MLS Power Rankings: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami back on top, Austin FC on the rise while LA Galaxy sink to new lows

It's hard to imagine things get worse from where they are right now with Sporting. The lone takeaway, take it how you will, is that they're hopefully entering a new era following the removal of Peter Vermes as head coach Monday morning.

Another shocking performance from Houston, with Portland hammering them 3-1. Things just are not going Ben Olsen's way.

A point against an in-form Fire side can be seen as a good result for Montreal. As their permanent head coach search gets underway, they'll look to find a sense of identity on the pitch, with their Matchday 6 result potentially serving as a wave of inspiration.

A scoreless draw against Vancouver is a good point for Toronto, however, it does not change the fact that they have been dreadful to start 2025.

It just continues to get worse and worse. Six matches without a win for the reigning champions, with their latest defeat highlighted by an absolutely howler from goalkeeper John McCarthy.

Nothing is going LA's way.

Their first win of the season is officially in the books and it was a heroic performance from Carles Gil as he scored both a freekick and penalty kick goal to lead the Revs to three points.

By no means does this guarantee Caleb Porter's safety, but it was the first positive for them this season over a month into the campaign.

Undefeated through their first four matches of the season, it's now two-straight losses for D.C. - and they're trending downhill. Christian Benteke, meanwhile, is up to four goals this season, as he continues to be one of the few D.C. players to show up every match.

Four-straight matches without a win for San Jose now.

Bruce Arena needs to figure things out fast, if he wants to guarantee he stays in position through the end of the campaign.

Blanked on a rainy and cold evening in Minnesota. Diego Luna was bright at times, per usual, but this team desperately needs a striker - until that happens, don't expect much more from them.

CITY, at home, started just two attackers against an Austin FC side that isn't known for its attacking prowess.

It was a questionable decision by Olof Mellberg and it did not pay off - or even come remotely close to in a 1-0 loss.

Might as well deem it his "Welcome to MLS, buddy" moment.

Another draw for Seattle, and they're now winless in its last three MLS matches.

They're nowhere near panic territory, but it's become increasingly obvious that they're missing their attacking trio of Jordan Morris, Pedro De La Vega, and Paul Arriola - who are all sidelined due to injury.

Jesus Ferreira, meanwhile, has yet to find his footing in the Pacific Northwest and it's up to manager Brian Schmetzer to get him back to his best.

The Timbers attack is lighting up MLS right now. Back-to-back weeks with three-goal showings, Portland cruised to yet another victory with manager Phil Neville finally unlocking his forwards.

Don't look now, but they're up to 10 points, and just three points out from first in the West.

Lucho Acosta continues to be the difference maker for this squad. Another week, another goal for the former league MVP - this time in a win over SKC.

Shocking defending from both sides all evening, NYCFC fell 4-3 to Atlanta with the Five Stripes winner coming off of a horrendous error from Thiago Martins.

Attacking brilliance all around, but the Pigeons were presented with an opportunity to secure their first road win of the season, and individual errors prevented them from doing so.

Emmanuel Latte Lath is churning out goals left and right, with five goals in six matches, and although Atlanta's defense may be letting him down at times, he's really stepping into the limelight. More importantly, though, all three DP's - including Alexey Miranchuk and Miguel Almiron - found the back of the net on top of the Ivorian on Saturday.

Really impressive from their attack.

A poor result does not even begin to describe it. RBNY conceded on two set pieces - a freekick and a PK - and they fell to MLS' worst attacking team in the Revolution as a result. It was a bad performance on all accounts.

Hany Mukhtar missed his second penalty of the season, and Nashville lost 2-1 to Cincy. It's not a direct correlation to dropping points, but they cannot afford to be missing penalties - and their German star cannot be missing in opportunities like these.

Manager B.J. Callaghan will have to evaluate if he needs to designate a new spot-kick taker.

Internal capitulation, marked by individual errors, was the theme for LAFC over the weekend in a 3-2 loss to San Diego. Hugo Lloris and Igor Jesus were the main culprits, but overall, this was a shocking showing from Steve Cherundolo's men.

They let the atmosphere and rivalry get to their heads, and they couldn't handle the pressure.

Perhaps it was three points gifted to them due to LA's shocking performance, but you take what you get. Another brilliant showing from Martin Ojeda, while Luis Muriel is finally coming into his own for the Floridian club.

Quietly, but surely, Orlando is starting to looking like a mighty foe in the East as it has risen to seventh.

CLT were dominant for roughly half of their match against Colorado, but never found the end product in a 2-0 loss. Late in the match, they capitulated with two defensive errors which led to the disappointing result.

It was a real learning moment for Dean Smith's squad - and particularly Wilfried Zaha, who had his toughest match yet in a Charlotte shirt. They'll need better from their star DP.

A small hiccup of a result for the Fire in a 1-1 draw with CF MTL, but they're unbeaten in their last five - the Fire are cruising and performing at a ridiculously high level.

New manager Gregg Berhalter is exceeding early expectations.

Evander continues to show his class week-in and week-out. He's already repaying the $12 million price tag Cincy forked over for him, with his latest performance seeing him deliver a delicious free kick to help the club to all three points.

A good confidence booster for Kevin Denkey as well, as the Togolese striker scored a stoppage-time penalty to secure the victory.

Really, really impressive win over Charlotte. Resilient throughout the match, they scored twice late - both from Djordje Mihailovic - to secure all three points against an in-form Eastern Conference foe.

What a week for Tani Oluwaseyi. The striker scored for Canada against the U.S. men's national team in the Nations League third-place match, and returned to MNUFC to bag a brace on a rainy evening at Allianz Field to steer the Loons towards three points.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

SDFC got their first home win in front of a sold-out Snapdragon Stadium, defeating LAFC 3-2 on the back of three first half goals. Mikey Varas has been impressive in his first head coaching job at the MLS level.

New DP striker Brandon Vazquez is starting to find his footing for Austin, which is exactly what they need if they want to compete in a heavily contested Western Conference.

Big win for them over a defensively stout side like CITY. It's early, but Verde sitting second in the West is a pleasant surprise to start the campaign.

Pretty poor result, all things said, in a scoreless draw vs. Toronto. Sure, it's a point on the road, but the Whitecaps will be disappointed they couldn't beat their rival, who are currently 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Big result for Columbus, ending a winless period after three-straight draws. They remain one of two sides undefeated to start 2025, and Diego Rossi is stepping up to be the leader Columbus brought him in to be. After Saturday, he's on four goals in six matches this season - and although it's not a replacement for the outbound Cucho Hernandez, they'll need him to continue producing to stay in contention in the East this season.

Undone by a talented Inter Miami roster, and Lionel Messi himself, but they put forth a valiant effort.

Going forward, the Union need to put more emphasis on unlocking Tai Baribo in the final-third, while maintaining possession that allows them to give the Israeli striker the service he needs.

Back on top, likely where they belong. A huge win over Philly has their spirits high, while Messi is back to fitness, as well.

Benja Cremaschi is slowly coming into his own in 2025, while their defense is the best they've ever been.