MLS Power Rankings: The “Hope?” Edition

Welcome back to our (somewhat) weekly breakdown of MLS team rankings!

We have reached mid-September, and with the regular season entering the final stretch, we’re seeing how high the stakes are for some teams. This past weekend gave us one of Kansas City’s best performances of the 2026 season (though really, all of their wins have been underdog wins), and we saw other teams peaking or falling when gaining momentum is critical.

Let’s dive into this week’s biggest swings and see who’s currently hot, and who is not.

SKC Shocks LAFC

If you were disinclined to tune in for Sporting Kansas City against LAFC, you missed their game of the season.

Sporting KC went toe-to-toe with a Western Conference contender and walked away with a resounding win, bagging a weekly league-best +15.8 points. For a team that has spent months mired at the bottom, taking points off a top-tier side was a huge point boost.

The immediate casualty? Los Angeles. LAFC absorbed the 15.8-point loss, dropping four spots out of the top ten down to #13 (1516.8).

While SKC is still sitting at #30 (1414.6), the feeling at the bottom is now slightly rosier. Thanks to the Columbus Crew’s recent skid (-11.2), the gap between SKC and #29 Columbus (1420.2) is just 5.6 points. With CF Montréal (1430.0) also sliding, if Sporting KC can use this win as inspiration and start to string together results, they are no longer a lock for the Wooden Spoon.

Nashville Holds On, St. Louis Soars to #2

While Sporting KC was stealing points looking to climb out of the bottom, Nashville SC held onto the top spot after grinding out a 2-2 road draw against Inter Miami, walking away with a +1.1 boost to stay at #1 (1579.7).

Conversely, Miami took a -1.1 hit for dropping home points, sliding one spot down to #4 (1562.9). Their recent form (LWDDD) shows a squad sputtering with three straight draws at the worst possible time.

Dropped points at the top opened the door for St. Louis City SC, who continued their climb with a +7.0 win over Minnesota to take over the #2 spot (1570.8). Right behind them, FC Dallas jumped three spots to claim #3 (1563.1), while Vancouver slid to #5 following an upset loss to Austin FC.

Philadelphia’s Rise

Can we take a moment to appreciate the Philadelphia Union?

Early this summer, Philly was locked in a basement dogfight with SKC. Fast forward to mid-September, and the Union are sitting at #8 in the league (1541.1). After dismantling San Diego for a huge +14.0 swing, Philadelphia is riding a blistering DWWWW form line. It is easily the most impressive turnaround in the league this season.

Around the League

• Austin’s Statement: Austin FC played spoiler in Cascadia, shocking Vancouver to bank a +14.4-point boost and leap into the Top 20 (#20, 1478.6).
• San Jose on the Rebound: The Earthquakes bounced back from their late-summer slump with a +13.0 win over Houston, climbing to #12.
• The Crew in Danger: The Columbus Crew absorbed a tough -11.2-point hit, dropping them to #29 (1420.2), just above SKC.
• Colorado Climbs: The Colorado Rapids quietly had a standout weekend, jumping four spots to #15 on the back of a +10.6-point performance.

Here’s the full table as it stands today.

Parting Thought: In an Elo system, nothing is permanent. When a 1500+ powerhouse takes the field against an opponent fighting for pride, the math assumes an easy win and pays out when reality refuses to cooperate. Sporting KC proved that one dominant 90-minute performance can pay dividends. With just a handful of matches left in the regular season, the race to avoid the Wooden Spoon is on.

Want to see a more detailed breakdown? You can dive deeper into the numbers by heading over to https://jough13.github.io/xG_Elo/mls_2026.html