worked with in the US youth national team picture, and the ball-winning and high-motor Raines was one of them. He should start next to Alhassan Yusuf, who has been one of those consistently solid players, a move that would rightfully send Matt Polster to the bench. Griffin Yow is back in MLS after having some fun with Westerlo in Belgium. Ethan Kohler is the ultimate utility player and should help out everywhere.

Matt Turner is sticking around for now, we'll see if he wants to find a new home in England when his loan expires in the summer. The backline is entirely the same, which could be a good or bad thing depending on last year. Hanging onto Brayan Ceballos despite rumors of his departure was massively important. Mamadou Fofana must be a lot better than he was in that partnership. Ilay Feingold had some great moments, but he too struggled for consistency. Peyton Miller is still only 18, but even with all the rumors of moves to massive clubs, he has a lot of work to do refining his game outside of his pace. The deployment of forwards is still a question, but right now it seems that Turgeman will play on the wing with Leo Campana, who has banged goals in all preseason, at striker. Luca Langoni serves as the speedy super sub in this case, which isn't ideal for the record signing that hasn't quite worked out.

PROJECTED XI: Turner; Miller, Fofana, Ceballos, Feingold; Raines, Yusuf, Gil; Yow, Turgeman, Campana

2025: 9-16-9 (No. 11 in East), Missed playoffs

19. NEW YORK RED BULLS | 2/21 at ORL

The Red Bulls finally missed the playoffs, ending a very long streak of doing the opposite. It's a funny pattern, as since 2003, they've missed out just twice. In both instances (2008 and 2024), they finished below the line one season after losing in MLS Cup. This year, they're in danger of missing out again. They've put all their energy (another pun intended) into improving one thing and it's left some real doubts about how this machine will work all together. Last year, Emil Forsberg was fine and Eric Choupo-Moting was fine. The duo scored goals but not in enough games. It was all too streaky and they lacked the help elsewhere in the attack.

At the very least, that should no longer be an issue. After rotating through youthful options in the wing and not finding a hot hand, they went out and brought Cade Cowell back to MLS, then paired him with DP Jorge Ruvalcaba. Cowell is a crafty pickup and provides some dynamic play that this team has historically lacked down the wing. Justin Che, Robert Voloder and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty were the defensive additions, but I don't think any of those move the needle. Ethan Horvath was a good get at goalkeeper.

The defense is just hard to overlook. If they play Dylan Nealis out of position at center back, Justin Che out of position at center back, none of it is going to look pretty. Robert Voloder wasn't good at Sporting Kansas City so there's no reason why that would change, and Tim Parker isn't an ideal starter at this stage either. Marshall-Rutty has greatly struggled so far in his career, though Omar Valencia has shown some promise on the left. In the middle, Ronald Donkor and Adri Mehmeti will compete for a regular role in the midfield with Gustav Berggren, which is another unproven rough spot of this team. Noah Eile and Sean Nealis left and it doesn't feel like they did a good enough job responding to that. But, there's no reason this attack shouldn't be fun, it just has to be good enough to win games alone.

PROJECTED XI: Horvath; Valencia, Voloder, Nealis, Che; Berggren, Donkor, Forsberg, Ruvalcaba, Cowell; Choupo-Moting

2025: 12-15-7 (No. 10 in East), Missed playoffs

20. AUSTIN FC | 2/21 vs MIN

Austin FC hasn't been around for that long, but they've missed on almost every signing in their short history. Their big swings have led to strikeouts, take Emiliano Rigoni or Osman Bukari for example, even Tomas Pochettino. Myrto Uzuni is trending in that direction after busting in year one. To their credit, they've done a good job offloading these guys, but their attempt to send Uzuni to Turkey fell short this offseason. Brandon Vazquez is still recovering from his torn ACL, so Uzuni will remain their guy.

Next up on the list of big swings is Facundo Torres. His numbers in Orlando were great every year, but he tended to start seasons on fire and fade out. That inconsistency is not going to fly as the marquee man in Austin. They also added Joseph Rosales, which is still a pretty puzzling move given that Guilherme Biro is one of the more locked in left backs in the league. It's likely that Rosales will play higher up the pitch, but after a horrid year in Minnesota, was that the best get at winger? In response to that, they grabbed Jayden Nelson from Vancouver on the wing. They got Jon Bell for some defensive depth too.

Ironman Brad Stuver returns in goal, with Brendan Hines-Ike and Oleksandr Svatok in front of him. Jon Gallagher will fight Mikkel Desler on the right side. The shape elsewhere is a mystery, especially with Owen Wolff's short absence to start the year. Ilie Sanchez may start next to Dani Pereira to start, but they've got too many guys to fit into the attacking positions. Torres could play the No. 10 with Wolff and Nelson/Rosales on the wings, or maybe it's Wolff who moves back inside upon his return. Whatever it may be, Torres and Uzuni have to be good, but Austin probably isn't build for winning in the short-term.

PROJECTED XI: Stuver; Biro, Hines-Ike, Svatok, Gallagher; Sanchez, Pereira, Torres, Nelson, Rosales; Uzuni

2025: 13-13-8 (No. 6 in West), Lost West Quarters

21. COLORADO RAPIDS | 2/22 at SEA

The Colorado Rapids will get their first full season of Paxten Aaronson, who they hope will compete with the great No. 10's across the league. He isn't naturally a creator as much as he is a box-to-box midfielder, so that might cause problems. They impressed in their final preseason game against Orlando, but it's still hard to see this team competing in the West. Last year, they offloaded Djordje Mihailovic when things weren't going very well, and that certainly didn't help. Rafael Navarro has officially rebounded from his bad start in MLS with two really solid seasons, but he probably needs to score more than 12 goals.

Addition wise, a likely three starters were brought in. Lucas Herrington is an incredibly promising 18-year-old center back from Brisbane Roar who might slide into the lineup right away. Hamzat Ojediran from Lens is slotted to replace Cole Bassett in the center of midfield. Dante Sealy was an underrated piece for CF Montreal at the end of last season and wants to replicate that scoring. They're also getting Miguel Navarro back after he never appeared during his previous stint.

Sam Vines and Reggie Cannon are no shoo-ins at fullback with Jackson Travis, M. Navarro and Keegan Rosenberry in competition. Those should be the two to start, though, next to Herrington and Rob Holding, though Ian Murphy and Noah Cobb are there too. There's actually a lot of good depth here, but you just worry if it's more of a case of a bunch of okay soccer players without any really good ones. Connor Ronan projects as Ojediran's partner in the middle under Aaronson. Navarro leads the line with Sealy and Darren Yapi on his sides. There's so much young talent, also Ted Ku-DiPietro and Alexis Manyoma, even Josh Atencio, but some of these guys have to make the sizable jump in usefulness.

PROJECTED XI: Steffen; Vines, Holding, Herrington, Cannon; Ojediran, Ronan, Aaronson; Sealy, Yapi, Navarro

2025: 11-15-8 (No. 11 in East), Missed playoffs

22. REAL SALT LAKE | 2/21 at VAN

Real Salt Lake lost half the games they played last year, but still snuck into the wild card game. That's how open the West is and will continue to be in the bottom half of the playoff picture. RSL had what is probably a net positive of an offseason, but that's mostly because they got bad players off the books. Diogo Goncalves had to go, and did, and Rwan Cruz genuinely has a shout in the collection of the worst players to ever touch a DP tag. Those were important removals, but they did plenty of work to replace them as well.

The question will be is if these new additions can be the difference. I'm the biggest fan of Juan Sanabria, who will take on the left wingback spot. He is what they've needed in that spot. Having another setup man out of the back will be huge. They then grabbed Lukas Engel to play that same left center back in the five-back that he did in Cincinnati. Juan Jose Arias is another new center back signing. Stijn Spierings brings the profile of just a strong central midfielder, perhaps some shades of what Pablo Ruiz used to be. That brings us to the big one in Morgan Guilavogui. I will voice my dislike of this as a DP signing and challenge him to prove me wrong.

One of the reasons I'm not a fan of Guilavogui's profile is in my eyes, if you're going to put Zavier Gozo on the bench, it better be for a good reason. One goal in 480 total Ligue 1 minutes last season isn't anything to write home about, and neither is six Bundesliga goals the season prior — just in terms of deserving DP status. Now, a potential solution is to stick Gozo at right wingback, and they might just try that to fit everyone in the team. That move would send DeAndre Yedlin inside to center back, leaving RSL with two true fullbacks next to Justen Glad. Outside of numbers, Guilavogui is going to bring tight control and solid passing, but if they stick his 6-foot-2 frame out on the wing and put Victor Olatunji up top, it might not be everything they hoped for. Emeka Eneli is an intriguing talent who badly needs to play well this year. Diego Luna is the centerpiece of the whole project, and there's little doubt he'll remain a superstar.

PROJECTED XI: Cabral; Sanabria, Engel, Glad, Yedlin, Gozo; Eneli, Spierings; Luna, Guilavogui, Olatunji

2025: 12-17-5 (No. 9 in West), Lost West Wild Card

23. ATLANTA UNITED | 2/21 at CIN

Atlanta United clearly believe their attack is good enough to cause problems, and they should be right on paper. The issue is that the team finished 14th last year after bringing in the most expensive player in league history. For a team historically known to make the biggest signings, they left that for another time this offseason. The Five Stripes want to give it another whirl with their guys, but it's hard to see a world where they can turn everything around with a team that was so bad. With that being said, Tata Martino is back at the helm to bring back the glory days perhaps?

Atlanta is grabbing Fafa Picault and leaving the whole rest of the attack intact. The pickups came on defense, in the form of Elias Baez, Tomas Jacob and Lucas Hoyos. Hoyos probably gets the nod in goal, but many argue for the young Jayden Hibbert. Jacob is likely to slide up into the midfield even though he's more of a natural center back. Elias Baez may not start from the jump, but he should win that left back job over Pedro Amador, who hasn't shown anything but a nice left foot. They identified issues defensively and fixed some, but it still doesn't look as good as it needs to.

At center back, Stian Gregersen had a rough, injured year. The other options are all just okay, including Juan Berrocal and Enea Mihaj, neither of which have been impressive. Ronald Hernandez is somehow still around and probably starts at right back to start the year, though Matthew Edwards makes a case. The midfield will include Steven Alzate next to Jacob, with Tristan Muyumba and Jay Fortune as other options. Alexey Miranchuk needs a heck of a comeback season, as does Miguel Almiron, as does Saba Lobjanidze. But no one needs it as much as the $22 million man Emmanuel Latte Lath. Almiron wasn't bad for what he was given last year, but Miranchuk was outside of a few moments and Saba didn't even score in MLS. Latte Lath scored five goals before April and scored just two the whole rest of the year, and even got benched for multiple games. He's so talented that there's a good chance he bounces back and scores 15+ goals, but if not, what a failure.

PROJECTED XI: Hoyos; Baez, Berrocal, Gregersen, Hernandez; Jacob, Alzate, Miranchuk; Almiron, Lobjanidze, Latte Lath

2025: 5-16-13 (No. 14 in West), Missed playoffs

24. FC DALLAS | 2/21 vs TOR

FC Dallas has made it a habit to sneak into those last playoff places, and that's going to be in the (wild) cards again in 2026. The Western Conference is a collection of teams searching for identity beyond the top four, and there's reason to believe Dallas can once again be a No. 7 seed that slides into the playoffs and loses in the first or second round. But, is that good enough for their wants? They haven't won more than one playoff round since they lost in MLS Cup back in 2010. This team isn't likely to change that.

They didn't really change anything from last year's acceptable season. At least, the way they ended, once the Luciano Acosta ordeal was overwith. Herman Johansson is the biggest shakep to the lineup, as he provides a legit threat going forward at right wingback. Joaquin Valiente is on his way in to play some winger and attacking midfielder, and maybe provide some of the creation that Dallas badly needs. At backup goalkeeper, they acquired Jonathan Sirois.

It's Michael Collodi's job, and he made that clear when he sent Maarten Paes packing. Bernard Kamungo hasn't really produced anything since 2023, but he'll be back at the left wingback spot next to a likely center back trio of Shaq Moore, Osaze Urhoghide and Sebastian Ibeagha. Urhoghide was one of the best at the position when healthy in his first year. The midfield is crowded, but it seems to be a trio of Ramiro, Kaick and Christian Cappis to start. Logan Farrington seems to have earned a starting spot at striker next to the all-important Petar Musa. Musa has been through it all with this team, and he's smashed in goals despite all else, so no reason to believe he won't keep scoring.

PROJECTED XI: Collodi; Kamungo, Moore, Urhoghide, Ibeagha, Johansson; Ramiro, Kaick, Cappis; Farrington, Musa

2025: 11-12-11 (No. 7 in West), Lost West Quarters

25. TORONTO FC | 2/21 at DAL

Toronto FC's offseason was supposed to end much more promising than it was. It seemed like Walker Zimmerman was the start of something great, but they just couldn't get anything else done and now the team is right back to not being good enough. Toronto went on a draw streak that the streets will never forget at the end of last season, and that was a statement they were headed in the right direction. The team looks a little better, but it's not good enough to compete still.

Outside of the massive addition of Zimmerman at center back, they grabbed Matheus Pereira, no not that one. He's a Brazilian left back who doesn't move the needle much. He could start at left back and shift Richie Laryea back to the right, and I dont think many opposing attacks are very scared of that. The real failure was missing out on Josh Sargent. It wasn't their own fault, and maybe it still happens at some point, but that ruined the offseason. Sargent would've taken this team up a few notches, but instead they're getting Emilio Aristizabal from Atletico Nacional. A decent young pickup, but they need to keep pushing for Norwich City to give up on Sargent.

The lengthy Luka Gavran gets his first starting job after Sean Johnson, who was Toronto's best player in 2025, left for DC United. Zimmerman will probably start to Zane Monlouis, a solid former Arsenal youth center back, but Kosi Thompson and Nicksoen Gomis want that role. The midfield of Jose Cifuentes and Alonso Coello is one of the bright spots, but Cifuentes' loan goes until the summer. If he's good enough, they'll trigger the purchase option. Coello has been a quality player for TFC as well and will be joined by veteran Jonathan Osorio. Toronto will get better results with Djordje Mihailovic floating in the middle as a No. 10, but he's also spent time being less-effective out on the wing. Deandre Kerr is still your starting striker here, which just isn't up to the level of a contender. Theo Corbeanu had some really impressive runs last year and had his purchase option triggered.

PROJECTED XI: Gavran; Pereira, Zimmerman, Monlouis, Laryea; Cifuentes, Coello, Osorio; Mihailovic, Corbeanu, Kerr

2025: 6-14-14 (No. 12 in East), Missed playoffs

26. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES | 2/22 vs SKC

In this same article at this time last year, I voiced my worries about San Jose bringing in all these attackers but not changing their defense that conceded a league-record 78 goals. The only adds were players from the 2024 New England Revolution, the only team comparable that year with their 74 goals against. Alas, they conceded another 63 goals in 2025, which ranked as fourth-worst in all of MLS. Heading into 2026, they've gone and done the same thing. This is still a bad backline, and the results are going to reflect that, again. It's a lesson that you would expect to be learned by the aged mind of Bruce Arena.

Instead, DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Daniel Munie and Benji Kikanovic enter the year in the back. The Quakes like to market Munie as the fastest center back in MLS, how about some defense? Jones is an improved defender over the years, but still is better going forward and Kikanovic is really just a converted attacker, and that usually doesn't go well. They added Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez for 2025, they scored 27 combined goals, and then they dumped both of them. As an extension to this bad experiment, they've gone out and made the big signing in Timo Werner, but what does it even matter on this team? They were silent in the market otherwise, and that's the issue.

Daniel will start at goalkeeper once again, and he will remain busy. The midfield has a bit more presence to it if San Jose does end up running all of Ronaldo Vieira, Ian Harkes and Beaux Leroux in there, but they're not great at any one thing either. This team is such a mess that I haven't even gotten to the Cristian Espinoza departure. He finally escaped after seven years, good for him. Losing those three, the Earthquakes are returning way under half of their goals from last season. That puts all the pressure on Werner and his striker partner, Preston Judd. Niko Tsakiris will probably get his chance to run the show at the attacking mid, but there's not much to like overall here. Not exactly sure who's going to be getting Werner in good positions to score. Big fan of Leroux, but the list ends around there.

PROJECTED XI: Daniel; Jones, Romney, Munie, Kikanovic; Vieira, Harkes, Leroux, Tsakiris; Judd, Werner

2025: 11-15-8 (No. 10 in East), Missed playoffs

27. ST. LOUIS CITY SC | 2/21 vs CLT

St. Louis CITY fans yearn for the times when their club was just starting out, and somehow turning one win into another en route to a near-perfect debut season. The sophomore slump stray they caught higher up in the story then turned into a junior slump. Now, it's year four and there's little hope. Roman Burki is a DP. Burki, a great goalkeeper, won Goalkeeper of the Year a few years ago, but you know it's dark times if he's a DP. Joao Klauss was shipped to LA Galaxy, freeing up that DP spot for nobody. Marcel Hartel is the other, and he's been one of the better attacking midfielders in the league the past couple seasons, but it's not easy to produce with the state STL has been in.

They're going to bring in Sergio Cordova to compete at the striker position. While we're on the topic of the worst guys to ever be called a DP with Rwan Cruz and RSL, here's a former RSL player who was one of those horrific DPs for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2023. Needless to say, I wouldn't expect big things from him. They're probably better off just starting Simon Becher in this case. They did make a great add at center back, bringing in Mamadou Fall to pair with his Fall counterpart in Fallou, once he's healthy. Daniel Edelman arrived from the New York Red Bulls in midfield. They got some other depth in Rafael Santos, Lukas MacNaughton and a guy who can compete for a starting job in Dante Polvara. Holding onto Conrad Wallem was also massive.

Timo Baumgartl or Polvara should step in for Fallou until he's healthy, and Tomas Totland has the right back spot. The central spot next to Eduard Lowen is open, perhaps it's Edelman, Polvara or Durkin. The wingers provide no excitement, as Cedric Teuchert had a brutal 2025 and Jeong Sang-bin has spent three years in MLS being just a guy at this point. Celio Pompeu has had a handful of moments, but the attack in general is just kind of there. It was already bad before they got rid of their leading scorer, and without an ample replacement, there's no reason to believe St. Louis will be winning boatloads of games.

PROJECTED XI: Burki; Wallem, M. Fall, Baumgartl, Totland; Edelman, Lowen, Hartel, Sang-bin, Teuchert; Becher

2025: 6-14-14 (No. 12 in East), Missed playoffs

28. CF MONTREAL | 2/21 at SD

CF Montreal hasn't had a whole lot of success since selling the likes of Djordje Mihailovic, Ismael Kone, Alistair Johnston, etc. years ago. After winning just six games in 2025, they rightfully switched things up. Per usual, none of those changes were big ones money-wise. Ivan Jaime returns as the only DP on the roster, and he only had 300 minutes worth of a sample size so it's too early to judge. But, even if he's a solid creator, he's never been much of a goal scorer, and there's probably not enough guys who are on this team to have success.

They did make a ton of changes, starting with shipping Jonathan Sirois to give Thomas Gillier the nod in goal. Gillier and Jaime are both on loan until the summer, so that'll be another decision down the line. The defense is where this gets interesting. Right now, it seems like the center back addition from Real Salt Lake, Brayan Vera, will take the left back role with his magical left foot. That leaves Tomas Aviles, who arrives from Inter Miami, to pair up with standout 21-year-old Efrain Morales. Dawid Bugaj is the right back for now, but there's Luca Petrasso, Aleksandr Guboglo and Bode Hidalgo all competing at fullback as well. They also added Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who can really play anywhere on the field. He primarily featured at fullback for Orlando City, but he might play higher on the wing or in the midfield for Montreal. They also added Ivan Losenko from Shakhtar and Noah Streit From FC Basel. Oh, and Wiki Carmona was acquired via trade from New York Red Bulls. Daniel Rios signed in free agency too. So many additions.

There's a lot of guys on this team, and if some of them turn out to be good, Montreal will shoot up the rankings. For now, it's too unproven and too much of a question mark across the board. The semi-makeshift backline with all sorts of guys moving around may be difficult to manage. The midfield is still fairly weak, and while Samuel Piette is a veteran presence and Victor Loturi is decent, it's not going to compete with the top teams. Matty Longstaff will get some looks in there, and Olger Escobar and Carmona are also hopefuls. Hennadii Synchuk is a fun and exciting player on the wing. Up top, Prince Owusu will be the main man after collecting a career year in 2025. He was extremely effective and took his chances. He'll be backed up by Rios and Mahala Opoku is somehow still rostered. I think I'm far too confused by this team to put them any higher right now, but the youth and untapped potential may wreak some havoc and create some surprises as the season progresses.

PROJECTED XI: Gillier; Vera, Morales, Aviles, Bugaj; Piette, Loturi, Jaime, Thorhallsson, Synchuk; Owusu

2025: 6-18-10 (No. 13 in East), Missed playoffs

29. DC UNITED | 2/22 vs PHI

DC United is going with the San Jose Earthquakes strategy, grabbing two DP strikers and acting like that's shooting for the stars. Shooting for the stars is completing a total roster build where every position is accounted for, but that's not what's gone on here. The midfield is probably easily the worst in MLS, and nothing was done to change that. They might score a few more goals than they did last year, but that won't pull them from five wins to a playoff team on its own. Some changes in the back may help a little bit, but the construction is too similar to last year.

Sean Johnson was the big pickup at goalkeeper — he was amazing last year and it's a cool add but that can only do so much for you. Keisuke Kurokawa is the new left back to replace the departed David Schnegg, who was one of the more solid pieces they had last year. Sean Nealis ended his time with the New York Red Bulls on a sour note and will pair up with Lucas Bartlett to make a center back duo that's just alright. Perhaps it's Kye Rowles, and that's not any better. They added Silvan Hefti to compete with Aaron Herrera at right back. Now, the big two: Tai Baribo and Louis Munteanu. Munteanu is a guy who scored 25 goals in 42 games for CFJ Cluj in 2024-25, so at the very least, DC has used a DP spot on a guy who has scored a lot of goals recently, which isn't often the case with a lot of these failed DP signings. He makes a lot of dangerous runs and excels at backing down defenders in the hold-up. Most everyone is familiar with what Baribo can do, he's simply a player with a nose for goal and tends to be in the right spot.

The problem, once again, is who's feeding these two guys. Neither one is much of a self-creator, which makes for an interesting striker partnership. Caden Clark is far removed from playing truly good soccer. He's got a whole lot of talent and is still only 22, so maybe he gets back to that level on the wing. Joao Peglow should take the other wing and was one of the only dynamic pieces DC had last year. The midfield is a mess like we talked about. You can plug Matti Peltola, Hosei Kijima, Brandon Servania, Jackson Hopkins — I don't think any combination is good enough in a two-versus-two battle against other double pivots in the league. Then, there's the question of Gabriel Pirani and if he has a true role for DC after scoring eight goals last year. Another mess, and another case where they should score some goals and probably lose a lot more games.

PROJECTED XI: Johnson; Kurokawa, Bartlett, Nealis, Herrera; Peltola, Kijima, Peglow, Clark; Baribo, Munteanu

2025: 5-18-11 (No. 15 in East), Missed playoffs

30. SPORTING KANSAS CITY | 2/21 at SJ

And at long last, we've made it to the bottom. Sporting Kansas City spent most of the preseason with about 15 players, not even near enough to field a matchday team. They finally started to get some rumors two weeks out from the season, but they still need to secure some of those signings. The Capita move seems to be off the cards, and that was the exciting one, but if they could land Lasse Berg Johnsen, that would be helpful. As would U22 center back Diego Borges. I lead with the players they might be getting because, well, this is up there with the worst rosters I've ever seen entering a fresh MLS campaign.

The acquistions consisted of Calvin Harris on the wing, Justin Reynolds and Jayden Reid at fullback and Wyatt Meyer at center back. That puts them at 18 non-goalkeepers. The latter three of those are essentially MLS NEXT Pro players. Harris at least can make things happen, and has in a decent SKC preseason, but for perspective, their biggest signing of the offseason so far (after finishing dead last in the West) is an attacker who's never eclipsed five goals in a season. It's really hard to see this working out any other way than a horrific soccer team, isn't it?

John Pulskamp conceded 70 goals last year, obviously the situation isn't his fault. What's probably more embarrassing is that he ranked fourth on the team in assists last season, with two. As a goalkeeper. Anyway, he's going to have Ian James and Jansen Miller in front of him, a pair of youngsters that made their debuts last year. They're in different youngster ranges though, as James is 17 and Miller is 24. Jake Davis is trying to hold onto the right back spot with Reynolds coming in and Zorhan Bassong, one of the bright spots last year, can play either left back or center midfield. Jacob Bartlett is another option for the midfield. Manu Garcia dropped further from an attacking mid role into the central midfield and serves as more of a deep-lying playmaker. This has allowed Daniel Salloi to float inside more as a second striker or attacking midfielder this preseason, which is different from his usual winger role. He's been good at it, and it'll be Harris and Shapi Suleymanov on the wings next to him. Up top, the perennial goal scorer Dejan Joveljic. The guy can just score.

PROJECTED XI: Pulskamp; Bassong, James, Miller, Davis; Bartlett, Garcia, Salloi, Harris, Suleymanov; Joveljic

2025: 7-20-7 (No. 15 in West), Missed playoffs