MLS Power Rankings: Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami drop as FC Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake climb

Sporting are in horrendous form at the moment, and Peter Vermes might have the hottest seat in MLS. The 2023 playoff side have been the most shocking performers this season, and they’re just about on the floor.

A narrow 2-1 victory over a 10-man Seattle saw them earn their first three points since March 30, but it’s not clear that is going to change the trajectory.

You can really only go up from here, right? This coaching hire will be so important, the club must get it right.

Pineda is out, Almada is scoring again and if reports are accurate, the Five Stripes will have $10M in cash coming their way for striker Giorgis Giakoumakis, who is headed to Mexico with Cruz Azul.

THE REVS HAVE WON TWO GAMES IN A ROW KLAXON!

They’re still in last place, but they have won two in a row

That’s worth celebrating, and maybe it’s a sign of something to come.

Oh, San Jose. They were playing great until they somehow conceded three goals in the final 10 minutes of a loss vs NYCFC. Truly, it was baffling.

They’re not great, but at least things are happening when they take the pitch – the good and the bad.

FCD have sacked Nico Estevez, and now, they have to get things right. It’s been a disastrous start to the season – and neither Jesus Ferreira or Petar Musa are scoring consistently.

They only managed a 1-1 draw against an MNUFC side essentially missing their entire starting XI. That’s so poor. And now a big few weeks ahead.

Chicago are somehow finding a small flicker of form. Three straight without a loss, and they have five points across that stretch.

Xherdan Shaqiri’s early departure for Switzerland camp may have been a good thing, because Brian Gutierrez is suddenly looking like the teen star everyone thought he could be.

How do you beat FC Cincinnati and then lose to the Revolution within a four-day span? It makes no sense, and frankly, neither does Nashville.

They are in the process of adding a new head coach, and it will be critical to get it right.

They drew the Fire and then lost to RBNY due to a BANGER of a free kick from John Tolkin. That’s rough.

Orlando aren’t very good, and they have a lot of high-profile players. Something isn’t working.

Woof, Montreal.

Their front-office is falling apart and their results on the pitch are sporadic.

It was an impressive result over DC United, and they should be proud of it. However, there’s so much chaos here. It’s hard to judge what is happening with the Canadian club.

Seattle’s 2024 season is one to be studied. All the pieces to be competitive are there, including a sensational coach in Brian Schmetzer.

So it’s hard to understand what’s going on, but it’s not anything good. If MLS’ playoff system was tighter, one might already consider them out of the postseason.

Austin were embarrassed by RSL, and it showed the levels between MLS’ elite and the bottom-dwellers. They need to some movement and shakeup in the summer if they want to find their way back to the top after a very poor showing last week.

Portland started terribly, but lucky for them, the bottom half of the West is arguably worse. They sit in a playoff spot after five points in their last three matches, and that should leave them content.

It’s Christian Benteke’s world and we’re just living in it. He now has 13 goals on the season, chasing Chicho Arango for the Golden Boot. He did, however, leave Saturday’s match with a non-contact injury, and that could spell disaster.

DC are fun, but their defense is not and without Benteke? Oh boy.

Colorado are so much fun, but they’re also really puzzling. Their attack can be electric, and at the same time, their defense shambolic – 16 goals conceded in six games. Not good.

They had an impressive result vs Miami, but there’s still nothing to convince you that they’re good enough to be anything but a fringe playoff team in 2024.

A 0-0 draw vs Portland doesn’t help their case, either.

They snapped a losing streak, but still don’t know how to win at home. It would normally be unfathomable to think Jim Curtin could be on the hot seat, but the clock has to be ticking.

Two points in two matches isn’t good enough in front of fans at Subaru Park.

The Dynamo are right where they should be. A nice win over Colorado and a so-so draw vs Portland has them coasting.

Getting your arch-rival’s coach sacked says something about this club. Strolling into Mercedes Benz Stadium, winning 3-2 and then seeing Pineda removed – it might just be the best win of their tenure.

Now they need to start showing some consistency – if they do it, they can climb the East.

John Herdman and Federico Bernardeschi finally look to be figuring things out in Canada. Now the Italian has to get the club to stop committing fouls and getting red cards.

Marco Reus could change the entire season for the Galaxy, but losing to Chicago is a really bad result.

That doesn’t take away from the brilliance of Riqui Puig, though. He has been sensational.

With two big wins in a short span, the Whitecaps pulled off results against Sporting KC and the Colorado Rapids last week. They are back up to fifth in the West, and will likely make a play for top four throughout the summer.

The Red Bulls lost to the New England Revolution, and that should automatically be a red flag for any team. They’ve looked good of late, but that’s a really poor result.

With a disappointing end to their CONCACAF Champions Cup run, the Crew fell 3-0 to Pachuca in the final. Now they can turn their full attention to the league.

The next month will be crucial to their success, as they need to continue climbing the East.

Eric Ramsay is the frontrunner for MLS Coach of the Year, right? What a performance from the touchline of late. His experimental formations, tactical tweaks and rotations have been nothing short of impressive.

Tani Oluwaseyi has been one of the brightest stars in the league this season, while Robin Lod looks locked in for Best XI from the midfield position.

Alright Yankees fans, you have our attention. Well… you know what we mean.

Jokes aside, NYCFC are balling right now. Nick Cushing has been serving it up on the pitch, and his club is not falling flat. With eight wins in their last 11, including a 5-1 destruction of the Earthquakes at the weekend, the Pigeons are flying.

Miami have fallen flat over the two past weeks, with a 3-1 loss to Atlanta United and then a disappointing 3-3 draw vs St. Louis CITY SC. Luis Suarez is in a slump, and the Herons midfield can’t get it together. And Copa America is going to take top players off this roster, including Messi.

That, and their defense is slowly falling apart, lacking composure when necessary.

Five straight clean sheets and five straight wins? LAFC are cruising, and they’re ultimately looking like the scary MLS Cup foes we saw in 2023.

And by the way, they’re adding Olivier Giroud to their ranks in July.

FCC are cruising in the Eastern Conference. With a game in hand, they trail Miami by just two points and they’re immediately looking like title contenders once again.

Matchday 18 did include a hiccup against Nashville SC. They shockingly fell 2-0, but the result genuinely felt like an anomaly amid their recent form.

RSL are FLYING and Chicho Arango is the hottest player in MLS at the moment – yes, more so than Messi. The Colombian has 16 goals and is coming off a ridiculous hat trick on matchday 18, including this sensational effort from the halfway line:

Pablo Mastroeni’s side sit atop the Western Conference and are closing-in on the Supporters’ Shield.