play1:12Inter Miami CF vs. Austin FC – Game HighlightsInter Miami CF vs. Austin FC – Game Highlights
play0:34Kelvin Yeboah seals the win for Minnesota UnitedKelvin Yeboah gets on the scoresheet for Minnesota United FC
play0:44Sebastian Berhalter scores stunning stoppage-time winner for WhitecapsSebastian Berhalter scores goal for Vancouver Whitecaps
Denis Bouanga completes his hat trick in the 28th minute for LAFC (0:53)Denis Bouanga slots in the goal for LAFC (0:53)
Kelvin Yeboah seals the win for Minnesota UnitedKelvin Yeboah gets on the scoresheet for Minnesota United FC
Sebastian Berhalter scores stunning stoppage-time winner for WhitecapsSebastian Berhalter scores goal for Vancouver Whitecaps
Megan SwanickApr 6, 2026, 04:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
Which team looks the strongest? Which one is in for a long year? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 6 to come up with this week’s order. Let’s dive in.
Son Heung-Min notched four first-half assists (almost matching Lionel Messi’s assists-in-one-half record) in a 6-0 win against Orlando. Three of those were to Denis Bouanga, who clocked his fifth MLS hat trick in a dominant win for the only team yet to concede a goal this season.
Nashville proved mortal in a windy Chicago after losing 1-0 to the Fire. After conceding in the first minute, it couldn’t break through a Chicago defense buoyed by four saves from Chris Brady. Nashville has a few days to recover before Tuesday’s Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against Club América.
The only thing that can stop San Jose this season is a briefly malfunctioning sprinkler on their pitch, and even that didn’t stop the Earthquakes in a 3-0 win against San Diego. Niko Tsakiris scored twice (including a skillful left-footed strike at an improbable angle to take an early lead) as the San Jose outshot San Diego 10-1 on target while up a player from the 32nd minute.
Guilherme Biro ‘s sixth-minute header robbed Miami of the opening goal at its brand-new Nu Stadium, but it didn’t take long for Messi to respond with a 10th-minute equalizer. The visitors were a challenge and took the lead again on a counter, but Luis Suárez (who can somehow still walk, let alone score) secured a share of the spoils eight minutes after entering. With a 2-2 draw, Miami has tied four of its past five games across all competitions.
Inter Miami CF vs. Austin FC – Game HighlightsInter Miami CF vs. Austin FC – Game Highlights
Seattle doesn’t score a lot (with six total, it has the second-fewest goals for teams in the playoff positions, including wild card), but it doesn’t concede often either. While being outshot on target, Andy Thomas made three saves to secure the Sounders’ fifth clean sheet. At the other end, top scorer Paul Rothrock netted his third of the regular season to secure three points in a 1-0 win in Houston. Next stop Monterrey, for the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals.
San Diego was already trailing the Quakes when a harsh denial of a goal-scoring opportunity saw Manu Duah sent off in the 32nd minute. Two more goals and a sprinkler malfunction later, and SDFC had its third loss of the season and faces solid tests ahead. San Diego will need to bounce back against Minnesota and RSL.
Don’t sleep on Dallas. After rocking D.C. to the tune of a 4-0 win, only Vancouver has more goals this season. With his seventh goal in the 91st minute, Petar Musa is even with Nashville’s Sam Surridge atop the scoring list.
After beating SKC 3-1, RSL have four wins in a five-game undefeated run. Diego Luna (returning from a knee injury) got his first start in 2026 and took four minutes to score, but it’s the ascendant youth movement that made the difference: 19-year-old Zavier Gozo set up Sergi Solans’ 55th-minute goal before scoring the decisive final strike.
Kelvin Yeboah gets on the scoresheet for Minnesota United FC
After beating Colorado 3-2 in a match featuring three red cards (two for Colorado), Toronto is undefeated in four games (three wins, one draw). For a team that won only six in 2025, that’s great form. More reasons for optimism: In his third appearance, second start and first full 90, Josh Sargent scored the winning goal and assisted on Richie Laryea’s marker.
Remarkably, Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Red Bulls is Cincinnati’s third straight game with a red card. It came in the 95th minute but hey, if the 2023 Supporters’ Shield winners aren’t leading the league in points, they are atop the total red cards list alongside Houston. Another notable stat: After conceding two goals in their first three games, Cincinnati has conceded 13 in its past three.
After going on a three-game losing streak, St. Louis has a bit of momentum with one win and a draw in its past two, when it fell behind first. Saturday at NYCFC, St. Louis salvaged a point at the death with Brendan McSorley’s 95th-minute equalizer. Roman Bürki helped see his team through with six saves.
Austin has six points from its first six games of the season after tying Miami 2-2 at Nu Stadium’s grand opening. Los Verdes were aggressive in the spotlight and took the lead twice before succumbing to goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. Brad Stuver’s six saves were as pivotal as their pressure.
Sebastian Berhalter scores stunning stoppage-time winner for Whitecaps
Sebastian Berhalter scores goal for Vancouver Whitecaps
The Rapids love a high-scoring game. Whether it ends in their favor is a gamble. In March, they beat the Galaxy 4-1, lost to NYCFC 3-1, then beat SKC 4-1. Saturday in Toronto, two red cards had Colorado finish the match with nine players (Toronto with 10) as it fumbled a 2-0 lead and departed with a 3-2 loss. En route, Zack Steffen made multiple errors, including a viral own-goal that brought Toronto level in the 77th minute.
At last, the Crew have their first win of the season. Wessam Abou Ali took five minutes to score a brace and Max Arfsten (back at the scene of the U.S. men’s national team’s back-to-back friendly defeats) provided the third goal after assisting on Ali’s first in a 3-1 win against Atlanta.
Sean Johnson preceded the international break with his second clean sheet of the season. Against Dallas he conceded four, doubling United’s total goals conceded this season in just one game.
After losing 6-0 to LAFC (Hugo Lloris made six saves to keep them goalless), Orlando has lost three of its past four games by a five- or six-goal margin. With 23 goals conceded this season (the most in MLS), the Lions are heading in a record-setting direction.
After a two-game undefeated run (not really a run, but when you’re Atlanta, you’ll take it), the Five Stripes are back to losing games after falling 3-1 to Columbus. The team’s top scorer, Alexey Miranchuk, provided the sole goal in a sparsely filled stadium. Head coach Tata Martino provided the final note of calamity with a stoppage-time red card.
Striker Dejan Joveljic can only do so much to salvage points for the West’s basement dwellers. That said, he did score his fourth goal of the season to chip away at RSL’s lead, and nearly had a second in the final minutes before it was called offside in a 3-1 defeat.
After losing 2-1 to Charlotte (Philadelphia drew level in the 78th minute only to leave Wilfried Zaha wide open for a goal two minutes later), the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners have six straight defeats to start the season. The Union have secured the record for worst start for a Supporters’ Shield winner, but the record for worst start for any team is within reach.
Denis Bouanga completes his hat trick in the 28th minute for LAFC (0:53)Denis Bouanga slots in the goal for LAFC (0:53)
It’s Monday, MLS action is back, and it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Megan SwanickApr 6, 2026, 04:00 AM ETMultiple Authors