Matchday 23 is in the books, and it has become clear now which teams are true 2026 MLS Cup contenders. Nashville SC proved once again that they’re the cream of the crop with a 4–0 trouncing of FC Cincinnati, while Inter Miami rekindled some magic in a 7–1 beatdown of CF Montréal, snapping a five-game winless skid. Add in the Houston Dynamo’s impeccable defense and the Vancouver Whitecaps’ second-straight clean sheet win, and it made for a thrilling weekend to close out a topsy-turvy month.With fall approaching and the race for the MLS Cup playoffs set to kick into high gear in the next few weeks, Sports Illustrated dives into how all of the teams stack up against each other heading into the business end of the campaign. MLS Power Rankings Matchday 23: Clubs 30–1130. Sporting Kansas City (Previous: 30)29. Atlanta United (Previous: 28)28. Columbus Crew (Previous: 25)27. CF Montréal (Previous: 29)26. D.C. United (Previous: 26)25. Austin FC (Previous: 27)24. Orlando City (Previous: 23)23. Colorado Rapids (Previous: 24)22. L.A. Galaxy (Previous: 20)21. Toronto FC (Previous: 22)20. Red Bull New York (Previous: 19)19. Philadelphia Union (Previous: 21)18. Seattle Sounders (Previous: 18)17. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous: 15)16. St. Louis CITY SC (Previous: 17)15. San Diego FC (Previous: 16)14. Minnesota United (Previous: 14)13. Real Salt Lake (Previous: 12)12. Portland Timbers (Previous: 11)11. New York City FC (Previous: 10)10. FC Dallas (Previous: 13) ⬆️Sam Sarver (right) and Logan Farrington (left) celebrated as FC Dallas grabbed a late point on Sunday night. | Dilip Vishwanat/MLS/Getty ImagesFC Dallas might sit fifth in the Western Conference, but they’re in quite a strong position heading into the remainder of the season. On Sunday, manager Eric Quill’s group wrapped up a nine-match road swing with a thrilling late goal to secure a 3–3 draw against St. Louis CITY SC.While this weekend’s performance wasn’t enough to keep Petar Musa in the Golden Boot lead or launch them into the top of the conference, they will have the opportunity to do so in the final stretch with eight of their remaining 12 fixtures at home. Dallas have many of the key pieces to make a real run into contender status down the stretch but will likely have to adjust to playing with greater shares of possession than they’ve had on the road in recent months. It will be a shift, but with Musa, Logan Farrington and other key contributors, they stand a strong chance of figuring it out and pushing themselves into the top four as soon as next weekend’s homecoming clash against the dismal Sporting Kansas City. 9. FC Cincinnati (Previous: 4) 📉Evander’s qualities weren’t enough for FC Cincinnati this weekend. | Dustin Markland/Getty ImagesIt was a very bad night for FC Cincinnati and a glaring awakening of how far away the team is from the best in MLS. While they beat the Western Conference force of Vancouver Whitecaps last month, they were no test for the league-leading Nashville SC, who dominated them in every aspect of the game. With just two wins in the last six games, Cincinnati have let any dreams of a Supporters’ Shield challenge slip away and are solely focused on playoff positioning at this point.If they don’t win next week’s clash against D.C. United, they could fall to seventh in the Eastern Conference, and the noise around general manager Chris Albright and manager Pat Noonan’s job security could grow more tense. 8. Charlotte FC (Previous: 9) ⬆️Allan Saint-Maximin (center) has pushed Charlotte FC to the upper echelon of MLS. | Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire/Getty ImagesAllan Saint-Maximin’s addition to Charlotte FC has changed the picture compared to the club’s previous Designated Player, Wilfried Zaha. The former Newcastle United star has embraced the challenges and opportunities in MLS quickly and posted an assist in this weekend’s 2–0 win over Atlanta United, helping the Israeli international duo of Liel Abada and Idan Toklomati hit the back of the net. If Saint-Maximin can continue his productive form, then it offers manager Dean Smith plenty of more options to tinker with in the attack. Abada can shift higher to support Toklomati, allowing DP midfielder Pep Biel to drop into an orchestrating role in midfield, where he could have more influence on how The Crown moves in transition. At the end of the day, though, Atlanta did little this week to offer any real test for a team of Charlotte’s potential. Next week’s clash against the Houston Dynamo will be a much more significant test of how the reformed Saint-Maximin-led attack can break down a strong defensive system. 7. Houston Dynamo (Previous: 7) 🤝Guilherme was unable to score for the Houston Dynamo against the struggling San Jose Earthquakes. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Houston Dynamo’s hot form has officially cooled down, as they failed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the Western Conference with last week’s loss to St. Louis CITY SC and this week’s scoreless draw against a San Jose Earthquakes side that has just one win in 12 games since April 5. The Dynamo’s defensive system remains strong, though. Since returning from the World Cup, they have conceded just three goals in eight games, and their five-game win streak a few weeks ago came with shutout performances. Jonathan Bond made four saves this week and looks to be a contender for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year as well. The challenge for manager Ben Olsen’s men will be becoming a more consistent attacking force through the final third of the season, with defense proving less important in the MLS Cup playoffs than it does in other North American leagues, where the moniker “defense wins championships” often rings true. 6. LAFC (Previous: 5) 📉Son Heung-Min failed to score on his four shots against D.C. United. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectLAFC probably aren’t an MLS Cup contender this year, given how things have gone since the World Cup and the struggles showcased by Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga throughout the campaign. This weekend’s scoreless draw against D.C. United didn’t inspire much confidence, marking their third game without a goal. The team now sits with just four wins in their last 14 games. While the incoming signing of defensive midfielder Sergio Vásquez could help improve the situation, it’s unlikely that the U22 Initiative player is the sole piece the Black and Gold need to become a contender in the first year under manager Marc Dos Santos. Next week, they look to snap the five-game winless run against a pesky Real Salt Lake. 5. New England Revolution (Previous: 8) ⬆️— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 30, 2026Carles Gil will likely get MLS MVP votes this year. While the first half of the New England Revolution’s season seemed to revolve around the success of him and goalkeeper Matt Turner, things have shifted in recent weeks—the Revs have gotten better. Sunday’s 3–1 win over the Columbus Crew brought another exceptional showing from Gil, scoring his eighth goal of the season with an audacious effort late in the game, capping off a day when he created a game-high six chances and had a whopping 104 touches. Yet, the impressive goalscoring form from Dor Turgeman, who netted his fourth goal in seven matches, and the difference brought by Jack Harrison’s introduction on the left wing have made the Revs a more dangerous team altogether. Manager Marko Mitrović has his team in a strong position at this point, but the next three weeks on the road against the L.A. Galaxy, New York City FC and Chicago Fire will be a strong litmus test of where they truly stand.4. Chicago Fire (Previous: 3) 📉Robert Lewandowski helped the Chicago Fire salvage a point against the Seattle Sounders. | Henry Rodenburg/Icon Sportswire/Getty ImagesIt was a philosophical battle of summer transfer moves between the Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire, and the two sides settled for a point each in a 2–2 draw. Early on, the Fire couldn’t contain Seattle’s new star man, Dejan Joveljić, in attack, allowing the Rave Green debutant to score his first goal for the club in the 12th minute and add a brace later on. Later, the aging brilliance of Robert Lewandowski found the back of the net, helping the Fire avoid losing to a Sounders side that has lost eight of its last 10 games in the worst spell of form in club history. For the Polish attacker, it marked a fourth goal in seven games, but it also represented the dichotomy in MLS roster building. Joveljić joined the Sounders earlier in the week on a $6 million trade from Sporting Kansas City and has become one of the most potent goal-scorers in MLS. He was the first to be sold twice through the cash-for-player system. Lewandowski, meanwhile, is one of the latest European stars to come over in the twilight of his career. Both can score at remarkable levels, and both were strong on Saturday in a match that represented two entirely different ways of building an MLS attack. For Chicago, the draw is slightly disheartening against a struggling Sounders side, but they will look to return to winning ways next week against Toronto FC. 3. Inter Miami (Previous: 6) ⬆️Lionel Messi took over the MLS Golden Boot lead on Saturday. | Inter Miami Inter Miami had a tumultuous seven days. In between losing 2–1 to Toronto FC at home last week and trouncing CF Montréal 7–1 on Saturday, the Herons parted ways with manager Guillermo Hoyos—who hasn’t left yet but was suspended for the Montréal match—and brought in Cristian “Kily” González, a manager with a worrying career win percentage of 32.5%. While the club’s status may be in flux and questions remain about the reliance on Lionel Messi’s waning brilliance, it didn’t matter this week, as he scored four goals to take over the MLS Golden Boot lead and help the Herons to the largest win in club history. Now, the focus will be on keeping Messi in top form, while also navigating a confusing situation around star midfielder Casemiro, who enjoyed his best showing in pink after sliding back into a center-back role against Montréal. It’s unclear who will be on the touchline next week against Atlanta United: Hoyos on his way out, or González and the new staff still sorting out paperwork.2. Vancouver Whitecaps (Previous: 2) 🤝Thomas Müller (center) scored his seventh goal of the season in Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s win over Sporting Kansas City. | Reed Hoffmann/Getty ImagesTo preface this—Sporting Kansas City are a struggling MLS team, especially after selling Dejan Joveljić to the Seattle Sounders. Add in the Vancouver Whitecaps’ rekindled form in recent weeks, and it’s no surprise that the Canadian side thoroughly dominated on its way to a 3–0 win. After a slower season production-wise, Thomas Müller has found his form, scoring a penalty for his seventh goal of the season and adding his sixth assist of the campaign as well, bringing him to 13 goal contributions in 18 outings. At the same time, the club’s talismanic striker Brian White scored a nifty backheel to bring him to three goals in his last two games and rise to third in the MLS Golden Boot race with 13 total.Add in the rumors of a potential new deal at BC Place, which could pave a long-term future in Vancouver, and the Whitecaps are in a good place right now heading into Wednesday’s Canadian Championship semifinal against CF Montréal side.1. Nashville SC (Previous: 1) 🤝The vibes couldn’t be higher for Hany Mukhtar’s Nashville SC. | Chris Carter/MLS/Getty ImagesNashville SC are expected to smash MLS records this season, especially after a 4–0 trouncing of FC Cincinnati to put them on pace for 80 points. That tally would cruise past Inter Miami’s all-time regular-season points record of 74 set back in 2024. While the attacking trio of Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Cristian Espinoza has stood out all season and boasts a combined 52 goal contributions, the entire roster has stepped up in a way not even Miami’s 2024 roster did, which was heavily reliant on Lionel Messi’s MVP campaign. Outside of the aforementioned three, Tunisian winger Elias Saad has reached impeccable form since joining on loan after the World Cup, posting four assists in eight games across all competitions and completing a game-high four dribbles in Saturday’s win. Some teams in MLS still build around an aging superstar, or bring one in as a finishing piece, yet, Nashville have seemingly cracked the code with a perfectly-built MLS roster. Anything but a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup double would feel disappointing now. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow